This folder contains short adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons 5e tabletop role-playing game.
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APPENDIX B | Death House 9 Dungeon Features The dungeon level underneath Death House is carved out of earth, clay, and rock. The tunnels are 4 feet wide by 7 feet high with timber braces at 5-foot intervals. Rooms are 8 feet tall and supported by thick wooden posts with crossbeams. The only exception is area 38, which has a 16-foot-high ceiling supported by stone pillars. Characters without darkvision must provide their own light sources, as the dungeon is unlit. As the characters explore the dungeon, they see cen- turies-old human footprints in the earthen floor leading every which way. Rose and Thorn If either the dollhouse or the chest is disturbed, the ghosts of Rose and Thorn appear in the middle of the room. Use the ghost statistics in the Monster Manual, with the following modifications: • The ghosts are Small and lawful good. • They have 35 (10d6) hit points each. • They lack the Horrifying Visage action. • They speak Common and have a challenge rating of 3 (700 XP). The children don't like it when the characters disturb their toys, but they fight only in self-defense. Unlike the illusions outside the house, these children know that they're dead. If asked how they died, Rose and Thorn explain that their parents locked them in the attic to protect them from "the monster in the basement," and that they died from hunger. If asked how one gets to the basement, Rose points to the dollhouse and says, "There's a secret door in the attic." Characters who then search the dollhouse for secret doors gain advantage on their Wisdom (Perception) checks to find them. The children fear abandonment. If one or more char- acters try to leave, the ghost-children attempt to possess them. If one of the ghosts possesses a character, allow the player to retain control of the character, but assign the character one of the following flaws: • A character possessed by Rose gains the following flaw: "I like being in charge and get angry when other people tell me what to do." • A character possessed by Thorn gains the following flaw: "I'm scared of everything, including my own shadow, and weep with despair when things don't go my way." A character possessed by the ghost of Rose or Thorn won't willingly leave Death House or the dungeon be- low it. Both ghosts can be intimidated into leaving their hosts with a successful DC 11 Charisma (Intimidation) check made as an action. A ghost reduced to 0 hit points can reform at dawn the next day. The only way to put the children's spirits to rest is to put their skeletal remains in their tombs (areas 23E and 23F). The children don't know this, however. Development If the party lays the children's spirits to rest, each character gains inspiration (see "Inspiration" in chap- ter 4, "Personality and Background," of the Player's Handbook). 21. Secret Stairs A narrow spiral staircase made of creaky wood is con- tained within a 5-foot-wide shaft of mortared stone that starts in the attic and descends 50 feet to the dungeon level, passing through the lower levels of the house as it makes its descent. Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and reduce visibility in the staircase to 5 feet. The secret door and shaft don't exist until the house reveals them, which can happen in one of two ways: • The characters find Strahd's letter in the secret room behind the library (area 9). • The characters find the replica secret door in the attic of the dollhouse (area 20). Once the house wills the secret door into existence, characters find it automatically if they search the wall (no ability check required). Characters who descend the spiral staircase end up in area 22. 22. Dungeon Level Access The wooden spiral staircase from the attic ends here. A narrow tunnel stretches southward before branching east and west. Ghostly Chanting From the moment they arrive in the dungeon, the characters can hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout. It's impossible to gauge where the sound is coming from until the characters reach area 26 or 29. They can't discern its words until they reach area 35. 23. Family Crypts Several crypts have been hewn from the earth. Each crypt is sealed with a stone slab unless noted otherwise. Removing a slab from its fitting requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check; using a crowbar or the like grants advantage on the check. 23A. Empty Crypt The blank stone slab meant to seal this crypt leans against a nearby wall. The crypt is empty. 23B. Walter's Crypt The stone slab meant to seal this crypt leans against a nearby wall. Etched into it is the name Walter Durst. The crypt is empty. 23C. Gustav's Crypt The stone slab is etched with the name Gustav Durst. The chamber beyond contains an empty coffin atop a stone bier. 23D. Elisabeth's Crypt The stone slab is etched with the name Elisabeth Durst. The crypt contains a stone bier with an empty coffin atop it. A swarm of insects (centipedes) boils out of the back wall and attacks if the coffin is disturbed. 23E. Rose's Crypt The stone slab is etched with the name Rosavalda Durst. The chamber beyond contains an empty coffin on a stone bier.