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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 6980721" data-attributes="member: 6785785">I think the best thing you can do to make him formidable is to actually have him treat the party as if they are visitors to his realm. Have him welcome them to his home with an invitation to the castle, and then when there, have him not be overtly threatening in any way. While they are there, though, you should have him reveal some tidbits about the characters and their backgrounds and tactics and things like that. Just have him make an offhand comment about something that reveals he knows much more about the players than they would expect. That will catch them off guard. Then, once their visit is finished, have him send them on their way. The fact that he'll invite them into his lair and chat with them and then send them on their way will go a long way to showing the PCs how little he thinnks of the threat they pose him. If they don't get that, you can have Rahadin or one of Strahd's other henchmen drive that home a little more directly.</blockquote>