Converting Ravenloft for 5e

[Agglomérante]

I've been running the 1E Ravenloft module (I6) in 5E, directly swapping the 5E Monster stats ... [snip]
The players have just reached Castle Ravenloft, and the wandering monster encounters have varied ... [snip] ... but they have seemed pretty well balanced. I'll see how the castle interior goes.

The main monsters that need conversion are the once special for the adventure: Strahd, and the Strahd Zombies. Still working on this ... [snip]

I've got four 5th level PCs running this, and the original module called for 4-6 PCs lvls 5-7, so they are on the low end. Like I said though, seems balanced so far.

How'd it go?

I'm guessing you had to pull some of Strahd's punches. I've just been re-reading the 1e module and Strahd would just as equally dominate a party of low level AD&D PCs: a 10th level magic-user attacking as a 10 HD monster draining TWO levels PERMANENTLY each time he hits. Holy crap. All you need in 5e is a long rest and you recover your drained hp.

I wonder if I've been going about this all wrong.

Maybe Strahd makes the prideful mistake of only ever toying with his food, until it's too late and the party assembles the artifacts. Then he's killable, unable to move, regenerate or attack while the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is flaring. Strahd as a 144 hp piñata.

All one need do to nerf Strahd is change the flare duration roll from 1d10 rounds to 3d4 rounds; so probably 7 or 8 rounds of helpless exposure.

 

[Nebulous]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft for 3.5 offers 3 options: short campaign, long campaign, and then one-shot (night) adventure. The whole thing is really good, but there's just too many encounters. Running as if, it would taking forever to get through the whole module. What i'm going to do (if I do it) is run I6 and drop some 3.5 encounters into the mix for extra fluff, and of course use the 5e conversion table. The adventure is just begging to be run, everything's there. Hell, i even have that old Strahd miniature somewhere!

 

[Agglomérante]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft for 3.5 offers 3 options: short campaign, long campaign, and then one-shot (night) adventure. The whole thing is really good, but there's just too many encounters. Running as if, it would taking forever to get through the whole module. What i'm going to do (if I do it) is run I6 and drop some 3.5 encounters into the mix for extra fluff, and of course use the 5e conversion table. The adventure is just begging to be run, everything's there. Hell, i even have that old Strahd miniature somewhere!

Somebody's already done a nice 5e conversion, here:
www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/2fxgh3/i6_ravenloft_converted_to_5e_in_time_for_halloween/

I picked up a half-price PDF of Castle Ravenloft but haven't been too thrilled with what I've read so far, which isn't a lot. The original I6 seems just fine and that damned Castle Ravenloft is 200 frigging pages long. Any encounters in particular you think I should read?

 

[Nebulous]

I picked up a half-price PDF of Castle Ravenloft but haven't been too thrilled with what I've read so far, which isn't a lot. The original I6 seems just fine and that damned Castle Ravenloft is 200 frigging pages long. Any encounters in particular you think I should read?

Offhand, no, i can't recommend any encounters. I have not read it super close yet. I DO like the map included though, i dont' think the original one has a map quite like this. It sorta makes you want to plop some nasties on it as the PCs advance.

 

[Meliath1742]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft for 3.5 offers 3 options: short campaign, long campaign, and then one-shot (night) adventure. The whole thing is really good, but there's just too many encounters. Running as if, it would taking forever to get through the whole module. What i'm going to do (if I do it) is run I6 and drop some 3.5 encounters into the mix for extra fluff, and of course use the 5e conversion table. The adventure is just begging to be run, everything's there. Hell, i even have that old Strahd miniature somewhere!

I'm running my group thru Expedition right now (3.5). And yes, Strahd plays cat and mouse until the group has gained 2 levels or so and acquired the sword and holy symbol. I'm somewhere in the middle on the length of the module having removed the fanes and some of the encounters in the castle. It would be easy for Strahd to overwhelm the group...but as DM that's not you're mission. A good story driven adventure with a very tough final battle is what you're after. Madam Eva is aiding the party and will most likely make an entrance if the finally starts to go badly.

 

[Agglomérante]

I ran Ravenloft on New Year's and the Holy Symbol paralyzing Strahd was overkill. After one round the party had him down to 27 hit points from 144.

 

[Nebulous]

I plan on running the original I6 with the conversion notes and supplementing a few encounters from Expedition.

 

[Nebulous]

I ran Ravenloft on New Year's and the Holy Symbol paralyzing Strahd was overkill. After one round the party had him down to 27 hit points from 144.

Damn. Not cool. 5th level characters?

 

[Meliath1742]

That is definitely a problem. Need to call upon some of his minions (swarms, etc) on the final battle to keep it s challenge.

 

[Agglomérante]

Damn. Not cool. 5th level characters?

Yeah, five 5th level characters. It happened so fast.

Strahd never had a chance to toy with them, either. I was tracking time, waiting for the noon spy report to Strahd (whereupon there's a 60% chance he knows the PCs' location and attacks within two hours). But I never got to noon. The party explored a bit of the mansion, just enough to find the Holy Symbol, before heading to the basement and finding Strahd in his brother's crypt. The cleric got initiative and Strahd was paralyzed.

That was a one-off game with old friends in my home town. I'll be running Ravenloft for my campaign group here in Toronto in February.

Lessons learned:

Don't have the Holy Symbol paralyze Strahd unless he's already toyed with the party enough. When he's paralyzed, all PCs have advantage on attacks. It was an anticlimactic bummer, since they'd never really sparred.

Don't risk not having a chance for Strahd to attack with those cool legendary actions. I'm going to dispense with the puppet Strahd and have the real thing playing the organ and hosting the dinner. Knowing my group, they'll attack. I'm considering having him bite every goddamn character before he goes gaseous, which is entirely doable against a 5th level party.

Ideas for an alternative to paralysis, anybody? It might be enough to simply do 20 points of damage a round from the sun exposure, which nullifies his regeneration. AC 16 ain't that hard to hit with six PCs hammering away.