In an improv'd session with two of my group members, a PC looted this small black chest from a trader while a large distraction occurred. This chest happened to be like a Bag of Holding, containing a large void in which things can be stored. However, this chest is inhabited by a nameless undead skeleton who identifies himself as a Skull Servant. He immediately swears loyalty to the first PC he sees, the one who opened it. Unfortunately, my party is pretty new to DnD (and so am I, to a lesser extent), so no questions were really asked about the lore or the intentions of the Skull Servant. Whatever, that's fine. Maybe I can work with this to pull together something really cool. They took a liking to him and they continue to keep him a secret from the rest of the party. They've talked to him twice in the five sessions we've had, and they haven't even tried dumping their gear in the box, so they certainly aren't abusing a powerful magic item at a low level.
Now I've pulled my campaign into Barovia, maniacally laughing to myself at how easy it was to get them there without forcing it, and I am beginning to think of how I can use the Skull Servant in the new setting. I imagine that this Skull Servant is one of many more, and they are the lowest in rank of his organization. Further up would be some skeleton mages, and then maybe some Lich-like skeletons, and ultimately... maybe a Dark Power that competes against the one that owns the Demiplane of Dread that is Barovia. This servant would now be completely cut off of connections to his superiors and deep within enemy territory, giving him a lot of incentive to help the party get out of here, and work against the Dark Powers in any way as long as it doesn't risk catching their attention. Or maybe he works for the one that does own Barovia? He could guide the PCs into turning against the rest of the group, perhaps even without their knowledge of it.
What are your thoughts? Curse of Strahd is so thorough already that I'm hesitant to tamper with the lore by adding another faction, but this NPC still exists.
I would agree with your last line, that Curse of Strahd is already such a rich and deep module and that Strahd himself is already such a quality villain I'm not sure you want to pull away from that too much without another faction and another villain. The reality is it would be tough to make one as compelling as you can make Strahd throughout the module so it would be a tough relationship.
Now if you have read through the Strahd book already there is a lot of the lore around corruption. Reskins of normal spells, most of the people there have been corrupted in some way (even allied NPCS) etc. This could be something you tie into the skull servant. How could something already bordering on evil become corrupted in Strahd's domain? How could you use that to maybe turn the table on the pc. You could use this corruption and potential betrayal to create another emotion connection between the payers and wanting to defeat Strahd.
My routine advice on CoS is that it's a horror movie. So whatever the Skull Servant is, whomever he works for, the real question is: how does he fit into a horror movie? Is he the Strange Old Man who gives exposition, like Fred Gwynn in Pet Sematary? Don't dismiss that idea out of hand. Having an NPC to dump exposition on your players can be a huge boon for you, especially if they're not good note-takers. Is he like a narrator, commenting on the action? Is he serious, like Vincent Price, or a smartass, like the Cryptkeeper or Freddy Kruger? Is he a reverse psychopomp? A dead thing acting as a guide to the living in Barovia? Do you want to build to a reveal where he's been working for Strahd?
The reason I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about factions is that then you're writing a spy movie wearing a Halloween costume, not a horror movie. But obviously, it's your game.
I would agree with your last line, that Curse of Strahd is already such a rich and deep module and that Strahd himself is already such a quality villain I'm not sure you want to pull away from that too much without another faction and another villain. The reality is it would be tough to make one as compelling as you can make Strahd throughout the module so it would be a tough relationship.
Now if you have read through the Strahd book already there is a lot of the lore around corruption. Reskins of normal spells, most of the people there have been corrupted in some way (even allied NPCS) etc. This could be something you tie into the skull servant. How could something already bordering on evil become corrupted in Strahd's domain? How could you use that to maybe turn the table on the pc. You could use this corruption and potential betrayal to create another emotion connection between the payers and wanting to defeat Strahd.
My routine advice on CoS is that it's a horror movie. So whatever the Skull Servant is, whomever he works for, the real question is: how does he fit into a horror movie? Is he the Strange Old Man who gives exposition, like Fred Gwynn in Pet Sematary? Don't dismiss that idea out of hand. Having an NPC to dump exposition on your players can be a huge boon for you, especially if they're not good note-takers. Is he like a narrator, commenting on the action? Is he serious, like Vincent Price, or a smartass, like the Cryptkeeper or Freddy Kruger? Is he a reverse psychopomp? A dead thing acting as a guide to the living in Barovia? Do you want to build to a reveal where he's been working for Strahd?
The reason I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about factions is that then you're writing a spy movie wearing a Halloween costume, not a horror movie. But obviously, it's your game.
Great advice. I will use him as a way to insert more expository dialogue, always seeming to know more than he lets on, but helpful nonetheless. And later, he could be swayed to join Strahd and spy on the party further. Maybe if they even dared to trust him with important quest items, the box could be accessed by Strahd himself, no ordinary box of Holding.
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In an improv'd session with two of my group members, a PC looted this small black chest from a trader while a large distraction occurred. This chest happened to be like a Bag of Holding, containing a large void in which things can be stored. However, this chest is inhabited by a nameless undead skeleton who identifies himself as a Skull Servant. He immediately swears loyalty to the first PC he sees, the one who opened it. Unfortunately, my party is pretty new to DnD (and so am I, to a lesser extent), so no questions were really asked about the lore or the intentions of the Skull Servant. Whatever, that's fine. Maybe I can work with this to pull together something really cool. They took a liking to him and they continue to keep him a secret from the rest of the party. They've talked to him twice in the five sessions we've had, and they haven't even tried dumping their gear in the box, so they certainly aren't abusing a powerful magic item at a low level.
Now I've pulled my campaign into Barovia, maniacally laughing to myself at how easy it was to get them there without forcing it, and I am beginning to think of how I can use the Skull Servant in the new setting. I imagine that this Skull Servant is one of many more, and they are the lowest in rank of his organization. Further up would be some skeleton mages, and then maybe some Lich-like skeletons, and ultimately... maybe a Dark Power that competes against the one that owns the Demiplane of Dread that is Barovia. This servant would now be completely cut off of connections to his superiors and deep within enemy territory, giving him a lot of incentive to help the party get out of here, and work against the Dark Powers in any way as long as it doesn't risk catching their attention. Or maybe he works for the one that does own Barovia? He could guide the PCs into turning against the rest of the group, perhaps even without their knowledge of it.
What are your thoughts? Curse of Strahd is so thorough already that I'm hesitant to tamper with the lore by adding another faction, but this NPC still exists.
I would agree with your last line, that Curse of Strahd is already such a rich and deep module and that Strahd himself is already such a quality villain I'm not sure you want to pull away from that too much without another faction and another villain. The reality is it would be tough to make one as compelling as you can make Strahd throughout the module so it would be a tough relationship.
Now if you have read through the Strahd book already there is a lot of the lore around corruption. Reskins of normal spells, most of the people there have been corrupted in some way (even allied NPCS) etc. This could be something you tie into the skull servant. How could something already bordering on evil become corrupted in Strahd's domain? How could you use that to maybe turn the table on the pc. You could use this corruption and potential betrayal to create another emotion connection between the payers and wanting to defeat Strahd.
That's at least what I would do.
My routine advice on CoS is that it's a horror movie. So whatever the Skull Servant is, whomever he works for, the real question is: how does he fit into a horror movie? Is he the Strange Old Man who gives exposition, like Fred Gwynn in Pet Sematary? Don't dismiss that idea out of hand. Having an NPC to dump exposition on your players can be a huge boon for you, especially if they're not good note-takers. Is he like a narrator, commenting on the action? Is he serious, like Vincent Price, or a smartass, like the Cryptkeeper or Freddy Kruger? Is he a reverse psychopomp? A dead thing acting as a guide to the living in Barovia? Do you want to build to a reveal where he's been working for Strahd?
The reason I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about factions is that then you're writing a spy movie wearing a Halloween costume, not a horror movie. But obviously, it's your game.
Great advice. I will use him as a way to insert more expository dialogue, always seeming to know more than he lets on, but helpful nonetheless. And later, he could be swayed to join Strahd and spy on the party further. Maybe if they even dared to trust him with important quest items, the box could be accessed by Strahd himself, no ordinary box of Holding.