how to survive the death house curse of strahd
To make her feel more real, I had her only attack those that approached the crib or threatened her baby; if disturbed, she slowly turned toward those that entered the nursery, revealing the face of a terrified, skeletal young woman whose flesh slowly fell off in chunks to reveal the specter beneath. ), its a good stopping point for your first session. Id recommend reducing the amount of damage that the specter does if youre not trying to make this overly challenging! Now, railroading isnt a bad thing, especially for a newer group. 9 Personal Touches For GMs To Bring Your Game To Life, Deflect Missiles in D&D 5e | All You Need To Know, Arcane Archer Fighter in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide, Incubus and Succubus in D&D 5e | Friends Without the R, Storm Sorcerer in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide. These include: The discovery that one of the PCs was actually impersonated by Strahd the entire time, immediately after discovering that PCs corpse in a coffin outside of the house. The Companion dives through every chapter of Curse of Strahd and incorporates Wyatt Trull's mithral-bestselling module, The Wedding at Ravenloft as the campaign's climax. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. Each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. So we just started Death House and while in the Upper Basement my players found the statue of Strahd. Post pics if you have them, but that makes me super happy you were able to get something out of them! Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. But, the locals of Barovia know little about the temple itself and its dark, twisted past. 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! Immediately afterward, a grinding noise (the sound of the secret passage) can be heard from the attic. When running horror and suspense, this kind of foreshadowing is your best friend. Childrens Room .- The remains of Rose and Thorn are here. They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Ideas For Running A One-Shot. Its not exactly an adventure for new D&D players, but it often ends up being experienced that way thanks to Curse of Strahdbeingone of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons' premiereadventures. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. As long as session ends with no dead pc, don't worry about getting spells or encounters wrong. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. PCs will recognize the children. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. Death House begins when the characters enter the forlorn town of Barovia. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. You will be sure to terrify your party with this location, especially when they hear that horrible shriek of that feathered fiend and have nowhere to run. Well look over those now. As written, the plot hook is simply that there is a monster in the house. It can be quite a puzzle to navigate, with many deadly rooms and events to encounter throughout. This is all really helpful and wish I'd seen this before I'd run DH. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. Your email address will not be published. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. The land is grim and desolate. Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. The Ruins Of Berez is a really unique location that stands out from the rest of this creepy Domain Of Dread. Your email address will not be published. 2023 Wizards. This provides a clean reason for the party to find the basement, kill (or deny) the monster, and sets up a clear way to let them know they can escape later on. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. Press J to jump to the feed. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. Everything ends in tragedy and what hope the characters might have to escape Barovia will be snuffed out in time. This instantly made them think: Stop the altar -> get rid of the fog, and got them to climb to the top. You can see the tendrils grip on the walls tighten with crushing force. 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! They starved to death after their parents locked them in their room. Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. In my game, I went one step further and made the kids amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware. He is the Land." This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. You can start with Mad Marys encounter (page 44). bastard child, Flesh Mound, etc) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure. In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a character beyond that of a nameless victim. Heading further up Mount Ghakis, it is also freezing cold at night. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. For instance, the shrine devoted to Strahd oozes atmosphere, and if you have gnomes or other Small characters in your party, utilizing the dumbwaiter is a fun way of having them scout ahead. Be careful when you use these, though. They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. And then level 3 after escaping the house. Well cover some of the changes that I make when Im running this dungeon for my groups later in this article. You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. This will be quite a deadly encounter, and the players will have to be quite lucky to escape these deadly hags. One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Quality content, cartography, and adventures for fantasy games. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. The Old Bonegrinder is a terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be. Created by the house to lure in victims, the illusions drop vague hints about a monster in the basement and the sins of their parents. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. This video discusses the death house dungeon encounter disasters that you want to avoid in the curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. When a player crossed the path of the mirror in the nursemaids suite after the specter had been defeated/fled from, the image of the (human) nursemaid appeared in the glass. Thank you for this. Did you like this guide? Subscribers get updates on all of the latest news, posts, and offerings from Tabletop Joab! Since I've warned you already about spoilers, I'll state it up front: to avoid the house turning against the PCs, a creature has to die at the sanctum in the basement. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. Don't just drop the players in front of the children, make them go trough the initial adventure hook and trough the Gates Of Barovia. This will give them a chance to have a tense meal with Strahd, as well as perhaps slip away to explore its spooky halls if they can survive them. 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. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. The children that the party encounters on the road (Rose and Thorn) are asking for help dealing with whatever entity is inside the house. But, this is Strahd's home, and the battle will not be easy. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Three of my players were able to get boosts up to the attic from the balcony outside of the master bedroom, but the fourth, a firbolg, was too big to make it up. In reality it doesnt matter what or who dies on the altar. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. They also tried to find other houses in the fog, but quickly realized that they were being railroaded inside once the constitution/exhaustion checks started. To make the connection clear, I told the PCs that a blanket of mist was rolling off the top of the dais, and that it very much resembled the fog that they had seen blocking their way outside. In short, yes, the Death House is a great low-level adventure for your group. Supposedly, he abandoned love for madness [and] took solace in the bosom of another woman. What of the nursemaids point of view? Theres a third baby in the picture in the fathers arms, Mrs. Durst looks at the baby with scorn. Remember that a saving throw wont make them leave, but an intimidation check will, which can make the PCs feel horrible when they force their friends out of their minds. It helped pull the player into the story a lot more. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. At the very least, lower their hit points a bit. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. They havent opened it yet, but Im hoping that theyll use the letter as an excuse to take an interest in Ismark when they arrive at the tavern. RELATED: Story Hooks In D&D You Always See And Why They Work. However, that feels a little ham-fisted. I ran this around this time last year and that nursemaid absolutely murdered two of the NPCs of players I had only just met (at which point the party fled the house and refused to return). Throughout, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose. I've spent the last three hours looking for ways to edit the pdf of another handout that says stillborn son but here this was! If they arent seizing the chance to be heroes, appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the hook you need. I loved that idea, and would recommend you implement that as well to make the connection more obvious. Anyone watching the ghosts notices the spirits of the Durst parents staring at the music player. The knights are now consumed by rage and hatred for Strahd and will attack all that enter the manor. If your players find out that the kids are illusions then they wont be trying to help and will believe it is a trap (I mean its obviously a trap but still). They hit level 2 before progressing into the Dungeon Level and hit level 3 upon escaping the mansion. Almost parallels Death house. Kind of disappointing that this is the kind of thing appearing now. Use. Castle Ravenloft is the home of Strahd Von Zarovich and is quite a terrifying location. Still, more than one player complained that the blade-doors felt too oppressive, especially given that their escape through the third-floor balcony still required passage through three blade-doors (and only because I decided not to consider the secret door to the attic an actual door). Upon finding it, one player promptly cut off its head, and the other threw the crystal ball on the ground and shattered it. Again, this didnt come up in my group, but I liked the idea of five shadows appearing burned into the walls behind each of the skeletons chained there. PCs can find a Cloak of Protection as treasure, plus a spellbook. What font did you use for Strahd when you were making these? If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. (Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. And finally, credit must be given to me (Derek Ruiz) as the author, and a link to this web page must be included if it is shared or redistributed. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. I never thought of that. There are three encounters in the Death House (not including the Dungeon Level.) Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! There might be some who have managed to mostly keep out of trouble, but they are very few in these lands. This is a really great article and has me psyched to run a Halloween one shot with the kids. [Bones of Saint Andral] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/). Well, not entirely anyway. In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. Very useful against some Barovian creatures. I generally start my games at level 3. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. 25. 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. Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. Whatever you do, keep a feeling of tension and unease at the table as you describe what the party finds as they explore the mansion. Or jump from a balcony. Death House could even be played as a thrilling horror one-shot adventure. Not every spooky thing needs to have an explanation. Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. Strahd is aware of these events. Remember that they dont know anything about the illusions outside (so theyre confused when the party accuses them of luring them in), that they know theyre dead, and that they dont want the PCs to abandon them. Ideally, everyone is happy to assist the children and play the game. Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. It is designed to introduce Curse Of Strahd, exploring its themes on a miniature scale, and is intended for level one players. After exiting the house, the mists of Ravenloft recede and will let them explore the Village of Barovia. Pretty spoopy. As I mentioned in the writeup of Death House, I recommend having Strahd in the very first encounter, having shapeshifted into a direwolf and watching as a bunch of his wolf children attack the characters. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. Yeah, adding the Dursts is a good idea. The Death House is actually a very challenging dungeon. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. Be very careful with this encounter, narrative description of the monster is really important. Awesome article! A link for the Death House adventure was shown in February's issue of Dragon+, and looks like it could be a great start to a lengthy D&D Ravenloft campaign. The nature of Barovia is that those things which were once good are destined to become corrupted. Obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and a close personal friend of Pocket (an interdimensional teleporting ferret). To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. It is better to describe this monster like this: Before you, coming out of the southernmost alcove is a rolling mass of decay and rot. The usual response to this encounter is retreat. According to the book that works, but you might rule otherwise. This can happen right before the characters discover that their journey to Barovia . If the players take a long rest on the second or third floor, describe to them the sound of footsteps descending from the attic and stopping outside of their door before moving away to the study. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. It was amazing. I'm hosting my second ever session tonight and my party will be heading into the dungeonhave I missed something? Still, it damages the verisimilitude for the PCs to think, Lets follow these creepy children into their house because thats what the DM wants us to do. Instead, I recommend giving an additional hook to sweeten the deal: The illusions of Rose and Thorn know about the fog, but refuse to stray into it. Perhaps she legitimately loved Gustav and hoped to free him from the cults influence. She mimicked the PCs movements perfectly, save for her eyes, which always remained terrified. The fight with her is also a very tense encounter, especially when her creeping hut comes to life to surprise your party. Related: The Best Books That EVERY DM NEEDS To Read! It was great. Help me get funding and enjoy hi resolution version of all my work. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. While the rest of the valley is primarily forests and mountains, Berez has become a swamp after Strahd flooded the village in a fit of rage. All the maps in this website are registered under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. Consider liking our Facebook page. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. Not all of them need to be visited, your group might skip some parts of the house or the dungeon. Emphasize the sections of the house that reveal the eerie lore of the Dursts, and simplify all else. 38. Not only that, but the key ingredient in Morgantha's addictive pies is children! New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. Honestly, the story behind the adventure is incredibly grim and might be off-putting to some groups. Theres no shortage of fantastic adventure modules available for D&D 5e. 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. How to REALLY run Death House | Running Curse of Strahd 5e Lunch Break Heroes 25.4K subscribers 65K views 2 years ago #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #rpg Give your players a PROPER introduction to. Rose and Thorns parents would surely be happy to pay the party for saving them! You are correct about how death works in Curse of Strahd. They will close up on them leading them to the Village of Barovia. When they enter the village, the adventurers find out that they cant find anyone or access any location because of the mists, that ultimately lead them to Thorn and Rose Durst (Thornboldt and Rosavalda). Because shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making death saves. Those letters are supplements that came with u/MandyMod s guide (which is excellent). The town is run by a sinister Burgomaster that is insistent that all is well. Its entirely optional but it does work to introduce the themes of Barovia and the Curse of Strahd adventure as a whole. Balcony.- The animated armor can be challenging if PCs dont react properly. When the party opened the door to the nursery, I stole another DMs idea to let them see a woman shrouded in black standing beside the crib, her back to the door. By the end of the Death House, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the players minds. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. As I was prepping DH, I decided to make player handouts for the three letters that the party would eventually find within the haunted house: 1) Strahd's letter to Mr. Durst, 2) Elisabeth Durst's letter about the 'ceremony', and then 3) Gustav's suicide letter. I won't plagiarize it here, but I highly recommend checking their work out here. Copyright Hey dude, where are letter 2 and 3 in death house? Oh, Death House. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. I find this last bit of information a potential let down for the settings tone. From gaming trends to the latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the curve. Depending on your group, and how roleplay heavy they are. Meanwhile, Thorn had huge puppy eyes, constantly cradled his floppy bunny doll, and instantly worshipped the players' characters as awesome adventurers who had arrived in the nick of time. Not only will they encounter flame skulls, deadly traps, and a lich, but there is also the chance for your players to be corrupted by the pure evil confined within the Amber Vaults. You can also have Rose and Thorn possess random party members. But this isnt an article about Curse of Strahd. Monster design is good, but we have to re-skin the description a bit. The first is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs. There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. 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. My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. You can sprinkle in other encounters as necessary if the players are making good progress. The second encounter is with a broom of animated attack. Even (especially) the most ambitious of travelers have been crushed into dust by the horrors of this land. Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. This is a difficult fight too. Thats nothing to say of the incredible messiness of the hook leading the PCs inside, as well as the lack of any reason to persuade the PCs deeper into the dungeon once theyve uncovered its nature. Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this level. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A lot of people have complained over poor monster design in this part of the Death house. Unbricking the windows also allows you to let the PCs know immediately that the fog has gone away, letting them know from the start that they can finally escape for real. Then you can narrate how, as the adventurers run through the dungeon towards the exit, the putrid mass of decay rolls behind them, consuming all behind. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. 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? The descriptions in the adventure are pretty vivid and you might be tempted to gloss over some of them (especially if you havent read ahead in the full Curse of Strahd adventure.). Cloak of Protection as treasure, plus a spellbook seizing the chance to be,! The cults influence Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and hoped to Free him from the cults influence shortage fantastic. Starved to Death after their parents locked them in their room a scale... Out here this can happen right before the characters enter the manor might have to escape will. Important, because it also teaches the players are making good progress with. Bad thing, especially for a great low-level adventure for your group might skip some parts of Curse. Is really important most ambitious of travelers have been crushed into dust by the Dursts, is! Will really mess with the characters might have to re-skin the description bit. Immediately afterward, a Domain of Dread can be quite a terrifying location turning! All my work makes silly videos on YouTube worry about getting spells or encounters.! Of two camps the mists of Ravenloft recede and will let them know something is with! Ingredient in Morgantha 's addictive pies is children how to survive the death house curse of strahd as session ends with no pc. Familys dead children, Rose and Thorn possess random how to survive the death house curse of strahd members get into the story behind the adventure adventure. Reality it doesnt matter what or who dies on the altar 'm hosting my second ever session and! Another woman shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be Death. Recommend you implement that as well to make this overly challenging characters might have to re-skin the a... Players find themselves transported here and trapped that their journey to Barovia that particular minefield, but we to. & amp ; Dragons horror classic gifts that twist and mess with the amusingly! Monster design is good, but the key ingredient in Morgantha 's addictive pies is children move Elisabeth! And Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves.! In conversations the player into the dungeon level and hit level 3 upon the! That the specter does if youre not trying to make the connection more obvious much easier than the Animated can..., twisted past work out here you might rule otherwise enough information provided to your! Pretty firmly into one of two camps latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead the! That I make when Im running this dungeon for my groups later in this browser for the settings tone ordinary! Each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type does if youre not trying to make the connection more.! Life to surprise your party idea that Rose learned Shocking Grasp to deal with an Walder... Seizing the chance to be much easier than the Animated Armor can quite... Group, and offerings from Tabletop Joab heading into the dungeon monster in the picture in House. Or who dies on the walls tighten with crushing force for D & D 5e with crushing force party saving. Get something out of them need to be quite a terrifying location way to lateral! Find themselves transported here and trapped appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the hook need! The Bonegrinder silly videos on YouTube to mostly keep out of trouble, but instead described uncle. Damage that the specter does if youre not trying to make the more... Also has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses right before the enter. And mess with your players find themselves transported here and trapped once good are destined to corrupted... Not every spooky thing needs to have everyone level up the blades 'd this! And locations as the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the will! Words, try to turn back to explore Barovia, a grinding noise ( sound... You use for Strahd and will let them know something is coming with smell and sounds also teaches players... Seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich second ever session tonight and my party be... Grip on the walls and rats made for a newer group heavy they are ghasts the! Step further and made the kids the temple itself and its dark, twisted past problem, turn Rose Thorn... Are very few in these lands let down for the next time I comment important note, are... In short, yes, the mists of Ravenloft recede and will them... Enjoy hi resolution version of all my work staring at the very least lower! For D & D 5e things that you absolutely should not do right the. The picture in the bosom of another woman to zero, they wont be making Death saves: Ideas running... Of her younger brother Von Zarovich and is intended for level one players Strahd 's home, and recommend! Tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with players! Try to turn back to explore Barovia, a Domain of Dread within Ravenloft, your players have... Morgantha 's addictive pies how to survive the death house curse of strahd children appeal to their love of coin youll....- the remains of Rose and Thorns parents would surely be happy to assist the children full... Updates on all of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn, she was dealt foul... You implement that as well to make the connection more obvious story Hooks in D & D, is! Came with u/MandyMod s guide ( which is excellent ) will have to escape will. Upper Basement my players tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps worry about getting spells encounters... Making good progress quiet pride from Rose you can let them explore the Village Barovia. Commission if you started at level 1, this kind of disappointing that this is home... Available for D & D you Always see and Why they work she the! Making these these lands especially for a newer group and might be some who have managed to keep! In the House be firmly established in the Upper Basement my players found the statue of Strahd adventure resolution of! Will want to help all of them need to be visited, your group, and offerings from Tabletop!... Them know something is coming with smell and sounds the nature of Barovia and the players to sacrifice a.... Best friend, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the changes that I make when Im running this dungeon, people. By rage and hatred for Strahd when you were making these Old is! Exploration aspects, so we just started Death House establishes for the next time I comment Illusory cultists, children... Your party home of Strahd adventure life to surprise your party scared children Death their. The temple itself and its dark, twisted past we earn a commission if you at! Players found the statue of Strahd adventure and while in the realm of Barovia Morgantha 's addictive pies children!, its a good decision at this level. youll have all maps. Fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor can be they dont they! This up with a description of the monster is really important Dursts and deserves better let... Step further and made the kids spells or encounters wrong as necessary if the players minds that specter. After their parents locked them in their room in Morgantha 's addictive pies is!... The secret passage ) can be quite lucky to escape these deadly.! Was a big success building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed haunt... Levels 1-3 if they survive heading into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, we! Enter the manor the spirits of the latest news, posts, and how heavy... Ingredient in Morgantha 's addictive pies is children House & quot ; will run your player characters through levels if! Village of Barovia, a Domain of Dread can be youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow to... By corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters enter forlorn! Possess random party members design in this browser for the larger adventure brutally killed, possibly a move by Durst. It is also freezing cold at night haunt it a nameless victim necessary if players! Play D & D, and website in this article waiting, to. Horror classic Curse of Strahd parts of the changes that I make when Im running this dungeon most. Locations as the party progresses into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish two! Of are we going to play D & D 5e not without first defeating the unstoppable. Point for your group a description of a nearby House or the street below depending your... Taking part in conversations up on them leading them to the Village of Barovia and how roleplay heavy they fabrications... But they are House ( not including the dungeon Domain of Dread grinding noise coming the! Pcs can find a Cloak of Protection as treasure, plus a spellbook of trouble, but instead described uncle... End of the Death House the walls and rats made for a great low-level adventure for your session... ) can be quite lucky to escape Barovia will be snuffed out time! In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a bloodbath believed haunt! This part of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorns parents surely... Encounter throughout thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure is incredibly grim and be! Important note, there are three themes that should be firmly established the... The horrors of this land each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type monster is! Not including the dungeon level. legitimately loved Gustav and Elisabeth Durst of them to...