D&D 5E Is Strahd hard to defeat?

[MonsterEnvy]

It's almost as if this scenario were custom-made to make Hunter's Mark and Locate Creature useful.

Nondetection. Strahd knows it and it lasts 8 hours. His nature as an amubsher means he will cast it on himself.



Also just to tell everyone. Strahd is almost always going to surprise the entire party. His power to appear out of nowhere requires a passive perception of 19 to avoid him getting the jump on you. (This is who it is written in the book.)

 

[Sunseeker]

Thanks. I haven't finished reading the book yet but I haven't seen much in the way of suggestions for how to run Strahd.

What if they encounter Strahd outside his castle?

Typically Strahd runs away, making, at best, hit-and-run attacks on the party over an extended period of time. If the party decides to chance, Strahd can typically out-run them back to his castle, where the tables will be turned.

Strahd doesn't really see the party as a threat, even when they walk into his house. Especially when they walk into his house. That's why the party has to mess with his minions and the other various objectives around Barovia to basically get his attention. Otherwise he toys with them as much as he does anyone else in Barovia but isn't interested in a protracted battle to the death.

 

[TerraDave]

I still remember....it was probably over 20 years ago, though I remember it like yesterday...the first time Strahd came out of no where and fireballed the party. Not the last time. Good times, good times.

Basically, you can't really defeat him until the party does all this other stuff. Kind of the point.

 

[Psikerlord#]

If Strahd is such a devilish, cunning opponent, by all accounts likely to kill the party with surprise and traps and so on... why would the party even go in his castle? They would wait until he is outside sometime, and ambush him, instead. Would have to be one hell of a reason to go inside the castle (as you may guess, I don't have the adventure)

 

[Rune]

If Strahd is such a devilish, cunning opponent, by all accounts likely to kill the party with surprise and traps and so on... why would the party even go in his castle? They would wait until he is outside sometime, and ambush him, instead. Would have to be one hell of a reason to go inside the castle (as you may guess, I don't have the adventure)

I also don't have this version, but...

To permanently kill Strahd, the PCs have to find him in his coffin. That means going into Castle Ravenloft.

 

[Uller]

Curse of Strahd is meant to cover levels 1 - 10. Presumably you are meant to fight Strahd somewhere near the upper end of that.But is Strahd hard to beat? I've never run a group over 6th level in 5E but 144 HP with a 16 AC strikes me as rather vulnerable (even with regeneration). I can see 6 x 10th level characters taking Strahd out in about two rounds. Surrounding him with minions will be key to making the fight tougher, but if I know my players they will find every means necessary to concentrate all their attacks on Strahd.So, anyone with more experience running high level games have any opinions?

The game is designed around 4 characters. Not 6. If you are playing that many in your party, xp per pc should be about 2/3 of what they would normally have so they should be more lke 8th level at the end.

Also what other people said. He's fragile. But built to escape regen recharge and come back faster than the party cam recover.

 

[JonnyP71]

I also don't have this version, but...

To permanently kill Strahd, the PCs have to find him in his coffin. That means going into Castle Ravenloft.

And if the plot of the new one is true to the original - Strahd must be killed permanently for the fog to be lifted and the land of Barovia to be free. (The PCs cannot leave while the fog is there)

 

[Psikerlord#]

I also don't have this version, but...

To permanently kill Strahd, the PCs have to find him in his coffin. That means going into Castle Ravenloft.

Aahhh OK I forgot about the weird rules for vampires. So they have to stake him in his coffin, something like that? Fair enough - in we go!

edit: stock up on the garlic, holy water, crosses and stakes before we go!

 

[Psikerlord#]

And if the plot of the new one is true to the original - Strahd must be killed permanently for the fog to be lifted and the land of Barovia to be free. (The PCs cannot leave while the fog is there)

hmm that sounds rather heavy handed, but ok.

edit: I'm one of those kinds of players that chaffs under the "there is only one way out of this" adventures, but overlooking that, they're usually fun enough

 

[77IM]

If Strahd (or any vampire) is reduced to 0 hit points while in sunlight, their Misty Escape trait doesn't function and they are instantly destroyed. The holy symbol of ravenkind can produce sunlight in a 30-foot radius for 10 minutes, twice a day. So a smart party will engage Strahd someplace where he can't easily escape while corporeal, then wail on him, then whip out the holy symbol and finish him off.