Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:

Death House

Chapter 2
 

F 
leshing Out Curse of Strahd is a series of

expansions and elaborations to the main Curse

of Strahd campaign. The full series is a DM tool

that attempts to add depth to various NPCs,

 3

streamline confusing plot lines, fill in plot holes,

and alleviate some of the stress associated with 3

Meager Beginnings ........................................................
TPK inducing encounters throughout the

campaign. 3
Approaching Death House ......................................
As such, information presented and included throughout

the series is designed to overwrite some of the information in  4

the original text. For instance, if Fleshing Out refers to Ireena

Kolyana as the natural born daughter of the Village of 4

Durst Family History ...................................................
Barovia’s burgomaster, this is taken as fact, even if the printed

text states otherwise. 4

Theme of Death House ................................................
However, Fleshing Out is in no way meant to completely
4
replace the original Curse of Strahd campaign. It instead is a Adventure Flow .................................................................

companion guide, used properly by reading and referencing

the original text to incorporate the overwrites detailed in this  5

series.
5
For a more in-depth and casual look at the thinking behind Notable NPCs .......................................................................
the changes in Fleshing Out, please refer to the original
5
posting of the series on Reddit. Find the series under Treasure & Gear .................................................................

username u/MandyMod on the r/CurseofStrahd subreddit.

6
Extra Gear ...............................................................................

  7

Written by: u/MandyMod

Edited by: u/DragnaCarta  8

Encounter Balancing: Cory Rodus

8
GM Binder CoS Theme Creator: u/AeronDrake First & Second Floor ....................................................

Cover Art: Death House by James’ RPG art, purchased

9
The Third Floor ................................................................
licensing agreement with artist
Fight! Animated Armor ............................................................ 9
Real Life Death House Image: Vanderbilt Schematic

Public Domain.
11
The Attic ................................................................................
Interior House Art: Public Domain Adobe Stock

Baby Walter Image: u/jpaganrovira Free Supplement

used with artist's permission

 12

All Other Various Art: DM's Guild Creator Resources Fight! Swarm in the Crypts ...................................................12

[1] Quote from CoS:Reloaded: u/DragnaCarta Fight! Ghoulish Encounter ....................................................12

Fight! Mrs. Durst ..................................................................... 13

[2] Mr. Durst's Suicide Letter: From the video game,

Layers of Fear, by Bloober Team. Slightly modified to match

13
The Final Encounter ..................................................
Death House.
Fight! The Flesh Mound ........................................................ 14
Escaping Death House Skill Challenge: Wyatt Trull on

the DM’s Guild

I would personally like to thank both my editors and the

 15

entirety of my followers on the subreddit for your ongoing

support and feedback. I love you guys from the bottom of my

heart.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms,

Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of

the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or

other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community

Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2021 by MandyMod and

published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters

Guild.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

2


W 
hatever adventure hook you use to transport

your players into Barovia, it is recommended

that you regardlessly end the hook with the

Firstly, move the location of Death House outside the Village
Creeping Fog encounter. The players do not
of Barovia to better guide 1st level players to the adventure
simply run into a strange mist, but instead
without additional distractions. This also alleviates confusion
choose to camp within it. The following
to the setting as to why such an openly cursed location is in
morning, the party wakes to find themselves in
the middle of a town.
a foreign land.
Once players emerge from the misty woods and find
Slowly waking up to find that they no longer recognize
themselves on the Old Svalich Road, they inevitably begin a
their surroundings will be both disorienting and isolating to
slow march towards the Village of Barovia, no matter which
players, two very important emotional beats for a gothic
direction they chose to travel.
horror campaign.
On the road, shortly after passing through the Gates of

 Barovia (Area B) but before exiting the Svalich Woods, they

come across a small hamlet offside the main road.

Consider limiting the amount of gear available to your players

once they are taken by the Creeping Fog. If you are As you trudge down the lonely, dirt road, you come across a
introducing your party to the campaign with the Death House fork in your path. One path continues on into the distance.
adventure, as this guide assumes you are, the Durst manor
The other is short and leads to a cul de sac with a few
contains a multitude of gear and makeshift items that will
sorrowful buildings rising out of the mist. Faintly, you hear the
both incentivize exploration and force players to get creative

with their survival. Your players will learn to utilize their frightened cries of a child.
environment and appreciate every flask of oil or kitchen knife

they find. The Durst family home sits between two other abandoned

Lacking gear also means your players will be more inclined buildings in the middle of the cul de sac.

to run and hide from encounters, once again pushing that The building on the left is wider than the Durst home, but
pervasive horror theme. Your players will quickly learn to feel only two stories tall, and was once a home for field hands
powerless in the face of Barovia's many dangers. The when the Durst farmlands were functional. The woods
resulting anxiety is ideal for the overall tone of Curse of reclaimed the farms centuries ago and little evidence is left of
Strahd. the family trade. If the building is explored, players find it

To utilize this adventure hook modification, have your party devoid of furniture and rotting, the wooden floors sagging

awake from camping without the majority of their gear. To under years of neglect.

expedite this process, reduce their normal starting The building on the right is an old, ruined stable, fit for
equipment to the following list. If their starting equipment both horses and carriages. However, the building is little
does not automatically include some of the following items, more than ruins now, completely devoured by the elements.
like a spellbook, they do not gain one from this list.

Players should now start with:

1 set of clothing from their background.

Up to 2 trinkets of their choice from their backstories.

These trinkets should have no mechanical use or value.

A waterskin OR a coin pouch with starting gold from their

background.

A dagger OR an arcane/holy/druidic focus.

A spellbook


and that every house has eyes. And bones. And skin. A

face... This room is like the heart of the house. No, not

a heart. A stomach. It put on different faces so that we

would be still and quiet... while it digested. I'm like a

small creature swallowed whole by a monster and the

monster feels my tiny little movements inside.

- Nell, The Haunting of

Hill House

DEATH HOUSE
3
 

T
he following changes to the background of Mr. Durst, upon discovering what his wife had done, was so

Death House add depth to the plot and tie up overcome with guilt and grief that he hanged himself in the

certain loose ends in the original adventure, basement. With no adults left to remember them, Rose and

such as why Walter is pictured in the family Thorn starved to death in their room.

portrait when he was stillborn canonically. However, the cultists were not the only ones transformed

This page also provides an overarching theme by this final sacrifice. Mrs. Durst’s final rite, so perverted and

to Death House and a short adventure malignant in its nature, transformed Walter himself. This act

summary to help Dungeon Masters prep the adventure. of betrayal twisted and broke the infant’s soul and body,

morphing Walter’s spirit and flesh into an enormous, horrible

 monster that anchored the Dark Power’s curse to the very

foundations of Death House.

Before Strahd. The Durst family was an upper class

household during the time Strahd first conquered the valley.

The family gained wealth and affluence as the primary


providers of grain and flour to the nearby Village of Barovia, The Death House module has one core theme: A rotten heart

their fields just on the edge of the Ivlis river basin. in need of purification. The entire curse of the house

The Beginnings of the Cult. After Strahd’s arrival, the originates from Mrs. Durst's corruption, marked not by her

Durst household felt the weight of their new lord’s darkness dwindling outer beauty, but by her abhorrent soul.

as it spread over the land. While Mr. Gustav Durst fell into a Additionally, the physical heart of the house and source of its

chronic depression, his wife, Elisabeth, became manically curse is the ritual chamber deep beneath its foundations.

obsessed with her own aging. This theme comes to a head in the final encounter with the

Aware of the rumors of Strahd’s age-defying magics, Mrs. flesh mound, who's heart is the corrupted infant, Walter.

Durst turned to the arcane, determined to find the answer to Whenever possible, seed the theme of a rotten heart

eternal youth. To that effect, she started a cult with other throughout Death House. Not only will it make the adventure

members of the upper class, her husband complicit in her feel more cohesive, but it will also foreshadow the solution to

actions. During their practices, Mr. and Mrs. Durst locked defeating the flesh mound in the basement.

away their children, Rose and Thorn, to preserve their For example, if players try to eat a piece of fruit from the

innocence of the cult's activities. The cult would capture and pantry, the food appears fine but has a rotten interior. Or, if

sacrifice travelers, servants, and neighbors alike on the altar the players investigate one of the children's dolls in the attic,

in their basement in hopes of achieving their goal. it squirms and a large bug crawls out from inside. Use such

Unfortunately, they were never successful. encounters and descriptions to indicate Death House's

The Nursemaid’s Bastard. As Mrs. Durst’s mental stability theme.

withered, Mr. Durst found himself pulling away from his

marriage. He fell into the arms of his children’s nursemaid,

the gentle and fair Margaret. Their affair resulted in


Margaret’s accidental pregnancy. Players will start the module after finding themselves

As Margaret’s belly swelled with life, Mrs. Durst lost herself magically transported to a foreign land by a mysterious fog.

in jealousy and hatred, convinced her growing age was the After wandering down an abandoned road, seemingly without

reason for her husband’s adultery. Overcome with her own end, they find Death House in a lonely cul de sac. Outside the

madness, Mrs. Durst came up with a terrible plan. house, they meet Rose and Thorn, two young siblings who

The Fall of Durst House. A few months after Margaret were scared out of their own home by the howls of a

gave birth to her child - a healthy, baby boy named Walter - mysterious monster in the basement. The children bid the

Mrs. Durst snuck into the nursemaid’s suite and murdered party to go in the house and check on their baby brother,

her. After hiding the body, Mrs. Durst took Walter to the Walter, on the third floor.

basement and sacrificed the infant in an unholy rite, Once players enter the house, they become trapped within.

accompanied only by her most trusted cultists. Upon reaching the third floor, they discover a drastic shift in

The sheer atrocity of this sacrifice attracted the notice of a the atmosphere of the home as well as the ghost of the

Dark Power. Amused by the depravity and desperation of the former nursemaid. After further investigation, they learn that

act, the evil god granted Mrs. Durst and her cultists the the house was once host to series of cult sacrifices, and that

immortality they so craved - by turning them into ghouls and even Rose and Thorn themselves are naught but spirits.

ghasts. Unable to leave, the party pushes forward, finding the

entrance to the basement. In these dark catacombs, they

eventually find the ritual chamber and summon what remains

of Walter's body and soul. Purging Walter of darkness frees

Death House from its curse, causing it to crumble into the

earth. The party races to the exit, happy to escape once and

for all.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

4


Name Description Name Description
10-year-old child of the Durst Durst family patriarch, currently dead in the
Rosavalda "Rose" Durst Gustav Durst
family. Ghost statblock. basement
7-year-old child of Durst Bastard baby of Gustav and the nursemaid.
Thornboldt "Thorn" Durst Walter Durst
family. Ghost statblock. Flesh Mound statblock.
Durst family matriarch. Ghast Margaret Family nursemaid. Specter statblock.
Elisabeth Durst
statblock.
Old dog in the conservatory (Area 10).
Lancelot
Mastiff statblock.


Loot Location Other Information
Longsword 2:Main Hall Has a windmill cameo worked into the hilt. Mounted above fireplace.
Heavy Crossbow, Light
In a locked cabinet, DC 15 to open with thieves' tools. The players can use
Crossbow, Hand 3:Den of Wolves
the key in the upstairs study to open this cabinet at your discretion.
Crossbow, 60 bolts
Oil lamp, Jar of Ink, All these items are in or on the desk. The letter kit contains a red wax candle,
Quill Pen, Tinderbox, 8:Library four blank sheets of parchment, and a wooden seal bearing the Durst family's
Letter Kit insignia (a windmill)
This key is in the desk and can be used to open the children's room upstairs.
Iron Key 8:Library
At your discretion, it may open other doors or locks throughout the house.
Leather Armor 9:Secret Room The skeleton wears a set of leather armor that is salvageable for player use.
There are 3 darts in the skeleton. While no longer poisonous, they are
Darts 9:Secret Room
salvageable for player use.
3 Blank Books, 3 Spell All contained in the chest. The books are worth 25 gp each. The spell scrolls
Scrolls, House Deed, are of bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon. The windmill deed
9:Secret Room
Windmill Deed, Signed refers to Old Bonegrinder. The will bequeathes all the properties to Rose and
Will Thorn.
The jewelry box on the vanity is made of silver with gold filigree (worth 75
Jewelry Box and
12:Master Suite gp). It contains three gold rings (worth 25 gp each) and a thin platinum
Contents
necklace with a topaz pendant (worth 750 gp).
The various chests contain 11 gp and 60 sp in a pouch made of human skin,
25:Well and Cultist three moss agates (worth 10 gp each), a black leather eye-patch with a
Cultist Treasures
Quarters carnelian (worth 50 gp) sewn into it, and an ivory hairbrush with silver
bristles (worth 25 gp).
25:Well and Cultist One final chest contains this sword. This is perhaps the most valuable item in
Silvered Shortsword
Quarters Death House to the party.
The orb in the statue's hand can be used as an arcane focus and is worth 25
Crystal Orb 31:Darklord's Shrine
gp.
30 Torches and 15 34:Cult Leaders'
These many lights are in a crate in the wardrobe.
Candles Quarters
The footlocker contains a cloak of protection, 4 potions of healing, a chain
shirt, a mess kit, a flask of alchemist's fire, a bullseye lantern, a set of thieves'
Cult Leaders' 34:Cult Leaders'
tools, and a spellbook containing the spells: 1st level: disguise self, identify,
Treasures Quarters
mage armor, magic missile, protection from evil and good and 2nd level:
darkvision, hold person, invisibility, magic weapon
Gold Ring 36:Prison The skeleton wears this ring, worth 25 gp, on one of their bony fingers.

DEATH HOUSE
5
 
During character creation, take note of the standard gear

your players should have for their classes. If you find a major

discrepancy between the available gear in Death House and

The following table contains a set of possible gear to award
what they need to fight, consider altering some of the gear on
players if you choose to use the Meager Beginnings addition
these tables. Perhaps the longsword mounted above the
to the adventure hook.
fireplace in Area 2: Main Hall is instead a pair of crossing
While this list contains a good deal of discoverable gear,
rapiers. Perhaps the set of crossbows and bolts in the cabinet
you might be surprised by your players' creativity. If your
in Area 3: Den of Wolves are instead bows and arrows.
party comes up with additional ideas towards gathering gear,
However, don't overindulge your players and don't be afraid to
like trying to use the antlers of the stag head in the den as a
force them to make due with what they find.
weapon, consider allowing the addition with an adequate

check. In general, finding simple gear within the limits of the

environment requires a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation)

check. Creating their own simple gear requires at least an

hour of time and proficiency with a set of tools or a skill

associated with the gear they are attempting to create, as well

as a check of the Dungeon Master's discretion.

Gear Location Description

A decorative shield emblazoned with the Durst coat-of-arms (a stylized
Shield 1B:The Entrance Foyer golden windmill on a red field), hangs on the wall of the Foyer. A player can
use this shield as real equipment if they think to take it.
Cloaks 2B:Cloakroom The hanging black cloaks in the closet can be used as blankets.
All the wall sconces on the first and second floors contain oil that can be lit.
Oil 1st & 2nd Floors However, that oil can also be meticulously drained and collected into a single
pot of oil.
Some of the assorted fireplaces contain logs which can be used as makeshift
Torches 1st & 2nd Floors torches. A player can roll a DC 14 Intelligence (investigation) check to
retrieve one torch per fireplace.
All Floors with Most fireplaces in the house have an accompanying set of fireplace tools. A
Fire Pokers
Fireplaces fire poker has the statistics of a sickle and can be used as such.
While not technically combat gear, a deck of cards can go a long way in role-
Playing Cards 3:Den of Wolves play for the right player character. The deck is located in the unlocked
cabinet.
While the food tastes bland and cannot leave the house without rotting, it
Food 4:Kitchen & Pantry
can be eaten within the house to satisfy daily food requirments.
Dagger 4:Kitchen & Pantry The players can find up to 2 kitchen knives that can be used as daggers.
The four suits of armor in this hall are mainly decorative, but can be
deconstructed and pieced together to make two sets of scale mail. This
Armor 6:Upper Hall process takes an hour and required a DC 15 Intelligence check to complete.
If a player character has proficiency with blacksmiths tools, they succeed the
check automatically.
Spears 6:Upper Hall Each of the four suits of armor holds a spear.
Once the animated armor is defeated, it's plate armor is quite damaged.
Armor 11:Balcony However, what can be salvaged is a single set of chain mail from beneath its
outer plate. Recovering the chain mail takes an hour.
Outside their basic material use, a character proficient in medicine can use
Sheets, Blankets, Soap, the sheets and soap to make a set of bandages equivalent to 5 charges of a
14:Storage Room
Healer's Kit healer's kit. This process takes an hour a requires a DC 12 Wisdom
(medicine) check.
Club 14:Storage Room The broom in this closet can be used as a club.
The cluttered furniture in this room can be broken down into clubs and
Clubs and Greatclubs 18:Storage Room
greatclubs. Doing so takes an hour.
There are two knives in the reliquary that are grotesque and nonmagical, but
Daggers 35:Reliquary still functional. They are the bone dagger and the dagger with the skull set
into the pommel.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

6


T
he children outside Death House are Rose and As players question Rose, they can learn the following

Thorn. Rose, age 10, attempts to sooth her information:

crying younger brother, age 7, as the players

There’s a terrible monster in the basement. The children
approach.
don’t know what the creature looks like, but they can
Rose and Thorn are projections of the
sometimes hear its screams coming from the floorboards.
ghosts within the house, and don't register to
The screams were especially loud tonight, frightening
abilities like Divine Sense. However, these
Thorn.
children are the same children found later in the module.
The children’s parents are in the basement trying to
They simply possess altered memories and consciousnesses
wrangle the monster. They have done so on many
that are removed from their ghostly selves. Rose and Thorn
occasions. Rose and Thorn are not allowed in the
appear corporeal and are indistinguishable from living
basement for their own safety.
children. Rose and Thorn do not know they are dead and
Rose and Thorn were supposed to be watching their baby
cannot remember the events of their demise.
brother, Walter. He’s in the nursery on the third floor.

The children’s nursemaid, Margaret, recently quit the

family. Rose is now in charge of taking care of her younger

Terrifying Art
brothers, Thorn and Walter.
The portrait of Rose and Thorn found in the
Though the household used to have servants, none
module, though atmospheric, does not inspire
trust. It is not recommended that the illustration be remain. The house is currently empty, save Walter.

shared with players. Once Rose feels the adventurers are of sound intentions,

she asks them to go check on Walter in her stead. Though she

claims she cannot bear to leave Thorn, she is actually equally

 afraid of entering the house.

Should the players express interest in investigating the

As the players approach the distressed children, Rose
monster, Rose tells them that their parents will surely come
immediately stands at attention, pushing her brother behind
back from the basement in a few hours. The party can talk to
her protectively. Throughout the following conversation, Rose
their parents about the monster then, should they desire.
is the primary speaker. Rose, though just as confused and
However, their primary goal should be finding Walter.
afraid as her brother, hides her distress well. She is brave,
Quote: “I’d go in with you… I would! But… You see, Thorn
determined, and hopelessly protective of Thorn.
needs me out here. And I can’t leave him.”

DEATH HOUSE
7
 

I
n order to further lure your players into Death House,

it is recommended that you avoid supernatural or

otherworldly happenings on the first two floors. It is Once the party fully enters the house, they are unknowingly

also recommended that you run the majority of trapped within.

Death House through theater of the mind to The mists of Barovia slowly close in around the house,

streamline your session. pressing against door frames and windows. Anyone who

If players are more goal-oriented, they will most attempts to leave the house and go into the fog experiences

likely attempt to skip most of the first two floors on a direct the effects of the mist found in Chapter 1 of the Fleshing Out

route to finding Walter. Even if you began the adventure with guides, and are eventually spit back out into Death House.

the Meager Beginning addition, temporarily avoiding Once the party begins to explore, there may come a time

exploration is not necessarily a bad thing. Remember that on when they decide to check on the children. However, when

the first two floors, the players should not yet know the house they do so, they find Rose and Thorn mysteriously gone and

is haunted and believe that pilfering the items within is the mist shrouding the front portcullis.

stealing. However, once they discover that Death House is not If some player characters choose to wait outside with Rose

what it seems, they can return to the first two floors to more and Thorn, they watch as the mist slowly closes in on them.

thoroughly loot the house without moral qualms. Rose, clearly worried about the unnatural fog, drags Thorn

into Area 1B and begs the remaining party members follow

 them. Once these player characters are inside the house, they

turn their backs to Rose and Thorn for a second and turn to
Remove the following monsters from the module to refocus
find the children mysteriously gone.
the adventure on the narrative and otherwise increase the
The only way to escape Death House is to deal with the
survivability of Death House.
monster in the basement.

The broom of animated attack in area 14.

The grick in area 28. 


The shadows in area 31.

The mimic in area 33.

 6: The Upper Hall

Should players decide to take a short or long rest in Death While the first floor contains equipment, but few points of

House, they may be accosted by a haunting. Roll a d6 to interest regarding storytelling, the second floor contains

determine what they might experience. encounters and information the players would highly benefit

from obtaining. However, goal-oriented parties may

d6 Haunting completely ignore the second floor in favor of finding Walter.

The PC hears a faint chorus of screams To encourage a bit of exploration at this juncture, read the

coming from beneath their feet, several following when the party reaches the second floor.

1 stories down. Though the screams sound

human, they also possess an ethereal quality You see that the second floor landing is just as elegant as the
suggesting they are not natural. first, with wood paneling and a large, marble hearth on the
The PC hears footsteps walking the halls. After back wall. Above the hearth is a family portrait of an
2 a moment, the footsteps approach the PCs’ aristocratic man and woman and their two smiling children,
door and then never sound again.
who you immediately recognize as Rose and Thorn. Cradled in
The PC hears squeaking and scratching as a the father's arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother
3
family of rats moves through the walls. regards with thinly veiled scorn.
The PC hears the light footfalls of children
4 playing on the floor above. Their laughter There are standing suits of decorative armor flanking two
drifts through the air. pairs of doors. One set of doors is wooden and cracked open.
The PC hears a woman’s gasp of surprise A quick glance within reveals a warm study. The other set of
suddenly cut short by a sharp, squelching doors is set with stained glass and you can see the warm glow
sound. There’s a tumble outside the door to of lamplight coming from within. As you watch, you see the
5
the PC’s room and when they look, a pool of light flicker as someone moves behind the door.
blood flows under the frame. After a moment,
the PC blinks and the blood is gone.
As the PC dozes, they hear the grief stricken The open door leads to the study and the stained glass doors

voice of a man whisper in their ear. “I never lead to the conservatory. The figure moving in the

6 wanted this,” he says. The PC suddenly feels conservatory is Lancelot the dog, detailed on the next page.

the tightening of an imaginary rope around

their neck and are jerked awake.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

8
8 & 9: Library and Secret Room

In the letter from Strahd to the Dursts, change the word

“stillborn” to “bastard.” Finding the letter does not reveal the

secret door to the basement from Area 21. Only speaking to

the children in Area 20 will open the path.

Should the players seem less exploratory, place the letter

from Strahd in the desk for easier discovery and to

streamline the storytelling of Death House. However, keep

the other treasure hidden to reward further investigation.

10: Conservatory

The players can find a frightened old hound dog hiding

beneath the harpsichord. The dog wears an aged leather

collar bearing the name, “Lancelot.” Lancelot belongs to Mad

Mary and Gertruda in the Village of Barovia. After Gertruda’s

disappearance, Lancelot wandered into the woods in search

of the girl, but instead found Death House. Lancelot is rail

thin and starving, terrified of any character who approaches

him. However, he can be coaxed from his hiding place with a

DC 10 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check, rolled with

advantaged if offered food.

Lancelot offers the players an alternative choice for the

sacrifice in the "One Must Die" sequence later in the

adventure.


Remember that the third floor is cold, unlit, and dusty. The

change in atmosphere should be palpable as the party

ascends the stairs and should be the first real sign all is not

well in Death House.

Fight! The Animated Armor

The fight with the armor should not be long or terribly

difficult, but instead be used as a scare tactic.

The first player character to pass in front of the armor

awakens it and it receives a surprise round. For that opening

round, it uses its action to try and shove the player character

over the stair railing. If successful, the player character falls

two stories and takes 2d6 fall damage. Even if the shove is

unsuccessful, mentioning the threat of the fall and the

damage should be enough to frighten players.

After the initial shove, the armor fights as normal and

should go down in two or three rounds. If the players flee the

fight, the armor does not leave the landing, returning to its

stasis once the third floor is vacated.

11: Secret Doors to the Attic

Replace both the secret doors leading to the attic with normal

doors. Having children pass through a hidden door to get to

their room doesn't make much sense.

The door leading from Area 11 to the attic staircase is

heavily boarded up and locked and cannot be broken through

with sheer strength. A player with a crowbar or similar tool

can slowly pry away the boards with a DC 15 Strength

(Athletics) check. An additional DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves’

Tools) check can be made to pick the lock or a DC 20

Strength (Athletics) check to break down the exposed door.

This entire process will take about an hour with successful

checks.

DEATH HOUSE
9
 The difficulty and time it would take to open this door

encourages the players to explore and meet the nursmaid

before heading to the attic through the alternate door in her

suite.

12: The Master Bedroom

Place the following unsent letter in Mrs. Durst’s jewelry box

on the vanity.

My Dear Mrs. Petrovna,

Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home

is very good advice indeed. Tonight's ceremony will proceed
as planned when the moon is at its highest peak - without, of
course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you
that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may
have better results. Although, "innocent" is not quite the term I
would use.

My Thanks,

Mrs. Elisabeth Durst

15: Nursemaid s Suite'

Margaret. The nursemaid, Margaret, is a non combative

ghost. Unlike the first iterations of Rose and Thorn, Margaret

is both see-through and incorporeal. A naturally modest and

shy individual, Margaret presses her beautiful, ghostly form

into the corner of the room in order to hide from the party. If

outright attacked, she screams in terror and disappears. But

if approached with caution, she willingly talks to the party,

quietly introducing herself and bidding the adventurers

welcome.

Withdrawn and shy, Margaret does not fully understand

how or why she died. She is confused, and frequently jumps

between awareness and ignorance of her own state of

undeath, sometimes in the same sentence.

Margaret speaks fondly of Mr. Durst but doesn’t mention

their affair out of propriety. If the players ask her outright

about Walter’s parentage, she smiles sadly and simply says

that it is not her place to speak of such things.

Margaret expresses clear love for the three children of the

house, Rose, Thorn, and Walter. But if Mrs. Durst is brought

up in conversation, her smile fades. Though Margaret doesn’t

speak poorly of the lady of the house, players should sense

from her mannerisms and answers that Margaret is afraid of

Mrs. Durst.

Approaching the Crib. Margaret willingly lets the players

check the cradle in the adjacent room once they’ve assured

her of their good intentions. However, the cradle is empty.

When Margaret learns of the missing baby, she frowns in

confusion and distress. “He must be with his brother and

sister!” she proclaims. She then floats through the door to the

attic staircase (formally a mirror in the as-written adventure)

in anxious search. If players pursue her, she’s disappeared

and does not reappear for the rest of the adventure.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

10

While still entirely ignorant of the cult, Rose can now offer

the party new information:

Once players reach the fourth floor, they should be enticed by The children's parents would lock them in their room to

the only locked door in the attic leading to the children's keep them safe while they dealt with the monster in the

room. If players lack lock-picking abilities or seem hesitant to basement.

knock down the door, remember that there is a key to this The monster sounds like horrible screaming from the

room in the study. basement. It was their parents who told them it was

monster after they inquired about the screams. Their

18: Storage Room parents told them nothing of its nature.

Should the players find the nursemaid’s body, they can match Rose could hear Walter’s wailing the last time she and

the clothing on the corpse with Margaret’s ghostly clothes Thorn were locked away. She doesn’t know why he was

with a DC 10 Intelligence (History) check. taken or who could have done so, but she worries for the

If the players somehow missed meeting Margaret in Area baby’s safety.

15, she appears now. Upon seeing her own corpse, Margaret Margaret never quit the family. Margaret was supposed to

dissolves into disbelieving tears. “No!” she cries. “What come check on Rose and Thorn if they were locked away

happened to me?!” for too long, but Margaret never came.

She then flies through the floor towards her rooms, where Rose and Thorn starved to death. They were “so very

she remains should the players wish to confront her further. hungry, but no one came when we cried. And then the

By the time the players reach Margaret in her suite, she has hunger went away and we grew very cold and went to

already forgotten seeing her body and proceeds with the sleep.”

normal encounter in the Nursemaid’s Suite section of this

Though Rose knows it is too late for she and Thorn, she
guide.
begs the players to find out what happened to Walter and

'
20: Children s Room
their parents. And, if the monster still lives, she asks them to

destroy the creature. She wishes no one else come to harm

Once players discover their remains, Rose and Thorn
from the beast.
reappear within this room. Though this time, they appear
If the players didn't explore much and lack gear, Rose
ghostly and transparent.
informs the party that her parents kept some hunting
Upon seeing their bodies, Rose and Thorn suddenly regain
equipment in the den on the first floor. She encourages them
the lost memories of their deaths. Though saddened, they are
to take what they need to slay the monster.
surprisingly at ease with the revelation. If asked about their
Rose then reveals the secret staircase to basement by
acceptance, Rose tells the players she thinks, deep down, she
referring to her dollhouse.
always knew she was dead.

Rose also expresses honest remorse for unwittingly

trapping the party within the house. She admits it was not

her intention and if she had had her memories, she would

have warned them away instead of bidding them inside.

DEATH HOUSE
11
 

P
layers are now Level 2!

Once the players get to the basement, they do Fight! Ghoulish Encounter

not hear chanting as described in the original As the ghouls are the undead forms of the former cultists,

adventure. Instead, they hear the distressed they retain some vestige of their former selves. They

cries of a baby coming from Area 34 (Cult mindlessly repeat any or all of the following phrases as they

Leader's Quarters). Once players investigate attack the party: “Beautiful. We’re so beautiful”; “Nothing can

Area 34, the crying stops and a distant, hurt us”; “We are perfect. We are immortal”; and “Help us live

unintelligible chanting begins to rise from Area 38 (Ritual forever.” [1]

Chamber). The ghouls in this encounter begin hidden in the earth and

At this point in the adventure, the party should correctly have total cover while buried. Once a player character steps

suspect that their only means of escaping Death House is by into the intersection and triggers the encounter, the party is

dealing with the monster in the basement. Now, they seek surprised. The ghouls have lost much of their mental faculties

only to find the creature. They should follow the baby cries to in their undeath, but are still intelligent enough to understand

the encounter with Mrs. Durst and confirm the vast majority the players. They prioritize attacking any player character to

of their suspicions, and then follow the chanting to the ritual insult their appearances, provided they can reach that

chamber. character, and otherwise attack the party member nearest to

them on any given turn.

Fight! Swarm in the Crypts Depending on the route the players travel, consider moving

The encounter with the swarm of insects is easily avoided this encounter to Area 25 (Cultists' Quarters) or 27 (Dining

and overlooked. However, a player character that unwittingly Hall). You want this encounter to be relatively difficult and

wanders into Elisabeth's crypt is accosted by the swarm. You drain the party's resources.

might initiate this encounter by having a short, horrific

description of the player character opening the stone door 31: Darklord’s Shrine

and seeing the massive cloud of insects crawl out of the walls Remove the shadow encounter from this room.

and onto the player character. Have any player character that touches the orb or statue

Overall, this encounter should be relatively short. Its main make a Wisdom saving throw. This saving throw requires no

value comes from the first turn of combat which should scare DC and has no positive or negative results, but simply is

players effectively. However, the longer this fight goes on, the meant to frighten the players as you withhold the possible

less frightening it becomes. It is therefore recommended you results from them.

end the fight on round 2 or 3 regardless of the damage dealt Regardless of the saving throw, Strahd becomes aware of

by the players. the party's presence in Death House and in Barovia once they

If possible, be sure to denote that the swarm emerges only interact with the statue.

from the area around Elisabeth Durst's crypt to foreshadow

her corruption. 34: Cult Leader’s Quarters

Remember to eliminate the mimic encounter from the

25: Well and Cultist Quarters previous chamber.

Add the following item to the chest in 25C. Use the following flavor text to describe the room to

Cultist’s Logbook. Bound in grimy black leather, this players.

journal maintains a list of names, physical descriptions, and

the negative results of some event.

As you enter the next room, you find a makeshift, underground
One of the head cultists maintained this logbook as a
bedroom. A large, wood-framed bed with a rotted feather
record of the cult’s victims. The second column logs the
mattress takes up the bulk of the space. On the near wall sits a
physical description of each victim named in the first column,

while the third column bears a single word for each entry: wooden wardrobe and at the foot of the bed is an aged
"Unsuccessful." footlocker. Above the bed, hanging from a taut noose, is the
corpse of a man in a black suit. One of his withered, bony
27: Dining Hall
hands clutches a crumpled note.
The bones littering this room are from the ghouls alone. The

cult did not practice cannibalism.

Additionally, remember to remove the grick encounter.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

12
The corpse here is Mr. Durst, who hanged himself after the

fall of his family. The note in his hand is a suicide letter which 35: Reliquary

reads: Replace the 13 items in the reliquary with the following list.

Each item is representative of the various locations in the

My Beloved Children, Curse of Strahd campaign.

A bloodstained wooden sun (Village of Barovia)

I wish I could do what all fathers do and tell you that
An aged Tarroka deck, in such foul conditon some cards
monsters aren’t real. But it wouldn’t be true.
are unreadable, rendering the deck useless (Vistani)

Life can create things of exquisite beauty. But it can also A hag’s severed finger (Old Bonegrinder)

A dagger carved from human bone (Vallaki)

twist them into hideous beings. Selfish. Violent. Grotesque.
A broken silvered bolt (Van Richten’s Tower)
Monstrous. It hurts me to say that your mother has turned into
A jar of severed raven talons soaking in wine (Winery)
one such monster, inside and out. And I’m afraid the disease A crown made of black vines (Yesterhill)
that afflicted her mind has taken hold of me as well. A desiccated frog lashed to a stick, easily mistaken for a

wand of polymorph (Berez)

It sickens me to think what we’ve put you through. There is A cracked egg containing the skeletal remains of a
no excuse. I only ask of you, though I know I do not have the deformed, infant dragon (Argynvostholt)

right to do so, to try and forgive us. I despise what your A large, pure white feather (Abbey of St. Markovia)

mother has become, but I love and pity her all the same. A small wooden coffer containing a dire wolf ’s withered

tongue (Werewolf Den)

Rose, I wish I could see you blossom into a strong, beautiful A chunk of amber resin (Amber Temple)

woman. Thorn, I wish I could be there for you the way I A dagger with a bat’s skull set into the pommel (Castle

couldn't be for Walter. But I can’t. This is what I deserve. Ravenloft)

Goodbye [2] 

When the Dark Power accepted Mrs. Durst’s final sacrifice,

Once players read the note, the far earth hewn wall shakes Walter was transformed into a terrible monster, a vessel for

and Mrs. Durst, now a ghast, crawls forth. Unlike the ghouls, the cult’s hatred, arrogance, and depravity bound within an

Mrs. Durst retains the ability of higher speech as well as her innocent babe. This abomination now demands what the cult

memory, but has completely succumbed to her own dark once gave freely: sacrifices.

whims. Upon entering the ritual chamber, Area 38, players see a

She wears a tattered, once-beautiful red dress overlain with small bundle sitting on the center dais. It is about the size of

a black robe. The neckline of her dress hangs low, revealing an infant completely shrouded in black cloth. Upon closer

an open and rotting chest cavity within which players can see inspection, the bundle isn't moving and shows no signs of life.

her literal black heart. Her lips and gums have gone black

with rot, and her smile shines with madness. At this point, One Must Die!

she bears only a vague resemblance to her own portrait. The first player character to step onto the dais summons the

Mrs. Durst has gone completely insane. She is arrogant to cultist projections that surround the room. The bundle on the

an extreme, and shuns her dead husband, calling him a altar unfurls to reveal a single dagger.

lecherous traitor who deserved his death. She speaks If the party refuses to make the requested sacrifice, the cult

unkindly of Walter and the nursemaid, and writes off Rose is angered, and summons Walter. If the party makes the

and Thorn as bothersome nuisances. She is vulgar and requested sacrifice, the cult chants victoriously, and

speaks in a hissing, gurgling voice. She is also convinced of summons Walter anyway. Either way, players should feel as

her own beauty and relishes her immortality. though they have made a grave error.

Should the players ask her what she did to Walter, she Consider giving this encounter a timer of about 10

invites them to descend further into the basement and “see minutes, placing a literal ticking clock on the screen or at the

for themselves.” table. Most parties will not need all the allotted time, but the

countdown will instead pressure the players and promote

Fight! Mrs. Durst anxiety as they discuss possibly sacrificing one of their own.

While players can most certainly leave Mrs. Durst after their

conversation, most parties will feel the need to execute her

for her crimes. Should a fight occur, it should be relatively Simplified Chant

easy. Though Mrs. Durst hits hard and poisons those near When it is time to summon Walter, simplify the
her, the party has advantage in numbers. The fight shouldn't summoning chat to, "Come, demon! We awaken
last more than a couple rounds. thee!"
If you should desire a more difficult encounter, consider

giving Mrs. Durst a multiattack and doubling her hit points. A

pair of ghouls might also emerge from the back room and
attempt to pincher the party during the encounter.

DEATH HOUSE
13
 
Large undead, neautral evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48)
Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

18 (+4) 8 (-1) 16 (+3) 5 (-3) 10 (+0) 5 (-3)

Condition Immunities blinded, deafened, exhaustion

Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius),
passive Perception 10
Languages None
Challenge 3 (700 XP)

Innocent Heart. Walter's infant corpse lies in a cavity

at the heart of the Flesh Mound, suspended by
several fleshy tendrils. Whenever the Flesh Mound
takes damage, chunks of gore drop away to briefly
reveal Walter's screaming form. A creature can use
an action to try and forcefully remove Walter from Fight! The Flesh Mound
the heart of the mound with a strength (Athletics)
This encounter completely replaces the shambling mound.
check. The DC for this check starts at 30, but is
reduced as the Flesh Mound loses hit points. At 105 When the flesh mound is summoned, the dirty water filling

hit points, the DC is 26. At 81 hit points, the DC is the chamber ripples as something moves beneath the

22. At 63 hit points, the DC is 18. At 51 hit points, surface. A host of bones, flesh, and disparate body parts come

the DC is 14. At 45 hit points or fewer, the DC is together from the water, collecting into a massive, shifting

10. When Walter is removed from the Flesh Mound, heap of gore centered above the altar. The portcullis slams

the Mound instantly drops to 0 hit points and is shut and initiative begins.

destroyed. Should the Flesh Mound drop to 0 hit Through the course of battle, the flesh mound prioritizes
points with Walter still attached, the baby is pushing enemies away from it to protect Walter. It will flip
automatically freed. between using it's slam attacks and its Cult's Depravity action

Actions about every other turn. While the chances of downing a

character with a single attack are slim, the fight will quickly

Multiattack. The Flesh Mound makes two slam turn into a battle of attrition as the party watches their

attacks. resources slowly dwindle and their hit points drain. By the

third turn of combat or so, the party should figure out that the
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., crying baby within the mound is the source of its power. Don't
one target. Hit 3 (1d4 + 1) bludgeoning damage. On
forget to describe the quick revealing of the baby each time
a hit, the target must make a DC 14 strength Saving
the Mound takes damage. If the players come up with an
throw or be pushed back 10 feet.
alternative answer for removing or stopping Walter, such as
The Cult's Depravity. Any creature within 60 feet that trying to heal the baby or a clever use of a spell, you might
can see the Flesh Mound must make a DC 14 consider rewarding them by lowering the DC for the Innocent
intelligence Saving throw or take 7 (2d6) psychic Heart trait or otherwise watching the Mound dissolve.
damage and gain 1 stack of the Cult's Depravity as it
Throughout the battle, feel free to embellish the terrible
is assailed with horrible visions of the cult's
visions from the Cult's Depravity action. The visions might be
sacrifices in the ritual chamber. The target takes half
damage and is not afflicted by a Cult's Depravity of illusory cultists that attack the afflicted, very similar to the

stack on a successful save. Any target afflicted by effects of a phantasmal force spell. These illusions grow in

the Cult's Depravity takes 1d4 psychic damage at number as the target gains stacks of the ability.

the start of its turn, which increases by 1d4 damage

per stack accumulated. An afflicted target can use
their action to shake these visions entirely and Increasing Difficulty
eliminate all existing stacks of the Cult's Depravity. If the party has recently rested or contains
characters of higher than average hit points,
consider raising the Cult's Depravity damage to
3d6. If the party contains a high number of
characters, consider raising the Flesh Mound's
multiattack to three slams.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd

14


A
fter the final battle, the Death House adventure The following edits are examples of such changes that are

can conclude in one of two ways. recommended for the skill challenge to better fit this guide.

On one hand, the house may begin to self

Area 21: The Secret Staircase. Instead of the giant spider,
destruct, forcing players to flee. This race to the
you might have the ground shudder and a character lose
finish can give the module a memorable and
their footing, falling down the staircase. The party has to
dramatic ending.
act fast to stop their fall!
On the other hand, the players may be quite
Area 27: The Dining Hall. The illusion of the dying man on
beaten after their final encounter, ending the battle with
the table is attracting a coming horde of ghouls, not
fallen party members. If the players seem to need time to
cannibalistic cultists. Players hear their rasping voices in
recover or seem keen on laying the spirits of the Durst family
rounding the corridors, similar to those of the ghouls they
to rest in the crypts, a more peaceful ending may occur.
would have already encountered in the basement.
Choosing an ending for Death House will come at the
Area 0: Courtyard. Alternatively, Rose and Thorn appear
discretion of the Dungeon Master.
struggling to hold the gates open for the players. They

 shout, “Hurry! We can’t hold it much longer!” This

preserves the children as allies to the party, rather than

In this ending, once the flesh mound is defeated the Death enemies. Persuasion can be used to foster the children’s

House is considered purged of its curse. Rose and Thorn's will to hold the gate longer. Acrobatics or Athletics
can

ghosts appear to the players one final time. While still be used to make a final mad dash for the exit. Perception
transparent, they now have a soft radiant glow about them can be used to spot a large rock in the dirt one child can

and project an aura of peace. Rose thanks the players for use as a foothold.

rescuing Walter and for finally ending the darkness of their

Once players escape Death House, the house itself is
home. But before the conversation can continue much longer,
swallowed into the dirt.
the ground shudders and the ceiling cracks, raining debris on

the players. Rose proclaims that without the curse to hold the

house aloft, it will soon crumble. She and Thorn shout at the

players to run! The player characters must flee before the In this ending, Death House falls silent after the players

house is swallowed by the earth. complete their final battle with the flesh mound. The players

For this ending, it is recommended that you run the have the option and the time to tend to their fallen party

Escaping Death House Skill Challenge by Wyatt Trull on the memebers, further explore the house, collect loot, rest, and

DM’s Guild for this ending. place the remains of the Durst family in their tombs.

A skill challenge is a mechanic from 4th Edition that allows When the party has placed the last of Dursts to rest

the players to make a series of skill checks to overcome (optionally including Margaret and Mrs. Durst), they turn to

obstacles in a montage-like scene without tracking hit points. see the ghosts of the family, who appear as they would have

The skill checks must be shared amongst the players, forcing in life. Mr. Durst cradles a laughing Walter. Rose and Thorn

them to work together and allocate their strengths and smile at the players. Mrs. Durst, if present, stands to the side

weaknesses for each obstacle. and weeps in clear remorse of her actions and mouths,

Trull’s skill challenge follows the players as they run “Thank you”. The ghosts then dissolve into light and

through Death House, desperately seeking escape. disappear forever.

However, it is recommended that you alter the majority of When players exit the basement, the house is old and

the supernatural obstacles in the challenge in favor of more rotted, but devoid of any further supernatural haunting. Death

natural challenges to incorporate the changes in this guide. House is now completely normal, a structure left to slowly

At this point in the adventure, the Death House is no longer dissolve into the elements.

cursed, making scythed doorways and similar obstacles feel

out of place. Instead, you might describe a door stuck in its 
frame from the shifting foundation or a support beam
Once players escape or leave Death House, they become
suddenly falling into the party's path.
level 3! The party will likely choose to take a long rest in the

cul de sac before heading down the Svalich Road towards the

Village of Barovia.

DEATH HOUSE

15