D&D 5E After Curse of Strahd (or continuing a campaign in Ravenloft for a level 10 party)

[Urriak Uruk]

I noticed while digging through the current Tyranny of Dragons debate thread, there was another thread referenced called After Tyranny of Dragons, where people were providing ideas on how to continue a campaign past the end of the Rise of Tiamat module, without completely homebrewing.

So I'd like to start my own thread with almost the same premise... except this time, it's how to continue past the end of Curse of Strahd!

Just three ground rules for suggestions here;

• It should remain in Ravenloft (or at least a place with the same horror tone). It can shift to different Domains of Dread, or even the greater Shadowfel, but the PCs should remain trapped in a world with some horror tropes.
• The PCs will be level 10 by the end of Curse of Strahd, so they'll be starting this next part at that level.
• Complete homebrewing and improv is off the table. Although some homebrewing is always necessary as PCs form their own choices, this thread is for people like me who have weekly games and don't have enough time to prepare entirely original material.

So now that I've set this up... what do you recommend? I've looked at modules like House on Gryphon Hill (the original sequel to Ravenloft), and some other Ravenloft modules. I've also considered modules from other systems, like the Carrion Crown adventure path for Pathfinder (shifting Ustalav into a Domain of Dread). What modules do you recommend, which you think would be easier to convert to a 5e game at level 10?

 

[Hawk Diesel]

If you've read I, Strahd and the sequel, then a big theory is that Strahd is the land. When he took possession of Barovia as a spoil of war, he completed a ritual involving spilling his blood onto the ground, symbolically binding his blood to the land. He the repeated this after a failed assassination attempt by the Ba'al Verzi, this time using a magical dagger that he accidentally cut his hand with while examining it.

Thus, there are a few possibilities that emerge following Strahd's defeat.

1) Because Strahd and Barovia are bound together, Strahd cannot truly die so long as that connection remains. The land will not let him go. This is further supported in the way that Strahd's existence is a kind of hell for him. He is to be forever tormented as a conqueror that is unable to expand his empire, and having to continually re-experience being reunited with his one true love only for her to be killed over and over again. Thus, whether it is his connection to the land, or some power is keeping him to torment, neither would allow him to go so easily. The following aspect of the adventure could be finding a way to sever Strahd's connection to the land, or satisfy the dark powers that sealed his fate to an existence of eternal suffering. And this would be a race against the clock before Strahd can raise once more and seek vengeance upon the heroes.

2) If Strahd is the land, then his death would be the death of Barovia. Perhaps the borders of the mists begin to shrink, and the Vistani take off before the mists slowly devour what is left. Thus the adventurers need to find a new way to sustain the land. This might even require one of the players to take the place of Strahd, or find a worthy successor willing to take Strahd's place. Not an easy thing to ask, knowing that the Dark Powers would likely make this existence a kind of hell similar to the one Strahd suffered, but unique to that person.

3) With Strahd gone, what happens to Barovia? Are there other evils that have been drawn in by the mists that now seek to take Strahd's place? What if killing Strahd is alone not enough to end the curse and isolation of the mists? Do the players seek a way to prevent a new evil from rising, do they focus on a way to escape Barovia, or do they seek to save all of Barovia by dispersing the mists?

There's probably more options as well, but these would be ones that I would be interested in.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's a very good question, but I don't really have an answer for a good high-to-epic level Gothic adventure. Of the ones I know, Gryphon Hill isn't really significantly higher level - the original suggestion is to run it in parallel with Ravenloft, the characters switching between the settings in dreams. Isle of Dread, likewise, is too low level (and only has a couple of good bits anyway).

Maybe the later part of Tomb of Annihilation could be Gothiced up?

 

[QuentinGeorge]

It's a very good question, but I don't really have an answer for a good high-to-epic level Gothic adventure. Of the ones I know, Gryphon Hill isn't really significantly higher level - the original suggestion is to run it in parallel with Ravenloft, the characters switching between the settings in dreams. Isle of Dread, likewise, is too low level (and only has a couple of good bits anyway).

Maybe the later part of Tomb of Annihilation could be Gothiced up?

If you're willing to countenance converting previous editions, there area plethora of Ravenloft adventures from previous editions (mostly 2nd) for level 5+ on DMsGuild here.

The "Grand Conjunction" series is a sort of loose adventure path that takes you around various domains and culminates in going up against Azalin and Strahd.

There's also a few interesting standalones - When "Black Roses Bloom" crosses over with Dragonlance, the "Evil Eye" is about the birth of a prophesied enemy to the Vistani and "Servants of Darkness" has the "evil fey" theme.

(Some of them may need to be changed slightly if Strahd died in your game - although you could always have him be resurrected - which was canonically what used to happen in Ravenloft anyway...)

Edit: Oops, your PCs will be level 10+. That leaves you with "Thoughts of Darkness", which is more Lovecraftian Horror than Gothic, or the Forgotten Terror (which I don't know much about, but it is a Forgotten Realms./Ravenloft crossover, so maybe suitable) or Die Vecna Die! (which is certainly challenging, but includes Greyhawk and Planescape material so might be too out there...)

 

[GreyLord]

Bring in the Death Knight Soth...

And his ensuing legions of Banshees and Liches...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

One wonders what an Elder Brain would have done to single them out from all the other Elder Brains enough for them to be drawn into Ravenloft...

Both Thoughts of Darkness and Forgotten Terror sound quite interesting from the descriptions.

 

[Coroc]

All the 2e (and most of the 1e) stuff is extraordinary in description of NPCs their motives, surroundings, reasons behind the visible plot etc. Those are in quality unsurpassed for a DM lazy on such things (like me)
Most of them have very good maps, general description of the whole domain etc.
The Hyskosa Hexad is meant to play as a series, as @QuentinGeorge already mentioned but the adventures have to be sorted and adapted for the levels, the original publishing did get the party level not conforming to the order the signs of the prophecy occurring and this order is essential in the conclusion of the overall arc. Other than that those modules are as good in quality as all other stuff.
For an independent standalone of the old stuff i can recommend web of illusion (hope I spelled it right now) taking place in Sri Raj, it can be built into some small campaign wit ha little work.

But here comes your problem: You need to do a bit of conversion stuff. Many Ravenloft monsters have vulnerabilities / invulnerabilities to certain weapon materials. Fear and Horror checks are essential. (Those are Cha and Wis saves) Also Dark powers checks on "evil" acts. You got to take the original red (recommended) or black box and work something out which suits you.

Whereas in other 2e material you can probably take equivalent 5e monsters and adjust the numbers a bit and you are fine, that is not the case for Ravenloft. Run as standard mob from the MC many Ravenloft monsters would be ridiculous underpowered in 2e (and also in 5e) You have to do adjustments, e.g in introducing invulnerabilities giving lair actions to minor mobs like zombie lords and mummies.
Apart from Thoughts of darkness there is few Ravenloft material above 10th level so you have to mod this also.

So it depends what kind of work bothers you most, it is rewarding but work you will have to put in, that is.
Btw.
Ravenloft best is played without a paladin in a group, better even without a cleric also and hard healing rules SR/LR 8hours/72hours

 

[QuentinGeorge]

All the 2e (and most of the 1e) stuff is extraordinary in description of NPCs their motives, surroundings, reasons behind the visible plot etc. Those are in quality unsurpassed for a DM lazy on such things (like me)
Most of them have very good maps, general description of the whole domain etc.
The Hyskosa Hexad is meant to play as a series, as @QuentinGeorge already mentioned but the adventures have to be sorted and adapted for the levels, the original publishing did get the party level not conforming to the order the signs of the prophecy occurring and this order is essential in the conclusion of the overall arc. Other than that those modules are as good in quality as all other stuff.
For an independent standalone of the old stuff i can recommend web of illusion (hope I spelled it right now) taking place in Sri Raj, it can be built into some small campaign wit ha little work.

But here comes your problem: You need to do a bit of conversion stuff. Many Ravenloft monsters have vulnerabilities / invulnerabilities to certain weapon materials. Fear and Horror checks are essential. (Those are Cha and Wis saves) Also Dark powers checks on "evil" acts. You got to take the original red (recommended) or black box and work something out which suits you.

Whereas in other 2e material you can probably take equivalent 5e monsters and adjust the numbers a bit and you are fine, that is not the case for Ravenloft. Run as standard mob from the MC many Ravenloft monsters would be ridiculous underpowered in 2e (and also in 5e) You have to do adjustments, e.g in introducing invulnerabilities giving lair actions to minor mobs like zombie lords and mummies.
Apart from Thoughts of darkness there is few Ravenloft material above 10th level so you have to mod this also.

So it depends what kind of work bothers you most, it is rewarding but work you will have to put in, that is.
Btw.
Ravenloft best is played without a paladin in a group, better even without a cleric also and hard healing rules SR/LR 8hours/72hours

A definite must is at the very least using the horror/madness check rules from the 5E DMG. I'd also be tempted to dig out the 2nd edition or 3rd edition setting guides and see the changes to spellcasting.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

One wonders what an Elder Brain would have done to single them out from all the other Elder Brains enough for them to be drawn into Ravenloft...

Both Thoughts of Darkness and Forgotten Terror sound quite interesting from the descriptions.

An unofficial background (but approved by those who went on to write the 3rd edition setting) had the elder brain actually originate as a human psion who betrayed his own city because of a mad belief that humans and illithids had to be merge for some sort of apothesis. Very creepy, including the image of thousands of enthralled men, women and children marching in a straight line to the illithids for "transformation"...

 

[tetrasodium]

This might help

I spent a couple campaigns dropping hints in my eberron game about dhakaani stuff they used to create their "raven's loft" as a home for their best & brightest with some hints about an eldritch machine built to rescue "worthy" dhakaani away from the Daelkyr with the mists. Thousands of years later there are no more worthy dhakaani & the rescue. Predictably they didn't want to traverse their tomb of annihilation & do anything about the eldritch machine

Now that the players are in a new campaign with new PCs they are in ravenloft & finally kinda discovered that it's such a naughty word place to exist because the Dhakaani created the dark powers to fuel their subterranean society on the suffering above & don't care what happens up there as long as they aren't inconvienienced.... The PCs managed to almost recover something that would have made one city not subject to the drain of the dark powers before realizing they were massively in over their head and managing to have a chat with the dhakaani who broke it, they are on the verge of discovering that things are much worse than the lies he told them but holidays struck... Watching the players trying to fix up a world that doesn't want to allow itself to be fixed up & has no intention of letting the repair crew escape will be interesting