Summary
Castle Ravenloft is one of the most iconic, if not the most complex, dungeons available inDungeons & Dragons. It’s the perfect climax for a campaign set in Barovia, or if you’re running the Curse of Strahd module. However, though this dungeon is rewarding, it can prove incredibly tricky to run as a Dungeon Master.
You can always go the traditional route and simply draw out the entire map, asking your players to reveal one room at a time via a fog of war mechanic. Or, you can go theater of the mind. Either way, here are some tips and tricks to prepare to run Castle Ravenloft.
10Balance Random Encounters With Exploration
As All Things Should Be
When preparing torun a dungeon crawlinside Castle Ravenloft, you’ll want to make sure you balance random encounters with quieter moments where players can explore rooms at will. There is a random encounter table and rules for using it inside the Curse of Strahd module. However, if you find you’re rolling more random encounters than are worth it, you might want to consider putting it aside.
Castle Ravenloft is enormous, and part of the fun is letting players explore at their own pace. But, if you’re constantly throwing random encounters at them, they might start to rush to find Strahd as they won’t want to run out of spells and HP before finding him. Conversely, if players are dawdling, it might be worth it to throw more random encounters at them.
9Try To Guide Players Toward Strahd
Avoid Aimless Wandering
As mentioned, Castle Ravenloft is huge. This space is so vast that it can be very easy for players to get lost inside it. Depending on their Tarokka Deck reading, you’ll want to try to find ways to subtly guide players toward Strahd so that the dungeon crawl doesn’t run on too long.
One great way to subtly guide players is touse a DMPCin the form of their traveling companion. For example, if Ireena is their companion, she might be able to use her memories to help guide players to the right room, thus expediting the crawl a bit.
8Pay Attention To Treasure
Rewards Are Important Too
Castle Ravenloft is full of random encounters, traps, and other horrors for players to contend with. However, you’ll also want to verify you’re emphasizing rewards for players as well. Otherwise, it’s very easy for this dungeon to become too punishing.
You’ll want to use treasure where you can to incentivize exploration. The more players explore, the more prepared they may be for their final encounter with Strahd. Depending on their reading, there may also be key items inside the dungeon that they need to find to survive.
7Be Careful With Game-Enders
Are You Sure?
Castle Ravenloft has several areas with potentially game-ending traps. While these items can be used for narrative utility in some cases, depending on the vibe of your session, they may prove extremely anticlimactic.
For example, the Brazier Room, which is found in the catacombs, can teleport players to other parts of Barovia. If players come to Ravenloft early, this can prove incredibly helpful. But if this is the climactic game where players are trying to defeat Strahd, sending them all the way back to the Abbey of Saint Markovia can prove extremely anticlimactic. Be careful when players interact with traps like this, and be clear about consequences when you can.
6Use NPCs Sparingly
Avoid Randomness
Parts of the random encounter table in Castle Ravenloft have NPCs that aren’t necessarily trying to harm the party. This can prove just as much of a blessing on the random encounter side of things for players as much as a curse. This is because, depending on where they are in the adventure, these NPCs may feel stuck out of place.
For example, Ezmerelda D’Avenir is a really interesting and compelling NPC. But if players haven’t already met her, she can prove to be a bit aimless by throwing her into Castle Ravenloft. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but depending on your party’s alignment, goals, and place in the adventure, you might want to consider avoiding using too many NPCs in the random encounter table to keep the story moving.
5Atmosphere Is Important
Location, Location, Location
When running a dungeon crawl in Dungeons & Dragons, it can be easy to fall into the trap of being repetitive and stale. Don’t forget to describe rooms and atmosphere in great detail when players enter them, rather than just falling into the pattern of explaining what the room is and having players make mindless Investigation checks.
Part of the fun of Curse of Strahd is creating a successful horror atmosphere. Use music, acute visual description, and other sounds to help make the atmosphere feel spooky and grounded. This will help keep the crawl feeling more engaging throughout.
4Use Passive Perception
Keep Things Moving
Another trap of dungeon crawls is repeated Perception or Investigation checks. Whenever it feels right, feel free to use players' Passive Perceptions rather than asking for Perception or Investigation checks every time they enter a new room. This helps keep the crawl moving at a nice pace.
However, you do want to be careful with relying on Passive Perception too much. If there’s a particularly deadly trap, you might want to call out Perception or Investigation checks directly. Otherwise, players might feel like you’re forcing them into traps that they can’t ever detect because their Passive Perception is too low.
3Avoid Repeats
Nobody Wants To Backtrack
Depending on where their climactic showdown with Strahd takes place, players may have to end up backtracking through a huge portion of the dungeon to find his crypt. While this can prove incredibly exciting, it does mean you’ll want to help keep your players from backtracking before they fight Strahd.
attempt to limit their exploration to a handful of levels if possible. For example, clueing your players into Strahd’s relative location in terms of floors might help so that, when they do have to backtrack to the crypts, this is the first time they’re doing it rather than the second.
2Context Matters
Devil’s In The Details
Hopefully, by the time the party has reached Castle Ravenloft, they have agood idea of Strahd’s backstoryand his relationship to both the castle and Barovia itself. Because the dungeon is so sprawling, using this backstory and context can help players keep the location in their heads, especially if you’re using theater of the mind.
For example, if players come to the chapel, you can give them clues that indicate that this is the same chapel where Sergei and Tatyanna were almost married. Providing this context helps the location stick out in players' minds and makes their trek through the dungeon more emotionally and narratively impactful.
1Be Clear About The Heart Of Sorrow
Help Your Players Help Themselves
This last tip is rather specific, but incredibly important. If players have done battle with Strahd before they arrive at the castle, they’ll likely remember that he has a red, arcane barrier around him at all times. While they can try to break through this barrier normally, destroying the Heart of Sorrow in Castle Ravenloft is extremely helpful for balancing their final battle with Strahd.
If players find the Heart of Sorrow, try to indicate to them that this is connected to Strahd’s barrier. Otherwise, they might assume that destroying it is merely a trap. Remember, rewarding players for exploration and interacting with the castle is just as important as trapping them or punishing them.
