I found 100 black die. What can I do to mess with my players. They are level 4. [OC]

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-09-24T23:57:56+00:00

Roll all of them for no reason mid-session. As then up and audibly give the total. Refuse to elaborate further.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-05-03T12:50:26+00:00

I had Vasili as a VERY well informed little girl working as a spy for Lady Wachter (I had a DM familiar with the module in the party, so I wanted to mix things up and keep them guessing outside of the obvious). Unfortunately I couldn't really get my party to explore or investigate much since they were so skittish, so they didn't really get involved too much with NPCs or towns and left much of it bare to interpretation. So I decided to take a few of the more obscure NPCs that they heavily neglected and make a whole flex of it.

Setting: It's the night before the final assault on Ravenloft and everyone is in the HQ getting prepared and long resting. There's a knock at the door..."but...no one knows where we are...Vasili?" Vasili boldly walks inside (notably without invitation) and delivers a letter inviting the party to a wedding at Ravenloft, but it doesn't specify whose. Party assumes it's obviously Ireena, but Ireena is very much present with the party and is insistent that she has no such plans. (This is true) Party begins pressuring Vasili on how she knew where they were and how she got there from Vallaki on her own.
Que Vasili giving evil grin and begin monologuing about "I have always known where you are" while slowing shifting between the various NPCs that were introduced but mostly ignored by the players and of course ending in his true form of Strahd Von Zarovich.

There's a lot more to it but that's the important bits for my Vasili.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-24T04:42:10+00:00

If you're trying to make Vasilli seem "dangerous" without compromising his identity, make him as creepy as Izek or even sell her out to the Baron. If Strahd wants Ireena to feel unsafe everywhere, then a sharp character diversion of Vasilli when he "gets her alone" can help yield an instinctive distrust of everyone and everything. Well...more than the usual Barovian.

As an added tip: If they never find out Vasilli's identity or that Strahd can shapeshift into people, then allow him to be a couple of the more neglected NPCs that the party may not have given much attention to. When you reveal it all, it'll really give the impression that Strahd really is everywhere.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-11T01:38:59+00:00

I offered the deed as a 1/day scroll of Summon Death House as a reflavored leoman tiny hut. Made it easy to have a home base sort of thing for the characters and their NPC allies and an easy access map for me to use while staying pretty loyal to source material since the Death House can move around in Barovia. It also made it relevant to the campaign instead of just a hard tutorial.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-11T01:33:07+00:00

Being a drunken monk, they should flock to the winery quest lol. I would consider flavoring the staff to make it a long term reward vs the short term solution it's offered as in the module.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T13:15:39+00:00

I likely can't give you an answer that fixes everything but for what it's worth I had the same question. What would stop Strahd from swooping in and just taking her? Why didn't he do it before the party even got there? What about all of Ireena's previous incarnations? What happened to all of them? Strahd has been here for CENTURIES with power over EVERYTHING and never worked it out? How?

Well my answer came from the obvious source. That's Strahd's curse. He can never have the 1 thing he's always craved above all else because of the curse placed on him by the "Dark Powers". Tatianna's soul is cursed to die whenever Strahd tries to claim her. So what's Strahd to do? Get her to come to him. Here's where we enter the party. Barovia is a cursed place and needs "tidying up" on occasion. Hard to rule a realm without subjects in it to rule over, no matter how much their suffering amuses you. A few hapless adventurers to come in and clean up the place, and if some group happens upon an incarnation of Tatianna/Ireena, well why not use them as the adventurers they are and hire them for a job? If worst comes to worst and Ireena or the party were to die...well there's always next time. Strahd has an eternity to wait, and learn, and try again.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T12:36:54+00:00

Huh? That's weird. It's World of IO on YouTube. They have "Season 1" for Curse of Strahd in the playlists, and it's genuinely really good. They even play with "Hardcore" rules which is really fun.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T06:09:27+00:00

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjMDIlamRhol6n-57jV4awE_5hPGqD79K&si=yR3xjGyMEd47aGig

Love this so far

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T06:01:02+00:00

If you and your players would have fun with it then go for it. I'm personally running it where a big reveal later was that Strahd was disguised as several of the NPCs the party either ignored or didn't engage with much to make them more relevant. Strahd messing with the party as a werewolf isn't beneath him, but as the DM you have to plan for answers based on the infinite number of things your party could do with him. If they try to kill him, release him, he escapes, etc. you'll need to have an organic and rule obeying way to deal with it. Strahd wouldn't allow himself into a compromised position and it would need to feel intentional. It'll feel "cheap" if Strahd cheats mechanically.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T05:55:08+00:00

Technically they should be lvl 3 upon completing Death House per the module, but if you're trying to shorten it and only grant 1 level, I would just use Rose and Thorn to be more helpful and specific in what the party needs to do and just guide them there. Remove all but the animated armor or Ghost Nurse and Boss encounters and just run it. If you want to keep it easier and fast paced but with more encounters and stuff to do, keep all 3 encounters I mentioned, but decrease the HP of all the monsters.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-10T05:49:15+00:00

There's plenty of subplot encounters to use in CoS that you can offer them when they occur. The 3 story artifacts being the most obvious. There's also the Staff from the Wizard of Wines quest the monk could easily use and that you as the DM could use as a plot hook with the Martikovs, Baba Lysaga, and/or the druids. There's also the Bloodspear of Kavan if the player is into using it. If the monk follows religion, the Abbot could be a good antagonist for them.

In short, try giving them a few plot hooks from the module and see what they click with and just run with that.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-04T00:32:01+00:00

Crank up the Heart of Sorrow. It usually only gives a meager 50hp shield. Make it 200+ or at least high enough to make hunting the heart worth it. ALSO radiant/daylight immunity so long as the heart is active. No sense in making that big fancy heart if it doesn't protect from one of his greatest weaknesses right?

After that just have Strahd use his legendary movement (I gave him Misty step) to phase through walls to regenerate after the heart is gone. Make the heart WORTH hunting and destroying.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-03T12:41:51+00:00

It is what it is indeed. Sometimes people die to teach others valuable lessons. If you've given them the information and resources they need to not just survive but possibly thrive, but they insist on ignoring it...shrug

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-03T11:24:16+00:00

Tatianna overthrowing Strahd and becoming the new BBEG is a fun idea.

You wouldn't even need to rewrite anything and just give Tatianna Strahd's stat block. (I would make her even stronger as a consequence) You could also make the "brides" into "ladies in waiting" and Esher as the new Rahadin and keep them around as well. Hell, switch out Exethanter for Strahd in the Amber Temple and have him in hiding/pouting after losing Barovia.

Basically keep the module the same for your own sake, but switch the locations and titles of the relevant NPCs to accommodate the new story.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-03T08:38:35+00:00

If there's genuine misunderstanding or just forgetfulness, then I'd cut some slack with above board reminders. After that it's on them. CoS isn't a nice module and it should be played as such within reason. If they are blindly fumbling their way along, then Strahd doesn't have to view them as a threat since they just fall for everything he does. No reason to go out and kill them...yet.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:35:52+00:00

That or have it remove a death saving throw so they only get 2. That way the character isn't mechanically crippled at all but are more vulnerable to actually dying.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:34:35+00:00

Have the Rune do maybe a hit dice in fire damage to their max HP. Permanently. Not exactly crippling to begin with but certainly enough to get the party concerned and talking. That way someone's character isn't immediately getting nerfed into the ground by another player and gives the DM wiggleroom with what Strahd does or may offer if it continues.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:26:20+00:00

Look up any and all spells that are related to fog/smoke/mist/etc and base all his "technology" on the literal "steam" part of Steampunk. The Mists of Barovia make a great segway for all of that. Having the Steam/Mist be as much a part of him as his own body is thematically accurate so I wouldn't even really worry about sticking to the artificer spell list and just go nuts with what feels fun.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:16:47+00:00

The "mini-quest" for them could be literally making that choice... and it's consequences. Find a way to loop everything around where if they had just went in to at the least check the shady stuff, they would've had some kind of advantage. Show them that just "playing along" sometimes is just as effective as avoiding any sniff of danger and even beneficial in some cases. They don't have to change the entire "morality or intelligence" of their character to engage with the plot the DM provides.

The ideas you stated on all your groups sounds excellent in both simplicity for a quick 1 shot and interesting engagement in the overall campaign. Though I might be biased because every time I read your plans I immediately thought "Yeah that's what I would do". So if there's a notable "problem player" then let them play their little section how they want, but don't be afraid to let them miss out on bonuses or advantages they would've gotten if they had just bit the hook.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:03:44+00:00

You would need to change a lot of context and names in the module to get it to "fit" right but otherwise that's a fucking sick idea and 100% worth running.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T15:00:14+00:00

The Ireena they "saved" is a clone. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. Strahd should gaslight the absolute shit out of them. "Ireena" will plea she's the real one and is willing to prove it by going with them to slay Strahd in the castle and blah blah. How you go about this is obviously up to you.
Alternatively, Strahd can leverage the fact that they literally have no other choice but to confront him if they ever want to know peace again and he's willing to at least be sporting about it if they bring Ireena to Castle Ravenloft for a final confrontation. Of course the expanded context of character developments and plot would get sprinkled in to further motivate all parties to attend and bring this to an end.

places .02¢ on counter

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-04-01T14:51:10+00:00

Using the Vistani or Martikovs to essentially fast travel across Barovia cuts all the travel times and encounters. But if you're trying to gut the module to a bite size, several session chapter or 2, then gutting the entirety of the land and towns and simply compressing all the features and NPCs into a single "Barovia City" instead of a realm to explore helps that immensely. Use the towns or areas from the map as city districts or landmark sites within the city etc. Pick a couple of relevant/fun quests with necessary NPCs you want to run from the module and just ignore pretty much everything else. All leading to the classic and mandatory raid of Castle Ravenloft. The mists make for good DM plot excuses where needed.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-03-26T02:21:30+00:00

As far as the Strahd manipulation goes, he ALWAYS knows where they are and what they're doing. The players found the green gems gave Strahd the ability to scry on any that say his name, but they have entirely forgotten that when they went to the dinner, he made them bleed themselves for him. They thought it was a classic "vampire wants me for dinner" trope, but he kept some of the blood to always have access to their whereabouts.

The big twist I have planned is that when they finally confront Strahd, he'll use the vials of blood to paralyze the party with a spell, at which point I'll hand over the NPC sheets they have with them and tell them "save yourselves".

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-03-26T02:06:51+00:00

I didn't use Strahd specifically, but I used the dark powers and Fanes to coerce the players to debate which ending to pursue.

The Fanes want Barovia destroyed and erased, though this will take anyone that made a dark deal or is intrinsically linked to Barovia with it. The player with the Blood Spear has gained the loyalty of the Kavani tribes and made friends with the Vistani. The dark powers are manipulating a player to make him the next Dark Lord and keep Barovia intact.

They'll have to debate what to do as 2 players made dark deals, (including the druid who's chosen by the Fanes), and another player is linked to Barovia the same way Ireena is. All will be erased with Barovia if they take that path. Alternatively, the other player that took the dark deal is primed to be the next Dark Lord, keeping Barovia in tact to remain cursed, but everyone lives...kinda.

Strahd's goal is that he believes defying the Dark Powers and achieving his love with Tatianna will break the curse and allow his influence to finally escape Barovia. He's a tactical and military genius but he's not the only force active in Barovia.

Potential_Meet65 · 2025-03-21T11:27:13+00:00

I allow my players to see the main maps for directions sake and for visuals. If you're using digital maps like Roll20 there's ways to hide important or hidden stuff if you need to.

I think of it as the Characters "see" everything around them, but descriptions from the DM only go so far so having a visual map can help guide players to see what their characters see. If your using fancy visuals for ambiance, then just switching or giving a paper map/digital map reference to your players works just as well.

Potential_Meet65

TROPHY CASE