The stakes are high in Curse of Strahd, and they only get higher as you progress through the adventure. This past session was full of tense moments and surprises!

In this series, I’m writing about how I prep my monthly CoS sessions and the results of that preparation. I’ve been able to learn a lot about how I need to prep generally and for this specific group

What was prepped:

  • Recap

This recap was a little under 400 words; we skipped a November session so it had been a little while since the last session. This helped fill in details people had forgotten. It also helped me organize my thoughts on what was coming next.

  • Stat blocks

This time, I prepared the stat blocks for Baba Lysaga, her Creeping Hut, the scarecrows around Berez, and Strahd. Baba Lysaga and her hut are both CR 11; more than a match for our 6th-level party. They gave the scarecrows a wide berth, so they avoided fighting those monsters. And Strahd was a potential encounter should they follow through on their original plan—leave their three NPC friends (including Ireena Kolyana) behind to go speak to Baba Lysaga.

The encounter with Baba Lysaga was pretty rough on the party. Kara, the bard, made a deal with Baba Lysaga to keep everyone alive. In exchange, she willingly submitted to a geas to kill the leader of the wereravens. She has remove curse, which would dispel the geas, but the witch would certainly find out sooner or later that she went against their little agreement.

  • Strahd encounter

On top of that, Strahd attacked the NPCs while the PCs were gone. When the PCs returned, he demanded the holy symbol of ravenkind, or else he would make off with his hostage, one of the NPC party members.

This was also a tense situation, but the party worked together to engineer the NPC’s escape from Strahd’s grasp and a blast of sunlight from the holy symbol of ravenkind. He withdrew for the time being.

  • Berez area

Reading over the area beforehand always helps me better explain the area to the players. We play online, so it’s not as easy to show them maps or draw out what I’m trying to describe. The more familiar I am with the area, the easier time I have fielding player questions.

What was improvised:

  • The deal with Baba Lysaga

I’ve played other characters who’ve used geas before, and Baba Lysaga already has that in her canonical stat block. So when Kara tried to negotiate with her, I could roleplay Baba Lysaga’s “offer.” I even had an “incantation” I had written up for another character’s geas spell.

  • Approaching Argynvostholt

The characters happened to travel towards the mansion called Argynvostholt in search of shelter. I didn’t anticipate this, so I relied heavily on the book for that part.

What I need to prep for next time:

  • Read over Argynvostholt

The party has explored part of the mansion, so I need to read more closely over that section. Namely, I need to determine whether the party’s activities have alerted any other creatures in the mansion. There are a few revenant NPCs in the area, too, so I’ll need to prepare to roleplay them.

  • What Strahd will do next

Strahd is persistent, and he doesn’t want the party to have the holy symbol of ravenkind. I need to figure out his next moves.

Thanks for reading! I’d love to chat in the comments!