D&D 5E Curse of Strahd: alternative exits?

[Ganymede81]

There is also the related options of finding a worthy successor for Strahd or finding Strahd's soul (which is presumably within Arabelle, the Vistani child). Both of those could be ways to complete the scenario without resulting in a stake-based battle royale.

 

[SwivSnapshot]

A few thoughts:

• In gratitude for the PC's finding his skull and interring it in the mausoleum the spirit of Argynvost creates a momentary disruption in the shell that isolates Barovia from the outer world.
• The Mad Mage, having discovered a terrible plot unleash vampire spawn into the outer world, uses his power to create a rift in the shell so the PC's may return to warn the world.
• Strahd, desperate to leave Barovia, takes an NPC befriended by the PC's hostage and extorts them to be the Renfield to his Dracula, so they can set up his safe haven in the outer world.

 

[Rils]

Since Strahd is technically the only one with the power to let people through the mists, the players can deal with him rather than killing him. The Vistani can spill the beans on that. Maybe the players approach Strahd and ask "What'll it take for you to let us out..." Or maybe Strahd appears to the players and says "In return for X, I'll let you go." There's precedent for that in modules from previous editions.

Of course, since you want to enforce the idea of choice, the deals Strahd offers should be morally gray ones. For example, "The baron of Vallaki is weak and I have someone stronger in mind to manage the town. If you can put Lady Wachter in power, I will let you go." Turns out both the Baron and Lady W are terrible people, and once the players get involved in the politics of the town they can decide which way to go with that.

You can also play Strahd as sympathetic, while he messes with the PCs. He can meet them early on in Barovia Village, and tell them about this family of ruffians who are inciting discontent and generally trying to cause trouble everywhere they go. These rabble-rouses own the winery at the other end of the valley, and use their wine as a way to gain favors from people and whisper lies in their ears. Strahd would be happy to let you leave Barovia if you could help him bring peace to the valley by eliminating these malcontents. Of course, he's talking about the Martikovs, and what starts out as a manhunt may end very differently once they actually meet them... It becomes a matter of his word against theirs, how will they sort out the truth?

There's nothing that says the characters can't "deal" with Strahd to gain their freedom, and I'm sure there's all manner of nasty favors they can do for him, witting or not. Although our group has gone the classic route of "find the artifacts and kill the vampire", if I were to do it again I'd have Strahd meet the characters as they enter his realm, introduce himself as it's lord, and try to gain their trust and alliance. Only once they started really investigating things would they find he twisted the facts to meet his own ends, and what sounded like totally reasonable requests for help are really serving darker ends. I think that would be quite an intriguing way to play it out.

 

[CapnZapp]

I leave it to the players to find motivations to go forth and adventure. If it's not a choice to engage with the adventure or not, then I would, after getting their buy-in on that premise, ask the players to create motivations for their characters to engage with the content.

I have said these players are new to D&D. They don't know the content. They don't know that the best way to experience D&D is to be bold and courageous - a lot of actions that will kill you in a more gritty game is what brings you fame and fortune in D&D. I am soliciting advice on how to help the players to act like that.

Please Iserith, don't make any more posts that assumes proactive players - I want this subdiscussion to end here. If you don't have any useful suggestions on gothic romance "quests" based on what's in Curse of Strahd that motivates timid and passive players to venture forth in the Barovian valley, feel free to move on to the next thread. Thank you.

 

[CapnZapp]

There is also the related options of finding a worthy successor for Strahd or finding Strahd's soul (which is presumably within Arabelle, the Vistani child). Both of those could be ways to complete the scenario without resulting in a stake-based battle royale.

Intriguing.

Any thoughts on how that would result in a "quest complete"?

I mean, what happens when they find a worthy successor? Don't that imply Strahd still needs to be staked?

And finding Strahd's soul? I guess the straightforward (but also dark) solution is to off the child. Perhaps a better way is to hide the child in a clever way until all the other quests are complete, then bring it with them through the mists and safety?

 

[CapnZapp]

Since Strahd is technically the only one with the power to let people through the mists, the players can deal with him rather than killing him. The Vistani can spill the beans on that. Maybe the players approach Strahd and ask "What'll it take for you to let us out..." Or maybe Strahd appears to the players and says "In return for X, I'll let you go." There's precedent for that in modules from previous editions.

Of course, since you want to enforce the idea of choice, the deals Strahd offers should be morally gray ones. For example, "The baron of Vallaki is weak and I have someone stronger in mind to manage the town. If you can put Lady Wachter in power, I will let you go." Turns out both the Baron and Lady W are terrible people, and once the players get involved in the politics of the town they can decide which way to go with that.

You can also play Strahd as sympathetic, while he messes with the PCs. He can meet them early on in Barovia Village, and tell them about this family of ruffians who are inciting discontent and generally trying to cause trouble everywhere they go. These rabble-rouses own the winery at the other end of the valley, and use their wine as a way to gain favors from people and whisper lies in their ears. Strahd would be happy to let you leave Barovia if you could help him bring peace to the valley by eliminating these malcontents. Of course, he's talking about the Martikovs, and what starts out as a manhunt may end very differently once they actually meet them... It becomes a matter of his word against theirs, how will they sort out the truth?

There's nothing that says the characters can't "deal" with Strahd to gain their freedom, and I'm sure there's all manner of nasty favors they can do for him, witting or not. Although our group has gone the classic route of "find the artifacts and kill the vampire", if I were to do it again I'd have Strahd meet the characters as they enter his realm, introduce himself as it's lord, and try to gain their trust and alliance. Only once they started really investigating things would they find he twisted the facts to meet his own ends, and what sounded like totally reasonable requests for help are really serving darker ends. I think that would be quite an intriguing way to play it out.

Thank you.

Yes, anything that plays up the social interaction with Strahd is a good thing.

After all, a staple of good old-fashioned vampire movies is how a Vampire is able to present a veneer of civilized manners (unlike other monsters, like werewolves).

I'm definitely going to have Strahd host a formal ball, much like in Polanski's masterpiece.

The characters will (sooner or later) have done deeds that put them on Strahd's radar, and so they will get invites. Making it clear that villagers will attend - sure they would never dare to decline, but they are also not especially afraid for their lives. Meaning I will make it clear this is an annual event where most if not all guests will leave unharmed (or at least alive) - counteracting the natural tendency to not go (since the suspicion its dangerous to visit a Vampire on his home turf is essentially correct)

The point is for them to have clues motivating them to skulk about in the castle in the early-mid game. As is, that locale will only be used at the end, and by then most players will be so focused on killing the vampire, they will only feel the castle encounters to be obstacles not fully enjoyed.

---

Of course, my players are probably not that naive, and the quests I'm talking about in this thread are things I probably will not rely on the Count to hand out - the chance of them not picking them up is simply too great.

(The ideas are still useful, just that I consider them good for enhanced social interaction with the Count in general, more than actual quest material)

The gothic romance quests I have in mind are things they will be given in dreams, perhaps as early as when they reach the mists. And no later than Madam Eva's reading in any case.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Another thing to consider is that the reason why so many games just naturally go to "Kill Strahd!" as their finale is because Madam Eva's reading gives info on things specifically towards that end. She tells the PCs about three artifacts that inform the group about who Strahd is and are made to kill him, an ally that will help them kill him, and a location where he is always found so that they can kill him. If you want to not make Strahd's death an inevitable conclusion, then I'd suggest either not sending them to Madam Eva directly upon arriving... or else change what Madam Eva tells them when they go there early in the campaign to things that are about their potential personal quests and not the normal stuff about the artifacts and ally.

Save Madam Eva's normal card reading to be a resource later on to go to *if/when* the PCs have made the decision on their own that they want to kill Strahd and free the land, at which point the Keepers of the Feather or somebody says "You should probably go speak with Madam Eva (again, or for the first time), as she might have knowledge to help you on that score."

 

[robus]

Or you can just forget the mists? This is just a regular place ruled over by a vampire. The people generally don't leave because most people don't seek opportunity elsewhere (that's a pretty modern thing). The PCs can leave any time they want, but with the knowledge that they've left the poor locals to their fate if they don't deal with Strahd.

 

[SwivSnapshot]

You can also play Strahd as sympathetic, while he messes with the PCs. He can meet them early on in Barovia Village, and tell them about this family of ruffians who are inciting discontent and generally trying to cause trouble everywhere they go. These rabble-rouses own the winery at the other end of the valley, and use their wine as a way to gain favors from people and whisper lies in their ears. Strahd would be happy to let you leave Barovia if you could help him bring peace to the valley by eliminating these malcontents. Of course, he's talking about the Martikovs, and what starts out as a manhunt may end very differently once they actually meet them... It becomes a matter of his word against theirs, how will they sort out the truth?

I'm completely hopeless with horror movie style tropes (I can't take them seriously), so I used Silence of the Lambs as a guidebook. Strahd was engaging,manipulative and sympathetic to the PC's, while the Barovian commoners were suspicious and unwelcoming to the adventurers. At one point Strahd had them hunting the Mad Mage and, due to a small error on my part, renegade werewolves.

 

[Ganymede81]

Intriguing.

Any thoughts on how that would result in a "quest complete"?

I mean, what happens when they find a worthy successor? Don't that imply Strahd still needs to be staked?

And finding Strahd's soul? I guess the straightforward (but also dark) solution is to off the child. Perhaps a better way is to hide the child in a clever way until all the other quests are complete, then bring it with them through the mists and safety?

The answer to both questions is "have a grand adventure."

As to how you do that? Based on the outcome the players want (find Strahd's soul, find a successor, etc.), I'd choose a new prime antagonist and reshuffle the events/characters in the adventure to help lead to that final encounter.

For instance, if the players' goal is to find Strahd's soul and to finally put it at rest, I could imagine the events leading up to this might be stepped up revenant attacks, a pillaging of Strahd's castle to recover Argynvost's skull, and a final confrontation with the full might of Argynvostholdt: a silver dracolich and a revenant lord hell-bent in keeping Strahd imprisoned.