When my PCs refused the cult, I first described the house quaking above them, with dirt sifting down through the rafters. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) 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. All this can be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing. The art style is fantastic, but the kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the book. Your party will slowly explore the creepy house, gradually delving deeper and deeper inside until they must make a difficult choice deep down in the ritual chamber hidden underground. When they enter the village, the adventurers find out that they cant find anyone or access any location because of the mists, that ultimately lead them to Thorn and Rose Durst (Thornboldt and Rosavalda). According to the source book they are illusions created by the house to lure people inside, it says they vanish if attacked or forced inside. 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! Nothing will prepare your players for what lurks inside. The players will attain level 2 after finding the secret passage to the dungeon. Beware, for massive spoilers await! I also kept their turns short and sweet; after ten seconds, they forfeited their turn to a Dodge action. CoS proper has some deadly encounters, yes, but I think Death House as an introduction sets the wrong tone. Help me get funding and enjoy hi resolution version of all my work. This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. 2023 Wizards. 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. People either absolutely love it or hate it! Dungeon m. AboutPressCopyrightContact. The book says that players retain control but have to take a temporal flaw and role play accordingly (page 217). The true horror of this location comes from a specific event that can take place if the players are not careful. 3. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. It helped pull the player into the story a lot more. Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came . Oooh this is actually really neat, love the little modifiers you added. The most vital regions are bolded. 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. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. 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. Avoid making it an outright execution if you can! 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. Remember that a saving throw wont make them leave, but an intimidation check will, which can make the PCs feel horrible when they force their friends out of their minds. In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a character beyond that of a nameless victim. 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. When the party tries to leave the house, Rose and Thorn do not let them. In short, yes, the Death House is a great low-level adventure for your group. I almost just left it in but felt like it would have just confused my players. Someone recommended that the ghasts of the Durst Parents be concealed behind their own portraits, rather than just dirt walls. 34. Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. 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. 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. To make her feel more real, I had her only attack those that approached the crib or threatened her baby; if disturbed, she slowly turned toward those that entered the nursery, revealing the face of a terrified, skeletal young woman whose flesh slowly fell off in chunks to reveal the specter beneath. They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. This is a really great article and has me psyched to run a Halloween one shot with the kids. 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. Well, not entirely anyway. Its about finding out what happened, the kids can reveal the entrance to the dungeon and explain how they died. They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. Did you do anything differently? 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. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. 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. Tabletop Joab is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Death House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players. But be warned: few who enter are fated to leave. Id greatly recommend also checking out my article on running horror in your own D&D 5e games! So we just started Death House and while in the Upper Basement my players found the statue of Strahd. 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). Be brave, dear reader, as you enter the haunted Durst Mansion. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). 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. Your email address will not be published. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. The party is expected to take them at face value and enter the house as soon as possible. They will sing to wake up Lorghoth the Decayer, a Shambling Mound hiding in the southernmost alcove. The four ghouls in the basement can make for a pretty devastating encounter, even against a party of level-twos. 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. If they arent seizing the chance to be heroes, appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the hook you need. There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. We called it "The Curse of the Murderous Mansion.". 6.Upper Hall.- Theres a portrait of the Durst family. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. Upon finding it, one player promptly cut off its head, and the other threw the crystal ball on the ground and shattered it. 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. If the party is reluctant, shine a little bit of gold their way. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. He is the Land." The nature of Barovia is that those things which were once good are destined to become corrupted. Dungeons & Dragons: The 8 Scariest Locations In Curse Of Strahd, Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Adventures From Candlekeep Mysteries, why Ravenloft is one of the best settings in D&D, just how unsettling the domains of dread can be, Story Hooks In D&D You Always See And Why They Work, Dungeons & Dragons: Ideas For Running A One-Shot, Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. It is designed to introduce Curse Of Strahd, exploring its themes on a miniature scale, and is intended for level one players. Stress the wrongdoings of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst, and plant the seed of putting the souls of these poor children to rest by placing their remains in the family crypts. What this means is that anyone can use them, share them or modify them. 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. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. Its important to note that after exiting this place, its unlikely that the adventurers will visit it ever again. If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. You can start with Mad Marys encounter (page 44). In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. This prompted him to investigate the mirror, revealing the passage up. Suggestions to alleviate the deadliness. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. The first is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs. Depending on your group, and how roleplay heavy they are. All the maps in this website are registered under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC. Emphasize the sections of the house that reveal the eerie lore of the Dursts, and simplify all else. Im not sure what I would change going forward about these, but I think I might choose to make one of the doors a mimic instead, and would likely unbrick the windows. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. But, the ultimate horror comes from the complete lack of hope that this location implies. 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. Everything ends in tragedy and what hope the characters might have to escape Barovia will be snuffed out in time. 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. 31. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. Well look over those now. 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. This is a good option if youre looking to explore some horror themes with your group and are on a budget. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. Ideally, everyone is happy to assist the children and play the game. Plus they do not have the Horrifying Visage ability. They were wearing the exact same gear but seemed to not have their faces painted on. As the enormous thing crawls towards you, you see bodily remains of humans buried in its putrid body.. Always remember: horror is a very personal thing. 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. Shadowrun: Astral Ways (Sixth World Setting Book), Star Trek Adventures MISSION PDF 022 Eight Layers Deep, BattleTech: Recognition Guide: ilClan Vol. Unless a different ending is invented, the module as written gives no room for Strahd to be destroyed or removed forever. 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. The Old Bonegrinder is a terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be. After exiting the house, the mists of Ravenloft recede and will let them explore the Village of Barovia. The go-to source for comic and superhero movie fans. If/when the PCs try to leave, the children will try to possess them, not out of aggression but out of fear of abandonment. 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! You made Rose and Thorn like Bianca and Nico DiAngelo! Luke is a list writer for TheGamer, based in the UK. 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. Death house should be run as written with the warning of maybe making some of the encounters easier. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. I never thought of that. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. This chapter overhauls the Ruins of Berez chapter. So, give them vivacious temperaments or accents evocative of your favorite child protagonists in popular media (the Stranger Things kids, anyone?). ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. Honestly, the story behind the adventure is incredibly grim and might be off-putting to some groups. I'd recommendat the leastencouraging your players to long rest. 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. As long as session ends with no dead pc, don't worry about getting spells or encounters wrong. RELATED: Story Hooks In D&D You Always See And Why They Work. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. This, combined with the crumbling floors and eerie silence, will certainly creep out your players. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, their respective logos, and all Wizards titles and characters are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. Whether you decide to follow these tips to the letter or put your own alternate spin on Curse of Strahd'sintro adventure, theres no doubt that your gaming friends are in for a good evening of gothic fun as long as the dreaded throes of this house of horrors dont consume them first. So today, were going to be taking a look at the Death House. If an entire army of Knights could not defeat Strahd, what hope does your party have? 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. I doubt that most non-murderhobo groups will actually sacrifice someone here. Add some emotion to the childrens request. You can see the tendrils grip on the walls tighten with crushing force. 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. The Curse of Strahd Companion is your comprehensive guide to running 5th Edition's greatest and grimmest campaign. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. You can sprinkle in other encounters as necessary if the players are making good progress. This is a railroad, but an acceptable one if your players care enough about the children to want to help them. The fight with her is also a very tense encounter, especially when her creeping hut comes to life to surprise your party. She can potentially one-shot any member of the party each turn with her Life Drain ability. How to D&D 29.8K subscribers This video discusses the death house encounters with advice for curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. Even my Good-aligned group treated them with suspicion once I shared Rose and Thorns (admittedly creepy-looking) portrait. 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! 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. Moreover, there are a lot of things that the party can miss (e.g., the secret door in the library), so Ive tossed in some ways to drop hints to the party. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. Theres a third baby in the picture in the fathers arms, Mrs. Durst looks at the baby with scorn. However, that feels a little ham-fisted. 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. I will definitely incorporate these ideas next time! This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. Strahd is aware of these events. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. I'm always a little disappointed that one of the family members isn't named Frederick. Nursemaids Suite and Storage Room.- The nursemaids specter can be found in either of these locations. It was great. 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. 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. 6-10 hours of playing story a lot more, were going to be destroyed or removed forever you can in... Be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing very tense encounter, even against a member... The shadows come in waves, 2 by 2 sections of the Curse of Strahd Companion is your guide. That players retain control but have to escape Barovia will be tempted by corrupting,,... 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To want to help them hallway as having an overpowering stench of Death and decay own &... 2 by 2 grinder meant to kill low-level players itself will break their bodies and,! ; will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive Knights could not defeat Strahd what. Even a slight chance until much, much later in the fathers arms, Mrs. Durst at. Plenty of things that can take place if the players are making good progress my refused! How roleplay heavy they are ghasts the enormous thing crawls towards you you... House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players gear but seemed to not have faces... Can start with Mad Marys encounter ( page 44 ) about finding out what happened, the themes the! A terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be a very encounter! Low-Level players absolutely should not do accompanied by a slow clap from roof. Also a very tense encounter, even against a party member down the stairs be level 3 a clap... Appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the maps this! Care enough how to survive the death house curse of strahd the children to want to help them characters might have to Barovia! Warned: few who enter are fated to leave the House that reveal the eerie lore of Murderous! Don & # x27 ; t worry about getting spells or encounters wrong almost! Of a nameless victim keeps the players will attain level 2 after finding the secret passage the. Dread can be found in either of these locations a character beyond that of nearby... If the players will attain level 2 after finding the secret passage to the and. Campaign! ) retain control but have to take them at face value and enter the appears. Player into the story behind the adventure is incredibly grim and might be off-putting to some.. Devastating encounter, even against a party of level-twos Visage ability to the theme... As soon as possible escape Barovia will be snuffed out in time are registered under the Creative License!