#this is a strahd free zone

[powernappin]

27. coincidence for @fel-fisk 🤍🍷💎

[sonntam]

I don't get it when people say "oh, why minmaxing in DnD, it is all make-believe anyway".

Guys. It's real. If my character in tabletop is the biggest badass in the world, killing people left and right, then it's SO much more real than anything that ever happened in a videogame.

Videogames are so make believe. But tabletop?? My homies are there. They see my beautiful build. They see how well I execute my strategies. If it works, it's glorious.

I literally lived for past three days on the high of being a paladin with an aura that gives +2 to saves and casting Bless on my group. It was SO important that everyone passed their save. It was so important that my Find Steed horsie accompanied a lost druid back to his village.

This is where everything comes together: roleplay supported by in-game abilities and spells. Lady Arisa von Fellengard as I originally conceived her was supposed to be not very flashy and being tank/support Eldritch Knight Fighter. Now she is a paladin and she really blossomed.

Full tanking capabilities by having War Wizard multiclass, so that she gets both Shield AND the ability to add +4 to her saves as a reaction. Full support with Bless (bonus to saves & attacks) + Lay on Hands (healing) + Crusader's Mantle (group buff with radiant damage). Some additional support spells like Gentle Repose, Revivify, Dispel Magic, Lesser Restoration and Protection From Good and Evil always at hand.

I have whole TWO awesome weapons: Siab'Mal, the sentient sword with radiant damage which gives off sunlight AND a gorgeous magical whip with 30f range and automatic grapples on hit. That is SO COOL, because I have a Dexterity build, so with the addition of my DM graciously giving me the partial effect of the Shield Master feat (being able to put on/take off shields as a free action) I can use longbows, rapiers, whips AND my best boi Siab'Mal. It gives me a great weapon versatility which I highly appreciate, since I wanted Arisa to be a veteran of many fights and able to wield anything.

Then there are spells which highlight her personality: Zone of Truth (always prepared due to her subclass) which is utterly perfect for Arisa who prides on always telling the truth (and wishes more people followed her example). Shield, Find Familiar and Comprehend Languages nicely round up her bookish interests, while Alarm helps to show how she is often expecting the worst case scenarios and ready for an attack... at pretty much all times. Tactical Wit feature from the War Wizard has a similar feel, giving her a bonus to Initiative equal to her Intelligence.

And I did not even talk about her aura which gives immunity against charmed effects, which is so fitting, because Strahd loves charming people... and she utterly hates him (the hate is mutual). I like to think that Arisa's no-nonsense aura sobers up people around her, suppressing their charm.

And last but not least, since taking her oaths Arisa became immune to diseases with Divine Health... and also got rid of her phobia of being unclean or getting parasites.

[dexadin]

If you're still doing Strahd help (please still be doing Strahd help 😰) Can you give a baby GM some advice on romancing the icky vampire man? I made one of my players the new Tatiana and she has really good roleplay with him, so I want to go for that (obviously with her permission) but this is only my second game and I've never done PC on NPC romance

I'm always down for talking about the ivky vampire man <:3c I think it's important when you're letting a player romance Strahd to really think about what you as a storyteller are hoping to get out of it.

I imagine if you're running CoS, your player knows that Strahd is the BBEG and is accepting, if not expecting, the fact that Strahd may betray them. I'd argue that's a good thing--let your players stay on their toes. Strahd is cursed to an eternal existence of misery--forever locked in a cycle of finding and losing Tatyana through her reincarnations.

It's your choice as a DM to decide what Strahd's motivation for pursuing Tatyana is. Does Strahd actually love Tatyana? Did he ever? Or is Tatyana just a prize to be won, something to claim over his brother? Most importantly, how does he feel about your PC!Tatyana? Does he have any interest her beyond being a reincarnation, or does his interest end there?

Despite being a beyond-hopeless romantic, Strahd is still very evil and villainous. Obviously, he's lured your party here to Barovia in one way or another and trapped them there. While your PC!Tatyana might have loyalties to her party, Strahd probably won't. When push comes to shove, Strahd is going to prioritize Tatyana over her companions, in a way that can be really interesting to roleplay, especially if your PC!Tatyana finds herself genuinely charmed by hus advances. There are ways to play a forceful, intimidating Strahd while romancing a PC without entering the Freak Zone that can be super triggering.

Putting the rest under a readmore so ATSBB players can't peep!

In my game, Strahd showered the entire party with gifts and dinners to earn his the approval of PC!Tatyana (who is very loyal to the party) but took every chance to isolate her whenever possible. He wants to genuinely win over this new reincarnation, rather than using magic, force, or vampire charm.

Think of some traits that you think are particularly insidious and lean into those while playing. My Strahd likes to play with his food before eating, likening himself physically to a sadistic predator with every unnecessary bite. He calls PC!Tatyana "my treasure," a constant reminder of his desire to possess. Strahd can be romantic and charming--the moments of sweetness might be more terrifying to your party than constant aggression because they know he's acting "off script". He's not a wolf in sheep's clothing, he's a shark in dark water. You know the danger is present, but there isn't much you can do about it but play along and bide time until he strikes.

I hope this was helpful, and feel free to ask again if I missed anything!

[lupstarnyx]

coming up with stupid curse of strahd achievements

because after 37 episodes they finally got that "ismark the greater" chiev' and I want to celebrate that.

spoilers for hr - cos below the cut.

Fate Falls to the Bold - Kill the Shadow that killed Madam Eva and take the Blade of Nessus

Pact of Grief - Bring a character back to life by making a pact with the Dread Powers of Barovia

Pact of Greed - Bring a character back to life by making a pact with Asmodeus the Archdevil

Divine Wrath - Deal at least 50 damage to Strahd in one turn using only divine spells.

A Dog Called Nobody - Recruit Dogsbody, a werewolf with a forgotten past.

A Reawakened Soul - Help Ireena recover her memories of her past lives.

High Noon in Barovia - Reclaim the Sunsword.

Wicker and Blood - Topple the wicker statue of Strahd on Yester Hill.

Blood for Blood's Sake - Claim the Blood Spear on Yester Hill.

Kin of the Swamp - Recruit the Mire, two halves of a mysterious sentience claiming to be the land of Barovia itself.

Sole Survivor - Finish a fight with only one member of the original party standing.

The Mother of Evil - Slay Baba Lysaga, the witch in the swamp.

The Winery, Reborn - Recover all three of the gems for the Wizard of Wines.

Sunrise in Barovia - Reclaim the Icon of Ravenloft.

That's Not a Baby - Have the Mire carry the false baby in Baba Lysaga's Hut.

Poppet, Poppet - Recruit Alvaski, the patchwork man and left hand of the Abbot

Aconitum - Kill Kiril, leader of the pack of werewolves near Krezk.

The New Alpha - Have Dogsbody land the finishing blow on Kiril.

Pact of Blood - Bring a character back to life by making an "arrangement" with the Abbot of Krezk.

A Dog's Purpose - Use the purifying waters of Krezk to restore Dogsbody's paladin oath.

A Harmony of Blood and Flame - Reduce Strahd to zero hit points.

Chuck Wizard's Curse of Dead - Kill Strahd, for good this time.

Impaling Wrath - Deal at least 50 damage to Strahd in one turn using only a piercing weapon.

Asmodeus Who? - Defeat Xiiki and Xiiros without taking a single point of damage.

A Bit Late For That - Discover Strahd's plan to leave Barovia after it's already begun.

The Curse Remains Behind - Escape Barovia.

Hours of Preparation, Wasted! - Escape Barovia without entering Castle Ravenloft.

Shar's Embrace - Escape Barovia through the mercy of Shadow's Mistress.

The Other Mire - Escape Barovia with only one Mire.

The Ravenous Wolf - Escape Barovia with both Ezmerelda and Dogsbody in your party.

Ismark the Greater - Escape Barovia with Ismark in your party.

The Sun Will Rise Again - Escape Barovia with either the Sunsword or the Icon of Ravenloft.

The achievements they didn't get:

Arcane Might / Crushing Might / Tearing Might - As above.

A New Pack - Have the entire party afflicted with Lycanthropy.

Mad as in Angry - Fight Mordenkainen after his madness has been cured.

Sunshine and Lollipops - Recruit Rainbow, the halfling ranger who is much too cheery for all this.

An Infernal Machine - Discover Strahd's plan to escape Barovia.

The Curse Ends Here - Free Barovia from Strahd and Asmodeus.

The OGs - Escape Barovia with your original party members.

Ironclad - Escape Barovia without dying.

Well, Technically - Render Strahd's pact with Asmodeus null and void by finding the loophole in their arrangement.

Pact of Brass - Bring a character back to life by making an "arrangement" with the mad toymaker Blinksy.

Exit, Pursued by Knight - Provoke the wrath of Asmodeus in the form of a pursuing Hellknight.

Starlit Sky Above Arrak - Recruit Trellimar Aleath, former hellknight of Asmodeus and warlock of Dah'Mir.

Ménage á Neuf - Successfully seduce all of Strahd's consorts.

The One Place Uncorrupted by Vampirism - Escape to the Astral Sea through a rip in the fabric of reality... somehow.

The Bone Zone - Have the skeletal remains of Saint Andral land the finishing blow on Strahd.

[sepiadice]

DiceJar 0 END: what could have been...

Being completed ghosted for a scheduled session once again, I suppose I should finally face the facts and call the campaign. Which is, of course, very disappointing.

-

Let’s review the experiments I attempted in this campaign.

Experiment 1: Using a published module/adventure.[1]

I thought I might gain some valuable insight by analyzing a ‘professional’ product. By using an adventure I’d previously played myself, I’d hoped my experiences would smooth out my figuring out how to run it. Eventually, I learned the value of bullet pointed action plans, because the formatting of Crypt of the Everflame was not good for skimming, as vital information was hidden in the middle of information texts so I’d miss it during the game if I didn’t make sure to call, say, dice roll mechanics for going down a slippery hillside. It also meant I could look ahead and edit out rooms and mechanics that didn’t move the story of dungeon.

So, this experiment was technically a success, even if the lesson I took away was ‘modules don’t work well with my improv style, but provides inspiration sometimes.’ More on that later.

Experiment 2: Get a group to meet regularly.

So I’ve been wanting to do an actual play show since… well, before Critical Role and The Adventure Zone made it cool. For that, I need players willing to collaborate and also respect call time. As you can easily conclude from the time stamps, I couldn’t manage that, even when a freaking pandemic swept in and made being home for online sessions theoretically easier![2] Admittedly, my work schedule is not exactly ideal, as my Saturdays are permanently called for, and my Sundays are a wild ride of inconsistency, while my peers are moving to more conventional work life.

So, the experiment failed, and to a degree that I doubt a career or just schedule change would help. I did learn that a biweekly schedule works well for me, since I can spend the off week on planning, and still have time for my pre- and post-performance need to separate thoroughly and enter a neutral state.[3]

Experiment 3: Finish a dang narrative arc.

Ha ha. This also failed! Couldn’t get to the end of the dungeon. Welp.

Other lessons learned

I don’t online play well! Just get distracted by other internet tabs. It’s not as bad when I GM, since the stress of running the game keeps me more focused, but both the Curse of Strahd campaign I quietly quit[4] and IndigoDie’s Troika session[5] showed that I’m a garbage player online. Possibly an adoption of webcams and faces would assist, but I can’t ask for that.

People still hard! Still haven’t figured out how to get anyone invested. Can’t really be upset at the silent cancellations because I’m technically doing that with Curse of Strahd, and thus would be a hypocrite.

-

What was planned!

It’s only fair I give some amount of closure.

Session three ended with Bean dying, and there wasn’t a narratively consistent way to introduce a new party member…

Well, I guess if NavyDie consented to playing a bandit, or rewriting the scared dungeon prepper the party skipped…

What I decided was thus:

Bean's eyes open. The sharp pain of the punctures and tears, and the slow ache of liquid passing through those openings are gone, as is much of the world's color. The torches and other sources of light shine blue.

His companions are gathered around him, their mouths moving as if speaking, but Bean hears nothing.

For some reason, Bean feels at peace with this. This is correct.

Footsteps echo from the stairs, growing louder. A figure emerges from the floor below. When it enters the light, at first it is blurry, like many images projected upon the same space. Within the time that Bean's now still heart would have beat, the many silhouettes fade, leaving one form: Bean's father, though not the frail man Bean saw before he left Kassen, nor how bean's father looked before he was ravaged by illness, but the impossibly tall, strong, noble figure that Bean remembers his father being.

Though this man's smile has none of the warmth, and his eyes glow with an eldritch light.

"Seems you've come to some misfortune, Bernard Dipp," says this Mr. Dipp-who-is-not-Bean's-father. "Would you like some help with that?"

This mysterious fiend would become Bean’s patron for a level of Warlock, and ride around his head for the foreseeable future, threatening death if Bean didn’t do as ordered. You know, an excuse for Bean to continue adventuring instead of taking over the family farm.

As for where this fiend came from… well, I easily adapted that into the dungeon’s lore.

Kassen, whose visage is all over the crypt, is not the only one entombed within. There are also those who perished alongside him during his final battle, as well as those who perished facing him in the final battle. This includes Asar, who once adventured with Kassen until the two became bitter enemies or whatever, ending when Asar lead the charge against Kassen.

Anyways, an amount of time ago, bandits stumbled upon Kassen’s Crypt and started looting, and disturbed the coffins, looting a pair of medallions.

Here’s my adjustment: the medallions are now artifacts sealing away a fiend, and reuniting them freed him, whose presence radiated enough necromantic energies and roused Asar, who was deeply offended to be interred in a shrine to his enemy. Stupid, egotistical Kassen. Let’s channel this necromantic magic laying away and get some skeletal minions and kill those who bother me.

Which wasn’t great for the bandits, then later the advance party from Kassen, sent to make the trial safe for the youths. Blood was spilled. It wasn’t great.

Then our heroes arrived, and (hypothetically) resolved matters. Kassen’s ghost would then appear, thank the party, probably convey embarrassment at how the place is decorated, and grant boons to the party[6] before sending them on their way with a lit lantern.

Back in town, a grand celebration would turn somber as word of what happened in the tomb occurred, by it would be mixed and a feast would still be held.

The module ends with someone inviting the party to join the Pathfinder Society, but I’d cut that.

As for the fiend? Well, he’s transferred his tether from the amulets to Bean, so now he can ride the boy to wherever.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything particularly exciting planned for the others, as Bean was the only one who I got the opportunity to saddle with a commitment.

IndigoDie quit anyways.

Delilah I could motivate with eagerness to be free of her parents.

Yot… is a mercenary, so maybe Delilah could’ve paid him.

I could’ve figured something out if the players insisted on continuing with their characters. That would’ve been a discussion for after the module was completed.[7]

-

Moving forward!

So DiceJar waits evermore. I don’t want to admit that it’s an implausible goal, but I’m not in a great headspace about it. I still crave role-playing, but I think I’ll wait for someone to start their own campaign, or I guess see if I get a turn-over of my friend group.

NavyDie mentioned wanting to try a Powered by the Apocalypse system, and it’s only fair I actually try the mechanics before completely writing the rule set off.[8]

The next experiments I want to run when I return to behind the GM screen relates to system: Savage Worlds (once the most recent edition is back in print) as I search for a generic system that fits my needs, and Ryuutama, because Ryuutama just looks fun.

But… I don’t know what to do from here.

Until next time, may your dice (and whatever dice governs me) make things interesting.

-

[1] The correct terminology isa matter of pointless debate. [2] Charisma and Constitution are obviously my dumb stats. [3] Not sure my meaning is conveyed correctly. I’ll probably nail it down in a future write-up. [4] The group was too large, and after IndigoDie quit there were insufficient participants I knew and was comfortable performing with. [5] Which didn’t get a write-up because I didn’t have anything of substance to say. [6] Which, in the original Pathfinder, was something the each player can evoke for a temporary stat bonus, but in 5e I was going to change to a free Inspiration recharge. [7] Though I would not send them to Last Wall. It would’ve been time for me to spin off to my own stuff, and Last Wall… is not something that needs to be repeated. [8] I’ve never heard an Actual Play where Powered by the Apocalypse wasn’t either a hindrance or irrelevant.

[bruno-in-barovia]

Session Four, Part Five

As we followed the road toward Vallaki, a howl rang out from the woods around us. A pack of wolves burst into view. Lith blasted the nearest with her fire. Three attacked Elliott. One bit him. Four came after me, three getting their teeth in me. Ireena ran forward with her shortsword, not terribly confident, but she managed to hit one and kill it. Elliott cast a spell that caused five of the wolves to fall asleep on the spot. The rest of the wolves looked around, half their number having been downed in just six seconds, and they seemed a little confused. Opal killed yet another one, and their confusion was replaced by fear. They ran away into the woods. Lith and Opal suggested we butcher the fallen wolves. We’d been lacking in resources, after all. Lith’s didn’t go so well, but the rest of us were able to get some meat and pelts from the corpses.

Moving on from there, we came to a bridge decorated with really creepy gargoyles and marred with scorchmarks. We kept pushing on, crossing the bridge, and found ourselves at another crossroads. One sign, pointing the way we came, said VILLAGE OF BAROVIA. A sign pointing along the wider road of the split said VALLAKI, and the one for the more decrepit road said CASTLE RAVENLOFT. A piece of paper was nailed to that last one.

Travelers,

It was a pleasure to meet you earlier. Your company was enlightening. I find that you seem to be worthy to guard my precious Tatyana and make sure that nothing bad happens to her. There are many dangerous things in Barovia which I have not yet managed to civilize. If you would be so kind as to take her safely, I would much appreciate it. My dearest wish is that you might leave this place and return to your home, as I am sure you desire also. Once in Vallaki, seek out Lady Wachter. I have tasked her with assisting me in returning you home.

It was signed Strahd von Zarovich.

“He wants to help us leave?” Lith said after reading the letter to the rest of us.

I grimaced. “That seems sketchy.”

Lith asked whether we should maybe go see this Lady Wachter without Ireena, find out what she had to say. Ireena said she had never heard of a Lady Wachter. Elliott said we shouldn’t listen to whatever Strahd wants.

...Don’t get me wrong. I wanted to go home, I want to go home, very badly. But I can’t go home, and it’s not because we’re here in Barovia. 

Besides, I definitely don’t think Strahd is trustworthy. The party agreed. We were still heading to Vallaki for now. We could figure out what to do on the way.

We came across a single grave as we moved along. I knelt to investigate it. It looked to have been dug up, maybe by graverobbers. A few bones were visible. Huh… We moved on.

Finally, we came into view of a rundown-looking windmill that Elliott recognized from a deed that he’d taken from Zazear’s body for safekeeping. So I guess we owned it, if one considers possession to be the majority of property law.

As we approached the mill, we noticed a raven on its roof. It was screeching at us, almost frantically, like it was trying to warn us off. Huh.

An old woman answered the door. Elliott introduced our group, and she was quick to invite us in. Really quick. The kitchen inside smelled delicious. In fact, it smelled just like those pies that we had been given in the village of Barovia. She called her sister down as well to greet us. They introduced themselves as Offal and Bella. They run a bakery from the mill. Granny, the woman Elliott got the pies from, is their other sister, Morgan, who travels with the pies they make to sell in the surrounding area. Offal (What a weird name, but who am I to judge? Especially when her nickname for her own sister is Granny.) said we should stay the night, it being dangerous outside.

Opal explained that we had the deed to the windmill, but that we weren’t looking to evict them at the moment. She asked them if we could, as their new landlords, fix up the place a bit since it was so decrepit. Offal refused her offer, but she suggested our party spend the night in the hut behind the windmill since there was more room for all of us there. She asked if we would like some of their meat pies baked that morning, and Opal and I were quick to accept. Finally, more of that deliciousness we’d been craving. Lith refused, noting that we could cook the wolf meat from earlier in the afternoon to eat tonight.

Opal and I scarfed our pies down immediately. I suddenly felt a lot better than I had since that morning. Guess that satisfied the craving. Opal bought an extra pie for later.

We headed out to the hut in back. Lith and Opal cooked the wolf meat so that the members of the party who didn’t want pies could eat. I examined the hut, looking for ways to fortify it, but found no boards to put over the windows.

There were logs, some of which Lith and Opal had used for the cooking fire. Since I couldn’t do anything to make our shelter more secure, I set to carving a rough version of my holy symbol from a leftover bit of wood, occasionally glancing out the nearest window. This place didn’t feel right.

Behind me, I could hear Opal discussing her theory about the pies’ addictive properties with Elliott and Lith. 

I saw something outside. Just for a moment, a flash of a humanoid shape, standing right outside the window, and then it was gone. I startled, feeling a little divine power leave my body as if I had cast a spell. Um. 

“Uh, folks?” I said slowly, still staring out the window where the figure had appeared.

“What’s up?” Opal asked.

“I really, really, really, really, really think that something is very, very not right.”

“What do you mean, not right?”

“I saw something.”

Opal stepped up to the window by me and concentrated. Almost immediately, her fur stood on end, and her ears turned back. “This entire area is desecrated.”

The rest of the party stared at her. “What are you saying about these old ladies?” Elliott asked.

“There’s something not right.”

“What, ‘cause the dirt’s funky?”

“Yes! And because of the whole meat pie situation.”

“All right, so you like their pies and the dirt feels funny, but—”

I chimed in and told them what I had seen. And that I was pretty sure the place was haunted. Opal said it wasn’t likely to be safer outside the shack than inside, so either way we’d need to stay where we were. I eyed the dirt floor with more than a little trepidation, but she was probably right. Then she stiffened again. Elliott asked what was wrong.

“There are undead under the ground by the windmill. And a fiend inside it.”

Oh, hells no. 

“You mean—” “So one of your precious little old ladies…”

We looked around at each other. The sun had almost set.

“...We’ll deal with it in the morning,” Opal said. 

Right as the sun dipped below the horizon, a hand broke out from the ground between us and the windmill. More followed, zombies crawling up, pulling themselves out of the soil. They shambled around the windmill, paying no attention to our shack. I clutched my holy symbol carving tightly as we watched them for a few minutes. I hadn’t seen a zombie since the last of them back home were immolated. Attacking them now might alert the fiend in the windmill to our wising up. Instead, I volunteered for first watch. It’s a good thing I cast the gentle repose on Zazear’s body. If this was a feature of the area, he could have been reanimated right in our midst.

In the morning, I woke up hungry, so hungry, and I couldn’t help myself—I grabbed the pie we’d bought and ate it before I knew what I was doing. Opal said her craving was back. Lith didn’t sleep well at all—she looked awful, said she’d had nightmares the whole night.

The zombies had dug themselves back underground just before sunrise.

“Y’all,” Elliott said, “do not mention to them that we saw anything.”

I raised my hand. “I say we confront them.”

“I mean initially. To my knowledge, when I hear the word ‘fiend,’ I picture something that can take out my innards and play double-dutch with ‘em.”

That was a fair point. We talked it out for a bit, and finally Opal snuck over to the mill’s window to look inside. Offal popped up, and they started talking, so we followed Opal over. She had bought more pies. Really? The windmill’s blades began turning, and after a bit Offal returned and gave Opal two meat pies.

I was beginning to get an inkling of an idea, and I had said as much to Opal while the fiend was away. Opal askedif we could come inside. Lith and Elliott came with us, leaving Haku to watch over Ireena and Zazear’s body in the shack. Y’know, just in case.

As we entered, Offal said that Bella was grinding flour for the pies and would be down later. I asked if, given that we were her new landlords, we could fix some things up around the mill for her. She said not to bother, that since she and her sisters don’t pay rent, it was a fair deal. Opal said that we owed her for the first two pies yesterday, since she’d given them to us for free, as well as a place to stay. Offal said we could fix up the hut out back. Lith said that it didn’t have anything to do with their business. Offal said of course not, did it need to? While they were all talking, I cast a zone of truth around us.

“We’re gonna say hi to Zazear,” Elliott muttered, watching me. I elected not to correct his blasphemy. It wasn’t the time.

I felt the spell work on both fiends in the mill. They would have to tell the truth for the next ten minutes, but they would know what I had done as soon as they attempted to lie.

Opal asked how long Bella would be making flour for. Offal made an odd face, probably noticing the spell, and answered “for the next fifteen minutes or so.” Lith asked if there was anything specific with the flour. Offal said that there were “many specific things with the flour.” Lith asked what the process was for making the pies. Offal said they took their ingredients and ground them in the grinder. Lith asked what the ingredients were.

Offal tilted her head to the side and smiled wide. “The bones of small children, of course.” Immediately, she spun, folding in on herself, and vanished into the air.