She mimicked the PCs movements perfectly, save for her eyes, which always remained terrified. Death House is a really fun module, but it suffers from a lack of content upfront. Your group might choose to fight it and risk death. Ideally, everyone is happy to assist the children and play the game. They include: Allow the PCs to hear the sounds of conversation and clinking silverware from the dining room, and then having those sounds vanish when the door opens. Free D&D Adventure: Fight as Dragons and Explore a Crystal Dragon's Lair! Depending on your group, and how roleplay heavy they are. Your email address will not be published. Use. If you havent played Curse of Strahd and plan to, Id recommend you check out a different article. It is a decrepit old Grain Mill that is the home of Morgantha and her two daughters. Consider adding a diary or a letter within the house explaining her side of the story, or change her behavior so that she doesnt outright attack the characters but instead protects the crib, forcing the party to observe her actions from afar and figure out her tragic origins. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. 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. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). 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! The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! It is also included in the Curse of Strahd adventure module on page 211 under Appendix B. Based off of Mandy's Mod edits I used them touching the statue as . 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. Not only that, but the key ingredient in Morgantha's addictive pies is children! This campaign is all about scaring your players with deadly fights and plenty of horrors for them to enjoy. Make sure you follow the rest of this Curse of Strahd DM Guide. If they arent seizing the chance to be heroes, appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the hook you need. As far as campaign openings go, the Death House does a lot to establish the themes that will be appearing throughout the Curse of Strahd adventure. 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. They starved to death after their parents locked them in their room. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. . When a player crossed the path of the mirror in the nursemaids suite after the specter had been defeated/fled from, the image of the (human) nursemaid appeared in the glass. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. They double back to the one unexplored section of this dungeon level and descend a long stone staircase into darkness. For inspiration, consider Gustav Dursts reasoning for the affair in a letter from Strahd that can be found in the Secret Room. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. I decided that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy, escaped from Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came . Pretty spoopy. PCs will recognize the children. People either absolutely love it or hate it! Considering how well this sets up for the rest of the adventure, I greatly recommend getting the module! My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. 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. We skipped it. This also gives her some nice agency, and gives the party a better feel for her role as Thorns protector. A sizable treasure for a level 1 party. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. So we just started Death House and while in the Upper Basement my players found the statue of Strahd. Since I've warned you already about spoilers, I'll state it up front: to avoid the house turning against the PCs, a creature has to die at the sanctum in the basement. Thats awesome!! [Bones of Saint Andral] (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/7hmosm/lessons_from_running_curse_of_strahd_the_feast_of/). Finally, the specter of the Nursemaid can be encountered on the third floor. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. 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.. Yeah, adding the Dursts is a good idea. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. 12. The house is not at all that dangerous if your players pick the right choices. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. Monster design is good, but we have to re-skin the description a bit. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. Thank you for this. Give the party a chance to rest and level up (if they started at level 1) before they work their way to the Dungeon Level.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-1','ezslot_12',135,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-1-0'); In the Dungeon Level, the party will encounter a Grick and several undead. TheDursts are curiously absent during this finale and only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the dungeon walls of the Cult Leaders Quarters. 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. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. 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. This event also involves the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich himself, who will always strike fear into the party. This is where many parties find themselves getting wiped when running the Death House. 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. Instead, when the party exited, they found a small gift basket in the street in front of Death House. 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, combined with the crumbling floors and eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players. This chapter overhauls the Ruins of Berez chapter. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came up well. 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. I never thought of that. When I ran the adventure in October 2018 for Halloween, I quickly found my anxiety spiking as my unsuspecting group of 1st-leveladventurers proceeded to nearly get massacred at least five times in a row. In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. 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. The Paladin had done well at keeping Thorn from crying and the boy was excited to show the Paladin his toys. Well and Cultist Quarters.- In these rooms theres some treasure to be found. 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.. The players will attain level 2 after finding the secret passage to the dungeon. Or just go to r/curseofstrahd (unless you are my players). Running the Death House The main Curse of Strahd module encompasses levels 3-10. They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. 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. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). They will sing to wake up Lorghoth the Decayer, a Shambling Mound hiding in the southernmost alcove. 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. Id greatly recommend also checking out my article on running horror in your own D&D 5e games! Consider liking our Facebook page. Copyright Supposedly, he abandoned love for madness [and] took solace in the bosom of another woman. What of the nursemaids point of view? Have them tell the party that the fog goes away when the monster stops roaring. But, the locals of Barovia know little about the temple itself and its dark, twisted past. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. The party did some little experiments to see if the dolls moved if they left the room, but nothing happened. 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! Did you do anything differently? Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. 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. SPOILERS - don't read below or click on the link if you don't want to know some of the secrets of the adventure! What this means is that anyone can use them, share them or modify them. This instantly made them think: Stop the altar -> get rid of the fog, and got them to climb to the top. It is designed like this. 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. 29. Well look over those now. 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. The first is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs. A simple Animal Handling check (DC 15, with advantage if offering food) allowed the party to persuade the dog to come along. They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. 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. Beware, for massive spoilers await! As written, its a fun and challenging (almost too challenging!) She can potentially one-shot any member of the party each turn with her Life Drain ability. They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . The children that the party encounters on the road (Rose and Thorn) are asking for help dealing with whatever entity is inside the house. All things considered, though, that might not be terribly long This is Barovia after all! Recommended: I Had an AI Make a D&D Character (and it got really weird!). Darklords Shrine.- Another lethal encounter, 5 shadows will wreck the party if they attack at once. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. 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. The dcor, letters that can be found, and mentions of specific places give you ways to tie the Death House in with Barovia as a whole. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. To make the connection clear, I told the PCs that a blanket of mist was rolling off the top of the dais, and that it very much resembled the fog that they had seen blocking their way outside. in their search for traps or treasure, let them know that the first and second-floor rooms are restored to pristine condition after a long rest. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. How did your sessions in Death House go? You are also setting the scene for a probably unwinnable fight. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. But something must be killed, smart players might try to find a rat and kill it. Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. 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. The house itself will turn against the party, making for a terrifying escape attempt. The shadow encounter in the room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly. The most vital regions are bolded. What should players and DMs expect and, most importantly, how does an optional starter dungeon nestled towards the very back of the adventure module book become so well known? 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! The smoke worked great as a way to keep them moving. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. 11. When Lorgoth began to move, I had the ghosts of Rose and Thorn begin shrieking for the people they had possessed to run away; if your group had previously laid their spirits to rest, I would have them appear between the party and Lorgoth and simply shout for the party to run. 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! As adventurers reach the top of the attic, they will find themselves in an aggressive place, they house is trying to kill them (page 220). Ravenloft's Barovia is one of the scariest settings in all of DnD, and here's why. Heading further up Mount Ghakis, it is also freezing cold at night. Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. 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! This probably explains why he loves story-driven games so much. Ending the Cycle. He is the Land." Emphasize the sections of the house that reveal the eerie lore of the Dursts, and simplify all else. You are correct about how death works in Curse of Strahd. 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