Otherwise, make the following adjustments. On a recent episode of Game Master’s Journey I discussed how D&D’s encounter xp system doesn’t add up. This is a deadly encounter, no matter the size of your party. In the basement, the party found the family crypt and began to hear a ritual chanting. John Forrest on Durst Manor (Death House) After refusing to sacrifice someone upon the altar in the basement, the cultists summoned a shambling mound to attack the party. The updated story basically makes Walter (the child the nurse cared about from above) being part of the mound of dirt in the dungeon, giving the party a shortcut if they choose to fight the monster, when the shambling mound uses it, the retained player If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. ... Shambling mound slam sounds created by Barry Doublet for Syrinscape There was enough suspense, tension and danger to make it exciting, and we had some close calls, but no TPK. Death House (30 Miniatures) Animated Armor - 1 Animated Broom - 1 Ghast - 2 Ghost - 2 Ghoul - 4 Grick - 1 Mimic - 1 Shadows - 5 Shambling Mound - 1 Specter - 1 Swarm of insects - 1 Swarm of rats - 10 These high definition resin printed minis is the perfect addition to any Table Top Game. Several of them got knocked out but the Grave Cleric kept them alive, however. Five Shadows:  This encounter is Deadly as written unless you have 6 PCs. ONE of these ghosts would be a deadly encounter (they’re each CR 3). Both killed it with level 2 characters. 220), so I wouldn't have the mound react to being attacked. The group I run had two deaths in the Death House, and both were slain in the climax by the Shambling Mound. Tactics (especially ranged attacks and taking advantage of its slow movement) help tremendously. But they're all experienced players and stayed out of it's range most of the time. If they strike it, I would just tell them they strike a … Yes! Healing also always helps but usually by that point in the dungeon, it'll be rare. With a CR of like 5 or whatever, I was concerned at first. My group of 6 (Crossbow Fighter, Monk, Life Cleric, Storm Cleric, Rogue, Wizard) had no real problem with it. That's sick! They will sing to wake up Lorghoth the Decayer, a Shambling Mound hiding in the southernmost alcove. Defeating the Mound at 2nd level requires three things in my opinion. If you think the PCs should earn a TPK for taking something from the footlockers, feel free to leave it as is. There’s a freaking shambling mound in the basement, for goodness sake. CR: ♦13 Normal ♥15 Hard ♠18 Elite ♣35 Epic Casual ♦35 Epic Normal ♥39 Epic Hard. I am running Curse of Strahd with my own group. As an NPC, it was portrayed by Aaron Robert Parnell. Otherwise, I’d make the following adjustments to the number of shadows. Tag: Shambling Mound. I think the authors did a good job of the latter although it may be to slow for some groups. Death House Basement 18. Once they've gotten back up to the house, the PCs still have to deal with poisonous smoke, blade barrier-filled doors and possibly swarms of rats. If you run the encounter as written, there’s a good chance the PCs will be surprised, which will make it even more difficult. 38. 38. Death House. © 2021 Starwalker Studios LLC - All Rights Reserved. One of the PCs got consumed twice and made two nat-20 death saves followed by a high roll to escape! But, to avoid combat you need to make a living sacrifice, and who wants to sacrifice their Sidekick or Animal Companion two levels in? If the mound moves, the engulfed target moves with it. alhoon wrote: It's not supposed to be that fast traditionally. Author Message; Ender. I ran with the updated/alternative Death House I mentioned in my last post, and I think it worked really well. 3 PCs: 1 Ghoul (Easy)4 PCs: 2 Ghouls (Hard)5 PCs: 2 Ghouls (Medium)6 PCs: 3 Ghouls (Hard). My recommendation is to reduce the number of ghouls, and don’t allow for the opportunity of the PCs being surprised. Both them and me like some terrain hazards, so it felt right. Two Ghosts:  If the PCs play their cards right, this should not result in a combat. The engulfed target is blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the mound's turns or take 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Death House. I would also not have the shambling mound pursue them beyond area 38. Rose and Thorn, … I made the altar have a gazebo-like top, which my group – after doing some kiting to get it in and some ranged attacks – destroyed, making the top dome fall on top of the Shambling Mound. The Death House then attacked! When the Curse of Strahd Party reached the depths of the Death House, they discovered a cult of spirits chanting. The poisonous smoke, whirling blades and swarms of rats will be more than enough to challenge your PCs on their way out of the house. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining … Evil Genius. They also used good tactics, but not fighting everything else helped. I ran two different groups through Curse of Strahd. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Name (picture) CR Type Race Animated Arms ... Shambling Mound: … The Curse of Strahd Chapters 1-3 & Death House SoundPack gives you the complete audio solution when playing the first part of this awesome DUNGEONS & DRAGONS adventure. Here are are the maps for Death House from Curse of Strahd, edited to be scaled to a 1.25" grid, and printable on normal 8.5x11 paper. The engulfed target is Blinded, Restrained, and unable to breathe, and it must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw at the start of each of the mound's turns or take 13 (2d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. yes... it is very hard for inexperienced players... but if you have old pros at your table they will have no problems... i think that is true of curse of strahd in general. Most likely there will be no sacrifice, which will anger the illusory cultists. I began the campaign with Death House, however I started the PCs at level 3, and they gained level 4 upon completing Death House. You aren’t supposed to necessarily have to fight it. If the intention is the kill the party, then it should be clear and as a DM you would need to make them aware that death … Boss: Red Named - Quest Boss. Death House is the name given to an old row house in the village of Barovia. The shambling mound engulfs a Medium or smaller creature grappled by it. You can download the free pdf of the adventure. As written, Death House is a notorious party killer. Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. If the PCs comply and a living being is killed off on the altar, the house is appeased and they will be able to leave peacefully and level up. Barbarians for example, usually perform terribly against the mound because they usually have terrible ranged options and want to be in melee range. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. Death house is a four story structure which uses exploration and mystery as a suspense builder. These slow, hulking behemoths are a real blast to play. Two Ghasts:  This is another deadly encounter if you have fewer than 6 PCs. Update: last night the level 1 paladin was one-shotted by the Broom of Animated Attack. Race: Shambling Mound . OCT/19. The Shambling Mound encounter in Area 38 is very iffy going toe-to-toe using a party of three. 29. My party managed it, but mostly because they headed straight to the source of chanting and didn't expend resources on the ghouls, shadows, and ghasts. My group managed to defeat the monster by pinning it under the portculis in the chamber and peppering it from range while it struggled to get free. Check out my extensive review of Curse of Strahd on the Game Master's Journey podcast. Gustav and Elisabeth live on as Ghasts. I always warn new players "if you think you might consider running, you should have done it last round". 31. Wizard > Portent Die, forcing it to fail the save, Warlock > Hex on Strength, giving it disadvantage to break Entangle, Everyone > Liberally apply damage to face, with advantage on all attacks, Shambling Mound > Has disadvantage on attacks while Restrained, and disadvantage on attempts to break Restrained. If the PCs make the sacrifice (which I’d say is an evil act requiring a Powers Check), then they won’t have to face the shambling mound. I ran Death House as written, and with a party of four level 3 PCs, it went great. All (1) Adventure Logs (0) Characters (1) Items (0) Wiki (0) User (0) Results Lorgoth the Decayer Shambling Mound "Lorgoth the Decayer, we summon thee!" 270). Exploring, they encountered quite a few creatures and overall discovered that this house was host to a cult worshipping a Shambling Mound deep in the basement. The Nursemaid Specter. Special Qualities: Immune to Electricity Habitat: Death House. Engulf: The shambling mound engulfs a Medium or smaller creature Grappled by it. Even if the PCs instantly realize they should run away, they will still have to evade the shambling mound long enough to get out of the basement level. If you’re planning to run this adventure, there are a few possible problem areas you’ll want to be aware of. The Life Cleric went down for a bit because he tried to melee, but they all made it out. How can they kite it? Quick re-cap The team refuse to make a sacrifice on the altar and so the cult call on Lorghoth the Decayer, a shambling mound The Decayer is weakened and frozen in place and the team slowly wear it down The mound is destroyed and the team head back upstairs to escape the house Blades swish… This might be rough LOL. If you may play in this adventure, you want to avoid these spoilers. The shadows at the statue, the two ghasts, and the shambling mound stand out as all potentially being fatal encounters. They were a party of six, mind you, so they were more powerful than your regular group. If the PCs make the sacrifice (which I’d say is an evil act requiring a Powers Check), then they won’t have to face the shambling mound. Joined: Mon Jun 16, 2014 8:49 am Posts: 300 Re: Death House. I also can’t imagine why a DM would want to punish the PCs for doing the right thing. 3 PCs: 1 Ghast (Hard)4 PCs: 1 Ghast (Medium)5 PCs: 1 Ghast (Easy)6 PCs: 2 Ghasts (Hard). Lex Out Loud - Worldbuilding for Science Fiction, Home | Lex Out Loud | Support | Store | Blog. It won't take all of them but this is how you give yourself the best odds. The monster is, in fact, a shambling mound, which is likely to kill characters that attempt to fight toe-to-toe with it. I’ve seen a lot of DMs complain about the last act of Death House, the house coming to life and trying to kill everyone with noxious fumes and slashing scythe blades, but I love it, especially as the shambling mound feels like it should be the “end of dungeon boss and now we get treasure” moment, and instead everything goes to hell. Death House was the house owned by Gustav and Elisabeth Durst. I will list these by the encounter number in the adventure, along with suggestions on how to fix the encounters. Encounter: in the back of the room is a Shambling mound (MM pg. 3 PCs: 2 Shadows (Medium)4 PCs: 3 Shadows (Medium)5 PCs: 3 Shadows (Medium)6 PCs: 5 Shadows (Medium). The group is Paladin, Rogue, Bard, Cleric, so I'm interested to see how they do it. October 17, 2016. by Keith Ammann. They’re fun creatures packed with devastating crowd control, damage, and defenses. Yep! I can’t imagine how this could end in anything other than a TPK. It’s also a wonderful way to show your players that, “Hey, this is what you’re in for, guys.” The Ghouls, Shadows and Shambling Mound are all character killers; all of which are close together meaning that the party are going from fight to fight to fight. Resting and a large Party goes without saying. The 1.25" grid is, I have found, a better scale with modern miniatures and tends to make the map feel more believable and less crowded. The group I DM for did, although I should have upped everything since it is a 10 person party with varying degrees of experience. The 1.25" grid is, I have found, a better scale with modern miniatures and tends to make the map feel more believable and less crowded. This subreddit serves as a helpful place for anyone running the Curse of Strahd module for D&D 5e. If they have a speed of 30 and using each turn to attack/move then their total speed is 30. If you feel touching the statue or taking the crystal orb is a crime worthy of a TPK, then feel free to leave the encounter as is. Page 2 of 2 [ 23 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2: Print view: Previous topic | Next topic : Death House . I have actual play videos of the campaign, which you can find here on YouTube. Death House - this is a hard starting adventure, but one that I found to really set the scene and vibe of the campaign. These shadows chase PCs who try to flee. They even lured it onto the altar and slew it there, thus providing a sacrifice and satisfying the House. The mound can use both move actions to move 40 per turn. It was a shambling mound dwelling beneath the Death House in the Village of Barovia. Just a heads up, in the Death House module it specifically states the Shambling Mound "...can move through tunnels without squeezing and completely fills its space.". Unless you're running a one-shot, a TPK punishes everyone at the table, including the DM. All the preparation is done for you and every sound you’ll need is right at your fingertips. Here are are the maps for Death House from Curse of Strahd, edited to be scaled to a 1.25" grid, and printable on normal 8.5x11 paper. Thank you! The picture is Thorn’s imagination at work since he likely heard the howls while alive but has never seen the beast. I'm DMing this next week, and I always like to know what to expect. I’ve seen a lot of DMs complain about the last act of Death House, the house coming to life and trying to kill everyone with noxious fumes and slashing scythe blades, but I love it, especially as the shambling mound feels like it should be the “end of dungeon boss and now we get treasure” moment, and instead everything goes to hell. Site created by Nikki Starwalker. Description: End Fight But Rangers who are amazing at ranged that can kite the Mound and can still be effective in melee if it comes down to it, normal excel in this fight. Realising (eventually) this was not a fight they could win, the party made a run for it, and made for the stairs back up to the house. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Come right out and tell them if they don’t figure it out for themselves. I love the ending with the cultists (One Must Die, CoS pg. Adding another ’living creature’ to sacrifice is a good option. WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Death House, which is the introductory adventure for Curse of Strahd. I based the drawing on the art for shambling mound (Monster Manual, pg. Starwalker Studios is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, How to Run Death House Without Killing All the PCs. However, if the PCs have some scruples and balk at sacrificing a life, they will be rewarded by facing a monster they can’t beat. Viny quasi-zombies of the swamps and rainforests, shambling mounds are brutes that tramp around … I’m a new DM but this is how I understood movement. Edited to correct that. Shambling Mound is a Large creature with a speed of 20'. Ironically, Wizards of the Coast seems to make adventures that aren’t properly balanced and will result in a TPK for the unwary DM (Lost Mine of Phandelver anyone?). The shambling mound is an old-school classic: veteran Advanced Dungeons and Dragons players will remember the Monster Manual illustration that looked like a Christmas tree with a carrot for a nose. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the CurseofStrahd community. I hadn't thought of the squeezing. Mandy Muse, a dark-haired native of California was born in These ghouls fight until destroyed. Monster Manual classification: Monstrous Plant. 20. By the time they reached the front … Your Source for Quality Science Fiction and Fantasy Podcasts. If the party has found the secret door in Area 36, they can just kite the Mound through tight spaces in a closed loop where they just lead it in circles, plugging it with ranged attacks and spells until it's dead. Check out my new podcast! If you want to TPK your party, then by all means run the adventure as written. I mean, I think they’re pretty bullshit for a party of four level 2’s, but my party of six was able to take down the shambling mound in Death House while riding by the seat of their pants. Posted on October 21, 2016. However, the story and atmosphere of this module is so unique to the d&d world, I couldn’t imagine skipping it. However, if the PCs end up fighting the two ghosts, this is an extremely deadly encounter. Update: The killed it without getting touched! Alignment: Evil. The group I DMed for killed it with the aid of some serious luck and some good fighting retreat tactics. Honestly...as long as the party has the good sense to not close to melee with the mound and can lead it around in circles to prevent it from cornering them, it's a pretty easy kill...if a bit time consuming. Having a balanced Party with balanced Players. Shambling Mound is a Large creature with a speed of 20'. Their fall-back plan was to Kite it using Ray of Frost to slow its movement to 10 ft. per round, 20 ft. with dash. 34. My group curb-stomped it in half a dozen rounds. The shadows, however, are extremely avoidable and are essentially a consequence of a lack of caution. There would have been a third death due to a critical hit by a rat swarm during the escape, but one player rolled a healing potion through the scything blades to a player on the other side which used it to bring back the rat-critted hero. However, if you’re going to be DMing this adventure, read on. I really hope so, because my group is fighting it tonight, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't going to back down. But balanced Parties consist of Players with solid ranged and melee options for attacks. Its sacrifice denied, the house awoke the cult’s guardian – a shambling mound of bones, dirt and litter. I've used the pre-painted one in previous campaigns but this one will be coming into play for the first time tomorrow and I can't wait to … My fix for this is to make it clear to the players that they should run from the shambling mound. The party slayed the monster, not before taking heavy injuries, but no casualties. They built a dungeon underneath it to have evil cult gatherings. Assuming they start 20 feet away (on the altar) then they only have three turns before the mounds closes the gap and attacks? Four Ghouls:  This encounter is super-deadly, even for a group of 6 PCs. For that reason I think Death House is a good gauge to determine if your group will actually enjoy Gothic horror. You can also check out my list of milestones for Curse of Strahd. Gotta love the first time I used this mini was for Death House adventure ran as a Halloween special game for the FLGS. Role in Plot. It also lightened the mood too much just when the characters are entering the eerie part of the house. If the party has found the secret door in Area 36, they can just kite the Mound through tight spaces in a closed loop where they just lead it in circles, plugging it with ranged attacks and spells until it's dead. However, if you’re planning to use this to kick off Curse of Strahd, you may want the PCs to actually survive this introductory adventure. Despite the party's efforts to cease the chanting, the cultists completed their ritual and summoned Lorgoth the Decayer. Shambling Mound:  The shambling mound is a CR 5 creature. This is a deadly encounter, no matter the size of your party. It crit and did the full 11 damage bringing the paladin to 0 hp. That being said, kiting it is generally still the best strategy. Here is the adjustment for various group sizes. 270) and left it quite abstract. Shambling Mound: The shambling mound is a CR 5 creature. EDIT: It was pointed out that the Death House Shambling Mound can move without squeezing. They regarded Strahd von Zarovich as a god, but he dismissed them and later destroyed them when they killed a party of adventurers, but the house still lives on, luring people toward it.
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