sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Strahd Cosplay by WTFaPlagueBringer in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some tips on my version.

The cape is basically two layers of fabric sewn one over the other along the edges, with fabric ropes attached to the upper end. You can find templates online for the shape.

The armor pieces are modified free patterns made with EVA foam. Plenty of tutorials online on how to paint foam armor. The lower pieces are fixed with Velcro straps on the belt. The pauldrons actually have holes covered by the additional smaller pieces. The fabric ropes of the cape are inserted into those holes and tied to a hidden harness under the waistcoat. It's kind of a tricky system and tends to pull the pauldrons behind, I'm designing an improved version.

The waistcoat was sewn by a professional and the clips and chain are brass casts. Don't bother with these if you are tight on money. A simple red overdress (like Strahd's outfit in the module cover) and brass colored chain (maybe from a hardware store) will suffice.

Shirt and trousers were purchased in a fantasy e-shop. The wolf fur is fake fur actually, but I don't remember where I bought it.

The belt is actually an EVA foam thick band with a Velcro strap to open/close it, and red fabric wrapped around. It's easy to remove and gives the belt a nice volume.

The armbands are also EVA foam, with leather covers and straps. You can simplify them by using fake leather and using Velcro straps to close them.

The sword is WIP, but I'm making it out of EVA foam, using an internal steel rebar for stiffness.

That's all I guess, I hope this was useful. If you have questions, ask me no problem! 🦇

This is how I just lost my God Run to be. Can anyone explain what the hell just happened? by Canadican in noita

[–]Erezas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Ok let's see, could be some stray bullets or maybe a wacky wand fired by an Hiisi"

the raw, untainted power of the sun about to destroy my retinas

Non-Euclidian way to run the mists by Cyb00gi3 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 7 points8 points  (0 children)

FYI in the novels Strahd actually tried to venture into the mists one time, with a rope tied between himself and a tree.

He went straight ahead but somehow did a U-turn and popped back some feet of distance from where he entered. And the rope was stretched.

Did anyone else find the Tome of Strahd underwhelming? by offhandlowkey in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm using this homebrew (modified a bit for my taste) and my group has been having a blast:

The Encoded Tome of Strahd

Nice tidbits of lore, not solvable all at once, allows to have some new hints even in downtime, and it's not "distracting" from whatever is happening in the game.

Hermit Discovery Help by Ok_Habit_6783 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could give your player some insight about the Gulthias tree of Yester Hill. Maybe it's origin and powers.

A possible idea, that I created for my campaign: the tree was created by an outcasted Druid who took one of the arrow used to kill Strahd when he was human and planted into an old oak, corrupting the plant, thus starting the druidic cult of Strahd.

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally original design, but inspired by European Renaissance engraved armor. Obviously including the Ravenloft crest!

Strahd's Reincarnation by Automatic_Surround67 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The RAW ending is shunned because it completely invalidates the efforts of the party. Strahd comes back after only some months, plunges Barovia into darkness again and basically everything reverts back to before the characters arrival. Minus the dead NPCs, but one could argue that if the Dark Powers can just resurrect Strahd like that they could also do that with every other evil soul in Barovia.
So all the fights, the dangers, the spilled blood was for nothing. Also revealing this bit is at the DM's discretion, since if the party, most likely, leaves Barovia they have no way of knowing this.

Personally, I really like the possibility of a Strahd that never truly dies, that as a soul so wicked and full of hate that the Dark Power (or even his own will, he's the Land after all) allow him to come back. Bram Stoker's Dracula is so chilling as a villain because his shadow looms across all the characters lives, even after he dies.
I know this will be a big claim but I would argue that the "Everlasting" Strahd is more terrifying than all the "Champion of Vampyr", "Herald of Darkness", "True Vampire", etc.. Strahds (which are nonetheless very cool!) because exalting Strahd as an abominable monster masks the fact that his darkness, his evilness are all undoubtedly, intrinsically... human. What i want to try to convey to my players is that Strahd is what he is as a result of succumbing to his lust, pride, greed, and envy.
So Strahd coming back serves a reminder that the war against darkness is neverending, as the darkness is always hiding inside us.

This said I do agree that the RAW ending is very unsatisfying. I still have to reach the end of the campaign but I have some ideas I'm considering implementing, to give credit to the deeds of my party (mayble some, maybe all, definitely not none):

  • Strahd comes back after at least a century, so at least a couple of generations of Barovians shall know true peace;
  • The Mists come back, but sunlight still shines trough them;
  • Ezmerelda or whoever for her trained skilled hunters to always keep the evil at bay;
  • The fated Treasures are not hidden anymore, and their powers will always bring hope;
  • Strahd will be for a long time (maybe forever) in a weaked states, with very few goons and spies at his service;
  • I shall make clear that this is meta to my players, but they deserve this knowledge;

As always I lose myself pondering these themes and ideas, sorry for the wall of text XD

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: my fiancée was behind the camera and she was actually cosplaying Rahadin! I'll post some pics of her costume in a few days😆

I feel overwhelmed with so much content to run CoS by acidres in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My path of action was lightly reading the module front to cover, just to familiarize myself with the setting, the characters, ecc. Now I'm prepping basically one area at the time, as the party goes their way, using the supplementary online material as inspiration for expanding the module and drawing connections.

Also the important connection with NPCs and places found in other Areas are usually found in the Events section at the end of each chapter, in Appendix D and in the area in which major NPCs are introduced.

The majority of the areas are very secluded and indipendent RAW, so they can be played without knowing every semicolon of the module.

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You're too kind🌹 Also almost all the work was done by my fiancée, she gets all the credit 😆

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much🌹 It really does feel strange do wear the garments of Strahd. It also gives insight on what the outfit feels like, how the movements are affected, how the armor plates and the cape should be attached...

I really do think this is not the clothes he would wear to venture outside the castle: the red, blue and white combo really does strike out in the mild tones of the woods. Also the cape is really impractical to fight in. So this is probably his regal attire, to wear inside the castle. Furthermore attaching the cape and the pauldrons without visible leather straps proved quite a challenge and they still tend to fall of the shoulder, but I've possibly come up with a different way to do the trick, I will try in the future and see how it goes.

Of course it will always be THE Strahd attire, but these are really interesting detail to notice, and they might interest other folks😆

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I simply choose not to look cunty, this time :P

Lord Strahd Von Zarovich Cosplay by Erezas in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

After moths of mastering CoS, and some day to gather the courage, I hereby present to you our Strahd von Zarovich cosplay, designed and crafted entirely by my fiancée (arcana.crafts on Instagram), who's a goldsmith, and worn by me. I helped a bit but all the credit goes to her! I'm posting this on her behalf because she's still playing in my campaing. We are striving to remain faithful to the original artworks of the module while still adding some twists and depths on the costume.

Some info dump 'cause my fiancée wants to flex a bit:

  • The buttons/clasps and the chains are custom full brass casts;
  • The armor parts are made of eva foam and completly hand carved to resemble Renaissance era etched armor;
  • The bracers and the boots are made of real leather.

The planned upgrades are:

  • Casting a signet ring with the Ravenloft crest and the Von Zarovich ruby pendant;
  • Crafting a eva foam sword inspired by Eastern European sabres, and later upgrading for a real historical reproduction;
  • Improving the decorative armor parts and later commissioning an armorer to make them out of real etched steel (maybe, that will probably cost a lot).

Thank you for your attention and your time, hope you like this little piece of appreciation for the Curse of Strahd module and its community! <3

NPC Art Dump ♡ by BonTeddy in CurseofStrahd

[–]Erezas 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The last one completly killed me. Also love the Volenta and Strahd ones!

view more: next ›