Curse of strahd allies. Cast sleep on cleric. I also While within sight of Strahd, this character grants inspiration to one player character he or she can see. Hopefully this post has been helpful for anyone looking to have exciting NPC allies without overly bloating their party size! And hopefully you get some exciting inspiration for r/CurseofStrahd: This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. Lightning flashes rip through the darkness, its thunder As someone running Curse of Strahd in Star Wars, I very much approve of the comparison. Fight: Grave of Sergei Crying, Strahd would never let anyone alive after see his envy and weakness. 10 is the sweet spot, but that fight can be very tough if you play him EDIT: I MEANT ENEMIES OF STRAHD GODDAMMIT Starting Curse Of Strahd next month due to going on vacation soon and I'm currently reading through the module as we speak to prep for it, one of the biggest decisions I made right off the bat is to rig the cards to make the campaign as fun as I can for my party instead of potentially screwing them or myself over with bad luck so Tome: Argynvolsthold with Ghost, thats how he knows he knows Strahd is cursed forever. I've filled out the slots for a total of 8 new allies (of these, 4 brand new fabrications). e. Strahd has few allies, and this guide will talk about them. The Legend. Reply reply Lt-Derek • • When they came out, they met one of their allies from the Winery, chased by some monsters. This supplement fills in the gaps left by Curse of Strahd by I am preparing to run CoS and am reading Strahd‘s statblock. Strahd kept his word and knighted the cook posthumously, Some of the High Deck have one option for Strahd's Enemy, while others have two. We also have a discord server: Will they be allies if she ever turned on him (say, if the Player Characters reveal some unfortunate things he said about her, Per the module, Strahd also knows who this ally is and is also trying to snipe them. This might cause your ally to want to lay low. Strahd gibes him enough scrolls of Resurrection to raise all but 1 of his companions. Summaries of the campaign's six narrative acts. When I was reading the information about the different fated allies I was torn between van Richten & Arabelle (I'm pre-choosing the cards for the reading to fit the story better). They The RAW intention: There is one ally, and they show up at the final fight against Strahd. Best to keep them with the party. I have made up my own list of all the NPC’s that can be found (to give to my players). You can support his work by joining his Patreon. Strahd’s face forms the barest hint of a smile as his dark plan unfolds. Somewhere dramatic. Be the first to comment Nobody's responded to this post yet. I was planning on doing so myself, and still might. So in my campaign I had Strahd's allies, the brides, Escher and some Vistani aid him in the final battle with the PCs (Rahadin has already died). This guide will discuss about where the party will meet each NPC, So, as we know there's a lot of page turning in CoS, and information about your party's destined ally can be scattered across the book and their stats in the Monster Manual (but with minute The Tarokka reading at the beginning of this adventure gives you an opportunity to randomly select your group's ally against Strahd. Curse of Strahd: Reloaded is written by DragnaCarta. Ezmerelda d'Avenir - clocking at CR 8, Ezmerelda is one of the most combat-ready allies in the game. Some of the High Deck have one option for Strahd's Enemy, while others have two. Though the book says these three are Strahd's spies, they are not in this version. by This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. This timing raises questions about whether the Krezkovs were allies of Strahd. She packs magic weapons, armor, and spells, and has good hp and AC to keep up with the PCs. While I like most of the 5e adventures that have been released, Curse of Strahd is one of the few that I can run again and again without ever getting tired of it. This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. The question I had was how to implement them, and what then to do with them. Strahd should also use his Charm Destined Allies is a supplement intended to make your life easier for tracking the ally destined to join the adventurers in their fight against the shadow of Strahd von Zarovich in Curse of For my player that wants to be a “special ally” to strahd, I was going to have strahd lie to her and say that if he could get access to his tome and a few locks of her hair, he could alter the curse Destined Allies is a supplement intended to make your life easier for tracking the ally destined to join the adventurers in their fight against the shadow of Strahd von Zarovich in If you're looking for an ally to up the amount of magic in the party, Ezmerelda d'Avenir (Mists) is a spellcaster who pulls from the wizard spell list (IIRC; been a while since I ran her); Rudolph You'll want them taking down Strahd anywhere between 9 and 11, depending on how good at strategy and optimization the players themselves are, and how well you play Strahd. ## Act I - Into Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the 5th-edition of Dungeons & Dragons, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2016. The final battle with Strahd should probably take up an entire session. It’s also reasonable to assume many people in Krezk share Dmitri’s lineage. Another common change: Additional allies may participate where it makes sense, but it's only temporary and This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. Then they question which Strahds are allies or foes. You can purchase the official Curse of Strahd campaign module on the Dungeons & Dragons website or via D&DBeyond. This unofficial free guide is made available under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. The three brides, Escher, and Rahadin are what will be discussed. General resources Major Guides. Allies and Allies?: Ireena Kolyana, duelist (I'm stealing the Walking Hut), but it feels disingenuous to call this "Pathfinder 2e Curse of Strahd Full Conversion", because it's more of a selection of key NPCs, a lot of which are specifically adapted or A few months ago, I published a primer for new Curse of Strahd DMs on running the game and what to expect when they do. Ireena and Ismark: There's really no excuse for them. SunSword: Van Ritchen Tower, That how Strahd never found it, since anti magic field. Ultimately, Strahd is the focus of the story. Bound by Fate Under raging storm Yet again, we launch into one of my excessively wordy expansions on an NPC within the Curse of Strahd. As they arrived on the night of the party, several of Strahd's allies are there: Arrigal, Lady Wachter (who is now burgomaster of Vallaki), Ernst (who was killed by the party and is now a Relentless Killer), Dmitri’s ancestors built Krezk after Strahd’s armies conquered the valley. I know there are existing resources for this, but a part of the revisions I've seen that still feels strange is the idea that many Vistani in Barovia are neutral to Strahd and that their relationship is one of mutual respect (as opposed to all Vistani being evil). He is cursed to always see his friends and allies die--which means he has to live long enough to see it happen. The first is scarcity, everything of value to the party in Barovia is scarce, there are almost no magic items, hardly any stores and the one there is sells everything overpriced, no safe places to rest, the wine is running out everything is in short supply and that includes The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. In my game, Ismark got injured during the fight with the Abbot, so they hunkered down at the Winery for a week or two while the party went off to do other things, but rejoined them later. If you need to change that revival time for Strahd to be longer I changed it a bit and made it so that the players have multiple allies against Strahd, who will all (ideally) have roles in the final battle. These possible allies are enumerated on pages 15 Strahd has few allies, and this guide will talk about them. He wakes up with a sword in his gut. Ireena's kind of a walking MacGuffin - Strahd's going to go after her eventually. I think many DMs handle this by having the Tser Pool Vistani -- where Madame Eva lives -- be the more neutral/helpful Vistani, whereas the ones by Vallaki are more allied with Strahd. DragnaCarta's Guide to Village of Barovia: Curse of Strahd Reloaded; MandyMod's Guide to Village of Barovia: Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. Destined Allies is a supplement intended to make your life easier for tracking the ally destined to join the adventurers in their fight against the shadow of Strahd von Zarovich in Curse of Strahd. In fact they aren't actually NPCs in RAW Curse of Strahd. ## Chapter 3 - Running the Game [[Adventure Summary]]. ADMIN MOD Curse of Strahd HeroForge Mega Collection! Part 2: Allies Against Darkness ART / PROP Share Add a Comment. [[Running the Adventure]]. His performance garnered the deva's sympathy, and the Abbot, playing into Strahd's hands, set for himself the My players are en route to Tser Pool and I want Madam Eva to give them proper card readings in addition to the readings of the Fortunes, so I put together a reference doc for interpreting the cards. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they came — all according to his plan. There are a number of powerful allies I am going to play Curse of Strahd for the first time ever and I am hoping to get some ideas and examples of the best character to play! What's everyone's recommendations? Strahd’s army charged past the cook’s body, still laughing, and continued laughing as they slaughtered the valley’s defenders. In terms of Saint Markovia, we know the Abbey pre-dates Krezk as a town, which only really formed in response to the war itself. To control NPC allies during combat, I started out using monster stat blocks, but after buying the Essentials Kit I switched over to using its Sidekick rules SPOILERS FOR CURSE OF STRAHD FOLLOW. There isn’t a list I will try to do this memory without missing anybody. Polymorph is a very strong spell and I plan to use it to transform allies, such as Rahadin in combat. . Since then, I've heard from a lot of DMs who have faced issues with their players - specifically, because their players approached the campaign "wrong" and TPK'd, because their players are feeling depressed after a hopeless, defeat-filled campaign, or from Strahd shows up, is disappointed they failed to protect Ireena and comitted murder. A Bride for Strahd. Arrigal, a Vistani spy loyal to Strahd, is one of the many potential allies against Strahd that the party might learn of through their Tarokka reading. Our Allies. The tarokka deck is a powerful tool for both Madam Eva and for Dungeon Masters running Curse of Strahd. Such allies aren’t likely to last for long, however, due to their low hit points. Ally: Ezemeralda, best Option, since you can multiple see her at any location. I play with a shorter short rest rule (30 min), but my intent is that the PCs get a short rest prior to the battle with Vampyr. I’m a sucker for a good horror story. Hey I am going to play Curse of Strahd for the first time ever and I am hoping to get some ideas and examples of the best and they still want a light source so their NPC allies can see, and so they don't overlook enemies, traps, and secret doors. Somewhere with thunder and lighting slamming in the background, somewhere with Strahd's allies coming into play, somewhere where the players can get knocked unconscious and fall off the side of the castle, and so on. Obviously, the T-Rex is the strongest option and therefore, it makes sense for Strahd to use that. Additionally, your ally can also scamper off and do some logistical support until its time to storm the castle. Rallying allies across the land, gathering info, questing for a long-lost pair of magic gloves, etc. So while probably not one of the best allies to have, this character can still Whether you're looking for a guide to roleplaying Strahd von Zarovich, a comprehensive history of Barovia, or a full *Curse of Strahd* campaign walkthrough, look no further—for you've come to In the Curse of Strahd adventure, you learn from the tarokka card reading of an ally who is destined to help you against Strahd. The idea that The Abbot sew the head of a child to Clovin shoulders is absolutely horrifying, even for Curse of Strahd, and call me a weakling but I REALLY DON’T LIKE THAT. Kill everyone but the cleric, who had been sprouting shit that he could only know by reading the Tome. I did keep Ismark and Ireena as the Executioner and Innocent, but I made the Darklord Ludmilla (Strahd’s bride). So may I One of the most frustrating things about Curse of Strahd/Ravenloft lore is that information about Von Zarovich's conquest of various lands including Barovia is preciously sporadic. Especially if theyve seeded hints to it the entire campaign. One way to do these is If it suits your style, Strahd could accompany the players as allies for an errand he requests of them, or they could all go on a bender together. The tarokka reading is an iconic aspect of #CurseofStrahd that identifies the locations and identities of important treasures and people for your players to Hello all I'm just wondering everyone's take on this I'm debating on giving my players multiple allies from the tarot card reading. I’m planning to run Curse of Strahd for my friend, with him being the only player. All in all, we had an amazing and satisfying conclusion to Curse of Strahd! So you may have to adjust the final encounter by adding allies for Strahd or possibly modifying Strahd himself. Conclusion – Reviewing Curse of Strahd 5e. Acknowledgments. Have a chat. Strahd himself finds these three pretty deplorable by their Mortu status and actively refuses to use them as his allies. Author's Note: Hello! I'm u/FrustratedProgramm3r! I think this is a great idea. There is hardly any mention of the Raven Queen in Curse of Strahd, and it seems at times that they're confusing her for "Mother Night," which they might be doing intentionally but they seem like very different gods. One way to do these is have a regular significance and a reversed significance, like the tarot deck: i. I chose van Richten, Ezmeralda, Kasimir, Zuleika, Mordenkainen, and Godfrey because they were the most interesting to me. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness. If he is staked in his coffin, he dies and we get the normal ending of CoS. The others have a more distanced relationship with them. • 6 yr. I'm thinking of this as i want to have more exploration of barovia and my campaign will be a bit longer. So my Paladin, Naivaro, is a native of the Nentir Vale (4e fans represent) There are two groups. Art credit: Cover and background artwork Welcome to Curse of Strahd: Reloaded—a comprehensive guide to running Curse of Strahd for new and veteran Dungeon goals, allies, and tactics. The following are my thoughts on how I would use several of the Mist Wanderers. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft presents a handful of colourful characters well-suited to use in Curse of Strahd. According to my characterization, she thinks she would be a better ruler of Barovia than Strahd and could be convinced by the party to kill Strahd so that she could become a "There is one destined to stand with you against the shadow, but of their ultimate fate, not even I can tell," - Madam Eva. r/CurseofStrahd: This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. Players meet Ireena, get an introduction to the Vistani, and learn bits and pieces about the history of the land and Strahd himself. In my campaign, the ravens in Barovia are evidence of the Raven Queen's disdain for Strahd. Mephista. And in the end, a two-stage approach to killing Strahd made for a great last-ditch effort climax. S-tier. , the Marionette is Pidlwick, the Reversed Marionette is Clovin. If needed, you could have Strahd change out his spells or even increase his spell casting ability as he tries to figure out a strategy to ultimately defeat the party. I based all the card meanings off Tarot cards that I felt most closely represented how I perceive the Tarokka faces, though I had to take some liberties. Very time travel shenanigans-y. Rudolph van Richten is an old monster hunter. View User I am planning a CoS adventure for the first time, and am trying to revise Vistani lore to make them less of a negative stereotype. Note: works great with When I was playing in a group through Curse of Strahd, the DM initially played like this during our final (and first) trip to the castle and nearly all of the players immediately just started wishing for the campaign to end already, mainly because we had basically no way of stopping this with our party composition and rather than feeling Curse of Strahd A Dungeons & Dragons 5e game In the world of Eclion a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. If Strahd is in a position where he has disadvantage, then these helpful allies can eliminate that disadvantage. Strahd confided in the Abbot, lamenting his curse and telling the deva that he wished nothing more than to escape Barovia. In Curse of Strahd, these allies are fated to assist you in your goal of destroying Strahd von Zarovich. It is intended for 4 players, taking them from level 1 to 10. A guide to reading—and running—this guide. We His NPC Allies series changed the Mad Mage’s identity from Mordenkainen to Victor’s future self after successfully escaping Barovia. The common change: There is one ally, but they join up and become a regular part of the group. Also if it's a crappy one, they get revamped to be useful members of the party. By using the tarokka deck to randomize locations within the adventure, And by reuniting them with their allies, they had to take care to avoid losing them as well. Costs 1 perception check as an action per Strahd-double. Add your thoughts and get the conversation going Drawing random cards from her tarroka deck, she directs adventurers to search Strahd’s domain for artifacts and allies to help the master of Castle Ravenloft. The Forum Infestation (TM) #13 Feb 26, 2018. They actually are locked away in the crypts. Characters are likely to target these allies instead of Strahd in order to eliminate the advantage that they grant him. At the Amber temple, Strahd has access to every spell in the PHB. Cool. And if that means that this DM wants to run Strahd as the champion to an even badder bad guy, thats fine. Set in the Ravenloft campaign setting, the module revolves around the vampire Strahd von Zarovich and the Demiplane of Dread that serves as his prison. The campaign is set up with a single "enemy of Strahd" for several reasons. Consider the downside of multiple allies. Yes, curse of Strahd RAW is about Strahd, but d&d is something that each DM gets to put their own twist on. There is however a problem with this particular interpretation, Clovin two heads. Dmitri’s ancestors founded Krezk at the time of Strahd’s invasion. I know how wordy I can usually be, and I'll do my vamaena. Strahd is a lawful individual with a healthy respect for the Vistani, so he would never associate himself with a Mortu. We both know it’ll be pretty gruelling, so I’ve made some changes: Honestly, despite giving him allies/sidekicks to help, do have sections during which he has to travel alone I'm returning again two years after finishing my last curse of strahd game! Always looking for an excuse to start a new game Most of the fated allies all chose to enter the mists to face down Strahd rather than just be adventurers who got pulled into the mists. i don't want a bunch of NPCs joining every combat but I want to do the card reading to give them more choice of allies, I'll still leave them to have an I reworked a few of the cards to be stronger allies. OR, the PCs and their allies can begin the process of binding Vampyr. The Vistani section talks about how some Vistani treat Strahd as their king and follow his commands. At the same time, her middling damage output means that she won't outshine Inspired by a post I ran across asking for suggestions about potential Allies, I decided to share my thoughts about ALL of the potential allies. ago. The Curse of Strahd adventure module for Dungeons & Dragons doesn’t give much background information for most of its NPC allies, otherwise known as “Strahd’s Enemy”.