Act 4

Plot Hooks

Creeping Fog

Creeping Fog (page 22): The heroes are camping, the mists take them to Ravenloft. [1]

Plea For Help

Plea For Help (page 18): A gypsy gives the group an invite to Ravenloft. These people are scum (check out the whipping scene on page 121). [2]

Mysterious Visitors

This hook seemed the best way to introduce the PCs into the atmosphere of the CoS module. Stanimir's tale at the Vistani bonfire did a great job of setting the scene and the players' expectations. However, given that this was the first session of the entire campaign, I'd recommend making a few modifications to the hook as written: (reddit)

Start the PCs off on a mission for Duchess Morwen. The dinner where they are ordered to remove the Vistani comes as a celebration for their previous heroic deeds, which can feel strange due to the fact that the players haven't actually done anything heroic yet. I'd recommend starting them off just outside an adapted form of Cragmaw Cave from LMoP (minus Silar and the bugbear leader) on a basic "remove the goblin bandits" mission. This way, they can get practice working together as a team and get a feel for one another's characters. (reddit)

This is personal preference, but I'm always a sucker for RP. During the celebratory dinner, toss in some RP-challenges, like "Who can tell the most heroic tale from their backstory?" In future campaigns, I'd also likely make 2-3 entertaining NPCs to accompany the Duchess, and may make one of them into a spy for Strahd to set some plot threads down earlier on. (reddit)

Instead of the Vistani leading the PCs straight to Tser Pool, I had the caravan abandon them in the night, transitioning to the Creeping Fog hook. The PCs awoke in the clearing where they'd camped the night before, but without any sign of the Vistani caravans, and no trail of their guides arriving or leaving. I made sure to play up the dying of the bonfire; when lit, I had one player perceive the shadow of Strahd upon his nightmare while the bonfire swelled to a magical inferno. I used a few other suggestions from this sub, including whispers and illusions that only single PCs could observe. This went a long way in establishing a sense of paranoia and discomfort in the party. (reddit)

Instead of having the PCs flee from the wolves as-written, I took a commenter's suggestion to have Strahd in direwolf form (upgraded from his statblock) direct a pack of wolves to attack them as a test. Strahd himself stayed on the sidelines, though his glowing red eyes and prepared Shield and Counterspell slots made it clear that he was no ordinary beast. I made the encounter too deadly, though, which left the players feeling patronized when Strahd had the wolves spare their lives. If you're going to do this, I'd suggest making it tough, but winnable, with a few more wolves circling in the fog in case the PCs are having too easy a time. (reddit)

If you can, I absolutely recommend using the Svalich Vista and Gates of Barovia pictures when your players arrive at those locations. They do a great job of setting the scene and scale of the module, and players always love a visual component. There are plenty of other CoS-specific artworks, so I'd recommend googling for whatever visual aids you can find while prepping for your session. (reddit)

Entering Barovia The book already gives you some decent options for introducing characters to the world of Barovia. But I’ll give you my thoughts all the same. (reddit)

Know your Players’ Characters

Whether or not your characters know each other before the beginning of this campaign will definitely influence how you run session 1. After all, a group that’s well acquainted would be better off jumping right into the mists than a band of strangers. I’ve seen more than once where the DM takes their players through a minor encounter in Faerun before whisking them off to CoS. Some bandits, perhaps? Or maybe throw in those werewolves that flee into the mists with the characters hot in pursuit. Something like this might provide the initiative characters need to trust one another. (reddit)

Straight into the Mists

That being said, I would not personally recommend that minor encounter at all. While I recognize that it can work and some DMs will prefer that kind of intro, I’m totally for taking your group and throwing them straight into the Barovian woods. Here’s why: (reddit)

One, it doesn’t matter whether or not the characters know/trust one another in the beginning. This is a horror story, so the more thrown off people are, the more scared they’ll be. You’ll automatically be more on edge if you suddenly find yourself lost in the woods with a bunch of strangers than some people you just fought together with or know intimately. (reddit)

Two, players often want to get straight to the story. Think about it. When you play a video game, long tutorials can become super annoying very quickly. Players don’t generally want to waste time with an event that isn’t story relevant. (reddit)

So skip the introduction and send them straight into the campaign! (reddit)

Vanishing Caravan

My characters, for instance, were traveling with a merchant caravan. Two were on the run and one was on the general hunt for knowledge and they all ended up in the same group by coincidence. I told them this as exposition. As the caravan settled in for the evening, groups of people split off around a few different campfires and the characters all grouped around one fire in particular. I used this opportunity for them to go around the circle and describe their characters’ appearance as well as have a little role-play where they awkwardly introduced themselves. I made sure to keep this short and let my players’ characters’ all have their time. (reddit)

The next morning, they wake up and the caravan is gone. Not only that, but the forest around them is not the same forest that was there the previous night. And a thick fog surrounds them. Ta da! My players were in Barovia. (reddit)

When your characters are officially in the Svalich Woods, there are a few things you should describe to emphasize the atmosphere. (reddit)

This is not the same forest they came from. (reddit)

It’s very quiet. The normal, lively sounds of the woods are noticeably absent. Not only that, but the thick fog seems to carry every sound they make much farther than usual, making them all feel loud and exposed. (reddit)

Even though it’s morning, the light is dimmer than usual. The mist gives the whole world around them a hazy feel, illuminated by the sterile, white light of a sun far beyond their reach. (reddit)

THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO TAKE AWAY THEIR STUFF

Remember, the more desperate the situation, the more the horror shines through. When your characters wake in the morning, tell them that not only are their bedrolls gone, but the actual campfire itself is missing. They should be able to figure that this isn’t the work of some thieves with that information. (reddit)

Also, the armor that they doffed before bed is gone. They’re traveling backpacks are gone. Their lanterns are gone. Their weapons are gone. All your characters should have on them at this point are their clothes and a few choice items they wouldn’t take off. For instance, the super paranoid rogue character probably sleeps with a dagger in his pocket. Would one particular character sleep with their coin pouch on? Maybe. Or maybe they would have put it in their backpack which is now gone? Would everyone have taken off his or her shoes before bed? Little details like this will seriously stress your players out and make them feel that much more vulnerable. (reddit)

Don’t worry too much about this though. Death House has a good deal items and weapons to help make up for the loss. The point is to make them anxious enough to scavenge. This will also bring out their resourceful side. (reddit)

At this point, your characters can probably have a nice little role-play experience, panicking together. They’ll eventually come to the conclusion that they can’t stay where they are and start walking in some direction. The heavy mist prevents them from knowing North from South, but it really doesn’t matter which way they walk. Eventually they’ll come across an old dirt road that will lead them in the right direction, towards the Village of Barovia. (reddit)

What if your players decide to stay put?

Unfortunately, this is a little railroad-y, but you’re going to have to herd them a bit. To be fair, most of the beginning of this campaign is railroaded. But it is the beginning. We’ve got to give our players a direction somehow. Because your characters are quite defenseless at the moment, don’t throw anything horrible at them, though. (reddit)

What I had in my back pocket in case this happened was a wall of sinister mist that gradually got closer and closer to the party. I would tell them that this mist was far too dense to see through and their characters felt an overwhelming primal fear of it; felt that being swallowed by the wall of mist would most certainly be the end of them. (reddit)

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Getting Into Ravenloft:

Straight up, I don’t want to use the letters. I don’t actually think the hooks are bad, but none of them really struck me when reading through them. Instead, I’m leaning heavily on the lore around Van Richten from older editions, combined somewhat with the “strange visitors” hook from the book. It works like this: (reddit)

Each PC has a “tragic backstory” that they drew from a hat. These are vague but provide hooks into the CoS module. A werewolf raid, a Vistani curse, a run in with the undead, etc. These are left vague so that the players can adapt them, but the intent is to have some event of great upheaval in their life that prompted them to look into the darker aspects of the world. (reddit)

During their unfortunate encounters, each character found scraps of Van Richten’s writings. Each of these was placed into the mortal realm by the ghost of Strahd’s brother Sergei (more on that later) and contain part of a secret message that will lead the party to him once they’re in Barovia (reddit)

Each PC receives a letter (delivering these IRL as props before the first session) from the sister Laurie and Gennifer Wethermay-Foxgrove. The sisters have founded the Van Richten Society for Paranormal Inquiry, and have invited the PC’s to attend a meeting. (reddit)

Attending this meeting, the players find that Van Richten has been missing three years, last seen in the company of a vistana woman (Ezmerelda). (reddit)

The sisters are aware of Van Richten’s past with the vistani and fear for his safety, they do not know he is currently in Barovia (reddit)

There is currently a band of visatni outside of town (Daggerford), the sisters would like the PC’s to enquire after Van Richten, as they are unknown to the vistani. The sisters Foxgrove, known protoge’s of Van Richten, are unlikely to be welcome (reddit)

The vistani say they cannot help the players (they actually can’t) but that their seer, Madam Eva, may be able to assist them (reddit)

When the carrivan enters the mists it is beset by werewolves in human form, who are also returning. They smell outsiders (reddit)

A vistana woman sneaks the party away as they hear something of a confrontation between the lead wolf and caravan leader, to the effect of “the only reason I don’t tear out your liver right here is the ancient promise of our Lord…” etc (reddit)

The vistana woman takes them into the mists, and then directs them down the road, here she leaves them to return to the caravan. She tells them to seek Madam Eva near the Tser Pool, past Barovia village, and urges them not to stray from the road (reddit)

The Party enters Barovia, cue Death House