Curse of Strahd "Edits"

[Aiden_Keller_]

Greetings,

I am just starting out as a DM and attempting to run Curse of Strahd and I have 2 questions...

What has been the best way you ran Strahd von Zarovich?

In what ways (if any) have you changed the story?

I personally planned a lot of changes including:

-Starting players in Beregost (You know...near the Forest of Sharp Teeth...to help explain the werewolves in area) instead of near Daggerford

-First area in Barovia is Death House. Characters will encounter a "normal" looking house and no encounters until they reach the attic room and study the doll house. At this point the house takes on its "true" form and all possible encounters are open. Once characters enter into the basement area they must sacrifice a character every so often (depending on how many people are in the party...potentially getting the party down to just 2 when they enter into the final room). This sacrifice isn't real and is simply an illusion and as soon as Death House is exited the "sacrificed" characters appear. Whomever survives will gain a flaw stating that they participated in the death of their entire party.

-Including an NPC Paladin that is joins you in Beregost and is killed after Death House by Strahd and whose body is later repossessed by a revenant.

-Automatically placing the artifacts and allowing a large group to potentially assist the party (compared to a single entity).

-Possible Allies include: The ghosts of Thorn and Rose, Stool (see below), Ezmerelda and Rictavio, Pidlewick II (Found in Vallaki, I have made it not so evil and more like a Pinoccio figure that wishes to be reunited with the remains of his maker), Wereravens, Emil and Zulekia (Werewolves), the possessed NPC Paladin I mentioned above and finally Mordikadian if he is cured.

-Strahd's possible allies: Rahadin will summon a shadow demon, Hell Hounds, Kiril and evil werewolves (if not dealt with earlier), 2 of the witches from inside the castle as well as the hags from the Bonegrinder if they were not dealt with, Baba Lysaga in her flying skull (if she was not dealt with...I actually made her retreat if she takes too much damage so she can protect her "son"), an invented leader of the evil druids from Yester Hill, Potential for Strahd to animate the shadows of party's allies to attack them, Strahd's Animated Armor is being worn by Strahd (giving him the resistance and AC from the armor as well as his normal attacks and the armors attacks [after all it is animated]) as well as the fact that Strahd is on his Nightmare.

-Due to the large amount of allies and Strahd's allies I have also written up a potential "Final Confrontation" where the party and allies storm the castle. If Strahd begins to lose he will cast Fireball to potentially destroy the bridge.

-Adding in "The Hidden Grove" from "Into the Abyss" as it happens to be my favorite to simply include as a side adventure. Also having mushrooms help you fight Strahd sounds AWESOME!

-Strahd will save Polymorph until he is almost defeated and then transform into a large bat monster (with stats of Giant Ape).

I will update on how the characters interact with these changes...

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I turned Rictavio/Rudolph van Richten into Ash Williams, Piccolo the Monkey into Eli the Lizard (small creature that looks like mini-godzilla wearing a top hat) and included the Necronomicon as an artifact that Strahd is searching for.

 

[jayoungr]

Welcome, Aiden! Have some XP.

Many of the suggestions other people have had about running "Curse of Strahd" have been collected in this thread:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...ot-Curse-of-Strahd-quot-(and-DDAL-adventures)

For some reason, discussion of that particular adventure has been very fragmented on this board, so a lot of the posts are just links to other threads. But you should find a plethora of suggestions and ideas there.

 

[Aiden_Keller_]

Thanks for this!

 

[plisnithus8]

We made quite a few changes:
- made Strahd CR 18 and seeking to expand his reign over other areas of the Dread Domain
- made Rahadin a vampire who goes to Vallaki to collect taxes
- made Lucien (in Morgantha's sack) Strahd's reincarnated son Erasmus
- turned Ernst (Fiona's spy) into a scheming bone devil in disguise
- created a crypt dungeon crawl under Vallaki where the sun sword is kept and my Fractal Golem (in Creature Codex) lives
- turned the Abbey into a heist using flashback-type mechanics
- put the Hive (from Book of Lairs) under the Vistanti hill near Vallaki that had a portal to the Gaping Maw in the Abyss

 

[toucanbuzz]

Oh man, where to begin. Curse of Strahd, if enhanced, rocks. We're near 8th level and after 20+ years of gaming, one of the top campaigns we've ever had. While there's plenty of threads on what people have modified, I'll focus more on the theme and Strahd.

**BIG SPOILERS AHEAD**



Changes to the Overall Story: Ravenloft is about 2 things, and if there's one failing in the CoS module, it was conveying this. (1) The land feeds on Despair, and (2) getting into the head of the villain is the true horror.

I took a LOT of effort to get the players into the psychology of Strahd and to be bombarded with moments of "why try." The need to loathe, fear, lament, and perceive the twisted logic that is going on in Strahd's head. They need to understand that even if they can thwart Strahd when it comes to Ireena, he'll just wait for her to be reborn and do this all over again until he gets it right. So what's the point in fighting? Why try? That's why the Order of the Raven is so vital, the winery encounters, the free wine, and so on. The Order believes that even one good thing can help combat this despair, and the ultimate failing is to give up, for then the Land wins. It's not about killing you. It's about making you give up, with your whole heart come to believe that there's no point. If you steer the party to these goals, you're going to enjoy the story a LOT. (and your players need to be into this, in advance, to be aware the more they immerse in their gothic characters, the more they immerse into hopelessness as the character might from time to time, the more they're going to enjoy this campaign).

You'll want to script every encounter with Strahd. He believes what he is doing is right and can never be swayed to see any other perspective. He's an emotionally abusive stalker who's got eternity to repeatedly find Tatyana and "sway" her to his side. In his mind, as long as he's not physically abusive, his games to wear her down, make her see he's the only one who can care for her, are justified. And, no matter what the party does, he cannot ever see it differently.

Strahd is eternal. To him, the party is a fleeting, passing moment. In the times he interacts with them early, play him talking to himself, or past the party members as if they are animals incapable of understanding what's going on, musing on the inevitability of what is to come. There's nothing like being ignored and treated like insects to infuriate players. But that's Strahd. Also, he's not going to fight them. They're below him. They don't understand in this land, he could snuff out life as he sees fit, and they're too small-minded to see what he sees. They bring something unique, souls, to this land, and He Is The Land. He's not going to harm himself. Their attacks are like children beating on the leg of a man. He is the only adult in this land and everyone else is something that will age and pass. Do NOT make him an annoyance that pops in, harasses the party with a dull bad guy speech or throws a pointless combat or fireball at them. Every encounter should be well-planned on your behalf to accomplish two goals: (1) to see what he sees and (2) sway them to persuade Ireena. At first, he should assume they'll tire of her, they'll give up, they'll move on. If they become devoted to her, he can't risk they'll pull what the doomed villagers in Berez did, and he'll make it known what happened to them should the party interfere.

Eventually he'll get to dinner with them (once they've done something impressive in the land). He's now curious. As an eternal being, he doesn't get a lot of entertainment. But he's got to be clear. Ireena is off limits. She's inevitable. And if he fails here, he will wait until she is born again. So why don't they just accept his offer to be free of this land? All they have to do is steer Ireena to him, to make her come to him of her own "free" will. And if that's not enough, entice them. Someone has to run this place if he's gone, maybe they can if they want to improve people's lives. He doesn't give a crap after he and Ireena marry. And if that's not enough, the stick. You like blood? You think I wouldn't kill every last child and peasant in this land to get what I want? Shall we begin? In my campaign, after the party disrespected him and we had this type of speech, he sent vampire minions to murder whoever they could find in Vallaki. Solely to prove his point, and to make the party despair. Strahd doesn't get angry, but he hates lack of decorum and small-minded do-gooders who can't see HIS big picture of how it's going to be.

Make every encounter a learning experience. At the Druid Circle, Strahd appeared, not to fight the party or throw a fireball or something dull. He came there to educate them that this all occurred, what the druids were doing, because they ASKED permission. He's big on that. He doesn't give a crap whether the party eradicates the druids or not because it's all below him. He only cares the druids asked before using his likeness. He has an extremely fixed perspective on RESPECT and MANNERS. He doesn't need to show up to everything, and over time, it needs to be clear that while he's very powerful, he's not all seeing (e.g. he knows the party because he scries upon them, but until, if ever, the party figures this out, he appears pretty omniscient).

Starting Adventure: My players knew they were going to Ravenloft, so we role-played being hired to get rid of the Vistani gypsies as a Session 0, wherein the players made up as we went how they fit into getting hired. By the time we were done, one was the daughter of the Duchess, another was a bastard child in the household, another was the Forester for the Duke, and a 4th was a tutor for the siblings. We only began rolling dice once we got to Death House.

Death House: Really left it as is, just creeped it up (used mirrors to tell a story of the murder and abuse that went on, the spirits in the mirror would appear to see the party and react in horror, no differently than the party should if it looks in a mirror and someone else is looking back), and provided handout player maps if the party discovered the doll house. There's a TON of good stuff on people enhancing with handouts, etc., that you can easily find with a search. I made the house sit outside town on a hilltop, lights on, and fog rolling in as if pushing them to the house. Made the fog alive in that it sought to enter the house but wasn't permitted. In the finale, had the house implode on itself (and slowly rebuild over a year's time if the party ever went back, which it hasn't).

Getting the Party to Explore the Land: You probably need to lay out some hooks to explore some awesome areas because there really aren't any, and your card draws (I highly suggest random, it's more fun) may not take them everywhere. For example, the party contracted lycanthropy and Dr. Van Richten (could be anyone you need) said he could cure it only with nightshade grown in the garden of Baba Lysaga in Berez (which will be, or has been mentioned by Strahd at some point when he's talking over the party's heads about Tatyana being taken from him. I had him muse in a mix of anger and sadness, so much waste for people who were so stupid to think killing the girl would matter). Argynvostholt is a GREAT story, but there's no reason to visit the mansion. Learning why the revenants are holding onto undeath, and what'll happen to the party if they interfere with that mission, was an AWESOME moment for our group.

You get the idea. Don't be heavy handed, but put those in as you can naturally. Same with Krezk (that's where Ireena and Ismark think they'll be safe if Vallaki doesn't work out). The Abbott is one of the creepiest NPCs ever, if played properly. His insanity is a special form of horror, and I had him suggest to the party at one point it would be easier to remove Ireena so there's no confusion for Strahd over his bride. He very calmly and creepily (I used a lisp voice for him in a soft voice with hands always clasped together) suggests they take her to a well and drown her. It's better coming from friends that way. Use your full creativity with these guys. The Werewolf den, same thing (for us, it had a treasure piece, and if you want to get the party to another area, simply break the sword into hilt and crystal blade and have two card draws). The Den had a ring in the back where teens (I didn't do young children) fought to the death to become werewolves. They wear them down psychologically so they want to be strong like their captors, and any who don't break over time to this notion become food.

Finally, get the party to the Amber Temple. Get them clues over time (Argynvostholt tells the history of why it's there) that it holds clues to everything. In our campaign, when the party tried to steal from Baby Lysaga, she caught them and they cut a deal with her - one of them (now under Geas) would go accept a dark gift from the Amber Temple (or die trying). We're waiting to see how that plays out... And remember, it's not about combat in Curse of Strahd. The evil in these lands want to break you down, to corrupt you. Hence the Dark Gifts when dying and coming back at low levels, or the Assassin Mirror corrupting those who would use it. It's all about breaking you, not simply beating you up.

Strahd: You need to spend a lot of time scripting out his battle tactics, and consider giving him some spells from supplemental books if you have them for spice. If played right, he is a nightmare. Given he can simply walk into a wall in Ravenloft castle (and then wait to regenerate), if played right, he's damn near impossible. And, while he's confident, he's not stupid, so he's not going to stand toe-to-toe and let characters dish out damage. Adding minions to the fray isn't bad, but if you're playing him right, he won't need much help. I'm really not sure if I play him as the eternal genius he is that even a 10th level party can realistically take him out, given his ability to guerilla tactic them to death. We'll see.

The Artifacts: I remade these into Legacy style magic items from 3rd edition, wherein they have a very simple basic power, and you have to complete a ritual to unlock more powers. It's pretty simple, but don't have my full notes in front of me to post or link everything (at this moment). It could be used to direct players to explore (e.g. the sun sword's ability to do + fire damage is unlocked if the party can use it to strike down something specific in the Amber Temple, + a ritual afterwards to beseech the Morninglord for use of his weapon).

In summary, the enemy in this adventure is Despair. Start with that, remember that the Land would rather break someone's spirit than break their body, and you'll be on your way to understanding what makes this one truly great. Focus on the NPCs in each area, expand on their single-minded focus (like the Baron's weekly festivals which do seem to keep the devil Strahd at bay but oppress the people's spirits), and that's where you'll get your best results.

 

[Aiden_Keller_]

WOW! Love this! Thanks so much!

 

[Sir_Lancian]

Ravenloft is about 2 things, and if there's one failing in the CoS module, it was conveying this. (1) The land feeds on Despair, and (2) getting into the head of the villain is the true horror.

...the enemy in this adventure is Despair.

Absolutely dead on narrative target. Completely agreed. Spectacular post toucanbuzz, this is EXACTLY how I'm running it.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

I've spoken on this subject at length in other threads, though to elaborate on what toucanbuzz has said, a other factor to consider is that Strahd is NOT the true master of Barovia, the dark powers are. They will not let him die or leave willingly. Even *if* he is slain, Strahd will eventually reform in some fashion in Barovia after a time. It may be as a reincarnation, or perhaps the lands will warp someone (say a do-gooder player who would be king after strahd). The powers will corrupt any attempt to do genuine good if they can.

Another great source for narrative purposes if you want to showcase this cycle of corruption and despair is the Abbot in the monastery. He is a fallen angel and is described as being driven mad by the powers of Barovia. In my game I had his motive for betraying the party and for making the corpse bride be related. He was convinced in his madness that the only way to truly save the souls of those trapped in barovia is to ha e Strahd win, and to do that he must accomplish the one thing he is fated to fail over and over again with: ending up with Ireena. The powers are his jailers and Strahd is a prisoner. Even if you don't like the fate angle for Strhad to fail with Ireena, the Abbot can still be a great source to help showcase the futility of pointlessness of killing Strahd: the players may succeed (I even had the Abbot say that he *did* succeed at killing him once, though the players weren't sure if he was just mad or not), and may even escape, but Barovia and Strahd will always be out there...lurking.

 

[Aiden_Keller_]

I've spoken on this subject at length in other threads, though to elaborate on what toucanbuzz has said, a other factor to consider is that Strahd is NOT the true master of Barovia, the dark powers are. They will not let him die or leave willingly. Even *if* he is slain, Strahd will eventually reform in some fashion in Barovia after a time. It may be as a reincarnation, or perhaps the lands will warp someone (say a do-gooder player who would be king after strahd). The powers will corrupt any attempt to do genuine good if they can.

Another great source for narrative purposes if you want to showcase this cycle of corruption and despair is the Abbot in the monastery. He is a fallen angel and is described as being driven mad by the powers of Barovia. In my game I had his motive for betraying the party and for making the corpse bride be related. He was convinced in his madness that the only way to truly save the souls of those trapped in barovia is to ha e Strahd win, and to do that he must accomplish the one thing he is fated to fail over and over again with: ending up with Ireena. The powers are his jailers and Strahd is a prisoner. Even if you don't like the fate angle for Strhad to fail with Ireena, the Abbot can still be a great source to help showcase the futility of pointlessness of killing Strahd: the players may succeed (I even had the Abbot say that he *did* succeed at killing him once, though the players weren't sure if he was just mad or not), and may even escape, but Barovia and Strahd will always be out there...lurking.

I want to have the corruption and despair overcome each character in a different manner. To do this I utilize a personal fear as well as a personal goal that they believe they will never achieve.

Rictavio/Rudolph van Richten will say he has killed Strahd (which is true) and now is hiding because Strahd has returned. Rictavio/Rudolph van Richten truly wishes to escape from Barovia and will assist the players in fighting Strahd (I plan to have a character who has the monster hunter background really be attached to Rictavio/Rudolph van Richten and thus his death when fighting Strahd will affect them greatly.)

I absolutely HATE The Abbot....I rewrote it so that it is an Incubus that is attempting to rescue Shami-Amourae from The Amber Temple.
She attempted to escape the Well of Darkness and instead ended up being summoned to Barovia (sorry if that messes with Cannon) she was used by the Lich as a catalyst for dark magic.

I plan to run Tiamat right after Strahd and by having succubus and incubus around my players will be introduced to them early on.
(Players will enter into Hell to kill Tiamat once and for all)