Homebrew Curse of Strahd Adventure

The following is a homebrew adventure for the Curse of Strahd D&D board game.

ADVENTURE STORY

You have arrived in the grim town of Barovia, on the demiplane of Ravenloft. This realm is ruled by Count Strahd, a powerful vampire, who enacts his cruel and unjust rule upon the captive citizens through violence and fear. Only Count Strahd knows how to leave this land, and he remains hidden in his palace-crypt, Castle Ravenloft.

ADVENTURE SETUP

Place the start tile on the table.

Place Kavan on the bone pile adjacent to the staircase.

Place each hero adjacent to the staircase.

Get out and set aside every single game piece. Group them by type.

Shuffle and put all of the monster tokens face-down into the box lid or a cup so they may be randomly drawn.

Set aside the Icon of Ravenloft token with its adventure treasure card.

Shuffle and put all of the other item tokens face-down into the box lid or a cup so they may be randomly drawn.

Shuffle the coffin tokens and place them face-down in the box lid or a cup so they may be drawn randomly.

ADVENTURE RULES

The Curse of Strahd: To prevent people like you from easily attacking him, to protect his power, and to keep the people of Barovia under control, Strahd has cursed the crypt. Every time a person enters the crypt, the layout completely changes, making it nigh impossible for a single person to make any kind of progress. If there are no heroes in the dungeon at the end of a player’s turn, remove all tiles, tokens, and monsters from the board, shuffling any active parts back into their respective piles/decks.

The Sun: Place the sun token on the 12 hour sun track. Each time a hero draws a white tile, move the token one space to the right. When it reaches the end of the track, the sun sets and the dungeon becomes more dangerous as the Night Effects rule begins. During night time, each time a hero draws a black tile, move the sun token one space to the left. When it reaches the start of the track, the sun rises, and the Night Effects rule ends.

Night Effects: At night, each player draws an extra encounter card at the start of their villain phase.

The Attack: If any 3 different villains are defeated at least once each before the third sunset, The Attack rule ends. On the third sunset, Count Strahd launches an attack on Barovia, destroying their businesses and institutions, and killing their leaders and professionals, leaving the town a burning disaster area, crawling with monsters. The Town rule ends, and monsters who take their “otherwise” condition instead move 1 tile in the direction their tile is pointing. Each time a monster is on a staircase tile at the end of a player’s turn, it is removed from the dungeon and the player must discard a healing surge token.

The Town: If a hero ends their turn adjacent to a staircase, they can leave the dungeon. At the start of their next turn, they take a Town Phase. During this phase, they may do any of the following, once each:

1. Discard 1 XP card to draw 1 treasure card, or discard 1 treasure card to the XP card pile, representing 5 XP. 
2. The player may discard a minimum of 10 XP, or an item token, to buy an extra healing surge token.
3. The player may discard a healing surge token and add an unplayed hero to their control. Each hero gets their own separate turn.
4. If the player is holding an item card, item token, or adventure treasure card, they may choose to leave it in storage in Barovia instead of bringing it back into the dungeon with them. (A token that is paired with an adventure treasure card, like the Icon of Ravenloft, must move with its card.) The player may also choose to retrieve any items in storage.

At the end of their town phase, the hero is placed on a square adjacent to a staircase, restores HP equal to their healing surge, and ends their hero phase.

Rewards: The first time each hero returns to town after destroying Klak’s Artifact, that hero is rewarded by the Cleric, by drawing 1 treasure card. If a hero returns to town with the Icon of Ravenloft, they may give it to the Cleric  (discard it) and draw 1 treasure card per player, ending The Attack rule. If Kavan has been cured and exits the dungeon, each hero draws 1 treasure card. If a hero returns to town with Gravestorm’s Phylactory, they may give it to the Cleric (discard it) to make that dragon their servant, in return for 3 treasure cards.

Special Treasure: Whenever a player would draw a treasure card, they may discard an XP card to instead draw a treasure token.

Coffins: If a tile with coffins is added to the dungeon, place a coffin token on that coffin. A player may open a coffin by picking it up as an item. When a coffin is opened, follow the directions written on it.

Strahd’s Army: When a hero would place a monster on a tile during their exploration phase, they first draw a monster token. They add the specified number of monsters to the tile instead. If a specific monster or villain is drawn, add them in the place of a monster.

Artifact Effects: If a hero cancels an encounter card, they take 1 damage. Whenever a hero draws a white tile, they may discard a treasure card to gain a new power, by shuffling their unused power cards and drawing from the top of it. These effects end if Klak’s Artifact is destroyed.

Kavan: This villager is the person who opened the crypt for you. He has been bit by Lord Strahd, who is trying to turn him into a vampire thrall. Because the monsters recognize him as one of them, he may move freely throughout the dungeon. Monsters on the same tile as Kavan do not activate during a villain phase. Villains on Kavan’s tile still activate, but their attacks and effects do not target him. Traps still target him, and he has 4 HP. During a player’s hero phase, they may use one of their moves to move Kavan instead. Kavan has a speed of 5.

Kavan’s Vampiracy: When the sun sets, Kavan becomes a vampire, using the Young Vampire card. When the sun rises, he turns back into Kavan. If Kavan is cured and adjacent to a staircase at the end of a player’s hero phase, they may have him leave the dungeon, but he can not return.

Howling Hag: Among the monster tokens is the Howling Hag. If her token is drawn, place the Howling Hag villain on the tile instead of a monster. If she is in the dungeon already, she instead teleports to the new location. Even if she has already been defeated, if her token is drawn again, she returns to play.

TILE RULES AND EFFECTS

Chapel: Each player with a hero in the dungeon places a monster on the chapel tile. Place the icon of ravenloft token on the chapel’s altar. Until the icon is removed from the dungeon, each player draws an extra encounter at the start of their villain phase.

Laboratory:  Place the villain, Klak, on the Laboratory tile’s bone pile instead of a monster, unless Klak is already in play. Place Klak’s artifact on the laboratory tile. If Klak’s Artifact is destroyed, the Artifact Effects rule ends. Place The Gravestorm’s Phylactory token on the laboratory table. The phylactory may be picked up as an item. Even while being carried, the phylactory can be attacked and has 1 HP and 0 AC. If a hero is carrying the phylactory, any attack which targets that hero targets the phylactory instead.

Dark Fountain: If Kavan is still in the dungeon, place 4 HP on the fountain. If a hero and Kavan are on the Dark Fountain tile at the end of a hero phase, remove 1 HP from the dark fountain. As long as the Dark Fountain tile has at least 1 HP, each hero adds 2 monsters to the dungeon within 2 tiles of themselves at the end of their hero phase. If the dark fountain has 0 HP, the Kavan’s Vampiric rule ends.

Arcane Circle: Place the Gravestorm Dracolich villain on the Arcane Circle tile’s bone pile instead of a monster, unless it is already in play. If a hero is holding Gravestorm’s Phylactory, replace every instance of the word “hero” on its villain card with the word “villain or monster”, as the Dracolich will fight in your service as long as you hold its soul hostage. While a hero is holding Gravestorm’s Phylactory, Gravestorm counts as a hero. If Gravestorm’s Phylactory is or has been destroyed, Gravestorm loses 10 HP instantly. Place 5 Time Tokens on the Arcane Circle tile. Each time a hero begins and ends a single hero phase on the Arcane Circle tile, discard 1 time token. If all 5 tokens are discarded, the Howling Hag rule ends.

Secret Stairway: Place the Zombie Dragon on the Secret Stairway tile’s bone pile instead of a monster, unless it is already in play.

Rotting Nook: Place the Zombie Dragon on the Rotting Nook tile’s bone pile instead of a monster, unless it is already in play.

Workshop: Place the Flesh Golem on the Workshop tiles bone pile instead of a monster, unless it is already in play. Shuffle the 6 reaction tokens and place them face-down as a stack. Instead of attacking the golem, a player may give it a treasure token or item treasure card (by discarding it) and draw a reaction token. If the player draws an enrage token, the golem attacks twice this turn. If the player draws a calm token, put it on the golem’s villain card. If the Golem has 3 calm tokens on it, its only action is to move 1 tile in the direction it’s current tile is pointing. If the Golem is on a staircase tile at the end of a player’s turn, remove it from the dungeon. If it did not have 3 calm tokens on its card, The Town rule ends, as the Golem rampages, destroying everything of value.

Strahd’s Crypt: Instead of drawing a monster, place Strahd on the bone pile of the Strahd’s Crypt tile. If he is already in play, place him there anyways and return him to full HP.

RUMOURS

Kavan was bit by Lord Strahd, and is turning into a vampire. To protect his friends and family, he has locked himself into the crypt. He has opened the door to let you in, in the hopes that you will help him end his curse.

The Howling Hag is everywhere in the dungeon. She attacks mercilessly and without warning, making the dungeon utterly inhospitable. She is sustained by a magic circle.

The Howling Hag’s magic circle can be destroyed, if a living person stands within the circle for a certain amount of time. After this, she need only be slain to be sent to her eternal rest.

The Howling Hag’s magic circle is protected by Lord Strahd’s most powerful servant, the Dracolich, Gravestorm.

Gravestorm is a fickle monster, who serves Strahd out of fear alone. If Strahd did not have Gravestorm’s Phylactory, it would not serve him.

Gravestorm’s Phylactory is protected by Klak, one of Strahd’s minions.

Klak maintains a magical Artifact which spreads the evil and chaos which emmenates from the dungeon and shrouds Barovia in danger and misery.

The Icon of Ravenloft is a treasure from before Strahd’s rule, belongs to the people of Barovia, and prevents evil from entering its domain.

There is a secret stairway out of the crypt, but it is guarded by a zombie dragon.

Strahd has been building new minions to bolster his army, but so far they are stupid, and easily converted to be allies.