Curse of Strahd - A twist!

[Epically]

After six months of previous planning and five months of bi-monthly games lasting 6-7 hours each, I finally revealed Strahd to my players.....

...as another player who had secretly been possessed shortly after entering the Village of Barovia and has been role-playing as the BBEG. This has stretched to Valliki, Van Richten's tower, the Wizard of Wines, Yester hill, the werewolf den, a few bits in between here and there, and the reveal happening at the pool in Krezk.

My other three players were completely unaware of what was happening despite many occasions where questions certainly should have been asked. My player did a phenomenal job of pulling this off, and we would always debrief after each session and discuss our plans for the next game.

The reveal was probably the greatest twist I've pulled off in 10 years of DMing with my players telling me that it was mind blowing and it's all they're going to be thinking about until the next session.

These are the moments you live for as a DM.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

:applause:

[Mischief]

I have heard of the death house only version of this, but this is amazing.

What are some of the highlights?
Hints dropped?
What was Strahd's disguise class/race?
How did you handle the Madame Eva reading?
How did you handle St. Andral's Feast and the hallowed bones?
Did you run the wall of fog vision at Yester Hill?
Were the allies (Martikovs, Van Richten, Ezmerelda d'Avenir) fooled or did they hang back?
How did you run Strahd's allies, Beucephalus, the Vistani, Rahadin, Lady Watcher, vampire spawn, etc?
Did Ireena make it out through the pool or is she in Strahd's clutches?

[Epically]

I have heard of the death house only version of this, but this is amazing.

Thank you!

Before I answer the questions, just some other points to make aware. This was the conversation I had with my player when I picked up CoS;
"Hey dude, I recently picked up CoS and I'm gonna be running it in a few months. Are you interested in playing?"
"Nah no thanks."
"I thought you might say that so I'm making a promise that I will never get drunk while I'm DMing this campaign."
"Nah, no thanks."
"I thought you might say that too. So I'm proposing that you play as Strahd in disguise within the group. You will be the BBEG and be able to manipulate the party from within the party as a member."
"......Go on."

Originally I had planned for him to role-play as Vasilli Von Holtz. But eventually we ended up deciding he would have an actual player character that traveled through the mist along with the rest of the party and he would instead be possessed by Strahd. We didn't look into the mechanics, just more rule of cool. For example, a paladin using his divine sense wouldn't sense undead because the character is not dead. He could enter homes invited because he's not a vampire.

What are some of the highlights?

My two favourite highlights are quotes from the party paladin talking to the player being possessed by Strahd.
"You need to stop calling yourself Strahd or it's going to come back to bite you in the arse!"
During an argument with him, "You know what! I'm going to go tell the REAL Strahd what you've been doing myself!"

Hints dropped?

I personally didn't drop any hints. It was all the player's hints he dropped during conversation. It started subtle, telling the paladin to refer to Strahd as Lord Strahd because titles should be important to a paladin. Other subtleties like whenever anyone would call him Devil or call him a monster he would ask why, and what has he done to them personally, etc, just continuously defending him as in, "We haven't met the guy and the stories are mixed. I'm not calling him a monster until I know him."
Then we really started letting go because the players just weren't cluing in at all. At the Wizard of Wines, as they approached the player yelled out in Druidic, which no one else had, which prompted a conversation with the druid inside. The players couldn't understand, but they definitely heard Strahd's name mentioned several times. The players asked what he was saying and he flat out said, "Oh I told them that I was Strahd and they should leave - and they are.". Funnily enough that's actually exactly what he said to the druid. NO ONE QUESTIONED IT AT ALL! It was mind-blowing! So the druids left and even gave back the gem lol.
Next, they went to Yester Hill because the sun sword is underneath the Gulthias Tree. At the base of the hill the player said, "Look these guys think I'm Strahd, right? We need to sell that unless you want a big fight on your hands. You guys have to refer to me as Lord Strahd." AND STILL NO QUESTIONS ASKED! After Yester Hill he told everyone he liked being call Strahd and wouldn't talk to anyone unless they called him Strahd lol. Still no questions though.

What was Strahd's disguise class/race?

Answered that above in the notes.

How did you handle the Madame Eva reading?

I did it as normal. Madame Eva knew he was a puppet. But Madame Eva fore sore that she needed to do the reading. She didn't let it on though. I controlled who got what reading with some prepared cards and slight sleight of hand. I purposely gave my reading for the location of the Tome of Strahd, my altered edition of it, to him. Strahd told the players he couldn't get a reading - too cloudy (each player got a personal reading alone). This was all purpose designed again so when Strahd was no longer possessing the player, he knows where the Tome is and it might be a way for the party to trust him.

How did you handle St. Andral's Feast and the hallowed bones?

Oh this was an amazing situation! So the coffin maker had already got the bones under the orders of the vampire spawn living in his attic. He was then instructed to dump the bones in Lake Zarovich. The bones were collected and replaced with the bones of Leo Dilisnya which he imbued with radiant magic so they would appear to be the bones of St. Andral. This was done before the players entered Valliki.
On their first night, Strahd ordered the spawn to kill the priest, but make it crude ie; they cut off his head with a shovel, to make it not obvious a vampire did it. He also had them dig up 6 bodies from the cemetary and replace the people in the stockades in the town centre. Those in the stockades were then kept tied and bound in the coffin maker's attic and the spawn moved into the church basement.
Eventually the party discovered the coffin maker had the bones and went to talk to him. He tells them he was forced to do by the vampires in his attic. The party things he's raving mad lol. He says he'll tell the location of the bones if they remove the vampires for him. You can see where this is going lol. Long story short, the coffin maker was beaten and they got the information of the bones then he was handed over to the Burgomaster.
The players then went to the lake, rescued Arrabelle, and found the bones. The player as Strahd suggested he take the girl back to Vistani camp, while the rest of the other players go and attend the priest's funeral, which was made mandatory by the Burgomaster, and he'll meet them at the funeral (Again, no questioning).
At the funeral, the Burgomaster told the town the priest had been brutally murdered but thanks to the party the killer has been brought to justice, "I'm sure you all noticed him swinging in the town square.". One of my players was like, "Damn, he wasn't good but I wasn't expecting him to get hanged to quickly.".
The vampires then made they're appearance and killed Millivoj, who they had rescued from a demon that very morning, then started killing the townsfolk. A few rounds into it another one of my players said, "Hold up one second. So these are vampires right?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"And how many are there?"
"Six."
"And how many vampires did the coffin maker say were in his attic?"
"Six."
"Wait, so did we essentially get an innocent man killed?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"Wow. You bastard!"
"*Evil DM laugh*"
Couple more rounds go by and the real Strahd arrives riding Beucephalus. He kills one of the spawn, condemns the attack and tells the rest of the spawn to leave. He then asks why his name is banned from town. He hasn't personally done anything to anyone here. He says he might admittedly have been a neglectful ruler, but hasn't done anything to anyone to deserve this treatment. He then suggests this town would be better suited to a regime change. Strahd then turns his attention to the group and Ireena. Invites them to dinner, welcomes them to Barovia and leaves.
That was a great session.

Did you run the wall of fog vision at Yester Hill?

Nope. Refer to above again.

Were the allies (Martikovs, Van Richten, Ezmerelda d'Avenir) fooled or did they hang back?

Van Richten had a feeling something wasn't right with him but didn't know what. Davian definitely knew something was up when the druids left the farm. After the players left the winery, he sent a Raven to Van Richten telling him they need to meet and discuss. They met and shared theories. It was after the parties third visit that Davian and Van Richten were convinced the player was Strahd. They chose not to tell the group at this point however, because they didn't want to jeopardise the party safety. As for what happens now, this is actually where I'm up to in the story with my group.

How did you run Strahd's allies, Beucephalus, the Vistani, Rahadin, Lady Watcher, vampire spawn, etc?

I never liked how all the Vistani were Strahd's allies. That was never canon. They shared mutual respect. Yeah he had some allies, but not the whole clan. So in my game the only Vistani ally he has is Arrigal.
Rahadin has only made a brief appearance once. Strahd decided to reward the group with some magic items, but also test the paladin that he's been trying to corrupt. There was an unmarked grave that stood out and the players decided to dig it up to investigate. Half way through Rahadin, hidden in the shadows, shouted, "Ha! A paladin desecrating a grave!? There's something waiting for you at the bottom.". At the bottom they found a coffin and inside was a lot of magical items, and a book called, "Ode to the Oathbreaker". The paladin started freaking out the started burying the coffin. This didn't sit well with the rest of the group and they ended up killing him while he tried to bury the coffin. He was later however resurrected by his god because of his tremendous devotion to his beliefs. Rahadin appeared, clapping, and told them they passed the test and it went better than expected, then he disappeared again.
Lady Wachter was appointed Burgomaster after the town lynched Vallokavich during the festival. Of course she was loyal to Strahd and he helped all of these motions take place.

Did Ireena make it out through the pool or is she in Strahd's clutches?

I told the players when they arrived in Krezk that it was custom for outsiders to drink from the pool, as it removes diseases and makes the town safe from any kind of outbreak.
Once at the pool, Strahd and Ireena were compelled to drink. Sergei appeared and Ireena got Tatyana's memories back. Sergei turned to the player and said, "My dear brother. I forgive you.", and he and Tatyana disappeared. A bolt of lightning was cast out of the players head and he regained control. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed across the land. All the players then received Sergei's blessing: They could no longer be possessed or charmed by Strahd outside of Castle Ravenloft nor could he locate them through spells or being the land.

[Mischief]

What are some of the highlights? Hints dropped?

My two favourite highlights are quotes from the party paladin talking to the player being possessed by Strahd.
"You need to stop calling yourself Strahd or it's going to come back to bite you in the arse!"
During an argument with him, "You know what! I'm going to go tell the REAL Strahd what you've been doing myself!"
I personally didn't drop any hints. It was all the player's hints he dropped during conversation. It started subtle, telling the paladin to refer to Strahd as Lord Strahd because titles should be important to a paladin. Other subtleties like whenever anyone would call him Devil or call him a monster he would ask why, and what has he done to them personally, etc, just continuously defending him as in, "We haven't met the guy and the stories are mixed. I'm not calling him a monster until I know him."
Then we really started letting go because the players just weren't cluing in at all. At the Wizard of Wines, as they approached the player yelled out in Druidic, which no one else had, which prompted a conversation with the druid inside. The players couldn't understand, but they definitely heard Strahd's name mentioned several times. The players asked what he was saying and he flat out said, "Oh I told them that I was Strahd and they should leave - and they are.". Funnily enough that's actually exactly what he said to the druid. NO ONE QUESTIONED IT AT ALL! It was mind-blowing! So the druids left and even gave back the gem lol.
Next, they went to Yester Hill because the sun sword is underneath the Gulthias Tree. At the base of the hill the player said, "Look these guys think I'm Strahd, right? We need to sell that unless you want a big fight on your hands. You guys have to refer to me as Lord Strahd." AND STILL NO QUESTIONS ASKED! After Yester Hill he told everyone he liked being call Strahd and wouldn't talk to anyone unless they called him Strahd lol. Still no questions though.

Your players are denser than a packed folding-boat, but good on your Strahd for really cutting loose.

How did you handle St. Andral's Feast and the hallowed bones?

VIEW CONTENT:

Oh this was an amazing situation! So the coffin maker had already got the bones under the orders of the vampire spawn living in his attic. He was then instructed to dump the bones in Lake Zarovich. The bones were collected and replaced with the bones of Leo Dilisnya which he imbued with radiant magic so they would appear to be the bones of St. Andral. This was done before the players entered Valliki.
On their first night, Strahd ordered the spawn to kill the priest, but make it crude ie; they cut off his head with a shovel, to make it not obvious a vampire did it. He also had them dig up 6 bodies from the cemetary and replace the people in the stockades in the town centre. Those in the stockades were then kept tied and bound in the coffin maker's attic and the spawn moved into the church basement.
Eventually the party discovered the coffin maker had the bones and went to talk to him. He tells them he was forced to do by the vampires in his attic. The party things he's raving mad lol. He says he'll tell the location of the bones if they remove the vampires for him. You can see where this is going lol. Long story short, the coffin maker was beaten and they got the information of the bones then he was handed over to the Burgomaster.
The players then went to the lake, rescued Arrabelle, and found the bones. The player as Strahd suggested he take the girl back to Vistani camp, while the rest of the other players go and attend the priest's funeral, which was made mandatory by the Burgomaster, and he'll meet them at the funeral (Again, no questioning).
At the funeral, the Burgomaster told the town the priest had been brutally murdered but thanks to the party the killer has been brought to justice, "I'm sure you all noticed him swinging in the town square.". One of my players was like, "Damn, he wasn't good but I wasn't expecting him to get hanged to quickly.".
The vampires then made they're appearance and killed Millivoj, who they had rescued from a demon that very morning, then started killing the townsfolk. A few rounds into it another one of my players said, "Hold up one second. So these are vampires right?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"And how many are there?"
"Six."
"And how many vampires did the coffin maker say were in his attic?"
"Six."
"Wait, so did we essentially get an innocent man killed?"
"It appears that way, yes."
"Wow. You bastard!"
"*Evil DM laugh*"
Couple more rounds go by and the real Strahd arrives riding Beucephalus. He kills one of the spawn, condemns the attack and tells the rest of the spawn to leave. He then asks why his name is banned from town. He hasn't personally done anything to anyone here. He says he might admittedly have been a neglectful ruler, but hasn't done anything to anyone to deserve this treatment. He then suggests this town would be better suited to a regime change. Strahd then turns his attention to the group and Ireena. Invites them to dinner, welcomes them to Barovia and leaves.
That was a great session.

So glad to hear you are using Strahd the statesman rather than Strahd who openly couldn't care less what people thought of him. It keeps more of original Dracula's "charm". I take it the dinner invitation fell through.
What happened with the people from the stockades bound up in the attic? I am guessing they were your fire insurance (Oh, you burned down the coffin maker's house to avoid fighting the spawn, but you find 6 innocent bodies in the charcoal.) So where are the real bones of St. Andral? In Wachterhouse where Leo's were? Now I get it, Andral's went in the lake and Leo's were in the coffin maker's. Also messing with Leo's bones... that should somehow backfire in Strahd's face. Maybe the radiant energy is enough to wake him as a shade. If you are moving towards the Tome, that's an opportune time to bring out Leo Dilisnya. Maybe they could experience the red wedding (there is the grand conjunction module where Azalin sends the PCs back in time you could crib from) if they are into the story lore.

Were the allies (Martikovs, Van Richten, Ezmerelda d'Avenir) fooled or did they hang back?

Van Richten had a feeling something wasn't right with him but didn't know what. Davian definitely knew something was up when the druids left the farm. After the players left the winery, he sent a Raven to Van Richten telling him they need to meet and discuss. They met and shared theories. It was after the parties third visit that Davian and Van Richten were convinced the player was Strahd. They chose not to tell the group at this point however, because they didn't want to jeopardise the party safety. As for what happens now, this is actually where I'm up to in the story with my group.

After your players got burned so hard on Strahd's puppet, they are either going to adore VR and friends or be paranoid and keep them at arm's length. I wonder how they will jump!

Rahadin has only made a brief appearance once. Strahd decided to reward the group with some magic items,

Any side effects?

but also test the paladin that he's been trying to corrupt. There was an unmarked grave that stood out and the players decided to dig it up to investigate. Half way through Rahadin, hidden in the shadows, shouted, "Ha! A paladin desecrating a grave!? There's something waiting for you at the bottom.". At the bottom they found a coffin and inside was a lot of magical items, and a book called, "Ode to the Oathbreaker". The paladin started freaking out the started burying the coffin. This didn't sit well with the rest of the group and they ended up killing him while he tried to bury the coffin.

They ignore the druid calling himself Strahd, but kill the Paladin!? Couldn't they have just tied him up and looked at the book to see what was up?

He was later however resurrected by his god because of his tremendous devotion to his beliefs. Rahadin appeared, clapping, and told them they passed the test and it went better than expected, then he disappeared again.

Rahadin has that awesome Stealth +14, same as Strahd's plus mask of the wild (although he can't get closer than 10 feet because of the screaming - no doubt the consequence of a failed Powers' Check even if 5e doesn't call it that because they ditched the mechanic.) He also has important social proficiencies to cover Strahd's lack of them: Rahadin has Deception +8, Insight +7, Intimidation +12 versus Strahd's +4, +2, +4 for the same skills. I've always seen that as a hint that Rahadin is Strahd's preferred source of opinions on people matters (even if he doesn't heed them). The Amber Temple is a good place to showcase Rahadin's role in things because that's the one scripted scenario where the players will likely see him working against Strahd's interests. Rahadin is praying for Strahd to be freed from the Tatyana reincarnation cycle because it makes Strahd unhappy. The Kresk Pool development will shake things up.

[Epically]

So glad to hear you are using Strahd the statesman rather than Strahd who openly couldn't care less what people thought of him. It keeps more of original Dracula's "charm". I take it the dinner invitation fell through.
What happened with the people from the stockades bound up in the attic? I am guessing they were your fire insurance (Oh, you burned down the coffin maker's house to avoid fighting the spawn, but you find 6 innocent bodies in the charcoal.) So where are the real bones of St. Andral? In Wachterhouse where Leo's were? Now I get it, Andral's went in the lake and Leo's were in the coffin maker's. Also messing with Leo's bones... that should somehow backfire in Strahd's face. Maybe the radiant energy is enough to wake him as a shade. If you are moving towards the Tome, that's an opportune time to bring out Leo Dilisnya. Maybe they could experience the red wedding (there is the grand conjunction module where Azalin sends the PCs back in time you could crib from) if they are into the story lore.

Yeah they never made the dinner, and probably won't now.
The Burgomaster originally wanted to put them back into the stockades to serve out their sentence, but the player convinced him that they should let the people go, as they went through additional non-sanctioned punishment and that in regards to the priest's funeral, "All must attend!".
So Andral's bones are in Ravenloft. Strahd trying destorying them but couldn't. So no bones were in the coffin makers. He put Andral's bones in the lake, but then Strahd replaced them with Leo's. So they got Leo's bones from the lake, thinking they were Andral's.

They ignore the druid calling himself Strahd, but kill the Paladin!? Couldn't they have just tied him up and looked at the book to see what was up?

No no. The druid wasn't calling himself Strahd. He was addressing Strahd. The player told the druid in druidic that he was Strahd in disguise and for them to back off. The players asked what the player said and he said that HE was Strahd. And they just went along with it lol.

[Mischief]

They ignore the druid calling himself Strahd, but kill the Paladin!? Couldn't they have just tied him up and looked at the book to see what was up?

No no. The druid wasn't calling himself Strahd. He was addressing Strahd. The player told the druid in druidic that he was Strahd in disguise and for them to back off. The players asked what the player said and he said that HE was Strahd. And they just went along with it lol.

I think where I am confused is that you didn't give the race or class of the character playing/possessed by Strahd, but you said he spoke druidic, so I assumed the undercover player's PC was a druid.

[Epically]

They ignore the druid calling himself Strahd, but kill the Paladin!? Couldn't they have just tied him up and looked at the book to see what was up?

No no. The druid wasn't calling himself Strahd. He was addressing Strahd. The player told the druid in druidic that he was Strahd in disguise and for them to back off. The players asked what the player said and he said that HE was Strahd. And they just went along with it lol.

I think where I am confused is that you didn't give the race or class of the character playing/possessed by Strahd, but you said he spoke druidic, so I assumed the undercover player's PC was a druid.

Ah. In that case Human tempest cleric/lore wizard.