MISTS OF RAVENLOFT An Adventure for Characters of 1st Level A mysterious mist fills the forest, and the characters find themselves in a land not their own—fighting alongside the Vistani against the servants of the dread vampire Strahd von Zarovich. ™ Wizards of the Coast, Dungeons & Dragons, Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC. © 2020 Wizards. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. elcome to Mists of Ravenloft—an adven- ture that you can now play in either Idle Mists of Ravenloft Credits Champions of the Forgotten Realms, or Writing and Design: Scott Fitzgerald Gray, Chris Dupuis in a game of Dungeons & Dragons with Wyour friends! This tabletop version of Mists Idle Champions Credits of Ravenloft is designed to be used as an introductory Lead Game Designer: Justin Stocks adventure for characters playing a Curse of Strahd cam- Game Designers: Chris Dupuis, David Whittaker paign. The adventure sees a party of 1st-level characters Lead Developer/Project Manager: David Whittaker drawn into the mysterious land of Barovia, setting them Senior Game Developers: Mark Bavis, Peter Minter on a path that will see them eventually stand against the Game Developers: Max Loy, Jarret Kobler, Jacob Smith dread vampire Strahd von Zarovich. Junior Game Developers: Aiden Bull, Michael Demone, The encounters in this adventure are balanced for five Mason Gordon, Graham Stewart characters of 1st level. Each encounter offers instructions Art Director: Adam Kosh Katherine Crane, Cory Harrison, Georgia Hewitt, for running it with a 2nd-level party. Artists: Bronwyn LeBlanc, Michelle Papadopoulos, Alexis Theroux Live Services Manager: Chris Dupuis Background Producers: Eric Jordan, Justin Stocks, David Whittaker The dread land of Barovia is little more than legend even Community Management: Erika Kramer, Margaret McNeill, Shawn Wall, Dylan Wilks to the most learned sages of the world. A demiplane ruled Marketing: Clive Gorman, Margaret McNeill, Dylan Wilks by the immortal vampire Strahd von Zarovich, Barovia Analytics: Chris Rudram, Anish Shenwai is a land teeming with evil, where hope withers and dies Writing: Jacob Burgess, Chris Dupuis, Justin Stocks, David beneath a pale, muted sun. Whispered rumors speak of Whittaker mortals plucked away from their own worlds and taken Much Better Writing: Scott Fitzgerald Gray to Barovia, never to be seen again. But even against all Music: Alec Harrison (Six Degrees) the horrors they endure, some folk of that land believe Sound FX: Six Degrees, Jordan Ivey that if the right group of heroes one day pass through the Additional Game Design: Eric Jordan, Dylan Wilks mists that mark the boundaries of Barovia, the dark rule Additional Art: Jason Bennett, Bob Parr, Ken Steacy of Strahd in his castle of Ravenloft might be challenged— and ended for good. Special Thanks Our dedicated alpha and beta testers Adventure Hooks Our friends and families! The Curse of Strahd adventure offers several scenarios for bringing the characters from the world into Barovia. Limited License This adventure adds to those options with a new starting The user (“You”) agree that Codename Entertainment Inc. scenario, suitable for the Forgotten Realms or any cam- (“Codename”) and its third party licensors are the exclusive paign setting, which sees the characters searching for a owners of all rights, title, and interest in and to these runaway owlbear in a remote forest. You can use either of materials (the “Materials”). You are granted a limited, non- the following hooks to get the characters into the adven- exclusive, non-transferable right and license (the “License”) ture, or as inspiration for hooks of your own: to use the Materials for Your personal, non-commercial use solely in conjunction with Your use and enjoyment of Currying Favor. The characters are in the right place at Dungeons & Dragons games. By accessing, downloading, or the right time to impress a noble, a reclusive wizard, using the Materials, other than for the purpose of reviewing or some other important NPC based in a remote these license terms, You agree to use the Materials solely wilderness location. The NPC’s pet—a domesticated in accordance with this license. You agree that You will not, owlbear named Sedgewick—has broken out of her and will not authorize any third party to, copy, reproduce, spacious enclosure and was last seen wandering into distribute, display, perform, create derivative works of, an area of wild woodland. The owlbear’s owner makes stream, repost or otherwise distribute all or any part of the Materials. Except for the limited rights granted hereunder, it known that the tame creature is not a threat (mostly You do not obtain any rights, expressed or implied, in or true), and that they will bestow rich favors on any to Codename’s or its licensors’ trademarks, logos or other characters who can retrieve her. intellectual property, and all such rights are expressly Murderous Hunters. As the party is passing through a reserved by Codename and its licensors, as applicable. stretch of uninhabited forest, the bodies of animals are You further agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless seen along a game trail, killed for sport and left to rot. Codename, its licensors, and their respective affiliates, Reading the tracks along the trail suggests that a group employees, agents, and contractors against any and all claims of capricious bandits are moving through the forest resulting from a breach by You of this License. on a killing spree, and are on the trail of a wounded Codename Entertainment Inc. and Codename Entertainment are trademarks owlbear. Hoping to save the creature and put an end to of Codename Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved © 2021 Codename the bandits’ depredations, the characters take up the Entertainment. chase. In this scenario, you might need to convince © 2021 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All Rights Reserved. Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, cautious players that their 1st-level characters aren’t Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, Forgotten Realms, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. expected to fight an owlbear (mostly true). and other countries, and are used with permission. The characters Arkhan the Cruel, Chango, Torogar Steelfist, and Krull the Tortle are trademarks of 3:59, Inc. and are used with permission. © 2021 3:59, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Mists of Ravenloft 2 Not for resale. Permission granted to access, download, and print this document for personal use only. group checks, they discover the bandits only when they Hoot Cuisine are seen below. The adventure begins with the characters deep in a remote forest, hot on the trail of the owlbear. But when Target Acquired they track the creature down, they discover that a group When the third group ability check has been resolved, the of malevolent bandits are tormenting the poor owlbear characters catch up to the owlbear—and to the bandits in advance of killing and eating her. The characters must presently attacking her. Read or paraphrase the following step up to help—and to encourage the frightened owlbear to set the scene. to attack the bandits, not them. But when the fight is done and the owlbear is safe, the rise of a mysterious mist in the woods presages an even greater danger. As you press through the woods, the sound of jeering voices is heard from ahead, punctuated by an angry Bush Whacker hooting. In a clearing, you see the owlbear—but the The tracks of the owlbear (and the bandits if the charac- creature isn’t alone. ters are initially aware of them) are easy enough to follow at first, but disappear quickly when the creature plunges off the trail and into impenetrable forest. Have the char- The owlbear is frantically shifting back and forth across acters make three DC 12 group ability checks to push the clearing, while a group of rough-looking bandits cir- through dense brush and watch for telltale signs of the cle around her. The twang of crossbows is loud, as is the owlbear’s passage, using either Strength (Athletics), In- bandits’ laughter. A character who succeeds on a DC 13 telligence (Nature), or Wisdom (Perception or Survival). Wisdom (Perception) check through the trees spots that For each failed group check, the characters take a wrong the owlbear’s movements are restricted by a net that’s turn through iron-sharp brambles, with each character been thrown over her, and confirms that the bandits are taking 2 (1d4) slashing damage. Each successful check firing crossbows to harry and wound the creature, whose gives the characters an easier time in the bandit fight fur is matted with blood. The same check also sees a that’s coming. large cooking fire across the clearing burning down to If the characters started out unaware of the bandits, coals, with a massive owlbear-sized spit set across it. (If they spot the bandit tracks with their first successful no one sees these details now, they become clear when group check, and realize that they are not the only ones the fight begins.) in pursuit of the owlbear. If the characters fail all three First Up Roll initiative to get the fight going, but the starting con- ditions of the battle depend on the characters’ success as they followed the owlbear: • If the characters failed all three of the group ability checks, the bandits are watching for them, and the party comes under attack at once. The charac- ters are surprised in the first round of combat. • If the characters succeeded on just one group ability check, their approach to the clearing gives away their pres- ence.