Dungeons & Dragons: What You Need To Know Before Running Curse Of Strahd (2024)

has 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.

Overview Of The Adventure

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

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

The Land Of Barovia

Barovia, once a valley on the Material Plane, is now a prison of death and despair that traps all who dare enter and keeps them forever as its prisoners. The terrain of Barovia is rough, mostly covered in dark forests and mountains that 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 monsters of undead power, as well as ancient ruins long forgotten by the residents of the cursed land.

The skies above the valley mirror the bleakness of the ground, as the sun is blocked by constant storm clouds that cause it to never shine. Standing tall atop a cliff’s edge lies Castle Ravenloft, where Strahd sits and 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 within the 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 encounter the Vistani. The Vistani are a 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 as vampire hunters and even a mad mage or two.

Playing The Game

Curse Of Strahd is an adventure that is designed to best suit a group of four 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 you will already have the Fifth Edition copies of the Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The Player’s Handbook will be needed for creating characters, as well as for looking up non-magical equipment, spells, and various magical effects or traps.

The Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide will 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 that areas 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.

Dungeon Masters should be careful, however, not to diminish the decisions of the players by forcing them into certain areas. Increasing the feeling of danger for 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.

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-written not completely child-friendly.

Common themes within the plot of the adventure include murder, infanticide, kidnapping, and more. Dungeon Masters may want to avoid these aspects of the story if they are running the module for groups of children under the age of 14.

The themes present in Curse Of Strahd could also be potentially troubling for people of any age. Dungeon Masters running Curse Of Strahd should always be sure to meet with their players before starting the campaign to 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 decide what 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 to begin the game with the characters immediately at Level 3.

Additionally, Curse Of Strahd provides additional character options for those making characters specifically for the module. One of these is the Haunted 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.

What To Do Next

After playing through Curse Of Strahd, you'll be itching for more. Luckily, there are plenty of other officially published pre-written adventure modules from 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 is Tomb Of Annihilation. Also, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is an excellent heist story with layers upon layers of intrigue, and Descent Into Avernus is 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 classic in the eyes of those who play it.