jasin
Explorer
I like the idea of using the card reading to tweak the adventure, but the coolness of it will be lost on the players if they don't believe it's real. And with the reading as it stands now, they don't really have a reason to, unless they know about it from reviews or experiences with the original adventure, since the cards and the interpretations are quite arbitrary: draw 5 of hearts crossed by 7 of clubs means the heroes will face Strahd in the study and suffer a -2 penalty, but to the players this will seem more like you're just using the reading as an excuse to read fixed boxed text rather than like the cards are guiding the adventure.
So I was looking for ways to make the reading more compelling for the players, so that it's more obvious that the fates of the characters really are in the cards.
My suggestion:
Strahd, as in the adventure.
Sunsword, as in the adventure.
Holy Symbol, As in the adventure.
Tome of Strahd, As in the adventure.
Zombies. Not perfect, but it has the dead rising up from their graves, and I want to use Death elsewhere.
A young knight (Sergei's tomb) errant (Tser Pool camp). Knight's kick butt (+2 damage against Strahd) but must hold a vigil to become one (Vigil of Transference).
Strahd's tomb/cemetary. But this is also one of the Hags' Blood cards, since I want there to be at least the possibiltiy of that cliche where the fortune-teller turns Death and stares at it in terror... since it is her death! It can also spell death for the PCs, giving -2 AC in the fight with Strahd.
Chapel of Ravenloft/church. Divine favour (+1 saves) and holiness (Reconsecration).
Tower (Dayheart Landing), falling (waterfall). Ruin for the PCs (-2 to AC against Strahd) or hags (Hags' Blood).
Warlock alchemy/Lysaga Hill. Magical protection (+1 saves against Strahd). Hags' Blood.
Coins (Treasury/Bildrath's Mercantile), shields (+1 AC against Strahd), fair trade (Vigil of Transference).
Hermit is a seeker of knowledge (study) and lives out in the wild (nymph hideaway). Against Strahd, it's a loremaster with weapon trick, so +1 to attacks.
For the fanes, it's Vigil of Transference: the hereos themselves need to become one with the land.
Audience Hall/the crossroads. She sits in judgment, with swords crossed. She's blindfolded, in doubt, so -1 to attacks against Strahd. Unholy Reunion... pretty much because I need to put it somewhere.
hwell:
Office of Vengeance/Ivlis Marsh. There's the possessed half-celestial in the Office of Vengeance, and the background of the card and the cups may suggest place where "the river flows into the land". Temperance can turn into hesitation, so -1 to attacks if it's the omen for the Strahd fight. The angel can also stand for Reconsecration.
Tomb of Barov and Ravenovia/cemetery. Lovers for Strahd's parents, and for the place where the "wilds reach close to the town, where chaos threatens order", where male meets female. The protective gesture of the figure above foreshadows a +1 to AC against Strahd. But not all unions are blessed: in the context of the fanes, this is Unholy Reunion.
It's not perfect, and it skews the fanes quest towards Hags' Blood and Vigil of Transference (because I like those two best), but overall, I think these would make the reading more interesting since it should be clearer it really determines the course of the adventure rather than just giving the DM the opportunity to infodump.
What does ENWorld think?
So I was looking for ways to make the reading more compelling for the players, so that it's more obvious that the fates of the characters really are in the cards.
My suggestion:
Strahd, as in the adventure.
Sunsword, as in the adventure.
Holy Symbol, As in the adventure.
Tome of Strahd, As in the adventure.
Zombies. Not perfect, but it has the dead rising up from their graves, and I want to use Death elsewhere.
A young knight (Sergei's tomb) errant (Tser Pool camp). Knight's kick butt (+2 damage against Strahd) but must hold a vigil to become one (Vigil of Transference).
Strahd's tomb/cemetary. But this is also one of the Hags' Blood cards, since I want there to be at least the possibiltiy of that cliche where the fortune-teller turns Death and stares at it in terror... since it is her death! It can also spell death for the PCs, giving -2 AC in the fight with Strahd.
Chapel of Ravenloft/church. Divine favour (+1 saves) and holiness (Reconsecration).
Tower (Dayheart Landing), falling (waterfall). Ruin for the PCs (-2 to AC against Strahd) or hags (Hags' Blood).
Warlock alchemy/Lysaga Hill. Magical protection (+1 saves against Strahd). Hags' Blood.
Coins (Treasury/Bildrath's Mercantile), shields (+1 AC against Strahd), fair trade (Vigil of Transference).
Hermit is a seeker of knowledge (study) and lives out in the wild (nymph hideaway). Against Strahd, it's a loremaster with weapon trick, so +1 to attacks.
For the fanes, it's Vigil of Transference: the hereos themselves need to become one with the land.
Audience Hall/the crossroads. She sits in judgment, with swords crossed. She's blindfolded, in doubt, so -1 to attacks against Strahd. Unholy Reunion... pretty much because I need to put it somewhere.
hwell:
Office of Vengeance/Ivlis Marsh. There's the possessed half-celestial in the Office of Vengeance, and the background of the card and the cups may suggest place where "the river flows into the land". Temperance can turn into hesitation, so -1 to attacks if it's the omen for the Strahd fight. The angel can also stand for Reconsecration.
Tomb of Barov and Ravenovia/cemetery. Lovers for Strahd's parents, and for the place where the "wilds reach close to the town, where chaos threatens order", where male meets female. The protective gesture of the figure above foreshadows a +1 to AC against Strahd. But not all unions are blessed: in the context of the fanes, this is Unholy Reunion.
It's not perfect, and it skews the fanes quest towards Hags' Blood and Vigil of Transference (because I like those two best), but overall, I think these would make the reading more interesting since it should be clearer it really determines the course of the adventure rather than just giving the DM the opportunity to infodump.
What does ENWorld think?
