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. 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. ! They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. However, this is more a set of skill challenges than combat. What you get is impressive hi-def versions of my maps to be used in your RPG games (these have lower resolution), and the satisfaction of helping the rpg community grow bigger and stronger. But, this is Strahd's home, and the battle will not be easy. Because shes reducing their maximum HP to zero, they wont be making death saves. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. The 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. Im a big fan of running it in my Curse of Strahd games. The art style is fantastic, but the kids are possibly the creepiest thing in the book. What is it? One option you have is to just jump into it, with fresh characters, starting at Level 3. Your group might choose to fight it and risk death. Another poster provided the idea that Rose was a budding young wizard, having pieced together some scraps of knowledge from her fathers study downstairs. S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. The book says that players retain control but have to take a temporal flaw and role play accordingly (page 217). 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. Unbricking the windows also allows you to let the PCs know immediately that the fog has gone away, letting them know from the start that they can finally escape for real. Id greatly recommend also checking out my article on running horror in your own D&D 5e games! Lingering within this daunting abode is the remains of the Order Of The Silver Dragon. Running Curse of Strahd. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. They will be tempted by corrupting, evil, dark gifts that twist and mess with the characters. I'm hosting my second ever session tonight and my party will be heading into the dungeonhave I missed something? I really liked this idea, but I also didnt want to introduce Strahd so early. The Old Bonegrinder is a terrifying location that captures just how unsettling the domains of dread can be. This can happen right before the characters discover that their journey to Barovia . 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. From the moment the party steps into the town, they'll get a great sense that nothing is right here. I loved that idea, and would recommend you implement that as well to make the connection more obvious. (Quick side note: stop them from immediately going to the Bonegrinder. PCs will recognize the children. If you only have a limited amount of time to play Death House and are relying on descriptions rather than battle maps, focus on the bold regions highlighted here. Death House says the children know theyre dead, so run with that concept. And they wont find something quite like that anytime soon. 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). As I mentioned in the writeup of Death House, I recommend having Strahd in the very first encounter, having shapeshifted into a direwolf and watching as a bunch of his wolf children attack the characters. According to the book that works, but you might rule otherwise. It was great. Did you like this guide? Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. 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. Or jump from a balcony. 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. The Death House has become something of a modern classic for 5e players. Give little clues or observations that are simply meant to unnerve the players. She sells Dream Pastries to the locals in the nearby village of Barovia but holds a sinister secret. 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. We ran this as a Halloween one shot a few years ago. All things considered, though, that might not be terribly long This is Barovia after all! By the end of the Death House, there are three themes that should be firmly established in the players minds. by Mike on 14 November 2016. . I never thought of that. 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. I am actually in the process of setting this up as a one-shot for some of my experienced gamer friends. Barovia becomes a tomb for all who end up there. This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. Follow this up with a description of a grinding noise coming from the study (the sound of the secret door opening). Perhaps the eyes of a particular painting or stuffed animal head seem to follow a specific player wherever they go in a given room. However, youd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesnt put the gothic horror adventure, Curse of Strahd, at the top of their list. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. Running the Death House The main Curse of Strahd module encompasses levels 3-10. Her remains are in area 18, she was brutally killed, possibly a move by Elisabeth Durst. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. Death House rebuilds itself if burned down. 32. "Death House" will run your player characters through levels 1-3 if they survive. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. 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. To make the connection clear, I told the PCs that a blanket of mist was rolling off the top of the dais, and that it very much resembled the fog that they had seen blocking their way outside. Ideally, everyone is happy to assist the children and play the game. Almost parallels Death house. A number of helpful suggestions I gathered regarding their use: When Rose or Thorn attempts to possess a player, describe it as feeling like a childs hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace. Your players may decide to refuse to even make a saving throw against possession; once the party saw that Thorn hadnt taken control from the PC hed possessed, another PC actually invited Rose to possess her as well. All this can be achieved in 6-10 hours of playing. The town is run by a sinister Burgomaster that is insistent that all is well. Throughout, the PC received a sense of quiet pride from Rose. Place a tattered piece of sheet music on the harpsichord in the conservatory, and have the spirits of the cult members appear to dance along to the tune. The PCs could hear her making gentle cooing sounds, and see her rocking the crib gently. You can also have Rose and Thorn possess random party members. 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 smoke worked great as a way to keep them moving. (by the way, god practice for the Curse of Strahd module is to keep track of ammunition). In other words, try to elevate the nursemaid into a character beyond that of a nameless victim. Your players should be able to explore the upper areas of the Death House in the first session. 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. Looking over the dolls by the handful, each one showed an expression of pain and fear. 5 Tips for Running the Death House One-Shot From Curse of Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Must Die Tonight! 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! What makes this location all the scarier is that the party is most likely to reach this location at level three or four. The Amber Temple is one of the most dangerous locations in Barovia. Secret Room.- Theres a letter by Strahd here. There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. 31. As I was prepping DH, I decided to make player handouts for the three letters that the party would eventually find within the haunted house: 1) Strahd's letter to Mr. Durst, 2) Elisabeth Durst's letter about the 'ceremony', and then 3) Gustav's suicide letter. Super late comment is late, but I wanted to let you know that I printed these, placed them in aged envelopes with a wax seal and handed one to each one of my players and it went off BEAUTIFULLY! How to REALLY run Death House | Running Curse of Strahd 5e Lunch Break Heroes 25.4K subscribers 65K views 2 years ago #dnd #dungeonsanddragons #rpg Give your players a PROPER introduction to. 38. This sets the party up wonderfully to proceed into Barovia and the rest of the Curse of Strahd adventure. ), its a good stopping point for your first session. 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 Essential Books EVERY Game Master Should Read, Immersive Theatre Techniques for Game Masters, Turn & Destroy Undead in D&D 5e Explained, The Ultimate Guide to Warlock Patrons in D&D 5e. Such a well-written and popular adventure is bound to have plenty of memorable moments and locations. She can potentially one-shot any member of the party each turn with her Life Drain ability. Which makes for a really fast way to level up from level 1 to 3. If they refuse, the apparitions unleash a shambling mound named Lorghoth the Decayer on them. 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.). Also PCs will find the houses deed and a deed to the mill near Vallaki. 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). I cant recommend their use highly enough; do everything you can to get the party to take an interest in these kids. It's all important, because it also teaches the players to pay attention to the environment. I moved her from her bedroom to the nursery, and removed the possibility of an encounter in the storage room altogether. . Thats awesome!! This prompted him to investigate the mirror, revealing the passage up. 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