D&D 5e Curse of Strahd

Game Master Benjen Harris

Silently, Ash pushes past the other 2, avoiding looking in the mirror (as he hates the sight of himself) and goes to the door in the southeast. Before pulling the door open, he takes a listen.
Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Sorry for the slowness of my posting lately.

Del doesn't hear anything at any of the doors. Splitz as you examine the mirror you realise that their is a small draft coming from under it. Pushing on the mirror reveals a secret staircase leading up. Ash doesn't hear anything at the door and opening it reveals a small closet.

Splitz silently motions to the others to reveal his finding. It's too intriguing not to immediately investigate and he begins to climb the concealed stairs, ignoring the unexplored rooms on the current floor.

As he goes he looks for any traps or alarms.

Perception: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (18) - 1 = 17

Del will stand near the mirror to listen for the Baron to call out if trouble but is reluctant to leave a potential enemy behind him, so will stay and watch the doors.

You don't spot any traps on the ascending staircase. The stairs go up to a door.

Splitz whispers Door up here

He then tries to open the door.

The door opens revealing a bare hall with dust and cobwebs.

Del whispers back, From down here that looks like a big attic! Should we finish poking around down here before exploring up there?

Okay, okay Spiltz calls out. He shuts the door and jogs back down the stairs.

Looked like a dusty attic. But we should give it a better look later.

Lead on he tells Ash, giving a hand gesture to indicate the same.

Ash nods grimly at the baron as he walks past him and up to the doors. He listens at each door before opening them, starting with the single door before moving to the double.

Perception single door: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Perception double door: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

@David - I moved Splitz back into the room on the map. Put him somewhere else if you'd prefer. :)

Brother, be careful of the fire pokers in the rooms. They will for sure try and stab us!

Diaz waits patiently

anyone want a turkey sandwich?

Do you have one? I could use that and some wine

Happy Thanksgiving Jon! How's things up North?

Shoot guys, I'm so sorry for my absence lately. Feel free to text me if I haven't posted in a while I genuinely just keep forgetting about it. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Listening at the single door you don't hear much and as with the double doors you hear strong winds and the sounds of a raven cawing. Do you open either of those doors?

Yes!

Splitz open the double doors.

Let's look in here, show we.

You see a balcony overlooking the fog covered town where you can barely make out the large silhouettes of tall roofed buildings.

Ah, the reason for the wind.

Splitz moves onto the balcony and takes a look.

Nothing really unique its just a balcony that overlooks the front of the house.

After looking at the balcony, Splitz move onto the other door in the room.

Let's get to the bottom of what's going on here!

Is that a window on the balcony looking into the room we're moving into?

@Jon--Did you celebrate thanksgiving by living off the land up there in Alaska? I pictured you eating beaver or porkypine or something else crazy you caught or shot. Already cold and dark up there?

it’s running -20 to -30 so not cold yet. About 5 hours of daylight 10-3 right now. Losing @7minutes a day of light. We have caribou and moose but no beaver or porcupine. Beaver taste like sirloin steak btw. My parents came up for the month of November so that was nice

That’s really great! Bet the kids loved having grandparents with you guys. Cool they could take so much time. Bet the girls are getting big.. I haven’t seen pics of them in a while. My last memory is gencon and the great costumes you guys did. Lots of green monsters I think. I know moose get some sort of crazy brain parasite. Don’t know much about beaver parasites but I’d like to try it but only cooked pretty well. I do t know how life functions in such cold weather. Seems like nothing would get done in the cold and dark, except drinking and making babies. Both of which probably keep you busy. Have you delivered a baby before?

have delivered but not in a long time. hope its longer. You would think beaver would be full of giardia, so definitely cook it. did not know about the moose parasites other than blot flies, which some people eat raw from the hide. Alcoholics tend to be old professionals at it, so not much drunk and disorderly here

Cool. Fun to learn about day to day in Alaska! Thanks for sharing. I secretly want to help with a baby purely as a Good Samaritan. Never know when you might need to jump in and help catch.

Oof getting into those super cold days up there eh? I guess I got to try Beaver some days that sounds delicious.

Yes that window does in fact look into that room it appears to be a nursery and only contains a crib covered with a hanging black shroud. Splitz opens the door to the nursery and for a brief moment you swear you hear a childs lullaby.

We see a shot of Splitz looking into the room then a view from the crib as Splitz glances around. Suddenly as if from nowhere a specter that resembles a terrified skeletally thin woman pears from behind Splitz and screams.

The specter reaches for you and grabs you from behind and suddenly begin to feel your life force being drained 13 Necrotic Damage, and I need you to make a DC:11 Constitution Save.

Initiative Rolls

Specter Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Splitz Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Del Initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15
Ash Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Diaz Initiative: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Initiative Order
Del
Specter
Ash
Diaz
Splitz

Del you're up!

Ok, sorry for the delay. Flight purchases and Christmas cards took up the rest of the day.

Del sees the creepy baby room and then hears the scream in the other room. Jumping involuntarily,
he dashes into the room with his friends, sees the glowing specter and immediately calls out to his god for aid to repel the undead fiend.

Turn undead DC 14

Splitz is surprised by the sudden appearance of the Specter!

Con DC 11: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

He's badly wounded as the necrotic damage eats away at his skin. But he stands fast against the undead menace!

If it attacks me again, I might use my lucky ability on it's roll!

Specter Will Save: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12

The specter shriek's as you present your holy symbol, it glows brightly sending the undead running in fear. The specter takes the disengage action and disappears through the floor.

Splitz your maximum HP is not reduced from the Specter's touch.

Everyone can go!

As the power of Eldath washes over the room, turning the specter, Ash glances at his brother in appreciation, but berates himself for almost allowing a comrade to fall. Behind me! He commands as he grabs Splitz by the collar, and like a secret service agent, bends the baron down and behind him. Ash steps between the baron and the spot on the floor where the specter disappeared. If David allows it, Ash will reposition the baron behind him and next to Del (X on the map) so that Del can heal him next round. I'm not exactly sure where the specter was, so it that movement doesn't put Ash between the specter's last known position and the baron, please put him wherever makes sense.

By Eldath's Grace, brother. You grow in her mercy daily! But for how long will that spirt be repelled? The Baron looks on his last and we need to get out of here before he is killed. Then to Diaz with conviction, but not unkindly: You, Tiefling! Can you stand against a creature such as that? If not, then clear a path to the ground floor and out of this hellish abode. I will bring the Baron right behind you, but will turn to stand against that creature if it returns to cover your escape.

Readied action to move with Splitz if Diaz opens the door. Otherwise, stands defensively in front of Splitz and Del.

Ben, can I do a knowledge check on what the specter was or how powerful I think it was? Maybe that would help us to know if we should be running or standing (assuming I can heal the Baron).

Eldath's power has repelled that creature but it will only be for a short while. I believe it can't come near us until her power wanes.

Channel Divinity: Turn Undead. As an action, you present your holy symbol and speak a prayer censuring the undead. Each undead that can see or hear you within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can’t take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action.

Diaz stares in a daze at the specter running away then jolts at Ash’s words.
Right , then I lead the retreat. Hope the door is still open.
Diaz will lead the way down the steps at a full move and prepare an eldritch blast at any specter he sees.

New computer who dis? Lol! You can give me a Religion Check Del and you belive you can heal Splitz wounds, would you like to do anything Del? And Splitz you're up.

Sorry out of the habit of checking this, will try to do better

Splitz allows Ash to pull him back behind him.

I'm perfectly fine! He lies.

He takes a deep breath in as he gets a second wind.

Second Wind: 1d10 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

He then stands longsword ready to attack should the specter appear.

Ready an attack

religion: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14

heal splitz with cure wounds: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14

After healing he'll move out into the hallway following Diaz if that seems safe.

Well since its fleeing for a whole minute I guess we will go out of initiative.

Well done Del -- it seems to be gone for now. Should we plan to fight it upon it's return or simply try to avoid it? Splitz asks the group.

Do I happen to know anything about it?

Or if we're to face the creature, can we plan for it's return or choose the ground we want to fight on? I fear I'm no strategist.

has anyone faced a creature like that before? Or know anything about it?

Yes, DM needs to say whether the Religion check yielded any info.

Well when it touched me it felt as though it was draining my very life away. We know that at least. So not letting it touch us seems like a good plan. The Baron reveals.

Whoops sorry Matt. You would know this is some kind of specter though it seems to be different from normal ones. They are minor undead but still very dangerous and have the ability to drain your life quite severely.

Also I will try to keep up with posting this week but as I work for a church and this week is Christmas no promises.

using Christmas as an excuse of depriving us of our joy of playing d&d. your heart is obviously 3 sizes to small Grinchy ;) Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas y’all!

Ok, looks like the non-strategist is going to make the strategy :)

If I were stronger I feel my call to Eldath might have killed that fiend, but I know it will be back, and I fear soon. We must destroy it so it doesn't continue to torment this already tormented and destroyed land. What if we spread out, one to each corner if this bedroom, or tucked into the open doorways, so when it comes back we can ambush from all sides? Then we'd be able to focus all our efforts at once. We may not survive this but I feel we should strive anyway. What say you my friends?

If we agree, just move me to a corner and I'd ready an action to attack while trying to hide until he comes back.

it will likely come for you first since you drove it off. Feel like being bait? Stand in the middle and we will spread out. Maybe we can strike it before it gets to you.

That makes sense. I'll be the bait, a tastier treat Ive never seen. Don't let him have too many bites....

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13

It is like Hoth up here. seriously, my house reminds me of echo base. I have 36-40 inch deep trenches to get to the various animal pens. A friend hit my drive way with a loader and there is a vehicle size path with 7-8 foot piles of ice and snow on either side. I shoveled out a widowed coworker on the way home last night and I was moving 30-40 pound blocks of ice on her sidewalk and had to break a foot of ice to open her door. the only grocery store in 200 miles had its roof collapse - along with one of the gas stations and some other buildings. Only good thing is it is too bad for most people to get out. seeing a few people from falls but that is it. had to go to one of my nurse's house who was doing covid hospice for her dad and put her shoulder back in place on Christmas day. It has been fun here. how's life with you guys? Someone want to slap Benj and get him to post?

You could send some pictures of the snow fortress. Sounds cool!! Bummer about the grocery. Are they able to open up or will you have to go super far to restock? Not close to Ben to smack him but would if I could.

most folks go to fairbanks 1-2 times a month for costco and walmart. about 150 miles away. older folks won't leave town in the winter though. sounds like they are mostly down for a couple months, about 1/3 of the roof collapsed.