D&D 5E Curse of Strahd - Need some rules lawyers

[MostlyHarmless42]

It's a fun premise, and there is no actual rule on it as written. Similarly, the "forbiddance" is likewise completely up to DM ruling as a weakness. After all, who according to rules can "invite" a Vampire in and what constitutes a residence vs a public building?

For myself, I take reference to what is traditional folklore regarding vampires. "Running water" in this sense refers to a body of water that is not at rest, i.e. a river or ocean. It references classic works like Dracula in which vampires cannot cross such bodies of water without aid. The point of this weakness isn't to kill a vampire, but keep it at bay.

I would rule therefore that casting move water on conjured water would not work. However, I would all controlling still water from a preexisting lake to qualify.

 

[pukunui]

Our Paladin can use the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind to Hold Vampire on Strahd while I, the Cleric, Create Water at a high enough level to create enough of it and then use Control Water to make it flow. Would a paralyzed Strahd being held in flowing water mean he dies?

First of all, as ad_hoc pointed out, Strahd isn't going to fail that saving throw. That aside, I personally would not count "flowing water" as "running water". I'm pretty sure the latter term, at least in the context of vampires, is meant to be limited to rivers and streams and the like.

 

[guachi]

[O]ur teacher Sister Maria was the party cleric.

Because of course she was.

The entire anecdote is fantastic. But this quoted part is probably the best gaming related thing I've read all month.

 

[Mad_Jack]

Well, you see, we had been playing in the parking lot after class, using a map drawn in the dirt and rocks for tokens, lol...
And then Sister Maria found us huddled in a doorway one time when it was raining, trying to keep our character sheets from getting wet or blowing away, and offered to let us use the classroom. Since she had to stay with us in order for us to use the room, we taught her to play.
(The whole Satanic Panic thing never really caught on in my neighborhood...)

Since she wasn't a gamer, I didn't bother with giving her spells, and just told her that her character could perform any miracle that one of the Saints had... So she walked around with no armor and no weapon except for her walking stick, gave all her gold away to the poor, layed on hands on every last stubbed toe and booboo in town, and fed every last small furry forest animal she crossed paths with, lol. She enjoyed herself immensely.

 

[Zilong]

I know this talk of gaming nuns is rather off topic, but that nun and her character sounds like they would have been awesome to have in most gaming groups.

 

[cmad1977]

I, for one, will have nun of this off topic conversation.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eltab]

So... If you pee on his head and tell him it's a river, does he get to roll to disbelieve? lol

You're only doing about 1 HP per turn to him with that. ... Unless you had previously fortified yourself with a keg of alcoholic drink (an Ever-Full Cask of Dwarven Brew?) or something.

P.S. Enworld isn't into '1001 XYZs' threads the way WotC's site was, but Sister Maria should be in '1001 Hilarious Anecdotes'.

 

[MrHotter]

I would think it would be easy for the DM to only consider the vampire weakness to be to natural bodies of running water.

 

[dco]

I think he should be submerged, if not a sudden rain would kill him.

 

[GMMichael]

For myself, I take reference to what is traditional folklore regarding vampires. "Running water" in this sense refers to a body of water that is not at rest, i.e. a river or ocean. It references classic works like Dracula in which vampires cannot cross such bodies of water without aid. The point of this weakness isn't to kill a vampire, but keep it at bay.

And now I'm wondering why D&D bothers to include traditional vampire elements, when the protagonists in D&D games are rarely traditional. Bram Stoker's Dracula would have been no match for a D&D cleric.

That being said, OP, I think your control water move wouldn't do more damage to Strahd than a medium rain. Which is to say: none.