29. Death House is a classic haunted house tale, starting with two ghostly children pleading for help outside. Nothing will prepare your players for what lurks inside. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. The goal is to lure the party into the house. Well, not entirely anyway. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The party did some little experiments to see if the dolls moved if they left the room, but nothing happened. They become caught in the mists and can't travel to the afterlife. ), its a good stopping point for your first session. There is a save to avoid it but its more interesting if they can possess a PC automatically. That said, Death House can be a brutal experience. What this means is that anyone can use them, share them or modify them. Master Suite.- Theres a jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp. I moved her from her bedroom to the nursery, and removed the possibility of an encounter in the storage room altogether. The Curse of Strahd Companion is your comprehensive guide to running 5th Edition's greatest and grimmest campaign. And they wont find something quite like that anytime soon. She and her daughters are, in fact, a coven of Night Hags. From the moment the party steps into the town, they'll get a great sense that nothing is right here. Curse Of Strahd is one of the best campaigns for Dungeons & Dragons. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! 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. 15-18. Dont call it the Death House. Your email address will not be published. The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! However they are not the real Durst children, they real ones are dead in area 20 (page 215) along with their real ghosts. Ravenloft's Barovia is one of the scariest settings in all of DnD, and here's why. While frightening at first, it quickly loses its charm. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. 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. The Ruins Of Berez is a really unique location that stands out from the rest of this creepy Domain Of Dread. bastard child, Flesh Mound, etc) and I give it a whole-hearted thumbs up for anyone considering running the adventure. This also introduces a wonderful modification to the final Shambling Mound encounter, making it both winnable and much more interesting. By the end of the Death House, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the players minds. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. Or jump from a balcony. Theres a third baby in the picture in the fathers arms, Mrs. Durst looks at the baby with scorn. 2023 Wizards. Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. The mists will dictate the places the party can visit. Suggestions to alleviate the deadliness. Copyright The PCs could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and see her rocking the crib gently. Posted by Joab | Sep 11, 2021 | For Dungeon Masters | 9. 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). The Count's Crypt. Its the Durst Mansion or, if the kids are talking, our home. Nobodys going to eagerly go rushing into something called the Death House. For starters, that kind of monster is completely out of place here. As I mentioned in the writeup of Death House, I recommend having Strahd in the very first encounter, having shapeshifted into a direwolf and watching as a bunch of his wolf children attack the characters. They will close up on them leading them to the Village of Barovia. One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. 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. 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. All this can be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. When my PCs refused the cult, I first described the house quaking above them, with dirt sifting down through the rafters. You want this to be fun, scary, and challenging. I recently began running Curse of Strahd for some friends over Roll20, and u/paintraina's "What I have learned" series for the module has been incredibly helpful in my preparations. SPOILERS - don't read below or click on the link if you don't want to know some of the secrets of the adventure! 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. Give little clues or observations that are simply meant to unnerve the players. 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. This is where many parties find themselves getting wiped when running the Death House. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. 3. For background the home is infused with the evil spirits of the cultists that once resided there. There might be some who have managed to mostly keep out of trouble, but they are very few in these lands. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. They wont go into the house because of the monster, but they wont go into the fog because theyre scared of getting lost. 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! 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. I advice to treat these children like a simulacrum-like spell. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. 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. Still, it damages the verisimilitude for the PCs to think, Lets follow these creepy children into their house because thats what the DM wants us to do. Instead, I recommend giving an additional hook to sweeten the deal: The illusions of Rose and Thorn know about the fog, but refuse to stray into it. Be careful. 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. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. 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). Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. Even (especially) the most ambitious of travelers have been crushed into dust by the horrors of this land. Death House is a really fun module, but it suffers from a lack of content upfront. I loved that idea, and would recommend you implement that as well to make the connection more obvious. Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! 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. Looking over the dolls by the handful, each one showed an expression of pain and fear. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. Let me clarify the party all died trying to flee the house in the end, but everyone still had a blast! However, that feels a little ham-fisted. 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. 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. Luke is a list writer for TheGamer, based in the UK. 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. She deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House emphasizing the evil nature of the Dursts. What you get is impressive hi-def versions of my maps to be used in your RPG games (these have lower resolution), and the satisfaction of helping the rpg community grow bigger and stronger. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. The Paladin had done well at keeping Thorn from crying and the boy was excited to show the Paladin his toys. 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. If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. Absolutely do not show the party the image of the children in the book. He's a postgraduate from Bournemouth University, having studied Scriptwriting. Argynvostholt is a castle-like manor full of corruption and despair. 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. When the party goes to escape, the house itself will be attacking them. There are plenty of deadly combat encounters that can take place here, from giant spiders to undead revenants and phantom warriors. Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this level. There are plenty of unsettling characters to socialize with here, including cultists and other mysterious inhabitants, to add to this pressure as well. Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. 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. Have them tell the party that the fog goes away when the monster stops roaring. For inspiration, consider Gustav Dursts reasoning for the affair in a letter from Strahd that can be found in the Secret Room. Anyone watching the ghosts notices the spirits of the Durst parents staring at the music player. In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. The party will attack them. Thunk me later! Related: The Best Books That EVERY DM NEEDS To Read! In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing. Consider liking our Facebook page. Castle Ravenloft is the home of Strahd Von Zarovich and is quite a terrifying location. Your players will not leave this location quite the same as when they arrived. Oh, Death House. The doors are replaced by slashing scythe-blades, the inner walls are filled with swarms of rats, rooms with ovens or fireplaces are filled with choking poisonous smoke, and the outer walls and windows are bricked up and impervious to damage. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. Subscribers get updates on all of the latest news, posts, and offerings from Tabletop Joab! Place a tattered piece of sheet music on the harpsichord in the conservatory, and have the spirits of the cult members appear to dance along to the tune. 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. PCs will recognize the children. This will be quite a deadly encounter, and the players will have to be quite lucky to escape these deadly hags. If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. I already opted to have the pregens be 2nd level, but a lot of these other ideas will definitely be incorporated my game. Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. 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. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. 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. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. 20. If youre a Dungeon Master hoping to run Death Houseas a Halloween one-shot,here are some vital tips: Eachtipassumes that youre running the game for a group of four, have at least three hours of playtime, and hope to subject your players to as much of the Durst house as possible while avoidinga TPK at least untilthey witness the monstrosity that awaits them in the dungeon. And then level 3 after escaping the house. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. Thats the foundation of storytelling for thousands of years! introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. The PCs have the hallways width to their favor, as its a natural funnel. Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. I almost just left it in but felt like it would have just confused my players. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. 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. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. 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. 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). The Amber Temple is one of the most dangerous locations in Barovia. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. 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! 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. And finally, credit must be given to me (Derek Ruiz) as the author, and a link to this web page must be included if it is shared or redistributed. 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. But this isnt an article about Curse of Strahd. In my game, I went one step further and made the kids amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware. 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 Dungeon Levels final encounter is with a Shambling Mound. 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. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. The way this adventure works. If the party is reluctant, shine a little bit of gold their way. When they'll get a good idea of how Barovia works. In reality it doesnt matter what or who dies on the altar. Post pics if you have them, but that makes me super happy you were able to get something out of them! 8 Real-Life Skills Youll Develop By Playing D&D, 12 Monsters That Will Instantly Kill Characters, 7 Types of D&D Players You Will Have In Your Group, 9 Powerful Tips to Engage Players in Your D&D Game. They hit level 2 before progressing into the Dungeon Level and hit level 3 upon escaping the mansion. Based off of Mandy's Mod edits I used them touching the statue as . 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! Even my Good-aligned group treated them with suspicion once I shared Rose and Thorns (admittedly creepy-looking) portrait. 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. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. The link to MandyMods guide is above or right here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/. register a sa forums account here! 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. 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. If you only have a limited amount of time to play Death House and are relying on descriptions rather than battle maps, focus on the bold regions highlighted here. Dungeon m. AboutPressCopyrightContact. The land is grim and desolate. The final confrontation in Death House is an odd one. This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. When the party tries to leave the house, Rose and Thorn do not let them. Considering how well this sets up for the rest of the adventure, I greatly recommend getting the module! This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. Oh, Death House. This foreshadows Strahd's return after facing defeat at the players' hands. People either absolutely love it or hate it! Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. If you have fewer players, its easy enough to remove some of the enemies or lower how much HP each enemy has. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). 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. Pretty spoopy. This is a good option if youre looking to explore some horror themes with your group and are on a budget. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. This video discusses the death house dungeon encounter disasters that you want to avoid in the curse of strahd adventure for dungeons & dragons 5e. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. Not all of them need to be visited, your group might skip some parts of the house or the dungeon. This is all really helpful and wish I'd seen this before I'd run DH. 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. 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. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. Its not exactly an adventure for new D&D players, but it often ends up being experienced that way thanks to Curse of Strahdbeingone of fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons' premiereadventures. Theres no shortage of fantastic adventure modules available for D&D 5e. You will be sure to terrify your party with this location, especially when they hear that horrible shriek of that feathered fiend and have nowhere to run. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. Because shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making death saves. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. Rose and Thorns parents would surely be happy to pay the party for saving them! Also theres a will bequeathing these properties to the Durst children. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. 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. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. The go-to source for comic and superhero movie fans. I won't plagiarize it here, but I highly recommend checking their work out here. 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. Add some emotion to the childrens request. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. Once again, adjust the challenge of these encounters as you see fit for your party. Thank you! They will have no other choice (Hop on the railroad car). If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. How did your sessions in Death House go? 11. There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. Be very careful with this encounter, narrative description of the monster is really important. 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. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. Perhaps she legitimately loved Gustav and hoped to free him from the cults influence. 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! Death House will likely be the first location your players will visit. Yeah, adding the Dursts is a good idea. My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. But be warned: few who enter are fated to leave. The book says that players retain control but have to take a temporal flaw and role play accordingly (page 217). Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. You made Rose and Thorn like Bianca and Nico DiAngelo! We skipped it. 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. When asked about the passage to the attic, she stepped aside, leaving the mirror blank save for his own reflection. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. 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. (If youre feeling generous, or really want your players to see the entirety of the house in a quick Halloween night of gaming, you could even run it at 3rd level.). It is also included in the Curse of Strahd adventure module on page 211 under Appendix B. When running horror and suspense, this kind of foreshadowing is your best friend. The party is expected to take them at face value and enter the house as soon as possible. Immediately afterward, a grinding noise (the sound of the secret passage) can be heard from the attic. 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 asked, Rose reported smugly that shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again. They will sing to wake up Lorghoth the Decayer, a Shambling Mound hiding in the southernmost alcove. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. By default, characters are supposed to enter the house at 1st level, level up to 2 after they find a set of secret stairs, and hit 3rd level when they make it out of the Death House alive. 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This makes the windmill known as the party goes to escape these hags. For his own reflection Flesh Mound, etc. youre looking to explore horror... They kill any creature on the altar, the House freely any creature on the,! House in Curse of Strahd affair in a given room hiding in the mists will dictate the the! You do this, have the party is expected to take a temporal and., starting with two ghostly children pleading for help outside players & # x27 ; ll get good! Around every corner roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions from Bournemouth,...