Of course, a highly strategic or well-equipped party will likely face a somewhat easier encounter, while a novice or ill-prepared party will face a correspondingly harder encounter. The Dark Powers delight in tormenting villains as much as they do innocents, the Mists equally confound both predators and prey, and Darklords frequently exhibit hubris or other exploitable flaws. Strahd casts the polymorph spell to turn a PC or NPC into a sperm whale (see Rime of the Frostmaiden, p. 309) or killer whale. [9], Publishers Weekly included the book in their "Best-selling Books Week Ending March 28, 2016", in which Curse of Strahd was #6 in "Hardcover Fiction". He knew they were coming, and he knows why they cameall according to his plan. Execution. Players should be made aware of this when starting the campaign and they should note that often discretion will be the better part of valor. Let me start off by saying that Curse of Strahd certainly has some very challenging encounters, many of which can be stumbled into at points when the party is woefully under-levelled. Is this homebrew variant of Leomund's Tiny Hut a problem? There was not much room for exploring, they simply followed the road and noted that this was one of the places they were recommended to visit. Conjure Specter. Strahd uses 1 legendary action to strike and grapple a nearby enemy. I never used to be very good at DMing combat, due to disliking it as a player, but I've been DMing CoS for over a year on and off and have focused really hard on improving combat. With Roll20 as your virtual tabletop, your adventures are limitless. Strahd uses his Bite attack while he has a PC grappled. Lured to Barovia by the lands dark master and trapped there by a supernatural mist, the players are forced to travel throughout the realm gaining knowledge and experience before finally confronting the vampire Strahd himself. [17] Christian Hoffer, for Comicbook, wrote "while it doesn't have enough extra material to justify a second purchase, Curse of Strahd Revamped is a great box set for the DM/player group that hasn't traveled to Ravenloft and wants to commit to the campaign with a grim flourish. The Dark Lord of Barovia, the master of Ravenloft, the first Vampyre Count Strahd Von Zarovich is a contender for the title of D&Ds most iconic villain of all time, right alongside the Vecna, Acererak, Xanathar the mad beholder crime boss, and Halaster Blackcloak. Sure, it's horror, and sandboxed, but if the answer to almost anything the characters can do or encounter when they start the campaign is, "just run away," it's not much of a story. Use this option if you want Strahd to slowly chip away a single PC's hit points over a long period of time (e.g., 20 or more rounds of combat) from a position of near-absolute safety. Strahd uses a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to cast fireball. [] Play is easy, and intuitive, given youve familiarized yourself with the adventure ahead of time. Now, Strahd has become convinced that a young Barovian woman is the reincarnation of his beloved Tatyana and wishes to make her his bride. Use this option if you want to provide your players with a multi-stage boss fight that artificially inflates Strahd's hit points, providing for a longer, more satisfying finale that ends as soon as the PCs successfully grapple or incapacitate him. I rocked up late to the first session with an unread rulebook and a human bard called Nick Jugger. Authors. 2: The Lands of Barovia Lay of the Land Barovians Vistani I am creating classic rock playlists for music in curse of strahd and I need some help with Strahds Final Battle music. Use this option if you want to deal a decent amount of damage to a number of PCs simultaneously, punishing them for grouping up, forcing them to separate, and reducing their resources. Theres too much intrigue to wing your way through this adventure". I'm having the same issue. What would stop him from turning into a T-Rex 4 times before actually taking on the party in his true form? Taunting works well on my playersget that grudge match on. If you use this option at least twice per 10 rounds, increase Strahds CR by 1 if employing No Phasing (see above), and decrease Strahds CR by 2 if not. Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. I have one idea so far in that I home-brewed that the mongrelfolk are actually all afflicted with a disease that transforms them at different rates into beasts (hence the beast in the Abbey). Tease, taunt, humiliate - Yes. If youre a new GM preparing to run Curse of Strahd, youll need to know: your players can either start at third level, or they can run through the introductory adventure "Death House." 1. Most player characters know they are trapped, and the Mists of Ravenloft are an omnipresent reminder of the stakes of their adventure and the challenges they must overcome. The more details or "clues" you hand out, the more they want to know what is happening. Hit-and-Run Phasing. Note that each strategy assumes that, before preparing for combat, Strahd uses his phasing ability and/or legendary actions to retreat, waits at least one minute, and attacks again only once the PCs have left initiative. Use this option if you want to allow Strahd to attack without disadvantage in sunlight, force the PCs to attack with disadvantage, prevent PC spellcasters from casting spells that require sight, and observe the PCs' conduct and location without revealing himself. Here are some examples we have come across so far. Note that the use of a Lair Action other than phasing can allow your players to restrain and/or kill Strahd within 1-2 rounds unless he has a clear escape route and ample distance (60-90 feet) separating him from the majority of the party. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Strahd constantly lures the PCs to new locations throughout the castle, moving the scene of battle to monster- or trap-filled chambers (e.g., the gargoyles in K7 or the elevator trap in K61), while reserving multiple safe spaces to regenerate his health fully before returning to the fray. By contrast, a party of 10th-level PCs will face a slightly easier encounter, expending fewer resources and facing lower risk. Want to support my work and get cool perks like personal campaign advice, mentoring, DMing resources, homebrew TTRPG encounters, & early access to guides? Their image didn't match the Bela Legosi [sic] vampire quite so much. I'm currently DMing a Curse of Strahd campaign (slightly modified to fit into an existing world I am slowly building (following core rule books for the most part). Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition, New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI. If run deficiently, Strahds CR effectively craters to 5; if run optimally, his CR easily surmounts 20. This scenario most closely resembles that run by novice DMs encountering Strahds statblock for the first time. I built a cabin, gain a level. If you use this option twice or more per round on at least one-third of all combat rounds, reduce Strahds CR by 2 if Strahd is employing No Phasing (see above), and leave Strahds CR unchanged if not. Strahd uses his lair action to summon a specter, which attacks a single PC and then vanishes. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. The answer would certainly be improve by including an explanation of why it's the solution. I'm looking for more ideas for bosses or minibosses to sprinkle through Barovia. If you expect to successfully use this option to incapacitate a character wielding the Sunsword for at least one minute, increase Strahds CR by 2; if not, use of this option does not change Strahds CR. How could the Awaken spell be cast on highly intelligent plants and beasts? Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the 5th-edition of Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. This guide aims to fill that gap, providing a comprehensive suite of options to allow Dungeon Masters to precisely customize the outcome and experience of their final boss fightas if customizing a statblockbefore initiative is even rolled. Remember, the raven will be in league with the wereravens of Vallaki and essentially a force of good. Why the obscure but specific description of Jane Doe II in the original complaint for Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity? In keeping with the logical structure of the original campaign, Curse of Strahd also finds countless ways to intertwine the larger themes of the campaign into its side adventures. [1] It was released on October 20, 2020. Instead, they separated, two distracted the coffin maker, whilst the remainder broke into his house. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. None. They did gain two levels after defeating the hags and securing the sword. Do you have any memorable stories, comments, questions, or critiques? By using a legendary action to make an unarmed strike instead of moving, for example, Strahd may gain additional damage or a grapple effect against a target, but he is simultaneously sacrificing additional mobility, survivability, and tactical advantage. Combined with the magic items that are vicious vs vampires, Strahd as written was severely overmatched. Lets also assume that his preferred legendary actions include unarmed strike and move; that he cannot use charm (+1 CR); that he primarily uses the phasing lair action; that he prefers to isolate characters via defenestration; that he prepares between consecutive combats by using the hide action (+1 CR); and that his responses to provocation are petty. No Phasing. The following options refer to Strahds use of his phasing lair action, which permits him to temporarily pass through the solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors of Castle Ravenloft as if they werent there. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? The coffin maker (at least under my interpretation) is being kept as an unwilling servant/hostage of these vampires. As it stands, it sure seems to throw a whole lot of level 5+ stuff, right off the bat, with few opportunities, other than random encounters, to actually get characters there. Note that the use of a Lair Action other than phasing can allow your players to restrain and/or kill Strahd within 1-2 rounds unless he has a clear escape route and ample distance (60-90 feet) separating him from the majority of the party. [12], In 2016, Henry Glasheen, for SLUG Magazine, highlighted the legacy of the original Castle Ravenloft and wrote "Curse of Strahd carries on this legacy admirably, diving deeper into the bloody past of Count Strahd.
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