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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DEFCON 1" data-source="post: 6994320" data-attributes="member: 7006">For my two groups, one has refused to go to the Castle at all yet, doing everything in their power to avoid it (even jumping through a weird portal in Madam Eva's tent in order to avoid getting into Strahd's carriage to get taken up to the Castle for dinner.)  The other group has been there twice already... first because they were invited to dinner (and where Strahd grabbed Ireena), and second when they came back to try and rescue Ireena before she turned into a vampire.So for this second group (who were level 2 and then level 4 each time they arrived), they purposefully avoided going to where Strahd could be found (Sergei's tomb), and explored a bit instead.  I will say that speaking personally... I interpret the tarroka reading as that it is the place where they always WILL find him if they are looking for him... but that he in no way needs to stay there throughout an entire battle (because that's just stupid.)  But each time were they to leave the Castle and then come back later, they could find him there to start with each time (not that it mattered in my case, because I sent them up there at such a low level they knew enough not to want to confront him at that point.)So in your case... the way I'd run it is that if the group was going to the Castle to confront him, they could march straight to the Chapel to go after him-- they'd find him there somewhere... either sitting in the throne up on the balcony, or perhaps standing in the main room staring at the altar (avoiding the zone of goodness).  Or heck... if this was the very time the group was confronting him, maybe I'd go so far as to have him in the Chapel along with a couple packs of zombies and/or wolves-- maybe for story reasons, he's sending them up to the altar in hopes of them destroying the altar and that zone of goodness once and for all because it's been bothering him, but instead the zombie and wolves are getting burned or irradiated by the aura of goodness.  But at least he is there with a whole horde of his minions for when the party enters.That would be a good way to have more defenses for him in the room once they arrived, and the group would have to fight their way through his minions first before getting to him.  But once they did begin to attack him and he realized what was going on (and he saw they had the Sunsword), he'd get the hell out of dodge ASAP-- probably fly up to the balcony and off down the hall, or head for the southern staircase in order to turn to mist and sneak through the crack in the wall blocking the stairs heading to the tombs.The party would then need to find a way through the Castle to try and get at him... and at that point since they made their intentions known... I'd just start throwing everything and the kitchen sink at them as they tried to find their way through.  Vampire Spawn, Creeping Claws, animated swords/brooms whatnot, Ghouls, Shadows etc. etc.  They would never get a rest or a free moment to breathe, as they are violent intruders here to do Strahd harm.  So wave after wave after wave after wave of enemy will find and attack them.For my way of thinking... if the party goes after Strahd without having explored the Castle first (and learning how to get from place to place within the Castle really quickly before pissing Strahd off)... they deserve to get attacked repeatedly as they get lost trying to find their way through the maze of corridors.  You don't invade someone's home and attack the host and expect to then just walk casually around after the fact.And if the group complains that Strahd was found in his area per the reading but then left and took off?  Ask them what they'd expect the greatest Vampire Lord of all time to do in his own home... just stand there with his thumb up his ass while the party just wailed on him for five rounds?  Please!  He's not an idiot and shame on them for expecting a simple card reading would be able to somehow freeze him in place in his own Castle.  It told them exactly what happened... they found Strahd in his Chapel.  What happened after that?  Logic and reason took over and the Vampire Lord beat feet to let his minions take on the party.</blockquote>

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