A portal scroll or something to get a party from one place to the next?

[Kaibis]

New player/New DM.

I need to get my players from Barovia back to the forgotten realms. They are lvl 3.

One of the characters has a "sister that is a powerful wizard". My first idea is for her to have given him a "get out of ****" scroll or something that allows him to port back to the city.

Does such a thing exist?

[DarkKnightJin]

Having little experience on Barovia, and little to no knowledge of the lore.. I'm fairly sure that the very nature of the place makes it nigh-impossible to 'peace out' by way of dimensional travel.

Of course, a DM could handwave it as the powerful mage and a group of friends helping to provide the necessary juice to bruteforce their way through that BS.

[Kaibis]

Having little experience on Barovia, and little to no knowledge of the lore.. I'm fairly sure that the very nature of the place makes it nigh-impossible to 'peace out' by way of dimensional travel.

Of course, a DM could handwave it as the powerful mage and a group of friends helping to provide the necessary juice to bruteforce their way through that BS.

Barovia is impossible to leave... BUT.... all the PCs and NPCs in Barovia are all super low-level, so it is conceivable that PCs can port in and out of Barovia, it's just that none of them are skilled enough to do so.

[SirGraystone]

The only way to leaves Barovia is if Strahd let you, which is why the Vistani can come and go. But nothing stop you to just have the fog surround the players and takes them away from Barovia if you want to.

[Throne12]

Sounds like a quest to me. They must look for a item or person to cast plane shift on them.

If you just use player 1 sister can bail us. When we were stuck in Barovia why can't she do this (some hard task that can be easily bypass with high of cast) for them.

Don't use Deus ex Marchena. It cheap and so unsatisfying.


Why are they level 3 and are in Barovia?

[Lord8Ball]

There is a fifth level spell called teleportation circle you could use.

[SirGraystone]

I'm curious on why you want a level 3 group to leave Barovia. Is it because you ran the Death House don't plan to do the rest of Curse of Strahd?

[Blood of Gaea]

If you want a one-way ticket give them a scroll of teleport, if you want it to be reusable, give them a helm of teleportation.

[Kaibis]

I'm curious on why you want a level 3 group to leave Barovia. Is it because you ran the Death House don't plan to do the rest of Curse of Strahd?

For my birthday I dragged all my friends and partners and made them play D&D with me. I ran the Death House module with them (because I had just played it with my own CoS group and loved it, because I think it is the very best introduction to D&D, and because I thought the group was just a one-shot).

Turns out they loved playing and begged for it to be a regularly thing.

The problem was that my own CoS group had just left the Death House and began the module proper. There is no way I could play it and run it, without risking huge spoilers.

So they need to leave Barovia... it's that or roll new characters (but they are brand new players, so no thanks).

My ultimate story arc is to have them join a guild that has a Vistani (unknown to most) as a top level leader, the guild's big push will be ridding the world of undead. The players will have the letter from the creepy NPC. So ultimately I would love to have the group hanging out in the guild tavern, as somewhat renowned adventures, and have a group of adventures ask them how they met (thus leading to the Death House story), and then have that group steal the letter (which I will use as a means of returning), and then have my group roll new characters (they get to be the young lvl3 adventures heading to Barovia believing they can defeat Strahd)... But that is just the way-big story in my mind.

[Kaibis]

If you want a one-way ticket give them a scroll of teleport, if you want it to be reusable, give them a helm of teleportation.

There is a fifth level spell called teleportation circle you could use.

Perfect, thanks. I just want one use.

[Temperjoke]

Something else to consider, the Death House could have just been a haunted house in a city that wasn't in Barovia. If that was the only thing that has been done, then it literally could be any place else that you want.

[Kaibis]

If you just use player 1 sister can bail us. When we were stuck in Barovia why can't she do this (some hard task that can be easily bypass with high of cast) for them.

idk, my own brother spent the night at a bus stop terminal once, and I wasn't a bit sorry for him. I had given him the time and tools to sort out his accomodation, but he didn't lift a finger, he just kept thinking I would save him. Older sisters are not parents. She has her own life (on another plane actually), babysitting her younger brother as he gets himself into stupid situations is not her job. She gave him a scroll as an emergency... damned if she is giving him another one, that took ages to make and he didn't help at all. ;)




Don't use Deus ex Marchena. It cheap and so unsatisfying.
What is Deus ex Marchena? I googled but came up with nothing. You have piqued my interest.



Why are they level 3 and are in Barovia?
Because I ran the Death House module with them, thinking it was a one shot (can't keep playing as I am currently playing CoS myself).

[Kaibis]

Something else to consider, the Death House could have just been a haunted house in a city that wasn't in Barovia. If that was the only thing that has been done, then it literally could be any place else that you want.

Not a bad idea. They step out and find themselves in Baldur's Gate or on a hill outside of town, or in some abandoned village close to where I want them to be (thus fixing the other huge problem I have been having, which is getting them to the town I want, without just dumping them in it).

[Kaibis]

What is Deus ex Marchena? I googled but came up with nothing. You have piqued my interest.


Wait, found it

Deus ex machina meaning 'god from the machine'.
The term has evolved to mean a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the inspired and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. Its function can be to resolve an otherwise irresolvable plot situation, to surprise the audience, to bring the tale to a happy ending, or act as a comedic device.

Yes, I agree it would be completely unsatisfying, which is why I am not just having the portal scroll take them to the exact place I want them, it is landing them in Baldur's Gate (where the sister thinks the brother is safe), but they are about to head on a journey to Neverwinter (or somewhere). I am struggling plan the travelling session, but I rather the effort doing that, than just dumping them were I ultimately want them to go. It's the best I can do with the skills that I have.