Arc A - Escape From Death House - Curse of Strahd: Reloaded

*An adventure for five 2nd-level characters.* > [!tip]+ **A Taste of Horror** > The following pages contain a guide to the first two-thirds of the campaign: **Act I: Into the Mists**, **Act II: The Shadowed Town**, and **Act III: The Broken Land**. Updates providing additional content are expected to follow regularly on the /r/CurseOfStrahd subreddit. > > You can sign up to receive update notifications in your email inbox by joining the free DragnaCarta community on [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/DragnaCarta). > > You can also get an early peek at drafts of the remainder of **Act III: The Broken Land**, as well as outlines and notes for all following acts and arcs, by supporting this guide on [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/DragnaCarta). > [!warning]+ **A Second-Level Adventure** > Remember that, unlike the original *Curse of Strahd* adventure, the players in this guide begin at 2nd level, rather than 1st level. The players begin in the town of Daggerford on the night before Highharvesttide, an annual feast and holiday celebration. The local inns are full for the night, and the players—vagabonds with little coin or company to speak of—find shelter in the stable of the Nightmare’s Bridle, a ramshackle tavern on the outskirts of town. When the relics they carry sense the presence of Death House, however, the players are led through Daggerford’s rainy streets and into the house’s waiting threshold. Once inside, the players are trapped and told that a monster will hunt them down once it awakens. They have six hours to find it first and either appease it with a suitable sacrifice—or kill it. As they explore the house, they come to learn the house’s lurid history, as well as the true identity of the beast that lurks beneath. If the players kill the monster, the house begins to collapse, forcing them to flee or be lost in the rubble. Upon emerging, they find that their surroundings have changed, transporting them to the darkened land of Barovia. > [!lore]+ **The History of Death House** > See [[History of Barovia#Strahd’s First Followers|Strahd's First Followers]] for a full retelling of the gruesome history of Death House. # A1. Daggerford > [!warning]+ **Keep Your Workload Low** > *Curse of Strahd: Reloaded* has intentionally been written to minimize time spent away from the table, aiming to serve as a "zero-prep" campaign to the maximum extent possible. To make this possible, this guide has been designed to manipulate players into taking specific, curated paths through the adventure, even while providing intentional degrees of freedom that, while meaningful, will not substantially change the ultimate outcome of the campaign. > > If you wish to minimize your workload, do your best to avoid making any changes or additions to this guide. Doing so is likely to alter how the players interface with and approach its narrative and gameplay, disturbing load-bearing pillars that may be difficult to notice without re-reading the full, complete guide multiple times. (For example, increasing distances between the Barovian settlements makes multiple quests in Acts II and III impossible to complete without a comprehensive overhaul of the entire campaign's timeline.) Any modifications—such as changes to deadlines, distances, statblocks, character motivations, or events—are made at the DM's own risk, and may lead to TPKs, wild divergences, or unsatisfying storylines. ## A1a. The Nightmare’s Bridle If one or more of your players are using the [[Running the Adventure#Adventure Hooks|Barovian Relics]] hook, read the following text. Otherwise, proceed to [[#A2. Death House]] below. <div class="description"> It’s the evening before Highharvesttide, and a storm has descended over Daggerford, with dark clouds pouring cascades of rain down upon the town below. Despite the weather, however, the town buzzes with anticipation of the impending falltime festival, each home filled with warmth and joy. Bright, cheery candlelight twinkles from every window, and the sounds of song and dance echo throughout the wet and muddy streets. Amidst the merriment, however, you stand apart. Neither locals nor visitors, you’re vagabonds—travelers, ghosts passing through an unfamiliar town. As laughter rings out from inns and homes, you face a simpler, starker dilemma: the quest for shelter. Every room in this town is claimed, every hearth filled to bursting, leaving you in the grip of the bitter storm. Until, that is, the owner of the ramshackle Nightmare’s Bridle tavern offers you a grudging reprieve: the hayloft above their stable. It’s nothing to boast about, leaving the biting cold and the lingering scent of musty hay as your only companions. But it’s a roof over your heads nonetheless—a small mercy on a night such as this. One by one, you find a home amidst the muck and hay. Overhead, rain lashes the stable, thunder punctuating the rhythmic drumming on the roof. Flashes of lightning lance across the skies, casting the stable’s interior in stark lights and darks. Rainwater drips steadily down through a leak in the roof, snaking its way across the floor until it pools in the corner. Here, then, you find yourselves: huddled in the darkness amongst strangers, while joy and mirth dance just out of reach. </div> Invite the players to describe each character's appearance and countenance, how they’ve positioned themselves, and how they’ve arranged their belongings. When the players have finished introducing themselves, read: <div class="description"> A searing bolt of lightning rends the sky, illuminating the evening in a blinding flash of stark white. The booming thunder that follows is so loud it shakes the very ground beneath you, causing the timbers of the stable to creak and groan. The light of the strike lingers unnaturally, silhouetting small wisps of fog that twist through the air. A thick, ankle-deep mist gathers outside, shrouding the earth in a ghostly veil. Its tendrils curl invitingly, as though beckoning you to the darkness beyond. The rain continues to pelt the roof above, but the wind no longer howls, and the merry sounds of Daggerford’s festivities seem muted and distant. The horses in the stable beneath stir uneasily, their whinnies echoing loudly in the stillness. An uneasy feeling sweeps through the hayloft, a cold shiver that has nothing to do with the wind or rain. </div> One by one, the players’ relics then react as follows, in the following order. * ***Stone Crest.*** The crest emits a low hum and smells of pine needles and earthy soil, which both grow stronger when the crest is moved toward Death House. * ***Broken Blade.*** The blade emits a high-pitched hum and begins to tremble violently, spinning like a compass needle in the direction of Death House. * ***Dragon's Scale.*** The scale burns icy cold, one end glowing with a bright, silver light in the direction of Death House. * ***Sunrise Medallion.*** The medallion shines with a warm, golden glow, emitting rays of bright light in the direction of Death House. * ***Amber Shard.*** The shard glows with amber light and tugs its cord in the direction of Death House. * ***Wolf's Tooth.*** The tooth lengthens, glowing with silver moonlight, and tugs its cord in the direction of Death House. * ***Crumpled Page.*** The ink on the page glows with amber light, the runes reshaping themselves into a map that shows the page's location—and an arrow that guides toward Death House. * ***Tattered Banner.*** The sound of war-drums fills the air, and the banner blows in an unseen wind in the direction of Death House. * ***Electrum Coin.*** The coin lands on its edge and begins rolling across the muddy cobblestones in the direction of Death House. * ***Angel's Feather.*** The feather is swept away by an unseen wind, its barbs glimmering with golden light as it twirls through the streets toward Death House. * ***Raven's Feather.*** The feather is swept away by the wind, its shadow seeming to dance in the air, as it twirls through the streets toward Death House. * ***Wanderer's Scarf.*** The scarf is carried away by the wind, its patterns shifting and turning in the air as it whirls through the streets toward Death House. If the players give chase, read: <div class="description"> You emerge from the hayloft into the swirling mists beyond, the stones of Daggerford's streets slick and gleaming beneath your feet. The city’s laughter and cheer is now but a hollow echo, the brightness of its revelry drowned in the fog that encircles you. The taste of the cold, damp air is sharp on your tongue, and the sound of your own breath loud in your ears. Your relics call you forward, the mists parting to make way. You move slowly at first, then faster, your hearts pounding in your chest. As you venture deeper into the fog, each step you make feels heavier, each echo of thunder a beat in this relentless march. The fog swallows the town, buildings reduced to looming shadows, their shapes dancing and flickering in the storm's sporadic flashes of lightning. Rain drums a relentless rhythm, the patter of drops on cobblestone accompanying the distant, mournful peal of thunder. For brief moments, you can feel something else beneath your feet: the steady pounding of a deep and distant heartbeat. You're pulled left, then right, then left again, the relics guiding you through the murky labyrinth. Distance and direction have lost all meaning, the shadows around you contorting in twisted shapes. Your blood sings in your ears, and the air grows denser, electric, as the energy of the storm—of the chase—swells with reckless abandon. And then—the pounding stops. The thunder pauses. And the mist breaks. The fog pulls back like a curtain, revealing a tall, eerie silhouette that towers in the gloom before you. </div> This is **Death House.** # A2. Death House If one or more of your players are using the [[Running the Adventure#Adventure Hooks|Lost in the Mists]] hook, read the following text. Otherwise, proceed to [[#A2a. The Arrival]] below. <div class="description"> Highharvesttide in Daggerford. It’s a time of joy and celebration, of hearth and home, of golden laughter ringing out into the night. But tonight, as a storm has swept over the town, you find yourselves apart from the warmth and revelry, drawn into the cold, dark embrace of mystery. As mercenaries, you're no strangers to danger or the unknown. But this—this is different. Over the past few weeks, whispers have spread throughout Daggerford of disappearances: ordinary folk, vanished without a trace. The only connection? A grand, old manor, known in hushed tones as “Death House.” Tonight, as the storm rages outside, you've been summoned to investigate this mysterious dwelling. The town crier’s proclamation still echoes in your ears, a bounty for any brave souls who dare to uncover the truth. Driven by a mix of greed, curiosity, and perhaps a touch of bravado, you stepped forward. Now, guided by the faint glow of your lanterns, you traverse the slick, fog-shrouded cobblestone streets. The distant merriment is a stark contrast to the eerie quiet around you. The world has been reduced to hushed whispers and the steady drumming of rain, a somber serenade to your perilous journey. And then, as if answering an unspoken summons, the mists before you part, revealing the grim silhouette of your destination: the “Death House.” Its dark, stone façade and towering spires loom ominously against the storm-tossed sky, a wordless challenge against your resolve. </div> ## A2a. The Arrival ### Entrance This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 1. Read all players the following text: <div class=description> A grand manor stands before you, four stories of cold, soot-stained stone, tall narrow windows, and high peaked roofs forming a picture of austere, chilling grandeur. Midway up, a narrow balcony juts out from the third floor, offering a grim perch from which to survey the surrounding grounds. The centerpiece of this imposing facade is the portico, a stone arch standing sentinel before the house's oaken doors. A wrought-iron gate fills this arch, its rusty hinges creaking as it sways in the wind. On either side of the gate, oil lamps hang from chains, their light dim and flickering, casting a sickly glow that barely pierces the surrounding fog. Beyond the gate, a set of sturdy oaken doors stand closed, framed by the gate and the lamps. The doors are old and weathered, their wood darkened by time, but they stand strong and proud—an unwelcome entrance to the house beyond. A gust of wind sweeps past you, carrying with it a whisper of cold dread that sends shivers down your spine. </div> Any players who began with the ***Barovian Relics*** hook can now see the players who began with the ***Lost in the Mists*** hook, and vice-versa. (If any of the players’ relics flew or rolled to Death House—as with the ***wanderer’s scarf*** or the ***electrum coin***—they land on the house’s threshold, just beyond the portico.) The street is otherwise deserted. The entrance beyond the portico is otherwise as described in Entrance (p. 212). > [!lore]+ **Strahd & the Cult** > > The cult of Death House earned no love from Strahd in life. But in death, the two parties have come to an informal, unspoken understanding. > > In exchange for the permission to roam far afield from the misty land of Barovia to claim sacrifices, Death House is bound to return to the valley after each hunting excursion. Should any adventurers successfully escape the house's bloodied altar, they inevitably emerge into Strahd's domain—assuring him of a worthy crop of prey to pursue. ### Main Hall This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 2. When the players pass through Death House’s threshold, any Barovian relics they carry cease to be active. (For example, the *sunrise medallion* ceases to glow.) The main hall is largely as described in Main Hall (p. 212) but now contains a grandfather clock, which is placed in the circular space at the base of the stairs. Instead of a longsword, the portrait of the Durst family from Upper Hall (p. 213) now hangs above the fireplace. In the portrait, Thorn is holding a smiling doll wearing a yellow lace dress. A plaque beneath the portrait reads: *Mr. Gustav and Mrs. Elisabeth Durst, with their two children, Rosavalda and Thornboldt.*<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/">1</a> ![[The Durst Family.png]] "The Durst Family" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> Shortly after all of the characters enter the main hall, the front door slams shut, extinguishing all lights in the house. The sound of the rain outside completely vanishes, leaving the house eerily silent. Bloody letters then begin appearing on the southern wall, just above the marble staircase. They read as follows: <div class="description" style="text-align: center; padding: 15px;"> Beneath this dwelling lurks a beast Who hungers for a bloody feast. He sleeps until the midnight chime Then wakes to feed his dark design. If morsels seek to flee their doom, Then bring toward his secret room A gift to soothe his savage mood But mind the servants of his brood. </div> The grandfather clock then strikes six o’clock. > [!info]+ **Time in Death House** > > When the clock strikes six, place three six-sided dice on the table in front of the players, with each side showing a six. Each pip on the dice represents twenty minutes until midnight. > > As the players explore the house, tick this dice clock downward to indicate the passage of time, always starting with the die showing the lowest number. If the lowest die shows a one, you can tick it down to “zero” by removing it from the group instead. > > The dice clock counts down as follows to represent the total time the players have spent in the house: > - Each time the players enter a new floor of the house or dungeon, tick the dice clock down by one. > - Each time the players make a Perception or Investigation check to search an entire room, tick the dice clock down by one. > - Each time the players complete a short rest, tick the dice clock down by three. > > A full hour passes each time a die decreases from 4 to 3, or each time a die decreases from 1 to 0. The grandfather clock in the **Main Hall** sounds on the hour, every hour, and can be heard throughout the house and dungeon. > > When the clock strikes midnight, the **flesh mound** in the **Ritual Chamber** awakens and makes a beeline for the players, exiting through the **Hidden Trapdoor** into the **Den of Wolves** if necessary to reach them. At least one minute should pass between the time the mound wakes up and the time that it first reaches the players, nullifying its *heavy sleeper* feature and allowing it to use its *multiattack* actions. > [!info]+ **Resting in Death House** > > Due to their midnight deadline, it is impossible for the players to take a long rest in Death House. However, the players might still need to take a short rest. Each time they do so in the main house, they experience one or more of the following hauntings: > > - A player hears rats scrabbling up and down the spaces between the walls. A thick, choking stench of rot seeps into the room. > - A player hears the sound of a woman’s humming emanating from the opposite side of a closed door. If the door is cracked open, a cold blue eye stares back before vanishing. > - A player hears footsteps descending from the attic, which stop outside of their door before moving away to the library. Soon after, a grinding noise can be heard coming from the library—the sound of the secret door. > - A player hears maniacal laughter echoing from far below the house. > - A player hears a pleading female voice in their right ear that swears that “it isn’t his.” Another, colder female voice in the player’s left ear scoffs and says, "You would say that, you little *harlot*." A player who opens any outside-facing door or curtain in Death House, or who exits onto any balcony, finds that the exterior of the house has been surrounded by thick, fleshy tendrils. Although the tendrils can be damaged, more grow back swiftly to replace them, sealing the players inside. A player who inspects the tendrils finds that they appear to be extruding from beneath the house. ## A2b. The First Floor ### Cloakroom This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 2. A player who investigates the cloakroom adjoining the Main Hall can observe an envelope poking from the pocket of one of the cloaks. The envelope, which is addressed to Lady Lovina Wachter, contains an invitation. It reads: <div class="description" style="text-align:center; padding: 15px;"> You are cordially invited to join <div style="height: 3px;"></div> MR. GUSTAV & ELISABETH DURST <div style="height: 3px;"></div> for a celebration of the one-year anniversary of the Durst Mill. <div style="height: 3px;"></div> The Durst Residence, Barovia Village <div style="height: 3px;"></div> 6 o'clock p.m. 13 Neyavr, 348 <div style="height: 3px;"></div> Dinner and refreshments to be served. </div> ![[Durst Invitation.jpg]] "Durst Invitation" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> ### Den of Wolves This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 3. This room is largely as described in Den of Wolves (p. 212). As the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> As you crack the door to this room open, you catch a glimpse of something feral beyond: an amber eye that flashes in the darkness, and a bestial muzzle curled into a snarl. </div> If the players proceed, read: <div class="description"> The door cracks open, revealing a gray-furred wolf frozen into place. It's only a moment before you realize that it's not moving—and another before you realize that it's not alone. This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter's den. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag's head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are two additional stuffed wolves—a large gray wolf and a smaller brown wolf. Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face a hearth, with an oak table between them supporting an assortment of objects. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs, and two cabinets stand against the walls. A pair of small toys seems to have been forgotten beneath one of the chairs. </div> The discarded toys are small, plush gray wolves, whose threadbare coats show evidence of heavy mending and patchwork. Clumsy stitchwork on their stomachs reads ROSE and THORN, respectively. In addition to its other contents, the east cabinet contains five silvered crossbow bolts mixed in with the other sixty bolts. Meanwhile, the north cabinet also contains a mounted piece of child's needlework that depicts a boy and girl holding the hands of a young woman, alongside clumsily stitched words that read FOR MISS KLARA. The young woman's face has been slashed and cut out. The first time that no players are looking at them, the three taxidermied wolves move. When the players next look at them, the large gray wolf is standing beside the smaller brown wolf, and the first gray wolf has turned its snarl toward the others. A player that succeeds on a DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) check can identify the large gray wolf as male and the other two as female. ### Dining Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 5. Players that approach this door can hear the muffled sound of a lively dinner feast, including clinking glasses, quiet laughter, and distant conversation. If the players open or knock on the door, however, the room falls silent, leaving only the stillness and the cold grandeur of the room beyond. This room is largely as described in Dining Room (p. 213). When the players enter it, read: <div class="description"> You enter into a wood-paneled dining room. The centerpiece is a carved mahogany table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is set with resplendent silverware and crystal glasses polished to a dazzling shine. Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale. The wall paneling is carved with elegant images of deer among the trees. Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall. The table groans beneath the weight of a delicious-looking feast. Exquisite dishes lay on grand platters: succulent roasted poultry glazed with a shimmering honey sauce, perfectly grilled cuts of beef still steaming lightly, a variety of cheeses and fresh fruits, and freshly baked breads giving off a comforting aroma. </div> A player who partakes in the food suffers no ill effects. ### Kitchen and Pantry This scene corresponds to Appendix B: Area 4. This room is largely as described in Kitchen and Pantry (p. 213). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> You enter a tidy kitchen, with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A worktable has a cutting board and rolling pin atop it. A stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door. In the front right-hand corner of the room stands a small wooden door set into the wall. </div> If the players inspect the cookware, they find that the largest kitchen knife is missing. A player who enters the pantry finds that one of the shelves contains a set of beautiful decorative plates painted with pictures of windmills. One of the plates appears to have been knocked off of the shelf and lies in shattered pieces on the floor, leaving an empty spot in the row of plates. A few inches behind the empty spot on the shelf sits an antique copper pot, its lid slightly ajar. Peeking out from beneath the lid is the cork of what appears to be a bottle of wine. A player who opens the pot finds it to contain a bottle of wine, a folded piece of delicate lace, a vial of a brownish dried powder, and a bouquet of wilted sunflowers tied to a small scroll of parchment. * The wine's label shows that it is from the Wizard of Wines winery and provides the name of the wine: Champagne du le Stomp. (A player that drinks the wine finds it to have turned to vinegar, as though it has magically aged centuries in mere moments.) * The piece of lace bears the initial "K" sewn onto one corner. * A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Nature) check identifies the brown powder as dried silphium, a contraceptive herb. * The parchment scroll reads: "For the light of my life. —G." If the players read the note, one of the knives in the kitchen flies off of its shelf and embeds itself in the opposite wall. ## A2c. The Second Floor ### Upper Hall This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 6. This room is largely as described in Upper Hall (p. 213). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> Unlit oil lamps are mounted on the walls of this elegant hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a longsword with a windmill cameo worked into the hilt. Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf's head. The doors between them are carved with images of dancing youths. The red marble staircase continues its upward spiral to a third floor, a cold draft whispering down from above. </div> ### Servants’ Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 7. This room is largely as described in Servants’ Room (p. 213). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This undecorated bedroom contains a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses. At the foot of each bed is a closed foot locker. A door to the left appears to lead to a closet. In the right-hand corner stands a small wooden door, a metal button set into the wall beside it. A basket full of unwashed laundry appears to have been left beside it. </div> The basket contains a man's laundry, including fine suits, tunics, neckties, pants, and stockings. However, a single, much-smaller woman's slip appears to have been mixed in with the rest. ### Conservatory This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 10. Players that approach this door can hear the faint sound of a harpsichord playing from beyond the doors. If the players open or knock on the door, however, the music falls silent. This room is largely as described in Conservatory (p. 214). When the players enter it, read: <div class="description"> You enter into an elegantly appointed hall, the windows of which are covered by gossamer drapes. A brass-plated chandelier hangs from the ceiling, and upholstered chairs line the walls. Several stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece. </div> ***The Harpsichord.*** A player who inspects the harpsichord finds that one of the keys appears to be permanently pressed in the "down" position. A player who investigates the interior of the harpsichord finds the cause: a rolled-up piece of parchment tucked beneath one of the strings. The parchment is a piece of handwritten sheet music for the harpsichord titled *Waltz for Klara*. If the sheet music is played on the harpsichord, read: <div class="description"> As you press your fingers to the keys, the notes echo, a haunting melody filling the quiet, dusty room. As you continue to play, the music seems to take on a life of its own, your hands moving across the keys unbidden as if guided by an unseen force. From the edges of the room, spectral figures begin to materialize, spinning and weaving in a ghostly dance as though led by the song. Most are unfamiliar to you, but you recognize two: Elisabeth Durst, in the corner, watching Gustav's apparition dancing with a beautiful young woman wearing humble clothes. The eyes of Elisabeth's apparition narrow into a cold, furious stare. The dancers pay her little heed, however, the song growing faster as the spirits whirl to the rhythm of the harpsichord's crescendo. With a swift movement, Elisabeth reaches for a pendant around her spectral neck—a shimmering amber shard hung on a cord of ethereal mist. As her ghostly fist curls around it, her eyes flash a bright, menacing amber—and the spectral dancers dissipate, swept away as if by an unseen wind. Elisabeth's apparition lingers but a moment longer before disappearing with the rest. As it does, a sound resonates through the room: the low sound of scraping wood, originating from the room across the hall. The floor trembles faintly—and you hear a crash from the mantelpiece. Two of the alabaster figurines have fallen from their place on the shelf: one, toppled over on its side; the other, shattered across the floor. </div> A player who inspects the fallen figurines finds that the toppled figurine has cracked across its face, arms, and torso, and depicts a young and slender female dancer. The shattered figurine has broken into dozens of pieces, and appears to have once depicted a comely, older man. A third, female dancer figurine remains defiantly standing atop the mantelpiece where all three once stood. Playing *Waltz for Klara* also causes the bookshelf in the [[#Library]] to swing open, exposing the locked secret door beyond. (The scraping sound is the sound of the bookshelf scraping against the floor.) ### Library This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 8. This room is largely as described in Library (p. 213-14). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves. </div> ***The Desk.*** A handwritten note sits atop the desk. It reads: <div class="description"> Dear Mr. and Mrs. Durst, In light of my current condition, I respectfully ask your leave for a brief time away from my responsibilities. While my devotion to your dear children makes this decision difficult, I have taken it upon myself to find a solution that, I hope, will serve your household well. A good acquaintance of mine is experienced in the care of children, and I believe that she could assume my role during my temporary leave without difficulty. I realize that my request is not without its complications. However, my years serving your family have shown me the depth of your understanding and compassion. I truly feel that I have become a part of this family, and I look forward to bringing another member of that family into this world. Yours sincerely, Klara </div> The top drawer of the desk now contains a number of receipts for candles, daggers, and incense, rather than the key to [[#Children’s Room]]. A character that searches the room for 1 minute and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check can see flickering candle light emanating from beneath the secret door.<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/49bvms/notes_from_running_death_house/">4</a> > [!info]+ **Making Multiple Ability Checks** > > As the players explore Death House and the many secret places within the land of Barovia, don't forget the **Multiple Ability Checks** rule (Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 237). For example, a player who searches the library can take 10 minutes to automatically succeed on the check. ***The Secret Door.*** The secret door in this room has two components. First, a player must pull on the switch as described in Secret Door (p. 214). Doing so causes the bookshelf to swing forward, revealing a blank wooden wall behind it. Once the bookshelf has been moved, the players can see a small panel made of dark wood behind it, built into the wall at approximately chest level. A small hollow niche, jagged and irregular, lies at the panel's center and emanates a faint amber glow. The door cannot be opened unless the amber shard from the [[#Master Suite]] is placed into the niche or a player plays *Waltz for Klara* on the harpsichord in the [[#Conservatory]]. The secret door then swings open, allowing the players to enter the [[#Secret Room]]. ### Secret Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 9. This room is largely as described in Secret Room (p. 214). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This small hidden room is packed with bookshelves groaning with old and ominous-looking leather-bound tomes. A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest, its ribs and head caught beneath the lid, is a skeleton in leather armor. </div> The chest no longer contains the deed to Old Bonegrinder. Additionally, change Strahd’s letter to read as follows: <div class="description"> My most pathetic servant, I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the one who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but a worm writhing in my earth. You say that you are cursed, your fortune spent. Your husband took solace in the bosom of another woman, sired a bastard son, and drove you to abandon love for madness. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are. Your dread lord and master, Strahd von Zarovich </div> The players do not recognize the name "Strahd von Zarovich." > [!design]- **Design Note: Removing the Deed** > Players who find the deed to Old Bonegrinder in the secret chest often come to the mistaken conclusion that looting the deed makes them the new owners of the mill. Such players are likely, as a result, to attempt to explore the windmill during [[Act I - Into the Mists/Arc C - Into the Valley]], triggering a conflict with the night hag coven and—through no fault of their own—a likely TPK. As such, the deed has been removed to help avoid this outcome. ## A2d. The Third Floor As the players ascend the spiral stairs to the third floor, remind them that they can see down the center of the staircase all the way to the bottom floor. ### Balcony This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 11. This room is largely as described in Balcony (p. 214). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> You climb the red marble staircase to its full height, arriving at a dusty balcony. The air here is dry and musty, but tinged with a strange, coppery scent. A suit of black plate armor stands against one wall, draped in cobwebs and marked by age. Oil lamps are mounted on the faded oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny beasts. </div> When triggered, the **animated armor** will use one or both of its **_multiattack_** attacks to attempt to push a player over the railing using a ***shove*** attack, or attempt to grapple its nearest target before shoving them prone. If the armor is thrown down to the first floor and the players do not reveal their presence atop the balcony, it is unable to observe them with its sixty feet of blindsight, and is too stupid to think to climb back up. A creature that is pushed over the edge of the balcony falls two stories, or twenty feet, and takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage. That creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or land prone. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Animated Armor** > This combat encounter is a **mild** encounter against a party of five 2nd-level players, and will consume approximately 15% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the armor’s hit points to 12. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the armor’s hit points to 21. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the armor’s hit points to 48. ### Master Suite This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 12. When a player first approaches this door, read: <div class="description"> These grand doors loom tall, their dark wood frames enclosing a pair of dusty stained-glass windows. Each pane is etched with intricate designs that resemble windmills, their once-vibrant hues now faded and obscured beneath a thick veil of grime. Through the dusty haze that prickles your eyes , you catch a glimpse of something through the windows: a silhouette, standing mere inches behind the glass, lit from behind by a dim, amber glow. It's still and unmoving, but the mere sight of it seizes your muscles in a vice-like grip, your limbs refusing to obey your conscious mind. The air around you thickens, its temperature plummeting to a bone-chilling cold. Your breath fogs the glass panes, a delicate frost creeping across them as the house's distant creaks and whispers are swallowed by a heavy silence. The shadow behind the door is nearly formless—insubstantial—but its presence invokes a primordial dread deep within your marrow. Your heart beats faster, sweat beading on your forehead, pulse racing through your veins. Slowly, the silhouette begins to turn its head toward yours. And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the shadow evaporates. The biting cold ebbs away, and the house's quiet sounds return once more. </div> This room is largely as described in Master Suite (p. 214). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> You enter a dusty, cobweb-filled master bedroom with burgundy drapes covering the windows. A four-poster bed with embroidered curtains and tattered gossamer veils stands against the center wall. A door facing the foot of the bed has a faded full-length mirror mounted on it. In the right-hand corner of the room stands a small wooden door, its surface half-rotted by age. A tarnished metal button is set into the wall beside it. A rotting tiger-skin rug lies on the floor in front of the fireplace, which has a dust-covered portrait of the man and woman from the first-floor portrait hanging above it. A web-filled parlor in the southwest corner contains two chairs and a table holding several items, as well as a door with a dark, dirt-flecked window. The room also contains a matching pair of wardrobes, a padded chair, and a vanity with a wood-framed mirror and a silver jewelry box. A soft amber glow emanates from beneath the jewelry box's lid. </div> ***The Bed.*** A player that approaches the bed can see that a large, bloodstained kitchen knife has been driven into one of the pillows. ***The Jewelry Box.*** The jewelry box is empty of valuables. Instead, it is filled with grain, with an *amber shard* resting in the center of the box. (This amber shard is the unique key to the secret door in the [[#Library]].) A roll of parchment is half-buried in the grain beside the shard. If unfurled, it reads as follows: <div class="description"> Drasha, I have selected you as the Beast’s custodian in my absence. Should the Beast grow unruly or show signs of agitation while I am away, I have left this amber shard to weaken it and soothe its fury. Should the need arise, present the shard and speak the Beast's name; if you speak with conviction, it shall obey you in my stead, if only for a time. But be sure to begone from the house before it awakens fully at midnight. So long as the Beast draws breath, it—not you—is the heart of this house, and no meal shall ever sate its appetite. Should you linger in its domain, it will mean doom for you all. Elisabeth </div> See **Elisabeth's Amber Shard** in [[#Ritual Chamber]] below for more information about the amber shard. ***The Balcony.*** A player that exits the bedroom onto the balcony sees only a wall of fleshy tendrils encompassing the exterior of the house. The tendrils are as described in [[#Main Hall]]. ### Bathroom This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 13. This room is as described in Bathroom (p. 215). ### Storage Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 14. This room is largely as described in Storage Room (p. 215). When the players enter it, read: <div class="description"> Dusty shelves line the walls of this room. A few of the shelves have folded sheets, blankets, and old bars of soap on them. A cobweb-covered broom leans against the far wall. </div> When a player first approaches within 5 feet of the **broom of animated attack**, it attacks with surprise as soon as they avert their eyes or turn away, thwacking them once upside the head. It then immediately returns to its initial position—now cobweb-free. On its future turns, the broom uses its **_multiattack_** to continue to attack any player not looking at it who remains within 5 feet, foregoing opportunity attacks against players that move away. ### Nursemaid’s Suite This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 15. This room is largely as described in Nursemaid’s Suite (p. 217). When the players enter it, read: <div class="description"> Dust and cobwebs shroud this elegantly appointed bedroom. A large bed stands against the far wall, its once-opulent coverings now faded and threadbare. Beside the bed, a mildew-covered towel covers most of a dusty yellowed book on one of its two end tables. On the far side of the room, you can see a pair of two more stained-glass doors, their windows flecked with dirt and grime. To the left stands an empty wardrobe, its doors slightly ajar. Mounted beside it stands a full-length mirror, its wooden frame carved to resemble ivy and berries. To the right stands a closed door. As you look around the room, you notice that the blankets atop the bed lift slightly away from the mattress, as though something is lying atop the mattress beneath. As you watch, you can see the coverings, almost imperceptibly, slowly rise and fall with low, rhythmic rustling. </div> ***The Bed.*** A player that removes the covers from the bed finds that there is nothing beneath them. Instead, the player only finds a bloodstained mattress and crude hand-and-foot restraints made from barbed wire nailed to the four posts of the bed frame. ***The Doors.*** A player that exits the bedroom through the stained-glass doors and onto the balcony sees only a wall of fleshy tendrils encompassing the exterior of the house. The tendrils are as described in [[#Main Hall]]. ***The Book.*** The book is a cobwebbed copy of a raunchy romance novel titled *Blue-Blooded Lips*. It tells the story of a peasant woman's romance with a wealthy duke. ***The Nursery.*** The door to the nursery is closed. A player who approaches the door hears a young woman's quiet humming. (A player who has previously read or heard or heard the song in the [[#Conservatory]] recognizes the melody as *Waltz for Klara*.) If a player enters the nursery, the humming abruptly cuts off. Read: <div class="description"> The air in this small nursery is strangely warm and tinged with a coppery scent. Blood-red runes cover the walls, arranged in concentric circles around the crib in the center, which seems to have a name carved into its side. Strange, flesh-like tumors have grown along the floor around it in sparse clusters, and slowly pulsate as if they're breathing. Looking down, you notice that a small object seems to have fallen beneath the crib. In the distance, you can faintly hear the sound of an infant's soft whimpering. </div> The object is a severed human finger with several pieces of flesh stripped from it. Tiny toothmarks can be seen around the wounds. A DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check identifies the finger as a woman's, and the toothmarks as a human child's. The name "Walter" has been lovingly carved into the head of the crib. A successful DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) identifies the runes around it as dark necromantic magic. ***The Mirror.*** The nursemaid’s **specter** does not appear in this room. Instead, when a player approaches the mirror, the nursemaid’s spirit appears as an apparition in the glass. The spirit resembles a pale, skeletally thin young woman, with all of her fingers and toes removed, her eyes sewn shut, and her lips and teeth torn from her mouth. Countless knife-thin scars line her entire body, including the flesh around her wrists and ankles, and her hair has been carelessly hacked to stubble. Though its appearance is disturbing, players observing the spirit feel that it is simply observing them with shy curiosity. The spirit can neither speak aloud nor exit the mirror. However, it shows no hostility toward the players, and can answer basic questions by nodding or shaking its head. It knows everything that the nursemaid did in life. It shows fear at any mention of Mrs. Durst’s name, sorrow at any mention of Mr. Durst’s, melancholic fondness at any mention of Rose or Thorn, and despair at any mention of Walter. If the players ask the spirit for aid in reaching the basement or finding the “monster,” the spirit steps aside—vanishing from sight—and the secret door behind the mirror slowly swings open. The spirit does not return. ## A2e. The Attic ### Attic Hall This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 16. This room is largely as described in Attic Hall (p. 215). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This bare hall is choked with dust and cobwebs. Several doors lead from this attic corridor, including a door held shut with a padlock. A low creak cuts through the air as one of the unlocked doors slowly creaks open. </div> The door leads to the [[#Spare Bedroom]]. ### Spare Bedroom This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 17. This room is largely as described in Spare Bedroom (p. 215). The doll from Children’s Room (p. 215-16) can be found here. When the players first enter it, read: <div class="description"> This cold, dust-choked room contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a small iron stove, a writing desk with a stool, an empty wardrobe, and a rocking chair. A frowning doll in a lacy yellow dress sits in the northern window box beside a tarnished old music box, cobwebs draping it like a wedding veil. </div> The players can recognize the doll as the same doll that Rose was holding in the family portrait in the Main Hall. The music box contains a rusted, bloodstained skinning knife as well as the key to the padlock on Rose and Thorn's bedroom door. The music box also contains two curled-up pieces of parchment. The first parchment shows a basic floor plan split into three rectangles labeled QUARTERS, SHRINE, and ALTAR. QUARTERS and SHRINE are connected at the top by a single line, and at the bottom by a double line, which connects both to ALTAR. The second parchment contains a list of unfamiliar names beneath the word RECRUITMENT. ![[Death House Dungeon Map.png]] "Death House Dungeon Map" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> As the players exit the room, the rocking chair begins to rock softly and the music box opens and begins to play. The sound of motherly humming floats through the air for two measures, but grows off-key and distorted before coming to a violent, screeching halt. The rocking chair then stops rocking. ### Children’s Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 20. This room is largely as described in **Children’s Room** (p. 215-16). ![[Rose and Thorn.png]] "Rose & Thorn" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> > [!profile]+ **Profile: Rosavalda "Rose" Durst** > > **Roleplaying Information** > ***Resonance.*** Rose should inspire sympathy for her insecurities and fears, endearment for her dedication to Thorn, and gratitude for her earnest efforts to aid the players. > > ***Emotions.*** Rose most often feels apprehensive, curious, defiant, or bold. > > ***Motivations.*** Rose wants to keep Thorn safe and comforted, and to allow their spirits to finally find peace. > > ***Inspirations.*** When playing Rose, channel Eleven (*Stranger Things*), Matilda (*Matilda*), and Lucy Pevensie (*The Chronicles of Narnia*). > > **Character Information** > ***Persona.*** To the world, Rose is Thorn's fiercest protector. To those she trusts, Rose is a lost, fearful, and traumatized young girl. > > ***Morale.*** In a fight, Rose would plead for peace, but flee with Thorn if that proved impossible. > > ***Relationships.*** Rose is Thorn Durst's older sister, Walter Durst's half-sibling, and the eldest child of Elisabeth and Gustav Durst. > [!profile]+ **Profile: Thornboldt "Thorn" Durst** > > **Roleplaying Information** > ***Resonance.*** Thorn should inspire sympathy for his shyness and fear, and endearment for his childlike joy. > > ***Emotions.*** Thorn most often feels uncomfortable, joyous, anxious, or terrified. > > ***Motivations.*** Thorn wants to keep close to Rose and find toys to play with. > > ***Inspirations.*** When playing Thorn, channel Neville Longbottom (*Harry Potter*) and Piglet (*Winnie the Pooh*). > > **Character Information** ***Persona.*** To the world, Thorn is a frightened young boy who clings to his sister. To those he trusts, Thorn is a quietly observant and insightful child. > > ***Morale.*** In a fight, Thorn would cower and cry, pleading for Rose to rescue him. > > ***Relationships.*** Thorn is Rose Durst's younger brother, Walter Durst's half-sibling, and the youngest child of Elisabeth and Gustav Durst. In life, Rose was a budding wizard who discovered a small spellbook in her father’s library, and took great care in copying the _mending_, _light_, and _shocking grasp_ cantrips into her diary.<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/dndnext/comments/49bvms/notes_from_running_death_house/">4</a> As the ghost children speak with the players, Thorn levitates one of his toys into the air, which falls and breaks. Rose swiftly uses her _mending_ spell to repair it. If her use of magic is remarked upon, she shyly shares her diary’s location, which can be found hidden in the cobweb-covered pillowcase on her bed. In addition to her cantrips, Rose’s aged and faded diary also contains entries regarding her studies, her friends, her younger brother, her nursemaid (“Miss Klara”), and arguments between her mother and father. (Rose doesn't know anything about the content of those fights.) Rose knows the way down to the basement, but “isn’t supposed to go down there.” If the party convinces her to show them the way, she points them toward the dollhouse, revealing the secret entry. In exchange, she asks the players to take her and Thorn's bones with them when they escape, burying them in the garden outside. The dollhouse contains small dolls that depict tiny, twisted molds of any characters and creatures currently visible in the house. The dolls are made of painted resin. Any character looking inside the dollhouse while in Rose and Thorn’s room can see the appropriately-placed dolls of all living creatures within the manor. The dollhouse only contains rooms within the house itself, and does not depict the dungeon levels below. When the secret door is revealed, Thorn shyly asks the players if he and Rose can accompany them downstairs to aid them, and attempts to possess a friendly player if permitted. When Rose or Thorn attempts to possess a player, describe it as “a child’s tiny hand, desperately seeking the touch of another soul.” A player possessed by Rose can cast the cantrips in her diary, while a player possessed by Thorn can gain the effects of the _mage hand_ cantrip as an action, without the use of components. (The spectral hand is invisible.) ### Storage Room This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 18. This room is largely as described in Storage Room (p. 215). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This dusty chamber is packed with lumpy, squat shapes draped in dusty white sheets. An old iron stove stands against the right-side wall, next to what looks to be a large trunk covered by a sheet. </div> The nursemaid’s **specter** does not appear in this room. Instead, a character who opens the trunk finds the nursemaid’s corpse, with wounds consistent with those seen on the spirit’s body in the **Nursemaid’s Suite**. A DC 14 Wisdom (Medicine) check reveals that the woman died of starvation. A player inspecting the remains feels a cold breath on their shoulder and the unshakeable sense of being watched. Meanwhile, if another player has previously uncovered a nearby mirror from its sheet covering, that player can see an apparition of Elisabeth Durst within the mirror staring at the player near the chest. Once observed, the apparition swiftly vanishes. ### Guest Bedroom This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 19. This room is as described in Spare Bedroom (p. 215). ### Secret Stairs This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 21. This room is largely as described in Secret Stairs (p. 217). However, opening the secret door reveals only a stone slab on the opposite side, inset with a small bronze panel at approximately chest level. A small hollow niche identical to the one in the library lies at the panel's center, emanating a faint amber glow. When the niche is exposed, the amber shard from the [[#Master Suite]] glimmers faintly and swings in the air toward it, as though held aloft by an unseen force. To allow the stone slab to swing open and reveal the hidden stairs on the opposite side, the players must place the amber shard into the niche. When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> The secret door opens to reveal a narrow spiral staircase built of aged-looking wood within a tight shaft of mortared stone. Thick cobwebs fill the staircase as it descends into the darkness below. </div> As the players descend the stairs, read: <div class="description"> The broken cobwebs around you sway like a gossamer wedding veil, beckoning you forward as the ancient stairs creak and groan underfoot. The gaping maw of the stairwell draws you deeper, swallowing you up as you descend further down its gullet. You descend one floor—two floors—three. The walls of the stone shaft narrow around you, forcing you to hunch your shoulders and pull in your elbows to continue downward. In the darkness, you can only hear the shuffle of your feet, the choking groan of the stairs, and the pounding of your blood in your ears. Finally, after what feels like hours, the descent levels out, and the spiral staircase ends at a darkened landing of packed earth. A narrow tunnel supported by aged timber braces stretches ahead of you, its stone walls seeming to bleed with deposits of streaked, red clay. Eight feet ahead, the tunnel splits, branching to the left and right. As your eyes and ears adjust to the cold, subterranean corridor, you notice that the tunnel isn't as silent as the staircase above. An eerie, low-pitched sound echoes through the space—and you soon recognize it as a deep, incessant chanting. </div> **_Milestone_**. Descending into Death House's dungeon level completes a story milestone. When the party exits the secret stairs, award each player 200 XP. ## A2f. The Basement ### Family Crypts This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 23. These rooms are largely as described in **Family Crypts** (p. 217-18). As the players approach the **Empty Crypt** and **Walter’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> This side-corridor branches again to the left and right. On either side, large standing stone slabs have been set aside to lean against the walls, opening the way to a pair of dark, quiet crypts. The slab to the right is etched with the name "Walter Durst"; the slab to the left is blank. </div> If the characters enter the **Empty Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> You peer past the leaning stone slab to see an empty earthen crypt. </div> If the characters enter **Walter’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> Swollen, bloody cysts cover the walls of this crypt like tumors. From time to time, they pulsate and burst, streams of pus oozing down to collect on the floor. Each time they do, you can hear an infant's quiet whimpers, which are swiftly quieted by the sound of distant humming. </div> Players who have previously read or heard the song recognize the melody of the humming as *Waltz for Klara.* As the players approach **Gustav’s Crypt** and **Elisabeth’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> This side corridor branches again to the left and right. Large standing stone slabs seal the entrance to the tunnels on either side, blocking the way forward. The slab to the left is etched with the name "Gustav Durst"; the slab to the right is etched with the name "Elisabeth Durst." The tunnel here is unnaturally quiet, and a thin mist clings to the floor. </div> If the characters enter **Gustav’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> The crypt beyond the slab contains a stone coffin lying atop a dusty stone bier. Silence hangs heavy over the lonely chamber. </div> If the characters enter **Elisabeth’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> A thick, acrid miasma hangs over the interior of this crypt, which holds a stone-carved coffin resting atop a stone bier. The floor before it is littered with the bodies of hundreds of dead termites. Many cling to the elongated, bloated body of a dead termite queen, while others appear to have died atop the scarred, mutilated bodies of four larger beetles not far away. </div> As the players approach **Rose’s Crypt** and **Thorn’s Crypt**, read: <div class="description"> This side-corridor branches again to the left and right. Large standing stone slabs seal the entrance to the tunnels on either side, blocking the way forward. The slab to the left is etched with the name "Rosavalda Durst"; the slab to the right is etched with the name "Thornboldt Durst." Each slab exudes the silence of a forgotten grave. </div> If the characters enter either crypt, read: <div class="description"> This small chamber contains a stone coffin resting on a stone bier. The air in this crypt hangs heavy with sorrow. </div> The players cannot help Rose or Thorn’s ghosts find peace by placing their remains in their coffins. Neither [[Non-Player Characters#Rosavalda "Rose" Durst|Rose]] nor [[Non-Player Characters#Thornboldt "Thorn" Durst|Thorn]] finds these crypts comforting. Both prefer to leave as quickly as possible. ### Cult Initiates’ Quarters This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 24. This room is largely as described in Cult Initiates’ Quarters (p. 218). As the characters move to descend to the Well and Cultist Quarters (p. 218), a sudden splashing sound can be heard—which then quickly subsides. ### Well and Cultist Quarters This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 25. This room is largely as described in Well and Cultist Quarters (p. 218). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> The ceiling of this dark, earthen chamber rises a foot higher than the cramped tunnel. It's supported by thick wooden posts and cross beams that have rotted with age and bear deep holes indicative of hungry insects. Here, a lonely well stands at the center of the room, surrounded on three sides by several smaller, alcove-like chambers that have been carved into the walls. Old footprints criss-cross the floor, leading into the alcoves, around the well, up a staircase on the other end of the room, and back upstairs the way you came. An old hempen rope attached to a rusted pulley descends past the mouth of the well, swaying gently in the stagnant air as if just abandoned by an unseen occupant. </div> The well comprises a 4-foot-diameter well shaft with a 3-foot-high stone lip, and descends 30 feet to a water-filled cistern. A wooden bucket hangs from a rope-and-pulley mechanism bolted to the cross beams above the well. The interior of the shaft is covered with an ash-black species of fungi. If the players toss an object down the well and then turn away, they hear loud splashing and tearing sounds coming from below. When they turn back, the object has been torn to pieces, with large parts missing. Replace the silvered shortsword in footlocker **25E** with a book bound in grimy black leather. This journal, which is signed by Drasha, contains a list of names and physical descriptions associated with each name. Each entry includes gruesome details describing the victim’s sacrifice, such as “struggled profusely” or “no sedative given,”<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/">1</a> and ends with the phrase, "Fed to Walter." ### Hidden Spiked Pit This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 26. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Pit Trap** > This trap is designed to be a threat for a party of five 2nd-level players. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > * ***Three Players.*** . Reduce the damage to 1d6 bludgeoning and 2d4+1 piercing. > * ***Four Players***. Reduce the damage to 1d6 bludgeoning and 2d6+1 piercing. > * ***Six Players***. Increase the damage to 1d6 bludgeoning and 2d12+1 piercing. This room is largely as described in Hidden Spiked Pit (p. 218). If the characters enter this area from [[#Well and Cultist Quarters]], read: <div class="description"> The staircase leads to a quiet landing. To the front, the stairs continue upward and vanish around a bend. To the right, the landing continues straight into a lonely corridor. This tunnel hallway seems surprisingly clean and bereft of debris; at its far end, another earthen staircase descends into darkness. The incessant chanting that has filled the air of this underground complex grows stronger toward the far end of this corridor. Its source seems to lie beyond the descending stairs. </div> If the characters enter this area from [[#Dining Hall]], read: <div class="description"> The staircase descends to a quiet landing. To the front, the stairs continue to descend, opening into a broader chamber. To the left, the landing continues straight into a lonely corridor. This tunnel hallway seems surprisingly clean and bereft of debris; at its far end, another earthen staircase descends into darkness. The incessant chanting that has filled the air of this underground complex grows stronger toward the far end of this corridor. </div> If the characters enter this area from [[#Ghoulish Encounter]], read: <div class="description"> The staircase descends to a quiet landing. To the left, the stairs continue to descend, rounding a bend before vanishing into darkness. The incessant chanting that has filled the air of this underground complex appears to be echoing from below. To the right, the landing continues straight into a lonely corridor. This tunnel hallway seems surprisingly clean and bereft of debris; at its far end, the corridor branches left and right. </div> ### Dining Hall This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 27. This room is largely as described in Dining Hall (p. 218). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This room contains a plain wooden table flanked by long benches. Moldy humanoid bones lie strewn on the dirt floor. A thick stench of rot and gore fills the chamber, so coppery with blood that you can taste it on your tongue. A few dozen moldy bones have been piled into a grotesque and misshapen pyramid in a dark alcove to the south. </div> ### Larder This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 28. This area is largely as described in Larder (p. 218). The **grick** in this alcove—the warped remains of Gustav Durst’s flayed corpse—is coiled on the ceiling, and drops onto its victim when they enter. A DC 17 Wisdom (Perception) check allows a player to determine its presence before entering. If the players disturb the grick, read: <div class="description"> A horrific creature drops from the ceiling—a long, flesh-like worm the breadth and length of a human man, its trunk resembling a humanoid body with its arms sewn to its torso and both legs sewn together. Its flayed muscles split open to reveal a flapping, gaping maw ringed by hundreds of tiny, humanlike teeth and a gnashing, bony beak. It lets out a high-pitched, gurgling squeal as it hurls itself forward, writhing, tendon-like tentacles lashing toward your face. </div> > [!combat]- **Balancing the Grick** > This combat encounter is a **bruising** encounter against a party of five 2nd-level players, and will consume approximately 28% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the grick’s hit points to 16. Reduce its tentacles attack to 5 (2d4) damage and its beak attack to 3 (1d6) damage. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the grick’s hit points to 22. Reduce its tentacles attack to 7 (2d6) damage and its beak attack to 4 (1d8) damage. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the grick’s hit points to 32. Increase its tentacles attack to 11 (2d8+2) and its bite attack to 6 (1d8+2). ### Ghoulish Encounter This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 29. This area is largely as described in Ghoulish Encounter (p. 218). When the players first approach this area, read: <div class="description"> A deathly stench emanates from this corridor. The stone walls bear cracked, red stains, and a trail of old bones leads deeper down the tunnel. </div> When a player first enters one of the 5-foot squares at the entrance of the corridors (marked T on the map), three **ghouls** rise up out of the ground in the spaces marked S and attack. ![[Ghoulish Encounter Map.png]] > [!combat]- **Balancing the Ghouls** > Due to the choke point, this is a series of three consecutive **mild** combat encounters against a party of five 2nd-level players, each of which will consume approximately 15% of the party's total maximum hit points (for a total of 45% of their maximum hit points). For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter(s) as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Decrease the number of ghouls to one. > * ***Four Players.*** Decrease the number of ghouls to two and only let one ghoul attack at a time. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the number of ghouls to four and only let one ghoul attack at a time. As the ghouls attack, they mindlessly repeat any or all of the following phrases: * “Beautiful. We’re so beautiful.” * “We are perfect. We are immortal.” * “Help us live forever.” If the players continue down the corridor, read: <div class="description"> The trail ends at the center of a quiet intersection. The incessant chanting you've heard since first entering the dungeon is noticeably louder down the northern branch of the intersection. </div> ### Stairs Down This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 30. This room is largely as described in Stairs Down (p. 218). When the players approach this area, read: <div class="description"> A dark set of chiseled stone steps descends into darkness. It's clear that the origin of the muffled chanting you've been hearing lies below. </div> ### Darklord’s Shrine This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 31. This room is largely as described in Darklord’s Shrine (p. 218). In addition, when the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This room is festooned with moldy skeletons that hang from rusty shackles against the walls, their mouths hanging open in silent screams. A wide alcove in the south wall contains a painted wooden statue carved in the likeness of a gaunt, pale-faced man wearing a voluminous black cloak, his pale left hand resting on the head of a wolf that stands beside him. The statue's right hand holds a smoky-gray crystal orb, and its painted gaze stares down toward you, a cold and cruel glint to its eye. Five ashen shadows are burned into the walls, with soot marks stretching across the floor toward the statue. The room has exits to the west and north. Chanting can be heard coming from the north. </div> A player that approaches the orb can hear many voices whispering the following phrases: * “His gaze burns upon us.” * “The Darklord’s eyes are always watching.” Additionally, that player’s shadow begins to writhe and twist, its edges growing tattered and blurred as it lashes erratically across the floor. A player who touches the orb feels as though a “dark, ancient evil” has suddenly turned its eye upon them. If the orb is removed from its position, the ashen **shadows** upon the walls begin to stir. Each round, up to two of the shadows “awaken,” swooping across the walls. As they awaken, they murmur and moan the following phrases: * “Begone from this place!” * “Look not upon us.” * “Return the Darklord’s offering!” Once all shadows have awoken, they attack, with each shadow preferring to target a different player. If the orb is returned to its place on the statue, the shadows return to their original positions and become dormant once more. The shadows gain the following additional feature: ***Light Sensitivity.*** The shadow is immune to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and thunder damage, as well as bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, while in darkness. The shadow is resistant to those damage types while in dim light, and is damaged by those damage types normally while in bright light. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Shadows** > This combat encounter is a **crushing** encounter against a party of five 2nd-level players, and will consume approximately 131% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the number of shadows to three. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the number of shadows to four. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the number of shadows to six. ### Hidden Trapdoor This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 32. This room is largely as described in Hidden Trapdoor (p. 219). When the players find and enter this area, read: <div class="description"> The clay staircase ends at a cramped landing. Six feet above the ground, a half-rotted ceiling of close-fitting planks holds a closed wooden trapdoor leading to an upper floor. The trapdoor is bolted shut from this side. </div> ### Cult Leader’s Den This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 33. This room is largely as described in Cult Leaders’ Den (p. 219). However, remove the **mimic** from this area. In addition, when the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This quiet room contains a wooden table flanked by two high-backed chairs and holding a clay jug and two flagons. Above the table is suspended an unlit cast-iron chandelier. Iron candlesticks stand in two corners of the chamber, their candles long since melted away. A short corridor at the north end of the room leads to a darkened chamber beyond. </div> ### Cult Leader’s Quarters This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 34. This room is largely as described in Cult Leaders’ Quarters (p. 219). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> This room contains a large wood-framed bed, the feather mattress rotted by years of disuse. An old wooden wardrobe carved with demonic faces stands against the wall to the left, and a faded wooden footlocker stands quietly at the foot of the bed. The room is suffused with a familiar stench of death—but far stronger, mixing with a noxious scent that fills your lungs with every breath. </div> The wardrobe contains several old robes, a pair of iron candlesticks, and an open crate containing thirty torches and a leather sack with fifteen candles inside it. A rotting aroma also emanates from a pair of rotted organs—a half-eaten liver and a gnawed intestine—lying hidden beneath the hems of the robes. Folded inside the foot locker, on top of its other contents, is a **boneless** (Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, p. 228) made of the recognizable flayed skin of Gustav Durst. When the foot locker is opened, the **boneless** springs out to attack the nearest creature. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Boneless** > This combat encounter is a **mild** encounter against a party of five 2nd-level players, and will consume approximately 15% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the boneless’ hit points to 16. Reduce its slam ***attack*** and its ***crushing embrace*** action to 3 (1d4+1) damage each. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the boneless’ hit points to 21. Reduce its ***slam*** attack and its ***crushing embrace*** action to 4 (1d4+2) damage each. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the boneless’ hit points to 31. Increase its ***slam*** attack and its ***crushing embrace*** action to 6 (1d6+3) damage each. No **ghasts** attack if a player removes any items from the foot locker, and there are no hidden cavities behind the walls. ## A2g. The Dungeon ### Reliquary This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 35. This room is largely as described in Reliquary (p. 219). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> The dusty stone steps descend past a landing and around a bend until they end at a cold, rectangular chamber. A thin, wafting mist clings to the ground, and the wooden cross beams that support the ceiling groan beneath the weight of the house and underground complex above. The walls of this room are cut with small, chiseled alcoves, each holding a strange, ghastly trinket or relic. A corridor with a sagging ceiling exits the chamber and bends out of sight to the right. Past it, you can see a stone slope that descends into black, murky water. The ghostly chant you've heard since entering the basement is strongest here, and seems to be emanating from the other side of a rusted, closed portcullis. You can finally understand the words. They say, over and over again, in a ceaseless refrain: "He is the Ancient." "He is the Land." </div> ### Prison This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 36. This room is largely as described in Prison (p. 219). When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> The sound of clinking chains melds with a quiet, near-imperceptible rustling as you round the bend into a long, darkened dungeon. Rusted shackles hang patiently from the walls, as if waiting to bite into prisoners' flesh once more. </div> ### Portcullis This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 37. This area is largely as described in Portcullis (p. 219). When the players approach this area, read: <div class="description"> The floor is submerged beneath two feet of dark, murky water that sloshes around your calves and boots. The tunnel forward is blocked by a rusty iron portcullis. Beyond its iron bars, you can make out the dark outline of a half-submerged chamber, a raised stone dais, and a thick cloud of rolling mist. </div> The wooden wheel that opens the portcullis remains on the western side of the gate (i.e., the side facing the [[#Ritual Chamber]]). However, the chain-link mechanism to open the portcullis has broken, preventing the players from proceeding without repairing it (e.g., by using Rose’s _mending_ cantrip) or lifting the portcullis by hand. (If the players lift the portcullis by hand and then release it, its weight causes it to shut once more unless propped open.) ### Ritual Chamber This scene takes place in Appendix B: Area 38. This room is largely as described in Ritual Chamber (p. 219). The water is 2ft deep and should be treated as difficult terrain for Medium creatures or smaller. Climbing from the pool to the ledges also counts as difficult terrain. When the players enter this room, read: <div class="description"> The smooth masonry walls of this forty-foot-square room provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood. A small, white bundle lies atop it, surrounded by pulsating, fleshy tendrils. The tendrils run to a breach in the far wall that leads to a dark cave, their fleshy masses connecting to a dark, hulking shadow that lies within, its bloated mass rising and falling with a slow, shuddering rhythm. As soon as you step foot into the chamber, the ghostly chanting you've heard suddenly falls silent. </div> A player that approaches the altar sees that the words "FEED HIM" are carved into its flat stone surface just below the white bundle, surrounded by several fleshy tendrils inset with human teeth. The tendrils belong to the **flesh mound** (see below), which awakens and attacks if the tendrils are damaged. The bundle atop the altar is the size and shape of an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes. If unwrapped, the players instead find it to hold a rusted, serrated dagger stained red with ancient blood. The dark shadow in the cave is a **flesh mound** containing Walter’s spirit and remains.<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/">1</a> It is a swollen, bloated mound of bones, flesh, and gore that seems to breathe as its mass rises and falls. A player that observes it concludes that it appears to be sleeping. The cultists' shadows described in “One Must Die!” (p. 220) do not appear when a player climbs the altar. Instead, the players have two choices: sacrifice a living creature on the altar, or attack the flesh mound. If a creature is sacrificed on the altar, the flesh mound's tendrils accept its corpse and pull it to the mound's lair. There, the mound messily devours it before returning its tendrils to the altar once more. Feeding the mound does not free the players, because its hunger cannot be sated. The flesh mound awakens if attacked. When it does, its subsequent screeching wail causes the earth to tremble, sending the [[#Portcullis]] crashing to the ground if it's been opened and damaging the mechanism responsible for opening it. In combat, the flesh mound begins in its first form, **the flesh mound**. For one minute after it has awoken, the flesh mound’s **_heavy sleeper_** feature reduces the power of its ***multiattack*** actions in either form. A creature engulfed by the mound’s first form can hear the faint sound of a baby crying at the center of its swollen bulk. > [!item]+ **Elisabeth's Amber Shard** > > A player in possession of Elisabeth's amber shard from the **Master Suite** can present the shard as a bonus action while within 30 feet of the **flesh mound**, speak the name "Walter," and give a brief command. If the player succeeds on a DC 13 Charisma (Intimidation) check, the mound must immediately use a reaction, if available, to follow the command, moving up to its speed to do so if necessary. The mound won't obey a command that is directly harmful to it, and can stop following a command at the start of its next turn. > [!warning]+ **Don't Use Tactics!** > All enemies in this guide, including boss monsters, have been exhaustively playtested and balanced using the Challenge Ratings 2.0 encounter-building system. All major boss encounters, including the two-phase fight with the **flesh mound**, have been calibrated to consume most or all of the players' hit points, in order to create a dangerous and exciting fight. > > However, these boss statblocks have enough hit points and deal enough damage per round (DPR) to ensure that they can present a suitable threat without any special tactics or strategy. To the extent any such strategies exist, they have been built into the statblock and require no additional strategizing by the Dungeon Master. > > Accordingly, unless your players have proven themselves highly tactical and/or optimized, **avoid playing these boss statblocks tactically**—because if you *do* play them tactically, you're very likely to TPK your players. Instead, simply choose whichever actions, bonus actions, reactions, and targets will provide the most interest and excitement for the current round. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Flesh Mound** > Due to the phase mechanic, this combat encounter is a series of two consecutive **bruising** combat encounters against a party of five 2nd-level players and will consume approximately 28% of their total maximum hit points per phase (for a total of 56% of their maximum hit points). For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the mound’s hit points to 56 in each phase. Reduce the first form’s Slam attack to 8 (2d6+1) damage, or 6 (2d4+1) damage while the heavy sleeper feature is active. Reduce the Bone Splinters to 3 (1d4+1) damage. Reduce Engulf to 6 (2d4+1) damage. Reduce the Tentacle attack’s damage to 9 (2d6+2) damage, or 4 (1d4+2) while Heavy Sleeper is active. Reduce the Bite attack’s damage to 7 (2d4+2). Reduce the Gore Spray’s damage to 5 (2d4). > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the mound’s hit points to 75 in each phase. Reduce the first form’s Slam attack to 11 (2d10+1) damage, or 8 (2d6+1) damage while the heavy sleeper feature is active. Reduce the Bone Splinters to 4 (1d6+1) damage. Change Engulf to 8 (2d6+1) damage. Reduce the Tentacle attack’s damage to 12 (2d10+1) damage, or 5 (1d8+1) while Heavy Sleeper is active. Reduce the Bite attack’s damage to 9 (2d8+1). > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the mound’s hit points to 112 in each phase. Increase the first form’s Slam attack to 16 (2d12+3) damage, or 12 (2d8+3) damage while the heavy sleeper feature is active. Increase the Bone Splinters to 6 (1d6+3) damage. Increase Engulf to 12 (2d8+3) damage. Increase the Tentacle attack’s damage to 17 (4d6+3) damage, or 8 (2d4+3) while Heavy Sleeper is active. Increase the Bite attack’s damage to 14 (2d10+3). Increase the Gore Spray’s damage to 9 (2d8). <div class="statblock"> <h2>The Flesh Mound</h2> Large undead, chaotic evil <hr> Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 93 (11d10 + 33) Speed 20 ft. <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>8 (-1)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>3 (-4)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>5 (-3)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion, grappled, prone Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Understands Common, but can't speak it Challenge 4, or 3 when its heavy sleeper feature is active. <hr> Heavy Sleeper. If either of the mound’s forms has been unconscious within the past minute, it can’t use its slam attack more than once per turn. Oozing Body. The flesh mound can move through spaces occupied by enemy creatures, as well as spaces smaller than a Large creature. (It can't end its turn inside an occupied space, and it provokes opportunity attacks normally.) Instinctual Defense. When the mound drops to 0 hit points, it expels each creature currently engulfed by it. (Those creatures appear prone in an empty space within 5 feet of the mound.) The mound’s statistics are then instantly replaced by the statistics of its second form. Its initiative count doesn’t change. Excess damage doesn't carry over to its new form, but it retains any conditions it had in its previous form. <h3>Actions</h3> Multiattack. The flesh mound makes two attacks. It can replace one of those attacks with engulf. If its heavy sleeper feature is active, it can't use its slam attack more than once, and it can't use engulf on the same turn it uses its slam. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage, or 10 (2d6 + 3) bludgeoning damage if the mound's heavy sleeper. feature is active. If the attack hits a Medium or smaller target, the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Bone Splinters. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 20/60 ft., up to two targets standing within 5 ft. of each other. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage. Engulf. The flesh mound attempts to engulf a Medium or smaller creature grappled by it, forcing that creature to make a DC 13 Strength saving throw. On a failure, the engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of its turns or take 8 (2d4 + 3) bludgeoning damage. If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. The mound can only have one creature engulfed at a time. An engulfed creature can make a DC 13 Strength saving throw at the end of each of its turns, freeing itself on a success. (Once freed, the creature is no longer grappled.) <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Rupture. The flesh mound expels a pustule of rotting flesh, which hits a point within 20 feet of the mound and bursts, spraying each creature within 5 feet with caustic blood and pus. A target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the start of the flesh mound's next turn. Quake. The flesh mound slams against the floor, causing the room to quake. Each creature within 10 feet of the mound must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or fall prone. <h3>Reactions</h3> The flesh mound can take up to three reactions per round, though no more than one per turn. If it would lose its reactions and isn't incapacitated, it loses one reaction instead. Squelch. In response to taking damage from a melee attack, the flesh mound attempts to grapple the attacker using their Slam. Roll. In response to taking damage from a ranged attack or spell, the flesh mound moves up to its speed directly toward or away from the attacker without provoking opportunity attacks. </div> <div class="statblock"> <h2>Walter, the Graveborn</h2> Large undead, chaotic evil <hr> Armor Class 15 (natural armor) Hit Points 93 (11d10 + 33) Speed 20 ft. <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>8 (-1)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>3 (-4)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion, grappled, prone Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 10 Languages Understands Common, but can't speak it Challenge 4, or 3 when its heavy sleeper feature is active. <hr> Heavy Sleeper. If either of the mound’s forms has been unconscious within the past minute, it can’t use its tentacle attack more than once per turn. Oozing Body. The flesh mound can move through spaces occupied by enemy creatures, as well as spaces smaller than a Large creature. (It can't end its turn inside an occupied space, and it provokes opportunity attacks normally.) Innocent Heart. The center of the mound conceals its "heart": a large, misshapen rib cage. Within the rib cage hovers the infant corpse of Walter Durst. Walter's corpse has AC 15 and the same ability scores as the flesh mound. Each time Walter's corpse takes damage, the flesh mound takes twice as much damage. Mother's Lullaby. If a player uses their action to hum or play Waltz for Klara and succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma (Performance) check, the mound exposes its heart and can't use its withdraw reaction until the start of the player's next turn. <h3>Actions</h3> Multiattack. The flesh mound makes three attacks, or two attacks if its heavy sleeper feature is active. Tentacle. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage, or 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage if the mound's heavy sleeper. feature is active. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 15 feet toward the mound. Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Gore Spray. The mound spews blood and gore in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and is blinded until the end of the mound's next turn. On a success, a creature takes half as much damage and isn't blinded. Using this ability exposes the mound's heart, allowing it to be attacked. Wail. The infant corpse of Walter Durst releases a piercing shriek. Each creature that can hear the shriek within 30 feet of the mound must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 2 (1d4) psychic damage and be deafened until the end of the mound's next turn. Using this ability exposes the mound's heart, allowing it to be attacked. <h3>Reaction</h3> The flesh mound can take up to three reactions per round, though no more than one per turn. If it would lose its reactions and isn't incapacitated, it loses one reaction instead. Withdraw. In response to an attack or harmful spell hitting or missing its heart, the mound withdraws its heart into its body, concealing it from view and protecting it from attacks. Lash Out. In response to taking damage from a melee attack, the mound lashes out at the attacker with a tentacle. The attacker must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be pushed 10 feet away. If the attacker fails the saving throw by 5 or more, they also fall prone. Roll. In response to taking damage from a ranged attack or spell, the mound moves up to its speed directly toward or away from the attacker without provoking opportunity attacks. If it moves toward the attacker, it can then immediately attempt to shove them. </div> ## A2h. Escape From Death House When the **flesh mound** dies, the players can hear the sound of the house’s front door opening far overhead, and the distant thunderstorm beyond. When the players next begin to move toward the exit, read: <div class="description"> A guttural moan ripples through the air—and a terrifying apparition manifests before you: the spirit of Elisabeth Durst, her once-beautiful features now grotesquely distorted. Her lustrous hair is a wild, disheveled mess, her skin a deathly pallor, and her lips peeling back to reveal sharp, yellowed teeth. An amber shard glows ominously on a cord around her spectral neck, a shadowed wisp swirling within its depths. The spirit levitates high above the floor, sunken eyes blazing with malice and mouth twisted into a snarl. "You may have evaded my pet," it rasps, "but I will tear this house apart before I let you escape." It throws its head back and lets loose a blood-curdling scream that reverberates across the stone walls—and sets the very foundations of the house trembling. Far above, the grandfather clock begins to chime, the sound mounting to a thunderous cacophony. Dust and debris rain down as the floor shakes beneath you, the wooden cross beams of the ceiling starting to splinter and crack. Elisabeth's spirit fixes you with a feral grin—and then dissipates into thin air, leaving only echoes of its spiteful laugher as the house rumbles, shifts, and groans. </div> The players must flee from the ritual chamber to the [[#Entrance]] of Death House before the entire structure collapses upon their heads. However, they don't need to roll initiative, and the architectural changes described in The Cult is Denied (p. 220) are not present. Instead, as the players escape the crumbling Death House, they face two additional obstacles. ***Gustav's Ghost.*** As the players move to exit the [[#Reliquary]], the ghost of Gustav Durst (use the statistics of a **poltergeist**, but without its ***invisibility*** feature) confronts them. Read: <div class="description"> An ethereal apparition appears before you, obstructing the stairs—the ghost of a man. He is a gaunt and pale figure, with sunken, haunted eyes and trembling hands, wearing once-fine clothing now tattered with age. "Please," the spirit says, tears beading at the corners of his eyes. "You have to stay here and die. She won't accept anything else." </div> The spirit is recognizable as Gustav Durst. Gustav pleads with the players to give up, insisting that Elisabeth's spirit is simply too powerful—too fearsome—to disobey. A DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that Gustav is terrified of Elisabeth—and ridden with guilt, doubt, and self-loathing. If the players attempt to bypass or attack Gustav, a swarm of levitating debris and shrapnel arises around him. He pleads with the players again, insisting that he doesn't want to fight them, but that he doesn't know that he has any other choice. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Poltergeist** > This combat encounter is a **bruising** encounter against a party of five 2nd-level players, and will consume approximately 28% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce Gustav’s hit points to 13. Reduce his ***forceful slam*** attack to 6 (3d4-1) force damage and his ***telekinetic thrust*** action’s attack to 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce Gustav’s hit points to 18. Reduce his forceful slam attack to 8 (3d4+1) ***force damage*** and his ***telekinetic thrust*** action’s attack to 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase Gustav’s hit points to 26. Increase his ***forceful slam*** attack to 12 (3d6+2) force damage and his ***telekinetic thrust*** action’s attack to 6 (1d12) bludgeoning damage. The players can convince Gustav to step aside with a successful DC 20 Charisma (Intimidation) check. Alternatively, if the players reference Gustav's history with Elisabeth and Klara, they can convince him to stand aside with a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check, succeeding automatically if they show him empathy or kindness or if they ask Rose and Thorn's spirits to assist them in their plea. If the players successfully persuade Gustav to stand aside, he warns them that "her other servants" are lying in wait ahead to block the players' escape. "Don't fear them," he says. "Their only power is fear." He then vanishes. ***The Cult's Return*** When the players first reach the [[#Family Crypts]] or (if they have previously found and opened the hidden trapdoor described in **32. Hidden Trapdoor**, p. 219) near the [[#Darklord’s Shrine]], the spirits of the cult arise to stop them. Read: <div class="description"> The chanting rises once more as thirteen dark apparitions appear around you, obstructing the way forward—as well as the way back. Each one resembles a black-robed figure holding a torch, but the torch's fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you'd expect to see faces are voids. "He is the Ancient!" they chant, over and over. "He is the Land!" </div> The apparitions are harmless and intangible figments that can't be damaged, turned, or dispelled. At the end of each round, each player that remains between the apparitions must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or take 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage from falling debris. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Escape** > This encounter is designed to be a threat for a party of five 2nd-level players. For parties of much smaller sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the damage per round to 1 bludgeoning. # A3. Outside Death House When the players exit Death House, the storm overhead has slowed to a mere drizzle, and the mists around the house have disappeared. Night has long since fallen, and the waning moon is high in the sky. Most surprisingly, the players now find themselves in a dark forest clearing at the beginning of the Old Svalich Road (p. 33), rather than in the streets of Daggerford. The road travels west. To the east lie dark, endless woods filled with the Mists of Ravenloft (p. 23). The house then collapses into the earth, leaving a dark and bottomless pit behind. If the players still have it, Elisabeth Durst's amber shard then crumbles into dust. The pit vanishes the first time the players depart the clearing. If they’re still possessing the players, [[Non-Player Characters#Rosavalda "Rose" Durst|Rose]] and [[Non-Player Characters#Thornboldt "Thorn" Durst|Thorn]]’s spirits end their possessions. The children remark that the woods resembles the Svalich Woods, which once surrounded their home—Barovia. However, the children add that these particular woods are unfamiliar to them, and that they seem to be far from their family's original village. As the players explore their surroundings, they can quickly see the top of an old, ruined stone tower poking up through the treetops. The architecture of the tower is as described in Will-o'-Wisp (p. 33), but the interior is not desecrated ground, there is no wooden chest on the ground, and there are no **zombies** or **will-o'-wisps** inside or around the tower. The players can easily surmise that this ruin appears to be a safe place to spend the night. Rose and Thorn offer to serve as sentries while the players rest, watching the woods and awakening the players should any threats emerge. The night passes without issue. When the players awaken the following morning, Rose and Thorn ask the players if they can bury their remains before proceeding any further, so that they can finally rest. (The children's spirits will not proceed further into Barovia, instead pleading for the players to allow them to rest.) If the players bury their remains here, the children’s spirits thank them before vanishing. The players can find the beginning of the Old Svalich Road a short ways through the woods away from the tower. [[Act I - Into the Mists/Arc B - Welcome to Barovia]] then begins. **_Milestone_**. Escaping Death House completes a story milestone. When the party begins their first long rest after escaping the house, award each player 400 XP. (This should allow the players to advance to 3rd level.) # Design Notes: Death House ***The Arrival.*** The illusory Rose and Thorn have been intentionally removed from this version of Death House in order to ensure that the players enter the house of their own volition and trust the real Durst children upon meeting them. The countdown and poem have been added to provide the players with a clear sense of direction and purpose while exploring the house, and to prevent the players from taking a long rest (and therefore disrupting the balance of subsequent combat encounters) while doing so. ***The First Floor.*** The feast in the dining room has been made intentionally harmless in order to encourage the players to trust the safety of Strahd's dinner invitation when they later receive it. Additional clues have been added to convey to the players the relationships within the Durst family, including Mr. Durst's affair. ***The Second Floor.*** Clues have been added to ease the discovery of the library's secret room and to convey the depth of Mr. Durst's affair, as well as the nursemaid's pregnancy. The dog Lancelot, a popular community character, has been intentionally cut from Death House to avoid providing the players with an easy sacrifice to make at the altar in the ritual chamber—a sacrifice that is no longer functional (because the cult no longer releases the players upon making a sacrifice) and which rings hollow when compared to the campaign that follows it (because Strahd's "hunger" cannot be sated.) ***The Third Floor.*** The nursemaid's specter now serves as a vital tool that allows the players to find the attic staircase without undue frustration or delay. Additional clues have been added to convey the fate of Walter, Mr. Durst, and the nursemaid. ***The Attic.*** Clues have been added to convey the nursemaid's fate and the founding of Mrs. Durst's cult. ***The Dungeon.*** Several of the encounters in this area have been changed to reduce the probability of a TPK and to teach the players to act cautiously and make wise decisions. In the ritual chamber, the cult is no longer willing to accept the sacrifice of a beast (e.g., Lancelot), foreshadowing that Strahd will not be content with Ireena alone. The **shambling mound** has been replaced by a two-stage **flesh mound**, whose statistics have been calibrated to provide a challenging fight without risking a TPK. ***Escape From Death House.*** The original "escape from Death House" sequence has been replaced with a pair of social encounters that reward the players for investigating the history of the house, and which serve to foreshadow the characterizations of Sergi von Zarovich, Lady Fiona Wachter, and Strahd's brides and servants in the adventure to come. The frequent community addition of a skill challenge to escape the house has been removed to ensure a smooth and simple transition from the flesh mound's death to the players' exit from the house, to remove any friction with players who may struggle to learn the mechanics of a new system of gameplay in the heat of the moment, and to preserve the players' immersion in the narrative of the escape, rather than its gameplay. This guide has intentionally foregone a popular community addition that places a bottle of wine—courtesy of Strahd—at or near the exit of the house. Strahd is not omniscient, and the players' efforts to avoid or foil his spies will prove a recurring aspect of gameplay through the adventure. Moreover, Death House is too far from Barovia proper for Strahd to have obtained and delivered a fresh bottle of wine to its location. A villain is only as evocative as their limitations, and Strahd has many. Finally, it is an intentional design choice of this guide that the players do not encounter Strahd directly until their meeting at the River Ivlis Crossroads, which ensures that their relationship with Strahd before then is built solely on rumor, second-hand knowledge, and superstition. Earlier direct exposure would wholly spoil this effect.