Mordenkainen is a power wizard NPC from the outlander world of Oerth (the world of the Greyhawk campaign setting) and the in-game creator of a number of different famous spells from the Player's Handbook such as Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. Strahd is probably one of the most iconic villains in the Dungeons and Dragons universe. High Rollers: Curse of Strahd #18 | The Mad Mage - YouTube Zuleika is the mate of Emil, and bides her time to avenge him and become the pack leader she believes he should have been. Legendary wizard known as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. Tiamat the Quindragon is the goddess of chaos, greed, and evil dragons, and subservient to Asmodeus. I know, this seems pretty obvious for a plot, but it's never explicitly mentioned that Strahd could maybe make friends rather than enemies. He chased Tatyana until she flung herself from the spires of Castle Ravenloft to her death. If the fight plays out in a satisfactory and fun ending then your job is done (even if it happens to be a whimper instead of a bang). Helga is the melancholic and enigmatic maid at Ravenloft. Wensencia raises most of the pups of the werewolf pack, and has been doing so for a long time. Lord Nikolai Wachter is the deceased father of the Wachter children, and husband of Fiona; beloved by them. Pidlwick was the jester of Duchess Dorfniya who told him to work at Ravenloft in her will. Elisabeth Durst was the leader of a cult of the dark arts, dedicated to Strahd von Zarovich. so the players don't immediately know its heavily changed. The Vampyr is a mysterious entity that first spread the secret of vampirism and is responsible for Strahd's curse. Ithink the first thing you can improve is to make it clear his obsession is part of his curse, and not his own nature. curse of strahd mad mage stats I climbed down to the river to search for the wizards body, but the River lvlis had already spirited him away.. Selne the Moonmatron is the goddess of prophecies, nomads and the moon. King Kavan, also known as the Blood Butcher of Balinok, was the leader of the united forest folk tribes between King Dostron and Strahd's reigns. She was killed by her own people out of fear that she would become a vampire too, which triggered Rahadin's massacre. He appears or is mentioned in several different Greyhawk and Dungeons and Dragons products. Chip is a junior guard at Fidatov manor, nicknamed after his likeness to his father. We rewound a bit to give Gwaihir's player more time with the mad mage, and through some spells we learned that he was under the influence of a Mind Blank spell, but that it was his own spell. Medusa is a former champion of Oghma and infamous for beginning her own monster lineage. Bram Stoker's Dracula and the anime adaptation of Castlevania are superb places to start. At the end of the day Strahd is a fan of theatrics and as a DM you should be too. Markovia had long considered Strahd a mad tyrant, . Strahd streams every Thursday 8pm BST at twitch.tv/highrollersdnd00:00 - Intro/Recap01:15 - Game B. He knows about the curse, and knows that the only way to end a curse is to contradict its rhyme so that it won't be true to itself. His gravestone reads "Master of the Hunt". If you want your players to experience horror, they should never really grasp them. I did see the warning, but I sincerely hope my PCs don't see this article, and spoil the plot. Strahdis married to Tatyana and loves her dearly. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse. Please note, this article will contain Curse of Strahd spoilers! Rictavio is a traveller from a distant land, and tries to lift the spirits of Vallakian townsfolk with small shows and stories. I changed my Strahd up for some people who had already played this module. 978-0786965984. Baron Vargas Vallakovich is the burgomaster of Vallaki, and credits his extreme ruling methods as keeping Strahd out of the territory. Skennis is the retired alpha of the werewolf pack in Barovia. Stahd has become angry at his residents who will not keep him supplied with fresh and now abducts them - his focus on his work and anxiety over his own continued failures have made him completely callous to the situation of his villagers - he sees them bound to the oath of their ancestors to keep him supplied with blood. Ofelia Wormwiggle is the youngest daughter of Morgantha, and a butcher in Old Bonegrinder. Baratok and became friends. Thats all I have for you and please if you enjoyed this check out more of our content. The module swiftly leads the party to a Vistani encampment, where the players can have their . [4] He often traveled to Waterdeep with his friends for revelry in a city where he would not be recognized. Dag is the husband of Stefania and father of four at the Wizard of the Wines. The PC's rallied together to recapture the vestige (in a very ghostbusters way), and returned it to the amber temple.One of the PC's (A wizard) picked up the staff in the temple, and was given the flaw that they desire power above all else.Then she proceeded to take every single dark gift offered to her, without the other players realizing. He stood exactly where youre standing. Victor should actually just be a teenager with a crush on Stella and a really bad take on magic. Gustav Durst was a wealthy rancher and secret cultist to Strahd von Zarovich briefly before and after the curse began. He occasionally visited Avernus to study the effects of the Nine Hells over the schools of magic and to ensure the balance of the universe. Long has the Mad Mage dwelt in these forlorn depths, seeding his lair with monsters, traps, and mysteriesto what end is a constant source of speculation and concern. Tatsaul was the moniker given by Strahd to a squire of the Silver Dragon that Artimus Fidatov helped fake the death of. It will take place in the mid 1790's, so about 100 years before the events of the book this module is based on. If you just make these changes, everything in the books still works perfectly well. Madame Eva's tent swirls with smoke as she reveals the cards to the would-be adventurers. Barovia Goes to the Birds: Curse of Strahd Session #13 However, he underestimated Strahd's power and, after barely surviving a confrontation with him, he lost his spellbook and his staff, eventually losing his memory and being driven to the brink of madness. " The Philantropist: This card tells of history. He is also a drunk, and talented violinist. This means two things: first, the Abbot is right. He is devising a way to escape Barovia forever. To me, this translates as an ability to endure under harsh conditions for the folks who have souls, at least. Keep this in mind when you portray Strahd. The most powerful of these was a knightly organization known as the Order of the Silver Dragon that was destroyed. Catch it here! Bucephalus is Strahd's mysterious and powerful demonic steed. Adventure - 5etools. Featured art image for Curse of Strahd Destined Ally Rankings credit to Wizards of the Coast's D&D 5e adventure book Curse of Strahd. Strong writing from Jeremy Blum with great organization and efficient summary; good example of enhanced supplementation from D&D Beyond. Sofia Julia Sol on Twitter: "You can not kill Strahd in Curse of Strahd Emeric is the apprentice of Drasha, and wants to rise in the ranks to one day replace Izek as captain of the guard. Morgantha is the matriarch of the trio living in Old Bonegrinder, and frequents Barovia village to sell her Dream Pastries. Lord Argynvost was the commanding founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon, and is widely considered to have been Strahd's greatest adversary during the latter's conquest. Elsa was a pioneering performer in Barovia before and shortly after the curse, whose death marked the end of the artistic golden age of the valley. Once prepared, you don't lose it unless you decide to prepare something different. Race: Human And standing atop a balcony stemming from the tallest castle in the land is a vampire draped in a dark cloak, staring out at his realm and ruminating on his cyclical existence. Ivah is Hedwig's confident best friend and lives at St. Andral's Orphanage. Blinsky is the founder of Blinsky toys, and aims to improve the world with his strange creations, one smile at a time. Leonid was a duellist during Strahd's conquest, famous for his stature and his flawless combat record. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. How do I make a super cool final boss for my players? You should check them out. Madalena is the no-nonsense senior maid at Wachterhaus and a close confidant of the book club. Mordenkainen of Greyhawk fame also makes an appearance in Curse of Strahd. Highlight: The Mad Mage in The Curse of Strahd - YouTube The way I see it is this: "Strahd really wanted two things: for his name to be eternally remembered and for the company of his loved ones. She is proud to have managed to revive one through her plea to the Abbot of Markovia. Szoldar is a seasoned wolf hunter by trade, and best friend of Yevgeni Krushkin. If you want to get really creative, he could be the link from aForgotten Realmsadventure to aWorld of Greyhawkadventure, but for the time being such an endeavor would be your own design. The Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. The Demogoron is the self-proclaimed Prince of Demons, and one of the most infamous demon lords. Yep, thats pretty underwhelming at first glance, but Strahds strength doesnt lie in the numbers and dice rolls, it lies in his tactics. la persona che ami ti accompagner. Dinara is the best friend of Aziana and a guard of the Werewolf Den, being one of the only werewolves trained in hand-to-hand combat. I like the idea of him being a murderous egocentric, but when you say his story out loud, with him murdering his brother because he couldn't get Tatyana to love himand then being obsessed with the girl that keeps rejecting him My players called him a simp since the first session, and I couldn't really blame them. Sir. Neferon of Gehenna is a plane-hopping mage that has settled as the obstinate guardian of the Amber Temple. Either to taunt them or try to win them over and have them join his side, and with the excellent writing present in this module some of the more morally ambiguous PCs may find themselves tempted to even join him. Until she reached Tenebrous, where she took the power, and became evil, with a goal of lichdom, she attacked the PC's, and eventually escaped to enact her wish of immortality.Upon Strahd's defeat, the PC's encountered her again, this time a as a demilich. After slaying them in a remote valley, Strahd was amazed by the regions beauty and dubbed the land Barovia. Nora is a tailor, and the mother of Varvara and Margo Vaskroff. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. Curse of Strahd: Destined Allies - "There is one destined to stand with you against the shadow, but of their ultimate fate, not even I can tell," - Madam E "There is one destined to stand with you against the shadow, but of their ultimate fate, not even I can tell," - Madam E. Login; My Library; Talia was a lonely locksmith in Krezk who was overcome with greed when she discovered a deadly poison ingredient in the valley. This is why she acts like a cat, and also why there are skeleton cats in his room. Locally, he is only known as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. A remake/reboot of the original Ravenloft adventure module, Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. If Strahd is killed, the Dark Powers will resurrect him in a matter of months. Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links that add gold to our coffers. A few stood their ground and were never seen again. Rowena is an adventurer and the favoured, exemplary daughter of the true Medusa. Subtle and non-immersion-breaking ads, old lore with new twists, it has everything that I look for in a D&D Beyond article. It is ambiguous whether it was a mistake or a suicide. Statistics. Tenebrous. 0. Use the Archmage in your campaign now with stats! **Spoiler warning for the Curse of Strahd adventure module for D&D 5e**. When mad, his eyes crackled with eldritch power. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. The Curse of Strahd Companion is your comprehensive guide to running 5th Edition's greatest and grimmest campaign. One of the fun things I added to my Curse of Strahd was that Strahd had children with his brides various dhampirs and vampires that are all vying for his throne and trying to eliminate the party to prove themselves. Mordenkainen is a powerful wizard who rallied the population of Barovia to his side and led an attack against Castle Ravenloft approximately one year ago. Ludmilla is the oldest current consort of Strahd, and considers herself the most indispensable, being a de-facto court mage. Kelemvor the Deathmaiden, also known as the Raven Queen, is the goddess of death, judgement and time. Khazan found out about the curse, and how the plane had been taken over by the dark lords. Isabella is Lady Fidatova's gardener and warden of the outskirts of her maze. Comprehending as without difficulty as bargain even more than supplementary You don't know what they can do, how much they know about you and when they are near you. St. Andral was a priest of Vallaki and the Morninglord, and became sainted after successfully protecting several of the fugitive guards of Ravenloft in his church's sanctuary until they died. Dostron the Hellborn. A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. This will save time for new users. The Dark Powers taunt the Darklords by dashing their hopes time and again. Mad Mary is the reclusive, delusional and mentally unstable mother of Gertruda. The baron of Vallaki also holds festivals to keep spirits up. [12], Although Mordenkainen resided primarily on Oerth, by at least the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR, his spells were not uncommon among spellbooks in Faern. Curse of Strahd- The Mad Mage. His son remains the only heir but also wants his father to be taken downand so secretly helps the party under an alias and servants. As a token of love, I made her steal one of the wizard of wines gems and use it to make the heart of sorrow, with a part of her very own soul. List of Dungeons & Dragons adventures - Wikipedia Well, I cant answer that question, but I can give you some tips on how to run my favorite villain of all time. This means your big bad villain across a year long campaign is . Curse of Strahd; Storm King's Thunder; 2017. I'll put the main points under spoilers if anyone wants to browse. All humanoid statblocks are human unless otherwise specified. Vladimir was the highest-ranking Knight of the Silver Dragon during the fall of the order. Whether youre a Dungeon Master guiding your party along this path for the first time or a grizzled veteran planning a return trip, have a gander at the following thought fodder: Van Richtens Guide to Ravenloftcontains rules for devising your own Domain of Dread, because while Barovia might be the most famous Domain, the greatest horrors arethe ones you create yourself. Put that eldritch imagination to the test, and remember to tease your players with this iconic line:The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner and you are invited!. My players really loved him (and I had lots of fun with a character that never gets the love he deserves). When I tackled this, I wanted to offer my players some way to actually defeat the curse, and have more than one encounter make way more sense. You only need your wizard spellbook to prepare new spells or change your prepared spells. Gender: Male LFP | Ravenloft - Curse of Strahd | Saturdays, Starting March 4, 14:30 Erik was acquired by Lady Isolde, and was an unidentified knight whose dying wish was to be dipped in melting gold. Details about the challenges of converting 2D maps to 3D. So, reading ahead in the Curse of Strahd manual, I see that the players can learn that the Mad Mage of Mt.