Argynvostholt
From Hayashi Park Potterverse for 5th ed. Dungeons and Dragons (5e)
Minimum PC Level
(Level 7) Argynvostholt: Page 129 ([1])
Ambient Audio
Argynvostholt fallen mansion/fortress audio by Sword Coast Audio
Argynvostholt Fortress Overview
As many others have pointed out, Argynvostholt suffers heavily from a severe abundance of empty space. While it’s nice to have a “breather” area in an otherwise active module, there’s no getting around the fact that if one of your players is not invested in descriptive scenery and NPC backstory, a lot of this chapter will be wasted on them. (reddit)
Because of this, you have a few options. As /u/paintrana suggests in the link above, you could run the bulk of the mansion as a narrative, only dipping into a 2D or 3D map for combat encounters or notable setpieces (revenants, Vladimir Horngaard’s throne room, etc.). You could also co-opt some of the Angry GM’s advice on Abstract Dungeoneering, dividing different floors and sections of the structure into zones that can be perused at your players’ narrative leisure. (reddit)
However, for me, Argynvostholt’s backstory and tone was just too good to pass up. For anyone who has played or DM’s the Pathfinder campaign Rise of the Runelords, you might be familiar with the haunts and spookiness of Foxglove Manor. Similar to Foxglove Manor, I wanted to turn Argynovostholt into a room-by-room walkthrough of the downfall of the Silver Dragon - but without making it as obnoxiously blunt as RotRL does. So what’s a DM to do? (reddit)
A Guiding Light
There are several places in the module where the PCs can encounter Ezmerelda, but I would highly recommend running the “Arrigal’s Hunt” event every time your players visit Argynvostholt for the first time. If they haven’t met her yet, this is a great opportunity for their paths to cross with a significant NPC who can help them later; if they have met her, then this is a good way to build familiarity and make the world feel a little more real. (reddit)
(Plus, if your PCs have already completed the Wizard of Wines quest, failed to cleanse the poisoned wine, and have been locked out of Krezk due to a severe wine shortage, this is a great opportunity for Ezmerelda to offer to sneak them in through the Abbey.) (reddit)
Ezmerelda d’Avenir comes to Argynvostholt because she is searching for enemies of Strahd. That’s fair enough, and a reasonable motivation for the PCs as well. However, RAW, it makes perfect sense for her and your players to skedaddle up two flights of congruent stairs, ignore every closed door en-route, and immediately get slammed down by an irritable Horngaard. If I had run this mansion as-written, and if my players had been interested in exploration for its own sake, the party would have slumped out of Argynvostholt in a dejected huff. (reddit)
It’s easy enough to twist Ezmerelda’s motivation, however. Instead of looking for allies, she comes looking for power. She doesn’t care about Vladimir’s rejection; rather, she has heard that the Order of the Silver Dragon once possessed or guarded some kind of powerful magic, holy or otherwise, and seeks to find its source. Unbeknownst to Ezzie and your players, the Amber Temple is nowhere near Argynvostholt, and there is, of course, no vault of magical artifacts in the mansion - Strahd’s forces looted the place centuries ago. (reddit)
However, it is true that Argynvost established his Order to protect the magic within the Amber Temple. Moreover, with a little invention of our own, we can make this mansion a place worth exploring - and looting. (reddit)
Filling Blank Spaces
In order to make the mansion more reflective of the cursed fate of Vladimir’s knights, I made a number of modifications to several of the rooms therein. New inhabitants, new treasures, and new environments are, if nothing else, a good go-to method of spicing up some empty space in a dungeon. Additionally, by making the mansion clearly haunted, with each spirit “frozen in time,” we can make the nature of Vladimir’s hatred and curse clear, and hopefully inspire the players to break it. (reddit)
Below, I’ve listed each room where I made modifications to the as-written contents. Feel free to use or ignore each one as you see fit. I left a number of rooms unmodified, if only because I don’t believe every room needs to be occupied - just a majority. (reddit)
Q3 - Dragon’s Foyer: Don’t change anything here, but do emphasize the dragon’s shadow. Make the players feel as though they’re being beckoned by it to the upper floors. (reddit)
Q4 - Spiders’ Ballroom: If your players take the time to explore this ballroom, there won’t be any loot left from the original Order. However, it’s quite likely that other adventurers would have visited previously. I placed a Wand of Magic Missile, a +1 dagger, and an Everburning Torch here, but you can add whatever generic dungeon loot you’d like. (reddit)
Q13 - Chapel of Morning: This is a super-tough encounter. If your PCs have already met the Revenant random encounter out in the wilderness, this is a good place for that friendly revenant to make a surprise reappearance in defense of the heroes. (reddit)
Q14 - Chapel Staircases: From the bottom of the staircase, the PCs can hear the sound of retreating boots, as well as an echo of polished steel. Upon reaching the top however, no person is visible. (reddit)
Q17 - West Staircase: Unintelligible whispers from two distinct voices can be heard at the top of this staircase. (reddit)
Q19 - Ruined Bedchambers: Any PC that steps onto the floor of these rooms must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall into Q4 (Spiders’ Ballroom) below. To tempt them into doing so, a small chest sits on the wooden floor toward the edge. The chest is empty, save for a rusted breastplate, a rotted pair of common clothes, and a child’s stuffed animal. (reddit)
Q22 - Bathroom: A snuffling undead guard drake attempts to take shiny valuables from the PCs for use in a nest it’s built in the bathrub from torn curtains, rusted swords, and furniture debris. This guard drake belonged to Sir Godfrey in life, though neither now recognizes the other. (reddit)
Q24 - Chapel Balcony: A solitary revenant can be found here, inwardly searching for a prayer it no longer remembers. If you plan to use the wandering revenant random encounter on the roads of Barovia, this can be the same one. (reddit)
Q25 - Trapped Hallway: As /u/paintrana mentioned, this trap is absolutely terrifying for your players. To make things a bit easier, a corpse lies at the center of the hall, warning them that something is afoot. When the Phantom Warriors attack, they give battle cries of the Order - make it clear to your PCs that these ghosts are re-living Strahd’s siege. (reddit)
Q27 - Knights’ Quarters: One of the knights within bears a golden necklace, a blood-red ruby embedded within. If she is dispatched, her wailing spirit is sucked into the gem. A character that casts Detect Magic on the necklace, or that inspects it closely (DC 15 Wisdom check) can hear the sound of a woman whispering, “No chance. No choice” in a maddening refrain, over and over again. The necklace is a haunted necklace of protection; a character that attunes to the cursed necklace gains the flaw: “Flight from battle is the greatest shame a soul can endure.” (reddit)
Q28 - Knights’ Quarters: One of the knights within wields a silver sword - a (slightly buffed) haunted moon-touched longsword. This sword glows with a soft, silvery glow, similar in appearance to moonlight. A character that casts Detect Magic on the sword, or that inspects it closely (DC 15 Wisdom check) can hear the sound of an ever-grinding whetstone. If attuned to, its wielder gains +1 to all weapon attacks and damage rolls; while in dark places, the sword sheds dim light in a twenty-foot radius. However, its wielder gains the flaw: “Only I know that darkness lurks in every heart.” (reddit)
Q29 - Northwest Guest Room: I moved the slashed picture from Q40 here. If any character presses the torn canvas back together, trigger the spectral dragon encounter as if they had cast Mending upon it. (There’s no way that any character will ever mend the picture of their own volition) (reddit)
Q34 - Ruined Bathroom: A splatter of blood and the moldy ruins of a child’s stuffed bat are all that betray the tragedy that took place here. (reddit)
Q35 - Upstairs Gallery: Upon inspection, the symbols of the Morninglord change to those of the Dark Powers for a split second. The three stained-glass figures resemble the Vampyr, Tenebrous, and Zhudun before flickering back to their original forms. (reddit)
Q36 - Dragon’s Audience Hall: This encounter is super-deadly for any team that enters at a level beneath 10 (unless you have a cleric with Turn Undead). I made Vladimir pretty lenient as a result - unless the PCs get into a shouting match with him about their desire to slay Strahd, he’s pretty much happy to write them off as worthless fools. One of my PCs quickly claimed that she only desired the death of the adventurer-kidnapping Vistani, rather than Strahd himself, which I found quite interesting - and which Vladimir was able to tolerate, if nothing else. (reddit)
Q39 - Vladimir’s Bedroom: A ghostly rainstorm drenches the interior of this misty chamber. The storm reflects the absence of Sir Godfrey within Vladimir Horngaard’s heart. (reddit)
Q42 - Argynvost’s Bedroom: A concealed cache reveals an enchanted silver scale if a hidden rope is pulled. The scale is a Scale of Radiant Light; if worn or carried openly by a character, this fist-sized dragon’s scale sheds dim light in a five-foot radius around its bearer. When an ally hits a creature in the light with a melee weapon attack, the bearer can use their reaction to expend charges, causing the attack to deal an additional 1d8 radiant damage per charge spent. The scale has 3 charges, and regains them at dawn. As a reaction, a bearer can expend 2 charges to grant an ally within the radius of the light a 1d8 bonus when they fail a saving throw. Moreover, if the characters restore Argynvost’s bones to his tomb, the scale’s bearer is psychically beckoned to the beacon, where the spirit of the Silver Dragon explains to them the nature of his boon. (reddit)
Q45 - Ancient Ballista: A phantom warrior guards the northeastern ballista, with the “business end” of the weapon pointed directly at the PCs. After making an attack with the ballista (+6 to hit; 4d6 piercing damage), the phantom warrior resumes combat as usual - though it has the ability to cast misty step as a bonus action. If the spirit is dispatched, a tattered cloak appears caught in a ballista joint, a silver light gleaming from its clasp. A character that casts Detect Magic on the cloak, or that inspects it closely (DC 15 Wisdom check) can see wisps of fog curling at the cloak’s hem, forming tiny silhouettes of screaming, running, or fighting figures. The cloak is a haunted fog of mists. This cursed cloak has 3 charges, and regains them at dawn. Its bearer may expend one charge to cast Misty Step as a bonus action. Once per day, its bearer may cast Fog Cloud as an action. It requires attunement to use, and gives its bearer the flaw: “There is no sanctuary for me - I know that no place is truly safe.” (reddit)
Q53 - Beacon of Argynvostholt: A dark cloud is present around this tower, visible to any character on the ground nearby or on the roof. A character that enters the beacon’s chamber can see a column of black fog swirling in the room’s center - the embodiment of Vladimir’s hatred for Strahd. When Argynvost’s bones are restored, the fog dissipates, and the dragon’s spirit lights the beacon once more. (reddit)
The Dragon’s Riddle
I’ll echo /u/paintrana again here when I say that the riddle of Argynvost’s missing bones is excellently and (wonderfully) redundantly presented here. However, be ready for your players to 100% miss the fine print. My own PCs, upon hearing that Argnyovst had once guarded the Amber Temple, immediately assumed that that was where his bones now lay. (reddit)
This was, mind you, after they had (1) discovered the note detailing Argynvost’s final plans to storm Castle Ravenloft; and (2) explained to Ezmerelda that one of their three treasures lay in a “hall of bones” - “all that remains of [Strahd’s] enemies long forgotten.” There’s not really much that you can do with this level of willing player stupidity, but do be prepared for it. I could have had one of my NPCs put the obvious together, but I decided that it’d be more fun if the PCs got to wander around for a bit. (reddit)
General Notes
Ok, so I ran this twice. One time I did it the traditional way where I map everything out and proceed like that moving as they go. This worked OK. Keep in mind that this place is huge. Almost too big for its own good. Also keep in mind the Scale. Each square is 10 feet, not 5, so this place is twice as large as you would think. Its like 150 feet to a side, which is half a football field. That's big. The problem with running Argynvostholdt (now abbreviated as AGVST) like this is you end up drawing a bunch of the area out that is essentially dead space. The second time through I ran it more as a narrative and it worked out much quicker. I still drew out some areas which were important - Here are those areas: ([2])
The Dining room and the Chapel
The Trapped area by Q25
Vladimir Horngaards throne
Why not the Spiders and the other Phantom warrior fights? Well here is why: Your party is likely to have access to fireball by this time. It takes only one of these and the spider fight is over. Also if you do EXP by milestones here, they might just avoid the spiders - this is really easy to do. For the Phantom warriors in the towers, both of my groups ascended those stairs from the chapel. This deserves it's own heading. ([3])
The Chapel
This is a pretty difficult fight. 3 revenants can take a ton of damage, and they can dish out a fair bit too. Your PCs will be pretty much at full strength however, and they will take these guys down. I plan on having these revenants, who I have named Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, come back to harass the party a few times after being reformed. I may give them some sort of other weapons and tactics to reflect their names and also make the encounter more interesting, especially in subsequent meetings. ([4])
The Phantom Warriors in the Tower
Ok so this is a really interesting encounter. They are in a cramped stairwell. Before this fight kicks off, make your players tell you what their characters dominant hand is - right or left. Castles of the time were often designed such that the stairs going up spiraled up clockwise which allowed right-handed defenders to swing their weapons at invaders unhindered where the right handed attackers had to contend with the center column of the staircase getting in their way. This meant that fighting up the staircases gave you disadvantage (if you are right handed). Also, I thought it was fair that the battle was in single file, and you could only see 10 feet up or down due to the curvature of the stairs. You don't need to map out this fight, just place models in a single file to determine the order they are on the stair case and go from there. Also keep in mind that the other phantom warrior can just phase through the wall and attack the person in the back of the line - Phantom warrior's blades also wouldn't be hindered by the center column, so they needn't worry about disadvantage from attacking upwards. This is a great example of an easy fight being made very difficult due to the terrain. ([5])
The Beacon
The beacon and how to light it is a really good example of smart game design. So many times in homebrews, I will screw up and have one or two hints about a hook or a challenge and the PCs miss it completely. There are something like 5 or 6 different hints in AGVST that let the players know that they need to get the dragonskull and put it in the Mausoleum. This is something we should incorporate into our own games more often is multiple ways to convey information. ([6])
The Trap Room
I'm referring to area Q25 here. If the players don't deal with this correctly, they will die. I don't think it is fair that we just have to expect characters to detect magic here to figure out something is fishy. I countered this in two ways. Passive perception DC 15 (Someone is bound to have that) to notice that there is a line scuff mark which goes all the way around the hallway at the dotted line where the wall of stone pops up. If they investigate further, tell them it looks like stone being dragged against stone. I also put a corpse in the hallway of Q25. One that had seemed to be drained of life but still in an earlier state of decomposition than the rest of the mansion. That corpse will let them know something bad can happen here, and the stone mark will give them a hint. With these two additions, you at least give the PCs a chance to figure out what is going on and so when one of them gets separated and dies, it will be all their fault - and that's really what DnD is about isn't it? ([7])
Vladimir Horngaard
This guy is awesome. Come up with a cool voice for him for his monologue. The PCs will do a really good job of sabotaging themselves here and by the letter of the book, if Horngaard thinks they are trying to kill Strahd, he takes them out. Your PCs will bumble this. I had Horngaard reason that unless he saw some way for them to produce sunlight, they probably didn't have a chance of succeeding in their goal so he lets them off easy. Maybe he counts down from 5 before unloading a 20 damage swing from his greatsword and telling them to GTFO before going back to his throne. ([8])
I really like the fluff of Godfrey Gwilym and the adjacent rooms, so I let the PCs continue checking the place out even after being told by Horngaard to leave. ([9])
Developments
I like the special delivery event. It is a little cumbersome with the bats though. I just had them come out of the coffin, make one attack, and then said they were promptly destroyed by the party. No need to roll initiative and waste time here. ([10])
For the Arrigal's Hunt event, I didn't use it. Maybe I should have for one of them, but it is really difficult to use both events. This is more of a one or the other type of thing. ([11])