- October draws closer.
Can't you feel it in your blood?
It's late September, which means it's basically... hang on.
...which means it's basically Halloween.
So, I figured we could start getting into the spooky spirit
with arguably one of the most popular D&D adventures
of all time, "Curse of Strahd."
originating in the eighties as a module called "Ravenloft,"
the 2016 gothic horror campaign known as "Curse of Strahd"
seems to be nearly everybody's favorite,
with only one problem.
From what I hear, a lot of people find the ending to be
kind of anticlimactic. (record scratches)
- Oh, hey, editing Ginny here!
Obviously there is not "only one problem"
with "Curse of Strahd," the most glaring of which
is the issues with representation of disability
and the Vistani people.
I will link to some articles in the description
if you wanna learn more about that.
I was just talking about the problem
that this video deals with.
Back to it.
Before I go any further, if you are currently playing
or plan to someday play in a Curse of Strahd campaign
you should stop watching this video right now,
lest you experience the horror of spoiling yourself.
Okay, like I was saying,
some people find the ending dissatisfying.
Many parties apparently breezed through the final battle,
sometimes knocking out Strahd in just one or two rounds.
Other DMs make better use of his evasion tactics
and lead the players on a long, drawn out chase
that just doesn't end up being very much fun to play.
Plus, while there's plenty of advice online
for running the final battle with Strahd,
that encounter can happen at any time
that your players choose,
which can leave some DMs feeling unprepared
for how to create a final confrontation
that feels worthy of the campaign that precedes it.
Thankfully, one man has a solution:
Wyatt Trull,
author of dozens of third party D&D publications,
including "The Wedding at Ravenloft."
This book is a four-act conclusion to "Curse of Strahd."
If you are the type of DM who would like
just a little more guidance on how to end the campaign
with a bang, this book is gonna be your new best friend.
And I'm not just saying that because I'm getting paid!
Although I am getting paid, because this video is sponsored
by DMsGuild.
DMsGuild is a community content program
where creators can legally use official D&D material
to create and share their own game content,
from adventures and character options
to monster collections and magic items.
There are thousands of PDFs all created by DMs just like you
to help improve your games and make your job easier.
Make sure to use my code for a 10% discount
on your DMsGuild purchase,
whether or not it includes "The Wedding at Ravenloft."
More info in the description.
I picked this book to feature
because I myself am one of those DMs
who would rather have more guidance than less,
even if I end up ignoring or changing it all.
But I haven't run "Curse of Strahd" yet.
So, first I wanted to share some thoughts
from people who have.
"A fantastic ending to the campaign, and, dare I say,
one that overshadows the book itself."
"This is so much better than the standard ending
for Curse of Strahd,
and takes into account so many possibilities."
"Thanks for saving me a ton of time
trying to track the various characters and storylines
and giving me a way to tie up the campaign
in a meaningful way."
Today, I just wanna walk you through
"The Wedding at Ravenloft."
I'm gonna talk about what each of the four acts covers
and how the book is set up
to accommodate each unique campaign and party.
In this module, Strahd has captured Ireena
and invited the party to their wedding.
At the wedding, players have opportunities
to interact with key NPCs from the campaign,
sneak around the castle, complete several side quests,
and finally, confront the devil Strahd himself
in one last battle to determine the fate of Barovia.
Trull says in the opening that his goal
is to alleviate your workload,
and I think he does this really effectively
by creating not just an arc and a collection of encounters,
but some really flexible advice for how to use the resources
in this book to suit whatever's already happened,
and whatever your player's priorities are in your game.
To set up for this conclusion,
only two things need to happen.
First, Strahd needs to capture Ireena
and the book includes a few suggestions
on how DMs can make that happen
if they don't have a plan of their own.
And then the next morning,
the players receive wedding invitations.
Which brings us to act one.
"The Wedding at Ravenloft" opens
with the party arriving at Castle Ravenloft,
where Strahd's Chamberlain Rahadin
demands that they swear an oath to hospitality.
They must surrender their weapons
and swear to spill no blood.
They won't be harmed as long as they don't do any harm.
Now, obviously the party is going to break this oath.
They might break it immediately,
they might not break it until the final act.
The module is written to accommodate this,
because the moment your players decide to attack,
you jump to act four,
no matter how far into the adventure you are.
But this oath gives you and the players a framework
that enables all kinds of interesting stuff.
Instead of jumping straight into combat,
there's an opportunity to draw together
all the threads from the campaign.
Strahd can be his most condescending, irritating self
as he gloats about his conquest and mocks the adventurers.
Meanwhile, they can sneak around the castle,
maybe recovering their weapons
or finding one of the Fortunes of Ravenloft treasures.
They can interact with other wedding guests,
who are mostly important NPCs from the campaign.
And, since most parties
will absolutely be plotting something,
this gives them the space to set
up and execute their schemes.
The best part is, it puts the players in the driver's seat.
The oath is a pause button,
and the players can unpause it whenever they're ready
to initiate that final showdown
that the whole campaign has been building towards.
But don't worry, this act isn't just freeform,
do-whatever-you-want-in-the-castle time.
There's still some structure here.
Strahd invites the players to share a drink with him
before the ceremony.
It's an illusory Strahd, meant to distract the party
while he charms their destined ally
into turning against them.
Also, Ireena pulls aside one party member
to ask them to be a bridesmaid or groomsman.
This is also a cover,
giving her a chance to beg them to kill her
before Strahd can make her his bride for eternity.
I suspect most parties will probably make it through
this act without breaking their oath of hospitality,
if only because they need time to go get their weapons back.
My favorite part about this act as a setup
for the final confrontation
is that it just puts all the most important characters
in the same spot.
If you're just improvising your final sessions
after what, for most parties, is around a year of play,
it's gonna be really hard to wrap up
all those little individual storylines and relationships
in a way that feels satisfying.
By bringing everyone together for the wedding,
you're creating space for the party to get closure
with the most important characters from their journey.
The author advises that you not set a time limit here,
so the players have as much time as they need
to complete whatever preparations they wanna make
before act two: The ceremony.
This is the shortest act and it's pretty rigid
because, you know, it's a ceremony,
it's pre-scripted even in real life.
The party is seated separate from each other,
and the book even provides a seating chart,
which is just (kisses fingertips) chef's kiss
for an overplanner DM like me.
There's some great pre-written flavor text
of Ireena coming down the aisle.
It's all very dramatic,
and should really create a sense of urgency
with your players.
There's also a bit where the officiant asks
if anyone objects to the wedding.
And, while there are some pre-written objections
from characters like Ireena's Brother Ismark,
this is also a really fun place
to let the characters stand up and just talk some shit.
Then there are the vows,
Strahd's addressed not to Ireena's name, but to Tatyana's,
and Ireena's clearly dictated by the charm she's under.
And then they kiss and they're married.
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Now, I don't know about you guys,
but I can't think of a single party I've been in
that wouldn't attack before or during the ceremony.
Just sitting there and watching Strahd and Ireena be married
would simply not be an option
for any of the groups I've played with.
And the book understands this very well
because there's a detailed section about what to do
if the players choose to attack during the ceremony,
after which you skip to act four.
But, if your party is unusually passive,
or for any reason doesn't want to attack
until after the ceremony, then you move on to act three:
The reception.
The way I see it, this act exists for two main reasons.
One, to give the players another chance
to roam around the castle if for any reason
they didn't recover their confiscated weapons
during act one.
And two, to give the DM a final chance
to goad the adventurers
into breaking the oath of hospitality.
During the reception,
several guests make toasts to the happy couple.
If you have a party who loves to talk trash,
they will probably really enjoy giving their own toasts.
Wedding gifts are also presented here,
and the author notes that if the party hasn't recovered,
or has lost any of the three Treasures of Ravenloft,
it might make a good gift for an NPC to give Strahd,
providing an opportunity for the players to reclaim it
through violence or subterfuge.
The party members are also expected to have brought a gift,
which just feels like yet another fantastic setup
for the attack that breaks the oath,
- And I've brought you... myrrh.
- Thank you.
- MurDER!
- (gasps) Judas!
There's also a neat little duel between Strahd and Ismark
to punish him for objecting during the ceremony.
Both Ismark and Strahd can appoint champions,
and either might choose the adventurers.
The party can also try and convince Strahd
to change Ismark's punishment,
such as imprisoning him rather than sentencing him to death.
Not only does this bit give the party another opportunity
to say "enough is enough"
and spring their attack on Strahd,
but I think it contributes to a really good flavor choice
that is consistent throughout this adventure,
which is that the party is constantly being shown
that there are a lot of other guests here
who oppose the wedding,
but simply don't have the power to stop it.
For most parties who actually give a (chime sound)
this is gonna create a real sense of responsibility.
If they don't stop Strahd, nobody will.
If you reach the end of act three
and for some reason the party still hasn't attacked Strahd,
then Strahd himself breaks the oath of hospitality,
taking Ireena away to their marital bed
and leaving behind his minions
to lock the party and the rest of the guests
into the audience hall and kill them, "Red Wedding"-style.
This brings us to act four: The devil's wedding night.
As I said earlier, you can jump to act four at any time.
Some parties will undoubtedly see the ceremony itself
as the ticking clock, and will launch their attack
as early as act one, skipping acts two and three.
But if you're worried that this will make the adventure
too short, you shouldn't be.
Act four is modular, containing seven different side quests
that you can choose from to suit your party.
For example, if one of your party members
has become infected with Lycanthropy,
Strahd uses his power over the land of Barovia
to change the moon into a full moon,
triggering the transformation
and turning the werewolf against their allies.
Or maybe your players decide to go rescue Ireena
from her marital bed.
Unfortunately, it's a trap.
Ireena is actually in Strahd's crypt,
and four vampire spawn have staged an ambush for the party
in Strahd's bedchamber.
You can run as many of these quests as you want.
So, if your party skips over a lot of the module
and you wanna beef up the session a little more
before reaching the final confrontation,
you have plenty of content at your disposal.
Now, in the very beginning of the book,
the author suggests that Strahd should conduct
at least two "hit and run" attacks on the party
throughout the evening once the oath is broken.
These can coincide with the modular side quests.
So, for example, if your party tackles the "Heart of Sorrow"
side quest and decides to destroy the crystalline heart
that protects Strahd from harm,
Strahd can jump into the fray to try and stop them.
Of course, this is the end of the campaign,
so even these precursors to the final battle
should feel dramatic and important.
To make that happen, you can take advantage of the resources
that the book provides for the final confrontation.
As per the Tarokka reading, there is one fated location
where the adventurers are guaranteed
to be able to find Strahd and end this once and for all.
"The Wedding at Ravenloft" includes flavor text
and tactics for each possible location.
But, of course you'll only be having your final encounter
at one, so feel free to use the information
from the unused locations for your hit and run attacks
to give them each their own unique vibe and challenges.
In each of these hit and run attacks,
Strahd should fight for one to three rounds,
and then retreat so he can recover.
These battles are meant to diminish Strahd's resources,
killing off his minions and destroying his important items
to wear him down for the final battle.
And, finally, it'll be time for that last combat encounter.
The flavor text and tactics that I mentioned a minute ago
will help you make it climactic, but at this point,
even if the party kills Strahd in just one or two rounds,
it's still gonna have weight,
because it isn't just about this final battle anymore.
The wedding has given us a setting
where the players have been making active decisions
all night.
Maybe they were saving innocence, gathering allies,
collecting important items, weakening their enemy.
All those side quests, all that role play,
all those hit and run attacks,
they're all part of the boss battle.
So, there's a lot less pressure on that one final encounter.
Of course, the battle being over
doesn't quite mean the campaign is over.
The last step to making the conclusion feel satisfying
for your players is to give them a meaningful epilogue.
The book contains guidance on how to do that,
whether your characters defeat Strahd and free Barovia,
or fail and become Ireena's first meal as a vampire.
For more detailed advice, check out this video
on how to pull off a killer epilogue
that really does your campaign justice.
By the way, you clicked on this video
because you thought I was gonna complain
about Barovia being trapped in an endless cycle,
and the player's actions being ultimately meaningless,
didn't you?
I don't know.
I feel like I can see both sides of that argument.
What do you think?