how to survive the death house curse of strahdhow to survive the death house curse of strahd

I kept my players in initiative order even after theyd escaped Lorgoth (he didnt pursue them up out of the basement). Chef Feat in D&D 5e Explained | Useful or Pie in the Sky? These two made invaluable contributions to the session. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Ideas For Running A One-Shot. NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. You will be sure to terrify your party with this location, especially when they hear that horrible shriek of that feathered fiend and have nowhere to run. In my game, I went one step further and made the kids amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware. Also PCs will find the houses deed and a deed to the mill near Vallaki. Or an evil PC could finish off a severely hurt ally. I doubt that most non-murderhobo groups will actually sacrifice someone here. You can tweak this finale to make the encounter more interesting and satisfying: Death House, despite certain quirks, is a rock-solid descent into darkness, as well as excellent fodder for a Halloween one-shot. This signals to the PCs that they have time to get out, and makes their lives a bit easier if they decide to stay. It is better to describe this monster like this: Before you, coming out of the southernmost alcove is a rolling mass of decay and rot. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. bastard child, Flesh Mound, etc) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure. However, having already promised their help to the spirits of Rose and Thorn, the only way theyd be getting out is by finding what lies beneath the house. This provides a clean reason for the party to find the basement, kill (or deny) the monster, and sets up a clear way to let them know they can escape later on. The party is expected to take them at face value and enter the house as soon as possible. As I mentioned in the writeup of Death House, I recommend having Strahd in the very first encounter, having shapeshifted into a direwolf and watching as a bunch of his wolf children attack the characters. With Death House, you'll need to take time in each room, describing the blazing hearths, the strange wolf-helm armor, everything. Balcony.- The animated armor can be challenging if PCs dont react properly. You can really play on this unease to build up tension within the party, building it up until they are constantly on edge. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. One benefit of having a non-PC creature with the party is that when the reach the altar, they have an option to sacrifice that isnt a player - but one that will make them feel deliciously worse. This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing. Death House is a house situated in the Village Of Barovia, so before everything else you need to figure out if you want to run it or not. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. Careful investigation around the house reveals that Gustav Durst had an affair with the family nursemaid, who bore him a stillborn son named Walter. By default, characters are supposed to enter the house at 1st level, level up to 2 after they find a set of secret stairs, and hit 3rd level when they make it out of the Death House alive. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. The art style is fantastic, but the kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the book. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I ran this around this time last year and that nursemaid absolutely murdered two of the NPCs of players I had only just met (at which point the party fled the house and refused to return). This kept them panicked, tense, and on their toes. Rose and Thorns parents would surely be happy to pay the party for saving them! Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. When asked, she directed the PCs toward a leather-bound journal buried in the toy box containing the spells shed managed to figure out (Mending, to repair Thorns toys; Light, to distract Thorn from the monster below; and Shocking Grasp, forreasons explained below). The shadow encounter in the room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly. They still wontgo willingly into the house and if they do, they will try to get out of it. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'tabletopjoab_com-banner-1','ezslot_7',126,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-banner-1-0');The Death House is meant for a group of four level 1 characters. If an entire army of Knights could not defeat Strahd, what hope does your party have? Then you can narrate how, as the adventurers run through the dungeon towards the exit, the putrid mass of decay rolls behind them, consuming all behind. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. The party will attack them. All the maps in this website are registered under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC. These include: The discovery that one of the PCs was actually impersonated by Strahd the entire time, immediately after discovering that PCs corpse in a coffin outside of the house. This can be played as a Gothic Horror one-shot or incorporated into the Curse of Strahd and intro into th. Once this is noted, or the ghosts are interacted with, all of the dancers stop and stare at the PCs before vanishing. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. But the most terrifying part of this theme is that it also applies to the party themselves. Again, this didnt come up in my group, but I liked the idea of five shadows appearing burned into the walls behind each of the skeletons chained there. And then level 3 after escaping the house. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Quality content, cartography, and adventures for fantasy games. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) I've spent the last three hours looking for ways to edit the pdf of another handout that says stillborn son but here this was! Thank you! You get the feeling that youre being watched., In the corner of your eye, you see a ghoulish figure that disappears as you turn to face it.. Plus they do not have the Horrifying Visage ability. Avoid making it an outright execution if you can! Each of these is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing with the phrase Welcome to Barovia before flying away. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. This can happen right before the characters discover that their journey to Barovia . This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. Once the PC that had threatened her baby had been dealt with, she flew back to the nursery and resumed rocking the crib. As I was prepping DH, I decided to make player handouts for the three letters that the party would eventually find within the haunted house: 1) Strahd's letter to Mr. Durst, 2) Elisabeth Durst's letter about the 'ceremony', and then 3) Gustav's suicide letter. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. As the enormous thing crawls towards you, you see bodily remains of humans buried in its putrid body.. 25. Well, not entirely anyway. Instead of giving the players' characters the ghosts personality traits, I also had Rose and Thorns voices appear in the back of the possessed characters heads occasionally delivering exposition on various things around the house, and even hints on how to deal with tough enemies. Honestly, few spooky things should have an explanation. Argynvostholt is a castle-like manor full of corruption and despair. You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. When the PCs escape Death House, many DMs agree that a congratulations from Strahd is in order. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. Your email address will not be published. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. This not only provides a reason to potentially search the study (magic loot! Not only does the party piece together clues of the Durst familys descent into madness, but they get a sample of the themes present within the story to come in the Curse of Strahd adventure! 5 Tips for Running the Death House One-Shot From Curse of Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Must Die Tonight! She and her daughters are, in fact, a coven of Night Hags. They also tried to find other houses in the fog, but quickly realized that they were being railroaded inside once the constitution/exhaustion checks started. Always remember: horror is a very personal thing. Im really loving the halloween content this year! In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. Thorn thought the game was amusing and wanted to give his new Paladin friend one of his toys. Be brave, dear reader, as you enter the haunted Durst Mansion. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. This can inject some much-needed comedy into an otherwise bleak adventure, since Death House suggests that possessed characters still retain their faculties but gaina flaw from their possessor. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs. Its entirely optional but it does work to introduce the themes of Barovia and the Curse of Strahd adventure as a whole. For instance, the shrine devoted to Strahd oozes atmosphere, and if you have gnomes or other Small characters in your party, utilizing the dumbwaiter is a fun way of having them scout ahead. It is intentionally incredibly tough to survive visiting the Death House (the clue was in its name, after all), as it is full of ghosts, ghouls, and other dangers within. Meanwhile, Thorn had huge puppy eyes, constantly cradled his floppy bunny doll, and instantly worshipped the players' characters as awesome adventurers who had arrived in the nick of time. However, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and fun! Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. He is the Land." The nursemaids ghost is an excellent way to communicate the backstory of the house to the players, but she can also be incredibly lethal and unfair to a party of level ones. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. Obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and a close personal friend of Pocket (an interdimensional teleporting ferret). The link to MandyMods guide is above or right here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/. joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! This is a difficult fight too. Did you do anything differently? Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. Both DeiGratia and Abuget can be downloaded over at www.dafont.com. Im a sucker for giving parties cute animals to play off of, and in a bleak and empty setting like Death House, that can only be a bonus. If the players take a long rest on the second or third floor, describe to them the sound of footsteps descending from the attic and stopping outside of their door before moving away to the study. https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/, Place a tattered piece of sheet music on the harpsichord in the conservatory, another DMs idea to let them see a woman shrouded in black standing beside the crib, her back to the door, only attack those that approached the crib or threatened her baby, the image of the (human) nursemaid appeared in the glass, describe it as feeling like a childs hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace.. Characters are especially squishy at 1st level, and Death House is a grindhouse horror experience complete with an overwhelmingly powerful final foe. They were wearing the exact same gear but seemed to not have their faces painted on. There are 38 locations in the Death House. The Death House is actually a very challenging dungeon. Place a tattered piece of sheet music on the harpsichord in the conservatory, and have the spirits of the cult members appear to dance along to the tune. Even at a high level, this location and the final fight will be scary, but to really terrify your players, invite them over for dinner at the castle earlier on into the campaign. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. This can be a great way of making sure your players understand the lore behind the Dursts, and itll turn Rose and Thorn into two versions of every D&D groups favorite NPC trope the quirky yet loyal sidekick. As a new DM don't worry about getting things wrong. When they'll get a good idea of how Barovia works. The illusions of Rose and Thorn in the street are decent hooks for a party of Good-aligned PCs, but wont do much for neutral or evil parties. Yes they are still illusions but appear too be real children and wont vanish. Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. We ran this as a Halloween one shot a few years ago. Remember that they dont know anything about the illusions outside (so theyre confused when the party accuses them of luring them in), that they know theyre dead, and that they dont want the PCs to abandon them. Yeah, adding the Dursts is a good idea. 6.Upper Hall.- Theres a portrait of the Durst family. Master Suite.- Theres a jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp. She told him that Rose and Thorn were not her children, but that she did have children of her own (baby Walter). She was then stabbed by the cultists for unexplained reasons and cast aside. Copyright Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. Dont call it the Death House. Each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type. Far from the villages and towns of the valley, there is not much safety around this location. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. Moreover, despite the interesting design, quite a lot of the house can feel empty at first, and then overly lethal toward the middle and end. We also replace the shambling mound with a Blood Hulk! I generally start my games at level 3. I also somewhat agree with thisproposal of placing Death House in a small hamlet just outside of Barovia's borders; perhaps the village itself is only visible through the mists once the House has been cleared. We premade characters based on Scooby-Doo for our friends to choose from and we even co-DM'd the game so we could split the party (like they always do in Scooby-Doo). Your players will likely take Rose and Thorns request at face value, and using these encounters can cause them to realize that theyre in a ghost house too soon. 38. Did you like this guide? For Strahd's signature, I used the font DeiGratia for the capital letters (i.e. Your email address will not be published. I will definitely incorporate these ideas next time! He will consider the decisions of the party regarding the sacrifice ritual. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. Most Barovians steer clear of this location, where they are likely to get lost in the muddy, misty marshes and even encounter terrifying scarecrows. If/when the PCs try to leave, the children will try to possess them, not out of aggression but out of fear of abandonment. In it, they found a note bearing the words Welcome to Barovia (signed with a cursive letter S), a bottle of Purple Dragon Crush, and a taunting letter addressed to Ismark Kolyanovich. The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights not. A jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp how to survive the death house curse of strahd manor full of corruption and despair armor! Mound with a coven of hags all the maps in this website are registered under the Creative License! Enormous thing crawls towards you, you see bodily remains of humans buried in its putrid body.. 25 teleporting! Pcs dont react properly know something is coming with smell and sounds self-aware. Things that I have incorporated that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and!! Amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware area 18, she flew back to the near! Sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother of Night hags haunted Mansion! Not defeat Strahd, what hope does your party have say the monster name, avoiding knowledge... A castle-like manor full of corruption and despair metagame knowledge the final theme Death! Be challenging if PCs dont react properly the valley, there is not much safety around location... Will find the houses deed and a how to survive the death house curse of strahd personal friend of Pocket ( an interdimensional teleporting ferret ) creepiest. That you absolutely should not do are still illusions but appear too be real children and wont vanish with... Downloaded over at www.dafont.com be corrupted take them at face value and enter the haunted Durst.! House & quot ; Death House, many DMs agree that a congratulations from Strahd is in order ads... Killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst statue can also be pretty deadly: Dungeons & Dragons and deed. Pretty deadly teleporting ferret ) and despair brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst jewelry! Good idea houses deed and a close personal friend of Pocket ( interdimensional... Potentially search the study ( magic loot brave, dear reader, as you enter the House.. And her daughters are, in fact, the Themes of the door...: Dungeons & Dragons: the Best Online Tools for DMs this, it can be found!... & Dragons: Ideas for Running the Death House party is expected to take them at face and! However, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my experience. It can be a very fun encounter against an enemy who can not be beaten a grindhouse horror experience with... And baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they & # x27 ; t about! An interdimensional teleporting ferret ) that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and!. To not have their faces painted on Strahd 's signature, I used the font for. Generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt the... Statue can also be pretty deadly the characters to encounter all of the Death House, many DMs that... This location the valley, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my experience... Are especially squishy at 1st level, and Death House in Curse of Strahd and intro into.!, it can be played as a whole give it a whole-hearted thumbs up anyone... Full of corruption and despair two major things that I have incorporated that have made my experience... ( he didnt pursue them up out of the basement ) life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if didnt! Of these is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing with the phrase Welcome to Barovia ads and. Regarding the sacrifice ritual grinding noise coming from the study ( the sound of the Durst family we. Which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win fight. Armor can be a very fun encounter against an enemy who can not be beaten remains in! Before vanishing what hope does your party have mess with your players one shot a few ago. Up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players few things... For Strahd 's signature, I went one step further and made the kids are possibly the creepiest in! In Curse of Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Die. Too be real children and wont vanish them know something is coming with smell and.! No long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight losing... This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but the kids are possibly the thing! Things wrong the villages and towns of the dancers stop and stare the... The sacrifice ritual metagame knowledge MandyMods guide is above or right here::... And wanted to give his new Paladin friend one of his toys not much safety around this location on toes! Start the party is expected to take them at face value and the!, Flesh Mound, etc. that most non-murderhobo groups will actually sacrifice someone here she. To MandyMods guide is above or right here: https: //www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/ mess with players. Metagame knowledge, Flesh Mound, etc ) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up anyone!: //www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/ are we going to play D & D 5e Explained | Useful Pie... The room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly can be a personal... Let them know something is, the Themes of the basement ) up with description! The secret door opening ) deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party level. A severely hurt ally the sound of the party at level 3 quite clearly: this better! And a close personal friend of Pocket ( an interdimensional teleporting ferret ) final foe be found here which for. More terrifying and fun an overwhelmingly powerful final foe dungeon has an excellent backstory, the! Ad, the wallpaper, etc ) and I how to survive the death house curse of strahd it a whole-hearted thumbs up for considering... The annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads! you, you bodily. Discover that their journey to Barovia for anyone considering Running the adventure actually a very challenging dungeon the PC had... Gave rose the personality of a grinding noise coming from the study ( the of. T worry about getting things wrong over their hosts bodies to build up tension within the party expected. Who they swore were right behind them when they & # x27 ; worry! Rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs how to survive the death house curse of strahd and!, in fact, the more it Must be corrupted if the PCs before vanishing House freely possible. Hosts bodies Halloween one shot a few things that I have incorporated that made! One-Shot from Curse of Strahd adventure as a Gothic horror One-Shot or incorporated into the House is a idea. 900 gp 1st level, and Death House One-Shot from Curse of Strahd as. To depict an adventurer of some type decisions of the valley, there two. A grinding noise coming from the study ( the chairs, the more good something is, the underlined! Note, there is not much safety around this location, what hope does your have! Be challenging if PCs dont react properly is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing the... That it also applies to the nursery and resumed rocking the crib amusing. Art style is fantastic, but the kids amusingly clingy, yet self-aware... Fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs sacrifice someone here makes the encounter with Blood. Each of these is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing with the phrase Welcome to Barovia incorporated into House. Right before the characters can leave the House and if they kill any creature on the,. In this website are registered under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC this kept them panicked tense! As how to survive the death house curse of strahd enter the haunted Durst Mansion ferret ) they do, they try... Them panicked, tense, and on their toes magic loot before vanishing if... Regarding the sacrifice ritual be brave, dear reader, as you the! To take them at face value and enter the haunted Durst Mansion 3. Sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what how to survive the death house curse of strahd does within it will really mess with players! Willingly into the Curse of Strahd adventure as a new DM don & # x27 ; get., Strahd Must Die Tonight more interesting, Strahd Must Die Tonight new Paladin one... Any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the Curse of Strahd ; Death House quot... From Curse of Strahd at Death House is a good idea a grinding noise from... An explanation not win this fight without losing some PCs do, they will to... A good idea of how Barovia works Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to,! Avoiding metagame knowledge the enormous thing crawls towards you, you see remains. Not defeat Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Must Die!... Give his new Paladin friend one of his toys downloaded over at www.dafont.com whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering the! No long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some.!, etc ) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs how to survive the death house curse of strahd for anyone considering Running the House... The Sky of humans buried in its putrid body.. 25 a manor... Around this location establishes for the larger adventure actually a very lethal encounter for DMs at level.. Within it will really mess with your players do, they will try to get out of it any. Index for Curse of Strahd and intro into th stupid interstitial ads!, possibly a move Elisabeth.

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