Confused Monsters: The Death Clown

The Death Clown, a being of hideous evil, driven mad by the mix of torture and Stockholm Syndrome, part Joker and part Freddy... and they are the secret police in the hopeful town of Vallaki.

You see, in Vallaki, the only thing that keeps Strahd's forces at bay is the happiness in the commoner's hearts. And the Baron has embraced that, magnifying it to degrees which bear little resemblance to a form of sane leadership. There are festivals every week, people are required to smile in public at all times, fighting in the streets is prohibited. Those that do not - or cannot - keep to these laws are branded Subversive Depressents, and executed during festivals.

On almost every corner in Vallaki, a mime performs all day and all night. The mimes act as spies and informers. Their eyes see everything, and common people slip them notes when the suspect friends, families, or enemies might be Depressents. But the mimes are mostly harmless, at least in a physical confrontation. They aren't trained in the martial arts, they aren't going to stand against a team of adventurers set on overthrowing the twisted government.

No, that honor goes to the Death Clowns. They are only seen just before an arrest. They suddenly appear out of thick crowds as their iconic music plays in the background - summoned with a snap of the finger. Commoners flee at the sound of the song, and tales of Death Clown sightings are spoken in hushed whispers, but only in the safety of home and hearth.

And although the Death Clowns do have some powerful martial abilities, their true power comes from the ability to force status conditions on their enemies, paralyzing them with spasms of panicked laughter that cannot be contained.

Curse of Strahd: Player Handouts

Player Handouts can add life to a game. If you are playing in person, you can hand a player a note card with a carefully designed burning sword to help them visualize the new magic item they've found. You can tea stain a map, and make it feel like a surviving relic of an ancient time. Or you can hand over a mole skin journal, a wizard's spell book.

I run most of my games online, so player handouts are digital instead of physical. But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for them. Visual aids are amazing to help with descriptions. Instead of describing the carving of a snake eating it's own tail, runes carefully winding around it's body, you can reveal a picture.

Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.

This is the handout I'm using for a session coming out soon.

Homebrew Lore of Strahd: The Mists of Ravenloft

I talk about my Curse of Strahd game a lot on this blog, and I hint at a lot of the changes and additions that I've made to the lore. But I haven't had a place to really delve into those changes. Until now. Welcome to the official Homebrew Lore of Strahd column, where I dive into the personal tweaks I've added to the game. Today I'm going to jump into the actual Mists of Ravenloft, the strange fog that plays such a big part in the adventure.

If you have a character named Badger, Cyrus, Sparrow, Vaclav, Ariane, Flint, or Sascha I suggest you stop reading here. Otherwise continue forward at your own risk...

The Mists of Ravenloft are as capricious as they are ominous; and although Strahd has some control over them, they are not his creation. Indeed, the vampire lord loathes the mists with all his dead heart. For the Mists serve as his eternal prison, trapping him as much as anyone he brings to toy with in his realm.

But what are the Mists of Ravenloft? Why does Strahd have any control over them at all? Well... to understand that, you must understand the reason that Ravenloft exists at all.

You see, Ravenloft is not just the country that Strahd rules. The Mists are more Ravenloft than anything else. The Mists were created or formed for one reason only, to keep the most terrible monsters imprisoned, and to punish them for eternity. Was Strahd a vampire before coming to the mists? Maybe. Probably. Although no one knows for sure. What is sure, is that the vampire lord exists in a state of pure rage, forced to live out his most terrible nightmares over and over again.

Some scholars even believe that Strahd has no control over the mists at all, and they merely react to his whims to enhance his own punishment.

Barovia is the most well known country in the mists. But there are many others, each it's own island surrounded by the terrible fog. Each island is different, but each is ruled over by its own Dark Lord, each lord being punished for their terrible deeds on the material planes. Rumors claim that Lord Soth from Krynn exists somewhere in the obscured lands. Others claim that Vecna himself rules a land of his own from a cursed tower of melting bones. Only one thing is known for certain: there are many islands and many terrors hidden in the Mists of Ravenloft. One must travel with care... if they can travel the mists at all.

The Trials of Heart, Mind, and Might

My players in Curse of Strahd have been a chaotic mess. It's been an excellent game, but their ability to protect Ireena is in major question. For awhile, The Order of the Black Doves (a replacement for the Order of the Feather, that is exactly the same except were-doves instead of were-ravens) decided that the party couldn't protect her, and decided they would do it on their own.

So while the entire party had left Ireena behind at a tavern, the Order of the Black Doves kidnapped her, whisking her across the city to their hidden hideout.

Now the players have tracked them down, and they want Ireena back. And either they will have to kill all the lycanthropic birds, or pass The Trials of Heart, Mind, and Might.

The trials are designed to be tricky and difficult. Failure is a real consideration. And although failure might not result in death, it does mean that the order will not return Ireena without a fight (that isn't likely to go the character's way). 

The Trials

"If you want Ireena back, you must prove your ability to protect her. We will not give her back unless you pass the trials of Heart, Mind, and Might. They are dangerous, and they may destroy you if you do not pass them. Do you truly wish to risk your lives and souls?"

"You do? Very well, we go then."

The characters are led to a platform that descends into an underground chamber. The central chamber is small, just large enough for the platform to descend. But there are three rooms that you can clearly see.

On the left there is a long room. About twenty feet wide, the room starts flat, but then has an ascending slope that goes up in a sharp, sixty degree angle. The ramp leads upwards for fifty feet before flattening out again. At the bottom, where the room is still flat, there is an eight food wide circular crack in the floor.

On the right side, there is another were-dove. But this one is clad in a long black robe, with a cowl so long, that the only thing you can see of it's face is a sharp beak. In his left hand is a corked vial with completely clear liquid. In his right hand is a book, with the phrase Toralia deas Loridal, written on the cover. 

Finally, the room straight ahead of you is a huge circle. It's sixty feet wide in diameter, with crystalline walls that shoot straight up at least fifty feet. The reflection of room's contents shift endlessly around the walls, creating a dizzying rainbow like mirage.

Inside the room are six massive golems:

The first is a golem surrounded with glowing yellow energy, it has a cross shaped hole in it's chest where the energy Cascades out to surround it's fists and torso. The second is a golem of red crystals. It holds a gigantic sword in one hand, and a massive shield in the other, and it's eyes glow with crimson power. The third is a golem carved of ocean blue ice. It's surrounded by a cloud of mist as the warm air clashes with the Arctic chill the golem is formed of. It's tall and slender, and holds a bow formed of the same Arctic blue ice. Next is a golem formed of burning orange flames. It's taller than all the rest, and surrounded by an acrid cloud of sulfur smelling smoke. In it's hands is a massive great axe bigger than even a Goliath could wield. Then there's a floating golem that hovers on waves of sickly green energy. It's fists are surrounded with the energy as well, and although tall, it's slender and sleek. And finally there's a purple golem formed of crystalline spines sharp enough to draw blood with even the lightest prick. The tips seem to glow with arcane energy, and it's face is fixed into a grimace of pure rage.

So... tell me in the comments which room you think belongs to which quest. Because before even starting the trials, that's the first puzzle to solve.

Homebrew Lore of Strahd: Death Rituals

I talk about my Curse of Strahd game a lot on this blog, and I hint at a lot of the changes and additions that I've made to the lore. But I haven't had a place to really delve into those changes. Until now. Welcome to the official Homebrew Lore of Strahd column, where I dive into the personal tweaks I've added to the game. Today we are starting off with death rituals in Ravenloft.

Death in Ravenloft is the only escape from Strahd's realm. But even then, escape is not easy. Through the Crucible of Souls, Strahd has the ability to trap any soul leaving Ravenloft, condemning it to an eternity of torture.

He has made the eternity of torture public knowledge, although he keeps information about the Crucible to himself. Still, Strahd loves his games, and he has set up a way for souls to escape: when a person dies, they must be buried by an approved priest before the third midnight after their passing. If it is done, he allows the soul to travel on to the afterlife. But if not, the soul is his to do with as he will.

The priests approved by Strahd must complete the entire ritual of death by themselves. They are responsible for preparing the bodies, digging the graves, administering the last prayer. They are allowed no help, and if aid is given Strahd's contract is null and void.

In a land where almost no divine magic persists, Strahd has still created a place for the priesthood. And although he makes sure that the priests are almost always behind in their work, the priests are given great honor and respect. For it is only through them that escape from the horrors of Ravenloft is possible.

Homebrew Lore of Strahd: Divine Magic

I talk about my Curse of Strahd game a lot on this blog, and I hint at a lot of the changes and additions that I've made to the lore. But I haven't had a place to really delve into those changes. Until now. Welcome to the official Homebrew Lore of Strahd column, where I dive into the personal tweaks I've added to the game. Today we are starting off with divine magic in Ravenloft.

Divine magic is powerful in the hands of the righteous and the faithful. It thrives on hope, even in the darkest places. After all, without light there can be no darkness. Without hope there can be no despair. Except in Ravenloft. For there are some places dark enough to extinguish even the last ember of hope in a darkened heart.

Besides, darkness is the natural state of the universe. Those who say that without light there can be no darkness have it backwards. Without darkness there can be no light.

The Crucible of Souls

Deep in the bowels of Castle Ravenloft there is a room containing the Crucible of Souls. The Crucible is a power artifact. Powered by the agony of a thousand souls, maintained by a cult of thirty two dark cultists, the Crucible form a block between Ravenloft and the divine. No god has been able to overcome it's power, and the only divine magic in Ravenloft is that which Strahd allows.

When Strahd wants to let a god have power in his land, he can place a divine symbol of that god into the crucible. Until he takes it out again, divine power from that deity can flow into his realm. But cutting it off is as easy as removing the symbol.

Strahd often places the symbols of the deities that his toys play with. After all, it wouldn't do to allow new divine casters in Ravenloft to believe that he could cut off their magic in an instant. He often lets them keep their power until the final confrontation, and then leaves the clerics and paladins helpless before him.

Curse of Strahd as a Sandbox

So, if you've been following me for any decent amount of time, you will have scene by several rants about the Curse of Strahd book. I've complained that Death House as a dungeon didn't have encounters that reinforced the theme of the adventure. I've complained that the Village of Barovia is portrayed as a boring place with nothing interesting going on. But then I had a conversation with someone (I don't remember who, my friend Julia maybe?) about my frustrations, and she was all, "it's a sandbox, Lexi."

That made me take a step back. I've been treating the adventure path like a sandbox. I added a really fun story arc in the Village of Barovia with Ireena. Since she refused to leave before her father was buried, I added in this scene at the church. It was being assaulted by dire wolves as the father worked to dig a grave for Ireena's father. But the deadline for her father's soul to escape Ravenloft was midnight (I've come up with lore that if you aren't buried within three days after dying, your soul belongs to Strahd).

The priest was burying Ireena's father... only, Strahd had made a deal with him. Make sure that soul gets to me, and I will fix your son. So Father Danovich was digging the grave slowly, buying as much time as he had.

Eventually the characters realized what was going on, and has thousands of ravens swarmed in the skies above (raven swarms), they forced him to complete the burial ritual. Then the characters escaped the church and fled from the town as the ravens bit and scratched them to bloody pieces.

But finally they escaped into the fog. Only to come face to face with Strahd himself, and through the vampire lord experience just how horrific Ravenloft is.

It was a super fun adventure, full of tension, intrigue, and suspense. And at the end of it, I was angry that the book hadn't provided something interesting for the players to do like that.

Only, if Curse of Strahd is a sandbox, it sort of did. I didn't make up Ireena, or Father Danovich, or even Danovich's son locked in the basement slowly turning into a vampire. I did add the Direwolves in, but in other chapters of the book it's mentioned that Strahd uses them. The only thing I really added to the setting was some lore about the importance of burial rituals, and that they can only be performed by priests that Strahd has given the duty to. Everything else was there.

I just played with it, twisted it to my own ends, and came out with a really fun couple of sessions.

When the characters escaped Strahd, they badly wanted a town to rest in that wasn't the Village of Barovia. In my mind I thought that Vallaki was much closer to the town than it is on the map, so I introduced it as a place of refuge. And it's themes are perfect. Barovia is a hopeless place of the downtrodden, but on the surface Vallaki is a place of happiness and freedom! I'm so glad that I introduced this town early, because the juxtaposition between the two towns is amazing.

But when I started preparing for Vallaki, I approached it differently. Instead of expecting to find an adventure to run, I just noted down major NPCs. I noted what their motivations were, how much power they had on a scale from 1-3, and what their reputation was with the players. I came up with this:

The list below is a list of factions, a summary of power (rated 1-5), and it's reputation with the players (starting at 0 and progressing from -3 to +3).

Urwin. Innkeeper of the Blue Water Inn. Holding Tomb of Strahd. Quest: Retrieve the wine (award: treasure chest. 140 gp, 70 pp. 2 elixers of health, 3 potions of healing, and 1 grey bag of tricks). Power: 2. Reputation: -1.

Wolf Hunters: Szoldar Szoldarovich and Yevgeni Krushkin. Hunt dire wolves and sell meat and skins for a living. Will work for money. Excellent guides, some information. Know that people are shipped off to Castle Ravenloft, only tell if they are paid 100 gold. Power: 1. Reputation: 0

Rictavio: A half-Avariel bard. Aerie's son, and worshiper of the Gnome God Wildwanderer. His real name is Elaroth, but he has adopted Rictavio after the legendary vampire hunter "Rudolph van Richten." He has heard of the Keepers of the Feather and is trying to get in contact with them. He is also gathering information on the Vistani camped to the north west. They are working for Strahd (taking villagers from the Burgomeister and taking them to Castle Ravenloft). Once he finds out, he plans on attacking them with his saber-toothed tiger. Power: 1. Reputation: 2 (because of Ariane).
Rictavio's Journal: In his room, open on his desk, is a journal Rictavio writes to keep up the illusion that he is an entertainer in search of new acts for his traveling carnival. He makes frequent mention of conversations with Drusilla (his horse, although the journal fails to mention that). He also writes about various oddities he has seen in his travels, including:

• A "werehare" child (a boy who transforms into a rabbit on the full moon)
• A half-orc woman named Gorabacha who could chew through iron chains
• A giant, man-eating plant that has the most beautiful singing voice he's ever heard
• A pair of conjoined goblins
• A small man with no legs named Filmore Stunk who could drink whole casks of wine without getting drunk.

The Valakovich Family: Power 3, Reputation 0

• Baron Vargas Vallakovich: Ruthless. Unhappy. Bent on keeping the city free of Strahd. Festivals to provide hope. Publically the hope "Keeps Strahd at bay," but in reality, when people die of hope, he has their bodies shipped to Castle Ravenloft. Catchphrase: "All will be well" Secrets: Bodies, Almost 200 years old by virtue of Strahd's blood. Always accompanied by two huge mastiffs.
• Izek Strazni: The Baron's servant, and "Hand of the Baron." He is supposed to be in charge of the government's economic well being, but in reality he is the person that the Baron uses to disappear people. All the mimes on the street corners report to Strazni, and are willing to take out whoever he orders.
• Baroness Lydia Petrovna: Vargas' wife. She has desperately picked up her husband's insistence that "all will be well" but at the cost of her sanity, for she does not believe it. She hosts daily high tea ceremonies at the mansion, which is mostly attended by the poor because all the nobles have been put off by her strangeness caused by her desperation. She is the younger sister of Father Lucian Petrovich, who is the leader of the Church of Pelor.
• Baronet Victor Vallakovich: Miserable and depressed, wants nothing but to get away from the city. He is adamantly opposed to the "Tyranny of Happiness" that his father governs with. He found a spell book in the attic, and is trying to build a teleportation circle to escape (give players hope of escaping Ravenloft?)

Watcher Family: Power 2, Reputation 0

• Lady Fiona Watcher: Leader of the Watcher House. She craves to rule the city, and makes no secret of her loyalty to Lord von Zarovich (Strahd's official title). She is the High Priestess at the Temple of Shar, and is allowed some actual divine power by Strahd for her loyalty. However, at most she can cast 2nd level spells, and then only clumsily (all concentration checks made at a disadvantage). However, more than Shar, she is a member of the Cult of Awakening, who believe that the Eternal Sleeper will awaken from his slumber, and the world that is his dream will be destroyed. She has a book of summoning rituals in her private chambers, with the same snake symbol as that at the Death House.
• Nikolai and Karl: Brash Drunkards, always looking for trouble. They don't like talking about their mother, but they would be overjoyed to join a revolution.They love listening to character's tales of adventure, the more harrowing the better. Power: 0. Reputation: 0.
• Ernst Larnak: Fiona's spy. He is a super greedy person who would love to get job with the Baron, however Fiona has seen to it that he would never be welcome there. He knows Fiona's secrets, and would love to sell them to someone who would free him from her power.

Gadolf Blinsky: The toymaker of Vallaki, "Is no fun, without Blinsky!" Used to be a mime in the employee of the Baron's spy. He still feels a great debt to Izek for getting him the store, and makes free dolls for the man every month. The dolls are supposed to represent Ireena, and they are shipped to Strahd along with the shipment of bodies. He adamantly believes in the Baron's "all will be well" slogan, and he has a collection of super weird and creepy toys. Power: 0, Reputation 0, Contacts 2. 

Ivankov Valerianovich - Baker in town. No one leave Ivankov place sad! Power: 0, Reputation 1, Contacts 0

Manqoba's Fashion: Manqoba is a Shadar' Kai fashion maker who was banished from the tribe after trying to challenge for the throne. He somehow maintained his life, but he ran from the city, and the leader would love to have him killed. Luckily it is incredibly rare for Shadar' Kai to leave their village. His status as a tailor for the well to do gives him tons of information, and he is incredibly good at playing the game of intrigue. Power: 1, Reputation: 0, Contacts 4

I love this! If I was publishing it, I'd clean it up some. But it's just a list of NPCs that I can look at in the moment and decide what's going on. For example, the Baron is already pretty upset with two of my players for being unhappy on the streets. He has invited them to dinner at his mansion where he plans on doing away with them.

However, my players don't know that, and are just excited to go to the Baron's. They wanted to shop for proper outfits, and so I introduced Manqoba's Fashions. When Manqoba heard about the invitation he knew what was up, but he knows the game of intrigue. And so just as the players are about to leave, he says, "Oh, wait, I just thought of a perfect thing to go with that dress," and he pulls out an elegant silver Ouroboros (snake eating it's own tail) on a thin chain. It goes great with the dress, but the players have no idea it's the symbol for Lady Marks, and that by wearing it they are showing that they have her backing.

All of this to protect the players, and they don't even know it's happening yet. And although I've added in Manqoba, all the other players in this little intrigue are in the book. I'm just using them.

So, to sum up, I still have some problems with the actual book. But I also think I owe an apology to the book as well. It has some really fantastic situations, NPCs, and events. It's just up to the DM to pull that together. And in the end, as a fan of improvisational Dungeon Mastering, that's all I really want to do anyway.