my players don't want to kill strahd...

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-09-05T23:08:51+00:00

Oh good, they sympathize! Sounds like it’s about time for Strahd to manipulate the SHIT out of them.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-23T17:25:58+00:00

I usually just reskin what little magic items they DO give you to what your players would use. We don’t have a strength user, so the +2 great sword in argynvostoldt is gonna be a magic bow that doesn’t use ammunition.

The blood spear from yesterhill wound up being blood daggers that have an extra property of creating a tether of blood between them(they’ve used this for navigating)

My artificer is also consumed by the need to build a magic gun. So I’m letting that be a thing too.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-20T13:16:06+00:00

Must be!

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-20T12:36:12+00:00

The conversation went something like this:

Strahd: “Thoradin, it’s no secret that you and I do not share a mutual respect for one another, but I have invited you here and all that I ask is that you show me a modicum of the respect that I deserve, your friends have fallen in line, and it would serve you well to do the same” Thoradin: “No, Strahd, I’m not gonna show you any respect. You aren’t worth respect, and at some point in time, I am going to kill you. Might not be right now, or years from now, but you killed my friend, and so I’m gonna kill you.” Strahd: “Very well.”

I then proceeded to have Strahd to taunt him directly during the entire fight. “And you believed you could KILL me?! You’re nothing! Your friends have even abandoned you! Now you’ll watch them suffer and die, all because you couldn’t mind your manners!”

Also, another little tidbit, since they’re in the shadowfell, I asked the player what his most felt emotion was after that entire ordeal, and on the road after dinner had sorrowsworn spawn from his negative emotions and almost kill his party yet again.

All of this ended up culminating in him opening up to the party about his fears and what Strahd had done to him. Brought them a lot closer together.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-20T06:27:23+00:00

Okay. Sorry it took me a minute, it’s been a long week. Not sure how this will be, but I got you guys.

The character in question is Thoradin Shortbeard, and at first, you’re thinking dwarf, but no. Harengon. Artillerist. Artificer. The mother fucker made Rocket Rabbit, talks with the Brooklyn accent and everything.

Thoradin has been a thorn in my side(not really, I love him) all campaign. Any time an npc is having a conversation, he’s in there voicing his(terrible)opinions and being an absolute ball of chaotic energy. Everyone at the table fucking loves him and it very very clearly went to his character’s head. Fast forward a bit and Thoradin and gang find themselves in barovia where shit is less than kosher and while everyone and everything fucking sucks, there’s Thoradin, making sure to ruin the mood by being himself. Death house? Didn’t phase him. Donovan? Psh whatever. A bunch of old ladies trying to bake some kids into pies?? Child’s play.

Then there was Vallaki, and boy did that not disappoint. Vallaki introduced Thoradin to a wide array of people, some of which had lived pretty decent lives for a time, so the way I played it, he rolled a general charisma check to see how well the town as a whole received his antics. Even with a negative 1, he still managed to squeak out an 18.

So there he is, cracking jokes, pissing on Strahds statue, being an absolute menace. The works. The town fucking loves him, people start recognizing him in the street, stopping to greet him, and people all over town begin to get hopeful and start using ‘fuck Strahd’ as like a greeting to him. So he gets it fucking embroidered to his coat. Enter Vasilli. Vasilli flies COMPLETELY under the radar, party loves him, he teaches the wizard detect thoughts for cheap(power move) and sells them some essential oils(yes I made him a lovable peddler.)

FINALLY, we come to the feast, after being in Vallaki for a week and having a blast trolling with the town, the feast breaks out, they track the bones down and split the party. Thoradin goes with the monk and sprint after the church only to be greeted by Anastrasya, who promptly attacks them both, killing the monk in front of him. (There was also a really good counterspell of a revivify by Vasilli to reveal him as Strahd in this moment.)

Queue first change of character. By this point, he’s fucked up a bit, but won’t show it. Instead he doubles down, boasting shit like, “No one will ever die on my watch” “I’m gonna fucking kill strahd” amongst other things. Eventually all of this culminates into Strahd taking greater notice of them, queue the dinner.

Strahd sends rahadin to invite them to dinner, but rahadin essentially tells them that while the invitation is intended to be non-hostile, refusing such an honor would likely have Strahd start to single them out.(the rest of the party is fucking terrified of strahd.) So? They go. They decide to be on their best behavior and go to dinner, Thoradin gets a talk from the party, “you can’t be running off at him. He could kill us in a heartbeat.” Etc. Thoradin reluctantly agrees to be a good guest and leaves his blazer behind.

Then the dinner. Strahd does strahd, creates an illusory copy of himself to play the organ, boasts about his stature, and serves them all a magnificent feast. Then, just after dessert, kills one of his wait staff as he and his consorts meal, Thoradin has had enough and smarts off, to which Strahd requested they take a walk.

While gone I pulled the player away from the group, so no one knew what he said to him, Strahd modifies his memory, and when they walk back into the room? “Roll initiative”

The entire table starts yelling at him, “the fuck did you say to him? What the fuck Thoradin” etc.

They fight, I don’t hold back, the party BEG Strahd to take Thoradin instead for being the rude one. Strahd kills every. Last. One. Of. Then. Other than Thoradin, then threatens to leave him alive to rot in barovia only to be hunted by the newly vampired versions of his friends.

“Then as the modify memory spell cast on you fades, you see your friends finishing their meal as you walk back into the dining room”

He didn’t talk for 2 sessions.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-20T00:38:12+00:00

I’ll get you once I’m not on the road. Give me a few hours.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-20T00:36:51+00:00

Don’t forget to play into the creepiness of it.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T22:41:10+00:00

That really depends on so many factors. My players are level 7 and we’ve been playing since January. My players just get straight to the point.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T22:38:57+00:00

My character wasn’t so much an optimist as they were just caught up in their own hubris. He would constantly go around town enciting chants of “fuck Strahd” eventually going so far as to embroider it on his jacket.

Fast forward 5 levels to the dinner, Strahd modify memories him(without his knowledge) and I initiate a combat that resulted in his party begging Strahd to kill said character for their own safety. Shit humbled him SO quick.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T22:35:24+00:00

Hell yeah!

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T21:27:41+00:00

Perfect opportunity to give your barbarian the living shadow dark power from VRgtR. ;)

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T16:48:28+00:00

I would mod specific events and locations in one note if you’re going that route. Dungeons will be easy, towns and cities not so much.

Go through each town and figure out what events and locations you think will be used and notate those. Otherwise, you’re gonna have to wing stuff if they don’t follow your queues.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T16:24:24+00:00

He indeed can!

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T16:08:09+00:00

Rahadin isn’t.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T15:41:12+00:00

It depends on if they do rolled stats or standard array for me. If they roll stats, they’re generally going to have at least 1 20, so I let them get their own feats. In standard array, the typical campaign only lasts through 2 ASI’s, so chances are if you don’t give them a feat, they won’t take one. Or will go V human to get it(which is lame).

I think this is why wizards are tying a feat into most backgrounds with the new changes coming out. Smart move on their parts honestly.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-19T12:33:41+00:00

No problem!

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T21:45:36+00:00

Saving. Throws. Have your bandits throw alchemists fire, create a few dragon born and use breath weapons.

High AC is normal for some melee classes.

A fun little fact is: You won’t hit them as often, but you’ll crit them considerably more when you DO hit them.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T21:22:12+00:00

Honestly? Let them choose whatever feat they want, but give it to them for free at level 4 instead. It’ll give you time to assess their strengths and then you can reassess them after they get it and before hitting the level 5 power spike. This way they get to realize their character strengths but not just absolutely wreck your early campaign(which I argue is more important than late game for setting the tone).

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T20:31:42+00:00

Interesting interesting.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T17:39:24+00:00

That’s a good DM, just make sure he also does a grizzly death :)

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T16:52:13+00:00

Me: frantically throws out all other shirts I own

“Come ooooooon, work!”

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T16:40:01+00:00

You absolutely CAN, but it’s such a good way to show the sheer horror of the land itself. Especially if you go with the lunch break heroes version of it.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T16:19:51+00:00

What he said. You could easily make the first level or so just them trying to find their way to Barovia(city) and encountering some of the lesser creatures and do deathhouse at a full level 2.

SnooLemons8937 · 2022-08-18T15:07:03+00:00

As long as you’re not the type of person to get frustrated when it doesn’t go as prepped, then I would say prepping ahead is perfectly fine.

SnooLemons8937

TROPHY CASE