[Bones of Saint Andral] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/). This prompted him to investigate the mirror, revealing the passage up. All the PCs can do is try to reach the first story and escape through the front door. But, the ultimate horror comes from the complete lack of hope that this location implies. 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. Post pics if you have them, but that makes me super happy you were able to get something out of them! Part-time Druid, Full-time Hobo. They starved to death after their parents locked them in their room. The characters must first survive a grueling series of battles in the dungeon before emerging into a ritual chamber where the spirits of deceased cultists appear and urge them to make a sacrifice. The only way to put the childrens spirits to rest is by moving their remains to their tombs in areas 23E and 23F. Suggestions to alleviate the deadliness. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. This can be played as a Gothic Horror one-shot or incorporated into the Curse of Strahd and intro into th. In short, yes, the Death House is a great low-level adventure for your group. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. Im a big fan of running it in my Curse of Strahd games. Dont call it the Death House. A lot of good ideas to make the story flow. THANK YOU SO MUCH. Ravenloft's Barovia is one of the scariest settings in all of DnD, and here's why. Don't just drop the players in front of the children, make them go trough the initial adventure hook and trough the Gates Of Barovia. Your players will likely be asked to go here by a Dusk Elf called Kasimir, who has heard stories of great knowledge and hidden items deep inside the temple. They will have no other choice (Hop on the railroad car). They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. Add some emotion to the childrens request. 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. If you like what I do, consider getting involved and backing me. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-box-4','ezslot_8',128,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-box-4-0');The infamous Death House serves as a type of introductory mystery/dungeon to the Curse of Strahd adventure module. With Death House, you'll need to take time in each room, describing the blazing hearths, the strange wolf-helm armor, everything. Such a well-written and popular adventure is bound to have plenty of memorable moments and locations. Your group might choose to fight it and risk death. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. 12. Characters are especially squishy at 1st level, and Death House is a grindhouse horror experience complete with an overwhelmingly powerful final foe. This video discusses the death house dungeon encounter disasters that you want to avoid in the curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. But be warned: few who enter are fated to leave. (Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. Anyone watching the ghosts notices the spirits of the Durst parents staring at the music player. Be careful. The shadow encounter in the room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly. Dungeon master guide and advice with the. This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing. The Essential Books EVERY Game Master Should Read, Immersive Theatre Techniques for Game Masters, Turn & Destroy Undead in D&D 5e Explained, The Ultimate Guide to Warlock Patrons in D&D 5e. If the PCs comply and a living being is killed off on the altar, the house is appeased and they will be able to leave peacefully and level up. Posted by Joab | Sep 11, 2021 | For Dungeon Masters | 9. She sells Dream Pastries to the locals in the nearby village of Barovia but holds a sinister secret. The Best Books That EVERY DM NEEDS To Read! Alternative to Death House Pt 2. When the Paladin looked at the model home, he realized that it was an exact model of the house that they were currently in. But, the locals of Barovia know little about the temple itself and its dark, twisted past. If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. Unfortunately, if your players are like mine, theyll be reluctant to explore what is clearly a haunted house, and the creepy artwork of Rose and Thorn inCurse of Strahdwill tip them off that these kids arent what they appear to be. 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. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. The Companion dives through every chapter of Curse of Strahd and incorporates Wyatt Trull's mithral-bestselling module, The Wedding at Ravenloft as the campaign's climax. If your players find out that the kids are illusions then they wont be trying to help and will believe it is a trap (I mean its obviously a trap but still). bastard child, Flesh Mound, etc) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure. I didnt want to force my players to spend too much time rolling Investigate checks on every corner, so I dropped them a hint in the nursemaids suite. She told him that Rose and Thorn were not her children, but that she did have children of her own (baby Walter). The Death House is intended for a party of level 1 characters. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-4','ezslot_24',145,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-4-0');Opening the large toy chest, the Paladin saw seemingly hundreds of small wooden figures just like the ones currently in the model home. Den of Wolves.- There are two cabinets that can be lock picked, one of them contains a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow and 20 bolts. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. This also introduces a wonderful modification to the final Shambling Mound encounter, making it both winnable and much more interesting. Yes they are still illusions but appear too be real children and wont vanish. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. Death House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. Did you like this guide? Help me get funding and enjoy hi resolution version of all my work. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. Consider liking our Facebook page. You can have Rosavalda point that out, that they want to be where their parents are. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. When the party tries to leave the house, Rose and Thorn do not let them. A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs. Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. 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! 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. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. How to Play Ravenloft in a Single Night. Well look over those now. 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. 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. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Its the Durst Mansion or, if the kids are talking, our home. Nobodys going to eagerly go rushing into something called the Death House. Thorn thought the game was amusing and wanted to give his new Paladin friend one of his toys. ), its a good stopping point for your first session. As written, the plot hook is simply that there is a monster in the house. Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Adventures From Candlekeep Mysteries. There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. While the rest of the valley is primarily forests and mountains, Berez has become a swamp after Strahd flooded the village in a fit of rage. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-3','ezslot_23',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-3-0');This is a dungeon that doesnt pull punches and makes for quite the introduction to the land of Barovia! They were wearing the exact same gear but seemed to not have their faces painted on. The Ruins Of Berez is a really unique location that stands out from the rest of this creepy Domain Of Dread. 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. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. Oh, Death House. The most vital regions are bolded. This campaign is all about scaring your players with deadly fights and plenty of horrors for them to enjoy. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. You made Rose and Thorn like Bianca and Nico DiAngelo! It is also included in the Curse of Strahd adventure module on page 211 under Appendix B. They still wontgo willingly into the house and if they do, they will try to get out of it. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. Honestly, even if the party is level 3, this can be a very tough fight! Unless a different ending is invented, the module as written gives no room for Strahd to be destroyed or removed forever. ! joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! Oh, Death House. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. 25. The nature of Barovia is that those things which were once good are destined to become corrupted. 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. However, that feels a little ham-fisted. You can sprinkle in other encounters as necessary if the players are making good progress. Ending the Cycle. If the PCs decide to take a long rest in the house, allow them to roll an Intelligence check to recall the relative safety of the Servants Quarters. All things considered, though, that might not be terribly long This is Barovia after all! NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. Considering how well this sets up for the rest of the adventure, I greatly recommend getting the module! 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. This event also involves the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich himself, who will always strike fear into the party. All this can be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing. From gaming trends to the latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the curve. A big boss fight is coming up and you want the party to expend some resources, but still have some fight in them for the boss encounter! So, give them vivacious temperaments or accents evocative of your favorite child protagonists in popular media (the Stranger Things kids, anyone?). The mists will dictate the places the party can visit. Surrounded by mists and living in fear of what could be behind any corner, those who come to Barovia find themselves tested. According to the book that works, but you might rule otherwise. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. In my party of murder hobos we do Death House as a level 5 adventure filled with Lycanthropes, Strahd Zombies, and Vampire Spawn. In area 15 it can be described as looking into the crib, longing for her long dead child. Dungeon m. AboutPressCopyrightContact. 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. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. For inspiration, consider Gustav Dursts reasoning for the affair in a letter from Strahd that can be found in the Secret Room. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. Letter two is in the 3rd Floor master suite, in MrsDursts jewelry box. There, in the attic of the model, were 4 dolls: each depicting the various party members. by Mike on 14 November 2016. . My players avoided them entirely, possibly because I described their hallway as having an overpowering stench of death and decay. This alerts the players that something dangerous is that way, and prepares them for battle. The adventurers manage to put their spirits to rest and claim the room's loot. Three of my players were able to get boosts up to the attic from the balcony outside of the master bedroom, but the fourth, a firbolg, was too big to make it up. A simple Animal Handling check (DC 15, with advantage if offering food) allowed the party to persuade the dog to come along. (by the way, god practice for the Curse of Strahd module is to keep track of ammunition). 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). Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. This is all really helpful and wish I'd seen this before I'd run DH. 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. 34. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. 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. You cant just go ahead and say Its a Shambling Mound. Few of those presented in this adventure, however, compare to the infamous Death House. The Amber Temple is one of the most dangerous locations in Barovia. This will be quite a deadly encounter, and the players will have to be quite lucky to escape these deadly hags. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . Pretty spoopy. Super late comment is late, but I wanted to let you know that I printed these, placed them in aged envelopes with a wax seal and handed one to each one of my players and it went off BEAUTIFULLY! The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'tabletopjoab_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_19',125,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-medrectangle-3-0');At least in the top 3! Almost parallels Death house. I advice to treat these children like a simulacrum-like spell. Absolutely do not show the party the image of the children in the book. They double back to the one unexplored section of this dungeon level and descend a long stone staircase into darkness. 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. They will sing to wake up Lorghoth the Decayer, a Shambling Mound hiding in the southernmost alcove. One of my PCs assumed that shed accidentally killed him with Shocking Grasp, but thankfully didnt bring it up. 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