One Night Strahd

one night strahd

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE.............................................. 003 ACT II: CRUSH YOUR ENEMIES..............181
COPYRIGHT.......................................... 004 THIS PLACE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU... 182
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK....................... 005 DINNER DATE................................... 193
THE BASILICA.................................. 207
ADVENTURE SUMMARY.................... 006 THE CRYPTS.................................... 225
TOOLS OF THE NEW TRADE..............011 THE TOWER..................................... 264
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ...................... 014 THE TOME OF LORDS....................... 300
MASTER FLOWCHART...................... 034
CHARACTER CREATION!.................. 043 ACT III: I'LL BE BACK............................ 312
SKILL CHECKS................................. 045 THE ECLIPSE....................................313
SPECIAL RULES................................... 047 IRENA GAUNTLET: TOMB OF IRENA... 335
EVENTS: TRIGGER NARRATIVES...... 048 IRENA FIGHT: A DARK AUDIENCE..... 352
RITES: SUPPORTING PLAYER AGENCY... 057 STRAHD GAUNTLET: STRAHD'S HATE... 369
INCARNATIONS: WHAT AND WHY..... 064 STRAHD FIGHT: TOMB OF STRAHD... 405
HUNT ENCOUNTERS RULES............ 069 THE GREENHOUSE: ENDINGS...........419
SCORING: OPTIONAL DIFFICULTY.... 074
ACT I: FIGHT ME, I'M RIGHT HERE......... 079 OPTIONAL ENCOUNTERS..................... 441
GLASS & DIAMONDS......................... 080 THE TREASURY............................... 442
SUNLIT SHRINE.................................... 092 THE BLACK LAGOON........................ 452
SHRINE INTERIOR.............................119
DOG DAYS........................................ 125 AFTERMATTER..................................... 466
THE AMBER DEPTHS........................ 156 DOOMED SOULS................................... 467
TOTALLY SAFE GHOST CANISTERS... 169 MONSTERS........................................... 488
ITEMS................................................... 512

o n ePnRi Eg hFtAsCt rEa h d

When Jake first reached out to me to help him design and run what he
described as “a marathon game of Curse of Strahd: New Game+” for our
friends one Halloween, I never expected that it would one day turn into this.
What began as two nerds running a two-DM, two-room, fourteen-hour-long
spectacle has become a two-year project that has survived being poked and
prodded by minmaxers, a global plague cutting into our production time and
sanity, numerous rewrites, and at least one manuscript-wide sweep to make
sure that the words we have wrought upon these pages do not induce actual
dread and horror into the minds of our readers (we prefer the characters to
take the psychic damage, not the players). What you have in your hands—
or, more likely, on your screen—is the manifestation of almost two decades
of friendship, roughly two collective centuries of TTRPG experience,
and the search for some of the most compelling and evocative art we
could put to page.

Please take the time to really dig into this before you run it for your
friends—this story is definitely built on the bones of Curse of Strahd, but
there are enough new and strange twists here that even the most seasoned
Ravenloft explorers will find something new (don’t worry, we’ve included
as many reference sheets and handouts as we could reasonably create to
be sure that you won’t be frantically flipping through pages to keep it
rolling). There’s enough variation that you can—and should—run your
friends through this multiple times: the Dark Powers of Barovia work in
mysterious ways, and it’s not just the mists that are ever in flux. From the
bottom of our cold, twisted, undead hearts: we hope you enjoy your stay in
our version of the Ravenloft mythos. After all, you might not get to leave.

ADAM SEATS

6/3/21

For a long time, I’d wondered what I would write here. After all, I said
most of what I wanted to say in the book itself, particularly in the Tools
of the New Trade. There’s something left unsaid, though: much of this
was written during the endless twilight of a global pandemic, and a huge
swathe of this book is a response to loneliness and an indictment of
sociopathy. If there was one message here, it’s “don’t be a bastard.”
If there’s another, it’s “call your friends.”

JAKE KURZER

6/22/21

TESTERS Salina Williams WRITING
Andrew Veen Samantha Friedman Jake Kurzer
Adam Seats
Aryel SamuNyann
Ben Talinika PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Brendon Phipps Ari Yarwood
Captain Keele W. Hank West
Craig Reuss Zach VISUAL IDENTITY,
Danielle Juliette Skysdottir Zach S GRAPHIC DESIGN, LAYOUT
Darren
Eliza Velasquez TONE & VOICE Angie Knowles
Eric “God of War” Marrs Danielle Juliette Skysdottir
Greg DESIGN
James Haywood Katra Trivaya Jake Kurzer
Jereme Kessinger E.R.F. Jordan
Jessica MAPS Adam Seats
John Rob Matthews
John & Cory Evangeline Gallagher SPECIAL THANKS
Kayleigh Wynn Elizabeth McCague
Kazel Wood ART
Laura R Evangeline Gallagher
Lizz Q
Michael Williams EDITING
Mikayla E.R.F. Jordan
Nicholas F. Robinson Ari Yarwood
Ralph Mikayla Ebel
Kathleen Harrington

Copyright © 2021 by Hedra Group. All rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author or publisher,
except for small portions for review or educational purposes. Commercial reuse licensing is available by request.

First Edition, November 2021

978-0-578-94429-6

PUBLISHED BY:

HEDRA GROUP

Printed in Digital Technicolor

ADDITIONAL COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names,

and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2021 by Hedra Group and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

CONTENT WARNING FOR GMS AND PLAYERS
One Night Strahd is a gothic horror game, and is intended to elicit chills, suspense, and tension in players. As with any game, but particularly a horror game, it is important to talk to your group

about their comfort levels with being scared, and any potential story aspects that could cause a trauma response or simply push them out of the gaming headspace.
The ultimate goal of the game is to have fun, so feel free to pause gameplay and recalibrate any encounter if players aren't having a good time.

HOW TOo n e n i g h t st r a h d
USE THIS

BOOK

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

ADVENTURE SUMMARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AT A GLANCE........................................ 06 NARRATIVE SUMMARY.......................... 07
THE BRIEF........................................ 06 PREFACE.......................................... 07
PLAYER COUNT................................ 06 ACT I................................................. 07
WHAT ELSE IS DIFFERENT............... 06 ACT II................................................ 08
ACT III............................................... 09

AT A GLANCE is a tightly-paced horror adventure that supports
improvisation and adaptation but doesn’t require it.
THE BRIEF
PLAYER COUNT
O NE NIGHT STRAHD (ONS ) serves to
condense the full campaign experience ONS scales smoothly from 4 to 10 players and
of Curse of Strahd into a one-shot suitable for supports traditional single-group play, simultaneous
Dungeon Masters (DMs) of any skill level. It distills play for two groups, or asynchronous play for two
the 200+ hour campaign into a coherent short-form groups with support for players dropping in and out.
experience that supports three modes of play:
WHAT ELSE IS DIFFERENT
• Long Play: Roughly 12 hours, suitable for
events such as Halloween. The first and most obvious difference, covered later
in the narrative summary, is that ONS supports
• Mini-Campaign: Roughly 16 hours, generally using two different villains: Irena or Strahd. As a
broken into three sessions. result, ONS uses a more structured approach to
presenting encounters. This makes it easier to run
• Stage Game: Variable as needed. the adventure close to the book, and inversely,
also makes it easier to understand and modify an
To do this, the module presents a set of in-depth encounter. Another difference is that the adventure
encounters mapped together using well-defined provides significantly more characterization for key
funnels, in the form of both environmental NPCs. We very strongly recommend reviewing the
guidance and direct NPC intervention. ONS is KEY CHARACTERS section, as most members of
based on the belief that it is easier to modify and the original cast have either been cut, combined, or
adapt something that is well-specified. The result seen significant expansion.

6

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
ADVENTURE SUMMARY

The other major difference is that encounters in she drowns all the planes in blood and shadow.
ONS are more tightly specified. This is often done Sergei, always the spearhead of imperial force,
using an encounter flow diagram. It may help to has become a knight of profane power. He serves
think of these diagrams as dungeon maps, charting Irena with the moralistic reluctance and unflinching
courses through scenes and time instead of rooms willingness of the truly complicit. Strahd himself
and space. THE TOOLS OF THE NEW TRADE has abandoned all pretense of being anything other
section goes into more detail on how to really take than a predator, coming to glory in his fated role as
advantage of this resource. a tyrannical caricature. Gertruda knelt before the
Dark Powers in an effort to save Irena, but found
SNUAMRRMAATIRVYE herself utterly alone in a world that did not want
saving. Generations of heroes have been cast into
PREFACE: SECRETS this maelstrom; the Dark Powers love a show.
AND BEGINNINGS At the opening of this version of the story, it is the
players’ turn. The players are the uncontested main
A T THE END OF THE ORIGINAL Curse of characters of this adventure: only they can make
Strahd module for 5th edition, there are a few meaningful choices, and only they have a real say in
lines used to suggest that Strahd will rise again. the outcome. Everyone else is resigned to their fate.
The idea that time in the Domains of Dread has In this sense, players are cast in the leading roles of
a certain cyclic nature dates back to the earliest a play that is familiar to all the other actors. In the
Ravenloft modules. One Night Strahd leans hard first act, they must reach Barovia. In the second,
on this idea: it explores what that cycle would they must gather power while they are hunted.
mean for the few actors who survive each round In the third, they must become the hunter.
of the passion play. In this vision of Barovia,
time is deep—deep enough to drown in. These ACT I
vampires have survived at least twenty cycles for
the amusement of the Dark Powers. Their fraught The adventure begins in media res with GLASS &
personal histories have expanded outward and their DIAMONDS as the characters have already agreed
wars have devoured everyone in the entire land, to take the job. During GLASS & DIAMONDS,
both literally and figuratively. they’ll be introduced to Gertruda in her guise as
the Fortune-Teller and get their first big hints
Four central characters survive: Irena, Sergei, that something is very wrong. They’ll also get to
Strahd, and Gertruda. Each of them has fallen make some character choices. Most importantly,
deeper into the curse. Each has become a monster. this encounter both controls the randomized
Irena accepted the vampire’s curse for a chance components of the adventure module and generates
to defeat Strahd and then embraced it; she will the map that players will likely follow. While the
argue that the ends justify the means, even as map doesn’t vary much from the omniscient view
of the DM, it looks quite different in practice to
players. From the greenhouse, players will split into
two groups if this is a multi-group game. Otherwise,
the next encounters will happen in sequence rather
than in parallel. Either way, the next two sections
are DOG DAYS and the SUNLIT SHRINE. In
these encounters, the characters are chased by

7

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
ADVENTURE SUMMARY

werewolves or vampires. The encounters serve the players have truly drawn the attention of the
to acquaint players with the profound danger of Dark Powers.
their quest as well as to introduce both nonplayer
characters (NPCs) and mechanics. ACT II

In DOG DAYS, players get a sense of scale: some At the end of TOTALLY SAFE GHOST
things aren’t their problem, as some things are CANISTERS, each group will pick one of the five
just too big. At the same time, they may meet core encounters to pursue. These encounters are
Sesame, the dryad of Yggdrasil and a key minor completely order-free, and in a timed playthrough,
character that serves to round out the early cohort it’s very likely players won’t get to all of them. They
of helpful NPCs. Just as importantly, through the have some information about what rewards are
disfigurement of the feywolves, players begin to see available at which encounter from the “tarot map”
the far-reaching cruelties of the Barovian nobles. that they received in GLASS & DIAMONDS. This
fact should be mentioned here, or there’s a good
In the SUNLIT SHRINE, the characters are chased chance that the adventure will go off the rails as
through the Svalich Woods by the Brides of Strahd. players head off into unknown parts of the castle.
If Irena is the current Lord, they serve at her With that information in hand, players will end up
command out of fear. If Strahd is the current Lord, at one of the following encounters.
they serve out of obligation and fear. The characters
meet Winter, a recurring minor character used as 1. Dinner Date
the identity character for the Brides. They may
also find Winter’s sword, potentially enabling her If players are confused, this is the encounter
redemption arc. Finally, the characters will arrive at they should head towards. In all vampire
the shrine itself, in the SHRINE INTERIOR. stories, there must be a dinner scene. This law
is bitten into the flesh of the world and we
The SHRINE INTERIOR serves to provide key cannot disobey it. Here, players contend with
clues about later puzzles, introduce the major the evil ghost of Rahadin, who makes a token
characters, imply the key relationships between appearance here. This encounter serves to
the central four, and provide insight into Gertruda fill in some narrative gaps by providing a key
as a character. It also provides a breather before information source and display the astonishing
the final full encounter of Act I. From there, cruelty of the Vampire Lords of Ravenloft. Even
the adventurers will descend into the AMBER the most loyal servants can only hope for a
DEPTHS. Here, they meet and potentially fight shadowy afterlife of damnation and servitude.
Bur the arcanaloth, though they may instead make
a deal. This fight is likely the hardest or second 2. The Basilica
hardest in the module, and intentionally so: it is
aimed at priming players so that they’ll be willing The adventurers face the Abbot in his
to engage with the TOTALLY SAFE GHOST debauched magnificence, deep in the debased
CANISTERS. This micro-encounter serves to close cathedral complex. It has become a nexus of
out Act I, solidifying the Dark Powers as both nightmarish storms, and serves as a fairly direct
evil and distant while increasing the perceived interpretation of both the original module and
nearness and danger of the Vampire Lord. It also the story of Frankenstein. This encounter sets
grants powers that may be extremely useful, and is the stakes and scale of the threat by making it
effectively a way to finish out character creation. clear that Strahd and Irena are both significantly
With this, the rite of challenge formally begins and more dangerous than a fallen angel. It also fully
exposes the looping nature of time and stories in
the Domains of Dread, offers some information

8

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
ADVENTURE SUMMARY

about the dialectic nature of the Dark Powers, the eponymous tome and encourages them to
and gives the players a chance to ask a single decode it, which is likely to offer key insights
direct question about what’s going on. about how to proceed through to the finale.
Narratively, this serves to frame Gertruda in
3. The Crypts her role as a sort of devilish but sweet-natured
master of ceremonies. She’ll help as much as she
While the DINNER DATE & BASILICA can, and serves a crucial role in steering players
encounters do not directly advance the plot, back into the plot.
the Crypts are a key component of the
narrative. It’s a good idea to nudge players Between these main encounters, players will pass
into going to the Crypts, in part because they’ll through the micro-encounters driven by THIS
need to pass through them eventually to reach PLACE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU. These are
the tomb of either Vampire Lord. Additionally, designed to replace traditional random encounters
this is their first chance to personally meet the with small narrative vignettes carrying minor
current Lord, and it offers key treasures and a mechanical costs, adapted to more directly drive the
knowledgeable ally. atmosphere and plot. This sequence closes out with
the beginning of the ECLIPSE, which in turn marks
4. The Tower the beginning of the end.

The Tower is the lair of Patrina, aloof and ACT III
magnificent in her power. In this rendition
of the core story, she gives a voice to the Armed with information and tools from their
history of Barovia and unpacks some of the adventures in ACT II, the characters are ready to
astonishing violence that has turned the land tackle the final battles, namely the GAUNTLET
to ash. Mechanically, this encounter focuses and FIGHT encounters for the current Lord. At
on skill-centric builds and offers them a lot of this point, the ECLIPSE begins. The ECLIPSE
opportunities to have narrative and roleplaying starts the clock for the finale and drives home the
moments. Narratively, Patrina is just about risks and stakes while closing out some remaining
the only bystander left in the entire module, character arcs. Importantly, it establishes and
and she’s far from innocent. She uses the clarifies the nature of the challenge rite, as well as
Game of Forms and the sequence of her forms Gertruda’s role as envoy. It also serves as a final
to tell players a little about how all of this chance for struggling parties to get the information
came to pass, though in fairly abstract terms. they’ll need to tackle the finales. At the end of the
Afterwards, she may deign to answer a couple ECLIPSE, players should know where to go for
of questions if the characters won, making this a the GAUNTLET and FIGHT, but acquiring that
key source of information about the world. information may come at a serious cost.
In terms of sequence…
5. The Tome of Lords
• For single-group runs with Irena as Lord, the
This encounter is intentionally one of the FIGHT comes before the GAUNTLET.
shortest, and drives a considerable amount
of plot. It can be skipped, but doing so may • For single-group runs with Strahd as Lord, the
significantly damage the characters’ chances GAUNTLET comes before the FIGHT.
of surviving. If they have an ally from the
CRYPTS, that ally should nudge them here. • For two-group runs, the events happen
Here may be their first chance to meet Gertruda effectively in parallel.
outside of her guise as the Fortune-Teller and
get an insider’s take on the mess they’ve been
dragged into. She also provides them with

9

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
ADVENTURE SUMMARY

The use of two boss fights is intended to give the In both cases, players will ultimately end up in
Lords an operatic malice and honor the traditional THE GREENHOUSE encounter, which controls the
burden of staking a vampire. The FIGHT encounters various endings. Depending on how well players
are generally in cinematic locations, and represent did, they may get a Win, a Qualified Victory, a Loss,
fairly traditional knock-down drag-out combats. The or possibly a Total Victory ending. With that, the
GAUNTLETS are closer to endurance matches. For adventure is over!
Strahd, the GAUNTLET sends the players fleeing
through Ravenloft, back to the SUNLIT SHRINE. From there, it’s actually possible to continue with
For Irena, the GAUNTLET forces them to kill Sergei, these characters in an existing campaign or to begin
who has been a constant comforting presence. a new campaign from this point.

10

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

TOOLS OF THE NEW TRADE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE NEW TRADE....................................11 HUNT ENCOUNTERS......................... 12
THE TOOLS.............................................11 ACTIVE WORLD STORYTELLING........ 12
BRANCH-AND-BEAT NARRATIVES.... 12
ENCOUNTER FLOWS.........................11

THE NEW TRADE AND-BEAT NARRATIVES. Some of these tools
are already becoming popular in the community as
2 020 CHANGED THE WORLD, and it changed of this writing, some are bleeding edge, and some
D&D. Most tables are telling stories now in combine existing ideas in novel ways. Most of these
much the same way as old radio plays: crackling concepts come from the design of modern video
voices, ribald laughter, and under it all, the gentle games, but some are drawn from recent board
hiss of line noise. Change—long coming, always games. A few even draw heavily on the kayfabe
unstoppable—accelerated. The process of running storytelling used in wrestling.
a game became centered on ceding control to
players and to mechanics, finding ways to engage ENCOUNTER FLOWS
everyone at once. The lines between art and design
have blurred everywhere else. It was inevitable At the start of each encounter, there’s a small
that would happen to this hobby. For the first time pictogram laying out how the scenes fit together.
in almost forty years, there's been a categorical These diagrams show how the encounter starts,
change in how stories are told and in the tradecraft then branch based on common approaches and
used to tell them. expected solutions. They aren’t intended to be
prescriptive; instead, they describe the paths that
THE TOOLS 90% of play-groups will take. They are supported
by narrative and mechanical scenes that gently
W E FOUND NEW TOOLS out there for how guide players back into one of the many possible
to tell stories at the table, how to prepare paths. In combination with ACTIVE WORLD
for games, and how to make narratives that were STORYTELLING, these diagrams are how One
both responsive and tightly plotted. These tools Night Strahd presents its use of BRANCH-AND-
are ENCOUNTER FLOWS, HUNT ENCOUNTERS, BEAT NARRATIVES in a way that’s designed to
ACTIVE WORLD STORYTELLING and BRANCH- speed up play. While they tend to be fairly legible,
the two rules are that a rectangular block generally
represents a scene or action, while a diamond block
represents a condition that can split flow. These

11

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
TOOLS OF THE NEW TRADE

flow diagrams serve as the flesh used to knit the As the castle changes and characters move, those
encounters together, like a dungeon map. changes tell players how much time they have left,
as well as to create or destroy signposts as needed.
HUNT ENCOUNTERS Rather than funneling characters onto rails, key
narrative beats often rise from their coffin to go
Hunt Encounters are an expansible approach find the players. As players take precautions or
to structuring timed explorations, particularly pursue inventive strategies, these walking, biting
encounters with an adversary. They are used to plot points do their best to adapt—but it’s okay if
implement chases, investigation, and of course, they fail. The goal of the adversaries is to create
hunts. They rely on an abstracted map and come interesting challenges and tell interesting stories.
with an obscured player map. As players move One of the commonly cited weaknesses of this
through the encounter, they will pass through approach is that it can feel just like railroading;
distinct locations containing small narratives. Each ONS deals with this in the following ways:
location connects to a finite number of others, and
some connections are hidden. Generally, locations • The power and fury of the Vampire Lord
are used to represent physical spaces, such as a is aggressively telegraphed
shop, but they can also represent discrete moments,
like meeting an unhelpful shopkeeper. • Players spend most of their time inside
the literal lair of their adversary, meaning
This sounds limiting, and it can be. Hunts are used that their adversary has a good reason to
only for encounters where pacing is a critical part appear at any time
of the experience. Still, locations are a flexible
abstraction. The short HUNT ENCOUNTERS • The modular structure of the encounter is
chapter in the SPECIAL RULES section covers the not particularly order-sensitive
concepts and mechanics in more detail. For a direct
example of a literal hunt, the SUNLIT SHRINE • The THREE-CLUE RULE (explained below)
encounter is an excellent place to start. For a more is expanded to fit the modular structure
indirect use of the mechanics, DOG DAYS shows using Events
how the same concepts can support investigation
and exploration. • Many of the clues are attached to NPCs,
who have narrative incentives to help players
AS TCOTRI VYET EWLOL IRNLGD
Finally, the heavy use of catch-up mechanics in
One hallmark of ONS is that the NPCs have goals default play helps ensure that the relationship
and intentions they actively pursue. If players take between players and the Dungeon Master does not
too long, they may find themselves face to fang become adversarial. Defeats often provide access to
with a werewolf—or worse, a Vampire Lord. This key information, and skipping content opens up new
is actually a single aspect of a broader philosophy: paths. The goal is to have an active and interactive
that things can and should happen off camera, as story, not defeat the players.
long as they don’t decrease player agency. This
is called ACTIVE WORLD STORYTELLING or BNRAARNR CAHT I-VAENSD - B E AT
evolving world storytelling, though some have
referred to it as clockwork or puzzlebox games. Traditional narrative prep takes a story and writes
it straight through. It produces a beginning, a
middle and an end. This has some obvious problems
for interactive games, and so the next most common
approach is to rely primarily on outlines. For
adventure modules, this is expanded by breaking the

12

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
TOOLS OF THE NEW TRADE

adventure into encounters along the cut-points of when they are simple verbs tied directly to the
the outline. These encounters are laid out as linear pillars of play: explore, sneak, bargain, betray,
sequences or maps with points of interest. This fight, and flee are all great examples. This method
works really well, but can place the burden of prep starts to build a map of scenes connected and
on the DM in surprising ways as their campaign reused by the verbs that players lean heavily
diverges more and more from the outline. on—a story graph connecting scenes by the broad
actions, the branches, that lead to them. Together
For shorter-form content and home prep, many this approach is sometimes called BRANCH-AND-
DMs use an approach called “beat planning,” where BEAT PLANNING.
only major story beats are planned along with a
few sentences describing a few locations. These This method of planning is relatively durable to
beats are then moved around as needed to fit the drift, which is why it’s used throughout ONS. The
progression of the campaign, with incentives used story graphs take the form of encounter flows and
to draw players towards the beats. A good way a variable flow for this adventure as a whole. The
to think of beats is that a beat is a storytelling goal of this approach is to be able to say “yes” more
“noun”—a castle collapse, a victory celebration, a often as a DM and with more confidence. Instead
dragon swooping down. These are scenes, and that’s of prepping a world, we’ve prepped a game with
the term used throughout this book. some extra world around the edges. By laying out a
number of routes, we can help make sure that more
This approach can be extended by drawing out kinds of player actions lead to interesting outcomes
routes between scenes. These routes work best while spending as little time as possible preparing.

13

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CENTRAL VILLAINS.............................. 15 THE BRIDES...................................... 23
STRAHD VON ZAROVICH.................... 15 WINTER, THAT WAS TAKEN............... 24
MOTIVATIONS................................ 15
INTERACTING WITH STRAHD.........16 RELATED PROSE.......................... 24
RELATED PROSE...........................16 BUR & BURR, THE ARCANALOTHS..... 25
IRENA VON ZAROVICH....................... 17
INTERACTING WITH BUR AND BURR...26
MOTIVATIONS................................ 17 IMPROVISATIONAL TONE & VOICE NOTES... 26
INTERACTING WITH IRENA............18 THE CURSED RING........................27
ADDITIONAL NOTABLE CHANGE....18 RELATED PROSE...........................27
RELATED PROSE...........................18 THE VISTANI..................................... 27
ESMERELDA, FIRE KNIGHT............... 28
THE DAMNED........................................ 19 RELATED PROSE...........................28
GERTRUDA....................................... 19 MAPLE, FEYPACT WEREWOLF.......... 29
MOTIVATIONS................................ 19 RELATED PROSE.......................... 29
INTERACTING WITH GERTRUDA.... 20 OMU, DEBTMONGER.......................... 30
RELATIONSHIPS........................... 20 INTERACTING WITH OMU............... 31
RELATED PROSE...........................21 RELATED PROSE........................... 31
NEON MADONNA............................... 22 PATRINA, AMARANTHINE ARCHMAGE... 31
RELATED PROSE.......................... 22 HER HISTORY................................ 31
SERGEI VON ZAROVICH..................... 22 ADDITIONAL NOTABLE CHANGE....32
RELATED PROSE...........................23 RELATED PROSE...........................32

14

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

VCEINLTLRAAILNS unbridled malevolence in his murder of his brother,
his seesawing war with Irena, and his ultimately
fatal dismissal of Gertruda. It is his narcissism that
demands he fight heroes, and he is Machiavellian
where the original was melodramatic.

O NE NIGHT STRAHD is unusual in that it From insulting players to hiding his actual body
supports one of two main villains for any inside a pocket dimension and his coffin in the
given run. These villains, Strahd and Irena, are ribcage of an undead dragon, everything he does
locked in an endless cyclic struggle that has had is calibrated to infuriate as much as it delights. The
apocalyptic consequences for everyone and goal is to create an astonishingly punchable villain
everything around them. who feels both terribly powerful and terribly petty.

STRAHD VON ZAROVICH Physically, he looks like a prettier take on Dracula
with some extremely dramatic armor—he belongs
Basically Dracula, Godeater to an archetype and he’s an exemplar of it.

Why does Strahd exist? Simple, as far as I can M o t i vat i o n s
tell: you can’t copyright Dracula or use him as
trade dress. Now he’s become as much a template Strahd sits at the center of the utter ruin he’s
for our modern concept of Dracula as anything created and smirks. After all, he’s done nothing
else. He helped inspire Castlevania and Vampire: wrong, nothing outside his rights as both king and
The Masquerade, and his updated version of the predator. Where Irena is controlled and aggressive,
scenery-chewing rants from Dark Shadows defined Strahd is capricious and manipulative. He hides
the modern staple of vampire fiction. So what do in the shadows, acts through intercessors, never
you do with an icon? risking his true existence. In fact, when players
encounter Strahd, it is in fact a projection of his evil
Deconstruct him. Strahd’s got a huge problem: intent. His tomb and true form rest in the Ethereal
he’s basically Patriarchy The Monster, except plane, accessible through the complex lock hidden
he’s generally played in a way that makes him in the Sunlit Shrine. As a result, he is carefree and
unfortunately legible to every kid who’s ever lost reckless, often allowing players advantages or
a crush. This is exacerbated by the fact that he’s toying with them long past the point of safety.
explicitly queer in the current edition, and was just At this point in his existence, Strahd has been bored,
about the only openly bisexual major character in asleep, or dead for most of the last two hundred
a non-indie TTRPG product. Suffice to say, he’s a years. He will attempt to take this out on everyone
disaster and we’ve got a lot to work with. around him.

Unlike the original rendition, which indulged Strahd is doing all this because he can, and because
players and waxed rhapsodic about his losses, our he’s hungry, and because it’s interesting. If Strahd
version is monomaniacal and cruel, verbally flaying were not asleep as players made their way into
players whenever he can and revealing very little Ravenloft, he would have confronted and murdered
of himself except his awesome cruelty. Instead, them in the Amber Depths. In fact, this has been
Strahd’s impact on the world is rendered indirectly the fate of many adventuring parties. By the Crypts,
through the suffering of Winter or the Devastation however, he sleeps no more. The Rite of Challenge
he heaped upon the elves. Most of all, we see his issued in the Amber Depths awoke him and he
began to hunt.

15

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

Interacting with Strahd Steam hits your face like a hammer;
a wrong turn, or is this place changed? A giant
Once, there was a charming facade over his absolute black wolf lies in the center of the marble baths
evil. Once, he was persuasive. Now, he is brutal,
domineering, and unyielding. Strahd has absolutely as naked vampires plait his fur. A single eye
no empathy for anyone, except possibly his Brides slides open, peering from under a crown of eight
who he showers with gifts in a mockery of romance.
While Strahd knows almost everything about the huge rubies. “Mh, at first I thought this a rude
castle, he divulges secrets only in a way that is interruption, but now I see it’s just room service
certain to cause pain and mayhem. He may pretend
to offer players a chance as a way to “make things arriving,” Strahd growls contentedly
more interesting,” but these offers are always lies as he licks his muzzle.
and should be clearly signposted as such to players.
One important note is that he never offers unalloyed The devil himself could not have a better
praise or kindness—doing so might trigger an tailor nor a crueler grin. Strahd rises from his
intermittent reward response, and cause players to throne and turns slowly toward the intruders—
feel excessive empathy towards him. If players reach towards you. “What a pleasure, what a delight,”
his tomb but cannot see him, he takes particular
pleasure in watching them struggle. If necessary for he murmurs upon seeing you, then draws a
pacing, you can use this to provide a hint thanks to greatsword from his back. Strahd tosses aside his
his ghostly laughter.
cloak and is lifted into the air as his nightmare
Strahd’s voice is sonorous, cold, and slow. He’s got steed phases into existence below him. The
plenty of time. Vampire Lord’s armor is sleek and exotic,
decorated with small rosettes displaying key
Related Prose moments in his history of tyranny.

Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
character are reproduced below.

Skeletal bats fill the air, exploding from
the vaulted ceiling above you. “All things in

their season,” they murmur in a baritone.
“When they are ripe. When they are rotten.

When they are memories.”

The bats begin to take shape, filling
out the frame of a man. Plate mail made of
vampire bone. “Welcome.” A great sword of
cold iron. “I am Strahd.” A silver diadem with
eight rubies that burns on his fever-pale skin.

“Join our little reenactment. Let’s keep
the teams even, shall we?”

16

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

IRENA VON ZAROVICH M o t i vat i o n s

Our Lord of Perpetual Vengeance She stays in Ravenloft because it allows her to
ensure that Strahd remains entombed in amber.
Clad in mighty plate mail and adorned with For her, and unlike Strahd, Ravenloft is not home.
the symbols of a benevolent god, Irena cuts a She keeps it clean because it removes hiding places.
magnificent and dashing figure. Unfortunately, it’s She keeps it lit because many of her servants
been six hundred years since she made a terrible require it. It is cold because warmth has long been
bargain in pursuit of revenge, and it was not irrelevant to her and those few that she cares about.
enough. Oh, the bargain was fulfilled, certainly— There are no villagers because she doesn’t consider
she had her revenge. She has had her revenge again her own starvation interesting, except when it might
and again, killed those who would torment her affect her ability to maintain her absolute rule. She’ll
with sword and spell and sun, and still it was not create new vampire spawn when possible, but needs
enough. She sacrificed her friends, her lovers, victims with souls to do so. That’d be the players.
and even her nation. While her vocabulary
and diction speak to a noble education, In terms of goals, her only interests are
everything in her manner sings of all ensuring Strahd’s containment,
the worst that autarchy can be. keeping Sergei the Dapper
Skeleton at her side, and keeping
Even at her best, before her fall from Patrina alive—or at least
grace and before the catastrophe, returning her to undeath if
she was an imperial paladin. necessary. Everything else is
She was there when the expendable. She left her scruples
elves fell under iron on a shelf somewhere and never
horseshoes. She was there looked back. As a result, she’s
when Poet was summoned disinterested in concepts like
and ended an entire city. right or wrong.
Indeed, she was there
when Strahd ascended There are only three things
to power and kingly that can distract Irena from
cruelty. It was only her goal. One is her own
when his evil affected brief curiosity. Indeed, this
her that she began her is why she interacts with the
long campaign of revenge. players at all. The second,
While she rightfully blames Strahd for killing Sergei, and a far greater driver, is any
she was the one who raised Sergei from the dead perceived opportunity to bring
over and over, sending him to his doom time and her beloved Sergei truly back
time again for tactical advantage. She was the one to life or undeath. The Dark Powers will not allow
who plunged the ritual dagger into poor, doomed this to come to pass under any circumstances, but
Gertruda, then raised her as a vampire. She made delight in creating the sense of hope intermittently.
arrangements with fiends, swept Ravenloft clean of Right now, that’s the Church of Tymora, to their
all life, and had the naked audacity to insist it was infinite misfortune: she thinks their new magics
all just and right. may be of use to her in reviving Sergei. Finally, the
smell of blood is interesting to her. She’s never out
of control, never feral, but she may determinedly
pursue a character who is critically wounded.

17

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

When she does so, it’s not mad hunger that drives she is referred to only as Irena, except when lying
her, but a sense of absolute invulnerability and about her name in the Crypts. It’s left to the DM
dominion. She has the time, and it interests her. whether her return as a vampire happened before
She will do it because she can. After all, dying is or after her various reincarnations in the Domain of
simply not relevant to her. Dread—discussion of that proved outside the scope
in terms of time and narrative complexity, and has
Interacting with Irena been elided from this book.

Irena is well-equipped to go toe-to-toe with parties. Related Prose
Her more sophisticated tomb defenses also make
her pretty arrogant when combined with her own Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
healing magic. Irena is also not a tactician. That’s not character are reproduced below.
to say she’s stupid, but one opportunity we have here
is to emphasize the sheer physicality of a Vampire Before you, Irena clad in shining armor lounges
Lord, something often lost in tabletop games. in decadence on a huge throne of lapis. It is

Where Strahd is terrifying because he is Machia- carved in her exaggerated image: huge curves
vellian and cruel, Irena is scary because she is and too long limbs, its broad back the seat,
implacable and often relatable. Irena’s evil is not a
failure of empathy; indeed, she’s quite tender with its folded wings the throne’s back. A smirking
Sergei or Patrina should it come up, and has a great face, Irena’s own, rests a cheek against the floor.
deal of affection for Throne Vasilka. Instead, she has
a complete lack of sympathy. She understands why Your only warning is that it blinks.
you don’t want her to brutally murder you, turn you
into a vampire, and use you to kill your employers. “Mmmm, darlings. Come so far to die at my feet?
She feels your frustration keenly, and may even I can’t bear to disappoint, so let me show you
offer words of encouragement or conciliation. What a subtle truth. There are not fifty ways of
she does not feel is any remorse, sympathy, or moral fighting; there is only one, and that is to win.
restraint. She is not human. You are not her species.
Have at you!” The sphinx-throne rises on to her
For her voice, we’re reaching for husky jazz age haunches to regard you, and Irena leans
singers, all smoke and noir promise. Right around forward to shape a spell.
a contra-alto if possible. When she talks, she
delays breath pauses more than a normal person Irena smirks with cruel delight as a
would. Her vocabulary and diction speak to a noble little werewolf steps out of the gloam.
education, and she’s had plenty of time to read “Oh sweet pea, you lost little dog. You’ll not
up on practically every subject. There’s no cruelty long shake the leash.” Poisonous intent drips
to her, but the threat of violence or the stress of from the paladin and the blood sea rises in
combat has no effect on her. tumorous masses at her call. The wolfling
hunkers into their torn olive coat but doesn’t
Additional Notable Change flee. “Queen of Dust and Shadow, I am Maple.
Last free wolf of my pack. I invoke the rite of
The name “Ireena” has been changed to Irena to challenge, Irena.” Irena nods at their words,
remove some potential confusion and improve a strange formal gesture—then everything
searchability. Like in the original canon, her name
was once Tatyana. However, because that narrative goes to hell.
device is mostly superseded by her rise as a vampire,

18

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

“At least keep your failures tidy.” fact, this is the “greenhouse dream” that players
entered the adventure through and that they return
The castle hums with evil life. All that is to when they die. Gertruda is one of the oldest
warm is swallowed by the hungry stone. Irena creatures in Ravenloft, and has lived through eight
cycles of death for Strahd and as many as twelve
strides in, the wolves cavorting around her. cycles for Irena. Indeed, a previous version of Irena
She drags Gertruda by the hair, lifts her so who made a pact at the Amber Temple was the one
who turned Gertruda, and she was freed by that
that she can look on. incarnation’s death.

“I will devour them, Envoy—I will break your There’s a lot of narrative requirements levied on
toys. You will watch as I feast, as my shadow falls Gertruda, so her presence is relatively limited and
long.” Gertruda fails to look upset. “I do not find her voice is extremely distinct. She’s never intended
to break the fourth wall, but her gestures are
your insolence as seductive as I once did.” scripted much more directly for the audience. It’s
tempting to give her a bigger role and to lean harder
TDHAEMNED on the Greenhouse, but that will almost certainly
lead to her feeling like a deus ex machina.
GERTRUDA
Ultimately, she brought the players here by
Friend & Murderous Godling challenging the reigning Lord of Ravenloft.

R OSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, and M o t i vat i o n s
Nyartholotep all rolled into one package, small
enough to leap murderously out of a duffel bag. Gertruda acts as ambassador and interpreter for
Unlike literally everyone else, Gertruda is perfectly a near-omnipotent but very distant regime of
happy in Ravenloft and serves as the Envoy of profound malignance. She’s driven by the same
the Dark Powers. Powerful and free-willed, she is dialectic that forms the Dark Powers: that conflict
content to read in solitude, broken only by the ever- and violence should continue forever, that all things
more-rare affair with Irena. Her demeanor is affable are stories, and that stories are best when they hang
enough that it may make the players immediately in that undecided moment forever, on the edge of a
hostile, especially once they discover she is a climactic finale. That nothing should ever end.
vampire. If they do attack her, she’ll try to dissuade
them before going hostile, even up to accepting a Unlike the deities of Lovecraft, however, the Dark
few stab wounds. She makes absolutely no effort to Powers are very, very interested in human affairs,
dodge, languidly accepting any blow with a measure and Gertruda needs to put on a good show. The Dark
of satisfaction. In fact, she will maneuver to try to Powers require five things from their amusements:
keep her dress intact.
Sometimes called the Innocent One, she is a Lord in 1. The villains must be tormented by their role
her own right, master of the Domain of Desolation. and denied their desires.
Under her rule, it is known simply as Summer. In
2. The villains must deserve their torment and
the heroes must likewise be heroic.

3. The heroes must have a small but reasonable
chance of success. Hope is delicious.

4. The heroes must face temptation and
compromise their ideals in the pursuit of good.

19

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

5. Both sides must fail on their own terms, not books to read to hold a grudge, so when players do
because they lacked tools or information. encounter her again, she’ll be quite friendly. After
all, she’s already met them as the Fortune-Teller
It’s extremely important to understand that she (see NEON MADONNA) and meets them again
doesn’t detest different viewpoints. The Dark each time they die.
Powers are a dialectic force, not an absolute and
complete argumentation in their own right. Her only interests
There’s nothing the players can do at this point are new reading material and food, with
that won’t make her purr. If she’s lost the argument, food a very distant second. Players who can offer
that means that the world is broader and stranger her something new to read or who promise to bring
and more wonderful than she or They imagined. new reading material in should they escape will win
Perhaps they’ll come to be right again in time! her favor immediately. Alternatively, she’s hungry
They have forever, after all, because nothing truly, enough to feed on a character if they’ll allow it.
wonderfully violent should ever end. She’s willing to part with her heartseekers because
That said, Gertruda has begun to wear down. she wants to help in the limited ways she can.
She has been hurt too many different ways and lost
too much to the Lords of Ravenloft, whether that R e l at i o n s h i p s
be Strahd or Irena at the moment. She knows it is
likely that even if Irena is utterly destroyed, the Irena: Gertruda loved Irena and once craved her
Dark Powers will see her reborn and return. On the attention, but unlike Strahd, she understands that it
other hand, she hates Strahd, whom she blames for cannot be forced or guided. While they have flings
all of this. If Strahd is the villain, she’s more eager and dalliances, the longest lasting about 30 years,
to assist the players up to the limit the Dark Powers Irena will never love Gertruda, and Gertruda holds
will allow. out no hope whatsoever. While she looks forward to
these interludes, there can be no obsession without
Interacting with Gertruda hope. The waits are utterly boring, lacking the
frisson of optimism, made worse by the knowledge
Gertruda’s demeanor is friendly and her voice is that it’s worth waiting. Lately, though, she has
a calm lilt with a questioning and sometimes
sardonic tone. She talks quickly and prefers to
listen, soaking up stories with delight. She’s
forward, affectionate, caring towards the injured,
and openly queer. She won’t make any moves or
accept any advances, though she may offer an
honest compliment. She’s also deeply aware that
her new companions are a brief and fragile treat.
Horrible as it is, terrible as her nature makes her,
she is a good person in the end and tries her best
to do right by the players. Her ability to do so is
sharply circumscribed, but she tries.

Gertruda is utterly without fear, and she relishes
combat with an entirely erotic glee. Her tomb is
hidden away below the Greenhouse, so she does
not fear death; if she is slain, she’ll make her way
back in a leisurely fashion. She’s got too many

20

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

come to be more and more repulsed by Irena’s Related Prose
increasingly single-minded cruelty—in fact, she’s
begun to move on. The players find her at an Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
unusual crossroads for the first time in centuries. character are reproduced below.
Sergei: The interludes are exacerbated badly by her
deep affection and admiration for Sergei, one of the This place would be a mess if it wasn’t
two great friendships in her existence. If allowed immaculately clean. Books are piled on every
to pick, Gertruda has and always will ensure that surface, even filling much of the bed. A hammock
Sergei and Irena are together as much as possible has been strung above the bed, and it too is
and for as long as possible. She doesn’t view this as full of books. The woman who greets you is
selfish, as she draws considerable satisfaction from a lean brunette with huge brown eyes and an
her skill, like a poor goldsmith. effervescent delight. She wears some sort of
Strahd: She hates Strahd because of what he’s done short tunic hanging over strange blue pants.
to her and to Irena, but there’s no passion there. For
her, this hatred is a chore, like doing the dishes, and The tunic has an upside down silver cross
murdering Strahd over and over does nothing to painted on it.
keep her entertained.
Omu: Omu is, in a completely uncomplicated way, Eventually, Gertruda yawns, and you realize
Gertruda’s best friend. She privately wonders when with a start that she very definitely has fangs.
the Dark Powers will destroy this, but they have no She seems totally unconcerned as she munches
intention of doing so. Their alliance is too useful, on a golden-hued apple. Another appears in the
and Omu serves as a guard against the ennui that bowl with a tiny pop as she finishes the last.
might spoil their tightly calibrated misery engine.
The Greenhouse: Gertruda is the absolute lord of Countless timber wolves race around you
Summer, but unlike other Lords, her admittedly and among you. They make no move to attack,
limited ethics and a belief that there should be no
endings make her unwilling to keep other souls but they prance and caper along with you in
trapped. As a result, it’s a gorgeous empty sprawl of canine excitement. Sometimes, they stop to look
floating islands and rolling green hills looped in on
itself, where she is almost completely alone. up at the great eye or cock an ear towards it.
The Players: Gertruda’s one joy in all this is Among them, atop them! Bouncing like a dancer
her service as the Envoy, which centers on the from back to back, there is an elfin thing slim as
sharpening of heroes and villains, the creation of a speartip. You’ve seen her before: the Fortune-
stories that have no ending, and the maximization Teller, Gertruda. She wears a diadem of sunlight
of both self and conflict. Player characters are that sears her brow. She throws her arms wide
the absolute expression of this, as the sole source as she pirouettes in joy under a bruised sky and
of chaos and violence and eternal striving in a dying sun. “This is the one thing that never gets
clockwork world. This is enough to keep both old! You fucking heroes, you beautiful beasts.”
Gertruda and the Dark Powers fixated. Further,
while Gertruda is deeply constrained in what She falls in delight, landing side-saddle on the
she can do, she’s empathetic and even fairly great wolf that she danced on. There is blood on
sympathetic. She is actually as happy to help as her hands and her face and her hazel almond eyes
she presents herself.
glow with the crimson fire.

21

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

NEON MADONNA eventually return. If Gertruda thinks players
have found a more permanent solution, it starts
Gertruda as Envoy an arc of self-realization for her that begins in
the ECLIPSE encounter.
The Neon Madonna is a smirking construct of
diamond and light forming a beautiful face. The Related Prose
oracular construct is a projection of Gertruda, a
powerful Vampire Lord. While she has a separate Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
character entry under Gertruda, the Neon character are reproduced below.
Madonna is how players first meet her. Again,
unlike everyone and everything else in Ravenloft, Omu ushers you into the marble tower.
Gertruda is mostly happy with things the way they Here, frost drifts through the air in coils.
are. While other characters are often pawns of the Cold light spills from diamondine rods on the
Dark Powers, Gertruda occupies a role closer to floor: pink, green, red, and white. As you watch,
that of a master of ceremonies. If you are familiar the rods drift into the air and form a sketch of an
with the Lovecraftian Mythos, she is effectively enormous face. The tangle of colors and fog fills
Nyarlathotep. in the rest. Waifish and exquisite, the woman in
the light smiles at you enigmatically. Other faces
Gertruda’s goal and personal interests vary a little assemble themselves around her, though they are
based on who the villain is. This is unpacked further still as ice. “Welcome, beautiful travelers.”
in her full entry, but it has bearing on what guidance
and assistance she offers to players through the She smirks.
Neon Madonna.
You look up to find yourself inside
1. She hates Strahd more than anyone but the tower where you’ve always been.
Irena and wants him dead. While she knows The Neon Madonna closes her enormous book,
it’s almost certainly impossible to make his resting it on alabaster knees. Those hurricane
death permanent, she’s always watching for eyes slice you up. She’s smiling wide as a
opportunities. She assumes, correctly, that the supernova. Kneeling, indulgent, Famine whispers
Dark Powers won’t let it happen unless they with expectant pleasure, “Come on back to me.
want it to, and so feels no trepidation or sense Come here.” Grinning with mountainous fangs.
that she is betraying her masters. If players Your crude flesh crawls toward her. Fangs.
come up with a really good plan that seems A willing fawn leaping for the crocodile. Fangs.
likely to usher Strahd’s soul into Hell, she’ll back
their play. Disentangling a soul from Ravenloft SERGEI VON ZAROVICH
is rare, and the Dark Powers may still foil
attempts. Husband to Irena, Assassin Saint

2. She loved Irena dearly but can’t resist Damned to silence and undeath, Sergei does not
stirring the pot and causing trouble. While want to be here. He doesn’t want to be doing this.
she cares about Irena and was once favored by He doesn’t want to leave. He desperately needs
Irena, she does understand how evil Irena has to do this. Sergei, in short, is caught between his
become. She just doesn’t see a way out of this role, his ideals, and his love of Irena. Players first
looping narrative. Paired with a macabre sense
of fun, that makes her perfectly willing to get
Irena temporarily killed. She’s done it before
and knows that even if Irena is staked, she’ll

22

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

Related Prose

Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
character are reproduced below.

The mote flares up, revealing first a finely carved
pipe and then a skeletal grin gripping its stem.
Deft bone fingers cradle it and as it moves, you

see the polished skull of the Dapper Skeleton who
handed you the invitation. He wears a different
3-piece suit now, but this one is just as fine—just
as dapper. The debonair undead gestures
amiably with the pipe.

meet him early in the adventure, where he cements A single hard click of iron on stone is
himself as a sympathetic character. This makes followed by the bonfire roar of a nightmare’s
him perfectly suited to the kinetic expression of fiery mane. The fiendish horse steps in through
moral trauma. the northern wall as the ethereal drips off its

The shape of that trauma varies by which villain the skeletal rider. A watchful skull stares from
current run uses: cowled robes of midnight. Stars dance in the
folds of those robes as Sergei holds his estoc at
• When Irena is the villain, he serves as one of the ceremonial rest on the saddle’s horn, with the
two final boss fights.
point straight up, and nods once.
• For Strahd, he serves as the boatman, ferrying
players to what he believes is certain doom. THE BRIDES

When you kill him, it’s not a clear cut triumph over Fallen Druids
evil. In fact, players are likely more sympathetic to
Sergei than any other character except Gertruda. The Brides are powerful vampiric servants of Strahd
He has, by this point, even given them his platemail and the rulers of the Svalich Woods. Mighty druids
armor to wear. There’s a good chance they’re in life, their connection to the natural world is far
fighting him in it. This serves some essential needs, weaker after centuries of unlife. Endless starvation
smoothing out the mood whiplash between gallows has, for the most part, destroyed what few qualms
humor and moral rectitude. they had about violence or the death of sentient
creatures. They would argue that nature is red in
tooth and claw. Of the five, four took the vampire’s
blood of their own volition, and one does not
remember. It is important to remember that Strahd
is a monster, but was once an enormously charming
one when he wanted to be. Those charms have
faded, but the Brides and their stories are evidence.
They appear throughout the story, replacing
the often-disposable vampire spawn with more

23

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

complete and more relatable recurring characters. with the embers of stolen life, Winter often
speaks for the sisters. There is a circumstance
While the Brides had other names once, all that that can lead to a player ending up as Winter
much later. If this occurs, feel free to make her
remains now are the ritual titles they held in life more sympathetic.

and now hold cling to in death. WINTER,
THAT WAS TAKEN
They are:
Taken But Not Yet Lost
• Midsummer, That Was Given
Midsummer was the first to stray, falling deeply In life, Winter was a mighty druid and the youngest
in love with Strahd during his life. While she sister of the archdruid’s circle by blood and bond.
was alive, Midsummer was the hot vengeance A voice of reason and warmth, she spent her life
of nature and always on the border of a darker arguing for kindness towards the common citizens
road. When Strahd rose again, she was the very of Barovia. She was, after all, the most familiar
first to pledge her life to him, and she saw in him with the chill of December and the empty fields of
a new and awesome silence. In her world, there February. Winter’s death was a small tragedy, one of
would be just the buzz of cicadas and the still many the Zaroviches inflicted on Barovia. Strahd’s
heat of the sullen forest. Strahd holds an abiding murder and suborning of Winter had no personal
love for her, and still confides in her. component; she was simply the last remaining druid
of the circle whom he did not control. When he
• Solstice, That Was Found killed her, it was with all the interest given to a third
Twin of Midsummer, Solstice was a close bottle of wine. This is nothing more than a distant,
friend to both Midsummer and Strahd in life. foggy memory for her, but Winter does not drink
Always the balance point between the two the blood of living creatures. She’ll feed on scraps
ideologies of the circle, it was easy for her to of her sisters’ kills, but she’s pitiable in her own
find ways to justify her sister’s behavior, even way. Wan, albino, and slim where her sisters burn
after Midsummer became a vampire. Eventually, with the embers of stolen life, Winter often speaks
she was devoured by her own sister, and for the sisters. In both arcs, it is possible for her to
Strahd opted to turn her rather than lose a end up a player ally, often controlled directly by
valuable asset. a player. This is much rarer in the Strahd arc, but
redemption is always possible for Winter. It’s just
• Autumn, That Was Loved not terribly likely.
Partner of Solstice, Autumn took the blood
when her beloved did. Waste not, want not. Related Prose

• Spring, That Was Kept Sample appearances that are emblematic of the
Spring, eldest of the sisters, feared death more character are reproduced below.
than her sisters did. Most familiar with rebirth
and the loss of self it carries, Spring could not Strange and small and fey, this albino
resist the promise of eternal life. vampire wears a druid’s staff across her back.
Little ripples of frost spread where she looks.
• Winter, That Was Taken Reckless in immortality, her deep curiosity about
Least of the Vampire Brides, her conversion
to a vampire was wholly unwilling. Strahd’s you is matched by her martial skill.
murder and suborning of Winter had no
personal component; she was simply the last
remaining druid of the circle whom he did not
control. When he killed her, it was with all the
interest given to a third bottle of wine. This is
nothing more than a distant, foggy memory
for her, but Winter does not drink the blood
of living creatures. She’ll feed on scraps of her
sisters’ kills, but she’s pitiable in her own way.
Wan, albino, and slim where her sisters burn

24

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

Sunlight streams down. You watch as the BUR & BURR,
small wan one leans in too close, inquisitive. THE ARCANALOTHS
She stretches her hand out, burns for a moment
in the sun, and pulls it back. She tries this maybe Dapper Cosmic Jerk
five times with wonder in her eyes, then leaves
Sleek and lithe with a jackal’s head and fur-lined
to follow the rest of the fallen druids. robes, Bur wears horn-rimmed glasses and was
into destroying hope before it was cool. He’s
It is her sword: Year’s End, the blade of Winter. unknowably old, terribly brilliant, and extremely
Slim and elegant as she is lean and wan, the bored. He is not bound to obey the Vampire Lords;
greatsword suits her—or perhaps she suits it. instead, he serves the Dark Powers directly. The
She turns it slowly in her hands, watching the Amber Depths can be found in many different
dying light catch it. You know from the Tome Domains of Dread. In fact, many Lords have an
that she died fighting Strahd with this very origin story that is inextricably tied to a visit to
sword as her own sisters drank her dry. this temple. While he is not afraid of Irena or
He was proud of that. Strahd, he’ll go to significant lengths to avoid their
attention while following the letter of the law.
As a result, he will only discuss them indirectly.

Bur has built a simulacrum of himself in his idealized
image. Helpfully, this simulacrum is named Burr.
Muscular, towering, and wearing what is definitely
a bathrobe, many players will mistake Burr for the
actual enemy. Burr is as brilliant and monstrous as
Bur himself, and shares his goals completely. No
attempt to drive a wedge between them will ever be
successful, and in fact, they both refer to each other
interchangeably. With the sacrifice of a sufficiently
powerful mortal soul—say, the soul of a hero—the
simulacrum can become a true arcanaloth in its own
right—one that is also still Bur.

In the immediate sense, the arcanaloths are driven
by a desire to escape the Domains of Dread, at least
briefly, and cause chaos. While Bur cannot willingly
leave the temple, he can arrange to be taken out of
it. Once out, he’ll attempt to escalate the situation
until players are forced to accept more of his help
and commit to smuggling him out of the Domain.
He is also eager to corrupt the characters, and will
do so by offering bargains or by simply battering
them into jaded cynicism. Ultimately, Bur has
always got a scheme spinning; that’s his defining
characteristic.

25

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

Interacting with Bur and Burr compromise. Bur expects this, and his argument is
simple and fatalistic:
Bur and his simulacrum, Burr, are the guardians
of the Amber Temple. They represent the first “I will escape eventually. I have forever to roll the
genuinely deadly encounter for most parties, offer dice. Without me, against me, you will die.”
the first opportunity to talk your way out of a fight,
and are the first absolutely incorrigible bastards Improvisational Tone
the players meet. This makes cleanly landing their & Voice Notes
portrayal important.
In conjunction with the Related Prose, the following
There are three priorities when roleplaying the Burs dialogue samples help set a tone that is easier to
in the Amber Temple: improv. In terms of voice, the arcanaloths have a
warm resonant voice that’s a little too smooth,
1. Make it perfectly clear that these are supremely with crime noir inflections.
dangerous creatures. They fear nothing.
“The enduring mistake of heroes is assuming
2. Clearly and directly present their casual cruelty choices matter. I admire that, actually. Envy it, too.”
without bullying players.
“It does frustrate me to admit that sometimes deeds
3. Gently steer players away from combat options of daring do push back the tide for a moment.”
without railroading.
“Someday, Faerûn will wear down. Wind. Time.
Much of this is achieved by the use of ornate The sea will swallow the land. So you see,
prose for their dialogue, replete with half-rhymes I’ve got a date.”
and implicit threats. This is difficult to improv,
however, and is an affectation even for them. When
speaking off-the-cuff, their true nature is revealed.
They are sleazily professional, supremely cold,
overwhelmingly calculating, and totally unswayed
by moral arguments. However, arcanaloths are
not demons, they are yugoloths. They are not
interested in carnage or chaos for its own sake.
Instead, their driving motivation is self-interest.
While they are not creatures of law, they will
abide by the exact letter of contracts. In other
words, it is possible to make a deal with them.

To simplify interaction, Bur is generally
the one who talks, with Burr hanging
back out of sight. Burr will only make an
appearance if a show of strength seems
necessary. Bur’s goal is always the
same—he seeks to get carried out of
the Domain of Dread and released
on the world for a time. Astute
players will understand that this
is at best deeply negligent, if not
overwhelmingly evil, and this puts
players in their first significant moral

26

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

“You must understand, you must, that I am to bargain, crass to say, but immortal time is still
immortal. Killing me does not end me.” spent. Let’s have this out before my very snout
has gone to gray. So what do you say, what do
“Your proposition interests me; here is my you say? Convince this demon you can kill the
counter-offer.”
devil. What I’m saying is: convince me
The creature adjusts his glasses thoughtfully. not to murder you."
“I want out and in you, I see a flicker of dumb luck.
You are an opportunity.” "No. No, I do not think so, no. You are very
sweet to offer, though. Very sweet, yes. Permit
Bur clicks his teeth and says simply, “I can and me to specify the terms of a deal that I think
will cast disintegrate. Are you sure you do not wish you’ll find is the best of the rest. I will kill one of
to bargain?” you. My simulacrum will assume that form. It will
travel with you. You will destroy Strahd. I will
The Cursed Ring be free. This other self of mine shall ensure it.

Roughly 60% of parties take the deal offered in the Do not fear, you will not remember the
SMALL PRICE segment of the AMBER DEPTHS unpleasant particulars."
encounter. As a result, this leads to Bur-as-a-ring
being with that party for the remainder of the "Oh you are convincing, very, oh yes.
adventure. At this point, his motivations align more Let’s make a deal, a better deal, the best deal,
with the players and he is slightly more helpful. a seven-league deal. I am beaten, I am bested,
In particular, he will try to help players escape yet my spirit is ill-rested. I am trapped in my
Irena in the MEET CUTE mini-module found in the amber room, this amber tomb. I say to you all,
CRYPTS encounter, but will not be direct unless it to you, that the piper requires his due. I have a
is clear they have no understanding of the danger. plan, please consider, a plan long and bitter.
He also detests the Deva found in the BASILICA Carry me to the highest tower, and we shall
encounter and will happily walk players through
the capabilities of a fallen Deva. see what the piper can do."

He is unable to help at all in the TOME encounter, THE VISTANI
except through the powers that the ring offers.
It’s easy to overuse him, so as a rule of thumb, Noble Wanderers
he should be helpful roughly once every two
encounters at the high end, and talks mostly In One Night Strahd, the Vistani are a race of
when spoken to. noble fire giants who wander the planes in mighty
fortresses. This is a significant change from the
Related Prose source material. They serve the Morning Lord and
Mother Night in their conjoined form as the Lovers,
"I do not crave coined compensation; doing great deeds and defending the weak wherever
no simple sovereign satisfies. I fear that my they go. Players can meet two Vistani during ONS,
tastes have grown simple in this cold redoubt. Esmerelda and her sister Bruin. If DMs prefer the
All that’s left to want, to need, is out. Oh now do updated take on the Vistani from Van Richten’s
not pout, do not pout, your company warms the Guide To Ravenloft, that will also work.
frosted cockles of my heart. Ah, I am blushing to
have company, indeed even to my snout. Crass

27

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

ESMERELDA, Bloodied and isolated, they were betrayed by that
FIRE KNIGHT same archmage as she collapsed the tomb in an

Her Hour Will Yet Come attempt to make sure evil could not rise again.

Esmerelda was once the greatest living vampire What these tavern tales leave out is that the
hunter. A famed hero, professional heartbreaker, archmage in question was Patrina, who had
and sometimes even planar pirate—she is exactly manipulated everyone involved to install
as skilled as the ballads proclaim—perhaps more, Irena as the Lord of Ravenloft. A long tumult
as she’s had 400 years of undeath to practice her of betrayals, machinations, and rebirths
crafts. In life, she was a mighty Vistani, one of a
sprawling and fractious coterie of good-aligned fire followed until Irena eventually massacred
giants. She often made her home as a Fire Knight any possible threat, leaving the land of
on one of their fortress ships as it tread the mists silence the players will travel through. When
between realms, and one day when it took harbor that happened, the Dark Powers needed an
in the Dead Reaches, adventure called a little too instrument to torment their most beloved
loudly. Her ill-fated expedition into Ravenloft is the victims—an instrument like Esmerelda. While
stuff of planar legend, common fodder for bards Vistani are capable of traversing the mists, death
even now, as far and wide as Waterdeep and the in a Domain of Dread like Barovia still sees the soul
City of Brass. The particulars of the story vary in bound to the place itself. Esmerelda slept in the halls
the telling, but three basic facts are always present. of mist where the Dark Powers hold sway. She was
Guided by a powerful elven archmage, Esmerelda powerful. She was angry even in undreaming death.
and her crew were able to enter Barovia by using She was convenient. So they cast her mighty ghost
a ruined planar gate. There, they fought their back into the world. Esmerelda has been trapped
way into the heart of Ravenloft and slew Strahd. here in the cycle of awakening ever since. She’s
taken this quite well, and remains a vivacious heroic
figure. She still wears her colorful Vistani gear,
spectral silks and cords of mithril chain over leather
armor. If she survives the fight in the CRYPTS,
Esmerelda will always offer to accompany the party.

Related Prose

This is Esmerelda. A legendary vampire
hunter, her myth is inextricably tied to Ravenloft.

You read about her ill-fated last adventure as
you prepared for your own trip. Probably a bad
omen, given that she’s been dead for 200 years.
She flickers again. It crosses your mind that death

isn’t much of an impediment in the land of
dust and shadows.

You stumble upon the clatter of combat—a
giantess fighting three exquisite corpses. The
vampires circle her, claws out and air humming

28

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

with cold. As a strike lands, you see the Vistani scrounged a pitiful existence out of the castle,
woman flicker like flame in a draught. nibbling at the gelid blood in the CRYPTS and
Her blade seems real enough, though. pouncing on errant golden apples Gertruda hides
for them. They’ve no idea that Gertruda exists,
Esmerelda nods. She is pristine—no blood however, or that she is their benefactor.
or wounds mar her—but she is bright as fire. As a lycanthrope of the feypack, Maple’s true form
A ghost, maybe? Or something like one? “Every is the genderless hybrid shape. For Maple, their
year, the Dark Powers rouse me. Every year, other shapes are inconstant disguises. Maple’s
I strive and fail to fulfill my ordained part in this appearance is something that they use for the
benefit of others, and as a tool to try and carve
operetta.” She seems to settle herself, and a little safety out of an unkind world.
will answer questions.
Typically, they adopt the pronouns of the form that
MAPLE, they assume; in text, the neutral singular they is
FEYPACT WEREWOLF normally used for Maple for the sake of clarity.

Last Scion of the Dead Reaches Related Prose

A refugee from the Domain Of Hunger, Maple A bedraggled werewolf leaps to your aid,
is the last free werewolf of the feypack. Initially interposing themselves between the blow, their
encountered in the DOG DAYS encounter, the form flowing like hot mercury under the trauma.
feypack is what remains of the Barovia werewolves. The scent of burned cedar and lilies fills the air as
Betrayed first by the Druids who became the their blood splatters the stone. They settle their
BRIDES, then by IRENA when she overthrew form for a moment, and raise their claws in a
STRAHD, the feypack lives a life of distant pose that speaks to both terror and defiance.
servitude in banishment. For them, the curse is
extremely literal, with arcane brands used to mark
each wolf at their coming of age. Those marked are
compelled to devour any adult wolf that has not
been branded, creating a sort of “cognitive hazard”
and self-replicating curse. With the help of Sesame
directly and Gertruda in secret, Maple escaped
their branding ceremony and made their way to the
Niflheim Road, narrowly avoiding being devoured
by their own parents.

Unbeknownst to Maple, the Dark Powers have taken
a deep interest in them and even now judge them
thoughtfully, measuring their weight, assessing
their suitability as a weapon. Their fate turns and
spins like a falling coin. Like the player characters,
and unlike almost every other NPC, Maple has
never been to Barovia before. In fact, they arrived
relatively recently. During that time, they’ve

29

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

The werewolf shifts through a series of forms creatures are born of the elemental chaos that is the
and faces in a scattering of seconds as they back Plane of Limbo, anathema to order and supernatural
away. For the time being, they’ve settled on the in almost every sense. How he came to Barovia is
as unknowable as it is unimportant: Omu would
slim form of a tawny-haired boy with almond like to leave, at least for a while, but isn’t in any
skin and almond eyes. The effect is spoiled by his particular hurry to do so. As the years went on and
digitigrade legs and claws as he pulls a battered he became more aware of the endless cycle, he saw
that the best way to ensure there was a seed of
jacket tighter around himself. “I’m Maple,” chaos planted within the mythos of Castle Ravenloft
he says nervously. was to start seeking out points of variance and
adding his own spin. This led him to become friends
Maple watches you with a canine intensity. with GERTRUDA, who had as the Neon Madonna
After a bit, they run fingers through their hair assumed the role of the realm’s Fortune-Teller, as
until the color matches yours. They settle on well as the Envoy for the Dark Powers. Matter in
girlish features with enormous grey eyes and the Plane of Limbo is largely malleable by those
with a strong will, and so with years of work
the barkskin of a wood elf. She grins at you and scrounging, he was able to build himself an
sheepishly, all fangs and contrition. extraplanar bubble in which to make a small lair
“I thought it’d be good to fit in!” and workshop. The Dark Powers permit his projects,
as it not only prolongs the suffering of those
OMU, DEBTMONGER trapped in Barovia, but also of those who come to
“visit”—and the fact that a creature of chaos was
Your Rainbow Connection To Hell ultimately bound into an ordered cycle is in and of
Omu is, before anything else, a Slaad lord—the itself the kind of schadenfreude that keeps the Dark
deadliest of the chaotic Slaad. These frog-like Powers going.

Never having died in the land of GLASS &
DIAMONDS, he is not truly bound to it, but
he does find it peaceful to tend to the lilies

there. He gets around to the far corners of
the Realms of Dread; it is he who set up the
statues of the small gods for worship in the
ruins of the Amber Temple, and it is he who
adds the monetary remains of “visitors” to Barovia
in the TREASURY, and indeed it is he who made
the upgrades to the instant fortress which lays
in the depths of the Treasury so long ago—long
enough that even he has forgotten doing so. While
he is generous to the newcomers to Barovia, he
is protective to the point of extreme aggression
if anyone should try to take more than what is
offered or harm Gertruda. Should someone find
their way into his home uninvited, he takes this

30

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

as the most serious of offenses and will punish Unlike many of the mighty champions of evil, she
their intrusion. has no particular plan or goal. In fact, she is not
traditionally evil, though she has few moral or
Interacting with Omu ethical boundaries. Her evil is the evil of inaction.
She has stood by and allowed countless tragedies,
He uses his Shapechange ability to present himself loved villains and heroes, and outlived whole
as a frog in a tophat, reminiscent of Toad from worlds. If the Vampire Lords represent despair in
The Wind In The Willows. We recommend that the face of terror, she is the emblem of a more
you use the first voice that comes to mind when quiet and pervasive despair.
you envision an anthropomorphic frog. This
Hermit Toad makes his lair in an extradimensional Her History
space, but assists Gertruda and the Dark Powers in
orchestrating the show. He oversees the magic item Born in a elven city dedicated to Araushnee,
draft and appears later to hand over invitations. He Patrana Fireheart was a prodigy. In her youth,
can be encountered as an optional boss fight via the during the age of elven heroes, Patrana studied
BAG OF BEANS. arcane magic until she joined the ranks of elven
champions in Arvandor. There, she was caught up
Related Prose in the conflict between Araushnee and Corellon
that would eventually tear apart the Seldarine, the
Sample appearances that are emblematic of the elves, and the multiverse. No chronology here can
character are reproduced below. be entirely trusted as the timeline itself became
mutable, but Patrina was inextricably bound up in it.
"Omu, lilypad lord and curio consignor. Binding archfey and mighty demons to her will, she
Very pleased to meet you, I’ve heard sided with Corellon against her own goddess. The
great things.” champions, her friends, and her family tore each
other apart, and Arvandor burned.
PAT R I N A ,
A M A R AT H I N E Her personal narrative changes a little with each
ARCHMAGE telling, but one way or another, she saw her beloved
home destroyed. Whether by the Earthblight left by
Decadent and Reckless the birth of Lolth, by Lolth’s direct revenge for their
betrayal, or much later by Strahd in service to the
The last neutral party left in Barovia, Patrina is Dark Powers, that’s not clear. What is clear is that
a mighty archmage beloved by the Dark Powers. she fought for her city, killing thousands or tens of
Long ago, Bur made a deal with her that they have thousands of the attackers—but it was not enough.
both come to regret: on behalf of the Dark Powers, She fled with her people and they scattered to the
ensure the cycle continues. So, when a Vampire winds. Many went below and joined the ruined
Lord is defeated, the Dark Powers eventually see multitude that would become the drow.
them fashioned into a new Heart of Sorrow, then
draw Patrina back to the Domain of Dread. After Finding no home among the eladrin or drow, she
countless returns, she has found a quiet roost in made other travel plans, and they took her far
Ravenloft where she waits for life to mosey in. As a afield. Eventually, she would find her way to Barovia
result, her personal history intersects at least briefly before it became the core of the Domain of Dread.
with every other major character in the story. There, she went by the name Patrina and spent the
next 450 years entangled in the stewing apocalyptic
mess that eventually sent Barovia into the mists.

31

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

Drawn to the imperial glories of the Zarovich court, made a deal with Bur and the Dark Powers to help
she would become the Archmage of the Court ensure the cycle continued apace.
during Strahd’s reign and Strahd’s beloved until
the changing tenor of the man drove them apart. Additional Notable Change
By the time she saw the rising cruelty that absolute
power had bred in her once-darling, it was too In the original material, Patrina is a dusk elf. Dusk
late. Her power had already made the Zarovich elves have a highly variable place in the canon,
armies unstoppable for a human generation. When ranging from the elves who originally settled
he turned his weapons on the elves, she wept Barovia to a planar people who stood neutral in
in the arms of her old friend, Sergei—Strahd’s the god-war that ultimately saw the rise of Lolth
own brother. As part of the burgeoning political from Araushnee, depending on the setting and
resistance, she introduced Sergei to a mighty legendarium. Anecdotally, many players assume
paladin named Irena one fateful night. that the dusk elves actually are drow. As a result,
this rendition of Patrina is never described as any
As the Zarovich dynasty spread its power across particular type of elf, though in THE TOWER
their own world and then other Prime Material encounter where she appears, the history she tells
worlds, Sergei and Irena fell in love. So did Irena implies that she is either drow or a truly ancient
and Strahd. And Irena and Gertruda. That is to high elf.
say, things got incredibly messy. Unable to pull
herself away from the spiraling armageddon of Related Prose
her adopted family, lovers, and friends, Patrina
watched in horror as the last elven cities were "They called me," she growls between pants,
conquered. Pulling back from the world, she was "the lioness of Arvandor, once." Her eyes flash
left with Gertruda as her only friend. When Irena emerald and you can see the stains on her face
chose Sergei and Strahd went berserk, she was away
adventuring in the Feywilds with the little priestess.
They returned to find Irena and Strahd dying of
their wounds. When Strahd rose again as a vampire,
Barovia began to slide into the mists. It would be
30 years before Irena’s first reincarnation, when it
truly became clear what a monstrous existence was
in store for them. Broken, Patrina withdrew further,
bending her terrible arcane might to finding the
Amber Temple and beginning to create the endless
clones that would become her signature. This set
in motion the events that would lead to Gertruda’s
ritual sacrifice, Irena’s rise as a vampire, and the
beginning of the cycle. Eventually, in one cycle, she
would meet and betray Esmerelda, see Gertruda
killed, slay the Brides, defeat Irena, and eventually
stand alone in the dead plane, unable to leave.
There, in desperation, causeless and alone, she

32

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
D R A M AT I S P E R S O NÆ

where war-spells were daubed so often that
it marked her forever.

“There is silence after entropy. Know me
as ennui, the widow of purpose.”

Patrina sits on the edge of her spire,
kicking her feet. She watches you thoughtfully
then says, “You know, normally people give up.
Early, too. The first time it hurts.” Whatever role
she had been playing, this feels more honest, and
she says, “I’m jealous of you heroes, with your

quests and your destinies.” She says
nothing else for a while.

33

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

MASTER FLOW & LEGEND
OVERALL ENCOUNTER FLOW

Entrance:

OPENING

YGGDRASIL WOODS

DEPTHS

GHOST CANISTERS

THIS PLACE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU

CRYPTS TOME DINNER TOWER BASILICA

ECLIPSE

TOMB LAST STAND
BOSS BOSS

34

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ACT I DETAIL

Entrance: Entrance:

GLASS & DIAMONDS GLASS & DIAMONDS

YGGDRASIL WOODS

YES First group NO
to finish?

DEPTHS

AMBER
SARCOPHAGI

GROUP 1 GROUP 2

35

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ACT II DETAIL

EACH GROUP

YES Are there any ACT II NO ECLIPSE
encounters left?

Repeat.

ANY ACT II Between each THIS PLACE
encounter, run... IS TRYING
ENCOUNTER TO KILL YOU

ACT II ENCOUNTERS

CRYPTS TOME DINNER TOWER BASILICA

36

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ACT III DETAIL

GROUP 1 GROUP 2

ECLIPSE ECLIPSE

TOMB LAST STAND
BOSS
BOSS

37

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ONE GROUP ENCOUNTER FLOW: IRENA

ACT I

Entrance:

GLASS & DIAMONDS

YGGDRASIL WOODS DEPTHS AMBER
SARCOPHAGI

ACT II

In any order, Between each
run... encounter, run...

THIS PLACE IS TRYING
TO KILL YOU

ACT II ENCOUNTERS

CRYPTS TOME DINNER TOWER BASILICA

ACT III

ECLIPSE DARK GREEN IRENA'S GREEN
AUDIENCE HOUSE TOMB HOUSE
38
BOSS BOSS

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ONE GROUP ENCOUNTER FLOW: STRAHD

ACT I

Entrance:

GLASS & DIAMONDS

YGGDRASIL WOODS DEPTHS AMBER
SARCOPHAGI

ACT II

In any order, Between each
run... encounter, run...

THIS PLACE IS TRYING
TO KILL YOU

ACT II ENCOUNTERS

CRYPTS TOME DINNER TOWER BASILICA

ACT III

ECLIPSE STRAHD'S GREEN STRAHD'S GREEN
HATE HOUSE TOMB HOUSE

BOSS BOSS

39

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

ABRIDGED ONE GROUP RUN EXAMPLE

ACT I

Entrance:

GLASS & DIAMONDS

YGGDRASIL WOODS AMBER
SARCOPHAGI

ACT II

CRYPTS Two of the Between each
following... encounter, run...

THIS PLACE IS TRYING
TO KILL YOU

TOME DINNER TOWER BASILICA

ACT III

ECLIPSE STRAHD'S GREEN STRAHD'S GREEN
HATE HOUSE TOMB HOUSE
40
BOSS BOSS

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
MASTER FLOW & LEGEND

USING OPTIONAL The Black Lagoon
ENCOUNTERS
The Black Lagoon is an easter egg encounter,
One Night Strahd includes two optional encounters, providing an exceptionally difficult hidden boss in
serving different purposes. the spirit of late 90s and early 00s RPGs. As a result,
it’s optional and somewhat different tonally from
The Treasury the rest of the encounters. Accessed by using the
BAG OF BEANS magic item from the magic item
The Treasury adds an option for delaying or padding packs, the Black Lagoon is a pure combat encounter
out one group’s run through Act II. If one group is pitting the players against Omu. This encounter is
clearing content significantly faster than the other, roughly on par in difficulty with the final boss fights
routing them to the Treasury will buy the other group and unprepared groups should be steered away.
time and reserve key items for them. The Treasury To omit THE BLACK LAGOON, replace the BAG OF
can also be used if a group flees from the BASILICA BEANS with a SPELLBEAD of summon construct.
immediately, if this leaves them underpowered.

TAROT MAPPING

Throughout the adventure, particularly during the fortune-telling sequence in GLASS & DIAMONDS,
we use tarot cards to represent the various encounters. A copy of this mapping can also be found in that

encounter, but is reproduced here for ease of cross-reference with the flows. These associations also
see some use in the prose and the art, so it can be useful to be aware of them.

THE SUN: TEMPERANCE: THE LOVERS: HIEROPHANT:
Sunlit Shrine Dinner Date The Crypts The Basilica

WHEEL of THE WORLD: THE HERMIT: THE TOWER:
FORTUNE: The Amber The Tome The Tower
Dog Days Depths of Lords

41



HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

CHARACTER CREATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHO IS THIS SECTION FOR?..................43 TWO GROUPS.................................... 43
WHAT AM I GETTING INTO?....................43 ONE GROUP...................................... 44
MODES OF PLAY....................................43 CHARACTER CREATION!.......................44

WSEHCOTISITOHNIS FOR? a bit out of their depth. Player characters likely
have some familiarity with each other, at least by
THIS SECTION SHOULD BE printed and reputation, and may even know some legends of
shown to players. It’s useful for level-setting Barovia. Practically speaking, if you have some
expectations and contains the character creation rules. meta-knowledge about Barovia or prior Ravenloft
modules, we strongly recommend writing that into
WGEHTATTAINMGI INTO? your character’s backstory. Keeping that information
separate enough to truly avoid meta-gaming is a
tremendous ask. Instead, we prefer to use it as an
asset for defining and extending character concepts.

Ask yourself: why does my friendly bard know so
much about the Lord of Vampires?

O NE NIGHT STRAHD is a condensed version MODES OF PLAY
of the sprawling gothic adventure Curse of
Strahd. Commonly considered to be one of the best TWO GROUPS
gaming experiences in fifth edition, it also generally
takes well upward of 150 hours to complete. ONS IN THE ICONIC EXPERIENCE, two groups work
aims to offer a compressed version—what we often together to delve into the terrible depths of
call the “Epcot take.” Castle Ravenloft. There, they confront ancient foes,
dreadful evils, and worst of all, puzzles. There’s
Played with at least one group of four to six three ways to play a two group game:
adventurers, and possibly as many as two groups
of six, ONS is about 10 hours long following the 1. One Shot
critical path, but contains about 12 to 15 hours of
content. Talk to your GM to find out which mode of ONS is intended to be a single enormous event,
play to expect. run by two GMs across the course of a single
day. It’s where the name originally comes from.
Thematically, this is a gothic horror adventure That’s often prohibitive, so...
undertaken by a group of skilled heroes who are

43

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
CHARACTER CREATION

2. Three Arcs CCHRAERAACTTIEOR N!

ONS can also be run as a series of large events, F OR THIS ADVENTURE, we recommend
where the three core arcs of the game are creating at least one character concept,
completed in a single sitting each. Thanks generally two, as well as building out three or four
to the unusual construction of the module, actual characters patterned on those concepts.
some amount of dropping in and out of play is
supported. This method is a pretty common way This is a little different from normal, so it merits
to run ONS among a large group of friends with explanation. A good example is that you might
complex schedules. decide you want to be a good-hearted thief. Go
ahead and make two different renditions of that
3. Long Play thief. Maybe they’re the same person, maybe they’re
different; you might make Han Solo and Locke
Rather than have the two groups meet Lamora, or you might make two different versions
simultaneously, ONS can be run as a modified of Selina Kyle.
version of The West Marches campaign style,
using the BASILICA as a base of operations.
Here, groups generally complete a single
encounter per session. This is likely to be the
most common form of two-group play.

ONE GROUP

For many playgroups, running two interwoven In general, we recommend two completed character
narratives may not be fun, or may be impossible sheets for the first session, with three to four for
from a scheduling perspective. There are, again, an entire run. The module also provides roughly 30
three options: different premade characters grouped by complexity
of play. Those can be found in the DOOMED
1. Long Play SOULS section.

Here, players will likely meet for 4 to 6 sessions For those creating new characters, the following
in the 3 to 4 hour range. This is the closest to rules apply:
a traditional D&D campaign, and serves the
module pretty well. You’ll lose some of what 1. No races with innate permanent flight.
makes the experience distinctive, but there’ll be
a lot more space for character growth. 2. DMG subclasses are not permitted.

2. Three Arcs 3. Character level is 6th, with standard point buy.

While it requires longer sessions and more 4. Characters start with two weapons, a shield, and
access to rests than is normal, it is possible to any mundane armor of their choice.
complete ONS in roughly three large sessions as
a single group. 5. Any other mundane equipment with a price of
less than 4 gold pieces is available.
3. One Sitting
6. Characters will acquire a small set of magic
This will almost certainly only be run for charity items at the beginning of the game.
marathons or similar special circumstances, but
it is conceivably possible for a single group of 7. Characters can only carry 3 total flasks of acid,
6 or 7 players to complete ONS in a single very alchemist’s fire, or holy water.
long sitting.

44

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK

SKILL CHECKS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RATIONALE........................................... 45 GROUP CHECKS............................45
WHEN TO MAKE CHECKS.................. 45
RULES................................................... 45 PERSUASION & SOCIAL CHECKS....... 46
WHO MAKES THE CHECKS................ 45
TRYING AGAIN...............................45 COMBAT-AVERSE GROUPS.............46

R AT I O N A L E WHO MAKES THE CHECKS

M OST TABLES HAVE SOME variation on how In general, one player rolls for any given skill check.
they run skill checks. It’s to be expected! Up to one additional player can either make an
One Night Strahd was designed with specific attempt as well or aid for advantage, if they are
assumptions about how skill checks operate. This proficient and aware of the check.
isn’t to say that you can’t deviate from the rules
in this chapter—in fact, that’s the exact opposite Trying Again
of the intent. By stating the assumptions made in
designing the module, it becomes easy to adjust the In ONS, skill checks represent both time and luck.
content to match the way you want to play. We do In general, if retrying a check is possible at all,
think these rules are good and can be used out of it requires a player to spend additional time on
the box, but we don’t think that’s mandatory. the task and to explain how they changed their
approach. In Hunt Encounters, for example, there
RULES will often be a specified number of allowed retries.

F OR THE MOST PART, One Night Strahd is Group Checks
written with the standard skill check rules in
mind. For the full set of applicable rules, please Generally, group checks are avoided where possible.
refer to the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG) for When encountered, they run per the rules in the
skills and ability checks. The following sections DMG. The module never calls for repeated group
provide either modifications of the rules or a quick checks, and never uses opposed rolls in group checks.
note about the existing rules, in cases where they’re
commonly forgotten. WHEN TO MAKE CHECKS

The text is intended to be the minimum of what is
available to players, not the maximum. In general,
be prepared to allow at least one additional skill
check or to call for one if players seem to need a
hint. Even in Hunt Encounters, really clever roleplay
might let someone get an extra check in.

45

HOW ToOn e Un iSgEh t TsHt rIaSh dBOOK
SKILL CHECKS

PERSUASION & SOCIAL CHECKS characterization, it may be easy for characters to
simply assume that the information they got was
In the DMG, there are two commonly neglected reliable. Finally, most of the characters have deeply
factors that help smooth out some points of held ideals and goals that they won’t steer away
common contention around persuasion and other from in the long term. For example, it might be
social skills. These are: possible to talk Strahd out of eating you for a little
while, but he’ll always get around to it eventually.
1. All characters have things that they cannot be
persuaded to do. Combat-Averse Groups

2. All characters have things that they cannot be Some groups may be unwilling or uninterested in the
persuaded to do in a single interaction. straight tactical play of combat. For these groups,
feel free to offer inspiration in exchange for clever
In the core rules, this idea that single interactions dialogue either within the party or outside of it.
have limits is represented with the Attitudes system. Once Rites become available, encourage players to
It is also suggested that social requests generally use their inspiration to power Rites. Witty repartee
require some measure of roleplaying. This is is a classic part of swashbuckling melodrama, and
exacerbated in One Night Strahd by the fact that swashbuckling melodrama is an essential part of
many characters either don’t know the truth, won’t D&D—yes, even in the Domains of Dread.
tell the truth, or are bound by magic to at least
make an attempt to lie. Without some amount of

46

SPECIALone night strahd
RULES

SPo nEeCnIiAg hLt Rs tUr aLhEd S

EVENTS:

TRIGGERED NARRATIVES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RATIONALE........................................... 48 RAINBOWLESS CONNECTIONS......... 52
RULES................................................... 48 INTERCESSOR.................................. 53

EVENT TRIGGERS CHEAT SHEET...... 49 OUTCOMES....................................53
EVENT FORMAT EXAMPLE................ 50 OUTRO..........................................54
EVENTS................................................ 51 CONFESSION.................................... 55
MITHRIL LILY.................................... 51 CHANGE OF PLANS........................... 56

R AT I O N A L E when it’s possible to give someone an item or
kill a character at any point during the sequence.
A S WE DEVELOPED THE TOOLS and style Each event follows a standard format, much like
of One Night Strahd, we found that some the Rites, Forms, and Locations from the other
components were repeated too often for comfort. mechanical additions. While those components are
These components were both important and driven intended to be fairly concrete, special events are
by player choice. As a result of the modular and just suggestions. Feel free to use different triggers
encounter-centric design we settled on, there or adapt an event entirely. There are relatively few
wasn’t a good place to collect these vignettes and of these, and you’ll find a cheat sheet for the trigger
bite-sized encounters. Instead, they’re collected conditions on the next page.
here. For each of these encounters, there is a place
they’re most likely to happen, as detailed by that As always, ENCOUNTERS, SECTIONS, MONSTERS,
encounter’s text. Such a reference will always be and CONDITIONS are bolded. Content intended to
suffixed with Event to better call out where to look. be read aloud verbatim is italicized.

RULES It is strongly recommended that you print the Event
Triggers cheat sheet. While there are relatively few
events, they provide key information and handle
troublesome sequence breaks to make running the
game easier.

SPECIAL EVENTS ARE USED to cover small
critical moments that aren’t tied to a specific
encounter. Generally, these encounters arise

48

SPo nEeCnIiAg hLt Rs tUr aLhEd S
EVENTS

EVENT TRIGGERS CHEAT SHEET

Players give SESAME’s Run the Mithril Lily
Event immediately
THENMITHRIL LILY to GERTRUDA

Players plant THEN Run the BLACK
the first bean from LAGOON encounter,
the BAG OF BEANS in waiting until the end of
combat if necessary
ACT I or II
THEN Run the
Players plant a Rainbowless
bean from the BAG OF Connection Event

BEANS in ACT III immediately

Players give WINTER THEN Run the Change
her sword, YEAR’S END, Of Plans Event
outside of the Eclipse
immediately

Players wander off THEN Run the Intercessor
into the castle without Event immediately

a goal

Players are struggling THEN Run the Confession
or flee from an encounter Event immediately

without loot

49

SPo nEeCnIiAg hLt Rs tUr aLhEd S
EVENTS

EVENT FORMAT EXAMPLE

THE NAME OF THE EVENT, You'll find the list of conditions needed to trigger the event here.
NORMALLY A It'll look like "Players deliver the MITHRIL LILY."
PRECONDITION TERM
Key character, if any A note on when it's likely to happen

Almost all events will start with a small narrative block.

There’ll generally be a single conditional here. We try to keep events small, often just single critical
exchanges or similar. A few exceptions will exist.

OUTCOME
Here’s where you’ll find the mechanical outcomes of triggering this event.

50