Author Topic: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd  (Read 8027 times)

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Ubernoob

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #20 on: October 05, 2008, 07:29:34 PM »
I had the adventure a while back.  Strahd just wants more CLs.  I don't think he bans evocation.  Just toss up something like:
Mindbender 1/ Fatespinner 2
Feat: Mindsight.

Add on some LoS blocking effects to his spell list so he can make good use of mindsight.  The fatespinner levels give him a get out of one save free card.

BTW, the Fanes do nothing really for his CR.  Just ignore them and add CLs until he's at a good CR.
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #21 on: October 05, 2008, 11:14:37 PM »
I had the adventure a while back. 
The original module, from the 80's? Or the 3.5 one?  My question wasn't necessarily all that clear before; I'm asking about the original 2nd edition stats for him.  Just a point of curiosity.

Crap... I never did pick up Lords of Madness.  I know mindsight is basically blindsight against living, non-mindless creatures, but I don't know anything else about it (range, any prereq's, etc.)

Thinking over the Vampire Lord template, I'm falling in love with Strahd having control weather and fog cloud at will... He could literally blanket all of Borovia in dense fog.  Though, I do realize that many of the Vampire Lord's abilities are meant to mirror the abilities Strahd already has in Borovia (control of the mists surrounding Borovia, immunity to garlic and being held at bay, etc.)
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Midnight_v

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #22 on: October 05, 2008, 11:56:05 PM »
Cleric necromancer of the "Dark Powers"
Spell Domain + Undeath domain?
or something x/ Ur-priest.

... I read too much of the original books...
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Ubernoob

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #23 on: October 06, 2008, 12:15:37 AM »
I had the adventure a while back. 
The original module, from the 80's? Or the 3.5 one?  My question wasn't necessarily all that clear before; I'm asking about the original 2nd edition stats for him.  Just a point of curiosity.
Clearly I am illiterate.  I had the 3.5 version.  My bad.
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #24 on: October 06, 2008, 12:31:34 AM »
After some searching, I found that Strahd was 10th level in the original adventure, but the adventure was for characters levels 5-7, meaning that at the end of the adventure, the BBEG was still 3 levels higher than the PC's...  And Strahd was a vampire and a full magic user, which was the first time that had been seen (or so WotC claims).  And that doesn't even bring in the powers of the fanes...

So if my 3 PC's are starting at 10th level, and they'll probably end it around 13th or 14th level, then I can easily make Strahd a CR 14 or 15 creature, before accounting for his basic vampirism and the fanes....

Much plotting to do....
« Last Edit: October 06, 2008, 10:31:50 AM by ksbsnowowl »
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CountArioch

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #25 on: October 06, 2008, 02:18:47 AM »
I was actually going by the novels, not the adventure.  So if you saw the original adventure, my descriptions might not make sense. :p

I still think you should say that he was created in a desecrated area though, that tends to beef up the HP.
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Blade2718

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #26 on: October 06, 2008, 08:42:56 AM »
I was actually going by the novels, not the adventure.  So if you saw the original adventure, my descriptions might not make sense. :p

I still think you should say that he was created in a desecrated area though, that tends to beef up the HP.
One could make a good argument that all of Barovia is desecrated.

ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #27 on: October 06, 2008, 10:30:55 AM »
One could make a good argument that all of Barovia is desecrated.
Well, I'm using the Taint rules from Heroes of Horror, so the castle, at least, is considered a tainted location... that's sort of like desecrated.  :smirk
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Midnight_v

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #28 on: October 06, 2008, 10:54:38 AM »
You dont' like the cleric idea?
They make the best necromancers...
...and strahd is definately a servant of that place.
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #29 on: October 06, 2008, 11:18:49 AM »
I'm just too in love with him wading into the PC's in the midst of a cloudkill.

And, as a vampire, it's not like he needs Rebuke Undead to amass an undead army....
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Midnight_v

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #30 on: October 06, 2008, 11:40:07 AM »
Wait!
Gimme a chance!
I'm actually a big reader of the novels from back in the day and I bought that book as a gift for someone, and when I saw the straud build I was like "Thats not right...
Cloud kill.
He can still do that...
I suggested the "Spell" domain which give you the awsome "anyspell" and "Greater anyspell"
Plus more Hp and divine power...

I... I can't believe you're using the taint rules.
You're an Eeeevvvilll Dm.  :evillaugh
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #31 on: October 06, 2008, 11:57:27 AM »
I suggested the "Spell" domain which give you the awsome "anyspell" and "Greater anyspell"
I don't see the Spell Domain in the Eberron Campaign Setting... (I know exactly where it is found; I'm being facetious).

Quote
Plus more Hp and divine power...
How does cleric grant him more HP's?  All his HD change to d12's, regardless what they were before.

Quote
I... I can't believe you're using the taint rules.
You're an Eeeevvvilll Dm.  :evillaugh
I've not used them before, but this is the first true corrupted manifestation of evil my PC's have faced.  It suggests using them, so I'll give it a shot  :D

And they'll probably stay in use until the end of this whole campaign in about 2 years' time (?) as the adventures I have in store for my PC's after Ravenloft are just as, if not more insanely mad (maybe a run-in with some Dealkyr influence, and then I'll probably top things off with my 3rd ed update to the Labyrinth of Madness.... :smirk).

And yes, in general I am an evil DM.  Last session my 3 PC's faced off against the half-troll Dusk Giant (HoH) leader of a band of forest trolls that had basically imprisoned a remote farming town, using it as a food pen.  My 3 PC's were 9th level, and the Dusk Giant was 12 HD, and CR 12.  And it killed and attempted to eat the Druid's dire wolf animal companion.  The druid now has an extreme dislike of trolls.  She's in the process of shrinking the head of the Dusk Giant.
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Midnight_v

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #32 on: October 06, 2008, 12:12:37 PM »
Quote
I don't see the Spell Domain in the Eberron Campaign Setting... (I know exactly where it is found; I'm being facetious).
:-\  :(  :-[
Oh wow... did you mention that in the op? I'm normally better about paying attention to the original post than that.
My fault for trying to help...
Good luck and happy gaming.

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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #33 on: October 06, 2008, 12:44:30 PM »
Unless someone has a really good argument for something else, I've decided I'm going to update Strahd as a Vampire Lord Wizard 10/Master Vampire 3, which makes him CR 18 prior to accounting for the fanes.  It's probably more like CR 17, as one of the MV levels doesn't grant spellcasting (I went that route to give him more HP's more than anything else), and some of the advantages of the Vampire Lord template duplicate advantages Strahd already has in Borovia and via the dayheart anyway.

His resistance bonuses to turning aren't really a factor, as there is no cleric in the party.  He will be tough to hit though, as his initial AC will be 35 (touch AC 17; relevant to the warlock).
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #34 on: October 06, 2008, 12:45:56 PM »
Oh wow... did you mention that in the op? I'm normally better about paying attention to the original post than that.
My fault for trying to help...
I probably didn't, so don't worry about it.  I wasn't trying to berate you.
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RabidPirateMan

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #35 on: October 06, 2008, 01:23:06 PM »
I remember reading somewhere that Strahd was a Wizard 16/Fighter 4, with Bastard Sword proficiency and a mess of other feats from the PHB.

I've played this adventure about a dozen times.  Strahd has been a Wizard, a Wizard/Fighter, a Cleric, a JPM, an Alienist...  But when I broke down and read the adventure, I noticed two thinks-  first, Strahd usually just shows up for half a second to cast cloudkill, and two, Strahd hardly fights in melee.  I had the idea of turning him into a Ultimate Magus...  But I ended up changing him to a Necromancer 10/ Dungeon Lord 5 (from Dungeon Scape, a very fun prestige class).  It certainly infuriated my PCs, not because he was powerful and dropped two players over time, but because they couldn't figure out for the life of them why every monster could open a door as a free action and they had to spend a move action.

ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #36 on: October 06, 2008, 01:54:32 PM »
It certainly infuriated my PCs, not because he was powerful and dropped two players over time, but because they couldn't figure out for the life of them why every monster could open a door as a free action and they had to spend a move action.
That's what Unseen Servant is for.  True, you have to keep in mind its slow speed, but just order it to always stay within range, but be near the closest door.  Then it can open the door for you, you go through, then it closes it as a its standard action (can you delay half of your turn like that? I'm not sure.)  At least it can open them for you.
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #37 on: January 02, 2009, 12:00:11 PM »
Just posting a link to Strahd's original stats, as I have since found them.  Just making this thread complete for my own purposes.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/alumni/20061027a

The PC's will be meeting their first vampire of the adventure, during the day, at tonight's game...  :lol :evillaugh

I've also since noticed that Strahd is short one feat in his 3.5 stats... I decided to give him Sudden Widen Spell, so he can make excellent use of his Cloudkill trick.
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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #38 on: January 06, 2009, 03:28:25 PM »
How'd the vampire fight go?
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ksbsnowowl

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Re: Castle Ravenloft: Advancing Challenges - Count Strahd
« Reply #39 on: January 08, 2009, 02:41:03 PM »
I'm on my iTouch, so I'll keep this short.  They met Kavan, but I didn't run it as a straight brutal assault, as the adventure calls for.  As the Brook No Rival goal states, Strahd's minions give assistance to the PC's if they are working toward erradicating the witches.  Kavan met them on the road, sat and ate a meal with them, and dominated two of the PC's.  He instructed them to "hunt the witches," which the two PC's are steering the party toward.  Due to the cloudy sky, the PC's think I'm using that as the reason for Kavan's ability to walk outside during the day; I will disabuse them of that miscalculation at the next game.  Because the witches are hard to track (and wont meet again on the hill for another 3 weeks) they decided to continue finding the fanes.  They fought the blighted relic and did just barely survive (only one PC is Good).  At the conclusion of that fight they were hit with a cloudkill by Strahd.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2009, 09:12:39 PM by ksbsnowowl »
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