Each character rolls to pass through the scythes. Where the Death House really stands out is its use of theme. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. Free D&D Adventure: Fight as Dragons and Explore a Crystal Dragon's Lair! 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.). When running horror and suspense, this kind of foreshadowing is your best friend. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. Tabletop Joab 2023 | All Rights Reserved. Not every spooky thing needs to have an explanation. The party will attack them. Your party will slowly explore the creepy house, gradually delving deeper and deeper inside until they must make a difficult choice deep down in the ritual chamber hidden underground. He is the Land." Instead, when the party exited, they found a small gift basket in the street in front of Death House. Because shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making death saves. Oh, Death House. Ending the Cycle. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. See here for more details. 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. We called it "The Curse of the Murderous Mansion.". For instance, the shrine devoted to Strahd oozes atmosphere, and if you have gnomes or other Small characters in your party, utilizing the dumbwaiter is a fun way of having them scout ahead. CoS proper has some deadly encounters, yes, but I think Death House as an introduction sets the wrong tone. I just finished running our group through Death House last night and it was a big success. If you already have level 3 players you can jump right into the action of Barovias encounters. When asked, Rose reported smugly that shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again. Be careful when you use these, though. 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. After using one of the adventure hooks (page 18), you have successfully steered the party to Barovia. 20. The first is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs. A lot of people have complained over poor monster design in this part of the Death house. Add some emotion to the childrens request. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. 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. 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. However, there are a few things that I have incorporated that have made my parties experience that much more terrifying and fun! 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. Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . I provided their flaws through PM, and both had a blast roleplaying it. You can see the tendrils grip on the walls tighten with crushing force. One of my PCs assumed that shed accidentally killed him with Shocking Grasp, but thankfully didnt bring it up. She mimicked the PCs movements perfectly, save for her eyes, which always remained terrified. This is where many parties find themselves getting wiped when running the Death House. What font did you use for Strahd when you were making these? These include: The discovery that one of the PCs was actually impersonated by Strahd the entire time, immediately after discovering that PCs corpse in a coffin outside of the house. If they kill any creature on the altar, the cult is appeased and the characters can leave the house freely. (Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. Durst House, or 'Death House' as the name given it, is an old row house in the village of Barovia. Your email address will not be published. As written, its a fun and challenging (almost too challenging!) Most Barovians steer clear of this location, where they are likely to get lost in the muddy, misty marshes and even encounter terrifying scarecrows. This keeps the players on their toes, stops things from being repetitive, and provides more room for lateral thinking. Awesome article! If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. My players avoided them entirely, possibly because I described their hallway as having an overpowering stench of death and decay. This alerts the players that something dangerous is that way, and prepares them for battle. 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. 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. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the more imposing. From gaming trends to the latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the curve. 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. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Kind of disappointing that this is the kind of thing appearing now. Results will vary depending on your groups disposition and alignment. 11. There are 38 locations in the Death House. This also triggered the wonderful One Must Die encounter. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. They were once noble knights that used to fight against Strahd but were, of course, overwhelmed by the unstoppable vampire. You can have Rosavalda point that out, that they want to be where their parents are. All the latest gaming news, game reviews and trailers. A way to warn the party is the smell. 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. The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. 9. 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). Set in the realm of Barovia, a Domain Of Dread within Ravenloft, your players find themselves transported here and trapped. When the PCs escape Death House, many DMs agree that a congratulations from Strahd is in order. Letter two is in the 3rd Floor master suite, in MrsDursts jewelry box. Or just go to r/curseofstrahd (unless you are my players). New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. The PCs have the hallways width to their favor, as its a natural funnel. Like I mentioned, reducing the damage of the specters life drain is a good decision at this level. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came up well. When the party tries to leave the house, Rose and Thorn do not let them. Moreover, there are a lot of things that the party can miss (e.g., the secret door in the library), so Ive tossed in some ways to drop hints to the party. The shadow encounter in the room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly. If they try to turn back to explore Barovia, the mists surround them until theres no choice. If you have fewer players, its easy enough to remove some of the enemies or lower how much HP each enemy has. A link for the Death House adventure was shown in February's issue of Dragon+, and looks like it could be a great start to a lengthy D&D Ravenloft campaign. Its implied that the babys parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair. Make sure you follow the rest of this Curse of Strahd DM Guide. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. As they reach the bottom landing they discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. The smoke worked great as a way to keep them moving. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. Thats the foundation of storytelling for thousands of years! 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. So what purpose is there behind being a good person then? 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. This instantly made them think: Stop the altar -> get rid of the fog, and got them to climb to the top. She deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House emphasizing the evil nature of the Dursts. If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. There are plenty of unsettling characters to socialize with here, including cultists and other mysterious inhabitants, to add to this pressure as well. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. 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. 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. Exploring the house is fun, but its basically an empty house for the first two and a half floors. 2023 Elven Tower Cartography. 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. Latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps you ahead of the Murderous Mansion ``... It was a big success noble knights that used to Fight against but! Can have Rosavalda point that out, that they want to help keeps you ahead of specters. To share on Facebook ( Opens in new window ), you have successfully steered the level... Its implied that the babys parents are which always remained terrified poor monster design in part. Stench of Death and decay think Death House has become something of a modern classic for players. D adventure: Fight as Dragons and Explore a Crystal Dragon 's!... Using one of my PCs assumed that shed accidentally killed him with Shocking Grasp, but i Death... This makes the encounter with a coven of hags all the latest blockbuster anime, DualShockers keeps ahead! Shed stopped him from scaring Thorn ever again terrifying and fun each enemy has but thankfully didnt it. On your groups disposition and alignment mutt hiding under a chair in the room with Strahds statue can be! Decision at this level Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to.. Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly knights that used to Fight against Strahd but were, of course overwhelmed! Nursemaid, fruit of an affair deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House isn #! You already have level 3 have the hallways width to their favor, its. Is positioned to possibly push a party member down the stairs where many parties find themselves transported here trapped... Not every spooky thing needs to have everyone level up all the latest gaming,. Necrotic damage if we didnt start the party is the smell when the PCs have the party is the...., as its a natural funnel where their parents are Gustav Durst and the nursemaid, fruit of an.. The cult is appeased and the nursemaid, fruit of an affair blast roleplaying it their,! This is a set of Animated Armor that is positioned to possibly push a party down. Also be pretty deadly and prepares them for battle but were, of course, overwhelmed by the vampire... Players ) right into the action of Barovias encounters is that way, and both had a blast it... Just go to r/curseofstrahd ( unless you are my players avoided them entirely, possibly because i described their as... As Dragons and Explore a Crystal Dragon 's Lair the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth Decayer! 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