Be sure to use this Castle Ravenloft map, it fixes path confusion: https://www.mythicgeekdom.com/post/castle-ravenloft-map
Excellent info on KILLING Strahd on Stackexchange: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/185492/what-happens-in-curse-of-strahd-if-the-players-destroy-strahds-coffin-or-preven ... like Moonbeam does force him out of Mist Form, etc.
MAPS of CASTLE:
- Yes, ppl have been using those 10 foot (instead of 5 foot) squares. OMG, it explains a lot. They must all be playing online so they dont have to manually draw them all out, dang it.
- I'll keep the hand drawn, and just ZOOM IN when it matters. BUT... how the... it's a problem b/c every time zoom in, kid will know fight.
- Cool looking maps: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dxwvk0e1zC3n7bN3fbSjbMUEJbegZxm1
Iron Golem, new 5.5e 2024: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5195090-iron-golem
CHEEZ:
The 2024 Iron Golems for 5.5e are interesting b/c they have a ranged fire attack. So with two of 'em, they could "accidentally" shoot each other (or on purpose if Strahd were there and ordered them to) in order to heal each other. Can't shoot self tho. Pretty crazy cheez!
SIZE PROBLEM:
https://www.mythicgeekdom.com/post/castle-ravenloft-map
But hang on... they are LARGE... 4 squares size, which does not fit in the room they are in. That room is only 3x3 = 9 squares, not including the tiny alcoves. So... I guess that is why they said turn the iron golems into the knight statues on horses... but wait they would still be large so WTF?
I THINK I NEED TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THAT ROOM A LOT - maybe MAGICALLY it's going to transport them to a bigger room that functions the same way or something. So damn annoying, how the hell (when the hell) does it pull in the whole group or what?
- Maybe a super trap pushes them in... a giant 40 ton stone?
- Maybe magical, open door, it teleports whole party in (how many feet block to pull them in? Maybe leaves a wavering green floor for the couple of stragglers to decide if they want to join the rest or not) (seems too hard, need to figure out how to handle if do this)
- I like the idea that Strahd lures them to the double iron golems/Brazier Room K78. And phases through wall to get out.
- But yeah like... seems like there are multiple ways for chars to escape in the 5e version at least.
REGARDING Wight Pit TrapYou think you can just walk up to strahds tomb through the front door?There are 2 hidden ways in.
In crypt 32 there are 2 alcoves. If you enter the eastern alcove you appear in the eastern alcove in strahds tomb. In strahds tomb if you enter the western alcove you appear in the western alcove in crypt 32.
There is also the brazier room (K78). Using the yellow stone teleports you into strahds tomb.
You could also teleport past the trap or suppress it for a minute with dispel magic.
This is one of my favorite traps. I run it like this:
"As [player] steps forward the rest of you suddenly see him freeze."
Anyone who approaches them also seems to freeze. They have been teleported away and replaced with wights, but the players don't know that.
"As he turns around you see his face has become rotten and gaunt. [Player] gives a unearthly moan and lunges to attack."
Once the players recognize that the wight is not the player, I then cut to the player who is in a coffin.
They find themselves laying in a dark room and potentially hit their head on the top of the coffin. It takes a strength check to escape the coffin and then you still need to climb out of the shaft.
Remember that when a wight is killed 2d6 skeletons animate in the coffin room, so keep track of how many rounds the wight fight lasted and how long it took the player to escape the coffin.
- NOTE, everything leads to that room. K61's and K81's TRAPS also leads there so pay attention!
- NOTE, K18 the super tall tower stairway is BLOCKED I think, and only a crack (gaseous form, aka Strahd's trick) to the shaft inside the tower (wall blocks between stairs and shaft) is how he gets out the top of the castle I think.
See here. Probably true, look at map harder.
The thing about the Red Dragon Wyrmlings and the Iron Golems is that they both serve the same purpose which merits their difficulty. They both are set to prevent the escape of adventurers from the castle (either through the front door in the dragons' case or through the teleportation device in K78). The castle wouldnt be much of a threat to explore if you could easily explore a few rooms and then leave to rest before Strahd awakens (rinse and repeat).
- Strahd runs away, golems are activated, doors locked.
- Kid doesn't know what magic stuff does yet to escape.
- AC15 and HP 25 to break open a door (WAIT, hows the MY-IDEA-TPORT-toBiggerRoom stuff work if this happens... I think I just have to make the room much bigger to begin with. )
- ***One Iron Golem breaths the poison gas...
- ***2nd Iron Golem does melee at first, but then immediately after its turn, it's mouth opens and the green gas is powering up (obvious he'll do it next round, GET OUT!)
- I like room desc here
- The iron golems in K78. Brazier Room (p. 82) begin to animate, activating fully on initiative count 20 of the fifteenth round after the amulet is activated. (Creatures in the Brazier Room while the golems are activating can observe their limbs and heads slowly grinding to life, their lifeless gazes locking onto any intruders present in their chamber.)
- If fight, they glow red when fire dmg. Not obvious at first that healing.
- My room Desc also— room is bigger, wider. Giant Knight statues.
- It'll play out as expected for game fairness, if wonky as heck:
- Fireball damage is rolled.
- Golems attempt their saves. Successful saves halve the damage.
- Absorption means no damage is taken, and instead hp are regained. More hp are regained if the save failed than if it succeeded.
- Immunity is never triggered since they did not take damage.
- Great question.
- and
- "Why should the Golem have both Immunity and Absorption" I consider the immunity to cover more flavor scenarios than just combat. It lets golems exist and operate in hostile climates like the Fire Plane or a volcano, but they're not necessarily taking fire damage from an attack there. The Fire Absorption skill seems specifically designed as a combat mechanic only.– TylerHCommented Apr 21, 2021 at 16:07
===================Tell the Kid=======
Strahd spying on them w rats n bats.,Tell kid.
