Curse of Strahd
The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich, one of D&D’s most iconic villains, is the undisputed master of his hidden domain of Barovia. While his reign of terror breaks the spirits of his subjects, he himself is a prisoner; Barovia is a demiplane, a pocket dimension which traps both the vampire and his victims, to Strahd to possess, enthrall, or dispose of as he sees fit. Perhaps the heroes who now wander into its mists will slay Strahd and free Barovia once and for all… or perhaps they will simply die, just like all who have come before. Curse of Strahd is a gothic horror adventure module for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Based on the classic Ravenloft by Laura and Tracy Hickman, Strahd revamps the beloved adventure with tons of new NPCs, locations, and a full history of the dark lord Strahd himself. It’s a good example of a “sandbox” or open-world adventure; while Barovia’s borders trap the heroes, there’s nothing stopping them from exploring wherever they like, and deadly danger can appear anywhere. As such, players need to play smart and be cautious, as even the devilish vampire himself can show up whenever he likes to torment them. The adventure begins with a divinatory card reading that can completely randomize the locations of important characters and treasures, so the module can even be replayed without retreading too much old ground. Heroes will need to gather allies, grow in strength, and ultimately know their enemy to resist Strahd’s charms and temptations and put him in the ground for good!
Authors: Jeremy Crawford, Laura Hickman, Tracy Hickman, Adam Lee, Chris Perkins, Richard Whitters
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Curse of Strahd Reviews (43)
See what other Game Masters and players are saying about Curse of Strahd
Paul
New review
Ran 26 sessions
A campaign that pulls in nearly every horror monster into a single adventure! There are so many possible paths and sympathetic NPC quests that even the replay value is high! Curse of Strahd can be handily conquered within 11 levels or less, which helps to reduce campaign bloat and encourage completion in a reasonable time frame. I personally recommend checking out the Adventurers League Curse of Strahd season as great intro adventures to drop characters into Barovia.
Noralf
New review
Ran 167 sessions
A gothic masterpiece. The best that 5E has to offer. Barovia is a prison where horror lurks in the mist, and Strahd is the warden. No adventure sinks its fangs into players quite like this one. The sandbox design means death lurks behind every decision, and Strahd himself? He’ll haunt your players long after the campaign ends.
The Common GM
New review
This is the spooky sandbox you’ve been looking for. Don’t leave home without a cleric.
Michael Hathorus
New review
Gothic horror and putting DnD on "Rogue-like" mode is what Curse of Strahd is all about. It hits a lot of the old, Gothic horror tropes; a land shrouded in mystery and death, haunted by the undead, and besieged by its own ruler. Not for the faint of heart of for those inclined to unserious play, CoS as it is written will 100% kill an unprepared or foolish party. But when the triumphs happen, they are glorious to behold. It get so much of the source material - Bram Stoker's Dracula - right that it is easy to forget that some of the stuff kind of misses the mark. If it is brutal to the player, it is a load of work for the Dungeon Master; reading, understanding, cross-referencing, and map-centric detail are KEY to running this successfully. Do your homework, and you will have players agog with the atmosphere. 4.5/5 "Nearly perfect"
Tyler
New review
Ran 23 sessions
My group and I have loved playing this adventure! The set up on the GM side of it is really fun and easy and the use of the card reading to place important items and characters is a fun addition. The dark and spooky vibes are great and force the group to make some interesting moral discissions when confronted with killing a villager that is turned into a vampire or sparing them in the hopes to find a cure was a lot of fun. I would recommend this adventure any of my players! Its a lot of fun, has a great pace and feeling to it.
JakeAstounding
New review
Every DM has a different take on Barovia, and it's awesome! There is so much love for this module and so many resources to help all DMs and groups have fun prepping and playing! If you like horror, or even genre-mashing, play this module!
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Mike Schley
Over the years, Mike Schley has worked in a variety of positions, including lead designer, art director, and freelance illustrator for top-tier publishers. Their art is well recognized among fans of Dungeons and Dragons, having created art and maps for everywhere from The Sword Coast to Barovia, and countless places in between. Mike says that they "aim to ignite the viewer's imagination in a way that inspires their own creativity" with their illustrations.
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JamesRPGArt
James creates animated background scenes for TTRPGs, and releases new scenes each month. As a concept artist and digital painter, they have a great passion for running and playing a wide variety of role-playing games, creating their art and animations to add atmosphere and immersion to your favorite games.
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