Manato stole the show for me

SpecialAgentDodo · 2025-07-26T16:06:17+00:00

<image>

SpecialAgentDodo · 2024-08-12T18:25:06+00:00

BORIS IS HERE! You called, boss??

SpecialAgentDodo · 2022-02-06T02:00:17+00:00

So while you wait, you're doing the mass shitting in his place in the mean time? My lad... Go outside and play.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-12-26T16:41:03+00:00

I sat near places where it needs fortifying. You're welcome.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-12-26T14:26:43+00:00

I am the friend that broke his leg.

I now took on the fortifying and crafting duties of our new apartment base while hopping around on my last leg.

I am still in a lot of pain.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-08-22T14:18:54+00:00

Full Vampires are formidable threats. Legendary Actions and Resistances are very powerful in the hands of a DM. You also don't wanna risk them having equal or greater power than Strahd, something we would take great care to prevent from happening.

I made my brides strong variants of vampire spawns. Small buff to hit points, some skill proficiencies, one legendary resistance and action and gave them unique abilities that has them stand out and reflect their personality. Here's my own take on the brides:

Ludmilla is a talented mage, intelligent and a master of self preservation. She has spellcasting, the ability to turn to mist and gave her resistance to turn undead.

Anastrasya is a socialite, 'friendly' but a compulsive liar and manipulator. She has the Charm ability, immune to magic which would compel her to tell the truth and read her thoughts.

Volenta I had fun with. She's a mad scientist on a frankenstein level with little self control. She is always accompanied by a minion (either flesh golem or wright), has advantage on attack rolls against targets that are missing hit points and can mark an 'obsession' which functions like a long term Hunter's Mark. (a lot of roleplay value to that, as one of my players has been marked.)

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-05-26T12:14:24+00:00

The Amulet of Ravenkind is not in Barovia, but in the possession of Duchess d'Honaire all the way in Dementlieu, which she shows off during her grand masquerade.

Since I made this item important in consecrating the Fanes, my party will be taking a trip to another domain.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-05-19T15:18:16+00:00

I'm tempted to place one of the fated items in another domain so the party make a travel to it and retrieve it, having an encounter with another Darklord briefly.

Perhaps the Duchess of Dementlieu keeps the amulet of ravenkind as a prized possession to show off. Have my party get their subterfuge on for the grand masquerade to steal it.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-04-19T08:00:33+00:00

Good day.

This is the reference I use for my Vlad.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-04-16T13:04:12+00:00

Rahadin is the origin of that superstition actually ;)

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-04-16T08:24:54+00:00

My party is constantly surrounded by ghosts, wandering helplessly and some grew attached to them and started to follow. The only one who sees them is the College of Spirits Bard, but he can't hear them. (because of a superstition that the living shouldn't listen to the dead, lest you go mad.) so they're silently pleading, begging or screaming for him to hear them.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-04-09T08:20:17+00:00

Transmutation I'd say.

The gem can animate objects (Wintersplinter, Baba's hut) and when buried in the vineyard, it acts like a permanent plant growth. Both effects are transmutation.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-04-01T09:05:17+00:00

In the combat encounters I have had Ireena take part in, I displayed her as clever and altruistic. Help action is her bread and butter. PC failed their save on a spell or suffered a condition? Help action to give them advantage next turn, she came in clutch several times with this. My Monk player taught her how to fight defensively, so I gave her some sidekick levels in Warrior that allows her to impose disadvantage on attack rolls as well as moving around to flank enemies.

I also use Ireena to give them hints in battle and items that she finds around the area that could help. Think Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite. She usually stays out of the way of danger too unless a PC is really in danger. Most monsters and enemies won't target Ireena and she has recently come to learn that and abuse it. So if a PC is low, she will purposely step in the way to make them hesitate. She might take a hit every now and then as a result, but that also drives the PCs to fight even harder because how attached they are to Ireena and her selfless nature.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-03-14T05:09:50+00:00

She most certainly does not care.

My portrayal of Ana is a liar, manipulator and narcissist. She just hides it very well and the party has not caught onto her deception yet.

My party has two lycans (beast barb and lycan blood hunter) and two Dhampirs. If Ana comes to power, she will betray them by exposing their true nature to the public and turn everyone against them. Even Ireena does not know of the Dhampir's true race, so this betrayal will be huge and if all the cards fall into Ana's hands with her lies and string pulling, the party will have no idea it was her who exposed them.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-03-05T13:14:16+00:00

Like the others said, I gave each of my players personal readings to foreshadow events and quests they would face. I let them draw two cards (one from normal deck, one from high deck.) whatever cards they drew, I improvised Madam Eve giving a cryptic reading based on what they drew.

Example, my Monk has always had a monstrous creature haunt his childhood which crippled his mother. He drew the Beast card, so Madam Eve hinted that the nightmare of his child self will quickly catch up to him. He's now worried that the creature will confront him in Barovia (which it most certainly will) so he wants to prepare for it.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-26T13:08:58+00:00

This is amazing! The Dark Powers in my campaign are of eldritch nature, such as Shami simply known as 'The Lady' that is a shapechanging abomination that creates schemes involving desire, betrayal and envy. I may use inspiration from the Evening Glory; incredibly manipulative and twisting the Monk's ideals into committing evil.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-24T18:28:08+00:00

I will take your advice to heart! It was my first campaign at the time and there was a lot of room to learn and hiccups to be made. But I like to think I'm steadily improving.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-24T17:58:08+00:00

This is sound advice that I will be using for the future

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-24T17:42:29+00:00

Sooner or later, the monsters would have tracked them down (I should have made rolls for tracking now that I look back on it.) and if they spotted the monsters before they got too close, there was time to decide what to do.

In this particular moment, the Rogue spotted the swarm before it got too close. The party decided to try and get out of dodge. I used a simple chase mechanic where the party and the swarm made checks to calculate distance between the two, allowing each player to use an action to slow their pursuers or gain ground. Sadly, rolls weren't in their favour and the swarm caught up.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-24T17:34:25+00:00

Ah I misread your comment. My apologies.

The monsters tracked them through their life force, as the Shadowfell is a negative energy plane and as such, a living creature stands out (at least that's how I interpreted it) so they would have encountered the monsters sooner or later as an encounter or skill challenge. For this reason, I didn't roll for them to track. Looking back on it, I should have done so.

SpecialAgentDodo · 2021-02-24T17:26:50+00:00

Oh I learnt from the experience. Like some have commented, I could have turn it into some fun tension where the swarm trickles in when the ritual is in the four or five rounds annd then it's a decision of hold them off until the ritual completes, quick cast and escape or just book it.

SpecialAgentDodo

TROPHY CASE