I added to the book encounter by having the player make a DC 15 wisdom saving throw when they read it. Then I asked them to come outside the room with me. I told them that the book contained all their deepest darkest secrets, and all the bad things they'd done in their lives. If they had made the saving throw, the following inescapable thought enters their mind: 'I am a terrible person, and I never deserve to leave this house'. If the saving throw failed, they suffer the same effect with another condition; they will do ANYTHING to ensure that no one else ever knows the contents of this book. When we re-entered the room, I told the rest of the group that the player was staring at the book with a look of shock and horror on their face. The players naturally want to know what's in it.. and you can sit back and watch the roleplaying as the players put each other on edge ;)
I used this with my players last week. Our monk read it and he and our paladin fought over the book for a good 10 minutes, then our archer promptly shot a flaming arrow at it and lifted the curse. Thank you for this awesome idea XD
@@murphy5895 Haha! That's great! The other players in my group were plotting on how to steal the book from the player ten sessions later. They never found out that she had just secretly left it behind in the mansion :P
I’m currently in a Curse of Strahd campaign and joined up in the second session.The first session had the other three players entering the Death House and (barely) killing the Shambling Mound. They actually didn’t make it out of there alive though with one player attempting to throw an unconscious ally past a bladed trap through the front door. He failed. And he got chopped to bits too. However, they woke up alive and well, hearing Strahd’s voice taunting them and they all have psychological quirks now. What’s more, they woke up outside of Barovia where they met my character and then we went into the city. We passed the Death House and the players had a sense of unease as they recognized it while my character was wondering what their deal was. Played right, the Death House and the cult and mound can really give a Cthulhu eldritch horror feel to it.
Wow, just wow. You went ahead and turned this adventure upside down. I was tempted to start at level 3, but seeing this intro makes me wanna include this
The amount of times I've exclaimed, "This guy's genius!" out loud while going through this video and taking notes is more than I have with any other RUclips video. Man, this is great work. I was debating whether even having The Death House be a part of my campaign but it's a must now for sure. Thank you so much!
After watching countless hours of almost useless guides on how to run CoS or the Death House I finally found this video. Finally a great guide with great ideas, well explained, narrated and in a quick but still extensive way. Love it. Good job man.
For me i misread things but it made it more fun. One of my players followed the kids in and nearly died then another player who makes magical contracts (I forget the class) but he talked to the kids and found they where touch starved and love starved and wanted people to come into the house to play with them forever and i made them lawful evil and one of my players mentioned they actually where in the right here since they where starved to death for a week or two and did get any attention or so on. Then the one who made contracts made one with both the kids to get them to follow them on an adventure and help them out in return they will help them either get bodies or be resurrected and will play with them while there adventuring. So they signed the contract and now depending on the actions of the players it will slowly change there alignments. Also the players burned down the manner after having the kids get all the treasure out of it.
These suggestions are awesome. I will definitely be using some of these. In my last run, I had my players show up naked outside the house, being transported while they slept. Having no armor or weapons ramps up the stakes significantly. Even I was surprised by how well the house provides gear (though sparingly) as the players progressively explore the house. It forces the players to take extra care exploring the rooms for desperately needed gear, which gave me the opportunity to play up the horror tropes in much greater detail. It really gave my introduction to Ravenloft that survival horror theme that is hard to obtain in later levels. My adventure progressed with the players pulling the iron spikes out of the front gate for spear weapons and pulling display shields off the walls. Having low AC and make-shift weapons really makes the players more cautious to go running into combat or open up that next door. The party was pushing level 5 before they had enough money to buy the starting gear a typical level 1 character would benefit from. I learned years ago that limiting gear availability is important to making the players feel more vulnerable and increasing suspense. It also encourages them to take chances when the reward is more important to their survival.
Curse of Strahd is the first time I dm for my friends( first time playing) and I was having a hard time figuring out some details. You are a amazing narrator and filled me with inspiration. Thank you.
This will be my first DM session as well. So this death house starter is an amazing way to trial out a few things before stepping on the doorstep of Strahd
I'm making these changes the first time ever running Death House, as well as my player's first time playing the campaign. They are new players as well, which along with your help has made for an incredible experience for both me and the players, really helping draw all of us in to the wretched lands of Barovia.
I ran Durst manor for my group long before I discovered this channel so I kept the broom in. Actually, I didn’t realize it was there until my PC picked it up. And I read the description again. They rolled initiative. The broom rolled two crits and took the PC out right then and there. He was revived so it was good but not before it nearly took out two more PCs, a rouge and a Cleric.
I have come up with the idea that when one of the player goes to investigate the doll house that is when Rose's voice is heard. " Come play with us." At this point the players find themselves pulled within the doll house. This encounter can playout in one of to ways. First as the players make their way through the doll house they hear the giggling of children and the foot steps running throughout with the children playing hide and seek. After the player track them down the children show them that the way out is through the secret door. Second if you feel that the players need a little more conflict, when the children are found they are small dolls possessed by the children and a fight ensues. After defeating the children's dolls the children appear and show the player how to escape through the secret door. After the players escape the doll house the children will apologize for their game and it continues and usual.
Im definitely running the changes to Durst Manor. I'm already planning to run a darker extended version of CoS I found online that goes deeper. I love this Campaign and so many people have made it so much better. Thank you!
@@LunchBreakHeroes I've also been taking notes from a Reddit thread called "Fleshing out the Curse of Strahd." Using both of these sources to take notes from is going to make this an incredibly fleshed out experience! Thanks again!
Great video, will be borrowing lots from it. I am using Death House, but set it in Waterdeep, as my CoS intro. Just had the first session. Here's how I changed things... There has been a spate of murders and disappearances in Waterdeep, and some of the PCs are families of the victims. They trace the murders, on a misty night, to an old house in the Sea Ward. They enter the house, and it plays more or less as written, but the end encounter at the altar is a Vampire Mist. It is the remains of Mr Durst, turned into one by Strahd, as punishment. If the PCs were kind and talked to the Nanny upstairs (in which she reveals much of the back story), then her ghost, and the ghost of baby Walter, should help the PCs defeat the Vampire Mist. But... when they eventually flee the house, it is not in Waterdeep anymore. It has returned to its 'real' home, in the Svalich Woods near Barovia, and is a decayed ruin. The PCs will then realise with horror they are trapped there...
Just ran this version of the house. It went great...a player had a suspicion about the creepy doll before setting it on fire and moved it's head to make sure it wasn't a voodoo doll... Definitely will be next time.
This video was so influential in my concept of Death House that I was legitimately surprised to see some of the things in it (the moving wolves, Mrs. Durst's search for immortality) missing from the module when I started running it.
So glad I listened to your video before running death house! These are all excellent ideas. I was creeped out just listening to the descriptions and this is a much better story than is listed in the book. I will use most if not all of these ideas when I run the house. Thanks so much! Great video!
So I’m about to run COS and have decided to use this guide. Thought it would be cool though to have a small Graveyard in the Garden of the house. With a bunch of Durst names. One of the Graves can say “W Durst” or something of the ilk and it have a freshly dug grave. Almost like it’s ready for Walter. I thought I might be a nice touch and a kind of ominous foreshadowing. Also eagle eye players will know where to bury him.
I was on the fence about running this part, but after watching your video it's a must! Your take on it is incredible and adds so much character, and I'm definitely using the picnic basket idea.
I know, right?! I think that's mainly because level 1 adventurers can be kind of boring for seasoned players, and because Death House doesn't have a lot of actual tie-in to the rest of the story. It just stands on its own.
You're a blessing, I completely overlooked the level suggestion for Curse of Strahd and haven't wrote a decent opening set piece but RUclips suggested you. Not only have you brought my attention to this amazing free prelude but found a wonderful new channel. Thank you!
As someone getting back into d&d for the first time since I was a kid and a first time DM I loved you take on death house and incorporated quite a few of these ideas. Love your channel so far!
Inspirational! Tomorrow evening, I run my players through Durst Manor. I feel more prepared than I have ever been, thanks in part to you. You are incredibly compelling (which motivates me to up my game), and the new ideas you bring to the table are next level amazing. The Durst backstory is fantastic, and the entirety of Barovia is coming alive thanks to your videos. Best of all, you inspire my creativity too. My adventure hook (inspired by one of your comments) gathered the party at a Spa and Resort. Once the players were feeling good and comfortable, I managed to transport all the PCs to Barovia wearing only Silk Pajamas (except for the Bard who insisted on sleeping naked, Hahahaha). Tomorrow night, nearly naked and unarmed, they face Death House.
@@LunchBreakHeroes Well what an amazing session! All that prep work paid off. Best of all, my players loved it too. The pace was slow (they only made half way), mostly because I creeped my players out with the first two floors. The disappearing dinner guests had everyone on edge, and the "blinking wolves" scared them so much that they left the room... AND the Paladin barred the door to the room with a chair. Yep, the room with the secret trap door leading up from the basement was blocked, intentionally! Please let them choose that path to escape during the skill challenge! Thanks again for your help. Yep, I did the work, but you brought some really great tools. Keep it up!
The durst manor is the first game I’ve run in almost 15 years. Your help was so appreciated. It went very well and your additions were fantastic. Thanks very much.
Just wanted to say thank you for making this video. All of these ideas fall into the written story so naturally and really make this a much more exciting quest, rather than just having players walk around am abandoned house. I took a bunch for my own story and look forward to watching more of your stuff. Thanks!
Fantastic content. I've been trawling RUclips for help as a DM returning after a 20 year break, and this is the best quality chanel for DMs I've found yet. Just superb. Great advice. Bravo
!st session went great. Now my crew love to hack and slash so the whole role playing was a bit much for a few of them but I still got them into it anyhow.
Great stuff. Our DM on the Dice & Dreary podcast put a dog there when we first went into that room. More than a year later the dog is still with us though he's come close to death several time. A little detail added like that really has transformed the game and given us a new companion who is garbage in a fight but he's very enthusiastic haha
Just ran death house with my group today using your advice and they absolutely loved it. Thank you so much! You are for sure getting my like and subscribe 😊
I start running CoS this weekend and I am so glad I found your channel. Thank you for putting the written guides up as well on your Patreon. There is so much information on Reddit that I can easily get overwhelmed. Your videos and guides are the right length and content for me to digest in a hectic life.
Our party is playing the Bavoria map as well. As soon as we heard the crying upon entering the gates to the town, we all noped out of there and skipped the house. LMAO so glad we did
I love these additions and changes. I was having issues with the mist forcing my players into the house. I came up with another way to lure them inside but this is a much better set-up for sure. Thanks for making this and to all those who contributed!
I will be Dming Dea- 'Durst Manor' soon, and this video is really helpful, great job! One thing I might want to try is having to put Walter to rest in his own crypt to break the curse of the house, like the module describes for Rose and Thorn to put their souls to rest. This could be part of the skill challenge, giving the players a free succes if they don't try to put Walter to rest, thus creating a risk reward scenario
I love everything you're doing. I'm going to run a heavily modified (modernized among other things) CoS campaign and one thing I'm gonna do, which I don't expect many to agree with me, is to keep Baby Walter alive. You have Elisabeth praying for immortality. It tracks to me that Walter acting as the catalyst of the curse would make him actually immortal as long as he is trapped within the flesh mound. In fact, I'd say that as long as he's in that thing, he can't die and neither can the ghouls. They would all act like they're wearing a Ring of Regeneration until Walter is removed from the flesh mound, at which point they turn to dust. The reason I'm doing this is to screw with the players' emotions, mostly. You want to excite a group of adventurers, put them in a nightmare land full of monsters. You want to scare a group of adventurers, put them in a nightmare land full of monsters while they're responsible for the well-being of a 1hp little need-machine. I also think it would be cool if Walter was the emotional anchor for a couple of ghost kids.
Ohhh I'm gonna run this for Halloween for my newbie group. I already started with changing the start of the adventure to something that's more Hansel & Gretel style with vanishing children and a creepy forest and then enclosing mists, but this is like a whole other dimension of new ideas. Thanks so much for that! Also, your voice is amazing and really captivating, looking forward to more videos.
@@LunchBreakHeroes Thanks, I hope they'll get a good scare out of that. They've been apprehensive with Curse of Strahd because most of them don't like vampires, so this will be a nice chance to see if they want to run the full adventure.
additional advice: change the Durst family name if you have people with german language knowledge xD Durst means "thirst" in german, pretty much telling everyone that they are connected to vampires or at least "creatures of the night" stuff.
omg i feel SO stupid. I am going to run CoS as my first time being a DM and I, and all of my players, are german. I haven't realized that because of the english pronunciation I (and every video) used for the name because of the english source material. I never felt so stupid! Haha.
@@AgentSteffi I'm running Durst Manor with a group of friends tomorrow (we're all German) and like an idiot I also missed that connection for the same reason .
I ran your version of death house as a halloween one shot a couple of years ago and it was amazing. Now I'm re-watching as I'm about to run curse of strahd with a new group and will be using it again. The highlight last time was Margaret's specter, we had to pause because one of our players freaked out and needed a break when she went ballistic as they approached the cot. I had her scream like a banshee and surge forward appearing in front of them with her form twisting into something more horrific.
Seriously amazing. This is a fantastic example of both good storytelling, as well as innovative changing of a campaign to make it your own without changing the theme. Fantastic.
I'm a fairly new DM and I decided to use this advice (and the google doc accompanying it) for the first time I ever ran a module and it has been so great. I played strahd about a year ago and got to play the death house in it's unabridged form which was fine, but kind of just a separate haunted house oneshot that got us to level to start the game. This version is a lot more lore inclusive to the rest of the module and sets the players up for the kind of thinking necessary to succeed when playing this story. 11/10 Very Very Good
Entertaining and informative! I'm running my friends through my take on curse of strahd and your videos have given me no shortage of material to draw upon. Thank you and keep it up!
This is how you do a Death House break down. Thank you. Too many RUclipsrs want to add "how to run a dnd campaign" to their videos which is just a waste of time for the experienced DM
I am definitely replacing the Shambling Mound with Baby Walter. Maybe he's a Banshee who's wail is only DC 8 as he sobs uncontrollably after being hit.
I just found your Chanel because I bought Curse of Stradh and was a little confused because I never ran a Campain before. You really helped me writing my first Session and hopefully becoming a good DM. Thank you for all your work! Ps: I got the freaking chills at the end of the video!
I am so glad I found your channel. This has given a twist on something I ran as a one shot for Halloween, and made that book I've been staring mindlessly at for the past few months seem almost runnable. I've been DMing a little over a year, mostly homebrew stuff, but have been wanting to run CoS for a while.
I just started running Death House yesterday, and while I had already made many of the backstory changes you suggest, I did not move the house closer to the gates away from the village. Therefore, I had to use the mist device to "force" the players in, which I really hate doing, especially as the first major event of a new campaign. Wish I had seen this video earlier!
Thanks for this. I am going to run this as a one shot for my kids and some of their friends. I’ll have to make it a bit more of a Disney haunted house. So I’ll have to tone it down to PG. But you gave me some cool story hooks to add some flavour.
@@ErinSmith-jo8td Well, the delivery was more in the tone. Kept it up beat and breezy. And my son and his friends are 13 and just like a bunch of labradors. They had no hesitation, and ran into each room “I search the entire room for traps”. Scaring them was impossible even if I wanted too
Late to the party, but enjoyed this. My players are part way through Death House, but skipped the library completely. The broom nearly killed one of them, and the first ghoul encounter was almost a TPK. They have headed back into the house to try to regroup. I think I’ll incorporate some of these ideas moving forward.
Amazing guide! I love the way you fleshed out everything. I saw 19 minutes as the running length of the video and I was like, ugh I will try to trudge through this one. Then the video ended and I found myself on the edge of my chair waiting to hear what happens next! Just come DM for me, as I feel completely inept at this point compared to your methodical brilliance!
I started playing Curse of Strahd at my local game store, the DM started with this Death House, though I didn't know it. I felt my head spinning, we got sucked into Ravenloft by the Mist, appeared in this little town, and next thing we know, some creepy kids are begging us to figure out this mystery for them. The GM did a good job of making the kids creepy, as I certainly didn't want to follow them into the house. The GM did a poor job of making me care about the kids, as I didn't want to follow them into the house. Maybe it was the GM, maybe it was whatever, but I felt very railroaded by this little side quest, especially when we had a maiden in peril to rescue! We didn't have time to solve some mystery when there's someone already in danger, so I felt like, "Why are we following these creepy kids?"
So for the skill challenge exiting Durst Manor I opted to have failure mean the entire group rolls on the short term madness table. Instead of killing them one at a time for failures beyond 3 I am having them fall into long term madness one at a time. They just bought minis and I couldn't kill them yet. Good video!
Do you have PDFs of your notes? Your videos are great, but I would love to pour over your changes and have them handy when I'm at the table. About to run death house for halloween. I've played it before, but the mood you set and the little nuances are superb.
This video is based off the great work done by Reddit users MandyMod and DragnaCarta. You can find Dragna's guide here: docs.google.com/document/d/1iBGOoczF8oduZhmnHv297SEQmoxUVJ2mTOHVbfwcCMc/edit
I ran this as a one shot, to let my players test out their new characters before we started strahd. I made a few changes myself but in general followed your story. My players went from near tears to anger in some fights especially with the Drust children. Thank you for the fun and compelling story.
@@LunchBreakHeroes Yes they tried to be friendly but they asked "How can we help you get out of the house?" The children I ruled didn't know that they had to bury walter. So the kids possessed them, the idea being. If the players got out, they could get out too then they would leave their bodies. Well I gave the Paladin tank, Thorn due to the flaw of now he's scared of everything. The Paladin didn't like this, and forced Thorn out of his body. Rose got upset thinking they were lying to them since they forced Thorn out and made him cry. She turned to make the bard strike the paladin (Which I intended to be just a small hit like a slap, he would have hardly felt. Since it was just a child being mad.) But when the bard saw she was gonna attack the paladin she forced Rose out as well. Which made rose angrier because again it seemed like they were lying. So Rose attacked to defend herself and her brother. I also only had two players, for most of the house since the other players had to leave early. So a lot of the house was adjusted for the two. But sadly I could not adjust the children there had to be two. I already had My players at level 3. But I was rolling really well for the kids attacks. So my two players left, (A married couple with kids) were near tears at the idea of what happened to these children and felt bad about having angered them to the point of fighting. Buuuut that changed quickly when the kids downed the bard twice and almost downed the paladin. (22 AC) They became angry and went "Screw these kids!" Course after the fight they asked if they moved on or not. I said no, but at the end of the campaign there was a way to save all the souls in the house if they played it right. Which they accepted and moved on.
Thank you so much, this was so well thought out and just laid out so nicely. Your use of the map to highlight areas and so on really made it a lot simpler to understand. Great work!
I ran the animated broom and it killed a paladin. It was quite a funny battle and contrasts the horror of the house. I gave the paladin’s player the broom mini as a token of the death.
This is how I am going to run Durst Manor (though I can't put my players through the option of sacrificing the dog because I won't have players after that), but I love making the escape skill checks and having the picnic basket at the end! Thank you!
I’m about to run this- and I absolutely love this video! For sure the best resource I’ve found on Death House. However, with Stranger Things s3 having just come out I have a feeling my players will think I was inspired for the Flesh Mound! Funny how similar your description was to the monster
This is my second campaighn, that I'm going to DM. I was looking at some tips, especially for Death House. Honesly... You changed it to the best of possible ways. I know, that Death House from module is not really good and is absolute TPK. At the end of the video, when you said "Signed..." I almost cried and gasped. I'm going to use your version, for sure. If it's okay of course. Maybe I will add the whole story of the house, when the players are running outside. Simmilair as that one horror scene of the voice in the Deep roads in Dragon age.
I started Curse two weeks ago (I'm running 2 groups of 6 PCs in Barovia, sessions are alternating Mondays) and I'm using your guide (the written one doesn't mention the dog though). I also used your Dreams mod for Session 1 and it was a hit. :)
A specter after the animated armor at level 1? That's a TPK, my friends. The shadows? That's a TPK too. The escape? Easy TPK. This adventure is a grindfest.
Yay, thought exactly the same that the house should be enroute and the broom was cheesy. My twist is that the armor is the tortured and displayed body of a retainer, and when closer can see winding fire pokers sticking out, and the headless body of the lady noble below awakens to pincer them on the stairs.
That. Was. Awesome. Thank you. Your ideas and presentation are inspiring, feel much better about running this one now. I've run a lot of games, homebrew and prewritten but this is my first horror themed one. With prewritten campaigns I'm anxious to avoid coming off the rails in case I make a mistake that can't be undone later (I did it in a 3.5 campaign, a few minors detail that I didn't think would matter and it was story changing, didn't realise despite reading the entire campaign multiple times).
I'm thinking of writing the journal for one of my players when I run this. I'll take their backstory and either flesh it out a bit or have them write a few short paragraphs detailing their life's story. Then I'll write up a few predictable story beats on the next few pages, ie meeting Rose and Thorn, going into the house, and entering the library and picking up the book. But I want to have fun with it too. I'll write up a few sentences with large spaces in them so I can add words in later. During the session, I want to fill in these blanks depending on my players reaction. I'll use words that have about the same length to help narrate the encounter based on their point of view. For example, " met two lovely/strange/creepy children named Rose and Thorn..." " reluctantly/heroically entered the house..." I hope that this really ups the creep factor for my players during the game.
Some cool changes i made was i put lancelot (the dog) in walters crib. The specter emerged from the mirror that tricks the players into thinking that they are deathly ill and thin. The spectre is also cursed with not being able to take its original form. Only taking in the form of those who stare into the mirror (the curse was placed on her by Mrs. Durst as punishment for trying to rob her of her form as a wife, the maid is damed to only steal the forms of others). The specter believes that this dog is Walter and is still defensive. But is still compliant when giving infotmation as long aa the dog isnt touched.
I'm preparing to run Curse of Strahd with a new group of players (I'm a longtime veteran) but I have gotta say this is a fantastic video. Death House is fine, but it needs some sprucing up and what you present here is excellent!
8:00 - Small comment in regards the feast, I plan to have it be illusory save for the intoxication of the wine, which rather than make players drunk will make them more susceptible to the illusions of Death House, ala The Shining and the father figure's loss of sobriety. Characters may have disadvantage on one saving throw determined by the house, and are more likely to see or hear things others don't, providing both more info and more unsettling thoughts for their psyche.
Excellent video, I like your tweaks and am keen to run this again. I have an alternative approach to bring people to this game, I call it the Harker Basically the lead in is a usual game, you meet in a tavern, read a note or get asked for help and meet the Lawyer, what you call him is up to you but Harker is a bit on the nose. He employed Them as body guards as he needs to travel far to attend to the will of Mr Durst as he wishes to include his new son Walter, its a few days travel and the roads are dangerous. You go with him and you can run a travel session 0 perhaps dropping a few clues on the way as they get closer to the house. On arrival there are no kids outside, no message about monster in the basement etc. Its the Lawyer who is the driving factor to entering the house, once in the doors lock and mist envelopes the house, they are trapped. Early on kill off the lawyer in the most spooky and gory fashion, ideally if he is on his own. At the end when they leave, you can play the welcome to Barovia part Anyway, just an idea
I added to the book encounter by having the player make a DC 15 wisdom saving throw when they read it. Then I asked them to come outside the room with me. I told them that the book contained all their deepest darkest secrets, and all the bad things they'd done in their lives. If they had made the saving throw, the following inescapable thought enters their mind: 'I am a terrible person, and I never deserve to leave this house'. If the saving throw failed, they suffer the same effect with another condition; they will do ANYTHING to ensure that no one else ever knows the contents of this book.
When we re-entered the room, I told the rest of the group that the player was staring at the book with a look of shock and horror on their face. The players naturally want to know what's in it.. and you can sit back and watch the roleplaying as the players put each other on edge ;)
That's great!
I used this with my players last week. Our monk read it and he and our paladin fought over the book for a good 10 minutes, then our archer promptly shot a flaming arrow at it and lifted the curse.
Thank you for this awesome idea XD
@@murphy5895 Haha! That's great! The other players in my group were plotting on how to steal the book from the player ten sessions later. They never found out that she had just secretly left it behind in the mansion :P
That is such an amazing idea! You are a genius.
(i will steal it)
That is so devious, you evil genius.
You are criminally underrated, you have an enthralling way of speaking and such an intense stare, this video is awesome thank you!
Oh my goodness, thank you!
He cast glibness upon us. Also if you wanna make it even more dark revel that Rose canablized her little brother Thorn in desperation and hunger.
DnD Seth Everman
He grows a much better beard
It's the ominous music
I’m currently in a Curse of Strahd campaign and joined up in the second session.The first session had the other three players entering the Death House and (barely) killing the Shambling Mound. They actually didn’t make it out of there alive though with one player attempting to throw an unconscious ally past a bladed trap through the front door. He failed. And he got chopped to bits too. However, they woke up alive and well, hearing Strahd’s voice taunting them and they all have psychological quirks now. What’s more, they woke up outside of Barovia where they met my character and then we went into the city. We passed the Death House and the players had a sense of unease as they recognized it while my character was wondering what their deal was. Played right, the Death House and the cult and mound can really give a Cthulhu eldritch horror feel to it.
I lured my players in using a bed and breakfast sign... I thought it was fitting bait for a semi sapient house.
Love it!
Wow, just wow. You went ahead and turned this adventure upside down. I was tempted to start at level 3, but seeing this intro makes me wanna include this
I was listening to you describe Durst Manor in this video and I was absolutely transfixed and hanging on your every word. Truly spectacular.
I was on the fence about running this campaign until I watched this video.... Literal..... Chills.
The amount of times I've exclaimed, "This guy's genius!" out loud while going through this video and taking notes is more than I have with any other RUclips video. Man, this is great work. I was debating whether even having The Death House be a part of my campaign but it's a must now for sure. Thank you so much!
After watching countless hours of almost useless guides on how to run CoS or the Death House I finally found this video. Finally a great guide with great ideas, well explained, narrated and in a quick but still extensive way. Love it. Good job man.
Thank you!
For me i misread things but it made it more fun. One of my players followed the kids in and nearly died then another player who makes magical contracts (I forget the class) but he talked to the kids and found they where touch starved and love starved and wanted people to come into the house to play with them forever and i made them lawful evil and one of my players mentioned they actually where in the right here since they where starved to death for a week or two and did get any attention or so on. Then the one who made contracts made one with both the kids to get them to follow them on an adventure and help them out in return they will help them either get bodies or be resurrected and will play with them while there adventuring. So they signed the contract and now depending on the actions of the players it will slowly change there alignments. Also the players burned down the manner after having the kids get all the treasure out of it.
These suggestions are awesome. I will definitely be using some of these. In my last run, I had my players show up naked outside the house, being transported while they slept. Having no armor or weapons ramps up the stakes significantly.
Even I was surprised by how well the house provides gear (though sparingly) as the players progressively explore the house. It forces the players to take extra care exploring the rooms for desperately needed gear, which gave me the opportunity to play up the horror tropes in much greater detail. It really gave my introduction to Ravenloft that survival horror theme that is hard to obtain in later levels.
My adventure progressed with the players pulling the iron spikes out of the front gate for spear weapons and pulling display shields off the walls. Having low AC and make-shift weapons really makes the players more cautious to go running into combat or open up that next door.
The party was pushing level 5 before they had enough money to buy the starting gear a typical level 1 character would benefit from. I learned years ago that limiting gear availability is important to making the players feel more vulnerable and increasing suspense. It also encourages them to take chances when the reward is more important to their survival.
Heck yeah! Make them earn that starting gear. Nice job, Jason!
Curse of Strahd is the first time I dm for my friends( first time playing) and I was having a hard time figuring out some details. You are a amazing narrator and filled me with inspiration. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
This will be my first DM session as well. So this death house starter is an amazing way to trial out a few things before stepping on the doorstep of Strahd
That picnic basket, excellent intro!!!! .... players wondering if it's a mimic!!!
... It is now!
Including a scroll of detect poison is a helpful addition to the basket, I've found!
I'm making these changes the first time ever running Death House, as well as my player's first time playing the campaign. They are new players as well, which along with your help has made for an incredible experience for both me and the players, really helping draw all of us in to the wretched lands of Barovia.
Thank you! I hope you all continue to have a blast!
I ran Durst manor for my group long before I discovered this channel so I kept the broom in. Actually, I didn’t realize it was there until my PC picked it up. And I read the description again. They rolled initiative. The broom rolled two crits and took the PC out right then and there. He was revived so it was good but not before it nearly took out two more PCs, a rouge and a Cleric.
Yeah, that murder broom's a bitch.
I have come up with the idea that when one of the player goes to investigate the doll house that is when Rose's voice is heard. " Come play with us." At this point the players find themselves pulled within the doll house. This encounter can playout in one of to ways. First as the players make their way through the doll house they hear the giggling of children and the foot steps running throughout with the children playing hide and seek. After the player track them down the children show them that the way out is through the secret door. Second if you feel that the players need a little more conflict, when the children are found they are small dolls possessed by the children and a fight ensues. After defeating the children's dolls the children appear and show the player how to escape through the secret door. After the players escape the doll house the children will apologize for their game and it continues and usual.
Sounds like a creepy fun time!
Im definitely running the changes to Durst Manor. I'm already planning to run a darker extended version of CoS I found online that goes deeper. I love this Campaign and so many people have made it so much better. Thank you!
You're welcome! Any chance you could share a link to the details of that longer campaign? Sounds intriguing.
@@LunchBreakHeroes I've also been taking notes from a Reddit thread called "Fleshing out the Curse of Strahd." Using both of these sources to take notes from is going to make this an incredibly fleshed out experience! Thanks again!
@@cosmicvale MandyMod does great work. Check out DragnaCarta's guide as well.
@@LunchBreakHeroes I most definitely will. I just started DM'ing a month ago and am abosultely floored at the community behind CoS and DnD in general.
Great video, will be borrowing lots from it.
I am using Death House, but set it in Waterdeep, as my CoS intro. Just had the first session. Here's how I changed things...
There has been a spate of murders and disappearances in Waterdeep, and some of the PCs are families of the victims. They trace the murders, on a misty night, to an old house in the Sea Ward.
They enter the house, and it plays more or less as written, but the end encounter at the altar is a Vampire Mist. It is the remains of Mr Durst, turned into one by Strahd, as punishment.
If the PCs were kind and talked to the Nanny upstairs (in which she reveals much of the back story), then her ghost, and the ghost of baby Walter, should help the PCs defeat the Vampire Mist.
But... when they eventually flee the house, it is not in Waterdeep anymore. It has returned to its 'real' home, in the Svalich Woods near Barovia, and is a decayed ruin.
The PCs will then realise with horror they are trapped there...
Just ran this version of the house. It went great...a player had a suspicion about the creepy doll before setting it on fire and moved it's head to make sure it wasn't a voodoo doll... Definitely will be next time.
Very nice! I'm glad it went well
This video was so influential in my concept of Death House that I was legitimately surprised to see some of the things in it (the moving wolves, Mrs. Durst's search for immortality) missing from the module when I started running it.
So glad I listened to your video before running death house! These are all excellent ideas. I was creeped out just listening to the descriptions and this is a much better story than is listed in the book. I will use most if not all of these ideas when I run the house. Thanks so much! Great video!
So I’m about to run COS and have decided to use this guide. Thought it would be cool though to have a small Graveyard in the Garden of the house. With a bunch of Durst names. One of the Graves can say “W Durst” or something of the ilk and it have a freshly dug grave. Almost like it’s ready for Walter.
I thought I might be a nice touch and a kind of ominous foreshadowing. Also eagle eye players will know where to bury him.
I was on the fence about running this part, but after watching your video it's a must! Your take on it is incredible and adds so much character, and I'm definitely using the picnic basket idea.
Glad I could help!
I loved Death House as a player :) Lots of DMs suggest skipping it and starting at level 3 though, which is a proper shame
I know, right?! I think that's mainly because level 1 adventurers can be kind of boring for seasoned players, and because Death House doesn't have a lot of actual tie-in to the rest of the story. It just stands on its own.
You're a blessing, I completely overlooked the level suggestion for Curse of Strahd and haven't wrote a decent opening set piece but RUclips suggested you. Not only have you brought my attention to this amazing free prelude but found a wonderful new channel. Thank you!
You're very welcome! Glad to have you here!
As someone getting back into d&d for the first time since I was a kid and a first time DM I loved you take on death house and incorporated quite a few of these ideas. Love your channel so far!
I'm glad you liked it--thanks for watching!
@@LunchBreakHeroes You definitely have a new subscriber. Would love to see more curse of strahd examples in your videos.
Oh there's plenty more to come.
Wow, well you just turned this up several notches for me! Very very good job man, your player are super lucky to have you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this video! Your suggestions are superb in the most unnerving and on-point way possible.
Inspirational! Tomorrow evening, I run my players through Durst Manor. I feel more prepared than I have ever been, thanks in part to you.
You are incredibly compelling (which motivates me to up my game), and the new ideas you bring to the table are next level amazing. The Durst backstory is fantastic, and the entirety of Barovia is coming alive thanks to your videos.
Best of all, you inspire my creativity too. My adventure hook (inspired by one of your comments) gathered the party at a Spa and Resort. Once the players were feeling good and comfortable, I managed to transport all the PCs to Barovia wearing only Silk Pajamas (except for the Bard who insisted on sleeping naked, Hahahaha).
Tomorrow night, nearly naked and unarmed, they face Death House.
Lemme know how it goes! I'm so glad that I could help out!
@@LunchBreakHeroes Well what an amazing session! All that prep work paid off. Best of all, my players loved it too.
The pace was slow (they only made half way), mostly because I creeped my players out with the first two floors. The disappearing dinner guests had everyone on edge, and the "blinking wolves" scared them so much that they left the room...
AND the Paladin barred the door to the room with a chair. Yep, the room with the secret trap door leading up from the basement was blocked, intentionally! Please let them choose that path to escape during the skill challenge!
Thanks again for your help. Yep, I did the work, but you brought some really great tools. Keep it up!
The durst manor is the first game I’ve run in almost 15 years. Your help was so appreciated. It went very well and your additions were fantastic. Thanks very much.
No problem, I'm glad it went well!
Just wanted to say thank you for making this video. All of these ideas fall into the written story so naturally and really make this a much more exciting quest, rather than just having players walk around am abandoned house. I took a bunch for my own story and look forward to watching more of your stuff. Thanks!
You’re very welcome!
Fantastic content. I've been trawling RUclips for help as a DM returning after a 20 year break, and this is the best quality chanel for DMs I've found yet. Just superb. Great advice. Bravo
Thank you very much, that means a lot! Sorry it took a week to reply to you. :-)
Great job. I am starting this tonite with my group of 5. I couldnt wait to DM Death House. Really sets the tone for the adventure.
Good luck! I'd love to hear how it goes for you.
!st session went great. Now my crew love to hack and slash so the whole role playing was a bit much for a few of them but I still got them into it anyhow.
Great stuff. Our DM on the Dice & Dreary podcast put a dog there when we first went into that room. More than a year later the dog is still with us though he's come close to death several time. A little detail added like that really has transformed the game and given us a new companion who is garbage in a fight but he's very enthusiastic haha
+1 Ankle Biter of Doom!
This was absolutely amazing! I love the modifications you've suggested and plan to implement them in my campaign! Awesome work!
Glad you liked it!
You make this sound so much cooler than some of the other D&D channels I've checked out!
Just ran death house with my group today using your advice and they absolutely loved it. Thank you so much! You are for sure getting my like and subscribe 😊
I'm good it went well!
I start running CoS this weekend and I am so glad I found your channel. Thank you for putting the written guides up as well on your Patreon. There is so much information on Reddit that I can easily get overwhelmed. Your videos and guides are the right length and content for me to digest in a hectic life.
Thank you for your support!
Who's got time for those hour long guides, amirite?
I've watched a few videos of yours in the past but I'm just starting CoS and your new videos are AMAZING. THANK YOU
You’re very welcome!
Our party is playing the Bavoria map as well. As soon as we heard the crying upon entering the gates to the town, we all noped out of there and skipped the house. LMAO so glad we did
lol, sounds to me like you missed out on a lot of fun!
@@LunchBreakHeroes oh man, I feel like we did too, but 2 of our characters already died. We werent ready😂😂😂😭💆🏾♀️😭
I was questioning whether to run death house or not but this video convinced me to do it!
Wow! Just wow! So animated and interesting! I kept it as a later encounter for my party and now I can't wait to run it.
I love these additions and changes. I was having issues with the mist forcing my players into the house. I came up with another way to lure them inside but this is a much better set-up for sure. Thanks for making this and to all those who contributed!
I will be Dming Dea- 'Durst Manor' soon, and this video is really helpful, great job! One thing I might want to try is having to put Walter to rest in his own crypt to break the curse of the house, like the module describes for Rose and Thorn to put their souls to rest. This could be part of the skill challenge, giving the players a free succes if they don't try to put Walter to rest, thus creating a risk reward scenario
Love this idea
I love everything you're doing.
I'm going to run a heavily modified (modernized among other things) CoS campaign and one thing I'm gonna do, which I don't expect many to agree with me, is to keep Baby Walter alive.
You have Elisabeth praying for immortality. It tracks to me that Walter acting as the catalyst of the curse would make him actually immortal as long as he is trapped within the flesh mound. In fact, I'd say that as long as he's in that thing, he can't die and neither can the ghouls. They would all act like they're wearing a Ring of Regeneration until Walter is removed from the flesh mound, at which point they turn to dust.
The reason I'm doing this is to screw with the players' emotions, mostly.
You want to excite a group of adventurers, put them in a nightmare land full of monsters.
You want to scare a group of adventurers, put them in a nightmare land full of monsters while they're responsible for the well-being of a 1hp little need-machine.
I also think it would be cool if Walter was the emotional anchor for a couple of ghost kids.
Ohhh I'm gonna run this for Halloween for my newbie group. I already started with changing the start of the adventure to something that's more Hansel & Gretel style with vanishing children and a creepy forest and then enclosing mists, but this is like a whole other dimension of new ideas. Thanks so much for that!
Also, your voice is amazing and really captivating, looking forward to more videos.
Thank you, Sandra! Good luck to your group on Halloween!
@@LunchBreakHeroes Thanks, I hope they'll get a good scare out of that. They've been apprehensive with Curse of Strahd because most of them don't like vampires, so this will be a nice chance to see if they want to run the full adventure.
additional advice: change the Durst family name if you have people with german language knowledge xD
Durst means "thirst" in german, pretty much telling everyone that they are connected to vampires or at least "creatures of the night" stuff.
Or Limp Bizkit fans
@@Razsteroid lol, true
as a german I agree
omg i feel SO stupid. I am going to run CoS as my first time being a DM and I, and all of my players, are german. I haven't realized that because of the english pronunciation I (and every video) used for the name because of the english source material. I never felt so stupid! Haha.
@@AgentSteffi I'm running Durst Manor with a group of friends tomorrow (we're all German) and like an idiot I also missed that connection for the same reason .
Oh great a renewed desire to one day run Death House - only now, even better than I'd thought possible.
The struggle is real.
I added a "Enemies Abound" spell to the book.
The party gave itself more damage in that combat than to the flesh mound.
Oooo, that last line gave me chills!
I ran your version of death house as a halloween one shot a couple of years ago and it was amazing. Now I'm re-watching as I'm about to run curse of strahd with a new group and will be using it again. The highlight last time was Margaret's specter, we had to pause because one of our players freaked out and needed a break when she went ballistic as they approached the cot. I had her scream like a banshee and surge forward appearing in front of them with her form twisting into something more horrific.
Seriously amazing. This is a fantastic example of both good storytelling, as well as innovative changing of a campaign to make it your own without changing the theme. Fantastic.
I'm a fairly new DM and I decided to use this advice (and the google doc accompanying it) for the first time I ever ran a module and it has been so great. I played strahd about a year ago and got to play the death house in it's unabridged form which was fine, but kind of just a separate haunted house oneshot that got us to level to start the game. This version is a lot more lore inclusive to the rest of the module and sets the players up for the kind of thinking necessary to succeed when playing this story. 11/10 Very Very Good
I'm glad you had fun, Maddy!
ill be running Curse of stradh very soon and these ideas are golden thank you
Entertaining and informative! I'm running my friends through my take on curse of strahd and your videos have given me no shortage of material to draw upon. Thank you and keep it up!
Thank you! I'm glad the videos can help out!
This is how you do a Death House break down. Thank you. Too many RUclipsrs want to add "how to run a dnd campaign" to their videos which is just a waste of time for the experienced DM
Glad to help!
After seeing all of your COS content. I’m subscribing, thank you for your wonderful inspirations you have granted me
And thank you for watching and subscribing!
I am definitely replacing the Shambling Mound with Baby Walter. Maybe he's a Banshee who's wail is only DC 8 as he sobs uncontrollably after being hit.
I just found your Chanel because I bought Curse of Stradh and was a little confused because I never ran a Campain before. You really helped me writing my first Session and hopefully becoming a good DM.
Thank you for all your work!
Ps: I got the freaking chills at the end of the video!
I am so glad I found your channel. This has given a twist on something I ran as a one shot for Halloween, and made that book I've been staring mindlessly at for the past few months seem almost runnable. I've been DMing a little over a year, mostly homebrew stuff, but have been wanting to run CoS for a while.
I'm glad I could help!
I just started running Death House yesterday, and while I had already made many of the backstory changes you suggest, I did not move the house closer to the gates away from the village. Therefore, I had to use the mist device to "force" the players in, which I really hate doing, especially as the first major event of a new campaign. Wish I had seen this video earlier!
This is so insanely helpful, thank you so much for making these
You’re very welcome
I like your take on this.
Thank you!
That is sooo freaking cool! Cant wait to run it for my group who is just starting d&d, me included. There are so many great stories in this module
Thanks for this. I am going to run this as a one shot for my kids and some of their friends. I’ll have to make it a bit more of a Disney haunted house. So I’ll have to tone it down to PG. But you gave me some cool story hooks to add some flavour.
I’m doing the same thing for my kids. How did you change it?
@@ErinSmith-jo8td Well, the delivery was more in the tone. Kept it up beat and breezy. And my son and his friends are 13 and just like a bunch of labradors. They had no hesitation, and ran into each room “I search the entire room for traps”. Scaring them was impossible even if I wanted too
Late to the party, but enjoyed this. My players are part way through Death House, but skipped the library completely. The broom nearly killed one of them, and the first ghoul encounter was almost a TPK. They have headed back into the house to try to regroup. I think I’ll incorporate some of these ideas moving forward.
Amazing guide! I love the way you fleshed out everything. I saw 19 minutes as the running length of the video and I was like, ugh I will try to trudge through this one. Then the video ended and I found myself on the edge of my chair waiting to hear what happens next! Just come DM for me, as I feel completely inept at this point compared to your methodical brilliance!
Lol! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. The brilliance belongs primarily to Reddit user MandyMod, though
@@LunchBreakHeroes what do you recommend doing for the players whose characters die in the house, or get sacrificed?
This is amazing, you're great. Please continue making these
Will do! Thanks for watching!
I started playing Curse of Strahd at my local game store, the DM started with this Death House, though I didn't know it. I felt my head spinning, we got sucked into Ravenloft by the Mist, appeared in this little town, and next thing we know, some creepy kids are begging us to figure out this mystery for them. The GM did a good job of making the kids creepy, as I certainly didn't want to follow them into the house. The GM did a poor job of making me care about the kids, as I didn't want to follow them into the house. Maybe it was the GM, maybe it was whatever, but I felt very railroaded by this little side quest, especially when we had a maiden in peril to rescue! We didn't have time to solve some mystery when there's someone already in danger, so I felt like, "Why are we following these creepy kids?"
i am probab;y the greenest DM running this module so thanks for a cler cut video on what to do to make this encounter not brutal
So for the skill challenge exiting Durst Manor I opted to have failure mean the entire group rolls on the short term madness table. Instead of killing them one at a time for failures beyond 3 I am having them fall into long term madness one at a time. They just bought minis and I couldn't kill them yet. Good video!
Lol, yeah a new mini is almost like a little short term life insurance policy.
Wow thanks, this is amazing! It's my first story as a DM and your explanation and extra's help a lot flavor and gameplay wise.
Thank you so much for this! I'm getting ready to run Curse of STRAHD. My first campaign. This video was most helpful.
Do you have PDFs of your notes? Your videos are great, but I would love to pour over your changes and have them handy when I'm at the table. About to run death house for halloween. I've played it before, but the mood you set and the little nuances are superb.
This video is based off the great work done by Reddit users MandyMod and DragnaCarta. You can find Dragna's guide here: docs.google.com/document/d/1iBGOoczF8oduZhmnHv297SEQmoxUVJ2mTOHVbfwcCMc/edit
Thanks, man! When we getting a new video?! Love the content! Keep it coming!
@@tonyspitz7190 I'm actually rendering the latest video as I type this reply. :-)
I ran this as a one shot, to let my players test out their new characters before we started strahd. I made a few changes myself but in general followed your story. My players went from near tears to anger in some fights especially with the Drust children. Thank you for the fun and compelling story.
Awesome! They fought the Durst children?
@@LunchBreakHeroes Yes they tried to be friendly but they asked "How can we help you get out of the house?" The children I ruled didn't know that they had to bury walter. So the kids possessed them, the idea being. If the players got out, they could get out too then they would leave their bodies.
Well I gave the Paladin tank, Thorn due to the flaw of now he's scared of everything. The Paladin didn't like this, and forced Thorn out of his body. Rose got upset thinking they were lying to them since they forced Thorn out and made him cry. She turned to make the bard strike the paladin (Which I intended to be just a small hit like a slap, he would have hardly felt. Since it was just a child being mad.) But when the bard saw she was gonna attack the paladin she forced Rose out as well. Which made rose angrier because again it seemed like they were lying. So Rose attacked to defend herself and her brother.
I also only had two players, for most of the house since the other players had to leave early. So a lot of the house was adjusted for the two. But sadly I could not adjust the children there had to be two. I already had My players at level 3. But I was rolling really well for the kids attacks.
So my two players left, (A married couple with kids) were near tears at the idea of what happened to these children and felt bad about having angered them to the point of fighting. Buuuut that changed quickly when the kids downed the bard twice and almost downed the paladin. (22 AC) They became angry and went "Screw these kids!" Course after the fight they asked if they moved on or not. I said no, but at the end of the campaign there was a way to save all the souls in the house if they played it right. Which they accepted and moved on.
Your materials are amazing. I have been so inspired. Well done, and thank you!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching. Be sure to share!
I used the broom as a bit of comic relief, we all laughed and spent about 1hr using it as a bit of emotional brake.
This is absolutely amazing. Thank you
Thank you so much, this was so well thought out and just laid out so nicely. Your use of the map to highlight areas and so on really made it a lot simpler to understand. Great work!
Thank you very much!
I ran the animated broom and it killed a paladin. It was quite a funny battle and contrasts the horror of the house. I gave the paladin’s player the broom mini as a token of the death.
Subbed. Using your ideas for my upcoming first run of CoS. These ideas are so absolutely excellent. Thank you!
Thank you! Let me know how it goes!
This is how I am going to run Durst Manor (though I can't put my players through the option of sacrificing the dog because I won't have players after that), but I love making the escape skill checks and having the picnic basket at the end! Thank you!
Glad we could help!
I’m about to run this- and I absolutely love this video! For sure the best resource I’ve found on Death House. However, with Stranger Things s3 having just come out I have a feeling my players will think I was inspired for the Flesh Mound! Funny how similar your description was to the monster
Thank you! I haven't watched it yet. And they monster came from Reddit user MandyMod.
This is my second campaighn, that I'm going to DM. I was looking at some tips, especially for Death House. Honesly... You changed it to the best of possible ways. I know, that Death House from module is not really good and is absolute TPK. At the end of the video, when you said "Signed..." I almost cried and gasped. I'm going to use your version, for sure. If it's okay of course. Maybe I will add the whole story of the house, when the players are running outside. Simmilair as that one horror scene of the voice in the Deep roads in Dragon age.
I started Curse two weeks ago (I'm running 2 groups of 6 PCs in Barovia, sessions are alternating Mondays) and I'm using your guide (the written one doesn't mention the dog though). I also used your Dreams mod for Session 1 and it was a hit. :)
I'm glad the guides could help!
A specter after the animated armor at level 1?
That's a TPK, my friends.
The shadows? That's a TPK too.
The escape? Easy TPK.
This adventure is a grindfest.
The next campaign I'm running for my players is Curse of Strahd so your videos will be really useful!
Yay, thought exactly the same that the house should be enroute and the broom was cheesy. My twist is that the armor is the tortured and displayed body of a retainer, and when closer can see winding fire pokers sticking out, and the headless body of the lady noble below awakens to pincer them on the stairs.
That. Was. Awesome. Thank you. Your ideas and presentation are inspiring, feel much better about running this one now. I've run a lot of games, homebrew and prewritten but this is my first horror themed one.
With prewritten campaigns I'm anxious to avoid coming off the rails in case I make a mistake that can't be undone later (I did it in a 3.5 campaign, a few minors detail that I didn't think would matter and it was story changing, didn't realise despite reading the entire campaign multiple times).
I'm glad we could help out! Be sure to check out the Curse of Strahd subreddit and Discord for more ideas and any help you might need!
I'm thinking of writing the journal for one of my players when I run this. I'll take their backstory and either flesh it out a bit or have them write a few short paragraphs detailing their life's story. Then I'll write up a few predictable story beats on the next few pages, ie meeting Rose and Thorn, going into the house, and entering the library and picking up the book.
But I want to have fun with it too. I'll write up a few sentences with large spaces in them so I can add words in later. During the session, I want to fill in these blanks depending on my players reaction. I'll use words that have about the same length to help narrate the encounter based on their point of view. For example, " met two lovely/strange/creepy children named Rose and Thorn..." " reluctantly/heroically entered the house..."
I hope that this really ups the creep factor for my players during the game.
This is a fantastic guide!
That finale with the picnic basket is fantastic
Currently starting a binge of this whole Series. Wasnt a good idea to eat dinner while you talk about "Flesh Mounds" xD
Some cool changes i made was i put lancelot (the dog) in walters crib. The specter emerged from the mirror that tricks the players into thinking that they are deathly ill and thin. The spectre is also cursed with not being able to take its original form. Only taking in the form of those who stare into the mirror (the curse was placed on her by Mrs. Durst as punishment for trying to rob her of her form as a wife, the maid is damed to only steal the forms of others). The specter believes that this dog is Walter and is still defensive. But is still compliant when giving infotmation as long aa the dog isnt touched.
I'm preparing to run Curse of Strahd with a new group of players (I'm a longtime veteran) but I have gotta say this is a fantastic video. Death House is fine, but it needs some sprucing up and what you present here is excellent!
Thank you very much! I hope you get some use out of the content.
8:00 - Small comment in regards the feast, I plan to have it be illusory save for the intoxication of the wine, which rather than make players drunk will make them more susceptible to the illusions of Death House, ala The Shining and the father figure's loss of sobriety. Characters may have disadvantage on one saving throw determined by the house, and are more likely to see or hear things others don't, providing both more info and more unsettling thoughts for their psyche.
Sounds like a fun idea!
This was wildly helpful. The death house seemed so boring until I watched this video. Thanks for being creative and filling in the blanks for me.
Bonus points if you start hotel California when you tell them about the picnic basket
Excellent video, I like your tweaks and am keen to run this again. I have an alternative approach to bring people to this game, I call it the Harker
Basically the lead in is a usual game, you meet in a tavern, read a note or get asked for help and meet the Lawyer, what you call him is up to you but Harker is a bit on the nose.
He employed Them as body guards as he needs to travel far to attend to the will of Mr Durst as he wishes to include his new son Walter, its a few days travel and the roads are dangerous. You go with him and you can run a travel session 0 perhaps dropping a few clues on the way as they get closer to the house. On arrival there are no kids outside, no message about monster in the basement etc. Its the Lawyer who is the driving factor to entering the house, once in the doors lock and mist envelopes the house, they are trapped. Early on kill off the lawyer in the most spooky and gory fashion, ideally if he is on his own. At the end when they leave, you can play the welcome to Barovia part
Anyway, just an idea
Sounds like a fun alternate intro, especially for those who might've run the adventure before. Thank you for sharing that!
This is incredible. Well done.
Thank you!