D&D 5E CoS: My players defeated Fate

[Savage Wombat]

I made him immune to sunlight damage (not radiant damage) as long as the heart was intact. Didn't save him, though.

I like Quickleaf's idea of replacing the lord of the castle. For example, Escher the vampire spawn is upgraded to full vamp status - and, due to the nature of the plane, gets immediately possessed by the lingering spirit of Strahd.

Of course, now you need to figure out why the same tricks won't work twice.

(Personally, I tend to go the Matt Mercer route - no, the big boss monster of the campaign isn't going to be lured out from behind his Lair Actions to fight you on your terms. That's not how this works.)

 

[Irda Ranger]

Sounds like you messed up and didn't play Strahd the way the book instructs you to.

I respected the player's agency, rewarded intelligent play, and didn't railroad them into a pre-programmed cutscene.

The only thing left to do here is conclude the campaign and try again in a new one.

This is the worst DM'ing advice I've ever heard.



Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[Irda Ranger]

I made him recover all hp every round while the heart still existed. Even so, they put the beat-down on him. At last he survived it.

Wow. That's a bigger buff than I ever considered. I agree the HoS didn't amount to much.

I was running the CR 17 version from the Epic Villain's thread right here on EN World.



Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[DEFCON 1]

It is for exactly this reason that I erased the 'unless he is in sunlight, then he is destroyed' line from Strahd's Misty Escape feature. Sunlight will still prevent his regeneration from working, but when he is knocked down to 0 HP anywhere except his coffin (and regardless of any sunlight out) he turns to mist and floats back to his crypt to recuperate. It is only when he is staked through his heart in his coffin after returning there in mist form is he truly destroyed.

It allows the PCs to "kill" Strahd as many times as they want, but he will always float off to eventually come back. But to truly end the scourge of Lord von Zarovich they have to go chasing after his mist form back down into the crypts and destroy him there once and for all. I much prefer the standard mythos ending of having to kill the vampire with a stake to the chest in his coffin than any "hey, hit him with any number of these items we've given you that cause Sunlight and end the threat here and now!" Way too anticlimactic for my tastes.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I would go with [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]'s suggestion of Inajira. That is already built into his story and presents a lot of interesting issues. You have Strahd's wraith / vestige float in the room and then Inajira appears to collect his soul. That can go many ways, but finding out a fiend is the final fight wouldn't be so bad - and quite a change-up if they are expecting more undead.

Technically the MM arcanaloth is CR 12, but I could whip-up a beefed version if you want.

Yeah, this could be a combination of [MENTION=20323]Quickleaf[/MENTION]'s 2) and 3).

I'm liking this. Like option 3), Wraith-Strahd is there initially and they get some RP out of it. He taunts the PCs that he can't ever really die, and eventually the Dark Powers will reform his body and he'll rule again and maybe hunt them down. Wraith-Strahd will avoid confrontation as he knows that in his current form he can't beat them.

But I expect the PCs will try to destroy him anyway. And that's when Inajira shows up to collect Strahd's vestige "To add to my collection". I'll swap out Arcanaloth for something tougher (the PCs have no expectations on this, so it won't be a thing). The PCs can fight him, but he'll taunt that he's beyond death and destruction (aka, beyond mortality) and cannot be banished from Ravenloft. (Which would be true; just like the Hags and the Abbot)

And that sets the stage for going to the Amber Temple. If they consult Madam Eva the cards will reveal that Inajira has a MacGuffin which is what makes Barovia his own personal pocket dimension. Break that and you can banish him and put an end the Mists.


Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[Irda Ranger]

IWay too anticlimactic for my tastes.

Agreed. If I ever run CoS again I'll definitely do the same.



Sent from my iPhone using EN World mobile app

 

[pukunui]

I made him immune to sunlight damage (not radiant damage) as long as the heart was intact. Didn't save him, though.

This was a feature of the Dayheart in 3.5's Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. I've decided to adopt it for my campaign. The PCs haven't discovered that Strahd is immune to sunlight yet.

 

[Morrus]

It is for exactly this reason that I erased the 'unless he is in sunlight, then he is destroyed' line from Strahd's Misty Escape feature. Sunlight will still prevent his regeneration from working, but when he is knocked down to 0 HP anywhere except his coffin (and regardless of any sunlight out) he turns to mist and floats back to his crypt to recuperate. It is only when he is staked through his heart in his coffin after returning there in mist form is he truly destroyed.

It allows the PCs to "kill" Strahd as many times as they want, but he will always float off to eventually come back. But to truly end the scourge of Lord von Zarovich they have to go chasing after his mist form back down into the crypts and destroy him there once and for all. I much prefer the standard mythos ending of having to kill the vampire with a stake to the chest in his coffin than any "hey, hit him with any number of these items we've given you that cause Sunlight and end the threat here and now!" Way too anticlimactic for my tastes.

My problem with that is that players aren't in a film. They don't really scare. Once they make him run away as a mist, he's not scary any more. If they do it twice? Well, he's just wimp with an annoying escape route.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Wasn't it established that the "vampires burn to death in sunlight" trope originated in the movie Nosferatu? I always thought it interesting that it wasn't actually in Dracula, at least explicitly.

 

[ad_hoc]

I respected the player's agency, rewarded intelligent play, and didn't railroad them into a pre-programmed cutscene.

I do that too, only I also read the adventure and played Strahd appropriately. He isn't a zombie.