Curse of Strahd is a Ravenloft-themed adventure for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. It can be played by up to seven player characters.
It’s a campaign where players progress by forging alliances, completing quests and leveling up until they face off against their ultimate foe, Strahd Von Zarovich.
Leveling
Leveling is an integral component of any D&D campaign. You can level up characters to help them progress in the game, or simply reward them for doing something important to the storyline. No matter how you decide to award levels, make sure players receive rewards that they’ll enjoy doing.
Leveling up your party is accomplished primarily through experience points (XP). Every time you complete a quest, these XP are earned for you. In addition, other criteria like finding artifacts or defeating villains can also help level up characters.
Curse of Strahd offers players a multitude of ways to level up their party. You can take advantage of the milestone system introduced in version 3.5 or follow a more traditional leveling formula. Plus, you can set up challenges which give you additional XP and boost your character’s level.
Your DM can also make adjustments to the campaign based on group dynamics and experience. This is a great way to make it more challenging for players while keeping it engaging.
When leveling up your party, another factor to consider is the difficulty of the dungeon. Make sure your players don’t venture into places they shouldn’t be; this is why consulting the “Areas by Level” table in the book can be so helpful.
Additionally, you can add extra challenges that will make the dungeon feel more alive and immersive. For instance, if your players are particularly into horror genre, add some additional ghosts and ghouls in the area. Furthermore, don’t forget about including the final fight – an integral part of any adventure and major challenge for your party members.
Spells
Spells are an integral component of any roleplaying game, and Curse of Strahd is no exception. They can be used to deal damage or undo it, create conditions, drain life energy away and bring back life to those who have died.
Strahd’s spell list can easily be tailored to fit your own gaming requirements. You might want to add or eliminate spells like comprehend languages, nondetection, scrying and counterspell, for instance. Furthermore, you have the ability to modify his armor class and HP according to the adventure’s combat style.
For example, you might decide that Strahd does not need as many hit points or armor as the text suggests and instead boost his crystal heart to give him 50 more hit points at each battle’s conclusion. Doing this allows him to regain 50 hit points at each end of a fight, then give him another 50 at your next encounter.
If you want to alter his spells, be sure they remain within the parameters of the game’s rules. Otherwise, your players could try to deceive themselves by bluffing their way around him.
One of the first steps you should take when dealing with creatures you encounter is to determine if any are under any spells. If so, characters have the opportunity to resist and use their action to dispel it.
Alternatively, if the creature isn’t under a spell, they can resist it by taking a save. A successful save reduces damage by half – particularly useful if they are low-level spellcasters.
In addition to these spells, Strahd also has several abilities tailored towards combat. His children of the night ability summons swarms of bats, rats and wolves; his lair action that tears shadows from enemies so he can spawn another one; and his dark idol that spews forth a cloud of necrotic gas when called upon.
Strahd also possesses a number of legendary actions to aid him in battle. These rogue-like maneuvers allow him to dodge enemy attacks or whimper in response to friendly ones. Furthermore, his war caster feat grants him an advantage on concentration checks and lets him cast spells that target one creature when provoked into opportunity attacks.
Monsters
Curse of Strahd is an exciting adventure that transports players to the terrifying Castle Ravenloft. Players will face many dangerous rooms as they explore this haunting location and engage in fierce encounters throughout its treacherous terrain.
To help you prepare your party for the final battle against Strahd, here are a few tips and tricks:
Keep Strahd in the spotlight during your campaign (but not too often). Players need to know who they’re up against; however, having Strahd appear too frequently can be demoralizing.
In a high-level game, Strahd is likely to appear at least twice and possibly up to five times during the campaign. Not only does this give him an authentic villain image, but it gives players an opportunity to get acquainted with him intimately.
Another way to help the players understand who they’re dealing with is for Strahd to use his scrying abilities on them. This will enable him to see into their minds and know almost as much about them as you do, which may be terrifying for your players.
It is also an effective way for the villain to gain insight into their characters’ backstories, especially if Strahd has yet to meet them. This will enable the villain to comprehend why he brought them to Barovia and what expectations he has of them.
Once your party has reached level three, it’s time to enter Barovia and begin the main plotline of this adventure. After getting their fortunes read, players will be presented with five cards which indicate different objectives for both the city and encampment.
Once they’ve fulfilled each of these objectives, your players will be ready to face off against Strahd. This final confrontation promises to be intensely stressful and your players may want to take every precaution possible in order to avoid getting killed.
When it comes to killing Strahd, your players should study his tactics and abilities. They can also recall past battles with him and how they used their powers against him in the past. Doing this will help your players prepare for a memorable final confrontation with Strahd!
Hinting
As the DM, you must strike a balance between giving your players an enjoyable experience and offering them challenges that will keep them coming back for more. In Curse of Strahd, that means finding that perfect balance.
To give your players a sense of control over their destiny, the campaign book offers some suggestions for doing just that – with rule-approved ideas on every page. By giving them this role, they’ll feel empowered to make the right choices at the right time.
As a first-time Curse of Strahd DM, one of the most essential tasks you can do to ensure your players’ experience with the module is enjoyable and lasting. Juggling so many pieces of information can seem overwhelming at times, but having an organized strategy in place will make the journey smooth for everyone involved.
The most difficult part of this task is identifying the most crucial piece of information and conveying it to your players in a manner that makes sense for their individual situation and interests. Fortunately, most dungeon masters are already knowledgeable about these fundamental principles; so if you get it right the first time around, everything else will fall into place naturally. However, try to avoid pitfalls such as pushing players through an exhaustive sequence of missions as this could lead to an unpleasant overall experience for them.