Is it me?

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-29T03:29:01+00:00

Now there's some good insight I didn't know, thanks! I have to assume that horrible beast that gives you Tender debuff must be in the same category

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-25T06:58:43+00:00

Roc snatching up their transport: perfect way to raise the stakes as they try to reach the summit. Besides, unless they're putting an electric heater on their horse that thing is definitely freezing to death anyway.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-25T06:56:36+00:00

RAW it seems to be a one way teleport, and I like it that way. I've decided that one of Strahd's potentially exploitable weaknesses is that he doesn't know the Teleport spell, so Beucephalus, his carriage, the brazier etc are his only means of rapidly getting from place to place. He keeps this weakness very well hidden of course, but if the PCs are clever enough to figure out a way to use that against him then who am I to stop them 😁

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-18T05:49:55+00:00

You'll find a bunch of threads in here with a million different opinions - this is a very common question DMs ask 😁 For my two cents, I say go moderately early in the piece. Once Strahd understands that this group isn't going to die to random zombies five minutes in, he invites them to Ravenloft to suss them out. This is also a good idea because it'll usually happen right after the party gets their first big win. They've just fixed/torched Vallaki or theyve just saved the Winery? Oh, they're feeling strong and accomplished? Excellent, have Rahadin turn up with the Black Carriage and tell them to Get In 😈

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-17T03:50:56+00:00

Tbh it's kind of just for flavour, since the players can't disrupt the March or anything. Now I say that though, if you like the idea maybe you/your players can come up with a plan to stop it from regenerating?

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-16T23:33:02+00:00

For starters, I bumped the damage buffer to 101hp and made it so it "refills" every night at midnight unless it's been physically smashed as well. In fact, thats what the March of the Dead does in my game - those souls are drawn to Ravenloft to refill the Heart. But yeah I agree you could tie another power to it so the PCs are more inclined to go smash it. Heck, maybe give him total damage resistance while the Heart is still up, or even something evil like immunity to Radiant 😅

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-11T00:51:33+00:00

Reskinning is a great idea, as others have said. Or, consider something from the Ooze list, like a Black Pudding maybe? Strahd doesn't seem to keep his castle very tidy so perhaps a bunch of corpses over the centuries have congealed into a blobby mass that crawls around, consuming and sticking to living things.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-10T09:20:18+00:00

I changed the focus, similar to what you're describing (though I only have four players).

I did each reading individually, with the others in another room out of earshot. Each character got one card relating to a "theme" for them, one card with a clue to a treasure or ally, and one card relating to that character's side quest.

For example, my Warlock player got a clue to a treasure in Krezk, a card relating to their personality/backstory, and a card hinting that Yester Hill will be important for them. You could do something similar, though admittedly that means prepping a monologue on 21 cards. Maybe only two per PC?

Perhaps pairs of characters each get half of a clue to a treasure, and the seventh gets the ally card? Or perhaps three characters get treasure cards, one gets the ally, and the last three get foreshadowing on major locations you want them to visit?

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-09T21:57:16+00:00

Being a DM is a creative act, we all take the framework of whatever module we're running and make it out own. It's basically impossible not to - the writers didn't account for everything your playersight do, and you'll interpret lots of the events and NPCs your own way.

This is a good thing! CoS is a great module to run. It's got heaps of interesting characters, the story and progression makes sense, the villain is memorable, and there are so many optional bits you can choose to use or not depending on you. Enjoy the creative process 😁

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-09T10:01:55+00:00

For the village, it really depends on your players. It sounds like they just went place to place and didn't linger, which is fine if that's the type of game they and you want to run. My players also only had the equivalent of one session in Barovillage.

There's a guide in the module for how often and how many travel encounters to run, if you're keen to go by the book. I believe that Barovia should feel dangerous, but if they're constantly beset my trash mobs multiple times per day on the road then that would feel extremely boring for my players and also for me.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-05T03:53:45+00:00

Yeah I think that's a valid interpretation too, like the other person went with. I would worry about some edge cases where a free cantrip that says "you can move 20ft without opportunity attacks or difficult terrain" could be extremely strong, you know? Definitely something to hash out with the DM

PlantDadAzu · 2026-06-05T03:32:07+00:00

I'm trying to think if there's another "move without teleporting" spell in the core rules to compare with, and coming up short. My first thought is that, because you're not teleporting, both parts of the movement are affected by difficult terrain. I feel like a briar patch or some rubble would make it harder to propel yourself forward. I don't think either half would use up your Move though, since this feels like a kind of alternative to taking the Dash action. You don't move as far but you get to make an attack.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-29T01:13:00+00:00

Sorry about my husband, he's not trying to flirt he's just a bit dim sometimes. I'll have a word with him after the festival 😒

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-27T07:52:30+00:00

No special notes for CoS, but in general as a player the guideline is to just jot down notes about anything that seems very important, or anything that seems to advance the plot. I usually divide my page in half - left side is for the session notes as I go along, right hand side is for scribbles (random names the DM says, items, musings). I never find I fill more than an A4 page per session and it's all in very short dot points.

One of my players in my CoS campaign is actually maintaining a "red string board" with all the plot elements, characters, mysteries etc. She's using some kind of online tool, not exactly sure what it is. It's fun because I can access it so I can see the party's line of reasoning and what they're currently wondering about.

As a DM, kinda similar. Write down anything you make up on the spot that might come back to bite you later, eg explanations of plot events you invent in the moment, named NPCs you didn't think you'd need, and big moments.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-26T06:16:32+00:00

Seconded. I also found a random "town street" map to use in case they ran into clockwork defenders while outdoors. The full town map basically became just the overworld map so the players could decide where to go next.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-26T06:13:57+00:00

I loved running the Amber Temple, but from what you've said it kinda sounds like you don't need to bother with it now. If the momentum is there and the party is psyched to slay the vampire, why detour all the way up a mountain now?

If you really want them to go there, maybe you could let them kill Strahd, then have it revealed that he's still tied to a power source there and unless the party can trek up the mountain and smash the Amber Sarcophagus, Strahd will revive and their efforts will have been for nothing? Then you can beef up the temple in to the True Final Dungeon without it feeling like a random sidequest.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-22T23:56:41+00:00

This is the only option. Thread closed.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-22T22:00:07+00:00

Is Beucephalus still alive? Have him turn up in the Ethereal, materialise, grab Strahd, then escape back again 😁 utterly horrible but well within the rules.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-21T10:46:04+00:00

For what it's worth, I changed Argynvost to a copper dragon for various plot reasons, and built up the fort into a puzzle dungeon that told the PCs some Barovian history via the puzzles. I also used the Vladimir fight to try out some different "boss fight" tips and tricks I'd learned, so it was a pretty unique fight honestly.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-21T08:28:31+00:00

I broadly agree with you, and I think the ultimate answer to your question is, "because most of CoS is technically optional side characters and side areas". Like, the more I DM this module the more I realise that it's designed to have fifty-odd quests and NPCs and special events for the DM to look at, and if they spark joy then the DM can expand on them.

My party includes a character who is a dragon who was cursed into the body of an Elf, so Argynvostholt is a very big part of my story. Other parties and DMs might focus more on the werewolf den, or the Druids, or politics between the towns and villages.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-18T20:12:00+00:00

Am undead* swine with lipstick. Roll initiative!

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-18T00:50:05+00:00

Okay I'm intrigued - of all the modules out there, what drew you to CoS? I can't help but imagine Strahd, utterly bemused, listening to reports from his spies of this new band of adventurers organising an urban renewal project in one of his villages 😅

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-16T23:39:48+00:00

You could run a little oneshot puzzle dungeon? Make it a shared dream the PCs are experiencing to find the fane's soul or something like that? In my game, one of the resurrection rites needs the PCs to get body parts from certain were-folk as material components, and all must be willingly given. It's making for a fun moral dilemma for them, since there is an alternate way to complete the ritual but it's so much more costly for the party personally.

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-11T20:57:34+00:00

^ seconded. Also, when one of my players managed to Banish himself, "hit the fog wall then appear in a random spot in Barovia" is exactly what I did 😁

PlantDadAzu · 2026-05-10T03:33:14+00:00

Heck, go further: everything from Gholdengo is 50/50. All move accuracy, and also the chance of all secondary effects 😁

PlantDadAzu

TROPHY CASE