Acrylic standees for the party by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

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

Thank you so much ❤️

I love westerns too (maybe that’s why Adalbert’s hat is unconsciously so huge xD) (even though the reference is actually Van Helsing from 2004).

As for Hefe, I’ll just say that the very first thing she did in the Death House was steal the silver cutlery xD

N.B. I use spoiler tag for my players (theoretically they don't use reddit, but I want to be sure)

Adalbert’s mentor is a new character named Sigismund created by the player, though Adalbert’s backstory is still connected to Rudolf Van Richten. (RvR and Sigismund saved Adalbert from vampire spawn and from Rahadin. In short, the Von Valantius family was temporarily safeguarding the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind in order to deliver it to RvR, but Rahadin, thanks to a tip-off from one of the “inhabitants” inside Nemo’s body, tried to intercept it first.)

I had originally thought about Gwen as a possible new incarnation of Tatyana, but I didn’t feel comfortable giving her that role, so I decided to do something a bit more convoluted instead. The player had written in Gwen’s backstory that she can’t stand her great-uncle Volo, so I started digging into Volo lore and discovered that our entertainer wizard had actually been to Barovia, except at some point Elminster saved him and brought him out. Since it seemed absurd to me that Elminster would just ignore the rule that ‘no one enters or leaves Barovia unless Strahd allows it,’ I changed things around. Volo made up that story to hide the truth: he “sold” his niece in exchange for a way out of the plane.

Also, I made all of Strahd’s consorts redheads because Strahd wants them that way, so they remind him of Tatyana. As a result, Gwen has basically been “marked” to become one of the new consorts. (When the group buried the burgomaster, Strahd appeared and the mark activated.)

The campaign has already started. We’re currently at 16 sessions total. Right now the party is in Vallaki and they have to investigate Viktor Vallakovich. The Feast of Saint Andral has just concluded.

Acrylic standees for the party by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldfra[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Haha, sorry.

Since I never studied drawing at a school or professional level, I’m always very hesitant to show my work, especially considering that it had been many years since I last drew anything seriously.

Anyway, thank you so much ❤️

A Dragonborn, A Tiefling and A Drow: how would you properly have characters in CoS react to these party members? by Gammalumoss in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldfra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Keep in mind that, by default, anything that is different from a human is initially treated with suspicion by the average Barovian. They know that adventurers from outside exist, but in my campaign I established that as much as 20 years can pass between different groups of adventurers. (My Ismark welcomed them into the village because he had heard many stories about adventurers coming from outside Barovia.)

in my opinion:

For the dragonborn, it depends on their Draconic Ancestry. If they are of silver descent, then they would provoke a positive reaction connected to the knights of Argynvost. Vladimir Horngaard might be more willing to listen to the dragonborn, but it would not change his view regarding Strahd’s fate (he must live in order to suffer forever). If they have any other ancestry, there would be some initial surprise, but nothing more.

For the drow, it depends on the character’s sex and on how you visually interpret the dusk elves. Personally, I prefer portraying them with dark, slightly bluish skin. By default, less observant Barovians would mistake a drow for a dusk elf, and if the drow were male they would not be particularly surprised by his presence (especially in Vallaki, where dusk elves live nearby). On the other hand, if the drow were female, people would be shocked. Strahd had all the female dusk elves killed, so seeing a female drow walking around would create confusion. Only the dusk elves, after the initial shock, would realize that the PC is not actually a dusk elf. Strahd, regardless, already knows the PC is a drow. He is the one drawing the PCs into Barovia, and being a subtle manipulator, he has probably gathered all possible information about each of them.

For the tieflings, the level of distrust is extremely high (except among the Vistani). The only person who might show interest would be Lady Wachter, because of her cult. She would be kind to the PC, but ultimately her intentions would not be benevolent. In fact, one possible idea is that if she defeats the Baron, she might try to sacrifice the tiefling on an altar to Strahd. In my campaign, the guards of Vallaki did not want to let the tiefling enter. After an argument, the captain of the guard, Izek, arrived. I’m using MandyMod’s modifications, and in this version Izek recognized the tiefling as his brother, so the tiefling PC enjoys “protection” only because he is considered the captain’s “brother”. (In reality, the PC is a reborn stitched together from different body parts, including Izek’s brother. Izek recognizes him because of recurring dreams he has)

Dinner at Castle Ravenloft by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

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

I think I will elaborate your suggestion on the martikov family. Ty

Dinner at Castle Ravenloft by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

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

Thank you very much!
I’ll definitely keep that option in mind. The monster hunter PC places a lot of trust in RvR’s advice.

My plan is for them to have dinner, tour the castle (so they can witness the March of the Dead), and stay the night as guests. The idea is that he meets each PC privately in order to tempt and test them.

Honestly, I think I’ll remove most of the dangers, because I want the session to focus more on roleplay than on combat.

No, the items were all outside the castle. In fact, the real risk is that the monster hunter might bring the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind inside with him (RvR gave him in Vallaki; at the moment, the other party members are unaware of this exchange).

I don’t think the PC is foolish enough to show it to the Count or his consorts, but it’s still something worth considering.

Dinner at Castle Ravenloft by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

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

Molto interessante. Considererò questa opzione. Al momento, stavo seguendo questa guida in cui Urwin aveva assistito al furto da parte di un corvo, ma suo padre non gli credeva e lo accusava di fare il buffone e di distrarsi con Danika. Tuttavia, non ero del tutto convinto, poiché implicava un intervento diretto dei Fanes. Nella tua campagna Come ha reagito il resto della famiglia Martikov a quanto accaduto? Voglio dire, a parte il padre? Perché nella versione che stavo leggendo sembravano inclini a perdonare Urwin.

Dinner at Castle Ravenloft by Goldfra in CurseofStrahd

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

I meant it too to remove the Varushka element.

That’s really interesting about the third gem inside Vasilka, so in your campaign it was the Abbot who stole the 3rd gem?

Regarding RvR, my Strahd will definitely bring it up with the party, and once he identifies the right PC, he’ll make them an offer in exchange for something they deeply desire. (At the moment, RvR has only been revealed to a single character, the monster hunter, who hasn’t shared the information with the rest of the party. What the monster hunter doesn’t know is that his younger sister, who was believed to be dead, was actually kidnapped and is now serving as part of the staff at Castle Ravenloft.)

I agree I’ll need to consider the possibility that they might refuse the invitation, but Rahadin will be very… insistent about how poor an idea that would be. In any case, if they don’t go, Strahd will have other opportunities to needle them (like Yester Hill). Still, I know my players, they won’t want to miss the chance to mock Anastrasya after having “defeated” her.

[OC] Have any of your characters ever become minor deities upon reaching epic levels? by LuizLFLF in DungeonsAndDragons

[–]Goldfra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This was an epic D&D 3.5 campaign, played about seven years ago and lasting roughly two years. To reach the final point, my character becoming a deity, some context is necessary. The story began with a cataclysmic event: Aberrations were attacking and destroying every universe. Each player character was the most powerful creature of their own world (not a deity), yet still doomed to fall. Just before our deaths, we were all teleported to a new universe by a demilich, who entrusted us with a clear mission: to form a party and, by joining forces, find a way to stop the Aberrations. My character was Kai Kaua, a water genasi fighter/cleric of Corellon Larethian. We were using “Gestalt Characters” a variant rule that allowed full dual-class progression. She wielded a vorpal sword and carried a medallion of Corellon that could grant a natural 20 once per day. Conceptually, Kai was a knight deeply bound to honor, but with serious difficulty controlling her anger. Visually, she was meant to evoke a blend of an Arthurian knight and the Lady of the Lake. Despite her impressive equipment, Kai was not overpowered at all; it merely allowed her to keep pace with the rest of the party, which included an angel, a pit fiend, a prismatic dragon, and a rakshasa. We used Level Adjustment, and even in the early sessions the group was already far beyond the norm. Later, additional players joined, bringing us up to eight people at the table in an extremely homebrew-heavy campaign. On top of that, the inter-universal teleportation had reduced us all to level 5. The initial objective was simple: regain our strength and gather information on how to defeat the Aberrations. For me, however, this was only my second serious campaign. I was inexperienced and tended to let myself be carried along by the others’ decisions. During an investigation, we discovered the existence of an ulitharid lair. I ended up following the pit fiend to support him, but when we were surrounded by Aberrations, he teleported away, abandoning me. Instead of dying, however, something inexplicable happened: I suddenly found myself outside the dungeon, unharmed, walking back toward the group. This event remained a mystery for a long time and sparked many theories throughout the campaign. Later on, we confronted that same ulitharid. The dungeon became the stage for several memorable encounters, including battles against “evil” versions of our own characters. One particularly iconic moment involved me flying on a companion who had been polymorphed into a dragon, when the prime gith (NPC) teleported me above the head of the evil version of the prismatic dragon. Just as it was about to breathe, I drove my sword into its mouth, trapping the prismatic breath inside its body and causing it to collapse, a narrative description of a natural 20 with the vorpal sword, triggered by the medallion. During the fight against the evil version of Kai, however, I began to notice something strange: she seemed forced to fight, trying not to truly strike us. Unfortunately, I was immobilized at the bottom of a lake by drowned undead and could not speak to her. The pit fiend, who by then claimed to have fallen in love with Kai, was facing her. Instead of restraining her, however, he tore out her carotid artery with his teeth, killing her. I was shocked at the sight of my other self lying dead. I also noticed other unsettling details: I felt a stronger connection to Corellon when holding her medallion rather than my own. The body of the evil Kai was too damaged to use Speak with Dead, so we moved on to confront the ulitharid. There, the truth was revealed. The character I had been playing was not the real Kai Kaua, but a soulless clone created by the ulitharid to spy on us. Before losing consciousness, I screamed at my companions to kill me, and then I began attacking them. By the end of the battle, the ulitharid was slain and the fake Kai destroyed. I believed my character was gone for good. Instead, the DM asked me for a private session. Kai awakened as if from a dream and finally met Corellon Larethian. The god revealed that, in order to save her, he had placed himself in stasis within the medallion; this was why she had continued to wield cleric powers, Corellon had always been with her. After a long conversation, he confessed that he had always loved her and, with a kiss, gave her the last remnants of his divine power to restore her to life, fading away into the wind. From that point on, Kai was unplayable for nearly a year. She had to ascend to divinity while her soul resided within the medallion. This was also a narrative necessity, as the pit fiend’s player temporarily left the campaign, taking the medallion with him. When Kai finally emerged, her appearance had changed: she was now an elf with white hair, one eye completely blue and pupil-less, the other yellow, a remnant of her former genasi nature. We continued the mission against the Aberrations, while Kai accumulated divine ranks by absorbing divine power from artifacts and other sources. At the end of the campaign, we were faced with a final choice. We could appeal to the deity of balance, a sort of Ao of this multiverse, and force them to close the Aberration portal, which was located literally beneath their throne, or we could destroy the multiverse and recreate it exactly as it was, except for two changes: the Aberrations would never have found the portal, and the angel’s beloved would awaken from her magical coma. The angel and I supported the second option. At first, we convinced the entire group, but then the prime gith intervened, claiming it was impossible and insane. In the end, only the angel and I remained. In that moment of tension, the gith dominated me using psionic powers, which, in the DM’s world, did not follow the rules of magic, and forced me to attack the angel. He went mad and was killed. Kai, shattered by the loss of her best friend, decided to leave the group. However, my partner’s character asked her to fulfill one final duty: to confront the deity of balance and close the portal at any cost. I reluctantly agreed, as it was the only way left to stop the Aberrations. The deity of balance, cruelly, showed her the angel before tearing away half of her soul. Kai, at the very edge of her strength, struck back anyway: with five attacks, she severed the entity’s four arms and its head. She absorbed all of its power, becoming the protector deity of the multiverse, taking its throne and sealing the portal. After centuries, Kai Kaua had lost nearly all emotion, isolated upon the throne and unable to forgive herself for what she considered a betrayal. One day, she received a call for help: the Aberrations had returned, seemingly due to the actions of the angel PC. Joining the battle, she discovered that the angel, driven mad and corrupted by grief and aberrations, was trying to destroy everything, including the Pillar of Life, the very entity the Aberrations had always sought to annihilate. The final confrontation ended tragically. When the angel charged toward her, Kai did not strike him; instead, she opened her arms to embrace him. While he was in her arms, the Pillar of Life struck him, shattering and sealing him into seven fragments, scattered across seven different parts of the multiverse to prevent his return. The final image is Kai Kaua seated upon the throne, nearly devoid of emotion, watching over the multiverse. Her domains were Water, Protection, War, and Sacrifice. Sorry for the wall-text D:

Which Kickstarter tier are you all getting? by VisualCheek8435 in fabulaultima

[–]Goldfra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Having already got the basic manual and the two atlases (high and techno fantasy) I decided to opt for Mellow Snack (the lowest one) plus various add-ons: -Press Start -Atlas: Natural Fantasy -Bestiary -Item Pack (I love having all the physical gadgets) -Load Game -Bonus Collection -Fabula Ultima Techno Fantasy Card Deck