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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Strahd as a patron?



Sk8ter274
2021-06-15, 12:32 AM
I am currently wrapping up a 3 year long pirate campaign. I won't go into massive detail suffice to say, they're taking the fight to BBEG.

Once that wraps up, I plan on running a modified version of Waterdeep Dragon Heist using Tales of the Yawning Portal, Candlekeep Mysteries, & Forgotten Tales of Waterdeep mixed in. Unlike my current campaign, I want to interweave my player's backstories more into the story, but I am currently having a problem. One of my players is playing a drow warlock and is using the Undying Patron from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. We've talked about it and we agreed that a lich or an evil god of necromancy is too on the nose and overdone. We agreed that a vampire would be a fresh take since vampires often have "human" servants to go out into the world for them. We also had the awesome idea, and convenient for me since i don't have to come up with a fresh NPC, that Strahd would be perfect as a patron.

However, here's my problem

What would Strahd ask his servant to do or retrieve that he couldn't get himself?

I mean, all we have is that the warlock escaped the Underdark, ran through a portal, and ended up in Strahd's bath. He then struck up a deal with Strahd and was able to make his way to Waterdeep where the campaign begins. Other than sending the occasional magical item, scroll, ancient and rare tome, or odd piece of tech (things like a lightbulb or record player due to the time period I've set the campaign in), I've got nothing.

I'd appreciate any suggestions you all might have.

Lvl45DM!
2021-06-15, 06:58 AM
So I haven't read Van Richtens, so ignore me if some of this is changed or useless.

But Strahd is a Darklord of the realm of Barovia. Darklords are trapped in the Land of Mists by the Dark Powers.
Strahd might want information on how to break out of the Land of Mists. He might want alliances with other beings of great evil and power to help him get out. He might want weapons to kill other Darklords, or items that can force Tayana to love him. Rare and exotic kinds of blood, new necromancy spells or unusual corpses to practice magic on.

The Land of Mists has a fair few mad scientists so he might not be that interested in tech

Tzardok
2021-06-15, 07:04 AM
First I need to tell you that I do not know what 5e did with Strahd. I'm only drawing on older sources.

That out of the way, we need to know where Strahd is at the moment. Is he still a prisoner of the Ravenloft setting? In that case kudos to that character to getting out of that hellhole, but there wouldn't be a lot the warlock can do for him from outside. Maybe he could work on a way to free him, or finding outside assistence that could give Strahd a leg up against his fellow darklords (Strahd should still be in a cold war with Azalin Rex IIRC). If the character had access to a stable gate to Ravenloft, he could send in dupes for Strahd that could work for him in exchange for getting out, but gates like those don't exist.

Assuming, on the other hand, that Barovia is located on the same world as your character. In that case he could be helpful with Strahd's main goal: Tatyana. Strahd is responsible for the death of the love of his life, and Tatyana is reborn regularily to torment Strahd with a new chance to get her. The character could travel outside as an emissary or agent to study the possible cause of this reincarnation, search for possible Tatyana candidates living outside of Barovia or help Strahd widen the area over which he holds his dark influence (I'm pretty sure that a lot of Strahd's power is bound to Barovia, which keeps him from leaving).

Lastly I would suggest to draw inspiration for other dark plots from Return to Castle Ravenloft, a 3.5 adventure. It includes as possible schemes for Strahd that influence the outside world the plot to create a dynasty of vampires (for which the warlock could scout out possible candidates in addition to a new Tatyana) or the plot to create a zombie plague (for which the warlock could search for rare spell components or steal the notes of other powerful necromancers).

Composer99
2021-06-15, 07:55 AM
In 5e Curse of Strahd, Barovia is embedded in whatever setting your campaign takes place in, but Strahd can't leave it, and most people can't get in or out, save the Vistani.

In Van Richten's Guide or the classic Ravenloft campaign setting, Barovia is part of the Demiplane of Dread. (The 5e DMG suggests that might be a corner of the Shadowfell, where in the classic setting, it's tucked away in some inaccessible corner of the Ethereal.) Strahd still can't leave it, and most people can't get in or out. (I assume the Vistani are an exception to this, but I don't have Van Richten's so couldn't say for sure.)

So there are lots of things Strahd can't get for himself: information about the world (or multiverse) outside Barovia, goods from outside Barovia, specialist servitors who aren't in Barovia. Basically, if it isn't in Barovia and Strahd wants it, someone else has to get it for him.

That could be something a warlock could do for him: a servitor bound by bonds of magic and loyalty, who will retrieve those things Strahd desires most from the wide world beyond the bounds of Barovia. Or even better, discern that something might be just the sort of thing Strahd would value, and arrange to have it dispatched to Barovia. (Just make sure that, when Strahd does send the warlock on a fetch quest, that it's something interesting.)

Sk8ter274
2021-06-15, 03:39 PM
Thanks for the responses so far

They've been a huge help.

While I want to avoid homebrewing too much, which i did for my current campaign, the idea of Strahd trying to leave Barovia could be the catalyst for the end where I could start Decent into Avernus. The warlock could essentially be sent on fetch quests for ancient secrets, scholars of lore, and collecting souls all so Strahd can teleport Barovia back to the material plane which weakens the barriers between the material plane and the nine hells. It'd give me a reason to skip the boring parts of the module and make my own ala Castlevania with a buffed up Strahd.

Please continue with suggestions and maybe ideas to make the fetch quests interesting

Garfunion
2021-06-15, 11:53 PM
I don’t know if this would help but I think the strongest connection to Strahd would be the mists. It is the mists that help drag people to his realm. If I were to construct this archetype i would probably base it off of the genie Patreon. Where the warlock would get a connection to the mists followed by a connection to one of the Dark Lords(Strahd).

Lvl45DM!
2021-06-16, 02:12 AM
I don’t know if this would help but I think the strongest connection to Strahd would be the mists. It is the mists that help drag people to his realm. If I were to construct this archetype i would probably base it off of the genie Patreon. Where the warlock would get a connection to the mists followed by a connection to one of the Dark Lords(Strahd).

Hes already got the patron subclass, he just wants to advice on how to RP it

Garfunion
2021-06-16, 05:42 AM
Hes already got the patron subclass, he just wants to advice on how to RP it
Guess I missed read it.