The baron of Vallaki also holds festivals to keep spirits up. Curses NEEDto rhyme. Instead of her being obviously evil (which by the way everyone figures out as soon as you mention "her sorrow soul asking for forgiveness so you should totally bring her back to life"), she is truly repented. Scylla is a mysterious and powerful sea serpent that sits atop its eponymous cliff on a coastal Kven island. He knows about the curse, and knows that the only way to end a curse is to contradict its rhyme so that it won't be true to itself. Keep in mind Strahd is also a 9th-level caster and wont hesitate to befuddle and confuse players with a well-placed fireball through a fog cloud or even magically control them with his charm action. [Top 10] Best D&D Stories For The Greatest Adventures [16] On occasion, the two were also joined by Dalamar of Krynn. He is curious about what Amari knows, and was unaware of the reincarnation and soulless that exist . Now, I am not intimately aware of the lore surrounding D&D 5e, and I know that he is a prominent figure over all. A small comment regarding vampires: you could argue that he could just turn someone into a vampire so that he has an undead lover. Curse of Strahd - Flip eBook Pages 201-250 | AnyFlip Strahd is the ruler of Barovia on the material realm, and is well loved as an enlightened despot. However, my players assumed she was a towngirl who had been charmed. She often stops Varvara from drifting out of reality. Sporting 16 AC and 144hp, standard vampire resistances, vampire immunities, and his highest saves are +9. Wilma is the cook at Fidatov manor, preferred by Fidatova for her flair rather than her reliability. However, Strahd does have some redeeming beefy base stats with an 18 in STR, CHA, DEX, and CON a 15 in WIS and a big-brained 20 INT. This is why she acts like a cat, and also why there are skeleton cats in his room. Lael Milpialda is an adventuring wizard and the youngest mage of the Milpialda Family. Put that eldritch imagination to the test, and remember to tease your players with this iconic line:The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner and you are invited!. This site works best with JavaScript enabled. Captain Eriana is a mysterious adventuring pirate and captain of the Fundament, operating on waters south of Alfheim to east of Kvenland. . Euryale was the older sister of Medusa who helped her start a small empire after her rejection by Oghma. Claudiu is the eldest son of Stefania and grandchild of Davian Martikov, and an aspiring swordsman, practicing on scarecrows. [12], Although Mordenkainen resided primarily on Oerth, by at least the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR, his spells were not uncommon among spellbooks in Faern. [2], By the Year of Twelve Warnings, 1494 DR,[note 2] Mordenkainen inhabited the Tower of Urm, a dwelling that he used as a vehicle to travel through the multiverse. Since his original showing in 1983 in the original Ravenloft, Strahd has instilled joy and fear in many dungeon masters and players alike. If you want your players to experience horror, they should never really grasp them. so the players don't immediately know its heavily changed. Dead in Thay; Against the Giants; Tomb of Horrors; Tomb of Annihilation; 2018. Ireena Kolyana is the daughter of Kolyan Indirovich, and the primary object of Strahd's affection. Father Donavich is the reclusive priest of Barovia village, who prays night and day for relief from his dark circumstance. Yan was an outcast from the Vistani troupes in Barovia, who worked as a travelling smuggler. tarokka reading | Curse of Strahd | Obsidian Portal Fugue is a junior guard at Fidatov manor, nicknamed after her habit of humming melodies stuck in her head. The module swiftly leads the party to a Vistani encampment, where the players can have their . [Mad Mage's Magnificent Mansion] . Khazan was a powerful mage, and we already have all the lore in his chapter that is never given to the players. Strahd even has an accountant named Lief Lipsiege whos been an intriguing fixture of Ravenloft since the original I6 module. The heroes encounter the Mad Mage and he welcomes them into his magnificent mansion! Hedwig is Ivah's talkative best friend and lives at St. Andral's Orphanage. **Spoiler warning for the Curse of Strahd adventure module for D&D 5e**. Until she reached Tenebrous, where she took the power, and became evil, with a goal of lichdom, she attacked the PC's, and eventually escaped to enact her wish of immortality.Upon Strahd's defeat, the PC's encountered her again, this time a as a demilich. Blinsky is the founder of Blinsky toys, and aims to improve the world with his strange creations, one smile at a time. Oghma the Allknower is the goddes of knowledge, inspiration and invention. After slaying them in a remote valley, Strahd was amazed by the regions beauty and dubbed the land Barovia. Curse of Strahd is an adventure book for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. Vistani NPCs have access to curses and the Evil Eye (p. . Yep, thats pretty underwhelming at first glance, but Strahds strength doesnt lie in the numbers and dice rolls, it lies in his tactics. Plus, you have our However, Strahd does have some redeeming beefy base stats with an 18 in STR, CHA, DEX, and CON a 15 in WIS and a big-brained 20 INT. Turned into a Vampire Spawn by Strahd during the Mad Mage's failed attack on Ravenloft: 31. Recharged: Waterdeep Dungeon of the Mad Mage. The characters wanted to convince him to join their fight against Strahd. So, reading ahead in the Curse of Strahd manual, I see that the players can learn that the Mad Mage of Mt. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. Wintersplinter is the tree blight that the druids of Yester Hill intend to summon. Only instead I made Strahd have an illegitimate son, who he technically took by force to be raised in his domain. Dinara is the best friend of Aziana and a guard of the Werewolf Den, being one of the only werewolves trained in hand-to-hand combat. He lurks to this day on Mount Baratok. Artank was a wine distiller and was famous for making most of his money from winning drinking contests. Mordenkainen | Curse of Strahd | Obsidian Portal Giving way too much info out on the front page, imo. Curse of Strahd Companion 15: The Werewolf Den This is using Curse of Strahd, based in an alternate version of our Earth, where the fantastical is possible! Zuleika is the mate of Emil, and bides her time to avenge him and become the pack leader she believes he should have been. Burgomaster Kolyan was the beloved burgomaster of Barovia village before his death during the siege of his mansion. Mishka is the murderous miscreant of the Belview family, and likes to pull lethal pranks on anyone he can. Let us not forget The Knight of The Black Rose, Lord Soth and his conflict with Strahd. Lord Nikolai is the eldest Wachter child, and a fervent alcoholic, constantly searching for mischievous distractions from his nobility. [6], While suffering from his madness, he was convinced that enemies were everywhere and he was being constantly watched by evil agents. To me, this translates as an ability to endure under harsh conditions for the folks who have souls, at least. Lysaga went by a different name in her youth as Strahd's nursemaid. When I tackled this, I wanted to offer my players some way to actually defeat the curse, and have more than one encounter make way more sense. The key is to remember that Strahd isnt a brawler, hes a leader and his stat block reflects that. Aike and Ulfrik saw through the mist and trees the battle taking place between this mystical elk and four large wolves. Patrina was a lover of Strahd, and consoled him after the death of Tatyana and his vampiric transformation. It's like having a rewind button for your campaign. Strahd has an illusion of Tatyana who he treats like his real wife, but she's not completely responsive and it's clear that something's wrong with her. Strahdis married to Tatyana and loves her dearly. Curse of Strahd: Destined Allies - DriveThruRPG.com Anastrasya is a former Vallakian noblewoman and consort of Strahd. He was defeated and thrown from the walls of Castle Ravenloft by a mighty blast of lighting and his body was carried away by the River Ivilis. Curse of Strahd: Destined Allies - "There is one destined to stand with you against the shadow, but of their ultimate fate, not even I can tell," - Madam E "There is one destined to stand with you against the shadow, but of their ultimate fate, not even I can tell," - Madam E. Login; My Library; Use the mage stat block in the Monster 6th level (1 slot):find the path, harm, true seeing Pidlwick was the jester of Duchess Dorfniya who told him to work at Ravenloft in her will. Its impossible to talk about Barovia without discussing Strahd von Zarovich, who first made his appearance in 1983s famous I6 module Ravenloft. Rahadin is Strahd's chamberlain, bodyguard, and only true friend. Apart from Milivoj, Cedrik is the orphan most affected by the house's mysterious debilitating plague. Baroness Lydia Petrovna is the wife of Baron Vargas. He became known by the locals as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. Statistics. He was trying to revive her dead pet cat, when his soul clinged to Stella's body. Hope this helps. Klutz was the moniker given by Strahd to one of his disgraced knights that 'fell on his sword'. Dr. Van Richten is a legendary huntsman and holy warrior whose vengeful career has spanned over twenty years. [6], In addition to many scrolls and potions, Mordenkainen was known to possess a bag of holding, a set of bracers of defense, a crystal ball, a +1 dagger, an efreeti bottle, a wand of cold, a wand of fear, and three pearls of power. Hadar is an Elder Evil that clings to the 'dark side' of his eponymous star. Prefect Ciril was the leader of King Barov's church and the spiritual counsellor of the Queen's Knights of the Raven. I remember him like it was yesterday. The way I see it is this: "Strahd really wanted two things: for his name to be eternally remembered and for the company of his loved ones. Arista was a runaway Vistani and Strahd's court ceiling painter. He lurks to this day on Mount Baratok. [4] He often traveled to Waterdeep with his friends for revelry in a city where he would not be recognized. . Asmodeus the Hellking is the ruler of the Nine Hells of Baator and is considered on-par with the Greater Deities. [14], Mordenkainen was the leader of the Oerthian group of wizards known as the Circle of Eight, which included many spell inventors whose names were well known on Toril, such as Bigby, Drawmij, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, Rary, and Tenser. Perhaps Strahd's goal is to burrow his way through the planes and create a united force of Darklords to overthrow and supplant the darklords. -A CR23 statblock of Mordenkainen with magic items and treasures! If his crypt is disturbed, he animates as a wraith and commands his three hell hounds to attack. 2023 Wizards. 2023 Wizards. It was released in March 2016. His . Ben is a serving swain at the Hoofprint inn in Merryway. Mordenkainen's spells known in the Realms included: Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Tarokka Reading. Khazan found out about the curse, and how the plane had been taken over by the dark lords. - Count Strahd von Zarovich (enemy) This man isnt undead, either hes just a servant that Strahd keeps chained up in Castle Ravenloft to count his money for him! The Mad Mage has a different spell list from that Mordenkainen is a powerful wizard who rallied the population of Barovia to his side and led an attack against Castle Ravenloft approximately one year ago. He doesnt really have much going on if you run him exactly as you would any other monster based off of his stats alone. He believes that the Count is un-killable, and the prevailing tactic should be his appeasement. Yenva is the youngest son of Yonvich, and seeks to author new books and update Vallakian records while his father preserves old knowledge. If you're interested, I'll share a couple of details I reimagined when mastering this campaign for my friends. We think you'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Ulysses of Eros was a paladin of Sune who went on a vision quest south to respond to Sasha Ivliskova's pursuit. Follow along as I look into Strahds Stat Block and what the numbers mean and how to make this villain play as terrifyingly as hes written. Sir. Here is a list of all Curse of Strahd Maps I did and shared with this Subreddit. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. Skennis is the retired alpha of the werewolf pack in Barovia. If you're a new GM preparing to run Curse of Strahd, you'll need to know: your players can either start at third level, or they can run through the introductory adventure "Death House." Before "Death House" you'll likely want to run one of the initial adventure hooks: "Plea For Help," "Mysterious Visitors," "Werewolves in the . He chased Tatyana until she flung herself from the spires of Castle Ravenloft to her death. Like Strahd himself, locals cannot leave which means that aside from the occasional foreigner, Barovia is largely a closed ecosystem. March 15, 2016. $32.40. Erasmus was the son of Dr. Van Richten turned vampire spawn of Baron Metus. Elsa was a pioneering performer in Barovia before and shortly after the curse, whose death marked the end of the artistic golden age of the valley. The real problem is that he will never be able to grasp a living person, so the Abbot is trying to make an undead lover for Strahd.The fun thing is that the book already gives us a dead lover that could take the place of Tatyana in Strahd's heart: Petrina. Gender: Male Lizabeta was the youngest daughter of Anna and Dmitri Krezkov, and died from a hereditary disease. The Dreamsnarer is a gnome tinkerer in Merryway who made Arrigal's chiming watch. Curse of Strahd Level Guide. Eventually, Ravenloft became the name for the greater setting of the Domains of Dread, a patchwork Shadowfell realm consisting of Barovia and other kingdoms pulled from various worlds. Barovia is a demiplane bordered by the Mists, which act as living vapors that often seep out into the Material Plane to pull strangers within. Neferon of Gehenna is a plane-hopping mage that has settled as the obstinate guardian of the Amber Temple. Baratok, so I got ready to run the archmage stat block according to the modifications CoS sets forth. Vistani matriarch Madam Eva also happens to be Strahds half-sister a mind-boggling fact that the vampire himself is unaware of and regularly asks her people to find otherworldly adventurers who might be able to set her half-brother free. Sune the Firehair is the goddess of beauty, love and passion. First published. He is the only surviving adventurer that has been lured to Barovia. His mother, Queen Ravenovia van Roeyen, was fearful of him, and she was unappeased by the castle named Ravenloft that he constructed in her honor. - Arabelle (obsessor). The heroes are born and bred Barovians and havereceived a letter in a fine flowing script inviting them up to the castle for dinner.Everyone in Barovia knows what this means - they are going to be Strahd's next blood slaves. It will take place in the mid 1790's, so about 100 years before the events of the book this module is based on. Bianca is the sadistic mate of Kiril, sharing much of his philosophy on what a werewolf should be. As a token of love, I made her steal one of the wizard of wines gems and use it to make the heart of sorrow, with a part of her very own soul. He managed to turn into a demilich, and can still be found in the amber temple. . Strahd's Barovia: A Guide to D&D's Most Famous Horror Setting, Strahd: The First Darklord of the Domains of Dread, Barovia is a Melancholic Realm Encircled by the Mists, Fresh Variations of Horror in Olde Barovia, Playing With Dark Gifts, a Double-Edged Sword for Characters, Drift Off Into I'Cath: The Domain of Dreams, Journey to Har'Akir: A Desert Domain Where the Dead Never Rest. Angelika was Davian's wife, best friend, and mother of their four children, and was killed by Baba Lysaga. Madalena is the no-nonsense senior maid at Wachterhaus and a close confidant of the book club. Also known as: The Mad Mage of Mount Baratok He is also a drunk, and talented violinist. Baroness Eisglaza was a young noble under King Barov, and was frequently rumoured to be a rakshasi. Tessa is a mute but observant bookworm at St. Andral's Orphanage. - Doru Dragomir (former ally) You should check them out. He is described as a "mad mage" who came to the valley to defeat its ruler but caught a case of amnesia in the process. Strahd feels an extreme guilt towards him, as he just couldn't resist the curse.Strahd's curse: this campaign is called Curse of Strahd, yet we never hear the curse. But when the devil Strahd fell upon him, the wizards magic couldnt save him. Dhavit is the endlessly busy chef at Wachterhaus. Keep this in mind when you portray Strahd. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizards body, but the River lvlis had already spirited him away.. It's a Sith legend. The Mage's Rebellion | Curse of Strahd: Library of Mystery | Obsidian Beware! Mordenkainen, commonly referred to in local legend as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok, is an ancient legendary wizard from a magical world. Wiki Le Monde des Royaumes Oublis (French), Mordenkainen's defense against lycanthropes, Mordenkainen's defense against nonmagical reptiles and amphibians, Mordenkainen's faithful phantom defenders, Mordenkainen's faithful phantom shield-maidens, Mordenkainen's protection from insects and arachnids, Inhabitants with a 12 challenge rating (5e), Inhabitants with a 27 challenge rating (3e). View flipping ebook version of Curse of Strahd published by raptorhunter182 on 2019-06-22. Jeremy Crawford, Laura Hickman, Tracy Hickman, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Richard Whitters. Recharged: Tyranny of Dragons. Subtle and non-immersion-breaking ads, old lore with new twists, it has everything that I look for in a D&D Beyond article. Drusilla is often referred to as "a wonderful conversationalist" in Rictavio's journal. Artimus was an eccentric genius architect responsible for the construction of Fidatov Manor, Baratok Tower and Castle Ravenloft. Ghosts of Saltmarsh; The Orrery of the Wanderer; Essentials Kit . Escher is the only surviving male consort of Strahd, and fights viciously to remain as such. A riot at night, but lonely by day. Locally, he is only known as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. Strahds Stat Block: What The Numbers Mean. Incentus was Lady Tereska's retainer and lover. She was killed after falling into a trap set up by the vampire. I actually did something similar. Lord Argynvost was the commanding founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon, and is widely considered to have been Strahd's greatest adversary during the latter's conquest. Miranda is a travelling saleswoman who lives at the Tser Pool camp. He is the sun god's final of many attempts to free Barovia from Strahd. His voice was deep and melodic. Mad Mary is the reclusive, delusional and mentally unstable mother of Gertruda. Thornboldt Durst was the eldest son of the Durst family, and died as a casualty of his mother's final ritual. Strahd is a curse on the land from centuries ago. Old Svalich Road cuts through Barovia and has been trodden by many adventurers over the years. Strong writing from Jeremy Blum with great organization and efficient summary; good example of enhanced supplementation from D&D Beyond. Race: Human Riven is the mysterious patron of Azuron, who first made contact with him during his refuge in a meteorite cave in Scylla's cliff. Strahd has been working tirelessly for a thousand years trying to create a magical / alchemical cure for Tatyana's plague. Erik was acquired by Lady Isolde, and was an unidentified knight whose dying wish was to be dipped in melting gold. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. Whoops. The book enhances the original Curse of Strahd module, which you will still need. She blindly supports his tyranny for the sake of her sanity. A rare moment of rest as the party decide what to do next. Curse of Strahd: The Wedding At Ravenloft - The Wedding at Ravenloft has made it to Fantasy Grounds! Victoria is the herbalist and non-clerical healer of Fidatov estate. The Abbot is an angel of the Morninglord, whose divine purpose is to relieve the people of Barovia from their strife. Bluto is the town fisherman and drunk. He later joined their cause after being cured by an amulet to the Morninglord from the Order of the Silver Dragon, in order to avenge his son that was corrupted by Strahd.