Raising

the
Stakes
T h e E s s e n t i a l C u r s e o f S t r a h d C o m pa n ion

Dungeons and Catacombs

Delve into the deepest part of Castle Raven-
loft with this module guide for
Curse of Strahd

A module guide from Lunch Break Heroes

Credits Platinum Tier
• Adrian E • Monica Jones
Lead Designer: Steve Miller
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Writers: Holly Abair, Steve Miller, Sven Truckenbrodt
• Andy D’Amato • Nick
Special Thanks • Brenton Snyder • Ross Beal
• Chocodave • Shaun Coleman
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nificant contributions to this guide, either directly or • Dash Panther derer
indirectly. • Ícaro Mota • Steve Durr
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• DragnaCarta • Jay Leclerc • Thomas Stanley,
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• Sorcelle • Johnathan Ryder • Tyler
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• • Kevin Brandon • Zlatan Pilipović
Patrons • Lucas Hamrock

This guide was made possible through the generous

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Gold Tier
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• Alex Bishop • Justin Scott
• Alexander Ehrhardt • Kyle McGowan
• Alexander Reustle • Matt Logsdon
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• Jonathan Cabral • Spencer Bodine Disclaimer: Lunch Break Heroes is not liable for
• Jonathan Mercer • Talon ReQuo any loss of limbs, sanity, or soul that may arise as
• Joseph B Gilliam • Tomas Däveskog a result of using this guide to traverse the lands of
• Joseph Trueblood • Trenton Mynatt Barovia. We are additionally indemnified against
• Joshua Audlee • Will Brensdal the effects that any player might experience after
• Joshua Stath • Xavier Madison eating at Morgantha’s diner.
• Julie Pihlmann
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DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Curse of Strahd, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eber-
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Dungeon and Catacombs

S
ergei’s tomb and the tombs of King Barov and
Queen Ravenovia are extremely important A suppressed sobbing and crying echoes down the south-
to Strahd, yet there are no penalties to dese- ern steps. It is so pure in its suffering that it immediately
crating the former and the latter are not even fills your heart with sadness. It sounds faintly familiar as
accessible to Strahd himself. We have changed these well, and then you catch the meaning of one drawn-out
moan—a name: “Gertruda…”
areas so the players can understand their significance
and made them more logical parts of Strahd’s history.
Exploring some areas in the Dungeons and Cata- Gertruda, Mad Mary’s adult daughter, is currently re-
combs does not further the story of Curse of Strahd, siding in Castle Ravenloft with aspirations of becom-
despite of how much Strahd identifies with Castle ing a “bride”. After breaking out of her mother’s house,
Ravenloft, which he made into an edifice of his own Gertruda came to realize the full extent of the abuse
accomplishments and disappointments over the that she’d undergone, and eventually made her way to
century. We have modified these areas to gain more Strahd’s castle.
significance and make the characters realize that they Driven by her fury over her mother’s actions and her
are not exploring the ruins of any random castle, but own fairytale world view, Gertruda wanted her mother
of Strahd’s very soul itself. to get a taste of her own medicine. Strahd obliged her,
being all too willing to encourage the darker aspects
of his subjects’ personalities.
Video Companion Gertruda is now torn between her anger toward
Watch the companion video for this chapter on YouTube. her mother and her continued need for her mother’s
love. She makes regular visits to her Mary’s cell in the
dungeons to flaunt her new-found power and scream
Areas of the Dungeon abuses at her mother—but also to seek comfort in that
unique minute-by-minute turn of affection and hatred.
This section will cover revisions to the various areas
of the dungeons and catacombs of Castle Ravenloft. K76. Torture Chamber
Any area not listed here should be run as it is written
in the module, or as modified to your liking. Remove the Strahd zombies from this area; they
are no longer a threat at this point in the campaign
K74. North Dungeon and just an annoyance to go through due to their
mechanics.
The keys to be found in area K66 open the doors here
The torture chamber has seen recent use, however.
and in area K75. If Cyrus is with the party, you can
also decide to place the key ring on his person.
The steps leading from area K73 to the dungeon A bloodied body still hangs from one of the torture racks,
cells in area K74 and area K75 no longer lead down, upright, limp arms outstretched and bound, face hidden
behind blood-matted hair. As you look upon the horrific
but up. This leaves areas K73 and K76 flooded to a
display, an involuntary shudder comes over you—and the
depth of 3 feet, but the cells themselves are dry.
feeling that you are being watched…
Inside of area K74e is a fresh corpse, recently
drained of blood. Five rounds after a character enters
this cell, either via K81 or K73, the corpse rises as a Strahd has only recently been here, for entertainment;
hungry vampire spawn and attacks. see the description of area K77.
At your discretion, you may swap any well-known
K75. South Dungeon NPC in the game (who is not traveling with the party
currently) for the anonymous dead body in this room.
Unlike the module as written, Emil is now located This is especially encouraged if there is an NPC that
at Tsolenka Pass, rather than in these dungeons. In has been especially kind or helpful to the characters.
Emil’s place, the characters will find Mad Mary from
the village of Barovia. At the request of her daughter, K77. Observatory Balcony
Gertruda, Mary was captured and incarcerated here
by Rahadin shortly after the characters’ departure When the group investigates this area, they discover
from the village. that someone must have been here not too long ago.
When characters first arrive in this area, read: Standing on a mahogany table between the thrones
is a tall crystal glass with a few remaining sips of
red liquid. The faint steam rising from it in the cold

Dungeons and Catacombs | 3

 dungeon air indicates that it is still warm. Clearly, the current crypts with these, but one of them must be
someone had recently been sitting here, amusing crypt 18, the one originally intended for Ireena. Enter-
themselves with the spectacle in the torture chamber ing any of the consorts’ crypts triggers an alarm spell
below. that mentally alerts any of the consorts of the distur-
bance of their resting place if they are within one mile.
K78. Brazier Room Ludmilla’s crypt. A sparsely decorated crypt with
bare stone walls. It is immaculately clean, as it is
Once a character has been teleported using the bra-
dusted by Helga on a daily basis. Hidden in a com-
zier, the portal that brought them to their new loca-
partment of the sarcophagus is Ludmilla’s spellbook,
tion stays open for five minutes and can be used as a
which has the following spells prepared: expeditious
two-way teleportation circle. The portal is visible as
retreat, fog cloud, hideous laughter, magic missile,
a circle of blood-red runes on the ground that slowly
blindness/deafness, ray of enfeeblement, suggestion,
fade into black smoke over the duration, indicating
fly, and lightning bold.
that the portal will close soon. This change prevents
Anastrasya’s crypt. A richly decorated crypt with
characters from being scattered all over Barovia with
finely polished furniture placed here and there so as
no fast method of return, potentially during a crucial
to make a sitting room. The walls are decorated with
moment of the story.
colorful tapestries. Laid out on a hook is a golden
K79. Western Stair necklace with a red ruby pendant. Strahd originally
gave the necklace to Helga, but took it away when he
Strahd did not place a mere illusion of himself here, realized that she was not a reincarnation of Tatyana.
but a more elaborate spell trap to protect the tele- Ever since, it has been in the possession of Anastra-
portation mechanism in area K78. When the glyph sya who likes to taunt Helga by wearing the necklace
of warding is triggered, it releases a Mental Prison whenever she is around.
spell (save DC 14) on the creature that triggered the Volenta’s crypt. The entrance to this crypt is pro-
trap. The illusion that appears to the target is Strahd, tected by a poison dart trap, which can be noticed with
standing in front of them and staring menacingly, hold- a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check and disarmed
ing a glass of red liquid. with a DC 12 Dexterity check. The floor of the crypt
is covered with a woven straw mat, and the walls are
K81. Tunnel lined with shelves containing mechanical components
for traps. Tucked away in a box, characters can find a
This guide does not recommend traps that can’t be hand-drawn map of Castle Ravenloft’s interior, which
spotted passively. Instead, the trap door in this area Volenta made shortly after becoming a vampire so that
can be noticed with a passive Perception score of 20 she would not get lost in the castle.
or higher. Escher’s crypt. Escher spends as little time here as
possible. As such, there is no furniture or adornment
K84. Catacombs here aside from a single wooden chair, at the feet of
The catacombs of Castle Ravenloft here are a callback which is a leather case. Within the case, characters
to the days of the first edition module. Each tomb is can find the Doss Lute, which is normally located in
used as an opportunity for tongue-in-cheek humor, a area K36. This is the lute that Escher used during
trap, or to provide valuable treasure. his travels as a bard before Strahd turned him into a
While this guide does not recommend eschewing vampire.
the entirety of the catacomb or its themes, there are Additionally, the catacombs are filled with illusions
some changes that are believed necessary. much like the one found at the River Ivlis Crossroads
Foremost, we recommend removing the luck blade (area F). Some of the closed crypts scattered through-
from crypt 29. Strahd is liable to know about every out the catacombs carry the names of the characters.
artifact within his castle, and it is unlikely such a There is a crypt prepared for each of them, some
weapon would escape his notice. carrying suitable epithets. Upon closer inspection,
Next, the sleeping arrangements of each of Strahd’s the writing fades and reveals the original inscriptions
consorts should be addressed. Each consort, the described in Curse of Strahd. You may place these
brides Ludmilla, Anastrasya and Volenta as well as illusions at any of the crypts which do not belong to a
Escher, each have their own crypt here. These crypts consort.
stand out because they, in contrast to all the other
crypts in the area, stand open, their heavy stone doors
laid to the side. An open stone sarcophagus is visible
inside each, standing upright. You can replace any of

4 | Dungeons and Catacombs

K85. Sergei’s Tomb K87. Guardians
Sergei von Zarovich was, in many ways, the antithesis The effect of the curtain protecting this area is re-
to Strahd. Where Strahd was a ruthless conqueror versed—it no longer allows the passage of any living
and politician who grew up away from his family, being, but dead and undead can pass unhindered. This
hardened by the necessities of a life on the battlefield, allows Strahd to visit his beloved parents but keeps
Sergei was a pious man who was raised in the loving out any of his living servants or current paramours not
care of Queen Ravenovia, naïve of the harsher aspects yet turned into vampire spawn.
of life. Strahd killed his brother Sergei in his rage over An inscription in the wall above the curtain reads:
his love Tatyana favoring the younger Sergei, but he is
haunted by this mistake and still loves and mourns his Here, beyond death’s door, lie King Barov and Queen
brother, in his own twisted way. Ravenovia. Only those who have passed themselves may
Desecrating Sergei’s tomb, one of the few places left enter, so their rest shall never be disturbed.
in Barovia to house a gentle and loving spirit, comes
at a heavy cost to any character who is of good or neu- Characters can deduce, with a successful DC 17 In-
tral alignment. If such a character removes any item telligence (Religion) check, that the curtain is likely a
from the tomb, they are cursed with the Brightbane one-way ward and passage out of the tomb behind it is
curse. The precise nature of the curse can only be not an issue for living creatures. They further realize
ascertained by trial and error, by divine consultation that the reference to passing death’s door can be taken
such as a Commune spell, or with a successful DC 19 literally, and means that a creature that has previously
Intelligence (Religion) check. died and been resurrected may also enter.
If a living being attempts to pass the curtain, it is
Brightbane teleported back to the top of the stairs behind it and
You are unworthy to look on the world’s beauty in the Strahd’s voice rings through its mind: “This place is
shining light of day. You are blind to daylight and light pro- not for you.”
duced by the light and daylight spells. You can only see in
darkness, if you had darkvision before, or by the dim light K88. Tomb of King Barov and
of an artificial light source such as a torch or an oil lamp.
Queen Ravenovia
This curse can only be removed by replacing all items This tomb is an eerie place that has both a hallowed
removed from Sergei’s tomb and atoning there in and a desecrated quality to it. Strahd truly loved his
prayer for 10 minutes, or by a Wish spell. mother, Queen Ravenovia, and respected and want-
ed to please his father, King Barov, greatly. However,
K86. Strahd’s Tomb Strahd’s very nature and his and his father’s shared
lust for conquest and power mean that nothing creat-
Strahd’s brides have a much more active role in this ed by them can ever truly be pure.
version of Curse of Strahd and are thus not to be The entire area is desecrated ground (see p. 110
found in his tomb. Ludmilla is at Tsolenka Pass, Anas- of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) and a supernatural
trasya can be encountered during the Feast of Saint silence reigns here, as befits the dignity of those laid
Andral, and Volenta has her own business elsewhere to rest here—no sound can emanate from within the
in Castle Ravenloft. area, and no sound can reach into it. In addition, no
Instead, three vampire spawn are hanging upside dead bodies interred in the area can be turned into
down from the ceiling, apparently sleeping. When undead.
characters first enter this area, read the following: If anything is removed from this place or someone
attempts to remove the desecrated nature of the place,
As you enter the tomb, you almost run straight into Strahd knows this immediately and come rushing to
something that looks like cobwebs at first glance—you the area in fury, with the aim of expelling any intruder
realize just in time before brushing it away that it is hair! and then making sure the remains of his beloved par-
Three pale figures hang upside-down from the ceiling,
ents are intact—he can run down the interlopers later.
their arms folded on their torsos.

Characters who move into the chamber must succeed

on a DC 13 group Dexterity (Stealth) check or wake
the vampire spawn, who immediately attack in de-
fense of their master’s abode.

Dungeons and Catacombs | 5