CoS modifications! Unmarked Spoilers!

[NRSASD]

Hey Playground!

This is a place to list any changes you made to the Curse of Strahd campaign path. I'm originally making it to list the changes I've made and discuss them, but feel free to list changes you made or pipe in with suggestions.

[NRSASD]

I added two major factions and dramatically expanded a third. These are: the Blueshields, the Merovian Deserters, and the Hillsfolk.

In the CoS Adventure Path, Mordekainen raised an army of Barovians to attack Castle Ravenloft. In my playthrough, I replaced Mordekainen with an imperial battlemage named Mordecai and his elite unit of 600 veteran demon-slaying heavy infantry. They came from the empire of Meroe, a major power in my homebrew campaign setting, which is also where the PCs are from. I felt Mordekainen was a bit too powerful to fall into Strahd's trap, so I dropped a 15th lvl mage in his place.

-Strahd got bored of pulling through little bands of adventurers. He wanted to feel like he was in command of an army again, to shape the fates of thousands with clever tactics and brutal force. So he lured in an entire military unit, support staff and all, into Barovia.

-Once they arrived, the Blueshields quickly identified two threats: Strahd himself and his Hillsfolk followers. Half the Blueshields under their martial commander Centurion Satina established a fortress on the slopes of Mt. Ghakis and fought back the Hillsfolk hordes, while Mordecai and the rest would try to storm Castle Ravenloft. The attack on Castle Ravenloft was an unmitigated disaster. What happened to Satina and her troops was arguably worse.

-The Blueshields had been escorting a demonic artifact known as the Hand of Orcus when they were pulled through by Strahd. They were intending to destroy it, but in Barovia didn't have the power to do that, so they decided to keep it safe in Satina's fort. Strahd knew they had this artifact, and after a bit of research in the Amber Temple figured out what it did. He ordered his Hillsfolk to attack the Blueshield fort with everything they had, paying no heed to the losses they took. The Blueshields fought long and hard, but no matter how many Hillsfolk they killed, they just kept coming. In their despair and desperation, they abandoned their oaths and used the Hand to preserve them.

-The Hand granted all 300 Blueshields a kind of immortality. If they fell in combat, they would rise again; ravenous and insane. By feasting on another living being (dead bodies are no good), a Blueshield is able to regain their sanity and human appearance, but make no mistake, the entire company is now undead. With this immortality, the Blueshields have been able to drive back the Hillsfolk deep into the southern reaches of Mt. Ghakis.

-To control their cannibalistic urges, the Blueshields have been extorting livestock from the Barovians. When not enough livestock can be provided, the Blueshields collect "recruits" from the locals. It goes without saying that Hillsfolk do everything they can to avoid being captured by anyone, Blueshields especially.


-I will add tons more! I've been very busy giving my players nightmares with dream messages from Strahd

[Trustypeaches]

Roughly 70% of what is outlined in the two following incredible guides on the CoS Subreddit.

Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd by MandyMod (https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/9pbka6/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_master_table_of/)
CoS Reloaded by DragnaCarta (https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/9bpzbh/curse_of_strahd_reloaded_compilation_thread/)

I highly recommend anyone considering running this module take good look at both of these guides and pick and choose what you like.

Some of the highlights include:

The Fanes of Barovia: 3 dark, ancient archfey who the druid's and barbarians worshipped before the arrival of more civilized folk, including Strahd. Their shrines have been desecrated and Strahd has stolen their power for his own.
Fiona the Sun Cultist: A really interesting take on a character and her cult that is otherwise quite generic and nonsensical. Fiona truly believes in a prophecy of outsiders whose actions will bring back the sunlight in Barovia, as do her followers.
Tragedy of Kresk: The Burgomaster's son Ilya has been brought back from the dead. It's a miracle! But the sheep are disappearing, and winter is fast approaching. What is slaughtering the towns food supply? And why is Ilya so hungry...?

As for what I have personally added, like most DM's I built in subplots that pertain to my players: tying the Archfey Warlock to the Fanes, the Vengeance Paladin to the Revenants, etc. I have also expanded upon the wilderness travel, and introduced moderate hexcrawls for when players go off-road, making trips into the Svalich Woods feel deeply dangerous, especially at night.

With monsters, one of my favorite inclusions are the Sorrowsworn, monsters from the Shadowfell introduced in MToF. In my game, they lurk in the mists, and are the last remnants of any poor soul that attempts to navigate them without Strahd's permission, transformed by the energy of the shadowfell into monstrosities shaped by their own suffering. My players recently had a harrowing encounter with a toned-down version of the Lonely while traveling to Vallaki from Tser Pool.

[NRSASD]

Ooo I'll have to look at these more thoroughly! Have you seen paintraina's (https://www.reddit.com/r/DnDBehindTheScreen/comments/4vknx8/what_i_have_learned_from_running_curse_of_strahd/) guide? I've been merrily ripping pieces off of that.