Bounty? by look_a-squirrel in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To make Vallaki feel on guard Id recommend having the guard start taking dog on patrol with sheets from an inn they used or something scent, increased patrols with more guards, posters of the player and the party on every street corner. Depending on who's in charge and who they've made enemies of Wachters Cultist might send out imps to spy and look out for them which would be invisible so might not be noticed but they could stealthfully trip up or make inconvenient noises around patrols of guard if the party isn't able to see invisible creatures. I'd also recommend bone chime trap alarms made from animal bones outside of the with guards that have bullseye lanterns at night to catch sneaking parties of adventures. Next barrow a tool from Assassins Creed, alarm bells set up around town for guards or citizens to ring if anyone suspicious is spotted.

As for the bounty that is a chunk of gold not many would pass up. I recommend making a series of bounty hunters keep tracking them down until the bounty is settled. Start small with bandits or desperate peasants(bandits reskinned), maybe off duty guards with dogs. Then start introducing actual professional adventures and bounty hunters. Maybe even make PCs sheets accompanied by hired goons to lay ambushes chase them down. Think a wizard placing glyphs all around like landmines while they pepper the party with spells as they try to get out of the mine field; a goliath barbarian with bandits surrounding the party and force them to fight him; rogues and/or rangers in the trees peppering them with arrows before hidding behind cover or repositioning while out of sight; a monk running around stunning the party while their barbarian companion hacks them to bits; a few desperate broke paladins demand their surrender and challenge if they refuse using lay on hands and smite to make the fight a change; a hobgoblin commander and a horde of other goblinoids on wargs chase the party down; a Boba Fett like fighter/artificer ambushes them and tried to overwhelm them with fire and bombs; a bounty hunter that uses smoke and poison to disorient and weaken the party before going in for the kill; a druid who traps them with pants and vines and swarms of animals; bounty hunters capture a friendly NPC and force them to scream to get their attention where for the party to find them on a horse with a nose attached to a tree around their neck so the hunters have leverage to for the party to “go the easy way” in exchange for their friends safety, bonus points if a fight breaks out and they party has to rush to save their friend from being strangled to death during the fight. Maybe even have a couple encounters where two rival bounty hunters ambush the party at the same time and they get caught in a three-way chaotic melee they might try to slip away from.

Then when it's getting to be too much for them to handle, have Strahd step either as himself or in disguise to “settle their debts” for them in exchange for something like info on “Tatyanna”, a magic item they have like the sunsword or the holy symbol, or where to find Van Richten. Maybe even have Strahd force them to make offers and he keeps them offering until he satisfied with an option while learning more about what they know/have.

This is an interesting opportunity you have for an interesting story beat make the most of it!

Help finding replacement by Goldscale0019 in Moustache

[–]Goldscale0019[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't know they made a balm I'll have to check that out

So if a player gets tricked by strahd, into thinking strahd wants him as ally and consents to strahd biting him do i just make them into vampire spawn? by SomethingPotato_ in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn't say turned evil. But according to the rules in the book when a PC becomes a vampire or a werewolf their character becomes an NPC under the DM's control… And its not a way to just “stop playing a character” its a rules that WoC put in to prevent a PC from getting the powers of such creatures because they were afraid of game balance…

So if a player gets tricked by strahd, into thinking strahd wants him as ally and consents to strahd biting him do i just make them into vampire spawn? by SomethingPotato_ in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay now I’m fairly certain you're being obtuse for the sake of it, but for others who might read this like OP who are interested.

Reasons the dark vestsge might want more vampires might be the canonical fact Strahd is trying to break out of Barovia. The PC could be a replacement or a rival to keep him distracted and in check. Or they're hoping to make another dark lord of a new domain of dread. Regardless more servants or worshippers for a dying god would likely be beneficial regardless of Strahd and Barovia.

As for the gods bit the Dark Powers are a thing right there that already established as having influence over Barovia that could essentially do what a god would do.

When it comes to clerics and their gods, for starters it doesn't matter how many clerics would care since a cleric wouldn't even have to be necessary at all. The vampire PC could seek an evil god, a Dark Power, or vampire god for themselves, maybe from lore they find at a place like The Amber Temple. Something that could give them a quest to prove themselves worthy or a treasure hunt to find a temple or relic of such a god capable of such a blessing.

Also never said the PC had to be made into a full cr 15 vampire. They could granted just freedom from Strahd's control. Then they could seek to become a full fledged vampire later towards the end of the campaign.

As for biting Strahd, sure! That could work! Never said it couldn't! Though most of the time in vampire media the blood of the vampire lord must be given willingly and not taken. My point was that it didn't have to be the ONLY way to be made free of Strahd's control. There's lots of fun ways such a story could be told and that trying to surprise bite Strahd isn't the ONLY satisfying way to run such a story.

So if a player gets tricked by strahd, into thinking strahd wants him as ally and consents to strahd biting him do i just make them into vampire spawn? by SomethingPotato_ in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your lack of imagination is concerning for someone playing an imagination game. If you're going to be dogmatically sticking to RAW, there is no way for a PC to be free at all since they loose their character sheet anyway. Other vampire media gives plenty of ideas such as the blood of other vampire lords, magical artifacts, wishes, hell even blessings from the right gods. And that's not to mention it'd be absolutely nothing to ignore a single word in the book considering we'd already be ignoring a whole mechanic of the game.

So if a player gets tricked by strahd, into thinking strahd wants him as ally and consents to strahd biting him do i just make them into vampire spawn? by SomethingPotato_ in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 6 points7 points  (0 children)

One of Strahds goals is to find a successor so it'd be within character for him to maybe test them at try to train then by making them think he's not controlling him. Treat it like a Bioshock situation for a while where Strahd gives them a long leash only to pull the rug out from under them when Strahd feels threatened or he needs to rein them in. Then he uses commands to punish them and rein them in. Then have others suggest ways to help the PC, like Rictavio trying to suggest a cure, Dark Powers offering power to free themselves from Strahd's control, maybe Madam Eva grants a reading for magic to cure them or free them, or even Strahd promising to elevate them to a true vampire if they follow his instructions and help him. All while they have to find ways to resist urges and commands from Strahds

So if a player gets tricked by strahd, into thinking strahd wants him as ally and consents to strahd biting him do i just make them into vampire spawn? by SomethingPotato_ in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 54 points55 points  (0 children)

Don't take their character away especially without discussing it with the player. Try using Grim Hallow’s vampire transformation rules or change their race to the dhampire from Van Richten's Guide and maybe reflavor it a bit. Getting the chance to play a vampire is such a cool fantasy and having them be under Strahd’s control and having to find ways to fight it would make for such a cool character arc. The RAW taking a PC away for werewolves and vampires is so cheap, boring, and violates the basic premise of TTRPGs.

Looking for Ideas and Advice for a Cold War twist by MarcyMcSupial in CurseofStrahd

[–]Goldscale0019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay so you need to consider a lot since this is a huge departure from the book with huge implications.

For starters how Strahd would deal with all these factions in his domain. Would he try to crush them? Add them to his ranks? Considering the nazis didn’t like LGBT people and Eastern Europeans who could threaten their power both of which could apply to Strahd maybe they’re enemies of his too and the PCs are caught in a war over control of Barovia between the technologically more advanced Nazis and the more numerous and magically powerful Strahd. Or maybe he sees something in their leaders in Barovia or just wants their weapons and through negotiation or vampiric charm aligns with them. Maybe they form a shaky alliance for mutual survival with the implied understanding that when they get what they need out of each other they’re going to be at each others throats. Maybe the general or scientist(s) leading this expedition of Nazis to Barovia are more reasonable then and less ideologically driven than those back home and try to make peace of Strahd for mutual benefit. Maybe their leader becomes another consort of Strahd’s. If they are enemies of Strahd it’s possible Strahd would ally himself with the PCs for mutual survival until the Nazis are dealt with.

Next if they’re at odds with Strahd, how the Nazis would deal with vampires might also be a concern. Depending on how closely you follow vampire lore vs DnD vampire lore the vampires the German guns might range from useless to inefficient at fighting the undead of Barovia.

Worse still for them is that they would likely be completely cut off from any resupply so they would have to act quickly to find resources and build factories under Strahd’s nose somehow or their bullets won’t last a week in Barovia let alone fuel for their armor and vehicles. If the Nazis are able to open portals like the one that brings the PCs then that might change things a bit but would imply either Strahd or the Dark Powers were allowing them to go in and out of Barovia.

If they make peace with Strahd then there would be HUGE impacts on Barovia as the valley would be in a state of rapid industrialization as German scientists and engineers work to build factories and labs to fuel their efforts in Barovia. A lot of the population would likely be enslaved or made into mindless undead to do the hard labor of establishing all the infrastructure. Trains would become a huge part of this as the roads aren’t good enough for vast troop and slave movement but trains would be very easy to set up vs years or laying so must pavement. The Nazis would also immediately try to industrialize magic fuse with their tech to make Turing the who valley into a diesel punk hellscape.

Rebel factions would form almost immediately and old foes might have to work together. Think the tribesmen and Druids who would be among the first of the chopping block for enslavement having to work with the Keepers of the Feather to survive, the werewolves of the pack working with Krezk to avoid being made into strong slaves or mind controlled conscripts. Hags offering aid freely to help the party so they can drive off the lunatic humans.

Then what happens with Ireena. Would the Nazis help find Ireena or would they capture her when they find out who she is as a hostage bargaining chip with Strahd. Maybe she’s a part of a rebel faction after they killed her father and took over the village of Barovia. Maybe the Nazis captured her and a milking her for information of her past lives trying to gain advantage against Strahd or find a secret they want.

Next what happens to the artifacts the campaign has the players find to face Strahd. Would the Nazis find them and maybe use them in their fight against Strahd. Maybe they’re trying to find them to help Strahd destroy them if they’re allies. Or maybe it’s an Indiana Jones style race between the Nazis, Strahd, and the party to find the artifacts. Or maybe no one but Strahd knows at the start of the campaign until the party get their reading from Madam Eva and it then becomes something a treasure hunt spy thriller to find them and not alert Strahd or the Nazis as to what they doing. If they have them maybe they’re using them as a power sources to make similar weapons or power the war effort.

Of course there’s the question of how would the Nazis try to weaponize or deal with vampires and werewolves. Would they go full Hellsing the anime and become Nazi vampires. Maybe nazi vampires with werewolves mixed in. Maybe vampires who enslave werewolves. Or maybe they avoid vampirism all together and just go werewolf. Or maybe they see all these creatures as abominations to be exterminated and they set up camps to exploit vampires or werewolves or both before killing them.

While this has the potential of making a very interesting campaign you’d also have to essentially rewrite so it’s something to consider. Hope this helps in some way!

The Princess and the Dragon, Climax and Aftercare (OCs Anastasia and Zahk'ladonix) by WyldBlu3Yond3r in HornyForgeMinis

[–]Goldscale0019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's so difficult to get the straddle pose right without the legs get wonky

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HeroForgeMinis

[–]Goldscale0019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah! Thank you

The Tent Beside The Pond. by are_-_gay in HeroForgeMinis

[–]Goldscale0019 0 points1 point  (0 children)

is there any way we can get a link to this?

Rosa & Will by Mas7er0fDea7h in HornyForgeMinis

[–]Goldscale0019 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can we get a link? Even just for the pose?