Vistani Plot Hooks

The Vistani are a lot of fun to roleplay. I chose to play most of them with the attitude (and accent) of the gypsies from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ([1])

Another fun element of the Vistani is their culture's agelessness - they have seen hundreds of adventurers come and go, and the current party is just another spot of amusement as they wait to see what tales and stories may come of it. My PCs enjoyed, but were somewhat unnerved by the Vistani's relatively mirthful telling of the tragedy of the unnamed wizard who led a rebellion against Strahd. Really drive home that the Vistani view the PCs not as heroes, but as dead men walking who will nevertheless provide excellent fodder for future tales. ([2])

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Arriving at Tser Pool Encampment

The PCs should get to Tser Pool right around dusk. They might approach the camp cautiously, but the moment a Vistana catches sight of the group, they call out and exclaim like they've just seen a long lost friend. The PCs are ushered into the camp and seated by the campfire where they're given food and wine.[3]

Meeting the Vistani should be quite unlike anything the PCs have encountered thus far. They've seen the horror of the Death House and the bleak, depressing Village of Barovia. Suddenly, they're thrust into a world of color, music, and laughter. You're players will love the Vistani.[4]

Conversations Around the Campfire

Go ahead and make one or two Vistana be the main NPCs in the camp. These NPCs will do the main talking with your players and make the role-play more streamlined, instead of trying to act out a whole group of Vistani at once. I personally had Arahja, a larger-than-life boisterous man whose laugh boomed and Rina, a quieter woman who spoke little, but what she did say was often profound and full of mischief. Arahja acted as my main speaker and every so often, Rina would bounce an idea or comment into the mix.[5]

Where are you from?

This is the first topic that's likely to come up. The Vistani will ask your players about themselves and where they're headed. Feel free to answer your player's questions through the Vistani about the land and Strahd.[6]

The Story of the Vistani and Strahd

The Vistani are happy to tell about how their understanding with Strahd came to pass. Do your best to show that the Vistani don't really have an opinion of Strahd and usually just keep out of his way.[7]

The Vistani from the Blood on the Vine

If the PCs mention the three sisters from the Village of Barovia, the Vistani spit on the ground and proclaim, "Mortu!" They advice the PCs to stay away from filth like that.[8]

Do NOT mention Old Bonegrinder in these conversations.[9]

You're doing a lot to build false trust in the hags. Don't ruin that by making the Vistani warn the players about the windmill. Also, the windmill's name in ominous in and of itself.[10]

Trapped in Barovia

Through one conversation or another, the Vistani should make a passive joke about how the PCs are now trapped in Barovia. "Look at this one, Rina! His skin is so tan! Almost like Vistani, himself, eh?" "Yes, show it off while you can, Giorgio. The coming years without sunlight are sure to steal it from you."[11]

This should worry to the PCs enough to ask why and the Vistani will somberly tell them that no one leaves Barovia. Once in the mists, you're here forever. "So welcome to your new home!"[12]

The PCs will likely try to clarify and eventually the conversation will land on how one might escape this land. The Vistani NPCs don't know how, but they recommend the PCs go see Madam Eva. If there's a chance for them to get out of Barovia, Madam Eva will know it.[13]

Madam Eva

When the PCs approach Madam Eva's tent, she calls for them to enter before they even announce themselves. She addresses all the PCs by name without having to be introduced, and uses their full name instead of nicknames. If you have a PC named Samantha but goes by Sam, Eva calls them Samantha. If you have a PC named Reginald, but goes by Batz, she calls him Reginald.[14]

When everyone has been ushered inside and is sitting around her table, she proclaims, "Took you all long enough! I have been expecting you. Are you ready to learn your fate?"[15]

If the players are super insistent on how she knows them, Madam Eva tells them that her cards grant her sight into the Threads of Fate that bind us all. They told her that champions were coming to the land and that she would guide them on their path.[16]

The Fortune Reading

I slightly expanded the card reading for my group. It went really well, so I'd recommend you do the same if you can.[17]

Character Development Cards

The book tells us that there are 5 cards read for this event: Three for the legendary items, one for an important NPC, and one for where the final battle with Strahd will take place.[18]

I went ahead and added 2 extra cards for each of my players, one from the high deck and one from the low deck, that were meant to tell their personal fortunes.[19]

From the very beginning of my campaign, I already had an idea of how I was going to weave my PCs' backstories into Barovia. I used the results of the extra cards to give my players cryptic hints on those futures. The card from the low deck was a telling of a PC's problem or desire. The card from the high deck was a clue on how to fix that problem or accomplish that desire.[20]

An example: My fighter PC with a monster hunter background is looking to avenge his dead wife, who was killed by werewolves, more specifically Kiril.[21]

He randomly drew the 2 of swords: the Paladin, for his low deck card. "Ahhh, I see that you are a great warrior. You have defined yourself by your vows to purge the world evil. But you have suffered a devastating loss and seek to find your vengeance!"[22]

He then randomly drew the Ghost for his high deck card. "Poor dear, you are chasing a ghost from your past. I see it scream and howl in the woods of the northwest! If you wish your vengeance, that is where you must go!"[23]

Try to use the actual face of the card to direct whatever cryptic hint you tell them. You'll have to adapt a bit on the fly, but the results will feel really cool.[24]

This is the new layout for the expanded card reading (I have 3 PCs in my game). There's the normal 5 cards in the center, and then the pair of cards for each PC. (These aren't the actual cards my PCs drew, btw. I just threw them together real quick for the screen shot for this post.)[25]

Results of the Tarroka Cards

Cheat. Cheat on the main fortune reading, guys. There's no shame in fudging this to make a better campaign. You can let the character cards be random, but the rest, you should plan for.[26]

Why fudge it?[27]

The randomly placed story items is a rad game mechanic. On the surface, it's amazing and you feel as excited as your players to see what the cards have in store for your campaign. However, much like a nat 1 dice roll, there's always a chance you could draw the most boring card in the deck.[28]

For instance, what if your players are drawing for the Sunsword, arguably one of the most important and powerful weapons in the game, and they draw the card indicating it's located right there in Madam Eva's tent? That means that a band of level 3 or 4 adventurers will get a Barovian lightsaber right at the beginning.[29]

There's also a chance that they'll draw cards indicating the items are right next to each other. You can't have your party getting all the cool stuff at once.[30]

It's best to spread out the locations of all the cards, the Ally card included, so that your players with have to scour Barovia to get them all. They'll also have more reason to go to certain locations that they may otherwise ignore.[31]

EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE CHEATING[32]

Even though you already have the answers to the card reading pre-planned, still play things out like you don't. I feel like this is another one of those common sense things, but just in case, I'll say my piece. When your players sit down for the Tarroka reading, let them draw their cards randomly and make sure to act all surprised on what they've drawn. Then just read the results you wanted anyway. Don't actually force your PCs to draw the cards you want them to by ordering the deck or something.[33]

Big No-Nos for the Card Reading

Before I give you my actual recommendations on each item, here're a couple results you definitely should not have.[34]

Anything requiring backtracking, mainly anything in the Village of Barovia. Your players just finished that area and are in a hurry to get Ireena to safety. Don't send them back. Doing this will also irk the players, most likely.[35]

DO NOT have any of the items or the Ally appear in Castle Ravenloft. Ravenloft is supposed to feel like the endgame boss dungeon. When they go to Ravenloft, they're there to kill the big bady, not search for mission items. Even if players go to Ravenloft prior to the final battle (which they likely will) the opportunity for hardcore exploration will be quite minimal. What's more, if the Sunsword were just sitting in the castle, don't you think that Strahd might know? It just doesn't make sense to have things appear in the castle.[36]

Key Items

The Sunsword

Put the Sunsword in the Amber Temple. This is the best and most story-relevant weapon in the game, so it should be one of the last that the party obtains. It doesn't matter where exactly in the temple you place the sword, but make sure it ends up there.[37]

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The Tome of Strahd

I'd put the Tome of Strahd somewhere populated. Either Vallaki, Kresk, or the Winery would do nicely.[38]

The Tome is completely useless in battle and is primarily an info dump object. It's better for your PCs to gain a certain understanding of their enemy earlier on in the game than later, and they'll automatically be drawn to populated areas.[39]

Which of those 3 places you wish to place the Tome is up to you, but that's my recommendation.

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The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

Out of all the locations in Barovia, two of them are the most difficult to get your party to explore: Ruins of Berez and Argynvostholt. There aren't many story reasons pushing your players towards either location and both are fun and interesting. If I were a player in this world, I'd hate to miss them, so I don't want my players to miss them either.[40]

If you've liked my guides so far and find my ideas and modifications useful, put the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind in Argynvostholt, under the direct care of Vladimir.[41]

Why? I've actually connected these two locations in my Barovia. I'll give you more details when I actually get to writing those chapters, of course. But in a nutshell, I moved the skull of Argynvost the Dragon to Berez. Remember that giant's skull Baba Lysaga flies around in? In my campaign, it's a dragon's skull. ;)[42]

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The Ally

Let's be honest, some of these NPCs are pretty stupid and/or boring (Sir Klutz? Really?). Others require a lot of trouble to obtain, and then aren't very useful to the party in the end. You're better off picking who you want to use as the party's ally from the beginning.[43]

I wouldn't recommend any one particular Ally for your game. Take a look at your players and evaluate which might be ideal for their sidekick. Every group is different, so one ally might be more suited to your party than another. Do your players need help in battle? A comedic relief? A moral center? Try to make sure your party's ally is someone that can be useful to them, not just a nuisance they have to cart around.[44]

That being said, here are a few suggestions to consider:

Arabelle

The Vistani child. Arabelle isn't a fighter, but she can be a good moral center for a party of murder hobos. Children automatically get more of our attention and we try to hide bad things for their sake. Arabelle herself also isn't stupid. She knows when to hide when there's danger and she most certainly isn't a crybaby. Also, her Vistani Evil Eye can come in useful in a pinch.[45]

Pidlewick II

I moved this little cutie out of Ravenloft and into Vallaki. Since meeting him, he's basically become my warlock's son. I'm pretty sure she would sacrifice the whole party to save Pidlewick. He's not terribly useful in battle, but Pidlewick is the source of a lot of morbid humor in my campaign. If you think your players would appreciate that, go for it.[46]

Mordenkainen (the Mad Mage)

The Mad Mage is a pretty interesting character and can be a hoot to role-play. He's a paranoid nut job and an old geezer. If he ends up in your party, there're sure to be laughs along the way.[47]

Rictavio/Rudolph Van Richten

Any of these NPCs can have the same function. They're intense, determined individuals who'll be super useful in battle. If you've got a group that tends to get themselves in a lot of trouble battle wise, one of these characters would probably help them a lot and teach them a thing or two about strategy.[48]

Ezmerelda

Any of these NPCs can have the same function. They're intense, determined individuals who'll be super useful in battle. If you've got a group that tends to get themselves in a lot of trouble battle wise, one of these characters would probably help them a lot and teach them a thing or two about strategy.[49]

Kasimir

Any of these NPCs can have the same function. They're intense, determined individuals who'll be super useful in battle. If you've got a group that tends to get themselves in a lot of trouble battle wise, one of these characters would probably help them a lot and teach them a thing or two about strategy.[50]

Do NOT use the following NPCs for your Ally

Ireena 

You know that technically Ireena is doomed by the Dark Powers. She's an intricate part of The Dark Wizard's curse, so no fate in the world should tell the party that she'll be their lasting ally. Also, she's already with the party. Don't throw away a quest like that.[51]

Victor Vallakovich 

Having him as your prophesied ally would be pretty unfortunate.[52]

The Darklord / No Ally 

Come on. This card is such a let down. Don't do that to your players.[53]

The Final Confrontation

The location of the final fight with Strahd isn't super important. It's going to happen in Ravenloft and should take the party through most of the castle anyway.[54]

However, I'd recommend that you have this card be either somewhere high, or somewhere low. In other words, the castle spires or the crypts. This'll force your players to do a little dungeon delving beforehand, which is always fun. Also, it makes sense. If Strahd so much as senses that the players are coming uninvited, he should prepare for them. Forcing the party to whittle down their resources before facing him is very Strahd.[55]

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On the Road Again

After the fortune reading, Madam Eva shoos the party from her tent and tells them to go and have fun. The night proceeds nicely, with more wine and laughter. If you didn't remind your party about the Dream Pies when they stayed in the Village of Barovia, now's your last chance to do so! The Vistani then happily provide their guests with some bedrolls under one of their tents. The next morning the party sets off for Vallaki again... but not without coming across Old Bonegrinder first.[56]