Check Out These Peeks At CURSE OF STRAHD

Curse of Strahd is approaching fast. Here's a few quick, early peeks at the book itself, and of one of the miniatures from Gale Force Nine! These include the book, a glimpse of the fold-out map, Strahd's miniature astride is Nightmare steed, the full set of Tarokka cards, and some art from the book.

Folks out map at the back of the book

The book itself

Strahd on his Nightmare steed

Tarokka cards (separately from Game Force Nine)

Awesome art

More awesome art
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[Z. H. Darkstar]

Well I didn't say it was a bug, just that I had an issue with it. I'm all for secret passages (there are more in the house as well), but I prefer they be well - secret. I see how it could be a feature for the adventure (that way the PCs know to look for a door), I just don't understand the reason for someone putting in a secret door to a location everyone knows is there.

Even in modern houses, the doors to the attic are not always in plain sight. At my parents' house, the primary door to the attic was in plain sight in the garage, but a secondary access panel was hidden in my brother's closet. In my brother's house, the only attic access panel is once again hidden in his closet.

 

[dave2008]

Even in modern houses, the doors to the attic are not always in plain sight. At my parents' house, the primary door to the attic was in plain sight in the garage, but a secondary access panel was hidden in my brother's closet. In my brother's house, the only attic access panel is once again hidden in his closet.

Yes, but that is typically for a storage attic, not what really amounts to a 4th floor as in the death house. In fact, modern building codes typically require a door 30" x 84" min. to a habitable space. Not that the death house would be specified to modern codes, I'm just providing an example. Maybe because I'm an architect it sticks out more to me.

Anyway, not a big deal, just odd to me. I would probably make the one at the landing a typ. door (maybe locked or trapped if needed) and the one from the room secret if I run the adventure (as long as it is not really integral to the adventure that the door be secret).

 

[Greybird]

Holy crud, Strahd is a level 20 Warlock (or at least not level 40 yet!)

 

[dave2008]

Holy crud, Strahd is a level 20 Warlock (or at least not level 40 yet!)

Where did you get that from? Was it hidden in the previews somewhere that I missed?

 

[juboke]

Where did you get that from? Was it hidden in the previews somewhere that I missed?

Warcraft reference.

 

[dave2008]

Warcraft reference.

Ok - I haven't played WoW, guess that is why it was lost on me

 

[Greybird]

Yeah, that nightmare of his looks almost identical to the mounts warlocks in WoW get at level 20 (and then replace at 40.)

 

[Jabborwacky]

Yes, but that is typically for a storage attic, not what really amounts to a 4th floor as in the death house. In fact, modern building codes typically require a door 30" x 84" min. to a habitable space. Not that the death house would be specified to modern codes, I'm just providing an example. Maybe because I'm an architect it sticks out more to me.

Anyway, not a big deal, just odd to me. I would probably make the one at the landing a typ. door (maybe locked or trapped if needed) and the one from the room secret if I run the adventure (as long as it is not really integral to the adventure that the door be secret).

This is why all of my characters carry a measuring stick and a strip of marked leather.

... and its always marked in the fantasy cousin of the metric system. If anyone asks, the halflings invented it in their spare time

 

[DEFCON 1]

Well I didn't say it was a bug, just that I had an issue with it. I'm all for secret passages (there are more in the house as well), but I prefer they be well - secret. I see how it could be a feature for the adventure (that way the PCs know to look for a door), I just don't understand the reason for someone putting in a secret door to a location everyone knows is there.

Part of the idea for the parents might've been that because they didn't want people to easily just notice the door to the attic based upon what they had secured up there. The stairway to the attic in the original design of the house might've been built open so you could easily get up there... but when the parents decided to lock the things away up there that needed locking, they might've changed and rebuilt the doorway to be less noticeable upon casual inspection. That way, if anyone came to the house to visit, they might have intellectually known there was an attic based upon the outside architecture... but since there was no obvious stairway to it, they might be more inclined to just consider it a storage area rather than a living space. And thus, the stuff locked up there would be less likely to be found. Plus, the parents still needed the stairway accessible as new "friends" would still have to be brought up there to reach the circular staircase to get back down into the basement. So the stairway couldn't be entirely walled off.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Well I didn't say it was a bug, just that I had an issue with it. I'm all for secret passages (there are more in the house as well), but I prefer they be well - secret. I see how it could be a feature for the adventure (that way the PCs know to look for a door), I just don't understand the reason for someone putting in a secret door to a location everyone knows is there.

isn't there a trope of "Hey shouldn't this room be bigger" or "Hey, where is the 4th floor" to make characters notice secrets...