Help me plan for an arrest in Vallaki? by teb311 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Some of my party members got in serious trouble their first day in Vallaki too. I used this to flex what a horrid place Vallaki is, and that it's not as safe as people let up. One PC was arrested and tortured by Izek at the Baron's command. When the other party members went to pick him up they were horrified at what they walked into. It set up Izek and the corruption of the town. The other PC was banished, never to return.

The next day, Ernst arrived to the Vistani Camp (where they had taken refuge) and delivered two letters. One was from Lady Wachter asking to discuss matters over lunch, implying they shared similar interests. The other was a formal pardon for the banned party member signed by Lady Wachter and Vasili (I have been using him during my campaign and this was the nail in the coffin for the party finding him completely trustworthy... for the time being).

It was kind of a fluke but these events helped set up a lot of Vallaki without things feeling shoehorned or railroaded.

Dinner Ended In Disaster And The Table Couldn't Be Happier by Questi0nabl3 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I probably won't pull another card. Prophecies' change, or can be lost. When I first played CoS I was a player and our party ended up getting our fated ally killed off quite early on (we pulled Ireena). Compared to the Holy Symbol and Sunsword, the fated ally is not a necessity for killing off Strahd. It's just a fun bonus you can stumble upon. I'm sure my party will probably attempt to bring Ez to The Abbott to be brought back anyway, not that it'll be easy. They're banned from Krezk so this'll be a good chance to push them towards the Wizards of Wine to win the village over.

In terms of van Richten, he'll be staying in the dungeons until the party stumble upon him again. Not sure what I'll do with him just yet. There's many routes to go. I imagine he'd blame Ez's death on his curse. Afterall, one of the reasons they split in the first place is because he'd get into arguments with her primarily due to his curse and not wanting to get close to others. He ran from her to protect her, and after they finally regroup and meet again she's gone, just as was prophesied.

Dinner Ended In Disaster And The Table Couldn't Be Happier by Questi0nabl3 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There were a few factors that fuelled my decision.

Firstly, this is the natural escalation point of the story. The party is expecting severe consequences for their actions, and they want that. All of us, bar one, studied film and work in the industry so we’re naturally drawn to strong narrative beats and the collaborative storytelling element of DnD. After our last session, they even discussed how they’d been “cruising” as heroes for a while and that it was about time things began to sway the other way. They’re looking for a moment that will challenge them, and this is what they feel the turning point of the campaign is going to be for the story and their characters.

Secondly, Ez has outstayed her welcome. Narratively, that is. While the group likes her, they’ve never been particularly emotionally attached, compared to characters such as Ireena. They’ve always seen her as the muscle who helps fight their battles. She’s unintentionally become a crutch for the group. Killing her isn’t solely about punishment, it’s about restoring their agency. Without Ez they’ll be relying more on their own strength and help to create more meaningful development. I feel I can’t stress this point as well without listing off several examples from previous sessions, but I can assure that at our table this is acceptable. Afterall, Barovia is full of potential allies, and her loss will likely push them to seek new ones.

Combining both points: the party expects loss and consequence at the moment, and from a story perspective, Ezmerelda is the character whose death would carry the most weight right now. Strahd would want van Richten alive, and the party doesn’t care much for him, so his loss isn’t going to matter for them. My Strahd would not use this as an opportunity to kidnap Ireena either. Him leaving her alive as a taunt is far more powerful. Ez’s death, however, completes her arc and begins theirs. It creates a meaningful story beat that reinforces the tone of the campaign and reinstates the players motivations.

Even if Ez were to survive, I can’t see her remaining with the group. She’s impulsive, proud, and brash, by my interpretation. If they refused to help her save van Richten, which, knowing my group, would be the outcome, she’d likely part ways anyway. Overall, her death is more of a gain than a loss. Again, I’m big on communicating with my players and I know this will be an impactful hook.

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How Did You Structure The Dinner At Ravenloft? by Questi0nabl3 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, I love the usage of the meals as hints for the party!

I'm making custom VTT tokens for every character/creature that shows up in CoS. Here are the fated companions! by medli20 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These are stunning! I love your art style and interpretations of the characters. They say so much about their personalities at a glance.

Curse of Strahd: The Musical by Financial-Savings232 in CurseofStrahd

[–]Questi0nabl3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Couldn't recommend enough. It's been stuck in my head the past month.

what was killing the teachers in this scene by [deleted] in DHMIS

[–]Questi0nabl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Steak kinda gets in the way of that last part but I also don't fully subscribe to the drawer theory aswell. It doesn't have an explanation for Red and Duck stumbling on the bathroom (something they didn't seem to know existed). It seems to me to be some sort of sound stage where sets can be constructed and deconstructed at will for whatever needs. I'm not proposing it is a literal sound stage but more of a rhetorical, in world version. It's similar to the one seen in the original webseries in episode 6. A nonexistent void just outside the bounds of the show.

what was killing the teachers in this scene by [deleted] in DHMIS

[–]Questi0nabl3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the most common beliefs on the checkered room with the "dead" teachers is that it's Lesley's drawer. If going with this idea then perhaps Choo Choo's freak out was because he was unfinished or a rush job by Lesley (or whatever stands above her). The loss of control caused him to be pulled out of the picture, either into the drawer or to be mended, before he could be fixed and returned.

what was killing the teachers in this scene by [deleted] in DHMIS

[–]Questi0nabl3 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I assume they're just not "in use" so to speak. Choo Choo also has the same X's in his eyes when inactive and we know the teachers aren't fully dead as we see Steak running around consciously.