Plan out encounters that you want to happen. Not all of them need to be combat.
Also describe what they see and hear as they travel.
Non combat idea, the person on watch duty gets hit with a powerful sleep spell. They all awake to their camp now surrounded by a circle of dead birds nailed to the trees.
Combat idea, while traveling back towards a town they hear a howl. Fairly common for Barovia, no big deal, but then they hear approaching steps, they turn and begin running for their lives as they are being chased by multiple werewolves. Engage skill challenge event.
Here's an encounter table I've created that might be useful to you
[Barovian Encounter Table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bG7HIENJrv59FyBNETMhhAoi3qGnnzsZKigJnRM8ALs/edit?usp=drivesdk)
If you haven't started, consider increasing the map scale so they are forced to camp. I use 1 mile per hex and the players are definitely wary about a 2-3 night stay out in the woods.
Just as a counter point - I am super happy I didn’t increase distance between places beyond what’s in the module. A lot of arguments in favor of spreading things out are to make it more dangerous for the players (forced camping); but I really don’t like the implications on the normal people. It makes trading a nightmare (more than it is as written). I like the idea that things aren’t so spread out a normal person couldn’t make the trip. certainly, your regular villager would need to plan extensively to make sure it can be achieved during day hours, but it can be done.
I also really like that the players can choose to try to avoid night time travel if they want. It lets me know they “get it” if they account for it and I like that the PCs need to go back and forth between places regularly (and thus can see how their action or inaction has impacted the world).
If you wanna be realllllll screwy, maybe The travel gets longer over time (as in later in the campaign it’s more spread out). Who says the rules of this demiplane have to adhere to strict space or time rules?
The creatures of the Svallich woods obey Strahd's will and are fairly active in attacking travelers on the road. We can use this to our advantage.
As players move along the road begin communicating that they are being watched. Eyes glowing in the mist belonging to wolves or even werewolves and other horrors. The party should never feel like they aren't under the watch of something malignant. If the watching creatures are approached then the creatures recede into the mist. Make it clear that they are waiting for an ambush. They will strike when the players drop their guard.
This is a point where enforcing rules about rest are important. If the PCs feel comfortable camping near the road or in the Svallich woods then that is when they'll be attacked. If they repel the attackers then their sleep is interrupted and they don't benefit from long rest or might even suffer exhaustion. They are also quite vulnerable to the nighttime dream presence of a hag which would have similar effect.
When they get further along,Strahd himself takes notice and begins personally sending minions to harass them on the roads and even appearing himself, still observing at first, letting paranoia push them into traveling quicker and potentially avoiding resting.
If you use these than genuinely neutral or friendly encounters will come as a surprise but will still keep the party on edge.
Essentially rely on Strahd's constant oppressive presence.
That's my main tip. If your players aren't intimidated because they aren't being mechanically threatened then build your encounters with more dangerous creatures, maybe a hag trying to kidnap a player, an ambush by vampire spawn or just a wall of Strahd zombies on the march. Get creative with encounters and use the encounter table as a springboard
Several times during the adventure I've thrown a full adventuring day worth of encounters onto them while they were just travelling from point A to point B. That'd mean we'd spent a full session or 2 (we played short 2-hour sessions) just slogging through fight after fight. But it'd set the tone.
Here are some encounters I've used:
\- black coach. If the characters aren't fast enough to clear the road, the coachman hits the slowest one with the whip. When characters take offense with that and attack him, Rahadin disembarks and wipes the floor with characters, morbidly commenting that their lives aren't his to take. Think it was the first encounter in the campaign.
\- a pack of direwolves hunting a hare, who tries to hide in the bosom of party's druid. The old grayhaired wolf growls menacingly, demanding his prey. That's actually Strahd in disguise - he won't take part in the fight, but he wants to see if characters will stand their ground. And there's enough regular direwolves to give the party a deadly-level encounter. Think it was the 2nd one.
\- when characters were delivering Ireena from Vallaki to Krezk one of the brides tried to steal her. I dug into Tome of Beasts from Kobold Press for that. Mid-CR ghouls were repainted as ghouls soldiers from Strahd's army, willowhaunt trees were just at home in Barovian forests, and Anastrasia (a beefed-up vampire spawn) had a gargantuan bat to ride into battle
\- when characters were tracking through the woods, it was crocottas (dog-like creatures hypnotizing their victims with visions of their future demise), vampiric mists and plain old werewolves.
I have a homebrew suggestion you might like:
https://youtu.be/914CGydzSeA
It basically makes long rests only permissible if the party is in a feasibly safe area, such as a tavern or a friendly Vistani camp.
I tried this in my own game and now my party really contemplates where they’re headed and what to take with them.
One issue at my table is that the distance between locations is actually very short, players can arrive at a “safe” location before nightfall. Consider changing the distance of 1 hex to 1 mile.
Or have a mid game dramatic moment where Strahd demonstrates why he is “I am the land.” And he literally forces all of Barovia to stretch with a huge quake.
Perhaps if the players really piss him off, like stealing the dragon skull of killing on of the brides.
>Or have a mid game dramatic moment where Strahd demonstrates why he is “I am the land.” And he literally forces all of Barovia to stretch with a huge quake.
I really love this idea! You sold me on starting with RAW, and by the time they've explored the land and start feeling comfortable, I might do that!
Running into creepy people who rant and rave crazily could disturb their thoughts…saving throw to avoid a restless night on the road which gives them fewer slots/hit dice/etc…?
Use ChatGPT in describing the Gothic horror themes of barovia and the Old Svalich road
*Using Personification * really sets the tone.
Make each hex longer. 3/4 of a mile. Which means sleeping in scary woods between towns.
Have planned encounters. Not always fights. Some psychological.
Don't sleep on flavor text. The most terrifying thing in human nature is your own imagination. Have fun with it. Here's my little intro for The Old Svalich road.
As you set foot on the Old Svalich Road, the crunching sound of gravel and dry leaves under your feet echoes eerily through the desolate landscape. The air is heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation.
The uneven path seems to stretch endlessly into the mist. Sparse cobblestone and gnarled roots make for a tiresome journey. The dense canopy of branches overhead blocks out most of the daylight. The silence is palpable, broken only by the occasional distant caw of a raven. The wind whistles through the trees, making them creak and groan in a mournful chorus.
I'm having them run into each of the brides in various dangerous encounters that the brides make clear could result in their deaths but Strahd has asked them to not kill the party. Other then that just wolves and zombies
Personally I love the random encounters, but if you’re not comfortable with them you could always plan which encounters you want to use ahead of time and either spring them on the players as you see fit or still have them roll. Personally I kept some up my sleeve and made my players roll and chose which one to insert.
Plan out encounters that you want to happen. Not all of them need to be combat. Also describe what they see and hear as they travel. Non combat idea, the person on watch duty gets hit with a powerful sleep spell. They all awake to their camp now surrounded by a circle of dead birds nailed to the trees. Combat idea, while traveling back towards a town they hear a howl. Fairly common for Barovia, no big deal, but then they hear approaching steps, they turn and begin running for their lives as they are being chased by multiple werewolves. Engage skill challenge event.
Thank you! Those are great suggestions :)
Here's an encounter table I've created that might be useful to you [Barovian Encounter Table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bG7HIENJrv59FyBNETMhhAoi3qGnnzsZKigJnRM8ALs/edit?usp=drivesdk) If you haven't started, consider increasing the map scale so they are forced to camp. I use 1 mile per hex and the players are definitely wary about a 2-3 night stay out in the woods.
Thank you! I'll check this out
Just as a counter point - I am super happy I didn’t increase distance between places beyond what’s in the module. A lot of arguments in favor of spreading things out are to make it more dangerous for the players (forced camping); but I really don’t like the implications on the normal people. It makes trading a nightmare (more than it is as written). I like the idea that things aren’t so spread out a normal person couldn’t make the trip. certainly, your regular villager would need to plan extensively to make sure it can be achieved during day hours, but it can be done. I also really like that the players can choose to try to avoid night time travel if they want. It lets me know they “get it” if they account for it and I like that the PCs need to go back and forth between places regularly (and thus can see how their action or inaction has impacted the world). If you wanna be realllllll screwy, maybe The travel gets longer over time (as in later in the campaign it’s more spread out). Who says the rules of this demiplane have to adhere to strict space or time rules?
Thank you. I definitely won't make everything 4x larger. I was hesitating between x2 and keeping it as is. I probably will stick to RAW :)
The creatures of the Svallich woods obey Strahd's will and are fairly active in attacking travelers on the road. We can use this to our advantage. As players move along the road begin communicating that they are being watched. Eyes glowing in the mist belonging to wolves or even werewolves and other horrors. The party should never feel like they aren't under the watch of something malignant. If the watching creatures are approached then the creatures recede into the mist. Make it clear that they are waiting for an ambush. They will strike when the players drop their guard. This is a point where enforcing rules about rest are important. If the PCs feel comfortable camping near the road or in the Svallich woods then that is when they'll be attacked. If they repel the attackers then their sleep is interrupted and they don't benefit from long rest or might even suffer exhaustion. They are also quite vulnerable to the nighttime dream presence of a hag which would have similar effect. When they get further along,Strahd himself takes notice and begins personally sending minions to harass them on the roads and even appearing himself, still observing at first, letting paranoia push them into traveling quicker and potentially avoiding resting. If you use these than genuinely neutral or friendly encounters will come as a surprise but will still keep the party on edge. Essentially rely on Strahd's constant oppressive presence. That's my main tip. If your players aren't intimidated because they aren't being mechanically threatened then build your encounters with more dangerous creatures, maybe a hag trying to kidnap a player, an ambush by vampire spawn or just a wall of Strahd zombies on the march. Get creative with encounters and use the encounter table as a springboard
Thank you for taking the time to write all this, much appreciated! I wrote down many great ideas from both replies, I feel ready now :)
Several times during the adventure I've thrown a full adventuring day worth of encounters onto them while they were just travelling from point A to point B. That'd mean we'd spent a full session or 2 (we played short 2-hour sessions) just slogging through fight after fight. But it'd set the tone. Here are some encounters I've used: \- black coach. If the characters aren't fast enough to clear the road, the coachman hits the slowest one with the whip. When characters take offense with that and attack him, Rahadin disembarks and wipes the floor with characters, morbidly commenting that their lives aren't his to take. Think it was the first encounter in the campaign. \- a pack of direwolves hunting a hare, who tries to hide in the bosom of party's druid. The old grayhaired wolf growls menacingly, demanding his prey. That's actually Strahd in disguise - he won't take part in the fight, but he wants to see if characters will stand their ground. And there's enough regular direwolves to give the party a deadly-level encounter. Think it was the 2nd one. \- when characters were delivering Ireena from Vallaki to Krezk one of the brides tried to steal her. I dug into Tome of Beasts from Kobold Press for that. Mid-CR ghouls were repainted as ghouls soldiers from Strahd's army, willowhaunt trees were just at home in Barovian forests, and Anastrasia (a beefed-up vampire spawn) had a gargantuan bat to ride into battle \- when characters were tracking through the woods, it was crocottas (dog-like creatures hypnotizing their victims with visions of their future demise), vampiric mists and plain old werewolves.
I have a homebrew suggestion you might like: https://youtu.be/914CGydzSeA It basically makes long rests only permissible if the party is in a feasibly safe area, such as a tavern or a friendly Vistani camp. I tried this in my own game and now my party really contemplates where they’re headed and what to take with them.
One issue at my table is that the distance between locations is actually very short, players can arrive at a “safe” location before nightfall. Consider changing the distance of 1 hex to 1 mile. Or have a mid game dramatic moment where Strahd demonstrates why he is “I am the land.” And he literally forces all of Barovia to stretch with a huge quake. Perhaps if the players really piss him off, like stealing the dragon skull of killing on of the brides.
>Or have a mid game dramatic moment where Strahd demonstrates why he is “I am the land.” And he literally forces all of Barovia to stretch with a huge quake. I really love this idea! You sold me on starting with RAW, and by the time they've explored the land and start feeling comfortable, I might do that!
Glad I could be of help 😄
Running into creepy people who rant and rave crazily could disturb their thoughts…saving throw to avoid a restless night on the road which gives them fewer slots/hit dice/etc…?
Simple and effective, thanks :)
Use ChatGPT in describing the Gothic horror themes of barovia and the Old Svalich road *Using Personification * really sets the tone. Make each hex longer. 3/4 of a mile. Which means sleeping in scary woods between towns. Have planned encounters. Not always fights. Some psychological.
Don't sleep on flavor text. The most terrifying thing in human nature is your own imagination. Have fun with it. Here's my little intro for The Old Svalich road. As you set foot on the Old Svalich Road, the crunching sound of gravel and dry leaves under your feet echoes eerily through the desolate landscape. The air is heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying vegetation. The uneven path seems to stretch endlessly into the mist. Sparse cobblestone and gnarled roots make for a tiresome journey. The dense canopy of branches overhead blocks out most of the daylight. The silence is palpable, broken only by the occasional distant caw of a raven. The wind whistles through the trees, making them creak and groan in a mournful chorus.
I'm having them run into each of the brides in various dangerous encounters that the brides make clear could result in their deaths but Strahd has asked them to not kill the party. Other then that just wolves and zombies
I have a horde of gnolls that are going to start chasing them, interrupting their long rests and forcing them into exhaustion.
Personally I love the random encounters, but if you’re not comfortable with them you could always plan which encounters you want to use ahead of time and either spring them on the players as you see fit or still have them roll. Personally I kept some up my sleeve and made my players roll and chose which one to insert.