Ben's other thought: Why did he not call me Puffin?

7:43

He took a lot inspiration from Reddit. You can find a lot of similar guide for dm at the curseofstrahd subreddit

@@tristanchik4432 it does not however diminish his accomplishment. as many DMs I have known never touch Ravenloft series at all because of the oppressiveness of the module and harshness of the setting. And some that do leave it a quart or half into it because it is not what they hoped it would be. Reddit helped this time for someone who was devoted enough to run the campaign to the end and that alone is worth a Nod to the DM for.

@@ronnibech3376 I wasn't criticising the DM. I'm just giving the tip to that person so he can get those supplementary notes as well. Would be ridiculous to judge another person when I'm also using those guides to enhance my campaign as well.

@@tristanchik4432 Arh see that is the problem with replies it is hard to judge who is earnest in their reply and who is trying to jump down someones throat. :) I do apologies for thinking it was the case here and for jumping in like this. As for myself I only have my old ADnD experiences as a DM with Ravenloft to go with, so I have no idea how difficult the newer adaptations are.

@@ronnibech3376 all good man. 🤣 age old problem with text messages

ditto

Trio

McSame m'dude

These hags are filthy tax dodgers!!!

"Do you have food safety certification? "That'll be a 30,000 gold fee, and we'll send an assessor around to ensure you're in compliance with the required legislation. "No, we can't say when that'll happen. You'll just have to wait."

But each biscuit only cost three fifty hehehe

qberry gamz tree fiddy! Like that famn loch ness monster in Tristans land wanted!

Jason Clark A lawful evil bureaucrats fun time.

learning to survive

The fun is in losing just a little less hard every time. Who knows, you might even end up getting a draw someday.

More like !!FUN!!

Literally playing DF while listening to this ROFL

The fun is the story. If you are prepared for this module, know what it is, you know you will lose. A lot. Its about doing the best you can, doing the right thing because its the right thing. Its the horrible nature of things when you find out it was the wrong thing. "Oops, she works for Strahd," "oops he's evil," etc. Its how the genre works.

Same. The book doesn't even give them personalities

I've ran the Module and when I heard what he did with the brides I loved it cause, I knew how important they were, just a few vampires spawns in his castle. I also liked what he did with his man servant, took a much bigger part here then I think he has in the book too.

I will definitely be using these concepts when I DM CoS starting tomorrow

@@StephenJ15 i have already started implementing some while adding my own twist too :)

Xyvaz Krown m

Could you drive the immortal vampire trapped in his own hell, after he killed his own brother and drank his blood, "insane"? I don't think that word has as much meaning in Barovia as it does in our world.

Also, I read it as Strahd can choose whether he scrys on someone saying his name, not he must scry, because it is a spell, not a free ability. In game, I think any sentence a person says with the word "Strahd" in it, can be heard by Strahd as a soft whisper in his head. If the voice says, "We need to pay our taxes to Strahd," he wouldn't bother with listening to anything else. If the voice says, "This sword will finally kill the devil Strahd!!!", then he probably will want to investigate.

yes

Just say "Haha! So that's how we can kill the Devil Strahd!" Or some variation, or spread rumours about his strange sexual proclivities. He won't know for certain when someone is being legitimate unless he scries on all of them, and he has to listen to everyone insulting him constantly unless he kills them all or destroys the stone (neither of which are great options).

@@theapexsurvivor9538 I'm Strahd von Zarovich, of Barovia! Don't believe the burgomaster's lies!

OMG, I've been saying that to my kids... it's now the best running-gag/dad-joke in my considerable arsenal.

Who does not want a + 1 Sword of Warning and its inherent dangers?

My character has a (dead) twin sister that follows as some ghost-like familiar (also gets used when I summon a weapon, to handle said weapon - otherwise she's rather useless), and she'll give stupid/vague prophecies and go "I waaaarned youuuu..." as a subtle nod to this channel and the joke we all love.

SomeTHING baaad might happen todaaay

Joshua Hamilton well what is it?

I know it wouldnt work but Ive always wanted to play a Death Knight as a PC. Also I Strahd is a great book IMO.

Lord Soth was not allowed to leave. Lord Soth was trapped in his own personal domain after leaving Barovia

As I understood it, Soth didn't interact with the people of his demiplane so the dark powers just kind of got bored...

Soth just sat on his throne and did nothing, lost in his own thoughts. The Dark Powers eventually let him go because they couldn't feed, they were not entertained. He then returned to Krynn and I guess sacrificed himself heroically.

Classified is correct. Fun fact - TSR did not have permission from Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman to use Soth in Ravenloft. After much debating and arguing, TSR relented to the authors of Dragonlance (Soth is from Krynn) and came up with the version that Classified explained. Politics, politics everywhere :(

*Xzibit has entered chat*

And that's one of the reasons why Game Master (GM) is better.

Lol

I honestly thought it was a psi-op to get us to click "like" a few hundred times...

DaMn

Yeah, ultimately there is never really the threat of him winning because the very powers that strengthen him would intervene to make sure he fails to keep stringing him along.

Yep. Basically, should he beat the party, Irena will either commit suicide or a Belmont will show up and kill her within a week.

He marries her and then he realizes she is not Tatiana. Mad rage ensues. Welcome to Barovia.

@@EurojuegosBsAs Yeah, in the book it says he ends up locking her in the catacombs and it not filling the hole inside of him. I imagine he would need to win her genuine love to be fulfilled and he just isn't that man.

Joseph Mantler while I was going through the series it just sounded like the GM was being spineless and couldn’t go through with actually killing off a PC, not knowing that 1) the Dark Powers were written into the module, and 2) it was done specifically to offset the brutal difficulty of the module, especially at lower levels. It ended up being an interesting twist so it was a net positive, but it annoyed the hell out of me at the time. Glad they gave the proper context for it now. Also your point is an interesting one which I had not even considered, adding another layer to the genius of how the campaign was run

@@SerDerpish It never sounded like "spineless DM" to me. It did sound like "if I die, I come back with extra power? Sign me up!" It also sounded like more misery. Especially Gouda and her Magic Dad. I's say he was abusive, but, really, he was just outright evil and she snuggled up to him anyway because he paid her the least attention, like a D&D Harleen Quinzel. I liked Gouda and those moments made me damn sad.

@@SerDerpish Actually, aside from passive vestiges in the Amber Temple, the Dark Powers AREN'T in the module. All the stuff with the Dark Powers competing to create champions in each others' Domains is all from the Curse of Strahd reddit.

Death not being a release is the case in the course of Strahd anyway. If you die in Borivia you have to wander the mists forever

@@Joemantler I imagined Gouda as a secretly sick and deranged person with a veneer of cheerfulness.

City of Barovia? Do you mean Vallaki?

Glen Greenia no the village of Barovia that sits below castle Ravenloft. They act like it’s a radioactive waste site. They have been inside the castle twice now, been to Vallaki, in fact they have hit up every location now including the amber temple, but won’t go near the village. Many of my players have been through death house before, a lot of people start COS and you know groups break up. So I started them being pulled into the mist from all over the FR, forcing them into a group. After a few monster encounters along the road they came to madam Eva on the western side of the map. So they pretty much start solving the wine issue for Krezk. By hitting the winery early they get allies from the Markova family who share secrets with them (adventure hooks) when they are a little stumped on what to do next. Looking back on it now I wish I had placed the tome of Strahd in Barovia so they couldn’t avoid it.

I Think Gouda Should've Been The Darklord

I wanted to know why she was writing down the name of every person she met.

We all know that they would have had a Gouda Tyme.

@@Dunhilina so that she could remember to cross them all off when she finally becomes Darklord.

A darkness would have fallen upon the land

Why did they nerf her then?

​@@wyattlohr8199 Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe the folks at Wizards were working on a later edition made by Post-Gygax TSR, which means it's Lorraine Williams' fault for whatever stupid-ass reason.

Yeah, I’m going to DM Curse of Strahd this summer, and I made Ireena a fighter. I’m going to have her level with the party, so she won’t be a burden, but she won’t be overpowered either.

@@tsifirakiehl4250 I would place her one or 2 levels below the PCs so she still is useful but wont overshadow the players. There is a balance between being a helpless damsel in distress and just being one of the guys/gals. In my case at least, I want the players to be the heroes in the group and there are already pretty powerful allies that will join up with the players. But that is me and I might change that depending on my group. As a DM it is my job to make sure everyone who plays is having fun. Some groups just want to adventure with equal allies while others want to be the true heroes that stands out in their fellowship. So I might buff or nerf allies depending on who I play with. Having the allies slightly less powerful kinda works for most players but it might not be the best option. I do hate the troupe when Elminster comes and saves the players if they screw up which wasn't uncommon in old Forgotten realms modules. I honestly rather have my players fail then, I personally don't like when the players can't loose, it makes the achievements of the players worthless if they can't fail. I am less hard on new players since they might need a win to really get into the game but I want experienced players to know that their actions matter. I might fudge a roll now and then if the players loose to bad luck but never to bad decisions. If the players have a really smart plan it is a shame if the DMs dice punish them. Of course, botching when doing something incredible dangerous could still kill someone but that is hardly my fault and I can't fudge the players rolls.

​@@tsifirakiehl4250My Curse of Strahd DM introduced my character's sister early in the campaign. She was statted as a fighter, but three levels below the party, so she isn't one of star players, but isn't useless in combat. Although, with my dice luck, she has become one of the MVP characters.

King Yejob Anathema...pretty much had it right...

I learned that 1st one from the unexpectables

What? Why? Did you have a party of murder hobos?

@@ArawnNox I think that's a given. Perhaps this party needs to Learn What Chaotic Neutral Means.

Those players deserve Tomb of Horrors. No mercy.

Tom Kerruish The Tomb of Horrors is its own Demiplane of Dread

@@tomkerruish2982 only if one of the portal doors leads to dungeonland, and all attempts to leave lead to ToA (with 1E save or die traps). Also, No 10ft poles.

I like this kind of thing

For ages

My DM did something like this when he did the Tarokka reading. I think he let the cards land where they did for the objects, but he also did individual readings with a stacked deck to talk about what our personal missions would be.

In my game, I decided their Ally should be Zuleika, and slid that card into the reading, but the treasures are still random, because that sounds better in my head, more like old school D&D. Also, I added the Bloodspear as another treasure, because that weapon pre-dates Strahd, and I stole the "Steal Strahd's Soul And Trap Him In The Object" idea that Puffin's DM talked about, and gave that to the Bloodspear.

clearly not by definition, he has wives and concubines. The problem is that, like Gaston, he wants one specific woman he can't have what you CAN say about him is he's perverse

@@ChibiKami The Gaston comparison is pretty apt. He only has wives and concubines as distractions.

He certainly felt entitled. He spent his youth and life nonstop battling for the safety of his family and people. His brother was sheltered and spent his time taking care of local monsters and the like. In the end he returned an old scarred man, his people see him as a cold monster because he's hardened by war. He finds a woman who reminds him of youth, the sun, and speaks to whatever is gentle and good that is left in his soul. Then she falls for his brother, who hasn't 'earned' it like Strahd feels like he has.

@@ArawnNox Noooooo oooooone kills like Lord Strahd gives you chills like Lord Strahd no one peeks on you when you say "Strahd" like Lord Strahd.

@@Eidenhoek When I was a lad I bit four dozen necks, every morning to make me live long. And now that I'm grown I bite five dozen necks so my magic is ridiculously strong.

Holy Hell D: extra tragic

The only problem is that Strahd has true sight.

@@gandalfgamergeek21 hmmm.. in our game he didn't and it made for a compelling story beat

@@shelleyrix7246 Fair enough. To each their own!

@@gandalfgamergeek21 I think I've learned and everyone nerfs the count. Everyone. Everyone

Alternatively, you could build Curse of Strayd: an idea as to how curse of Strahd works rather than the actual adventure.

That is imo the best way to play it if you don't cut it completely. You see Irina get possessed by Tatiana for a moment, walk into the pool and then you see Tatiana and Sergei leaving as an image in the water, leaving Irena behind, now standing waste deep in a pool of normal water. The implications for the story and the never ending cycle, that is now broken would be really interesting. Would Strahd care that it is now Irena and not Tatiana? Would he even notice? Would the wedding go through now that the curse no longer applies and what would that mean? All interesting story hooks.

Honestly, this is how I would play it if I were DMing it, as it just feels right to me.

As an old DM, that's how I would of done it mostly. Or even use the event at the pool to pull Tatyana out to go be with Sergei and only have Strahd realize it when he tries to marry Ireena. That would really tick him off!

Yeah, the Tatyana/Ireena relationship always confused me and didn't sit well. Ireena needs to be her own person, rather than just a copy-paste of this Tatyana character.

it depends on whether hags are magically evil; depending on setting some creatures are evil or good as a matter of their very being instead of the choices they make in life and in some other settings they aren't and their described alignment is just a drift tendency. For example, chromatic dragons are magically evil in most settings, but in Mystara and Pathfinder they aren't restricted to it and can be redeemed. In Pathfinder, even demons and devils can be redeemed