Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. What has been your experience with the Death House? As written, its a fun and challenging (almost too challenging!) Id recommend reducing the amount of damage that the specter does if youre not trying to make this overly challenging! The PCs could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and see her rocking the crib gently. It is designed like this. 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. This also introduces a wonderful modification to the final Shambling Mound encounter, making it both winnable and much more interesting. Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! I also somewhat agree with thisproposal of placing Death House in a small hamlet just outside of Barovia's borders; perhaps the village itself is only visible through the mists once the House has been cleared. 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. 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. There are plenty of deadly combat encounters that can take place here, from giant spiders to undead revenants and phantom warriors. 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. There, in the attic of the model, were 4 dolls: each depicting the various party members. (Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. If you like what I do, consider getting involved and backing me. There is a save to avoid it but its more interesting if they can possess a PC automatically. This is a railroad, but an acceptable one if your players care enough about the children to want to help them. 3. Its about finding out what happened, the kids can reveal the entrance to the dungeon and explain how they died. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. When Death House is rejected, it gets mad. 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. A way to warn the party is the smell. Looking over the dolls by the handful, each one showed an expression of pain and fear. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. Give them your quest hook and get them into Barovia. 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. Each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type. . As written, the plot hook is simply that there is a monster in the house. You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. 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. Thunk me later! That said, Death House can be a brutal experience. Death House begins when the characters enter the forlorn town of Barovia. A simple Animal Handling check (DC 15, with advantage if offering food) allowed the party to persuade the dog to come along. Well and Cultist Quarters.- In these rooms theres some treasure to be found. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. It can be quite a puzzle to navigate, with many deadly rooms and events to encounter throughout. Use. It is designed to introduce Curse Of Strahd, exploring its themes on a miniature scale, and is intended for level one players. Strahd is aware of these events. You are also setting the scene for a probably unwinnable fight. The smoke worked great as a way to keep them moving. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Quality content, cartography, and adventures for fantasy games. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. Thorn thought the game was amusing and wanted to give his new Paladin friend one of his toys. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. 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. The final confrontation in Death House is an odd one. Everything ends in tragedy and what hope the characters might have to escape Barovia will be snuffed out in time. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. 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. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. Copyright The Death House is intended for a party of level 1 characters. Master Suite.- Theres a jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp. 25. He's a postgraduate from Bournemouth University, having studied Scriptwriting. Nursemaids Suite and Storage Room.- The nursemaids specter can be found in either of these locations. 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. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. 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. Alternative to Death House Pt 2. 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. After meeting the illusions of two children, and learning there is a monster in the house, the characters are forced in by the choking mists. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. Dungeon m. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Im really loving the halloween content this year! 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. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. Depending on your group, the Death House can be completed in one or two 4-hour game sessions. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! As a new DM don't worry about getting things wrong. Copyright 29. According to the book that works, but you might rule otherwise. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. However, this is more a set of skill challenges than combat. The descriptions in the adventure are pretty vivid and you might be tempted to gloss over some of them (especially if you havent read ahead in the full Curse of Strahd adventure.). I'm hosting my second ever session tonight and my party will be heading into the dungeonhave I missed something? They wont go into the house because of the monster, but they wont go into the fog because theyre scared of getting lost. In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a character beyond that of a nameless victim. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. 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. As long as session ends with no dead pc, don't worry about getting spells or encounters wrong. Thats the foundation of storytelling for thousands of years! 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? Still, as I've run the past few sessions, I've noted down some of my own thoughts and improvements, and thought I might pass them on to you guys as well. She deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House emphasizing the evil nature of the Dursts. 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. Not every spooky thing needs to have an explanation. The best was when the team with Scooby, Velma, Shaggy and Fred ended up down stairs and came across a table covered in a Thanksgiving dinner and the turkey was a mimic. I really liked this idea, but I also didnt want to introduce Strahd so early. Or jump from a balcony. When the party goes to escape, the house itself will be attacking them. When asked, Rose reported smugly that shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again. Death House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players. The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. Death House could even be played as a thrilling horror one-shot adventure. Dont call it the Death House. They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. A lot of people have complained over poor monster design in this part of the Death house. Throughout, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose. Its almost as difficult and disturbing as the Old Bonegrinder in the same adventure! 9. 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.. Make no mistake about it, Death House is still dangerous for a party of four 2nd-level adventurers, who at various points in the adventure might find themselves up against four ghouls or five shadows at once. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. 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. Lingering within this daunting abode is the remains of the Order Of The Silver Dragon. Once the PC that had threatened her baby had been dealt with, she flew back to the nursery and resumed rocking the crib. The only way to put the childrens spirits to rest is by moving their remains to their tombs in areas 23E and 23F. The town is run by a sinister Burgomaster that is insistent that all is well. Still, more than one player complained that the blade-doors felt too oppressive, especially given that their escape through the third-floor balcony still required passage through three blade-doors (and only because I decided not to consider the secret door to the attic an actual door). A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs. 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. Ending the Cycle. by Mike on 14 November 2016. . 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. Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. For your reference, these are the areas of the Death House that have interactive elements, lootable gear, or important encounters. Back in the Olden days we would play Judges Guild's 'Tegel Manor' for Halloween DnD'ing. In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. Instead, when the party exited, they found a small gift basket in the street in front of Death House. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. 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. The goal is to lure the party into the house. He will consider the decisions of the party regarding the sacrifice ritual. If the party is reluctant, shine a little bit of gold their way. You can start with Mad Marys encounter (page 44). Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! 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. Either way Count Strahd is satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same. Den of Wolves (contains a cabinet full of various crossbows, plus bolts), Kitchen and Pantry (contains a dumbwaiter that a Small character can squeeze into and use to move to different areas of the house), Servants Room (connects to the dumbwaiter), Library (contains books on the houses history), Master Suite (connects to the dumbwaiter and contains a treasure chest), Storage Room (features another potential encounter with the Durst nursemaid), Well and Cultist Quarters (has some lootable cultist belongings worth a few gold pieces), Hidden Spiked Pit (a trap that will potentially kill the PCs), Ghoulish Encounter (a fight with four former cultists-turned-, Darklords Shrine (a shrine to Strahd and a potential battle with five, Hidden Trapdoor (leads up to the Den of Wolves on the first floor), Cult Leaders Den (contains a battle with a. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. 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. You made Rose and Thorn like Bianca and Nico DiAngelo! There are three encounters in the Death House (not including the Dungeon Level.) introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. Consider also reducing the number of ghouls and/or shadows in the Dungeon Level. Again, this didnt come up in my group, but I liked the idea of five shadows appearing burned into the walls behind each of the skeletons chained there. The nature of D&D 5e is that it is almost hilariously easier to die at lower levels than it is at higher levels even as tougher enemies appear. However if you wish to start from level 1, the attached dungeon crawl Death House is a great tool to level the party up, set the tone of the campaign and introduce a few clues and facts about the realm. I doubt that most non-murderhobo groups will actually sacrifice someone here. 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). 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. These two made invaluable contributions to the session. PCs will recognize the children. 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. Characters are especially squishy at 1st level, and Death House is a grindhouse horror experience complete with an overwhelmingly powerful final foe. Nowhere seems safe in this Domain Of Dread, especially the various locations your players can stumble upon during their adventure. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. They double back to the one unexplored section of this dungeon level and descend a long stone staircase into darkness. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. Now, railroading isnt a bad thing, especially for a newer group. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. Thats awesome!! 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. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. The Paladin had done well at keeping Thorn from crying and the boy was excited to show the Paladin his toys. 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. Make sure you follow the rest of this Curse of Strahd DM Guide. They were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire. Chef Feat in D&D 5e Explained | Useful or Pie in the Sky? Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. 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! I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. 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. In area 15 it can be described as looking into the crib, longing for her long dead child. Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. Be brave, dear reader, as you enter the haunted Durst Mansion. Heading further up Mount Ghakis, it is also freezing cold at night. Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. Your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the Death House in the first session. Be careful. The Count's Crypt. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. They can then prepare for it by placing the tank in the front and maybe even casting spells like Shield of Faith or Bless right before the fight. Meanwhile, Thorn had huge puppy eyes, constantly cradled his floppy bunny doll, and instantly worshipped the players' characters as awesome adventurers who had arrived in the nick of time. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. What this means is that anyone can use them, share them or modify them. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. This event also involves the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich himself, who will always strike fear into the party. 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. 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 main Curse of Strahd module encompasses levels 3-10. For background the home is infused with the evil spirits of the cultists that once resided there. At the very least, lower their hit points a bit. If they arent seizing the chance to be heroes, appeal to their love of coin and youll have all the hook you need. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. However, that feels a little ham-fisted. Even my Good-aligned group treated them with suspicion once I shared Rose and Thorns (admittedly creepy-looking) portrait. Depending on your group, and how roleplay heavy they are. 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. 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! Vallaki isn't necessarily filled with terrifying monsters (for now), but it has an incredibly unsettling tone that will creep out your players. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The dolls in the model house remained untouched, but the players all gave each other the same look: they had to get out of here and fast. This also triggered the wonderful One Must Die encounter. Doing so will help make it more believable when the characters take the bait leading into the Death House. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. 32. You can find the Death House adventure here for free from Wizards of the Coast. Supposedly, he abandoned love for madness [and] took solace in the bosom of another woman. What of the nursemaids point of view? 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. 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