Honestly, even if the party is level 3, this can be a very tough fight! Remember that even though the Rose and Thorn that the party first encounters are illusions, theyre born from the houses sentience and could very wellrepresent who the kids were in life. my article on running horror in your own D&D 5e games! It was great. From the moment the party steps into the town, they'll get a great sense that nothing is right here. Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. They were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire. The house is not at all that dangerous if your players pick the right choices. NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came up well. Almost parallels Death house. 34. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. When asked, Rose reported smugly that shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. It is also included in the Curse of Strahd adventure module on page 211 under Appendix B. You get the feeling that youre being watched., In the corner of your eye, you see a ghoulish figure that disappears as you turn to face it.. 11. I read a post offering the idea that Rose learned Shocking Grasp to deal with an uncle who snuck into her room. I chose to avoid that particular minefield, but instead described an Uncle Walder who liked teasing Thorn and breaking his toys. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. The link to MandyMods guide is above or right here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/. Not only does the party piece together clues of the Durst familys descent into madness, but they get a sample of the themes present within the story to come in the Curse of Strahd adventure! It was amazing. You can see the tendrils grip on the walls tighten with crushing force. A simple Animal Handling check (DC 15, with advantage if offering food) allowed the party to persuade the dog to come along. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. Not every spooky thing needs to have an explanation. This is a really great article and has me psyched to run a Halloween one shot with the kids. Would love your thoughts, please comment. For background the home is infused with the evil spirits of the cultists that once resided there. Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this level. Master Suite.- Theres a jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. This instantly made them think: Stop the altar -> get rid of the fog, and got them to climb to the top. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. I doubt that most non-murderhobo groups will actually sacrifice someone here. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. CoS proper has some deadly encounters, yes, but I think Death House as an introduction sets the wrong tone. Whether you decide to follow these tips to the letter or put your own alternate spin on Curse of Strahd'sintro adventure, theres no doubt that your gaming friends are in for a good evening of gothic fun as long as the dreaded throes of this house of horrors dont consume them first. I decided that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy, escaped from Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter. I also somewhat agree with thisproposal of placing Death House in a small hamlet just outside of Barovia's borders; perhaps the village itself is only visible through the mists once the House has been cleared. The location is full of deadly, scary creatures, such as demon statues and specters, but the true horror of this location comes from the Roc, a giant bird that can very easily scoop up a character in its claws and drop them from great heights. The best was when the team with Scooby, Velma, Shaggy and Fred ended up down stairs and came across a table covered in a Thanksgiving dinner and the turkey was a mimic. There's a disappointing truth to Death Housethe prologue to Curse of Strahdand it's that it's alternative ending "The Cult is Denied" is just a dull series of rolls.Each character rolls against poisonous smoke. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). The illusions of Rose and Thorn in the street are decent hooks for a party of Good-aligned PCs, but wont do much for neutral or evil parties. Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. 9. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. Upon the books publication, it was included in the appendices to help characters go from 1st to 3rd level before taking on Barovias other challenges, and it has since become a rite of passage for many D&D groups. 8 Real-Life Skills Youll Develop By Playing D&D, 12 Monsters That Will Instantly Kill Characters, 7 Types of D&D Players You Will Have In Your Group, 9 Powerful Tips to Engage Players in Your D&D Game. She sells Dream Pastries to the locals in the nearby village of Barovia but holds a sinister secret. Now, railroading isnt a bad thing, especially for a newer group. [Bones of Saint Andral] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/). A number of helpful suggestions I gathered regarding their use: When Rose or Thorn attempts to possess a player, describe it as feeling like a childs hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace. Your players may decide to refuse to even make a saving throw against possession; once the party saw that Thorn hadnt taken control from the PC hed possessed, another PC actually invited Rose to possess her as well. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. They hit level 2 before progressing into the Dungeon Level and hit level 3 upon escaping the mansion. The most vital regions are bolded. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. One of my PCs assumed that shed accidentally killed him with Shocking Grasp, but thankfully didnt bring it up. I'd recommendat the leastencouraging your players to long rest. The way this adventure works. The party will attack them. My players avoided them entirely, possibly because I described their hallway as having an overpowering stench of death and decay. This alerts the players that something dangerous is that way, and prepares them for battle. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. There are plenty of deadly combat encounters that can take place here, from giant spiders to undead revenants and phantom warriors. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. When the party goes to escape, the house itself will be attacking them. The Death House is actually a very challenging dungeon. Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. This kept them panicked, tense, and on their toes. What font did you use for Strahd when you were making these? If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. Or an evil PC could finish off a severely hurt ally. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-4','ezslot_24',145,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-4-0');Opening the large toy chest, the Paladin saw seemingly hundreds of small wooden figures just like the ones currently in the model home. They may come to Barovia expecting to be heroes, but the things that they will do and sacrifice for the sake of their own survival throughout the adventure will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The go-to source for comic and superhero movie fans. Even just traveling around Barovia can be a spooky experience. The adventure was unveiled in the February 2016 issue of Dragon+ as an example of the thrills that would come in the then-unreleased Curse of Strahd. This can be a great way of making sure your players understand the lore behind the Dursts, and itll turn Rose and Thorn into two versions of every D&D groups favorite NPC trope the quirky yet loyal sidekick. This, combined with the crumbling floors and eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players. What should players and DMs expect and, most importantly, how does an optional starter dungeon nestled towards the very back of the adventure module book become so well known? It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. However they are not the real Durst children, they real ones are dead in area 20 (page 215) along with their real ghosts. Moreover, there are a lot of things that the party can miss (e.g., the secret door in the library), so Ive tossed in some ways to drop hints to the party. Looking over the dolls by the handful, each one showed an expression of pain and fear. The Count's Crypt. Tabletop Joab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Dungeon master guide and advice with the. How to Play Ravenloft in a Single Night. A big boss fight is coming up and you want the party to expend some resources, but still have some fight in them for the boss encounter! https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/, Place a tattered piece of sheet music on the harpsichord in the conservatory, another DMs idea to let them see a woman shrouded in black standing beside the crib, her back to the door, only attack those that approached the crib or threatened her baby, the image of the (human) nursemaid appeared in the glass, describe it as feeling like a childs hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace.. Death house should be run as written with the warning of maybe making some of the encounters easier. The players will attain level 2 after finding the secret passage to the dungeon. It's a horrific truth that will send a shiver down your party's spines. Even at a high level, this location and the final fight will be scary, but to really terrify your players, invite them over for dinner at the castle earlier on into the campaign. How to D&D 29.8K subscribers This video discusses the death house encounters with advice for curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. Its important to note that after exiting this place, its unlikely that the adventurers will visit it ever again. Add some emotion to the childrens request. 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