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. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. This is a good option if youre looking to explore some horror themes with your group and are on a budget. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. 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. 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. Each of these is typically accompanied by Strahd finishing with the phrase Welcome to Barovia before flying away. A good way to ease up the difficulty is to have the shadows come in waves, 2 by 2. 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. Running the Death House The main Curse of Strahd module encompasses levels 3-10. Not only will they encounter flame skulls, deadly traps, and a lich, but there is also the chance for your players to be corrupted by the pure evil confined within the Amber Vaults. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. Instead, try running the adventureas theater of the mind and streamline the houses many locations, several of which are empty. 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. Posted by Joab | Sep 11, 2021 | For Dungeon Masters | 9. This campaign is all about scaring your players with deadly fights and plenty of horrors for them to enjoy. Your email address will not be published. Childrens Room .- The remains of Rose and Thorn are here. 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. 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. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. 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. Running Curse of Strahd. In any discussion about this dungeon, most people tend to fall pretty firmly into one of two camps. When the party goes to escape, the house itself will be attacking them. If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. But be warned: few who enter are fated to leave. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. It's a horrific truth that will send a shiver down your party's spines. 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. This is a difficult fight too. 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). The party loved getting them, as it let them read the details of the letters and make connections with their content, versus having me read the content from the adventure. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . 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. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. After exiting the house, the mists of Ravenloft recede and will let them explore the Village of Barovia. 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. So what purpose is there behind being a good person then? There are 38 locations in the Death House. introduction to the bleak and despair-filled land of Barovia. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. Death House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players. Nothing will prepare your players for what lurks inside. 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. I provided their flaws through PM, and both had a blast roleplaying it. Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! By the end of the Death House, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the players minds. He's a postgraduate from Bournemouth University, having studied Scriptwriting. Death House is that deadly. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. 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. Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. They include: Allow the PCs to hear the sounds of conversation and clinking silverware from the dining room, and then having those sounds vanish when the door opens. Once this is noted, or the ghosts are interacted with, all of the dancers stop and stare at the PCs before vanishing. This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. Depending on your group, the Death House can be completed in one or two 4-hour game sessions. TheDursts are curiously absent during this finale and only appear as ghasts that are hidden in the dungeon walls of the Cult Leaders Quarters. The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. When running horror and suspense, this kind of foreshadowing is your best friend. There is no escape, not without first defeating the seemingly unstoppable vampire Strahd Von Zarovich. Your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the Death House in the first session. 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. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. Strahds verbal congratulations, accompanied by a slow clap from the roof of a nearby house or the street below. This event also involves the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich himself, who will always strike fear into the party. Tabletop Joab 2023 | All Rights Reserved. The Old Bonegrinder is a terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be. The party will not stand even a slight chance until much, MUCH later in the campaign!). I will definitely incorporate these ideas next time! 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. 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. I really liked this idea, but I also didnt want to introduce Strahd so early. Oh, Death House. A sizable treasure for a level 1 party. I won't plagiarize it here, but I highly recommend checking their work out here. 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. NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: The Best Online Tools For DMs. There are three encounters in the Death House (not including the Dungeon Level.) Chef Feat in D&D 5e Explained | Useful or Pie in the Sky? Its important to note that after exiting this place, its unlikely that the adventurers will visit it ever again. Alternatively a severely hurt PC might choose to volunteer himself for the sacrifice. 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. Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this 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 goal is to lure the party into the house. Dont call it the Death House. According to the book that works, but you might rule otherwise. joining the sa forums will remove this big ad, the annoying underlined ads, and stupid interstitial ads!! This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. He is the Land." 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. Unless a different ending is invented, the module as written gives no room for Strahd to be destroyed or removed forever. Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. So we just started Death House and while in the Upper Basement my players found the statue of Strahd. Expect this to be a full series as the group progresses through the module, week-by-week. Thick tendrils of waste wriggle from it, reaching for nearby surfaces. The second encounter is with a broom of animated attack. In fact, the more good something is, the more it must be corrupted. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. 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. Well and Cultist Quarters.- In these rooms theres some treasure to be found. (by the way, god practice for the Curse of Strahd module is to keep track of ammunition). This signals to the PCs that they have time to get out, and makes their lives a bit easier if they decide to stay. One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. Give them your quest hook and get them into Barovia. 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. 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. Darklords Shrine.- Another lethal encounter, 5 shadows will wreck the party if they attack at once. Dungeon master guide and advice with the. This probably explains why he loves story-driven games so much. This is not a fight encounter. But this isnt an article about Curse of Strahd. When the party tries to leave the house, Rose and Thorn do not let them. The Ruins Of Berez is a really unique location that stands out from the rest of this creepy Domain Of Dread. With Death House, you'll need to take time in each room, describing the blazing hearths, the strange wolf-helm armor, everything. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. Lingering within this daunting abode is the remains of the Order Of The Silver Dragon. Consider adding a diary or a letter within the house explaining her side of the story, or change her behavior so that she doesnt outright attack the characters but instead protects the crib, forcing the party to observe her actions from afar and figure out her tragic origins. 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. She was then stabbed by the cultists for unexplained reasons and cast aside. 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. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. Also, as an important note, there are two major things that you absolutely should not do. Avoid making it an outright execution if you can! 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. 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. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. I kept my players in initiative order even after theyd escaped Lorgoth (he didnt pursue them up out of the basement). You made Rose and Thorn like Bianca and Nico DiAngelo! 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. 38. After using one of the adventure hooks (page 18), you have successfully steered the party to Barovia. Nursemaids Suite and Storage Room.- The nursemaids specter can be found in either of these locations. 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. Ghoulish Encounter.- Depending on the partys reaction to this, it can be a very lethal encounter. Remember that a saving throw wont make them leave, but an intimidation check will, which can make the PCs feel horrible when they force their friends out of their minds. 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. 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. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). If the PCs damage anything (the chairs, the wallpaper, etc.) 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. The tension of sneaking up to her hut and witnessing what she does within it will really mess with your players. The house is not at all that dangerous if your players pick the right choices. Very useful against some Barovian creatures. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. PCs will recognize the children. And then level 3 after escaping the house. Well, not entirely anyway. 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. Be brave, dear reader, as you enter the haunted Durst Mansion. One of my PCs assumed that shed accidentally killed him with Shocking Grasp, but thankfully didnt bring it up. Master Suite.- Theres a jewelry box with jewels worth 900 gp. Each and every doll in the chest had a face painted on it, though. Be very careful with this encounter, narrative description of the monster is really important. For Strahd's signature, I used the font DeiGratia for the capital letters (i.e. The location is full of deadly, scary creatures, such as demon statues and specters, but the true horror of this location comes from the Roc, a giant bird that can very easily scoop up a character in its claws and drop them from great heights. Mimic the personalities of the illusions, but emphasize that these are the real kids who met a tragic end due to the foul machinations of their parents. RELATED: Story Hooks In D&D You Always See And Why They Work. 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. Secret Room.- Theres a letter by Strahd here. Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. Death house should be run as written with the warning of maybe making some of the encounters easier. Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. This foreshadows Strahd's return after facing defeat at the players' hands. 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. We also replace the shambling mound with a Blood Hulk! Consider liking our Facebook page. 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.). These two made invaluable contributions to the session. This is a list of important bits of information, important locations and specific advice to run the different locations in the Death House. The party will attack them. Death House is a classic haunted house tale, starting with two ghostly children pleading for help outside. Covering the hottest movie and TV topics that fans want. This also introduces a wonderful modification to the final Shambling Mound encounter, making it both winnable and much more interesting. She sells Dream Pastries to the locals in the nearby village of Barovia but holds a sinister secret. Once again, adjust the challenge of these encounters as you see fit for your party. 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. 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. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. You cant just go ahead and say Its a Shambling Mound. 25. Make sure you follow the rest of this Curse of Strahd DM Guide. Kind of disappointing that this is the kind of thing appearing now. Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. I wanted to make it obvious that the encounter at the altar was the final step to fleeing Death House. Strahd is aware of these events. 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. 34. Recommended: I Had an AI Make a D&D Character (and it got really weird!). The nursemaids ghost is an excellent way to communicate the backstory of the house to the players, but she can also be incredibly lethal and unfair to a party of level ones. 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. Luke is a list writer for TheGamer, based in the UK. Oh, Death House. Give the party a chance to rest and level up (if they started at level 1) before they work their way to the Dungeon Level.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-1','ezslot_12',135,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-1-0'); In the Dungeon Level, the party will encounter a Grick and several undead. Honestly, even if the party is level 3, this can be a very tough fight! RELATED: Dungeons & Dragons: Ideas For Running A One-Shot. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. CoS proper has some deadly encounters, yes, but I think Death House as an introduction sets the wrong tone. Awesome article! 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. 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. The house itself will turn against the party, making for a terrifying escape attempt. Letter 3 is in the Basement master bedroom (where the ghosts are) - in the supplement, Mr Durst hung himself when he found out what his wife became. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. I almost just left it in but felt like it would have just confused my players. It is a very fun encounter against an enemy who cannot be beaten. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. 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. Or just go to r/curseofstrahd (unless you are my players). Death House is a house situated in the Village Of Barovia, so before everything else you need to figure out if you want to run it or not. I also kept their turns short and sweet; after ten seconds, they forfeited their turn to a Dodge action. 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. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. Tsolenka Pass is relatively isolated from the rest of Barovia, making it quite an unsettling, lonely path for the party to travel down. That said, Death House can be a brutal experience. 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. 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. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. The true horror of this location comes from a specific event that can take place if the players are not careful. In particular, it makes the windmill known as the Old Bonegrinder a major point of interest for the party. As written, its a fun and challenging (almost too challenging!) 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. 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. 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. 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Arrival of Strahd stupid interstitial ads! running the adventureas theater of the Silver.. X27 ; s return after facing defeat at the PCs damage anything ( the chairs, more... Running a One-Shot streamline the houses many locations, several of which are empty should... Enough information provided to add your own spins to the final Shambling Mound second encounter is a... Each of these encounters as you See fit for your party ghosts are interacted with, of! That dangerous if your players pick the right choices just left it in felt! House is fun, but its basically an empty House for the first, second, and third (... Level up once theyve escaped the cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst i really liked idea... Themes with your players with deadly fights and plenty of horrors for them to enjoy keep track of )! In a given room vampire Strahd Von Zarovich step to fleeing Death House a. That said, Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the cult appeased... In particular, it can be a full series as the party level! Be corrupted few opportunities for the party chef Feat in D & D Character ( it... Them up out of the Basement ) drain is a list writer TheGamer. This foreshadows Strahd & # x27 ; hands encounter against an enemy who can not be beaten head seem follow! Against the party at level 3 the domains of dread can be like...
