Oooh.. so yeah I'm getting back after a long hiatus... I started with 1st edition..but the world got in the way. 53 now and my storytelling juices are in overdrive. Gonna jump in with 5E... and pulling a group together in the Ravenloft world. Want them to start as level 1 and weave them through the outskirts ending up in Barovia to start the actual Ravenloft campaign. Any tips or things to plan for from any dm's that have run this campaign
I've almost finished running Curse of Strahd for a group and it has been pretty good. However, CoS has a number of horror plot elements that some folks might not be comfortable with so make sure that your players are on board with a dark horror D&D adventure genre.
That said, when coming to 5e from 1e, my first suggestion as a DM is to NOT change anything in terms of either rules or classes until you have played the game through to at least tier 3 (level 11-16). A lot of experienced DMs seem to have strong reactions to some of the mechanics wondering how they can possibly be balanced.
This occurs a lot in levels 2-4. Some classes feel almost overpowered at that level (Moon Druid in particular) but by level 5 or 6 this is much less the case. Other favorites for negative reactions include the paladin divine smite (especially on a crit) and the rogue sneak attack. In both cases, it often has to do with the number of damage dice they get to roll when their special abilities trigger.
Another difference is that 5e is designed around a few concepts that are different from 1e
- bounded accuracy - weapons and armor only go up to +3 and character probably shouldn't see items like this until late tier 3 or tier 4 in most games - some games might not have them at all. Basically, enough level 1 threats can be sufficient to defeat a level 20 character.
- typically lower magic item count - only 3 items can be attuned at one time - so characters are not walking around with 20 magic items active at once.
- Spells have a concentration mechanic - this typically limits all spellcasters to only one on going spell at a time (several longer utility spells like Darkvision don't require concentration but a lot of in combat type spells do which means that a wizard can't cast haste and greater invisibility (as an example) at the same time).
- the game is playable pretty much all the way to level 20.
There are other differences but 5e works well and in my experience is far better balanced than older editions.
Awesome thanks for the refresh.. the group im pulling are old school players so the characters are gonna be the basic race/ classes. I want to run them through some low level stuff getting into Barovia before they actually hit the meat of the story... that way we all get settled back into the game and really start to flesh out their characters.. I want them to struggle through but eventually prevail. Are there certain encounters I might need to tame for a group getting their feet back
I agree with David: tone is an important conversation to have. Not only are some of the horror elements potentially triggering for people, but if some players want to be dramatic and others want to be funny, that can really tear a horror game apart. I happen to love dark fantasy, but one friend of mine told me about his Strahd game where he sold insurance to the vampire himself...that kind of thing would definitely ruin the experience for me! Make sure everyone knows what tone you’re shooting for, so nobody’s uncomfortable with the darkness or disappointed with the silliness.
As for “certain encounters,” I wouldn’t dial stuff back, I’d just let the players know this is a horror game and not every monster can be defeated. Remind them that warnings are there for a reason, and there’s no shame in running away. (As old school players, they should get the idea!) The Old Bonegrinder Mill is particularly notorious for murdering low-level characters who wander in thinking it’ll scale to them...when I did it as a player my DM dialed it back so we could beat it, which everyone found really disappointing. Don’t make the same mistake: serious risk is part of what makes the game exciting to play! And as always, have fun.
By the way, good to see someone else with love for the old school races and classes! That’s where it’s at!
CoS is something of a sandbox. This means that there are encounters where the players will die if they go there too early. Berez, Wizard of Wines, Yesterhill, Argynvostholt, Amber Temple or Castle Ravenloft are deadly if the party goes there too soon. In particular, there are points in the story where Strahd invites the party to the castle. If the characters are too low a level this is a death sentence unless the DM significantly modifies the encounters (and you don't really want to make Ravenloft any easier). Strahd is powerful and is playing with his food. He converts failed adventurers to vampire spawn and has quite a collection from previous parties.
Other danger points include the Death House, the coffin maker's house in Vallaki, possibly the Abbot in Krezk (but I personally detested the that entire sub plot and turned most of it into "social interactions" with the abbot to drive a number of other quests - I found that entire aspect of CoS to be pretty twisted), the werewolf lair, and the Old Bonegrinder Mill.
The group I am running made it to Ravenloft a few sessions ago and are now level 11. I am increasing the CR for Strahd to compensate but the final battle is likely coming up soon.
Anyway, I've found that it is important to offer some foreshadowing along with in game information to let the characters have an idea whether something might be achievable at their level.
Awesome notes all.... yeah I want them to experience the lands of Ravenloft before they actually raise the eye of Strahd... the group ive got are old school players and are excited with the goth flair... loool we live up here near Salem Mass. Im thinking on the entry at this point ... why and how are these separate adventurers arrived here... the juices are flowing again this is awesome... you guys help is awesome
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Oooh.. so yeah I'm getting back after a long hiatus... I started with 1st edition..but the world got in the way. 53 now and my storytelling juices are in overdrive. Gonna jump in with 5E... and pulling a group together in the Ravenloft world. Want them to start as level 1 and weave them through the outskirts ending up in Barovia to start the actual Ravenloft campaign. Any tips or things to plan for from any dm's that have run this campaign
I've almost finished running Curse of Strahd for a group and it has been pretty good. However, CoS has a number of horror plot elements that some folks might not be comfortable with so make sure that your players are on board with a dark horror D&D adventure genre.
That said, when coming to 5e from 1e, my first suggestion as a DM is to NOT change anything in terms of either rules or classes until you have played the game through to at least tier 3 (level 11-16). A lot of experienced DMs seem to have strong reactions to some of the mechanics wondering how they can possibly be balanced.
This occurs a lot in levels 2-4. Some classes feel almost overpowered at that level (Moon Druid in particular) but by level 5 or 6 this is much less the case. Other favorites for negative reactions include the paladin divine smite (especially on a crit) and the rogue sneak attack. In both cases, it often has to do with the number of damage dice they get to roll when their special abilities trigger.
Another difference is that 5e is designed around a few concepts that are different from 1e
- bounded accuracy - weapons and armor only go up to +3 and character probably shouldn't see items like this until late tier 3 or tier 4 in most games - some games might not have them at all. Basically, enough level 1 threats can be sufficient to defeat a level 20 character.
- typically lower magic item count - only 3 items can be attuned at one time - so characters are not walking around with 20 magic items active at once.
- Spells have a concentration mechanic - this typically limits all spellcasters to only one on going spell at a time (several longer utility spells like Darkvision don't require concentration but a lot of in combat type spells do which means that a wizard can't cast haste and greater invisibility (as an example) at the same time).
- the game is playable pretty much all the way to level 20.
There are other differences but 5e works well and in my experience is far better balanced than older editions.
Awesome thanks for the refresh.. the group im pulling are old school players so the characters are gonna be the basic race/ classes. I want to run them through some low level stuff getting into Barovia before they actually hit the meat of the story... that way we all get settled back into the game and really start to flesh out their characters.. I want them to struggle through but eventually prevail. Are there certain encounters I might need to tame for a group getting their feet back
I agree with David: tone is an important conversation to have. Not only are some of the horror elements potentially triggering for people, but if some players want to be dramatic and others want to be funny, that can really tear a horror game apart. I happen to love dark fantasy, but one friend of mine told me about his Strahd game where he sold insurance to the vampire himself...that kind of thing would definitely ruin the experience for me! Make sure everyone knows what tone you’re shooting for, so nobody’s uncomfortable with the darkness or disappointed with the silliness.
As for “certain encounters,” I wouldn’t dial stuff back, I’d just let the players know this is a horror game and not every monster can be defeated. Remind them that warnings are there for a reason, and there’s no shame in running away. (As old school players, they should get the idea!) The Old Bonegrinder Mill is particularly notorious for murdering low-level characters who wander in thinking it’ll scale to them...when I did it as a player my DM dialed it back so we could beat it, which everyone found really disappointing. Don’t make the same mistake: serious risk is part of what makes the game exciting to play! And as always, have fun.
By the way, good to see someone else with love for the old school races and classes! That’s where it’s at!
Wizard (Gandalf) of the Tolkien Club
CoS is something of a sandbox. This means that there are encounters where the players will die if they go there too early. Berez, Wizard of Wines, Yesterhill, Argynvostholt, Amber Temple or Castle Ravenloft are deadly if the party goes there too soon. In particular, there are points in the story where Strahd invites the party to the castle. If the characters are too low a level this is a death sentence unless the DM significantly modifies the encounters (and you don't really want to make Ravenloft any easier). Strahd is powerful and is playing with his food. He converts failed adventurers to vampire spawn and has quite a collection from previous parties.
Other danger points include the Death House, the coffin maker's house in Vallaki, possibly the Abbot in Krezk (but I personally detested the that entire sub plot and turned most of it into "social interactions" with the abbot to drive a number of other quests - I found that entire aspect of CoS to be pretty twisted), the werewolf lair, and the Old Bonegrinder Mill.
The group I am running made it to Ravenloft a few sessions ago and are now level 11. I am increasing the CR for Strahd to compensate but the final battle is likely coming up soon.
Anyway, I've found that it is important to offer some foreshadowing along with in game information to let the characters have an idea whether something might be achievable at their level.
Awesome notes all.... yeah I want them to experience the lands of Ravenloft before they actually raise the eye of Strahd... the group ive got are old school players and are excited with the goth flair... loool we live up here near Salem Mass. Im thinking on the entry at this point ... why and how are these separate adventurers arrived here... the juices are flowing again this is awesome... you guys help is awesome