SMDT Game #1—Session Plan

Lover Sundowner (Murdoc)

Character. Human Sailor Cleric of Light. Wise, hardy, and dextrous. Unintelligent. Adept in athletics, medicine, perception, and stealth. Speaks draconic. War Caster for concentration; Warding Flare (4/day) to impose disadvantage. Additional radiant damage on attack. 17 passive Perception. Channel Divinity (Destroy Undead). Spell scroll (mass cure wounds).

Spells. Sacred flame, guidance, flaming sphere, fireball, daylight, guardian of faith, wall of fire

Tilanthas (Lee)

Character. Half-Elf Hexblade Warlock. Charismatic, hardy, and dextrous. Weak. Adept in persuasion. War Caster for concentration; fey ancestry (resistance to charm; cannot be magically put to sleep). Devil's sight (for darkness).

Spells. Eldritch blast, green-flame blade, hellish rebuke, blur, mirror image, fly, counterspell, dimension door

Xav Berdak (Todd)

Character. Fae Hobgoblin Divination Wizard. Intelligent, wise, hardy, and dextrous. Uncharismatic. Adept in arcana, history, insight, and perception. Telekinetic feat. Fey ancestry (resistance to charm; cannot be magically put to sleep). Portent (2 d20s/day).

Spells. Mage hand, mind sliver, detect magic, magic missile, shield, absorb elements, counterspell, fireball, haste, sickening radiance, misty step, locate object, invisibility, mind spike.

Marcia (HumanFarmerMan)

Character. Half-Elf Arcane Trickster Rogue. Dextrous, intelligent, and charismatic. Weak. Adept in acrobatics, deception, investigation, persuasion, sleight of hand, and stealth. Fey ancestry (resistance to charm; cannot be magically put to sleep). Telekinetic feat. Thieves' tools.

Spells. Booming blade, message, disguise slef, silent image, silvery barbs, invisibility, spider climb.

Ismark (Schelling)

Character. Human Zealot Barbarian. Strong, dextrous, and hardy. Unintelligent. Adept at animal handling, athletics, and perception. Rages and divine fury (radiant damage on melee hit). +2 greatsword and javelins.

[Lingering Injuries table removed; see DMG p. 272]

Approaching the Castle

The characters are all in a carriage racing towards Castle Ravenloft. Lightning streaks through the sky and thunder rumbles all around them. They are traveling at this breakneck pace with legendary vampire hunter Rudolph van Richten, after he gathered them in a last-ditch effort to kill Strahd von Zarovich. He frantically explains what he has learned to them, and displays the tarokka cards and their cryptic clues.

The Tarokka Reading

Strahd's Arrival

Then, as the carriage crosses the rickety bridge to Castle Ravenloft, a gargoyle swoops from the sky and tears Van Richten from the cart and the two plummet over one thousand feet into the gorge beneath the castle.

The carriage careens into courtyard of Castle Ravenloft and crashes as the horses fall mysteriously dead. The characters are hurled from the carriage into the courtyard. As they rise, muddy and soaked through, a massive and ghostly apparition of Strahd appears before them. He cackles at their misfortune and raises an hourglass filled with blood-red sand. He looks down upon them and says:

“I am the ancient. I am the land. I am Count Strahd von Zarovich. Gaze upon me and tremble, foolish hunters. The walls of Castle Ravenloft are my domain, and here, I reign supreme. You wish to hunt me down? So be it. We are but four hours from planar midnight. I grant you four cosmic hours to explore the castle, uncover its mysteries, and confront me." Strahd turns over the hourglass and the sands begin to trickle into the bottom bell. "But when the sands of time run out, so too will your lives. Welcome to Castle Ravenloft. Welcome… to your doom!”

Strahd cackles, and his apparition and his voice fade into the mist as the doors of Castle Ravenloft swing open behind him. The characters stand in the Front Courtyard (area K1), and the door opens into the Entry (area K7). Begin countdown.