D&D 5E Sanitizing Curse of Strahd (+)

[Gradine]

You don’t have to justify your changes. Please take my discussion as a cautionary note in addition to the several genuine suggestions I offered regarding things that might need changing based on the parameters you set.

I mean, you brought up some stuff that I hadn't considered yet, which is super helpful!

 

[TheSword]

In all seriousness, with a party of teachers there is a line around treatment of children which I don’t cross.

I wouldn’t have an evil child protagonist, create a situation where PCs were encouraged to attack a child or any encounter that sexualised a child.

It just isn’t a problem baking them in pies.

 

[Dire Bare]

I don’t think there’s any indication that Kasimir’s reason for wanting to bring his sister back is for breeding purposes. He rather explicitly wants to bring her back out of love and guilt. But regardless of his intent, the implication of her being the only living dusk elf capable of bearing children is that either the other dusk elves use her for that purpose, or they continue going slowly extinct (ignoring that half-elves are a thing, as the book seems to forget that’s an option). That’s going to be over the line for some players, and I think it’s worthwhile to consider alternative possibilities.

I think the end "good" goal of destroying Strahd and freeing Barovia doesn't mean there aren't still going to be tragedies left undone. Perhaps there is no solution for the Barovian dusk elves. I would, at the least, play them as a people unwilling to use the last surviving female of their culture as breeding stock (assuming she is rescued).

If Barovia is freed and returned to the material world, perhaps there are more dusk elves that the Barovian elves could rejoin. Or, it could be a follow-up quest, leading the Barovian dusk elves to an Evermeet style homeland/sanctuary for elves. Would the Barovian elves be willing to join other elven communities?

 

[Gradine]

I actually really liked the idea of finding a way to reach more Dusk Elves through the Amber Temple. I will probably be adapting that in that form. So thanks for that, @Talltomwright!

@TheSword also brought up several NPCs I hadn't thought about before either (I'm still working through my most recent cover-to-cover read), including Ezmerelda's prosthetic (which WotC's errata actually addresses pretty well) and the Mad Mage. I have plans for good old Mordy though. If they manage to cure him he'll be a very fun antagonist. It also reminded me that the abbey folks' surname is Bellview, which is way too on the nose for CoS (and that's really saying something!) and I'll want to change as well.

Thanks to everyone for your advice! I've gotten a lot of great ideas; I'm glad that I did this!

 

[Charlaquin]

I t also reminded me that the abbey folks' surname is Bellview, which is way too on the nose for CoS (and that's really saying something!) and I'll want to change as well.

Is it a reference to something?

 

[prabe]

Is it a reference to something?

If the Abbey is a place laden with "crazy people," that's awfully close to Bellevue, which IIRC is/was a notorious insane asylum. I might be wrong, or @Gradine may be thinking of something else.

 

[prabe]

If the Abbey is a place laden with "crazy people," that's awfully close to Bellevue, which IIRC is/was a notorious insane asylum. I might be wrong, or @Gradine may be thinking of something else.

Per WIkipedia, Bellevue Hospital (in NYC) was one of the first (if not the first) hospitals to have specific facilities for "the insane," which became so well-known that "Bellevue" became all-but a generic term for such a place.

Sorry. I have a brain that makes me chase down things like this. It's not always a good thing.

Edit:
What Wikipedia has to say.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Something I've noticed:

I've listened to at least three actual play games for CoS. All of them have dealt with the hag. None of the DMs ultimately alluded to or revealed that children were being baked into the dreamcakes. Two of the three groups made jokes about it though. Of those two, one of the DMs lapsed into a long silence before carrying on.

I think not using the cannibalism is pretty widespread.

Which gives me hope for humanity.

Anyone else remember the turn of the century where cannibalism was the thing in comics?

 

[IndigoTraveler]

Hags: Kids these days don't appreciate a good child plum pie. sips tea
Random NPC Serial Killer Cannibal: wants to compare recipes, but at the same time feels like she should be offended.

 

[Gradine]

Per WIkipedia, Bellevue Hospital (in NYC) was one of the first (if not the first) hospitals to have specific facilities for "the insane," which became so well-known that "Bellevue" became all-but a generic term for such a place.

Sorry. I have a brain that makes me chase down things like this. It's not always a good thing.

Edit:
What Wikipedia has to say.

Mental Health is one of my major areas of study, which explains if maybe the reference was more obvious to me than usual.