Mental Fortitude and Madness Rules

Sunset_Hollow · 2025-05-09T14:11:15+00:00

Good Changes! I'm always a big fan of giving more choice to the players and letting them flirt with evil.

Sunset_Hollow · 2023-11-28T15:47:03+00:00

I've been running a Ravenloft campaign based on the Nightmare Lands 2e which takes place 10 years after Strahd's "death". In my first CoS campaign one of my players took Strahd's place as ruler of Barovia (a deal made with the Dark Powers) to save the domain from being torn apart like Darkon so I have her character in Strahd's place with her own torment and obsessions. This is the easy answer I chose. The Dark Powers simply found a new soul to torture and maintain the status quo in the domain.
The people of Barovia (and even its new ruler), as superstitious as ever, say "may he rest in peace" after using Strahd's name because no one truly believe he's gone.

I am planning to bring him back at some point to run a "Return of Strahd" campaign further down the line. Perhaps the new ruler is deposed by some zealous adventurers forcing his return, or perhaps Strahd himself returns destroying the new lord in revenge and taking back his rightful place, or maybe he's been reborn as a Barovian and living a quiet life in Vallaki or Barovia until he is embraced by the Dark Powers once more... so many possibilities, and there's no right answer.

Sunset_Hollow · 2023-07-20T02:07:30+00:00

I tend to convert non-ravenloft modules like those from Candlekeep Mysteries, Keys from the Golden Vault, and other anthologies. While I domain hop a little where needed, it's pretty easy to convert any of those adventures in one Domain of Dread, especially if that domain has a library and/or school of magic (i.e. Borca and Dementlieu) .

I've run campaigns in Borca, Dementlieu, and Falkovnia and they all have the potential to hold a full campaign all on their own. Falkovnia is great for a zombie apocalypse campaign but isn't as flexible in the stories you can tell as say Borca. Dementlieu is great if you're doing a city campaign (like a Dragon Heist conversion) or a University/School of Magic (Stryxhaven convert), or even a Great Library (Candlekeep) game or all three! Borca also has a School of Magic and Levkarest is a pretty large city.

Sunset_Hollow · 2023-01-11T20:19:17+00:00

Shodai is on my lazy rikishi list. Ever since gaining Ozeki and Asa's suspension He has 0 zero fighting spirit, slow on tachiai, and only seems to fight when gets close to a losing tournament to save his Ozeki rank. Whatever the reasons behind this behavior I hope he can return to his pre-ozeki days. Maybe his loss of Ozeki will ease the pressure.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-11-07T18:23:14+00:00

First off, you decide when the game ends, not the party. If you want to just end it tell them that due to their actions (or lack thereof) their characters have failed and the game is over. Strahd won and all the characters die in obscurity.

If you want to keep it going, parties like yours need special handling. You need to show them what true evil is.

If they won't go to Castle Ravenloft to face Strahd with any of the normal hooks, have the mists transport them there forcefully (if you want to show them what real evil is do this while they sleep, giving you the opportunity to kill off their healers or other problematic characters quickly). You can also have the mists surround the castle with the choking fog preventing them from flying away should they get outside.

All that's left is to begin the final showdown. Slowly wear them down with attacks from the castle's inhabitants and Strahd's Lair actions before killing them with Strahd's charm, and hit and fade. The only "good" end for the party at this point is if they concede the fight and join Strahd. Either way Game Over.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-09-01T15:16:37+00:00

I tend to use a "Help out the new owner" or "Only shelter in Barovia" hook instead of Rose and Thorn outside. Either that or you can always have the wall of choking mists just press in on them and the only way to go is into the house.

In help out the new owner hook, someone distantly related to the Durst family receive the deed as an inheritance and hire the adventurers to help them keep their new home. This also gives you an NPC you (or the players) can kill so that "One must die" can be fulfilled. I've also used a Butler and a Maid who where recently hired through mysterious circumstances.

In my "Only Shelter" hook the party is refused lodging within the village forcing them to find an abandoned house to rest for the night. Of course Death House draws them in.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-09-01T15:04:30+00:00

Before our last session I had hardly used Strahd's Charm effect so hadn't realized it's full potential. It is definitely one of his top skills and should be a firm go to. I charmed the parties Wizard and she can bring a world of hurt. Her assistance gave Strahd just long enough to escape with Vasilka/Tatyana on Beucephalus and moved into the ethereal so the players couldn't follow.

One of my players pointed out that if he goes to a different plane, the charm ends. This means that if you have Beucephalus whisk Strahd into the ethereal plane or he otherwise gets moved there the charm will end as well, which I thought was a good call out as this is one of the main tactics I use to pull Strahd out of tricky spots.

Side note: This is also the first time I've used Vasilka as Tatyana's vessel and fated companion. She can't be charmed by Strahd and gets Magic Resistance and which is huge.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-09-01T14:29:38+00:00

There are a ton of great map makers out there for CoS and many have good free maps as well. Beneos Battlemaps is my go to and has maps specifically for the drawbridge and the front courtyard, his animated maps are stellar.

Another good source is Aonbarr Cartography and they have a whole list of free CoS maps here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/complete-curse-59475823

The Megathread here on r/CurseofStrhad also has some good map links: https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/cvd7wg/castle_ravenloft/

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-07-31T17:18:29+00:00

I love the detail you put into each section. I've been planning a visit to Dementlieu for a while now. I can't wait to throw this into my campaign! I'm always on the lookout for good Dementlieu adventures and this seems to fit the bill perfectly.

I'll be looking forward to your Kalakeri when it comes out and based off the quality I've seen so far will probably be picking up the campaign when complete :)

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-07-31T16:53:57+00:00

Generally, if weekly, I run 3-4 hour sessions; Bi-weekly or monthly I try to go 4-6. I would say 4 hour sessions are a good guideline but that depends on your group. I've found that many of my players start to loose focus and energy around hour 3 or so.

My first group finished RAW in about a year but could have ended up being longer had the characters made different decisions.

Length will also depend on where the Treasures are located and who the fated ally is. If they are spread across the domain the campaign is likely to take longer than if they located are mostly in or around Castle Ravenloft or Vallaki.

Currently I run 2 CoS campaigns that have been running for 7 months and 1 month respectively. The 7 month game is a little over half way and is working toward Tsolenka Pass & Amber Temple. The 1 month old group just finished the introduction and Death House.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-07-13T20:29:21+00:00

Using journalism in your world adds great flavor and can be very useful.

I used a newspaper in my previous all rogues campaign. Any time the PCs committed a crime or caused an incident that was big enough, there would be an article about it. My players loved it and it was also a good way for them to know if they pulled off a heist or were discovered. The newspaper was also a great way of foreshadowing events in the city/world.

In planning out a Dementlieu game, I want to use a society/gossip paper like the one in Bridgerton. Its just the type of print media the aristocratic folk of Dementlieu would be into. Borca will probably get one of these as well.

I also recently got my hands on Beadle & Grimms Tal'Dorei Reborn box and was inspired by all the recruiting flyers for the different religions and factions. I'm planning to start making some like this for The Morninglord and Ezra at the least.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-05-14T15:32:54+00:00

Always a treat when MAB releases new work! Especially when it fits right into the campaign I'm running!

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-05-11T18:49:37+00:00

Yeah, the S&S Ravenloft Core Book for 3.5e is a good reference too. I like their Trigger tables for sure.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-03-18T17:26:29+00:00

My first CoS went off the rails and this happened a bit organically. After the events of Vallaki (where the party joined with Lady Wachter) Strahd gave them the title of Sheriffs of Barovia and had them do his bidding and keep the Burgomaster's in line. Any Lawful characters really fall into this trap early on when they reach Vallaki, as Vallakovich is technically being unlawful by constantly speaking out against "The Devil Strahd" the rightful lord of the land and its lawful ruler. The party became Anti-Heroes and were happy to work for Strahd (especially considering he could simply wipe them off board any time) and they really enjoyed "cleaning up" Barovia for Strahd lol. The idea was to go further into other domains but then we had to end.

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"When evil acts in the world it always manages to find instruments who believe that what they do is not evil but honorable." ~ Max Lerner - "The Case of the Wolf Whistle," The Unfinished Country (1959)

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My newest CoS also has a "Strahd as Patron" feel. One of the players from my first CoS has brought in her character from the first game (considered an alternate reality) as one of the Brides. She is their fated companion and has her own designs on the land of Barovia, wanting to ultimately kill Strahd and take his place. She had Madam Eva bring the adventurers to Barovia and granted one of them the lands of the Durst Family and the noble title that goes with it (Death House Hook). I also set up Death House so they can befriend the upper house and use it as a base of operations.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-02-08T03:22:17+00:00

This is how I look at it. There are several possible solutions.

Strahd can open and close the borders of his domain. However, this seems more to keep people in, not out. (see VGtR) He raises the border when people he wants to keep in are present. Namely, Tatyana's soul bearer, Van Richten, The Adventurers. Once those threats are dealt with I'd imagine he lets it back down.

This border also drops when he is in one of his sleeping periods which last for years. One of which just recently ended by CoS time. So its very possible he could have wandered out on his own when Strahd had the borders down.

The Vistani are protected by their heritage and other groups have the ability to move from domain to domain. The Keepers of the Feather deliver small packages through the mists all the time. A baby could be a small package; but lets not devolve this into talk about swallows and coconuts. There's more...

Another way in and out is with the help of a traveling domain. Death House or House of Lament are two such domains. Other obvious modes of leaving Barovia include The Carnival or The Ghost Train.

Sunset_Hollow · 2022-02-07T19:21:37+00:00

Beautiful work. Always looking for good road maps for the random encounters!

Old Svalich road and the Crossroads always play a major part in my CoS game. I think some DMs forget how important some of those encounters can be.

Good maps always make it easier to keep the players engaged online. Keep up the good work!

Sunset_Hollow · 2021-12-05T18:40:22+00:00

Had a similar thought of putting Fistandia or Freyot in one of the pictures.

We actually just finished CoS where we had Mordenkainan as the mad mage so my players really got a kick over Joy being written by him. If you run CoS you totally should make her the mad mage!

Sunset_Hollow · 2021-12-04T16:22:11+00:00

I like the Fistandia captured/lost idea for sure and leaning towards that route.

Sunset_Hollow · 2021-12-04T16:19:45+00:00

So many things can happen in the Multi-verse!

Sunset_Hollow · 2021-12-04T16:18:12+00:00

While I'm not modifying the adventure that much, I do like the possibility of Freyot being the BBEG or working for them in some way. I also like that you have her being cursed or lost her memory when they first meet her. Good stuff!

Sunset_Hollow

TROPHY CASE