For a long time, I've been dreaming about realizing an epic campaign climaxing in the original Ravenloft module. (In my case, the 2e remake "House of Strahd", since I don't own the original.)
Since the module doesn't seem to fit as a "weekend-in-hell" scenario into any of my current campaigns, I want to set up a whole campaign in Barovia, which is supposed to lead to that module.
All my players are supposed to be new to RL, and I want to let them play characters from a prime material world.
It seems that I'll most likely use the 3.5e ruleset, and thus I count that characters will be at about 5th level when they cross the mists to Barovia village.
Now my questions are, what kind of modules would you recommend me as preludes to the *great showdown*?
Which elements do you think I should include?
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I've made up an overall concept already, on which I welcome all comments:
Those are the locations I'd want to include:
- Zeidenburg
- Immol
- The Balinoks
- The Village of Barovia, of course!
As to NPCs, I think I'll let an Hazlani fight on the side of the PCs, as well as a Tepestani and maybe a Kartakan wolfwere.
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Any comments/ideas?
-It's not like I would start this campaign next week, but I really want to play out that concept some time in the future.
Thank you,
Rafael
Give them a black opal as treasure. Even better if it has some sort of magical effect. This is in case of the "sphere of darkness" plotline.
I'm doing something similiar (though it'll be more of a time-traval thing and will end in a dual-running of House on Griffon Hill and Ravenloft), and I already gave the Party a +2 longsword in an adventure set in a converted monastery of Arandel (Barovian sun god, converted to Ezra). The adventure itself was a knock-off on The Name of the Rose culminating in an evil plot by aging monks to gain immortality through research with vampire blood. Point is, they now have half of the sun sword (the other half being in the module itself).
Prepping the adventure with unrelated (or related) events will give Ravenloft/House of Strahd a more complete feel when they get there. As for modules, well, um...yeah, I got nothing. I'm running the Castles Forlorn boxed set, but mainly because I was handed it a long time ago and never used it.
I tried to set up a strahd vs. the player characters in my last campaign but everything was a bust. The players didn't want to get involved in anything that had to do with him and they ran away the first time they met him out in the open. They kept running till they were in another domain
If I were to do it again I would forshadow a bit less and let them wander into the story line I wanted to run. Perhaps have things happen at lower levels (make contacts, find items that they didn't know what they did till higher level) and have this all slowly head em towards strahd.
Somethings I would have done different...
Involve tatyanas new reincarnation into the party... let them make friends, get to know one another etc.. that way when a dark scary NPC started involving itself in the mix they would already be involved emotionally. Since shes about lvl 5 this could be a good mix. If she doesnt join the party as a member she can stay on the sidelines and grow in levels (though more slowly) as the party does and can be a participant at the "final confrontation" thats if she isnt the catalyst for the final confrontation..
Work that sword of strahds brother into the mix. I tried this in my campaign but no sooner did they have the sword then strahd came looking... "you mean the sword wants me to fight strahd??? THE strahd? well bye bye sword..."
There is someone (cant recall the name at the moment) that strahd buried under a church somewhere. Before he did it he turned em into a vampire so the person has been centuries trapped alive (or undead as the case may be) and hates strahd with a passion. (think its the guy that ordered the assasination during the wedding between strahds brother and tatayanna). He is/was a head of the dileysian family if I recall right? Well I think I would work him in somehow... he hates strahd more then anything... He could see the party as dupes in a scheme to kill strahd or as an ally.
The biggest problem I had was strahd had become such a legenedary character in all my ravenoift campaigns that it had sunk into my players minds "do not want to mess with this dude" or "cross strahd and die". Even if you start a campaign over PC's are going to hear about the legendary strahd and tend to put him on the do not want to meet list. This was the hardest thing getting around when I did my conflict with strahd story arc.
Prepping the adventure with unrelated (or related) events will give Ravenloft/House of Strahd a more complete feel when they get there. As for modules, well, um...yeah, I got nothing. I'm running the Castles Forlorn boxed set, but mainly because I was handed it a long time ago and never used it.
Thank you! Wouldn't be set in Barovia, then I had used Gryphon Hill as a prequel to the module, but IMC, Mordent shouldn't play such a great part in the game - Barovia only...
Now, Forlorn would be a good start as well,I think, but isn't the culture far too different from Barovia to let things match properly?
Involve tatyanas new reincarnation into the party... let them make friends, get to know one another etc.. that way when a dark scary NPC started involving itself in the mix they would already be involved emotionally. Since shes about lvl 5 this could be a good mix. If she doesnt join the party as a member she can stay on the sidelines and grow in levels (though more slowly) as the party does and can be a participant at the "final confrontation" thats if she isnt the catalyst for the final confrontation..
Work that sword of strahds brother into the mix. I tried this in my campaign but no sooner did they have the sword then strahd came looking... "you mean the sword wants me to fight strahd??? THE strahd? well bye bye sword..."
There is someone (cant recall the name at the moment) that strahd buried under a church somewhere. Before he did it he turned em into a vampire so the person has been centuries trapped alive (or undead as the case may be) and hates strahd with a passion. (think its the guy that ordered the assasination during the wedding between strahds brother and tatayanna). He is/was a head of the dileysian family if I recall right? Well I think I would work him in somehow... he hates strahd more then anything... He could see the party as dupes in a scheme to kill strahd or as an ally.
The biggest problem I had was strahd had become such a legenedary character in all my ravenoift campaigns that it had sunk into my players minds "do not want to mess with this dude" or "cross strahd and die". Even if you start a campaign over PC's are going to hear about the legendary strahd and tend to put him on the do not want to meet list. This was the hardest thing getting around when I did my conflict with strahd story arc.
Thank you as well! These are three things I would have changed in any case like you suggested! I had planned from the beginning to let the party meet Tara (Tatyana's clone) and let one of them find the Sunsword. One of the biggest problems I had with the module so far that it concentrates so much stuff into so few space. Only to find the sunsword should be an epic quest, involving changing locations etc.
Thank you! Wouldn't be set in Barovia, then I had used Gryphon Hill as a prequel to the module, but IMC, Mordent shouldn't play such a great part in the game - Barovia only...
Some of my PCs are all renaissance, so it makes sense for them
Now, Forlorn would be a good start as well,I think, but isn't the culture far too different from Barovia to let things match properly?
Culture is a mix of middle-ages scotland to savage goblyns in kilts...yes, it's different, but then again, that's what Ravenloft is all about. It's also Ghosts, not vampires...
Your campaign sounds great, based on so much published stuff, also allows the players to see a lot more of the setting than they would normally come to know in only one campaign.
I certainly would enjoy to play in your game, I think.Please, don't understand this as criticism!
Your campaign sounds great, based on so much published stuff, also allows the players to see a lot more of the setting than they would normally come to know in only one campaign.
I didn't, I was just saying my PCs are more renassiance-ish then your game sounds. And honostly, i'm only running 3 published dealies...the rest is stuff i wrote (the monastery, some vampire stuff based on a character's background, i have an interesting construct plot planned)
Still, your game sounds very interesting, and I wish you good luck with it! Be careful how you bait the hook! One way to bait the hook and help the PCs to choose to try and storm castle Ravenloft (and believe me many PCs are willing to walk away from that hook) is to put something in there that they *have* to get. I don't know that you want to do it this way but I've had good luck in an earlier run by putting the Rod of Rastinon in the Castle and having Malken push the PCs on (as his catspaws) to get it. In that scenario Malken needed it to use the apparatus and seperate his "soul" from his better half.
I'll certainly look for every other Barovia resource I can find, especially the hard-to-find CotN series. I am especially interested in seeing how they worked the Lyssa-hook out; many female enemies will be awaiting the party, since I've decided to tie "lovely Ms Montarri" into the main plot...
But as far as that, I think I'll wait with this campaign until the supposedly final installment of the setting, that new Castle Ravenloft, is out. Not that I was too attached to 3e, but I am curious how they treat the adventure.