This also triggered the wonderful One Must Die encounter. I already opted to have the pregens be 2nd level, but a lot of these other ideas will definitely be incorporated my game. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. Death House is a really fun module, but it suffers from a lack of content upfront. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. How did your sessions in Death House go? Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. This probably explains why he loves story-driven games so much. 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. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. As written, the plot hook is simply that there is a monster in the house. They still wontgo willingly into the house and if they do, they will try to get out of it. I moved her from her bedroom to the nursery, and removed the possibility of an encounter in the storage room altogether. Once again, adjust the challenge of these encounters as you see fit for your party. He is the Land." You want this to be fun, scary, and challenging. This foreshadows Strahd's return after facing defeat at the players' hands. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-4','ezslot_24',145,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-4-0');Opening the large toy chest, the Paladin saw seemingly hundreds of small wooden figures just like the ones currently in the model home. You can have Rosavalda point that out, that they want to be where their parents are. Either way Count Strahd is satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same. If you start at level 2, Id say have them level up to 3 before they proceed into the Dungeon Level. Press J to jump to the feed. 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. People either absolutely love it or hate it! ), its a good stopping point for your first session. 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. 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. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. In reality it doesnt matter what or who dies on the altar. 5 Tips for Running the Death House One-Shot From Curse of Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Must Die Tonight! Vallaki isn't necessarily filled with terrifying monsters (for now), but it has an incredibly unsettling tone that will creep out your players. 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. Beware, for massive spoilers await! Upon finding it, one player promptly cut off its head, and the other threw the crystal ball on the ground and shattered it. My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. Honestly, the story behind the adventure is incredibly grim and might be off-putting to some groups. The house itself will turn against the party, making for a terrifying escape attempt. Related: The Best Books That EVERY DM NEEDS To Read! Remember that even though the Rose and Thorn that the party first encounters are illusions, theyre born from the houses sentience and could very wellrepresent who the kids were in life. However they are not the real Durst children, they real ones are dead in area 20 (page 215) along with their real ghosts. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came up well. Nothing will prepare your players for what lurks inside. 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.. How to Play Ravenloft in a Single Night. If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. I'd recommendat the leastencouraging your players to long rest. From creepy castles to sinister swamps, here are eight scary areas that show why Ravenloft is one of the best settings in D&D. The PCs have the hallways width to their favor, as its a natural funnel. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. With Death House, you'll need to take time in each room, describing the blazing hearths, the strange wolf-helm armor, everything. If you already have level 3 players you can jump right into the action of Barovia's encounters. Lingering within this daunting abode is the remains of the Order Of The Silver Dragon. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. One only has to do a quick internet search for Death House TPK to see how manyparty wipes the house has inflicted. It is also included in the Curse of Strahd adventure module on page 211 under Appendix B. Each and every doll in the chest had a face painted on it, though. Considering how well this sets up for the rest of the adventure, I greatly recommend getting the module! Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. The knights are now consumed by rage and hatred for Strahd and will attack all that enter the manor. As the enormous thing crawls towards you, you see bodily remains of humans buried in its putrid body.. Recommended: I Had an AI Make a D&D Character (and it got really weird!). In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a character beyond that of a nameless victim. She deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House emphasizing the evil nature of the Dursts. 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. Be careful. You can start with Mad Marys encounter (page 44). Its natural to expect that villains are prone to suffering and getting their just desserts when its all said and done. Both DeiGratia and Abuget can be downloaded over at www.dafont.com. 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. PCs will recognize the children. Thunk me later! Ending the Cycle. 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. So, give them vivacious temperaments or accents evocative of your favorite child protagonists in popular media (the Stranger Things kids, anyone?). The Old Bonegrinder is a terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be. It was amazing. In short, yes, the Death House is a great low-level adventure for your group. Childrens Room .- The remains of Rose and Thorn are here. They starved to death after their parents locked them in their room. I provided their flaws through PM, and both had a blast roleplaying it. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. ! What has been your experience with the Death House? For starters, that kind of monster is completely out of place here. Letter two is in the 3rd Floor master suite, in MrsDursts jewelry box. 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). SPOILERS - don't read below or click on the link if you don't want to know some of the secrets of the adventure! Wizards of the Coast has given us the free adventure Death House to play at home last week as a preview of the Curse of Strahd book coming out this month. Thank you for this. 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. Free D&D Adventure: Fight as Dragons and Explore a Crystal Dragon's Lair! 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. If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) Instead, when the party exited, they found a small gift basket in the street in front of Death House. The goal is to lure the party into the house. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). 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! 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. The Death House is actually a very challenging dungeon. Thats the foundation of storytelling for thousands of years! From the moment the party steps into the town, they'll get a great sense that nothing is right here. After using one of the adventure hooks (page 18), you have successfully steered the party to Barovia. 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. 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. They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. 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. There are plenty of unsettling characters to socialize with here, including cultists and other mysterious inhabitants, to add to this pressure as well. At the very least, lower their hit points a bit. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. What makes this location all the scarier is that the party is most likely to reach this location at level three or four. She and her daughters are, in fact, a coven of Night Hags. The true horror of this location comes from a specific event that can take place if the players are not careful. Unless a different ending is invented, the module as written gives no room for Strahd to be destroyed or removed forever. 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. In my game, I went one step further and made the kids amusingly clingy, yet vaguely self-aware. 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. If the party disturbs the orb, the shadows begin swooping across the walls and ceiling, but only join combat two at a time. This is not a fight encounter. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. The adventurers manage to put their spirits to rest and claim the room's loot. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. Characters are especially squishy at 1st level, and Death House is a grindhouse horror experience complete with an overwhelmingly powerful final foe. There might be some who have managed to mostly keep out of trouble, but they are very few in these lands. However, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and fun! joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! However, what about those who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time?if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_20',139,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); Unfortunately, the actions of the truly wicked mean that the innocents around them are also left to suffer. Death House is a classic haunted house tale, starting with two ghostly children pleading for help outside. They will have no other choice (Hop on the railroad car). I'm hosting my second ever session tonight and my party will be heading into the dungeonhave I missed something? Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. Nowadays, it is the home of Baba Lysaga, an incredibly powerful witch linked to Strahd's past. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. Obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons and a close personal friend of Pocket (an interdimensional teleporting ferret). A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs. Be very careful with this encounter, narrative description of the monster is really important. Consider liking our Facebook page. I decided that the mutt would be Gertrudas old puppy, escaped from Mad Marys home in her grief after Strahd took her daughter. 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. Required fields are marked *. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. 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). 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.. 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. What is it? 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. The Curse of Strahd Companion is your comprehensive guide to running 5th Edition's greatest and grimmest campaign. 15-18. Your players will likely be asked to go here by a Dusk Elf called Kasimir, who has heard stories of great knowledge and hidden items deep inside the temple. There, in the attic of the model, were 4 dolls: each depicting the various party members. Youll find little elements that serve to foreshadow events to come. There's a disappointing truth to Death Housethe prologue to Curse of Strahdand it's that it's alternative ending "The Cult is Denied" is just a dull series of rolls.Each character rolls against poisonous smoke. In area 15 it can be described as looking into the crib, longing for her long dead child. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. Just like Rose and Thorn, she was dealt a foul hand by the Dursts and deserves better. Dont call it the Death House. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. I advice to treat these children like a simulacrum-like spell. Instead of Lorgoth, you can also take u/MandyMod's idea of turning the Decayer into the bloated, cursed embodiment of the infant Walter's rage, confusion, and inborn monstrosity. 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. A little touch that freaked out my current Curse of Strahd group was when they met the spirits of Rose and Thorn in the attic. Secret Room.- Theres a letter by Strahd here. Players destroyed the statue of Strahd at Death House. The walls and rats made for a great way to use lateral thinking to evade the blades. Use. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. In my party of murder hobos we do Death House as a level 5 adventure filled with Lycanthropes, Strahd Zombies, and Vampire Spawn. Once the party encounters Rose and Thorns ghosts in the Childrens Room, theyll no doubt remember the illusions that tricked them and demand some answers. What this means is that anyone can use them, share them or modify them. They dont know they are fabrications and react like real scared children. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. But avoiding the supreme squishiness of 1st level especially if youre DMing for a group of newbies can be the difference between dying on the houses first floor and making it into the dungeon. Copyright This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. 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. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! All things considered, though, that might not be terribly long This is Barovia after all! 4. The art style is fantastic, but the kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the book. Kind of disappointing that this is the kind of thing appearing now. Oh, Death House. RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Adventures From Candlekeep Mysteries. Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. There are 38 locations in the Death House. Subscribers get updates on all of the latest news, posts, and offerings from Tabletop Joab! Death House will likely be the first location your players will visit. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. We ran this as a Halloween one shot a few years ago. 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. Well, not entirely anyway. Hey dude, where are letter 2 and 3 in death house? 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. 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. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. (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.). 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. You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. Emphasize the sections of the house that reveal the eerie lore of the Dursts, and simplify all else. Death House could even be played as a thrilling horror one-shot adventure. We called it "The Curse of the Murderous Mansion.". RELATED: Story Hooks In D&D You Always See And Why They Work. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came . If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. Theres no shortage of fantastic adventure modules available for D&D 5e. The first is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs. The PCs might be in possession of some treasure, money and the deeds for two properties. Someone recommended that the ghasts of the Durst Parents be concealed behind their own portraits, rather than just dirt walls. Be careful when you use these, though. This is a list of important bits of information, important locations and specific advice to run the different locations in the Death House. This prompted him to investigate the mirror, revealing the passage up. . 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). Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. Dungeon master guide and advice with the. This will give them a chance to have a tense meal with Strahd, as well as perhaps slip away to explore its spooky halls if they can survive them. The land is grim and desolate. A lot of good ideas to make the story flow. Now that everyone is level 2, they can proceed downwards into the Durst Mansions dungeon level. 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. 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). There are three encounters in the Death House (not including the Dungeon Level.) All the maps in this website are registered under the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommercial CC BY-NC. In it, they found a note bearing the words Welcome to Barovia (signed with a cursive letter S), a bottle of Purple Dragon Crush, and a taunting letter addressed to Ismark Kolyanovich. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. When asked, Rose reported smugly that shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again. Not only that, but the key ingredient in Morgantha's addictive pies is children! Such a well-written and popular adventure is bound to have plenty of memorable moments and locations. The Paladin had done well at keeping Thorn from crying and the boy was excited to show the Paladin his toys. Balcony.- The animated armor can be challenging if PCs dont react properly. Add some emotion to the childrens request. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. Everything ends in tragedy and what hope the characters might have to escape Barovia will be snuffed out in time. If you like what I do, consider getting involved and backing me. You cant just go ahead and say Its a Shambling Mound. 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. Give little clues or observations that are simply meant to unnerve the players. However, that feels a little ham-fisted. If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. If/when the PCs try to leave, the children will try to possess them, not out of aggression but out of fear of abandonment. 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. Very useful against some Barovian creatures. 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. 38. In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. Consider also reducing the number of ghouls and/or shadows in the Dungeon Level. The GUIDE index for Curse of Strahd and other related articles can be found here ! Argynvostholt is a castle-like manor full of corruption and despair. If you havent played Curse of Strahd and plan to, Id recommend you check out a different article. 25. 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! It was great. 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. 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