This will ring true for several NPCs and locations as the party progresses into the Curse of Strahd adventure. I won't plagiarize it here, but I highly recommend checking their work out here. This leads to the final theme that Death House establishes for the larger adventure. As adventurers reach the top of the attic, they will find themselves in an aggressive place, they house is trying to kill them (page 220). Thats awesome!! Each seemed to depict an adventurer of some type. When the party goes to escape, the house itself will be attacking them. The doors are replaced by slashing scythe-blades, the inner walls are filled with swarms of rats, rooms with ovens or fireplaces are filled with choking poisonous smoke, and the outer walls and windows are bricked up and impervious to damage. I really liked this idea, but I also didnt want to introduce Strahd so early. Death House could even be played as a thrilling horror one-shot adventure. Its important to note that after exiting this place, its unlikely that the adventurers will visit it ever again. by Mike on 14 November 2016. . A way to warn the party is the smell. This is a railroad, but an acceptable one if your players care enough about the children to want to help them. If you already have level 3 players you can jump right into the action of Barovia's encounters. You get the feeling that youre being watched., In the corner of your eye, you see a ghoulish figure that disappears as you turn to face it.. So what purpose is there behind being a good person then? We skipped it. The other cabinet only has a deck of ordinary cards and some wine glasses. We also replace the shambling mound with a Blood Hulk! Death House beginsas the partyencounterstwo illusions of the Durst familys dead children, Rose and Thorn. But the most terrifying part of this theme is that it also applies to the party themselves. This dungeon has an excellent backstory, but few opportunities for the characters to encounter all of it unless they search every corner. This is better because you never say the monster name, avoiding metagame knowledge. Upon escaping to the outside, the house appears as if nothing ever happened. 12. Your players will not leave this location quite the same as when they arrived. Kitchen and Pantry.- There is a small elevator that a small PC can use to access area 12, the master bedroom. (If youre feeling generous, or really want your players to see the entirety of the house in a quick Halloween night of gaming, you could even run it at 3rd level.). Honestly, even if the party is level 3, this can be a very tough fight! 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). 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. Ritual Chambers.- Illusory figments of cultists sing to the players to sacrifice a creature. If you have fewer players, its easy enough to remove some of the enemies or lower how much HP each enemy has. Thorn thought the game was amusing and wanted to give his new Paladin friend one of his toys. Immediately afterward, a grinding noise (the sound of the secret passage) can be heard from the attic. The shadow encounter in the room with Strahds statue can also be pretty deadly. 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. 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. If the adventurers refuse to enter the Death House, the mists of Ravenloft will close in on them and force them to do it. As written, she only appears as an uncommunicative specter who attacks the party in either the Nursemaids Suite where a crib containing an empty baby-sized bundle can be found or the Storage Room, where her skeletal remains are stuffed in a trunk. Add some emotion to the childrens request. Death House is a modern Dungeons & Dragons horror classic. Honestly, few spooky things should have an explanation. Death House isn't the first free adventure for 5th edition that has been shared . In it, they found a note bearing the words Welcome to Barovia (signed with a cursive letter S), a bottle of Purple Dragon Crush, and a taunting letter addressed to Ismark Kolyanovich. Would love to revisit Death House some day and not mistakenly murder my friends instantly. Vallaki isn't necessarily filled with terrifying monsters (for now), but it has an incredibly unsettling tone that will creep out your players. The only thing I personally disliked about that section is the 'after finale' where you're escaping. And then level 3 after escaping the house. The final confrontation in Death House is an odd one. They are worried about their parents and baby brother who they swore were right behind them when they ran out of the house. This also triggered the wonderful One Must Die encounter. After exiting the house, the mists of Ravenloft recede and will let them explore the Village of Barovia. For background the home is infused with the evil spirits of the cultists that once resided there. 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. In my game, I gave Rose the personality of a sassy older sister who was fiercely protective of her younger brother. Either way Count Strahd is satisfied, since playing with good or evil aligned subjects is entertaining for him all the same. They may come to Barovia expecting to be heroes, but the things that they will do and sacrifice for the sake of their own survival throughout the adventure will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The Dungeon Levels final encounter is with a Shambling Mound. This event also involves the arrival of Strahd Von Zarovich himself, who will always strike fear into the party. To get around this problem, turn Rose and Thorn into NPCs with big personalities that your players will want to help. Tsolenka Pass consists of a bridge looming over the Luna River and a guard tower. It's a horrific truth that will send a shiver down your party's spines. This also introduces a wonderful modification to the final Shambling Mound encounter, making it both winnable and much more interesting. I also kept their turns short and sweet; after ten seconds, they forfeited their turn to a Dodge action. Thank you for this. 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. Darklords Shrine.- Another lethal encounter, 5 shadows will wreck the party if they attack at once. Oh, Death House. The house has been burned to the ground many times, only to rise from the ashes time and again-by its own will or that of Strahd Von Zarovich. Help me get funding and enjoy hi resolution version of all my work. Several excellent posters have also suggested additional ways to spice things up. 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 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. Based off of Mandy's Mod edits I used them touching the statue as . Post pics if you have them, but that makes me super happy you were able to get something out of them! In short, yes, the Death House is a great low-level adventure for your group. I'd recommendat the leastencouraging your players to long rest. 5 Tips for Running the Death House One-Shot From Curse of Strahd, make thecombat encounter more interesting, Strahd Must Die Tonight! She deserves more development, especially in a stripped-down Death House emphasizing the evil nature of the Dursts. Not every spooky thing needs to have an explanation. 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. 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. Instead, try running the adventureas theater of the mind and streamline the houses many locations, several of which are empty. Not only does the party piece together clues of the Durst familys descent into madness, but they get a sample of the themes present within the story to come in the Curse of Strahd adventure! ! Be careful. Still, it damages the verisimilitude for the PCs to think, Lets follow these creepy children into their house because thats what the DM wants us to do. Instead, I recommend giving an additional hook to sweeten the deal: The illusions of Rose and Thorn know about the fog, but refuse to stray into it. Once theyve explored the first, second, and third floors (plus the attic if they find how to get there! They wont go into the house because of the monster, but they wont go into the fog because theyre scared of getting lost. They starved to death after their parents locked them in their room. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Hey dude, where are letter 2 and 3 in death house? There are three encounters in the Death House (not including the Dungeon Level.) Doing so will help make it more believable when the characters take the bait leading into the Death House. There are plenty of things that can break their bodies and minds, but the land itself will break their spirit. This signals quite clearly: This is not a fight you can win. Did you like this guide? We called it "The Curse of the Murderous Mansion.". 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. By the end of the dungeon, the characters will be level 3. Awesome article! Death House is a meat grinder meant to kill low-level players. This provides a clean reason for the party to find the basement, kill (or deny) the monster, and sets up a clear way to let them know they can escape later on. Looking over the dolls by the handful, each one showed an expression of pain and fear. A level 2party which has had no long rests and several tough fights will not win this fight without losing some PCs. Copyright If the PCs comply and a living being is killed off on the altar, the house is appeased and they will be able to leave peacefully and level up. The most important is the silvered shortsword in 25E (page 218). This kept them panicked, tense, and on their toes. 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. Keeping level 1 characters alive is no small task, and "Death House" monsters have high armor classes and hit hard. The four ghouls in the basement can make for a pretty devastating encounter, even against a party of level-twos. 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. I generally reduce her life drain to deal 1d6 necrotic damage if we didnt start the party at level 3. We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. She was then stabbed by the cultists for unexplained reasons and cast aside. Den of Wolves.- There are two cabinets that can be lock picked, one of them contains a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow and 20 bolts. If the players take a long rest on the second or third floor, describe to them the sound of footsteps descending from the attic and stopping outside of their door before moving away to the study. Honestly, the story behind the adventure is incredibly grim and might be off-putting to some groups. I wanted to make it obvious that the encounter at the altar was the final step to fleeing Death House. For starters, that kind of monster is completely out of place here. I find this last bit of information a potential let down for the settings tone. 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. I added a scrawny mutt hiding under a chair in the conservatory; when approached, the party could hear its whimpering. However, there is enough information provided to add your own spins to the Death House. You cant just go ahead and say Its a Shambling Mound. Castle Ravenloft is the home of Strahd Von Zarovich and is quite a terrifying location. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came up well. Related: The Best Books That EVERY DM NEEDS To Read! Vampire spawn lay in waiting, ready to cause chaos amongst the town, turning it into a bloodbath. Cult Leaders Quarters.- Gustav and Elisabeth Durst are here, they are ghasts. Heading further up Mount Ghakis, it is also freezing cold at night. Death House is that deadly. Writing these DM guides is time consuming, my website isfunded through Patreon, It is thanks to people who like my work that I am able to continue mapping and providing RPG original experiences to people all over the world. 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. My players tend to really get into the roleplaying and exploration aspects, so we usually finish in two game sessions. 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. Luke also has a board game obsession, plays a bunch of D&D, and makes silly videos on YouTube. The go-to source for comic and superhero movie fans. Part-time Druid, Full-time Hobo. Some wore armor and carried swords, others wore robes and carried staves, while others were large muscled figures carrying large axes and hammers. I will definitely incorporate these ideas next time! You can really play on this unease to build up tension within the party, building it up until they are constantly on edge. Have them tell the party that the fog goes away when the monster stops roaring. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. So theres a certain level of are we going to play D&D? here. New Movie News, Movie Trailers & upcoming Movie Reviews. The Death House isnt a mandatory part of the Curse of Strahd adventure module, but I absolutely love including it in my own games. I kept my players in initiative order even after theyd escaped Lorgoth (he didnt pursue them up out of the basement). 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). Theres a third baby in the picture in the fathers arms, Mrs. Durst looks at the baby with scorn. If you do this, have the party level up once theyve escaped. This fight should prove to be much easier than the Animated Armor. Not all of them need to be visited, your group might skip some parts of the house or the dungeon. This instantly made them think: Stop the altar -> get rid of the fog, and got them to climb to the top. Thats the foundation of storytelling for thousands of years! Death House is a classic haunted house tale, starting with two ghostly children pleading for help outside. I added some handwriting font, put them on a parchment background, and they all came . You can let them know something is coming with smell and sounds. Be careful when you use these, though. There is lots of foreshadowing for the story to come. 9. 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. 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. Dress Up This October With This Month's Free Subscription Perks! 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. Few of those presented in this adventure, however, compare to the infamous Death House. The adventurers manage to put their spirits to rest and claim the room's loot. This is all really helpful and wish I'd seen this before I'd run DH. A big boss fight is coming up and you want the party to expend some resources, but still have some fight in them for the boss encounter! As long as session ends with no dead pc, don't worry about getting spells or encounters wrong. Here, the children seize full control over their hosts bodies. There might be some who have managed to mostly keep out of trouble, but they are very few in these lands. ), The Themes of the Death House in Curse of Strahd. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'tabletopjoab_com-leader-3','ezslot_23',152,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-tabletopjoab_com-leader-3-0');This is a dungeon that doesnt pull punches and makes for quite the introduction to the land of Barovia! 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. Monster design is good, but we have to re-skin the description a bit. 25. 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. If you started at level 1, this is a good point to have everyone level up. 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. While frightening at first, it quickly loses its charm. If/when the PCs try to leave, the children will try to possess them, not out of aggression but out of fear of abandonment. The book says that players retain control but have to take a temporal flaw and role play accordingly (page 217). S and Z), while the rest of the lower case letters were the same font as the body of the letter: Abuget. Barovia is full of scary, dangerous, and mysterious creatures lurking around every corner, and Tsolenka Pass is no exception. 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. Letter two is in the 3rd Floor master suite, in MrsDursts jewelry box. 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