Intro to The Nerdds Revised Curse of Strahd

Games, Sean Tasker 9 comments

Featured Image by Daniel Rosini

In all of Dungeons & Dragons, I believe there is no campaign as well known as Curse of Strahd. This campaign has it’s roots all the way back to 1983, in the AD&D adventure Castle Ravenloft. Since then, it has had a presence in every edition of the game. Well, like many things that go through that many revisions, it is a little inconsistent in it’s backstory.

Each edition adds something to the lore of Ravenloft, and the fifth edition Curse of Strahd made several changes. Unfortunately, after enough additions, it becomes muddled and unclear, like a painting made by five artists. You lose a consistent view.

So I wanted to go through not only Curse of Strahd as written, but also include some amazing changes by people in the community like MandyMod, DragnaCarta, and Lunch Break Heroes. However, I am not a designer, so you aren’t going to find much in the way of encounters and ability checks. This is more narrative than mechanic. I keep what I like, discard what I don’t, and add a little bit of my own. You should always feel free to do the same.

I would not suggest Curse of Strahd to a new DM, revised or otherwise. To me, Curse of Strahd is perfect for a DM who is ready to really test themselves, amplify their skills, and discover their weaknesses. There is so much space for intense combat, dense roleplay, difficult mechanics, complex tone and atmosphere, that you would do yourself a disservice to come here to learn how to run D&D.

This page is more just a guide to all of my articles that will be incoming, so you can find what you are looking for quickly.

Before you read through any of these, I recommend you to at least read through the section in the book.

Text Changes

I need to give a preface to some of my more major changes, so you aren’t super confused if you are using this alongside the text, which I recommend.

  • When you first enter Barovia, it is at Level 3 (skipping the Death House) and from the Western side, near Krezk.
  • I replaced the Abbott in Krezk with Dr. Viktra Mordenheim from the Lamordia domain in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
  • I am including the Fanes of the Ladies Three, Archfey that ruled the valley before Strahd conquered it.
  • I have combined Khazan and Exethanter into one figure
  • I have replaced Baba Lysaga with Baba Yaga
  • I have replaced the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok from Mordenkainen to Tasha.
  • The Dinner with Strahd is not a trap, but a genuine event that Strahd does not consider optional.
  • I am including Vampyr as the reason for the curse that Barovia is under.

Because Barovia is such a closed loop, you are likely to return to locations and NPCs multiple times throughout the course of a campaign, so be prepared that anything you change is likely to have ripple effects that you cannot foresee for multiple sessions ahead. I absolutely wrote myself into corners while running this campaign, but I hope that you find satisfying conclusions, instead of plot holes that I had to dig myself out of.

A Letter to the Players

Hello! If you’re reading this, that means your DM is preparing to run the D&D adventure Curse of Strahd, and wanted to give you a heads up on what to expect before you get together for Session 0.

First, this game has a huge reputation within the D&D community, but for your own enjoyment, do your best to not focus on what you’ve heard, because this campaign is heavily set in the horror genre, and a very important part of horror are secrets and surprises. Especially don’t share any spoilers you may have heard with the other players. Besides, you never know what the DM is planning on changing. Curse of Strahd leaves a lot of wiggle room for DMs to make fairly significant changes to the story.

This being a horror campaign means there are a lot of dark themes within. Some can be easily removed for the enjoyment of the table, some can’t. Take a look at the list below, and see if there is anything that might make you not excited to play this game. If there is, feel free to let your DM know. If a lot of this list is giving you pause, that’s okay, but it might mean you shouldn’t play this campaign at all, and wait until your group is ready to move on to something a bit more fun. This list is not comprehensive, and if you are concerned, feel free to reach out to your DM. A table that talks honestly with each other are much more likely to have fun.

  • Harm to Children
  • Gaslighting
  • Suicide
  • Rape/Sexual Assault
  • Cannibalism
  • Genocide

Next, we need to talk about your character concept. This story wants to corrupt your character, and so as a group, discuss how you want to prepare for that. Is this a group of heroes, who will resist temptation, trying to bring light and joy to the innocent victims? Or is this a group of vagrants, who’s motivations are less than noble, and might turn on each other when the chips are down? If you as a group go into this story split, or without considering this aspect of the game, it can feel very disjointed. This is not a requirement, simply a suggestion.

This campaign often takes over a year, sometimes even multiple years to get through everything. An average group goes from Level 3 and ends around Level 10, but it is not as laid out as other adventures are, so this isn’t set in stone.

Ultimately, have fun! This campaign is one of the most popular adventures in Fifth Edition, and Ravenloft as a whole is popular throughout almost every edition of D&D, because it is a lot of fun, and very intense. Be patient with your DM, and try to survive the great vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich in his lands of Barovia.