D&D 5E How to run Death House without killing your entire party

[Ganymede81]

I was thinking of the mists actually taking the whole inn with them (Im going to as an ode to old scenarios going with the Tavern approach. Im planning on taking all the characters as they sleep but leaving all the other patrons behind)

For some reason, my group's characters are all from the Uncommon Races section: A dragonborn, two tieflings, and a half-elf. My plan was for them to be kidnapped by a travelling freak show interested in weirdos with scales and horns. Then, the mists would roll in.

 

[Moraine]

Rubbish. Ravenloft products have been littered with Humor over the years. You CANNOT having a high strung tension packed Horror setting without elements of humor.. otherwise the tension does not work. The humor dosnt have to be over the top.

Death House is so named for what went on there many many years ago.. its got bugger all to do with people actually going inside the house (and lets be honest, as Barovia dosnt get that many new people coming into town the adventurers could have been the first people in decades to do so.

I was thinking of the mists actually taking the whole inn with them (Im going to as an ode to old scenarios going with the Tavern approach. Im planning on taking all the characters as they sleep but leaving all the other patrons behind)

I don't mean lack of humor elements, but the atmosphere of having to check every step. If you have played (or DMed) the Grand Conjuction campaign you know what I mean.

 

[MrHotter]

Please see attached PDF for additional instructions on running "Death House."

I believe that the 12-16 hours estimate is for when running it as a series of 2-hour sessions like Encounters. Personally, I intend to run the entire adventure as two 4-hour sessions. "Death House" is more of a mystery/exploration adventure, though there is some combat, and I intend to run it semi-"Theater of the Mind" style with no grid but still using miniatures for relative locations.

May the mists be with you. . .

I like how the Death House instructions say:
"Feel free to surprise them at every turn. It
is okay to add elements that you find creepy or
disgusting, as long as they enhance the mood
without being inappropriate. "

I've already decided on a few things I'll be adding. I want to play up the 'ghost house' aspect of their exploring the house.

 

[DeathMutant]

I plan to make the primary antagonist the Death House itself(!) It is no longer just an inanimate structure but a cursed, malicious entity trapped within Strahd's demi-plane. For example,

* The party will hear regular (once/minute) but faint, low-frequency "thumping" sounds when the house is "at rest." When it gets "excited", however, the volume and frequency will increase to suggest a heartbeat.

* Should the party damage the house or objects (not creatures) within it, it will react in "pain" by slamming doors, blood seeping from the walls, shuddering from an impact, etc.

* The Death House fears fire and will actively attempt to extinguish an open flame, including candles and torches, and will react violently to fire-based attacks that affect it -- including attacks that miss their intended target.

* Any blood spilled on the ground or walls will be absorbed quickly.

* Footsteps of characters the house does not like will be amplified when attempting to move stealthily plus doors will creak loudly when opened and slam shut when passed through. Characters that openly respect the house will not be affected.

 

[Z. H. Darkstar]

One thing that I plan on doing to keep the suspense levels up is to have the party roll initiative from the start, making sure that every PC has to be engaged with the scenario. My table has gotten in the habit of having 1-2 players do all of the exploration interaction, with everyone else just rolling when needed. This way, the few combats can happen seamlessly and by surprise.

 

[MrHotter]

Death House is the introductory adventure for the new Curse of Strahd campaign. The linked article contains spoilers for that adventure, so don't read it if you may be a player of the adventure.

The unwary DM who runs this adventure as written will have a TPK on her hands at least once, if not multiple times, in the adventure. I point out the problem areas and offer solutions if you don't want to kill the entire party.

Thanks for the article!

---Spoilers about the adventure ahead---


[sblock]
Everything ahead is just my opinion on what is best for my group at my table, so feel free to ignore any parts you don't agree with.

Personally, I don't think any changes should be made to the ghost kids. They are not meant to be fought, so attacking ghosts with a good alignment should have repercussions. I don't want players to think every encounter has a combat solution. If the party has someone who is sworn to destroy all undead, then this would be a good time for them to have an educational opportunity about the undead.

I pretty much agree on what you say about the three undead encounters downstairs. For my family game (young players who are not as interested in the combat) I was thinking of changing the ghouls into zombies and the ghasts into ghouls. I also agree on cutting down the number of shadows.

For my bearded guy group I want to run it 'as is' and see what happens. They usually tear up any encounter I give them, so I'd like to see what they do with three deadly encounters in a row. I'd prefer not to have a TPK from standard encounters, so I'm still thinking of a 'plan B' for what happens if they are all knocked unconscious. Maybe I'll have them wake up in the kids crypt with the stuffed animal just sitting on top of the casket and some candies in their belt pouches.

As far as the last monster, I'm thinking that there should be a 3rd option that does not include someone getting sacrificed. Maybe there is something in the full adventure that puts a jerky NPC with the group that may be a way to get the group to have a dark secret after the Death House. I kind of like having the adventure being more difficult for those not willing to 'gaze long into an abyss'. I may make it easier for the party to realize the fight is too deadly and make it easier to escape if they don't give into the demands of the cultists. I think the house gone mad is a better punishment (and more fun) for staying too uncorruptible. [/sblock]

 

[RealAlHazred]

I plan to make the primary antagonist the Death House itself(!)

Err... have you read the module through to the end? Check out the last page.

 

[RealAlHazred]

I'd like to give my players something more when possessed by Rose or Thorn. The module gives possessed player characters a flaw, but I was considering giving such a player a one-time point of Inspiration when possessed, to reflect the assistance provided by the ghost's memories.

 

[DeathMutant]

[SBLOCK]Err... have you read the module through to the end? Check out the last page.[/SBLOCK]

Yes but that is not obvious *until* the end. I wanted to build-up atmosphere and menace -- without being a direct threat -- as the party explores the house.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Yes but that is not obvious *until* the end. I wanted to build-up atmosphere and menace -- without being a direct threat -- as the party explores the house.

Yup. During the build up, creepy goes a lot farther than obviously dangerous.