D&D 5E Help Running Amber Temple CoS (Spoilers)

[GlassJaw]

If I could do it all over again I would grab the "Players Companion" for "Adventures in Middle Earth" and use the rules around Shadow and Corruption in my campaign. The book came out after we started, but it would have done a good job giving a feel that Barovia was slowly corrupting the characters.

I love this idea! I would definitely try to incorporate the effects of Shadow and Corruption level at various points. Maybe the players get more insight or are more susceptible. Seems perfect to address the concerns with the Amber Temple.


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[jayoungr]

Bumping this thread because I'm having a similar issue in my current game.

I'm planning to adopt an approach from the Ravenloft AL season: Players who have been "touched by the mists" (accepted Dark Gifts) will take extra damage from certain enemies. Including most of the big ones.

I'm more concerned about what to do with those who fail their charisma saves and become evil, though. I don't want to force them to become NPCs, but I also don't want the deicision to be consequence-free.

 

[Retreater]

The sarcophagi in the Amber Temple instantly disrupted/ruined my Curse of Strahd campaign. Players actually were getting mad at each other, and the more lawful characters tried to kill the ones who took the powers. Ultimately, I backtracked the whole encounter and told them "it didn't happen." Otherwise, that would have been the end of the campaign, and possibly the gaming group.

 

[jayoungr]

Otherwise, that would have been the end of the campaign, and possibly the gaming group.

I'm not worried about that, for my personal situation. I am somewhat worried about certain of the group going nuts with Dark Gifts and subsequently roflstomping everything in their path, though.

 

[maceochaid]

You know something that occured to me as I read this is they could also trade off the dark gifts for the talismans from the Tarokka deck. Those are also very powerful, but maybe the Ally refuses to work with a party that has accepted more than one of the gifts, the icon or the sunsword could fail in the hands of someone who has accepted a gift. Let the heroes get a power high, but then Madame Eva or someone could give them this knowledge. That could make a meaningful choice, that you could then spin into the result of the adventure, they kill Strahd with Artifacts of Ravenloft, the curse is ended! They kill Strahd with the Dark gifts, then they have freed Barovia, but unleashed the elder gods upon the entire world!!!!! (Or something else)