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One of the most important elements of anyDungeons & Dragonsadventure is an adventure hook, and the iconic Curse of Strahd module is no exception. As players don’t begin their adventure in the land known as Barovia, you’ll need to use a clever hook to get players interested in exploring this realm and impart the stakes of the campaign.
Luckily, the adventure module offers four different adventure hooks for players to use in their campaign. For this guide, we’re going to break down each adventure hook and offer some insights into each one, so you can run the perfect Curse of Strahd adventure.
What Does An Adventure Hook Do?
As alluded to,adventure hooks are plot devices that lure players into the storylineof a horror campaign like Curse of Strahd.
When running each of these adventure hooks,consider the following detailsto determine which one is best for your table.
Details
Connection To The Party
When selecting an adventure hook,ask yourself whether this adventure hook could connect to the partyin some way.
Namely, can this hook connect to a player’s backstory, established character personality, or the table’s vibe as a whole?If the answer is yes, consider using the adventure hookfor your party.
Establishment Of Tone
Adventure hooks should establish the proper tonefor your campaign; so ask yourself, what tone are you trying to establish?
Do you prefer horror campaigns to bemore gruesome or more gothic?Or, would your table prefer a different tone altogether?
Party Playstyle
Whattype of playstyledoes your table enjoy?
Are theymore focused on combat or roleplay?Whatever the answer, tailor your adventure hook to your party’s preferred playstyle.
If you are planning to run Session Zeros before Curse of Strahd,use the session to helpinfer what type of adventure hook would be best for your table.
Plea For Help
In this first adventure hook,the party is approached by a peculiarly dressed strangerwhile the group is staying at a tavern.
The stranger offers the party a letter, inviting them to Baroviawith a request for aid from intrepid heroes.
DMs should feel free to adjust the details of the letter to entice the party witha reward that appeals to them.
If the party accepts the request, they may set off in the direction of Barovia, only to find thatthe mists of Barovia engulf them, trapping them there.
For this adventure hook,there are three key NPCs to note:
The NPC that gifts the party the letter is Arrigal, a Vistani who pretends to serve Burgomaster Irndirovich, but actually serves Strahd.
Use this hook if your party enjoys roleplay and is motivated by money, as this is likely to hook them into the adventure.
This adventure hook is all about deception, tricking the party into thinking that Ireena needs help, and that the Burgomaster will offer them wealth beyond their wildest dreams.
To learn more details about the letter and this hook,refer to the Appendix in Curse of Strahdto see Arrigal’s forged letter.
Mysterious Visitors
In this next adventure hook,players are asked by locals to scare off a group of rowdy travelerswho have camped nearby. This encampment is actually a Vistani band.
Should players accept the request to ward off the Vistani, the traveling band will agree to leaveso long asthe party sits by the fire and hears a tale.
There are two key NPCsfor this adventure hook:
If, at any time, players seem to be uninterested in the adventure hook, or are refusing the call to adventure,simply have the mists of Barovia engulf them.
This adventure hook is also largely roleplay-focused and isbest used for morally upright partieswithlawful or good alignments.
Duchess Morwen is an NPC from the town of Daggerford, which is part of the Sword Coast’s Adventurer’s Guide campaign setting.
Stanimir tells the party much about Strahd’s backstoryand the land of Barovia, making this also an excellent hook for parties that enjoy lore.
Once the party hears the tale of Strahd and Barovia,they will be invited back to help the lands of Barovia, at which point, the mists of Ravenloft engulf the party.
Werewolves In The Mist
This next adventure hook can be tailored to be combat-focused, and also assumes that you are connecting Curse of Strahd to a campaign set in Daggerford and using factions featured in the Adventurers League like the Harpers.
If you use this adventure hook,consider featuring the werewolf NPCs and enemies in Barovia more prominentlyto connect this hook to the larger story.
‘Werewolves in the Mist’ entices players by luring them to the sight ofseveral werewolf attacks, which have plagued the town of Daggerford.
If players are in a particular faction, they get specific information about the attacks, depending on which one they belong to.
Whileeach faction offers different informationabout the werewolf pack, the key idea is the same: werewolves are crossing through a portal to attack Daggerford, andthe party must put a stop to it.
If players take on the request to fight the werewolves,they can either search in vain or you can have them do battle with the werewolves, subsequently following them through the mists when the lycanthropes give chase.
Alternatively, as before,if players don’t find the werewolves, the mists engulf them regardless.
Creeping Fog
This last adventure hook is the most simpleand straightforward, and can be used in tandem with any of the above hooks should the players veer off course.
Many DMs use the ‘Creeping Fog’ hook if they’re inserting Curse of Strahd into an ongoing campaign, as this onerequires the least setup.
In this hook,players are simply walking through a forest, or any wooded area they happen to be in already, andthe mists of Barovia engulf them, leading them to Strahd.
