"I am the ancient. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I am not dead. Nor am I alive. I am undead, forever."
- Count Strahd von Zarovich
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Are you planning to run I6: Ravenloft with Shadowdark this Halloween? I have taken his classic stats from that module and mixed them with the vampire from Shadowdark. The entry below is directly from the module:
The entire adventure centers around the vampire. Always keep in mind the motives of the vampire, how he moves about, and what his cunning plot is. You must play Strahd in the same way the players play their characters. Study this NPC as carefully as the players study their characters.
I think that advice from 1983 still holds up today. The most fascinating thing about I6 was for the first time ever, the adventure was more about the villain than the dungeon. So keep that mind when using Strahd, as this is an NPC that extends beyond the four corners of a rulebook.
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Count Strahd Von Zarovich (The First Vampyr)
AC 18, HP 65, ATK 3 strike +8 (1d8 + energy drain) or 1 charm,
MV near (climb), S +4, D +4, C +4, I +4, W +4, Ch +4, AL C, LV 15
Supreme Undead.
Immune to morale checks. Only damaged by magical sources.
Energy Drain. Strahd
heals 2d6 HP and target permanently loses 1d4 CON. At 0 CON, target dies and
rises as vampire or vampire spawn (Strahd chooses).
Charm. One
humanoid target who can see vampire within near, DC 18 CHA or under vampire's
control for 1d4 days.
Shapechange. In
place of attacks, Strahd can assume Gaseous Form at will or turn into a bat,
wolf, or back into regular form.
Spellcaster.
Strahd has learned his magic from studies over the centuries. His available
spells are:
Tier 1. Hold
Portal, Sleep
Tier 2. Invisibility,
Mirror Image
Tier 3. Animate
Dead, Dispel Magic
Tier 4. Passwall,
Polymorph
Tier 5. Create
Undead
Vampire. Must
sleep in a coffin daily or loses 2d6 HP each day that can't be healed until
resting in coffin. Takes 3d8 damage each round while in direct sunlight. Cannot
be killed unless pierced through heart with a wooden stake while at 0 HP.
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Looking for more thematic material for Halloween or Ravenloft ? Use those links to find more of my older blog posts that may be helpful.
