# Sergei von Zarovich It would be false to believe Sergei von Zarovich to be less capable than his brother, yet one should not mistake him for his brother either. Ravenloft's usurper could easily be friend or foe. See **Sergei's History** to understand his personality and goals. Although Sergei can be encountered anywhere in his domain, the vampire is always encountered in the place indicated by the card reading in chapter 1, unless he has been forced into his tomb in the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft. ### Sergei's Tactics When running Sergei as Barovia's Demilord, you must play him intelligently and do everything you can to make him a sympathetic and horrifying anti-villain for your players. When you run an encounter with Sergei, keep the following facts in mind: * Sergei does not fight without reason. If players attack him at a lower level, he will take defensive actions, incapacitate them, and leave. Sergei makes efforts to keep his vampire spawn servants alive. * Sergei will share his plight with characters that seem willing to listen to him. He has a particular fondness for clerics and paladins, especially those that serve love deities. * Sergei will not antagonize a creature with the Tatyana's Blood trait under any circumstances. ### The Vampire's Minions Whenever Sergei appears in a location other than his tomb or the place indicated by the card reading, roll a d20 and consult the Sergei’s Minions table to determine what creatures he brings with him, if any. <div class='classTable'> #### Sergei's Minions | d20 | Creatures | | ------------- |:-------------:| | 1-3 | 1d4 + 2 dire wolves | | 4-6 | 1d4 + 2 shadows | | 7-9| 1d4 + 1 revenants| |10-12| 2d4 swarms of bats |13-15| 1d4 + 1 vampire spawn |16-18| 3d6 wolves | |19-20| None </div> If the characters are in a residence, Sergei’s creatures break through doors and windows to reach them, or crawl up through the earth, or swoop down the chimney. The vampire spawn (an old adventuring party that swore loyalty to Sergei) can’t enter the characters’ location unless invited. \columnbreak ### Sergei's History The youngest of his brothers, Prince Sergei von Zarovich lived an easy life granted by his uselessness. While his older brothers Strahd and Sturm became master tacticians of war and wealth, Sergei had no such expectations placed on him. Rather, his purpose was to find some calling that would have him finding a new home as an adult so as to avoid inheritance disputes. He was prepared to enter priesthood following the death of his parents, but that changed upon meeting the love of his life, Tatyana. Sergei and Tatyana did not hesitate in becoming engaged, and his bride-to-be was invited into the newly constructed Ravenloft. The two lovebirds' fairytale was interrupted by the presence of Sergei's eldest brother, Strahd. Though Strahd was off-putting and practically a stranger to both, Sergei desperately wanted his brother to approve of his union. Unfortunately, that approval would never be given. Unbeknownst to Sergei, Strahd harbored an all-consuming envy of Sergei's youth and love. He went so far as to make a deal with a mysterious, evil being in his quest to restore his own youth and win over Tatyana. Shortly before the wedding, Strahd was confronted by his closest military friend. Strahd killed him, and having begun the transformation his deal had bought him, realized he needed to kill Sergei. When he found the couple, Tatyana defended her groom by driving a spear through Strahd's heart. But he did not die. He attacked Sergei and Tatyana fled. It was incredibly fortunate for Sergei that his brother's blood pooled into his mouth after he was killed by Strahd. It was because of that, that he arose an equal to his brother that he had never been in life. Furious, he overpowered and imprisoned Strahd. However he could not contain the evil his brother had unleashed on the world, nor undo that he had been touched by it. Ravenloft and the surrounding lands were engulfed in mist and cut-off from the rest of the world. Tatyana was nowhere to be found. Trapped, immortal, and heartbroken, Sergei claimed his brother's title and assumed rulership of Barovia, and all the while searched for his lost bride. Over time, he turned his allies at Ravenloft into vampire spawn so that they may forever stay by his side and serve him. They know that at his core, Sergei still loves Tatyana and, through that love, maintains some semblance of humanity. But those living in Barovia whisper of the monster that haunts the ancient castle towering over their land. He preys on the vulnerable -- those that find themselves alone and lost and desperate. Worse still, he's a devil that can be bargained with; he'll offer his support to anyone willing to give their blood, no matter how cruel they may be. People that dare venture into the abandoned castle don't always return. > **Tatyana's Blood** >A trait given to one unknowing NPC or PC. It indicates that the character is either Tatyana reincarnated or her descendant, whichever you prefer for your story. \pagebreakNum ### Sergei's Goals Sergei has the following goals in the adventure. #### Find Tatyana Sergei is unable to accept the idea of Tatyana's death and delusionally believes she is still alive. Sergei intends to marry his lost bride and turn her so that they may never again be torn apart. He may mistake any character resembling her for Tatyana, but realizes his error unless they have the Tatyana's Blood trait as a reincarnation. If you have made the character with Tatyana's Blood her descendent, he recognizes that the character is not her, and instead intuitively believes this character is the key to finding his love. Either way, Sergei is persistent in interacting with this character and winning them over. >The following is a list of NPCs that may given the Tatyana's Blood trait, taken from **Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft** which has further descriptions of them, but feel free to choose another character. > | d8 | Character | > |:---:|:---:| > | 1 | Ireena Kolyana | > | 2 | Ez d'Avenir | > | 3 | Vasilka | > |4 | Yasmine and Nasseri | > | 5 | Renoir Laurent | > | 6 | Petra Rilenovich | > | 7 | Vanasia | > | 8 | Quinten L'Argent | #### Pacify the Hunters Second to his goal of finding Tatyana, Sergei wishes to preserve his undead existence. Therefore, he must find some way of dealing with the two vampire hunters in his domain. Ezmerelda d'Avenir has made her presence quite well-known, but has thus far not killed any vampire spawn. Sergei has heard Rudolph Van Richten is hiding somewhere in Barovia, and a few vampire spawn have been mysteriously killed, corroborating this rumor and making the older hunter an active concern. Should either not listen to reason, Sergei is sure either or both would be fine meals for his servants. #### Punish Strahd Sergei's brother remains alive though sealed away in his coffin and paralyzed with a stake. Sergei is aware that his brother cannot truly be killed, but does not know why. Still, he can use that against him and finds amusement in arranging and watching Strahd's death. Sergei may let his brother lose to play the part of the monster or offer him up as a scapegoat. If you find yourself running Strahd, ignore his Legendary Actions and Lair Actions and mind that this is a Strahd without his spellbook or the Heart of Sorrow. He is blood-starved, incoherent, and will attack the nearest character. \columnbreak ### Roleplaying Sergei Sergei is keenly self aware. He may feign ignorance, but he knows he has become apathetic and desensitized to immorality he never would have accepted from himself or others in life. Sergei fears that he has lost all of the man that he once was, the man Tatyana loved. In life, Sergei had been the picture of self-control and compliance. In undeath, he has become unyielding and nearly entirely driven by his emotions. He is prone to outbursts and breakdowns and will use manipulation and violence to get his way. In having become a vampire, his martyrdom was ripped away from him; the completeness and order of death was denied him, and this has left him far too alive. Sergei is unable to move on in any regard. He picks at the wounds that are his brother's betrayal, his missing bride, and his lost future. Characters that try to reason with him will irritate him as he is likely to perceive that as a dismissal of his pain. He will attempt to drag characters that attempt to therapize him into his melancholy. If asked about his centuries long quest for Tatyana, he will share that he feels incomplete without her. He is unlikley to share that he hopes she may return his humanity. Despite his sorrow and anger, Sergei is incredibly charming. He treats people with respect and generosity, though his respect can be lost over seemingly small slights. He takes pride in believing he has become the peaceful ruler Strahd failed to be. Sergei will shower adventurers who show him sympathy with attention and affection, especially if this will drive them away from fellow party members who are suspicious of him. His vampire spawn will show similar warmth or coldness, accordingly. He may offer to turn favored adventurers that he believes are useful. Ultimately, though, he would never grant a vampire spawn independence out of a fear that they would abandon him. ### When Sergei Attacks Sergei is a very outgoing villain. He will take interest in the characters, and they should be frequently encountering him. Yet these encounters do not need to be violent. In fact, as long as the characters show sympathy and respect to Sergei, he will likely be pleasant to interact with. Should he believe that they stand against him, however, he will take to insulting and mocking them. He may compare them to his brother, tease them with a few rounds of combat, and make grandiose gestures to characters that side with him and the character with the Tatyana's Blood trait. If he decides he must harm the characters, he will always insist that they have forced him to resort to such measures. >**Blood-Starved** Consider running vampires as not needing blood for sustenance, but to maintain sanity. When denied blood for long periods of time, they become animalistic, delirious, and lack self-preservation. They may not be able to think clearly enough to speak coherently. \pagebreakNum ___ > ## Sergei von Zarovich > *Medium undead, lawful evil* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 16 (natural armor) > - **Hit Points** 144 (17d8 + 68) > - **Speed** 30 ft. > ___ > |STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| > |:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| > |15 (+2)|18 (+4)|18 (+4)|18 (+4)|18 (+4)|20 (+5)| > ___ > - **Saving Throws** Dex +9, Wis +9, Cha +10 > - **Skills** Perception +9, Deception +10, Religion +9, Stealth +9 > - **Damage Resistances** necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks > - **Senses** darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19 > - **Languages** Celestial, Common, Draconic, Elvish, Giant > - **Challenge** 15 (13,000 XP) > ___ > ***Shapechanger.*** If Sergei isn’t in running water or sunlight, he can use his action to polymorph into a Tiny bat, a Medium wolf, or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into his true form.<br> > <br> >     While in bat or wolf form, Sergei can’t speak. In bat form, his walking speed is 5 feet, and he has a flying speed of 30 feet. In wolf form, his walking speed is 40 feet. His statistics, other than his size and speed, are unchanged. Anything he is wearing transforms with him, but nothing he is carrying does. He reverts to his true form if he dies.<br> > <br> >     While in mist form, Sergei can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. He is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and he can’t pass through water. He has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and he is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage he takes from sunlight. > > ***Legendary Resistance (3/day).*** If the Sergei fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead. > > ***Misty Escape.*** When Sergei drops to 0 hit points outside his coffin, he transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that he isn’t in running water or sunlight. If he can’t transform, he is destroyed.<br> > <br> >     While he has 0 hit points in mist form, he can’t revert to his vampire form, and he must reach his coffin within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in his coffin, he reverts to his vampire form. He is then paralyzed until he regains at least 1 hit point. After 1 hour in his coffin with 0 hit points, he regains 1 hit point. > ___ > > ***Regeneration.*** Sergei regains 20 hit points at the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in running water or sunlight. If he takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn. > > ***Spider Climb.*** Sergei can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without having to make an ability check. > > ***Spellcasting.*** Sergei is a 9th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). Sergei has the following paladin spells prepared:<br> > <br> > 1st level (4 slots): _command, hellish rebuke, wrathful smite_<br> > 2nd level (3 slots): _branding smite, magic weapon_<br> > 3rd level (2 slots): _blinding smite, spirit shroud_ > > ***Sergei's Love.*** Depending if a creature with the Tatyana's Blood trait is within 15 feet of Sergei, his abilities change. <br> >     When Sergei is within 15 feet of a creature with Tatyana's Blood whom Sergei knows has this trait, he enters a state driven by love. In this state, Sergei’s Regeneration ability causes him to regain 40 hit points at the start of its turn instead of 20, he gains a +2 to its AC (AC of 18), and he can use his reaction to warn the creature of an attack, giving the attack made against it disadvantage.<br> >     When Sergei is not within 15 feet of a creature it knows to have the Tatyana's Blood trait, he enters a state of yearning. In this state, Sergei can both cast a spell and make one claw or bite attack as part of his action. He gains 10 feet of movement (40 feet of movement), and he gains a +2 to all necrotic damage it inflicts. > > ***Vampire Weaknesses.*** Sergei has the following flaws:<br> > <br> >     Forbiddance. He can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.<br> > <br> >     Harmed by Running Water. He takes 20 acid damage if he ends his turn in running water.<br> > <br> >     Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated in his coffin, he is paralyzed until the stake is removed.<br> > <br> >     Sunlight Hypersensitivity. While in sunlight, Sergei takes 20 radiant damage at the start of his turn, and he has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. \pagebreakNum ___ > ### Actions > ***Multiattack (Vampire Form Only).*** Sergei makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack. > > ***Sergei's Longsword (Vampire Form Only).*** _Melee Weapon Attack:_ +10 Reach 5 ft., one target<br> >     _Hit:_ 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage or 10 (1d10 + 5) slashing damage if used with two hands. >     The first time Sergei attacks with this sword on each of his turns, he can transfer some or all of the sword's bonus (+3) to his Armor Class, instead of using the bonus on any attacks that turn. For example, he could reduce the bonus to his attack and damage rolls to +1 and gain +2 to AC. The adjusted bonuses remain in effect until the start of his next turn, although he must hold the sword to gain a bonus to AC from it. > > > ***Unarmed Strike (Vampire or Wolf Form Only).*** _Melee Weapon Attack:_ +7 Reach 5 ft., one target<br> >     _Hit:_ 8 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage<br> >     If the target is a creature, Sergei can grapple it (escape DC 16) instead of dealing the slashing damage. > > ***Bite.*** _Melee Weapon Attack:_ +7, Reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by Sergei, incapacitated, or restrained<br> >     Hit: 7 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage<br> >     The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Sergei regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under Sergei’s control. > > ***Charm.*** Sergei targets one humanoid he can see within 30 feet of him. If the target can see Sergei, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed. The charmed target regards Sergei as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. The target isn’t under Sergei’s control, but it takes Sergei’s requests and actions in the most favorable way and lets Sergei bite it.<br> >     Each time Sergei or his companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until Sergei is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect. > \columnbreak ___ > ***Children of the Night (1/Day).*** Sergei magically calls 2d4 swarms of bats or swarms of rats, provided that the sun isn’t up. While outdoors, Sergei can call 3d6 wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of Sergei and obeying his spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until Sergei dies, or until he dismisses them as a bonus action. > >***Eternal Flame (1/Day).*** Sergei targets a creature with the Tatyana's Blood trait within 15 feet of him whom he knows has this trait that is currently making death saving throws. The target regains half of its hit points at the start of its turn. > ### Legendary Actions > Sergei von Zarovich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. Sergei von Zarovich regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn. > > **Move.** Sergei moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks. > > **Attack.** Sergei makes one unarmed strike or attacks once with his sword. > > **Bite (Costs 2 Actions).** Sergei makes one bite attack. > ### Lair Actions > While Sergei is in Castle Ravenloft, he can take lair actions as long as he isn't incapacitated On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Sergei can take one of the following lair action options, or forgo using any of them in that round: > > > * Sergei targets any number of doors and windows that he can see, causing each one to either open or close as he wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (needing a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until Sergei chooses to end the effect, or until Sergei uses this lair action again. > > * Sergei may change location in the castle by passing a threshold. He disappears and reappears as though using _misty step_. > > * Each vampire spawn in Ravenloft can pinpoint the location of each living creature within 120 feet of it until initiative count 20 on the next round. > > * Sergei targets one hostile non-undead creature with the spellcasting ability that he can see. Until initiative count 20 on the next round, if the targeted creature tries to cast a spell of 4th level or lower in Ravenloft, they are wracked with pain. The creature can choose another action, but if it tries to cast the spell, it must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it takes (1d6) necrotic damage per level of the spell, and the spell has no effect and is wasted. \pagebreakNum ## Notes on Running This This has become part of a much larger project expanding on and rewriting various elements of the original campaign. For updates, more information, or whatever else, I can be found at dunmeshi.tumblr.com Can you believe this really fucks with the module? There's a few things you really need to sort out before inserting Sergei into your campaign. I'm sure this is not an exaustive list, but it's what I could think of and the solutions I came up with. Ultimately, how to handle these issues is your decision. ### Fortunes of Ravenloft Changes must be made to the Fortunes of Ravenloft as they are centered around Strahd. #### The Treasures The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind can remain the same but the other two treasures provide issues. * I have written Sergei as a paladin with a magical sword, if you can find some way to still justify the existence of the Sunsword, that's great. I can't. I've also written Sergei in such a way that this doesn't need to end in a boss fight (we'll get to that later). If you want your players to have a weapon to aid them, you can beef up a Sun Blade or... give them Strahd's sword! Consider giving them a Nine Lives Stealer or Blackrazor longsword. * You could fix the Tome by just making it Sergei's instead, but I think a more interesting choice would be to make it Tatyana's, especially if you are running this with descendent of Tatyana's. #### Sergei's Enemy This one is again made difficult by the fact I wrote Sergei with a nonviolent ending option in mind. Maybe instead of his enemy, this card should be thought of as denoting your players' ally. The majority of the list by this metric is fine, with the exception of the Mad Mage. He's not necessarily a problem, but his backstory may require some reworking. You may consider substituting these characters in if you want allies more inclined to killing Sergei. * Patrina as the Seer * Rahadin as the Broken One or the Ghost * Strahd as the Horseman or the Ghost ### NPCs #### The Dusk Elves Patrina's alive! Though not a vampire, she has weaseled her way into Sergei's court and is manipulating him to her own ends. She wants to uncover the source of vampirism, believing that doing so will lead her to a wealth of magical knowledge that would allow her to take control of Barovia. Rahadin is either dead or in hiding. As Strahd's most loyal ally, he is too much of a threat to be allowed to stay in Ravenloft. If alive, he is likely plotting on how to free Strahd. I've chosen to have him hide in cave hidden by the Tser Pool, inspired by Varikov the Trapper (and Jander spent some time possibly in the same cave?). \columnbreak #### The Dusk Elves (cont.) Kasimir has the most open-ended potential. He probably isn't too pleased about Patrina's behavior, but there's the possibilty she's manipulating him too. Maybe he believes her goal is rooted in wanting to free the dusk elves rather than her being power hungry. Regardless, he likely is much more present of a leader here because the dusk elves did not face the same massacre and oppression. I would suggest running the encampment outside Vallaki as an elven village with few if any Vistani present. #### Strahd So earlier I said if you ran Strahd you should keep in mind that he doesn't have his spellbook, well technically he probably shouldn't have spells at all, or at least lower level spells. That's because, at least off of old canon, Azalin was his primary wizard teacher after he became a vampire. You can ignore that, but it's also a good way to nerf Strahd if you are wanting him to be a more prominent NPC. Reconciliation is absolutely not an option for the brothers. Both see the other as having stolen their life. Also, Strahd is Barovia's Darklord! He is an imprisoned darklord, but he is still a darklord. #### The Revenants You may have noticed I included the revenants as an option on the Sergei's Minions table. Since they are very explicitly enemies of Strahd and Sergei also hates Strahd, they have a sort of truce. As usual, Godfrey recognizes that this is causing them to be consumed by their hatred. If you wish to have them less involved, perhaps replace their spot on the table with Patrina? #### Vistani The Vistani in Barovia are not allied with Sergei nor are they against him. Madam Eva is still looking after him as his half-sister just as she does with Strahd. They are likely less present. ### Ravenloft I haven't been completely honest with you, DM. This honestly should have come first. There are two Ravenlofts in this Barovia. There is Strahd's Ravenloft. It is decrepit, horribly dusty, and filled with strange noises. Young adults from the village of Barovia often dare each other into entering, and all return with stories of muffled laughter, sobs, and conversations with no source. Some return saying they heard pained cries, rasping, and banging coming from below the castle. If any were to venture into Ravenloft's depths, they would find the source to be a locked tomb within the catacombs. This is where Sergei keeps his brother. Then there is Sergei's Ravenloft. Sergei is a demilord: someone who may become a prisoner of the mists but hasn't yet. He is weaker but less corrupt. It still warrants a domain, though, and like many demilords, Sergei's is located within a larger domain. Over the centuries, Ravenloft split into two with the castle Sergei occupies becoming a demiplane occupying the same space. Sergei can decide which Ravenloft visitors enter, but usually defaults to Strahd's. With the help of his vampire spawn servants, his Ravenloft has been kept in good condition -- and the reason many believe \pagebreakNum ### Ravenloft (cont.) the other to be haunted. This castle is grand, but it feels... off. Most of its occupants don't sleep, and those that do are glassy eyed 'donors' who largely ignored by the vampires outside of mealtime. Sergei prides himself in only biting the willing and in self defense. Your players will most likely meet Sergei upon their second venture into Ravenloft. ### The Ending There are much larger and older forces at play here than the brothers Zarovich. Or at least there are in my project. You can go with the basic endings: "The players kill Sergei." or "The players are killed or turned by Sergei." But there are other options. I am drawing some inspiration from the Adventurer's League module and suggest pulling in Evening Glory. She sympathizes with Sergei; she longs to be free just as he longs for Tatyana. And she believes she can orchestrate events so they both get what they want. She is corrupted into an evil alignment and will go to even greater lengths than Sergei in pursuing her goal. The heroes could interfere with that. Perhaps they undo Sergei's vampirism or restore Evening Glory. Much to think about. Bringing greater focus to the Amber Temple provides endings that don't involve fighting Sergei (but may involve fighting Vampyr or Evening Glory). That doesn't mean it needs to be an easy ending. Sergei is set in his ways and is unlikely to be won over by anyone without the Tatyana's Blood trait. Even then, they need to have an explanation of what happened to Tatyana before Sergei is ready to let go of his undeath. Similarly, attoning a goddess is no easy task. It requires the party discovering she is influencing Sergei, realizing she needs attoned, researching her cult, restoring any ruined sacred spaces, and freeing her from her sarcophagus. #### Credit I just want to make it clear that I used Antonio Demico/Pointy Hat's Lust Vampire abilities in Sergei's statblock! ## Have Fun!