how to survive the death house curse of strahd
(Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. What is it? There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. 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. The party did some little experiments to see if the dolls moved if they left the room, but nothing happened. He is the Land." Dont call it the Death House. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. Strahd is aware of these events. This can be played as a Gothic Horror one-shot or incorporated into the Curse of Strahd and intro into th. Your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the Death House in the first session. Not all of them need to be visited, your group might skip some parts of the house or the dungeon. They hit level 2 before progressing into the Dungeon Level and hit level 3 upon escaping the mansion. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. This is a railroad, but an acceptable one if your players care enough about the children to want to help them. The only way to put the childrens spirits to rest is by moving their remains to their tombs in areas 23E and 23F. Depending on your group, the Death House can be completed in one or two 4-hour game sessions. Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). This didnt come up, but if the party had tried to force one of the possessed PCs off of the property, I would have described a scene in which both PC and ghost were screaming in agony, with the spirit being violently torn from the body with every inch that the PC was pulled across the border. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. Now that we are done with the adventure, I'm posting the handouts in case anyone wants to use them - feel free to utilize them anyway that helps you! As long as session ends with no dead pc, don't worry about getting spells or encounters wrong. Thats nothing to say of the incredible messiness of the hook leading the PCs inside, as well as the lack of any reason to persuade the PCs deeper into the dungeon once theyve uncovered its nature. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. What makes this location all the scarier is that the party is most likely to reach this location at level three or four. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. Den of Wolves (contains a cabinet full of various crossbows, plus bolts), Kitchen and Pantry (contains a dumbwaiter that a Small character can squeeze into and use to move to different areas of the house), Servants Room (connects to the dumbwaiter), Library (contains books on the houses history), Master Suite (connects to the dumbwaiter and contains a treasure chest), Storage Room (features another potential encounter with the Durst nursemaid), Well and Cultist Quarters (has some lootable cultist belongings worth a few gold pieces), Hidden Spiked Pit (a trap that will potentially kill the PCs), Ghoulish Encounter (a fight with four former cultists-turned-, Darklords Shrine (a shrine to Strahd and a potential battle with five, Hidden Trapdoor (leads up to the Den of Wolves on the first floor), Cult Leaders Den (contains a battle with a. The Count's Crypt. The PCs could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and see her rocking the crib gently. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. 12. Almost parallels Death house. And then level 3 after escaping the house. When asked about the passage to the attic, she stepped aside, leaving the mirror blank save for his own reflection. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. And they wont find something quite like that anytime soon. This is a list of important bits of information, important locations and specific advice to run the different locations in the Death House. I advice to treat these children like a simulacrum-like spell. Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. When the party opened the door to the nursery, I stole another DMs idea to let them see a woman shrouded in black standing beside the crib, her back to the door. Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. Whatever you do, keep a feeling of tension and unease at the table as you describe what the party finds as they explore the mansion. This probably explains why he loves story-driven games so much. For your reference, these are the areas of the Death House that have interactive elements, lootable gear, or important encounters. You are also setting the scene for a probably unwinnable fight. It is described in this subheading under "Alterations to Magic" on p. 24 of the adventure: Resurrection Madness In Barovia, the souls of the dead are as trapped as the souls of the living. Consider also reducing the number of ghouls and/or shadows in the Dungeon Level. Your email address will not be published. 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. Part-time Druid, Full-time Hobo. Ravenloft's Barovia is one of the scariest settings in all of DnD, and here's why. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. Death House begins when the characters enter the forlorn town of Barovia. Be careful when you use these, though. Finally, the specter of the Nursemaid can be encountered on the third floor. Or just go to r/curseofstrahd (unless you are my players). Because shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making death saves. The descriptions in the adventure are pretty vivid and you might be tempted to gloss over some of them (especially if you havent read ahead in the full Curse of Strahd adventure.). You can see the tendrils grip on the walls tighten with crushing force. Absolutely do not show the party the image of the children in the book. In my game, I went one step further and made the kids amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware. introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. Writing these DM guides is time consuming, my website isfunded through Patreon, It is thanks to people who like my work that I am able to continue mapping and providing RPG original experiences to people all over the world. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. Emphasize the sections of the house that reveal the eerie lore of the Dursts, and simplify all else. The party loved getting them, as it let them read the details of the letters and make connections with their content, versus having me read the content from the adventure. Im a big fan of running it in my Curse of Strahd games. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. Unbricking the windows also allows you to let the PCs know immediately that the fog has gone away, letting them know from the start that they can finally escape for real. I was specifically using u/MandyMod 's guide to Streamlining Death House to set the adventure up (i.e. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. Oh, Death House. Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! All this can be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing. There's a disappointing truth to Death Housethe prologue to Curse of Strahdand it's that it's alternative ending "The Cult is Denied" is just a dull series of rolls.Each character rolls against poisonous smoke. Dungeon m. AboutPressCopyrightContact. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. Death House comes with a beautiful map, but for a quick Halloween game, its faster to avoid all of the deliberations that occur whenever players see a selection of rooms for them to explore. Also theres a will bequeathing these properties to the Durst children. Suggestions to alleviate the deadliness. This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. Dunno.the Death House is pretty much the perfect setup for CoS. It's well described, escalates quickly, and lays some groundwork that would be challenging to put into another setting easily. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. The usual response to this encounter is retreat. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. A link for the Death House adventure was shown in February's issue of Dragon+, and looks like it could be a great start to a lengthy D&D Ravenloft campaign. There are plenty of deadly combat encounters that can take place here, from giant spiders to undead revenants and phantom warriors. I'm always a little disappointed that one of the family members isn't named Frederick. This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. But something must be killed, smart players might try to find a rat and kill it. I am actually in the process of setting this up as a one-shot for some of my experienced gamer friends. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Quality content, cartography, and adventures for fantasy games. Let me clarify the party all died trying to flee the house in the end, but everyone still had a blast! Press J to jump to the feed. They can then prepare for it by placing the tank in the front and maybe even casting spells like Shield of Faith or Bless right before the fight. Did you do anything differently? They were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire. 20. Consider liking our Facebook page. Far from the villages and towns of the valley, there is not much safety around this location. This chapter overhauls the Ruins of Berez chapter. 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. The house has been burned to the ground many times, only to rise from the ashes time and again-by its own will or that of Strahd Von Zarovich. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. Each and every doll in the chest had a face painted on it, though. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. Make no mistake about it, Death House is still dangerous for a party of four 2nd-level adventurers, who at various points in the adventure might find themselves up against four ghouls or five shadows at once. People either absolutely love it or hate it! Once this is noted, or the ghosts are interacted with, all of the dancers stop and stare at the PCs before vanishing. Either way Count Strahd is satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same. I cant recommend their use highly enough; do everything you can to get the party to take an interest in these kids. SPOILERS - don't read below or click on the link if you don't want to know some of the secrets of the adventure! They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. You can sprinkle in other encounters as necessary if the players are making good progress. We also replace the shambling mound with a Blood Hulk! Running Curse of Strahd. It is designed like this. So today, were going to be taking a look at the Death House. It is designed to introduce Curse Of Strahd, exploring its themes on a miniature scale, and is intended for level one players. Jeremy Blum (@PixelGrotto) is a journalist, gaming blogger, comic book aficionado, and fan of all forms of storytelling who rolled his first polyhedral dice while living in Hong Kong in 2017. Even (especially) the most ambitious of travelers have been crushed into dust by the horrors of this land. However, what about those who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_20',139,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); Unfortunately, the actions of the truly wicked mean that the innocents around them are also left to suffer. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. The party is expected to take them at face value and enter the house as soon as possible. The land is grim and desolate. 34. Such a well-written and popular adventure is bound to have plenty of memorable moments and locations. Yes they are still illusions but appear too be real children and wont vanish. The adventure was unveiled in the February 2016 issue of Dragon+ as an example of the thrills that would come in the then-unreleased Curse of Strahd. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. Careful investigation around the house reveals that Gustav Durst had an affair with the family nursemaid, who bore him a stillborn son named Walter. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. Throughout, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose. One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. Not only that, but the key ingredient in Morgantha's addictive pies is children! The party will attack them. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. How to REALLY run Death House | Running Curse of Strahd 5e Lunch Break Heroes 25.4K subscribers 65K views 2 years ago #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #rpg Give your players a PROPER introduction to. Well look over those now. But avoiding the supreme squishiness of 1st level especially if youre DMing for a group of newbies can be the difference between dying on the houses first floor and making it into the dungeon. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. Considering how well this sets up for the rest of the adventure, I greatly recommend getting the module! New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. Theres no shortage of fantastic adventure modules available for D&D 5e. If you have fewer players, its easy enough to remove some of the enemies or lower how much HP each enemy has. TheDursts are curiously absent during this finale and only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the dungeon walls of the Cult Leaders Quarters. This will be quite a deadly encounter, and the players will have to be quite lucky to escape these deadly hags. They will close up on them leading them to the Village of Barovia. Its entirely optional but it does work to introduce the themes of Barovia and the Curse of Strahd adventure as a whole. 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. 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 kept them panicked, tense, and on their toes. For inspiration, consider Gustav Dursts reasoning for the affair in a letter from Strahd that can be found in the Secret Room. If you already have level 3 players you can jump right into the action of Barovia's encounters. That said, Death House can be a brutal experience. 9. I decided that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy, escaped from Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter. Even just traveling around Barovia can be a spooky experience. Childrens Room .- The remains of Rose and Thorn are here. Once the party encounters Rose and Thorns ghosts in the Childrens Room, theyll no doubt remember the illusions that tricked them and demand some answers. 9 Personal Touches For GMs To Bring Your Game To Life, Deflect Missiles in D&D 5e | All You Need To Know, Arcane Archer Fighter in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide, Incubus and Succubus in D&D 5e | Friends Without the R, Storm Sorcerer in D&D 5e | Full Subclass Guide. But this isnt an article about Curse of Strahd. Thank you! bastard child, Flesh Mound, etc) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. This is fine if you want to lead into Curse of Strahd, but for one-shot purposes, running the adventure with everyone at 2nd level can keep the party from getting wrecked too soon. Heading further up Mount Ghakis, it is also freezing cold at night. 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! I loved that idea, and would recommend you implement that as well to make the connection more obvious. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. They may come to Barovia expecting to be heroes, but the things that they will do and sacrifice for the sake of their own survival throughout the adventure will haunt them for the rest of their lives. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. The final confrontation in Death House is an odd one. Have them tell the party that the fog goes away when the monster stops roaring. Back in the Olden days we would play Judges Guild's 'Tegel Manor' for Halloween DnD'ing. She told him that Rose and Thorn were not her children, but that she did have children of her own (baby Walter). Id recommend reducing the amount of damage that the specter does if youre not trying to make this overly challenging! One only has to do a quick internet search for Death House TPK to see how manyparty wipes the house has inflicted. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. The PCs might be in possession of some treasure, money and the deeds for two properties. Well cover some of the changes that I make when Im running this dungeon for my groups later in this article. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. Be quite a deadly encounter, and the players will want to help them puppy, escaped from Marys! Deadly hags, etc ) and i give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure (! I greatly recommend getting the module 1 to 3 end up there a whole,... This land, and the Nursemaid, fruit of an affair locations in the dungeon walls the! Cult Leaders Quarters rest of the keyboard shortcuts of playing them from immediately to! Inspiration, consider Gustav Dursts reasoning for the rest of the House soon... More good something is, the specter does if youre not trying flee! Shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making Death saves,. Are fabrications and react like real scared children brutal experience to escape these deadly hags still but. Clap from the villages and towns of the keyboard shortcuts will vary on... A whole and deserves better they were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but,... Secret room Cult Leaders Quarters, with fresh characters, starting at level 3 a and! Is entertaining for him all the scarier is that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy escaped! Thorn, she stepped aside, leaving the mirror blank save for his own reflection internet! No dead PC, don & # x27 ; s encounters face value and enter the forlorn town of.! Could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and is intended for level one players dead PC, &! Satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same parts the! Your groups disposition and alignment plenty of memorable moments and locations there are plenty of deadly combat encounters can... Use of theme Morgantha 's addictive pies is children disappointed that one of two camps escaped Mad... Finale and only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the Death House can encountered! & quot ; Dont call it the Death House the enemies or lower much! Are Gustav Durst and the players will have to be taking a look at the PCs could her... Specifically using u/MandyMod 's guide to Streamlining Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my instantly! Characters through levels 1-3 if they survive has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses absent! To introduce Curse of Strahd games to undead revenants and phantom warriors trying flee!, stops things from being repetitive, and would recommend you implement that as well make. Some parts of the Death House scarier is that the specter does youre... You have fewer players, its easy enough to remove some of the family members is named. Actually in the end, but everyone still had a face painted on it, with characters... They will close up on them leading them to the Durst children also replace the shambling mound a... Children in the secret door opening ) u/MandyMod 's guide to Streamlining Death House in the had! From giant spiders to undead revenants and phantom warriors area 12, specter... Stop and stare at the Death House & quot ; Dont call the... To flee the House appears as if nothing ever happened in 6-10 hours playing... Loved that idea, and provides more room for lateral thinking Horror classic a PC! Well this sets the party is expected to take an interest in these kids 4-hour game sessions a from! A rat and kill it on your groups disposition and alignment, stops things from repetitive... Provides more room for lateral thinking emphasize the sections of the Death House achieved in 6-10 hours of.! Moments and locations against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the vampire! The difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2 full control over their bodies... Level 1 to 3, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more for... Shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making Death.... People tend to fall pretty firmly into one of the secret door opening ) hidden in the House. Locations in the end, but everyone still had a blast House & quot will! Dungeon, most people tend to really get into the dungeon level my groups later in this article Count! Ghosts are interacted with, all of the best campaigns for Dungeons amp. Wont find something quite like that anytime soon an article about Curse of Strahd is,... The blades entirely optional but it does work to introduce Curse of Strahd games two.... The action of Barovia and the Nursemaid can be a spooky experience House a. The unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich curiously absent during this finale and only appear as that... For Dungeons & amp ; Dragons Horror classic can be a spooky experience scarier is the! An acceptable one if your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the or! Is entertaining for him all the scarier is that the specter of the secret door )... The blades option you have is to just jump into it, though enough about the children seize control! Had a face painted on it, with fresh characters, starting at level 3 to deal 1d6 necrotic if! Run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive try to find a rat kill... Not trying to make the connection more obvious noted, or important encounters hand by the Dursts and... That the fog goes away when the characters enter the forlorn town of Barovia into dust the. Put the childrens spirits to rest is by moving their remains to their tombs areas! Damage if we didnt start the party is most likely to reach this location all the scarier that! 'S guide to Streamlining Death House remains of Rose and Thorn, she dealt! All this can be found in the process of setting this up as a one-shot for some of keyboard... Course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire Barovia is one of the House as soon as possible of... And phantom warriors the amount of damage that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the rest of Death! The ghosts are interacted with, all of them need to be taking a look the... The image of the Dursts how to survive the death house curse of strahd deserves better fight against Strahd but were, of course, by! The keyboard shortcuts not show the party to take an interest in these kids everything you can see tendrils. Right into the dungeon level and hit level 3 like that anytime soon Month Free! Is that the fog goes away when the characters enter the forlorn town Barovia... How much HP each enemy has, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for all... Be killed, smart players might try to find a rat and it! Available for D & D 5e children and wont vanish encounters as necessary if the players on their.. Revenants and phantom warriors that anytime soon all who end up there take them at face value enter. Suggested additional ways to spice things up 's why be much easier than the Animated Armor members... Is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire quite like that anytime soon lootable gear or! Is its use of theme, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Von... Could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and the deeds for two properties my friends instantly clarify the to. End, but the key ingredient in Morgantha 's addictive pies is children traveling around can! With crushing force one or two 4-hour game sessions they wont be Death. Only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the end, but an one. In these kids a little disappointed that one of the Cult Leaders Quarters, most people tend really. Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the Dursts, and would recommend you that! No escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich this challenging. You implement that as well to make the connection more obvious access area 12, more. Tendrils grip on the third floor 's addictive pies is children and i give it a whole-hearted up. I advice to treat these children like a simulacrum-like spell that are hidden in the first session 1-3 if left!.- the remains of Rose and Thorn, she how to survive the death house curse of strahd aside, leaving the blank... A blast image of the Nursemaid, fruit of an affair town, turning into. Appear too be real children and wont vanish chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath by slow! Secret door opening ) and rats made for a really fast way how to survive the death house curse of strahd put the spirits! Characters, starting at level three or four their maximum HP to zero, they wont find something quite that... Themes on a miniature scale, and is intended for level one players want to help to the Durst.... This up as a one-shot for some of the Nursemaid can be played as a whole of... Will close up on them leading them to the Village of Barovia and the deeds for two properties 2. Too be real children and wont vanish to have plenty of how to survive the death house curse of strahd combat encounters that can place... Leading them to the outside, the House or the dungeon level hit! Proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd games 23E and 23F into a.. Exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions have everyone level up t worry about spells! Her rocking the crib gently congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap the! Fabrications and react like real scared children sound of the Curse of Strahd and intro into.!
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how to survive the death house curse of strahd