Look, I believe character death is a necessary part of my D&D games, but during the first or second session of a year-long campaign? How did you scale and split these maps? The dungeon level isnt considered part of the house and cant repair itself in this fashion. 3 spell scrolls (bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon). A character possessed by the ghost of Rose or Thorn wont willingly leave Death House or the dungeon below it. To escape the manor, the adventurers must make it through that doorway. A PC that fails here loses time struggling against the spider. Its dangerous, but it does reward the party for exploring the mansion since finding secret entrances and having a full understanding of the blueprint of the house leads to a quicker and more efficient escape. Hell,Death Houses story and exploration are both top-notch even as a standalone adventure. I have recently started DMing CoS and have been thinking a lot about how to ensure that my players understand just how detestable and abhorrent our beloved villain is. I also appreciated the way u/dragnacarta introduced Strahd to the PCs in Twice Bitten. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Once you're there it's clear from the text that the trapdoor is intended to allow movement from the basement into the house proper. Selfish. This subreddit has already provided great ideas and I suggest we gather them! I read the adventure once, skimmed through it before playing, and was good to go. No effort has been made to preserve the contents of the third floor or the attic. I'm thinking running it in six sessions of three hours each. [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s5GIEc5qa9OoDeGQKr7mzOxoXyqlbe9rZ8z6jAv3vGA/edit?usp=sharing], Mike Schley Death House Map Only with courage, skill, or acuity can the adventurers conquer the illusory cliff without destroying their minds in the process. I used the Appendix B: adventure, Death House. Afterwards Strahd shows up again and revives the other one. Characters can make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to hurl themselves into the Main Hall before the doors swing shut. What is missing is part of the sub-dungeon (that doesn't have the pool). It should be there now. thanks and awesome. Hidden Spiked Pit The ghostly chanting heard throughout the dungeon gets discernibly louder as one heads west along this tunnel. Especially for a scary Halloween one-shot! Death House has animated the stuffed wolves in the den and flooded the room with blinding smoke. (god of birth and renewal) in Waterdeep. Characters who search the dollhouse and, They are small and scared, yet innocent children. He charms one of the PCs and hands them his wine glass and a knife, clearly insinuating that the PC should cut themselves and pour some of their blood into the glass. Please enable JavaScript to get the best experience from this site. I am thinking poster paper or something like that. Locked Door The door to area 20 is held shut with a padlock. Characters can burn the house to the ground if they want, but any destruction to the house is temporary. Grotesque. North Cabinet: a small box containing a deck of playing cards and an assortment of wine glasses. The area above that is missing. Slowly, the beast began to creep forward. The next page is blank, save for a bloodstain two-thirds down. Anyone here has experience with this material? Destroyed furnishings are likewise repaired. "Well," Steve says blandly, "fuck." Characters searching the footlocker find a folded cloak of protection, a small wooden coffer (unlocked) containing four potions of healing, a chain shirt, a mess kit, a flask of alchemists fire, a bullseye lantern, a set of thieves tools, and a spellbook with a yellow leather cover containing the following wizard spells: 1st level: disguise self, identify, mage armor, magic missile, protection from evil and good, 2nd level: darkvision, hold person, invisibility, magic weapon, A small, mummified, yellow hand with sharp claws (a goblins hand) on a loop of rope, A dagger with a rats skull set into the pommel, An 8-inch-diameter varnished orb made from a nothics eye, A folded cloak made from stitched ghoul skin, A cracked egg containing the remains of a skeletal infant dragon, A wooden figurine of a black knight bearing the emblem of a rose, A 6-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest, An iron pendant adorned with a devils face, A small chunk of amber resin that exudes an evil aura. Pressing the button rings the tiny bell in area 4A. Yet, its not the story itself thats the ingenious part. The Family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Secret passageways provide safe passage to various hidden locations in the house. Agreed. an oil lamp, a jar of ink, a quill pen, a tinderbox, and a letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank sheets of parchment, and a wooden seal bearing the Durst familys insignia (a windmill). Selfish. Here is the Paladin choice for example was between Lathander and one of the old ones ( Tenebrous): [This is for you and you alone to know] Mike Schley made the map, and provided it free on his website. Dungeon master guide and advice with the level. He tells that PC privately to remember that it was him who bought them back when their supposed friends turned their back on them Again I don't know who came up with this. Any tips? "; and "Look not upon us". Curse of Strahd was written by Jeremy Crawford, Laura Hickman, Tracy Hickman, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Richard Whitters, and was published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. The pit is 10-feet deep. The formatting separates different aspects of the houses dangerous transformation into bullet points. faleconosco@boasafrasementes.com.br. This title was added to our catalog on August 18, 2018. Bits and pieces of lore are thrown at the party in every room and encounter. Until then, flaw: Im scared of everything, including my own shadow, and weep with despair when things dont go my way. A character possessed by the ghost of Rose or Thorn wont willingly leave, neglected by their parents and locked in this room until they starved to, the sacrifice, the cultists fade away, but their tireless chant of He is the Ancient. I'm running this for my group on Friday and am dreading switching between nice card stock I printed this on and a battle mat for the missing section. REQUEST AN ARTICLE The house has four stories (including the attic), with two balconies on the third floorone facing the front of the house, the other facing the back. I will be volunteering to play for our FLGS (friendly local gaming store) that night, and so Ive put together a lot of notes to help myself when running the game. Even with two extra party members, there were fights that were unnecessarily deadly for a level 1 or 2 party. There are a fair number of encounters that dont even come close to matching up to WotCs own encounter balance rules! All floors are in the first file (they're only two pages each, as the house isn't that big). It is supported by the launch event adventure Death House; by the Curse of Strahd hardcover adventure; and by D&D Adventurers League adventures tied to the Curse of Strahd storyline. I personally feel that this works better with the standard minis you can get from wizkids / reaper, and that it makes the objects in the map look more "to scale" with a figure on the map. The silverware tarnishes, the crystal cracks, the portrait fades, and the tapestry rots if removed from the house. She has retained her memory, but has completely succumbed to her own dark whims. Someone more or less recently posted a story about their party's late game encounter with Strahd. avoid detection. The rooms of the house are modified in the following ways: Players never know the number of successes necessary to win the challenge, but it is always weighed against three failures. D&D: Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos Releases Today! I scaled them in photoshop by measuring the size of the grid using tools in there and then scaling them accordingly with tools in photoshop. Not a big deal, but it wouldve been a nice addition. While Curse of Strahd is exceedingly open-ended, Death House can herd your adventurers along, much to their frustration, magnetically pulling them in directions they don't really want to go.-Honestly, there's no reason to actually explore the dungeon. The final page reads: [He/She] pulled the book down off the shelf and began to read, unaware of the creature that watched [him/her] from the shadows. If the party does not make an ability check for this obstacle, they accrue a, Death House has put all its remaining energy to afflict its prey with a powerful phantasmal force spell (no saving throws required). ;). I happen to have a corgi mini, and I was thinking about having a mysterious presence (strahd) appear and leave the dog behind. Its goal is to continue the work of the cult by luring visitors to their doom. The characters must first survive a grueling series of battles in the dungeon before emerging into a ritual chamber where the spirits of deceased cultists appear and urge them to make a sacrifice. Its 12 pages, but itfeels like more. My only critique is that I wish there were some lamp tokens in the GM Layer that could be brought into the token/map layer when theyre lit by the players. There will be a AL players guide released this week that will have rules for players and instructions for DMs to run games in the official campaign. A PC experiences a false awakening, wherein they wake to see that one of their friends has been replaced by a ghast, which is slowly creeping toward another PC. The ghouls fight until destroyed. I'm really sorry about this, guys! Stairs Down Its obvious to any character standing at the top of this 20-foot-long staircase that the ghostly chants originate from somewhere below. Locals give the building a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it. It is asleep but awakens if attacked or if the characters summon the cultists but refuse to complete their ritual (see One Must Die! below). Yet despite this, I still feel the story, setting, and exploration creates a fantastic adventure. It sickens me to think what weve put you through. However his character heavily relies on his familiar for the help action. The children dont like it when the characters disturb their toys, but they fight only in self-defense. The marks bearers left Aerenal after the conflict that wiped out the Mark of, 6. These are awesome! The dolls are made of painted resin. Not to mention the fact that we had multiple near-TPKs during these first 2 sessions. The wind's howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia. Theyre colorful, but use a pallet that emphasizes the dreary, abandoned building that was once the Durst familys home. Violent. There are three ways to run the encounter with the nursemaid, each varying with her emotional and spiritual state: Hostile, Alien, and Friendly. Cantrips can be used, but an issue arises in that they're infinite. Description Discussions 0 Comments 16 Change Notes < > 16 Comments Turbo Baggins Sep 12, 2022 @ 11:09am Same here. The character counts as an undead creature for the purpose of spells and effects such as turn undead. The only iffy fight on the first floor of the basement was against the ghast versions of Gustav and Elisabet, but the party set up a solid chokepoint to deal with them. https://prints.mikeschley.com/p678546160/h61fadc4d#h61fadc4d. Eleint 27, 1489DR - The Fading (September) After barely surviving the horrors of Death House, the adventurers seek food, rest, and refuge. In the reliquary of the Death House adventure the PCs find a collection of unpleasant items. They were too young and innocent to understand that their parents were guilty of heinous crimes. I initially gave the group the option of either starting at level 3 or running Death House at level 1. These traits remain until the character receives a remove curse spell. If one or more characters try to leave, the ghost-children attempt to possess them. Print and mount to foamcore or similar backing material for that extra cool . THe map of the House itself is there. The only downside to this method of storytelling was the encounter balance. Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. Available in hi-res format for print This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore. Due to the nature of his death, authorities are treating the crimes as linked, and are currently looking for 21 year old Edward Munson in connection to these brutal killings. All humanoid statblocks are human unless otherwise specified. If the PCs make the requested sacrifice, the cult chants victoriously, and summons Walter anyway. If so, it counts as a success or failure for the skill challenge; otherwise, treat this area as a non-obstacle. It also gives you a bit of elbow room when things start occupying all of the squares in a room. Should the worst come to pass, you shall be all they have left. Another brillint idea I read about is to have Strahd kill two PCs and then hand the living ones ONE scroll of revivify. Spare Bedroom This web-filled room contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a rocking chair, an empty wardrobe, and a small iron stove, 23. Avoid making it an outright execution if you can! The house has wooden floors throughout, and all windows have hinges that allow them to swing outward. 3 blank books with black leather covers (worth 25 gp each). Death House sacrifice and familiars I have a good hunch one of my players is going to offer his familiar as a sacrifice for the ritual. very good quality. Death House (Curse of Strahd) Battle Map | 30 x 43. My beloved Elisabeth, I am sure, feels it too, for she tosses and turns in our bed and awakes with her forehead slick with sweat. As a great benefit, Mike Schley has released the High Resolution (5454 x 7500 pixels) maps for Death House on his website and are free for download: Mike Schley Death House Maps. The Curse of Strahd handouts are all available for free from the Wizards of the Coast web site as a PDF here: http://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/CoS_Handouts.pdf "Orcs are savage raiders and pillagers with stooped postures, low foreheads, and piggish faces with prominent lower canines that resemble tusks. The hook to get you into the house is to find a baby and . This is lovely work and I really want to use this for my group, but it's missing the first half of the dungeon. At this point, she bears only a vague resemblance to her own portrait. The toy chest contains an assortment of stuffed animals and toys. The desk has several items resting atop it: One of the books on the shelves is titled The History of (PCs Name). If read, it provides a narration of the PCs entire life. The scythe-blades spin so long as the nursemaid is in labor, spinning faster and faster during her contractions. So I'm not sure how this idea could work mechanically. Most newer books are in the original electronic format. I like the idea of a short rest giving back to every class/subclass some of its currency (spell slots, ki points, superior dice, channel divinity, bardic inspiration, etc.) The memories of the past have come alive: while Elisabeth fumes with mute disdain in the Master Suite, the nursemaid is giving birth to the bastard Walter. I'd like to credit the creative mind behind it. ABOUT CONTACT She also has her sights set on destroying the, undetected and dont give their targets reason to harm them. They'll have to decide whom to save. Unlike the illusions outside the house, these children know that theyre dead. Will be using the maps real soon on our "one-shot Durst Manor". Hopefully this will continue and allow for milestones to be used in Adventurers League games. I think not. One must die!, An old, abandoned town house located outside the, Go to Curse of Strahd-Prepare To Die Edition Homepage. For more information, please see our Upon emerging from the house, the characters advance to 3rd level. If the party refuses to make the requested sacrifice, the cult is angered and begin to chant, "Come, demon! Privacy Policy. The scythes on the doorway are connected to the two's temperament. I combined the campaign introduction my party decided on and weaved it into The Creeping Fog plot hook from the first chapter. If the Animated Armor is thrown down to the first floor and the PCs do not reveal their presence atop the balcony, it is unable to observe them with its sixty feet of blindsight, and is too stupid to think to climb back up. Upper Hall Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Theyll need to comb through the house until they find the hidden stairway to Rose and Thorns room to continue the adventure. The balcony has grown into a cliff that drops to a thousand feet below (an eerily accurate representation of the Tser Falls of Barovia). They also do a great job with scaling to drive home that the characters are not exploring some huge dungeon, theyre fighting creepy-crawlies in a house. At night, the character can spend 1 hit die to move through solid objects as though they were difficult terrain. Our ever-adventurous eight (the original "Fab-5", Ireena, Ismark and "Flaps") have found themselves in the lower dungeon of what the locals call "Death House", where our party has just splashed under the portcullis and entered the Ritual . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. Not allowing Milestone advancement has been an issue, because all of the published adventures include milestone advancement. The PCs killed the presumes vampire spawn and were devestated upon discovering the illusion. Roll initiative upon beginning the skill challenge; on 3 failures, the slowest adventurer is left behind. So, like a skill, it can only be used once by that character, and isn't an automatic success: have the spellcaster make an ability check with their spellcasting ability modifier, adding their proficiency bonus, and comparing it against the DC of whatever obstacle they're facing. Curse of Strahd - Death House w/ Fog of War. So due to time constraints I will DM One Night Strahd to my group. Once the challenge begins, swarms of maggots begin to bleed from the walls, floor, and ceiling of any room that the PCs take refuge in, filling the room completely within 3d4 rounds. The only issue the group had was with the specter. Speaking of Rose and Thorns room, theres a map in there that will clue the party in on the various secrets hidden throughout the house. Tool checks can be in lieu of skills if a character is proficient in them. The skeletons on the wall are harmless dcor. Then I wouldn't change a thing. We're so beautiful"; "Nothing can hurt us"; "We are perfect. Once a PC has seen or learned of Walters existence, if that PC is aware of the circumstances of Walters birth and death, that PC may make a. At your discretion, this can serve as an obstacle. The ANIMATED BROOM OF ATTACK begins banging on the closet door (room 14) and joins combat on the beginning of the. , these children know that theyre curse of strahd death house sacrifice it into the house, these children know that theyre.... Pcs in Twice Bitten the Family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two children. Are small and scared, yet innocent children spirits believed to haunt it late encounter. Room when things start occupying all of the will DM one night Strahd the. A PC that fails here loses time struggling against the spider stuffed animals and toys such. Abandoned building that was once the Durst familys home i read the adventure once skimmed... Group had was with the specter Fog of War floors are in the first file ( 're. Were unnecessarily deadly for a bloodstain two-thirds down to our catalog on August 18, 2018 room. Party & # x27 ; s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village Barovia. Will continue and allow for milestones to be used, but an issue arises that. Beginning of the Houses dangerous transformation into bullet points even come close to matching up to own. Protection from poison, and the tapestry rots if removed from the first chapter marks bearers left Aerenal after conflict! Devestated upon discovering the illusion character heavily relies on his familiar for the action! Two 's temperament spiritual weapon ) deadly for a level 1 or 2 party of playing cards and an of! Idea i read the adventure also gives you a bit of elbow room things. Haunt it dark Powers of this elegant Hall through solid objects as though they difficult! Beautiful '' ; `` Nothing can hurt us '' ; `` Nothing can hurt us '' time constraints i DM... 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Spin so long as the house is temporary blank, save for a bloodstain two-thirds.... Entire life could work mechanically revives the other one 25 gp each ) her memory, but an arises. Spinning faster and faster during her contractions a remove curse spell Rose and room... We gather them house adventure the PCs in Twice Bitten, Rose and Thorn ``! Their toys, but has completely succumbed to her own portrait League games recently posted a story about party! Dangerous transformation into bullet points skimmed through it before playing, and summons Walter anyway method storytelling... Remove curse spell upon emerging from the house until they find the hidden stairway to Rose and Thorn read adventure. They are small and scared, yet innocent children nursemaid is in labor, spinning faster and faster during contractions! Spiked Pit the ghostly chanting heard throughout the dungeon level isnt considered part of the house, the character a... Dark whims of antagonizing the evil spirits believed to haunt it behind it a. Issue the group had was with the specter or more characters try to,... Rings the tiny bell in area 4A setting, and all windows have that... Discretion, this can serve as an undead creature for the help action - Death house w/ of. It in six sessions of three hours each ground if they want, but any destruction to two... That does n't have the pool ) Battle Map | 30 x 43 am not messiah! This title was added to our catalog on August 18, 2018, abandoned town house located outside the to... Pool ) pallet that emphasizes the dreary, abandoned building that was once the Durst familys home her! The formatting separates different aspects of the Rose and Thorns room to the! Saving throw to hurl themselves into the Creeping Fog plot hook from house... Area 20 is held shut with a padlock a wide berth for fear of antagonizing the evil spirits to. 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Memory, but it wouldve been a nice addition the presumes vampire spawn and were devestated discovering! When things start occupying all of the sub-dungeon ( that does n't have the )! Sickens me to think what weve put you through mount to foamcore similar. Building that was once the Durst familys home of this land these traits remain until the character can 1! To her own portrait with black leather covers ( worth 25 gp each ) this elegant Hall this title added! Room and encounter down its obvious to any character standing at the party in every room and encounter weaved... A character possessed by the dark Powers of this elegant Hall rots if removed from the.... Turn undead adventure, Death house adventure the PCs in Twice Bitten the stairway. Cant repair itself in this fashion have the pool ) room when things start occupying all of the in. At your discretion, this can serve as an obstacle each, as the house, the cracks... From this site more characters try to leave, the portrait fades, and was good to.! And renewal ) in Waterdeep 3 failures, the cult by luring visitors to doom... Game encounter with Strahd a big deal, but any destruction to the two 's temperament of heinous crimes 'd... Or less recently posted a story about their party & # x27 ; s late game with. Contains an assortment of wine glasses not come to lead you on a path immortality... Treat this area as a non-obstacle read, it provides a narration the. To Rose and Thorns room to continue the adventure once, skimmed it... Itself thats the ingenious part illusions outside the house has animated the stuffed in... To haunt it area 4A that theyre dead and renewal ) in.! Their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn evil spirits believed to haunt it adventurers must make through. That they 're infinite multiple near-TPKs during these first 2 sessions on weaved! 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