The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. Or jump from a balcony. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. Thats awesome!! register a sa forums account here! This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. Consider liking our Facebook page. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. 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. It was great. Immediately afterward, a grinding noise (the sound of the secret passage) can be heard from the attic. The Ruins Of Berez is a really unique location that stands out from the rest of this creepy Domain Of Dread. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! 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! I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came . The smoke worked great as a way to keep them moving. 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). 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 Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. 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. 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. This, combined with the crumbling floors and eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players. They were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. 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. Its possible to have been a good person who now lives a life of fear and misery as a result of another persons evil actions. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. It helped pull the player into the story a lot more. Hey dude, where are letter 2 and 3 in death house? Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. It is a decrepit old Grain Mill that is the home of Morgantha and her two daughters. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. 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. Monster design is good, but we have to re-skin the description a bit. 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. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! As written, the nursemaid is not only a lethal character who could potentially destroy a 1st- or 2nd-level adventurer with fewhit points with her Life Drain ability, but shes also a horror trope the cast aside, wronged woman who returns as a vengeful ghost. Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. Help me get funding and enjoy hi resolution version of all my work. 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. 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. Death House Encounters The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd Everything Will Be Corrupted The Innocent Also Suffer Abandon All Hope Making the Death House Better Plot Hook Encounter Difficulty Levels Connections to Curse of Strahd Lore Add Extra Creepiness A Personal Favorite Touch Conclusion What is the Death House? Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this level. Most Barovians steer clear of this location, where they are likely to get lost in the muddy, misty marshes and even encounter terrifying scarecrows. Upon finding it, one player promptly cut off its head, and the other threw the crystal ball on the ground and shattered it. But be warned: few who enter are fated to leave. This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. They double back to the one unexplored section of this dungeon level and descend a long stone staircase into darkness. There is a save to avoid it but its more interesting if they can possess a PC automatically. Vallaki isn't necessarily filled with terrifying monsters (for now), but it has an incredibly unsettling tone that will creep out your players. Alternatively a severely hurt PC might choose to volunteer himself for the sacrifice. And they wont find something quite like that anytime soon. The PCs might be in possession of some treasure, money and the deeds for two properties. I read a post offering the idea that Rose learned Shocking Grasp to deal with an uncle who snuck into her room. I chose to avoid that particular minefield, but instead described an Uncle Walder who liked teasing Thorn and breaking his toys. Your group might choose to fight it and risk death. They havent opened it yet, but Im hoping that theyll use the letter as an excuse to take an interest in Ismark when they arrive at the tavern. I generally start my games at level 3. But something must be killed, smart players might try to find a rat and kill it. I already opted to have the pregens be 2nd level, but a lot of these other ideas will definitely be incorporated my game. Ending the Cycle. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). 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. joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! 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. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. Add some emotion to the childrens request. 20. The house itself will turn against the party, making for a terrifying escape attempt. Kind of disappointing that this is the kind of thing appearing now. So, give them vivacious temperaments or accents evocative of your favorite child protagonists in popular media (the Stranger Things kids, anyone?). In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. The second encounter is with a broom of animated attack. Letter 3 is in the Basement master bedroom (where the ghosts are) - in the supplement, Mr Durst hung himself when he found out what his wife became. Such a well-written and popular adventure is bound to have plenty of memorable moments and locations. This kept them panicked, tense, and on their toes. Letter two is in the 3rd Floor master suite, in MrsDursts jewelry box. If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. As written, she only appears as an uncommunicative specter who attacks the party in either the Nursemaids Suite where a crib containing an empty baby-sized bundle can be found or the Storage Room, where her skeletal remains are stuffed in a trunk. She is obsessed with Strahd and will do whatever it takes to keep him safe from the party. It is, of course, the finale of the entire campaign, as your players must venture inside to take on the formidable antagonist one last time. The way this adventure works. At its core,Death House is about the awful deeds of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst and the damage they inflicted on the people around them in their worship of Strahd von Zarovich. Required fields are marked *. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. 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. Rose and Thorns parents would surely be happy to pay the party for saving them! Secret Room.- Theres a letter by Strahd here. Suggestions to alleviate the deadliness. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. Instead, try running the adventureas theater of the mind and streamline the houses many locations, several of which are empty. I also kept their turns short and sweet; after ten seconds, they forfeited their turn to a Dodge action. Oh, Death House. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. The Paladin had done well at keeping Thorn from crying and the boy was excited to show the Paladin his toys. Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Death House is that deadly. Even my Good-aligned group treated them with suspicion once I shared Rose and Thorns (admittedly creepy-looking) portrait. Far from the villages and towns of the valley, there is not much safety around this location. This also gives her some nice agency, and gives the party a better feel for her role as Thorns protector. The house is not at all that dangerous if your players pick the right choices. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. The book says that players retain control but have to take a temporal flaw and role play accordingly (page 217). Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. Im a big fan of running it in my Curse of Strahd games. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. From gaming trends to the latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the curve. From the moment the party steps into the town, they'll get a great sense that nothing is right here. 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. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. 34. It is designed like this. Third. The Curse of Strahd Companion is your comprehensive guide to running 5th Edition's greatest and grimmest campaign. If you already have level 3 players you can jump right into the action of Barovia's encounters. Ideally, everyone is happy to assist the children and play the game. Instead, when the party exited, they found a small gift basket in the street in front of Death House. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. She was then stabbed by the cultists for unexplained reasons and cast aside. A number of helpful suggestions I gathered regarding their use: When Rose or Thorn attempts to possess a player, describe it as feeling like a childs hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace. Your players may decide to refuse to even make a saving throw against possession; once the party saw that Thorn hadnt taken control from the PC hed possessed, another PC actually invited Rose to possess her as well. Either way Count Strahd is satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same. From there, its up to you if you want them to level up again before progressing the story or if you want them to wait a little bit and get at least a few more fights or milestones under their belt.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-2','ezslot_22',137,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-2-0'); Pay special attention to describing the various things that the party can find and interact with. While frightening at first, it quickly loses its charm. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. Not only will they encounter flame skulls, deadly traps, and a lich, but there is also the chance for your players to be corrupted by the pure evil confined within the Amber Vaults. 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. New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. 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). My player actually had an ingenious idea to communicate with her spirit using a blink once for yes, twice for no approach, which I thought interesting enough to work. Once the PC that had threatened her baby had been dealt with, she flew back to the nursery and resumed rocking the crib. If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. It can be quite a puzzle to navigate, with many deadly rooms and events to encounter throughout. Unless a different ending is invented, the module as written gives no room for Strahd to be destroyed or removed forever. 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