Dungeons & Dragonshas an abundance of officially published pre-written adventure modules for both new and veteran players. Of all of these, Fifth Edition’s Curse Of Strahd is often heralded as one of the greatest.

Curse Of Strahd is unlike any other adventure that Wizards of the Coast has released for Dungeons & Dragons. It has a story that immerses you and your friends in the essence of horror, especially of the psychological kind, in a way that pays homage to classic Gothic fiction. It can be challenging for those who want to use the locations and characters that are a part of it. However, with some useful information and helpful tips, it can be as easy as it is enjoyable.

An adventurer on their horse approaches the Gates of Barovia.

Overview Of The Adventure

Curse Of Strahdthrows you into the unforgiving land ofBarovia, where they will face off against the cruelvampire lord, Count Strahd von Zarovich. Your characters, nowthe newest playthings for Strahd, will be trapped within the deadly walls of mist that encircle Barovia.

They will have tojourney across the rugged and harsh landscapehoping to find the power to take on Strahd, all while fighting off the forces of the vampire and other evils of the land.

A monstrous tree on a rampage.

The Land Of Barovia

Barovia, once a valley on the Material Plane, is nowa prison of death and despairthat traps all who dare enter and keeps them forever as its prisoners. The terrain ofBarovia is rough, mostly covered in dark forests and mountainsthat are unable to be navigated.

The roads that lie between the villages of Barovia are not safe, but are rather less deadly than traveling off the road.In the wilderness lie beasts and monstersof undead power, as well as ancient ruins long forgotten by the residents of the cursed land.

The Roc of Mount Ghakis, a giant bird, attacks the stone bridge at Tsolenka Pass.

The skies above the valley mirror the bleakness of the ground, asthe sun is blocked by constant storm cloudsthat cause it to never shine. Standing tall atop a cliff’s edge liesCastle Ravenloft, where Strahd sitsand lords over his domain.

Inhabitants Of The Valley

There are many beings that call the land of Barovia their home, other than Strahd himself. Primarily, there are the townspeople that live withinthe three towns in the valley— Barovia, Vallaki, and Krezk. These people mostly hold no love for Strahd, but still fear his power all the same.

Outside of the villages, you may also encounterthe Vistani. The Vistani area nomadic group of people that travel between planes at will, seemingly unaffected by the mists that bar travel normally. Other than these two groups, there are plenty of other characters that the party can encounter, such asvampire huntersand even amad mageor two.

Barovians, the inhabitants of Strahd’s domain.

Playing The Game

Curse Of Strahd is an adventure that is designed to best suit a group offour to six players over 14 years of age from Levels 1 to 10.

For those looking to delve into the land of Barovia, you’ll need more than just the adventure book. Curse Of Strahd assumes that youwillalready have the Fifth Edition copies of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide.

A vistani wagon is being pulled by a horse over a hill towards the sunrise.

ThePlayer’s Handbookwill be needed for creating characters, as well as for looking up non-magical equipment, spells, and various magical effects or traps.

TheMonster ManualandDungeon Master’s Guidewill be mainly needed for looking up stat blocks and magic items that are not unique to Curse Of Strahd, though the Dungeon Master’s Guide is a useful tool for any Dungeon Master.

Another thing to keep in mind is thatareas within Curse Of Strahd are intended for different character levels. Players that head directly to Castle Ravenloft to fight Strahd will find themselves defeated before they know it.

1st - 3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

The Amber Temple

Dungeon Masters should be careful, however,not to diminish the decisions of the playersby forcing them into certain areas.Increasing the feeling of dangerfor a certain area through various marks or local myths is a great way to tell others in-game that they are not ready to go somewhere yet.

If players still fail to heed the warnings, they may have torun from combat they are unprepared foror face the consequences.

Content Warnings

While Curse Of Strahd can be adjusted to suit a younger audience, there are many themes within it that make the adventure as-writtennot completely child-friendly.

Common themes within the plot of the adventure includemurder, infanticide, kidnapping, and more. Dungeon Masters may want toavoid these aspects of the storyif they are running the module for groups of childrenunder the age of 14.

The themes present in Curse Of Strahd could also bepotentially troubling for people of any age. Dungeon Masters running Curse Of Strahd should always be sure tomeet with their players before starting the campaignto discuss any topics that they would like to avoid and any boundaries they have regarding the content of the game.

Making A Character

When making a character, the most important thing is to decidewhat level the characters will be starting at. While Curse Of Strahd gives a bonus mini-adventure that can bring characters from Level 1 to Level 3, many Dungeon Masters forego this side quest entirely, choosing instead tobegin the game with thecharacters immediately at Level 3.

Additionally,Curse Of Strahd provides additional character optionsfor those making characters specifically for the module. One of these is theHaunted One character background, which is for characters who are burdened by trauma of a supernatural nature.

Taking this background starts players off with some very useful non-magical items to use against the undead, and also provides them with the opportunity to have a couple of setting-appropriate skills and languages.

Another option the module provides is aunique Gothic Trinkets table, which you and your fellow adventurers can roll on when looking for an additional horrific flair.

What To Do Next

After playing through Curse Of Strahd, you’ll be itching for more. Luckily, there areplenty of other officially published pre-written adventure modulesfrom Wizards of the Coast that are great fun for everyone involved.

A great way to delve into a classic dungeon and come face-to-face with a deadly challenge isTomb Of Annihilation. Also,Waterdeep: Dragon Heistis an excellent heist story with layers upon layers of intrigue, andDescent Into Avernusis great for those who want to fall headfirst into the Nine Hells.

Whatever you and your friends decide to do next,Curse Of Strahd tends to always remain a classicin the eyes of those who play it.