D&D 5E (2014) A Middling DM Runs Curse of Strahd

[EthanSental]

Great picture of the fire singed guy…saw that image and thought- man he’s in bad shape, then read the next paragraph

 

[not-so-newguy]

Great picture of the fire singed guy…saw that image and thought- man he’s in bad shape, then read the next paragraph

Thanks! You can find the Vilnius pic in the CoS book page 185. It's also online, of course.

 

[not-so-newguy]

I edited X3 The Empty Barracks and X12 The East Shrine. I forgot two major incidents there. This is what happens when you write a recap ten days after the fact.

 

[not-so-newguy]

A Demon at the top of the Stairs: Amber Temple Session #3​

The Gang took a Short Rest and recovered some HP and powers. They took their rest at the bottom of the stairs in X14 North Staircase since the wretched smell of ghasts and the creepy voices of the Dark Entities were diminished there. The radiant light of Elyrion’s Sun Sword lit up the stairway, allowing the Gang to see anything that might want to ambush them.

At the end of their rest, a man with red glowing eyes appeared at the top of the stairs. He wore black robes, a placid smile, and held up his hands in a gesture of non-violence.

“Please. I wish to talk.” The man and the Gang had a conversation that lasted about ten minutes. Here are the highlights:

• He was the one responsible for all the fireballs coming from the statue. His name was Neferon and he was an Arcanaloth, a type of demon. He had chosen this human form to avoid alarming the party. He’s known for negotiating treaties between demons, but little interaction with “...your types."
• Neferon wants the Gang to restore the Lich Exethanter of his madness. He suspects that the lich’s madness originates from his frail human origins.
• If they do this, then he’ll let them leave here alive.
• [waving in a Northwesterly direction] “He’s somewhere over there. Go find him.”
• When asked why he wants the lich’s wits restored, he said: “I want what’s in his library. You can take anything else.”
• He has some control of denizens of the temple, but not much. In short: The guardians will continue to guard.
• The Gang started asking more questions. The demon rolled his eyes and disappeared.

The Gang backtracks to X6 Southeast Annex. Grant casts Pass without Trace making the Gang virtually invisible unless they’re holding a light source.

While sneaking across X4 The Overlook, Grant spotted the Flaming Skulls that they had previously destroyed had somehow revived and were floating around in X2 The Entrance. With the help of the Pass Without Trace spell, the Gang was able to avoid them.

They found the door in the southwest wall and explored X3 West Barracks. Nothing much there. With the double doors to the west wedged shut, they retreated back to X6 Southeast Annex to discuss what to do next. They decided to go downstairs and explore X5 Temple of Lost Secrets.

One of the mages cast Light on an arrow and Grant fired the arrow at the southwest marble pillar in room X5 Temple of Lost Secrets, plunging it into a fissure in the pillar and illuminating the western portion of X5.

X5 Temple of Lost Souls
Four black marble columns supported the vaulted ceiling of the temple, at the north end of which stood a forty-foot-tall statue of a cowled figure in flowing robes. The statue's stony hands were outstretched as if in the midst of casting a spell. Its face was a void of utter blackness. The ominous statue stood between two black marble balconies, one of which had partially collapsed and fallen on the temple's black marble floor, in front of an open doorway. The walls of the temple were sheathed in amber, and the doors that led from it were made of amber as well.

LOWER AMBER TEMPLE

Grant the Shifter Ranger and Sleeps the Monk Tabaxi snuck down the stairs to X5. They exited the cavernous room and moved into X36 Lower West Hall. The light from the arrow partially revealed the Lower West Hall:

X36 Lower West Hall
Glistening amber had coated the walls and ceiling of this enormous hall like sculpted honey, and dust had covered the black marble floor. The vaulted ceiling had stood twenty-five feet high. Set into the walls at a height of five feet had been amber ledges lined with life-sized alabaster statues of cats, frogs, hawks, owls, rats, ravens, snakes, toads, and weasels. Many of the statues had fallen off their perches and lay shattered on the floor.

There were two doors in the west wall that they could see. They approached the northerly door and the Tabaxi opened it. The featherweight Monk was propelled up into the ceiling, took damage, then free-fell to the marble floor for more damage. [When a DM asks how much your character weighs, it’s never for something good.] The door slammed shut, seemingly of its own accord.

They retreated to X6 Southeast Annex, then everyone returned to X36 Lower West Hall under the protection of Grant’s Pass Without Trace spell. They saw the entirety of the hall:

An amber door in the north wall stood open. To the south, along the western wall, was an open passage. Four other amber doors to the west and south stood closed.

Donkar opened the same door as Sleeps. A broken table leg came hurtling out of the darkness of the room and smacked the heavy Half Orc Barbarian for some damage. He closed the door.

The gang decided to explore the opened door in the north wall.

X33d. Breached Vault
The amber door to this room hung open. The room had amber-glazed walls and a floor of purplish-black marble. Two amber sarcophagi stood in alcoves to the west and east. A third sarcophagus that had once stood in the north alcove lay shattered on the floor. Clustered in the middle of the room were four loathsome, hunched creatures. Each one had a single large, baleful eye.

They fought the loathsome creatures and defeated them. Grant extracted one of the eyes, wrapped it up, and stored it in his pack.

They found two other closed doors that were magically locked. The last closed door revealed an old bedroom undisturbed but decayed by time.

They took the open passage to the south along the western wall. It led to stairs leading up.

X21. West Staircase
Three 10-foot-long staircases, separated by 10-foot-square landings, connected areas X18 and X36. Thick dust covering the stairs had not been disturbed in ages.

They entered room X18 Hallway from the west side and walked twenty feet to the eastern door. Grant opened it and Flaming skulls approached. The gang defeated the skulls. They walked into the large hall that stretched north and south

UPPER AMBER TEMPLE

X17 Upper West Hall
The walls of this twenty-foot-wide, seventy-foot-long arched corridor were sheathed in amber. The southern half of the hall had been scorched by fire, and a charred corpse lay on the floor there, under a burned fur cloak. Several amber doors led from this hall, and three arrow slits had been cut into the east wall. >The southern half of the hall was scorched by fire, and a charred corpse lies on the floor here, under a burned fur cloak.<

The Gang focused on Neferon’s vague directions to go northwest to Exethanter and decided to open the double doors in the north end of the hall. (The charred corpse is Jakarian, the former master of Vilnius. The apprentice would have reacted here. He’s going to bring this up first thing next session. I screwed up.)

X22. Northwest Annex
Torches in sconces illuminated a dining table in the center of the room. Covering the table was a magnificent feast that filled the hall with the rich smells of cooked meat, sweet vegetables, piping hot gravy, and wine.

When they approached the table the illusion disappeared, but a large ornate pitcher of wine remained. When someone reached for the pitcher, seven specters appeared along the walls and attacked. The Gang defeated them.

END SESSION​

 

[EthanSental]

I’m extremely jealous of the frequency of how often your group plays…we barely can hit once a month and that’s without sessions getting bumped to the next week…and then the next week. They typical adult game group

 

[not-so-newguy]

I’m extremely jealous of the frequency of how often your group plays…we barely can hit once a month and that’s without sessions getting bumped to the next week…and then the next week. They typical adult game group

We've been playing together since 2021, and we average around twice a month. We usually play the most sessions during this time of year because there's nothing else to do.
Sometimes I have to remind myself how lucky I got it when we get on each other's nerves. I've gone many years without having a regular group.

 

[not-so-newguy]

After a three week break, we're back! The following recap is based on my notes from three weeks ago. Next session is tomorrow.

Cliff Notes Recap: Amber Temple Session #4​

The Gang started the session in X22, where they had just fought seven specters.

Went back to X17 where they came upon the burnt remains of Jakarian, the former master of Vilnius. The apprentice claimed Jakarian’s Staff. It was obvious that his sadness was a veneer as he looted his former master’s body. He was disappointed that his master’s spellbook was ruined.

The Gang approached the double doors to X15. They listened at the doors, and they could hear people talking in hushed voices and some things being moved arounds.

Sleeps opened the door to X15 and was immediately hit by 2 arrows from some youths hiding behind cover. The Gang was able to calm them down.

These kids were the Kavani tribal folk that Vilnius mentioned. They were spending the night in the Amber Temple as some sort of rite of passage. The teenagers said they were being harassed by some unseen entity named Drizlash. One of them, named Frida, was sick with a fever.

They were amazed by the Blood Spear and claimed that it once belonged to their most revered ancestor, Kavan. The tribespeople traded the Blood Spear for a magic bow and 5 adamantine arrows.

The Gang decided to spend a Long Rest to recuperate. Their sleep was interrupted by Frida, the youth that was sick. She was crawling on the ceiling. With a horrendous scream, she dropped down on Mamol. While in midair, a large spider emerged from the center of Frida like a snake slipping off its skin.

While Frida’s outer carcass flopped to the floor, the spider with Frida’s face attacked Mamol. The Gang fought the spider and killed it.

Another interruption to their rest was Kasimir. The Mage woke up everyone when he cast a Magic Missile at Vilnius. Kasimir claimed that the other mage tried to use some sort of charm spell on him.

Vilnius confessed that he was trying to charm Kasimir because he wanted to leave the Amber Temple. He figured that the Gang would force him to stay. The Gang allowed him to exit down the side of the mountain.

The Gang was able to heal and recover their powers, but they didn’t recover their Hit Dice for Short Rest healing.

They explored X19. Not much there, but empty potion bottles.

They explored X20. Huge Success!
Dominating this room is a twelve-foot-tall model of a dark castle with high walls and tall spires. Behind it, tucked in a corner, are some ruined furnishings and a wooden chest.
They found the TOME OF STRAHD, which was the final artifact that Madame Eva prophesied that they would need. Sleeps also found another book hidden in the false bottom of a chest.

They went back up north to X22 and opened the double doors to the east. This led to a crumbling platform.

Sleeps crossed the platform and he could feel it creak under his footsteps, but it held. He opened the double doors to the north.

X24. This bare stone room consists of a foyer to the east and a shrine to the west. Candlesticks draped in cobwebs stand in the four corners of the foyer. In the shrine, a faceless obsidian statue stands in a raised alcove at the western end of the chamber. Slumped before the statue are two desiccated corpses in tattered garments. Two pairs of alcoves line the north and south walls of the shrine.
The statue called to the Monk as if he was under the effect of a Sympathy Spell, but Sleeps resisted the statue. He tried to move it, but it wouldn’t budge.

They sent Donkar the barbarian across so he could move the statue. The platform crumbled away but they had tied a rope around him which saved the barbarian. Grant used his Robe of Useful Items to produce a 24-foot ladder to cross the gap between the two double doors. The Gang moved to X24. Anybody who failed their save vs the statue was smacked until they regained their senses.

They opened a door to the east which was a small room with an arrow slit in the south wall.

Elyrian used the Wand of Secret Doors to find a secret door in the north.

X26. Hundreds of skulls spilled of the 10 by 10-foot room. He climbed the 30-foot wall and tried to pry the chest open, but it was magically locked. That’s when the Flaming Skulls made an appearance.

The Gang closed the door and held it shut. What followed was a nasty fight with everyone firing arrows and spells back and forth through the arrow slits in X25. A couple of people were forced to make death saving throws, but the Gang eventually came out on top.

 

[not-so-newguy]

We're still playing! Sorry that the recaps are sparse and lack continuity. I'm working on a DCC Lankhmar sandbox using the DCC: Lankhmar Box Set, TSR Lankhmar: City of Adventure, and Runequest: Lankhmar Unleashed.

Anyway, enough excuses. The Gang is 10th Level (or multi-class that adds up to 10 levels). They are geared up and ready to take down Strahd. They have the NPC Kasimir with them, who is seeking to save his long dead sister.

Here are the PCs:
Donkar, Half-Orc, Barbarian/Fighter
Elyrion, High Elf, Rogue (Thief)
Mamol, Hill Dwarf, Cleric
Sleeps, Tabaxi, Monk/Cleric
Grant, Shifter, Ranger

Three if you’re nasty.​

Synopsis of the previous session:

The Gang infiltrated Ravenloft by polymorphing Donkar into a giant flying Quetzalcoatlus and landing atop the North Tower of Ravenloft. They destroyed the “heart of Strahd” (Strahd’s phylactery), but Kasimir took a huge fall that killed him. Mamol used Revivify to bring the Dusk Elf back to life.

Begin Session​

Room #20. Bottom of the North Tower.
The Gang gathered around Kasimir as he had just returned to life. They were in an oddly shaped room with an exit to the west, stairs leading down, or back upstairs. Mamol cast Mass Healing and Kasimir drank several healing potions. Grant peeked down the west passage and saw nothing, just a hallway filled with large cobwebs. The Gang went down the stairs (#20A).

Rooms #71 & #72. The Guards Quarters and Rahadin’s Office.
It was a rectangular room. The nearer half was a moldering ruin of an old Guards Quarters, while the farther half was a neat and tidy office. Rahadin and his Shadow Demon surprised the party with an attack. The Gang won but were severely hurt.

Room#67. The Bone Temple
The blasphemous Bone Temple was curated and maintained by Cyrus Belview. The Gang noticed an old ally’s dragonborn skull (Smugly) mounted next to the huge dragon skull. Sleeps took Smugly’s skull. The Gang took the south door.

Room #68 & #69. Hallway and larger Guards Quarters.
The Gang fought 10 skeletons. Kasimir blasted 8 of them with fireball and they mopped up the other two. The Gang went up the spiral stairs in the south (#64).

Rooms #11, #12, and #13. Hallway and lower battlements.
These rooms were empty and led to an apparent dead end. The Gang went back down the stairs (#64), then returned to the Bone Temple (#67).

Room #62. The Servants Hall.
The Gang took the double doors in the eastern wall of the Bone Temple (#67). It was a long hallway running from west to east that the Gang had mapped on a previous visit. There were three doors to the north and one door to the south. They spotted Cyrus approaching from the opposite end of the hall. Greetings were made and the Gang explored the rooms to the north. Nothing much was there. They asked Cyrus for a way down to the Catacombs. He led them to the south door.

Room #61. The Elevator Trap.
After opening the door, the Gang spotted spiral stairs going up and down (#21). Cyrus led the way and the Gang followed. The situation quickly escalated. As the Gang moved further down the hall, portcullises dropped from the ceiling, splitting the party.

Group 1: Mamol, Elyrion, Sleeps, and Donkar were trapped behind the portcullises. They were now in a sealed elevator with no apparent exit. They couldn’t see it, but there was now an open shaft above. Also, the counterweight dropped fast, and the elevator rapidly rose.

Group 2: Grant and Kasimir. They were stuck down below with a ten-foot pit in front of them.

Group 1: After dealing with sleep gas, the elevator slammed into the ceiling far above. They escaped the elevator through a trapdoor in the top. They were now in room #47, a 10-by-20-foot room with a door in the western wall and stairs going down in the south (#21). They heard a noise coming from the other room (#49). The group split up further.

Group 2: They saw Cyrus go upstairs, explored the elevator shaft by casting Light Spell, then raced after Cyrus.

Group 1: Now comprised of Elyrion, Mamol, and Donkar. They raced down the stairs (#21).

Group 3: Comprised of Sleeps. He stayed upstairs and hid using Greater Invisibility. He witnessed Anastasiya, Ludmilla, and 2 Vampire Spawns race down the stairs (#21) chasing Group 1. He explored rooms #49 & #50.

Group 2: They tracked down Cyrus and shot him in the back (classic Grant move). He eventually reconnected with Group 1. They raced down the spiral stairs (#21) and reached the Catacomb Level.

Group 3: He followed the Vampires all the way down the stairs.

Group 1: Now comprised of everyone except Sleeps. They were in a hallway covered in water 3 feet deep (#73). Hearing the Vampire Spawn, they traversed down the hallway.
Grant hit a trap. There was an explosion of water and he disappeared.
Donkar hit another trap and disappeared.
Elyrion hit yet another trap and disappeared.

Mamol and Kasimir held off the Vampire Spawn with a Fireball, Cone of Cold, and Radiant Sunlight. Sleeps joined the fight. They destroyed Anastasia, Ludmilla, and the two Vampire Spawn.

END SESSION

 

[EthanSental]

Lankhmar is a setting I enjoy reading but haven’t had a chance to set a campaign in it. Would enjoy hearing how that one goes if you have time.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Lankhmar is a setting I enjoy reading but haven’t had a chance to set a campaign in it. Would enjoy hearing how that one goes if you have time.

It'll be a while before I get to run it. I'm crossing over to the players' side of the table after COS, and somebody else is taking over. He wants to run something called Dark Matter. He described it as "5E in space."