Preparing to run Ravenloft 5e D&D for October

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

My only concern with the created is that it puts them into puppet bodies not letting them play the characters they created.

That is an issue, but when I played it, that part was actually a minor part of the adventure. It didn't take them too long to find their bodies and get them back.

[Dark Angel]

My only concern with the created is that it puts them into puppet bodies not letting them play the characters they created.

That is an issue, but when I played it, that part was actually a minor part of the adventure. It didn't take them too long to find their bodies and get them back.

It can be a minor part (depending on how on the ball your group is) as your players need to rely on the fact that they cannot sword or spell their way out of every situation. I have not run this adventure for over 15 years (that may have to change), but I still remember the look on my group when their own physical bodies sneered at them with such distain upon seeing them. This gives them greater motivation and showcases the atmosphere of the Domains of Dread. Little town? Wait until they get to the greater lands of the Core!

[Ocule]

My only concern with the created is that it puts them into puppet bodies not letting them play the characters they created. And castle ravenloft for a one shot looks like it needs to be pretty high level stradh is like cr 17 in 5th edition. Night of the living dead looked dark and gritty letting them suffer low level ravenloft

We could make a lower level Strahd. Also, IIRC the vampire caster (Strahd) is CR 15.
If you want to make him lower-CR, you could change the dreadful and overpowered vampire-charm to "save after the end of each turn" with a DC of 14 so that you HAVE a chance to pass it if you're not a cleric, scale down vampire regeneration to 10 instead of 20 and he's already CR 12-13 or something.

Id the caster only CR15, friend is borrowing my monster manual right now so i cant see the specifics, but yeah either way the CR system is that monster by himself is a medium to hard challenge for a party of 4 if their APL matches the monsters so can probably fight caster vampire at between level 10 and 12 for a deadly encounter. As he should be. Expedition to castle ravenloft had a nice 4-5 session short adventure style that would work. But its just being tier 2 or 3 characters i think it will feel more like castlevania. Fortunately due to design the lower level monsters can be deadly to the party in the right numbers.

@Gonzo and Dark angel: Ill have to give it another read over because i did really like the themes of the adventure.

[Jester of the FoS]

Id the caster only CR15, friend is borrowing my monster manual right now so i cant see the specifics, but yeah either way the CR system is that monster by himself is a medium to hard challenge for a party of 4 if their APL matches the monsters so can probably fight caster vampire at between level 10 and 12 for a deadly encounter. As he should be. Expedition to castle ravenloft had a nice 4-5 session short adventure style that would work. But its just being tier 2 or 3 characters i think it will feel more like castlevania. Fortunately due to design the lower level monsters can be deadly to the party in the right numbers.

Be wary when putting a party against a monster with a Challenge higher than their level. A Strahd-type vampire will be a Hard for a group of 4 level 13 PCs. Hard encounters have a chance of TPK.
Strahd would be a Deadly encounters for a 12th level party, which is likely a TPK. It's not a fair fight. Lower than level 12 and you're really putting the party against an unkillable foe.

[Ocule]

Damn, because in the 3.5 version he is CR 15 but the party is expected to take him on by level 9 assuming they have the proper mcguffins

[Ocule]

Another thought i just realized, there are rules to apply vampire templates to PCs might be able to use that after statting out stradh as a human necromancer at like level 10 or so