ESCAPING DEATH HOUSE: A SKILL CHALLENGE
"The manor shivers with rage! The cheated spirits
thunder, wailing with wounded pride! The Cult will
not be denied. Death House will have its due: you."
FOREWORD
If you've ever ran Death House before or peeked at
the possible ending "The Cult is Denied" then you
might already know that to escape the manor is a dull
series of rolls. Every character rolls to avoid being
poisoned by smoke from the various fireplaces,
ovens, and stoves throughout the house. Every
character rolls to get past a doorway, lest they be
carved up by scythes. While these are thrilling and
terrifying the first few times, it quickly becomes dull.
To repeatedly roll dice against the same obstacle isn't
fulfilling gameplay.
Enter the Skill Challenge.
WHAT'S A SKILL CHALLENGE?
Skill Challenges were an addition to 4th Edition
D&D. They're a series of noncombat solutions to
issues, such as chasing a fleeing thief across rooftops,
or conniving your way through a nobles' ball. They
rely, as the name suggests, on skill checks. In 5E, we
have ability checks, but it's the same difference. The
return of skill challenges to 5E has been the talk of
many popular DMs online; you can find some of
their videos and articles for more information.
ESSENCE OF A SKILL CHALLENGE
A skill challenge boils down to these tenets:
• The characters encounter a series of obstacles that
can't be solved solely by combat, but by utilizing (my
god, the horror!) their skills. Only one character
makes an ability check for an obstacle (i.e., making
a Stealth check to guide the entire party; or making
an Deception check to beguile the guard).
• The goal of a challenge (think of it as a montage) is
to reach X number of successful checks before
hitting three failures. X is determined by how
difficult the challenge is and is not told to the players.
• Skill challenge are about collaborative, creative
storytelling. You present the obstacle to your players
and allow them to suggest solutions that utilize skills.
• Failure is not a wall; failure is represented by
dawdling or struggling, but inevitably, the
adventurers push past the obstacle to continue
onward but at the cost of accruing a failure.
RULES OF A SKILL CHALLENGE
Follow these rules for a skill challenge:
Players never know the number of successes
necessary to win the challenge, but it is always
weighed against three failures.
Skills can only be used once per each character. If
Rendar the barbarian uses his +8 Athletics to leap a
chasm, he cannot use Athletics again to lift a boulder
later in the challenge; he must find a different
solution with a different skill. Other characters,
however, can still use Athletics for obstacles.
Movement doesn't matter; don't bother tracking it.
Cantrips can be used, but an issue arises in that
they're infinite. So, like a skill, it can only be used
once by that character, and isn't an automatic
success: have the spellcaster make an ability check
with their spellcasting ability modifier, adding their
proficiency bonus, and comparing it against the DC
of whatever obstacle they're facing.
Spells of 1st level or higher are automatic
successes, so long as they can logically be used to
surpass an obstacle is an instant success.
Tool checks can be in lieu of skills if a character is
proficient in them. Just attach it to the appropriate
Ability Score and make the ability check.
SKILL CHALLENGE OVERVIEW
The Cult will not be denied! From the moment the
adventurers refuse to sacrifice a creature on the altar,
the spirits rouse Lorghoth the Decayer, the
shambling mound, and the skill challenge begins.
Objective. Escape the Durst Manor alive.
Difficulty. Escaping the Durst Manor is a "hard"
skill challenge. The characters must reach 5
successes before they attain 3 failures.
Consequences. On achieving 5 successes, the
characters ultimately escape the Death House.
Narrate their thrilling escape through the manor with
all other obstacles bypassed.
After accruing 3 failures, the skill challenge still
continues! The gates in the courtyard begin to close
early; once the characters reach the courtyard, have
them roll initiative. At 3 failures, the gates swing shut
before the slowest character can escape. At 5 failures,
the last two adventurers are too slow. The Mists then
cloak the Durst Manor, trapping the unlucky
adventurer(s)... forever.
 COLLECTIVE VS. PERSONAL SUCCESSES
For the most part, a successful check made by one character
counts as a success or failure for the entire group. However,
self-serving characters might rush off on their own. For
example, the lone gnome might realize they alone can fit in
the kitchen dumbwaiter, getting farther ahead.
In moments like these, you'll need to record both collective
and personal successes, and use your best judgment.
CHANGES MADE TO DEATH HOUSE
For the sake of the skill challenge, the following
changes have been made to the Durst Manor:
• A wrought-iron fence encloses the manor grounds
to facilitate the final encounter: Rose and Thorn.
• Only the doorways to Areas 12 and 15 have the
scythes mentioned in the module.
• Rooms with ovens and fireplaces do not spew out
poisonous smoke.
• The front doors (Area 1) have been bricked up, just
like all the windows. The only way out is by leaping
from the balconies (Areas 12C and 15C).
THINGS TO REMEMBER!
• Don't tell the players the number of successes
necessary, or if they even accrue a failure.
• Each area has only one obstacle, and thus only one
failure or one success can be derived from that area.
• Some rooms have only traps. Some rooms have
only obstacles. Some have neither.
• Some skill checks can be made regardless of where
the characters are (see "Non-Area Checks")
• The challenge continues despite hitting 3 failures.
• Combat does not affect the skill challenge; the
players do not glean successes or failures from it.
• The same cantrip only works once! For everybody!
Death House wisens up to their tricks!
• Play with it! Your characters might suggest a route
or solution that neither you nor I could have
predicted. So long as it fits the rules above, let 'em
try it.
• You present the obstacle; the characters suggest the
solutions. Do not jump right into suggestions
provided to you in this document unless the players
absolutely cannot find anything to use.
• Your players are only 2nd level, probably wounded,
out of spell slots, low on health, and might have
already had one, if not more, party member die. You
might need to adjust the necessary number of
successes to escape to keep it realistically possible.
• Failure is not a wall, only time wasted. The
adventurers move on to the next area regardless,
albeit at the cost of accruing a failure.
ESCAPING DEATH HOUSE
The adventurers have several options on which path
to follow, influenced by their prior exploration of the
Durst Manor before the skill challenge begins.
Refer to the "Routes" graph. The goal is to make it
to either Area 12C or 15C and leap to the courtyard,
Area 0, for the front doors and windows have all been
bricked up and are impervious to the characters'
weapons and spells.
The skill challenge is designed so that it is virtually
impossible* to reach Area 0, the Courtyard, without
having faced at least 7 obstacles beforehand (i.e.,
either having already succeeded five times; or
succeeded four times and failed twice).
*see "Path D" in the "Paths" section below
PATHS OF THE SKILL CHALLENGE
We can't predict every solution your players might
offer, but we can sketch out all four possible paths
starting when the characters reach Area 30:
Path A is the expected dungeon path: the players
venture through Area 29 (having probably learned
already that Area 26 is trapped) towards 21. Thus,
their skill challenge is top-down.
Path B is an alternative dungeon path: the players
venture through Areas 25 and 24, until they reach 21.
Path C is a bottom-up venture: the players, having
discovered the door to Area 32, can take the trapdoor
to Area 3, the Den, and continue upwards.
Path D involves a Small-sized character taking the
dumbwaiter up to Area 12, the Master Suite,
bypassing several obstacles. If separated from the
party, their necessary personal number of successes
to escape is reduced from 5 to 4 if he or she reaches
the Courtyard, Area 0.
STARTING THE SKILL CHALLENGE
The skill challenge begins the moment that the Cult
is denied and rouses Lorghoth the Decayer, the
shambling mound in the alcove. The adventurers do
not need to fight Lorghoth; in fact, the portcullis
remains drawn up, suggesting they can flee.
Your players first intuition will likely be to fight
Lorghoth—surely a lethal fight—but they'll soon the
first lesson of Curse of Strahd: fleeing is sometimes
the right and only option. To stress this to your
players, describe in lurid fashion the quaking of the
chamber, the bricks falling from the ceiling, the
teeming, hungering vines of Lorghoth.
Once it's clear that the adventurers are fleeing, you
need to explain the concepts of the skill challenge to
them, beginning with the goal: escaping the manor.
ORGANIZATION OF THE SKILL CHALLENGE RELEVANT AREAS OF THE SKILL CHALLENGE
The Skill Challenge is organized by stages, starting Area Summary
with the Ritual Chamber. Since they start in the 38. Ritual Chamber Obstacle (DC 11)
dungeon, all areas are listed in descending numerical 30. Stairs Down Fork in the Road
order. Refer to the Death House map (pg. 216) as 29. Ghoulish Enc. Obstacle (DC 12)
well as the Route Graph included in this module. 27. Dining Hall Obstacle (DC 13)
26. Hidden Spiked Pit Trap/Obstacle (DC 15)
NON-AREA CHECKS 25. Well/Cultist Qtrs. Obstacle (DC 13)
The following checks are not dependent on any 21. Secret Stairs Obstacle (DC 14)
specific obstacle, and count as successes or failures; 16. Attic Hall N/A
call for them sparingly and early in the challenge. 15. Nursemaid's Suite Obstacle (DC 15)
A DC 13 Carpenters' Tools or History check can 15C. Nursemaid's Balcony Obstacle (DC 15)
be made can be used to recall the architectural style 12. Master Suite Obstacle (DC 15)
12C. Master Balcony Obstacle (DC 15)
and details of rowhouses: layout, infamous weak
11. Balcony Obstacle (DC 14)
points in the structure, and how best to break or
10. Conservatory Optional (DC 20)
circumvent the house such as utilizing the 7. Servants' Room Dumbwaiter
dumbwaiter or leaping from the balconies. 6. Upper Hall Obstacle (DC 13)
A DC 12 Insight check can be made to recall the 4. Kitchen & Pantry Trap (DC 12), Dumbwaiter
layout of the manor, including the two balconies. 3. Den of Wolves Obstacle (DC 12)
Characters with the Keen Mind feat can 1. Entrance Trap (DC 12)
automatically succeed on this check, at your 0. Courtyard Obstacle (DC 15)
discretion.
A DC 12 Investigation check can be made to Now is the time to explain the concepts of the Skill
rationalize the best means of escape: the front doors Challenge, and read the following:
and (after finding out the entrance is trapped), the As if willed by some vengeful spirit, the portcullis slams
balconies. shut, separating you from your companions! What do you
do to escape from this wretched house of utter death?
STAGE 1. ONE MUST DIE! On a failure, the adventurers wallow in indecision or
Death marches upon the party! The adventurers must struggle to work the gate, but eventually force it
escape the Ritual Chamber before Lorghoth devours open, and escape, but at the cost of accruing 1 failure.
them, or the ceiling comes crashing down! The following skill checks are suggested for
surmounting this obstacle:
38. RITUAL CHAMBER Athletics can be used to force open the portcullis or
(Obstacle (DC 11), pg. 219-220) unjam the wheel.
The manor shivers with rage! Stone and brick drop from Thieves'-, or Tinker's tools can be used to assess
the ceiling like broken dreams, shattering on the dais or
the damage to the wheel and manipulate its gears to
sending up plumes of fetid water. As that mound of utter
death, that abomination, shambles towards you, the blood unjam the portcullis.
pounds in your ears; your heart thunders! Will you fight, Insight or Investigation can be used to recall or
or will you flee? rationalize that the nearby corridor to Area 36, the
The characters start in the Ritual Chamber. They do Prison, might have a secret door.
not need to fight Lorghoth, the shambling mound, Perception can be used to spot the hidden door to
and can flee instead. However, once the first Area 36, the prison, providing another means of
character crosses the portcullis, it slams shut. The escape from the chamber.
wheel that operates the portcullis is jammed, and a
DC 11 ability check must be made to escape the
STAGE 2. WHERE THE HELL TO GO?
chamber. The adventurers thunder upstairs to Area 30 and must
decide their path going forward. Three options are
available, setting the scenes for the entire challenge:
Path A involves Areas 29 and 27.
Path B involves Area 25, either from 26 or 29.
Path C involves Area 3 via the trapdoor in 32.
30. STAIRS DOWN
(Fork in the Road, pg. 218)
You come barreling up the stairs. The walls are alive with
roaches, centipedes that fall onto your heads, all getting
twisted in your hair. You come to the fork in the path:
straight ahead, or to the right. Where will you go?
There are no traps or obstacles here, but the
adventurers' choice determines the rest of the skill
challenge. Either the characters go through the
dungeon and up the Secret Stairs (Area 21) or they
take the trapdoor (Area 32) to the Den of Wolves
(Area 3), if they already found it before.
29. GHOULISH ENCOUNTER
(Obstacle (DC 12), pg. 219)
The corridors snake about. A rabid snarl echoes off the
stones of this place. The stench of rot assails your senses.
One ghoul lurks in this area (even if all before were
dispatched earlier). On a failure, the ghoul attempts
to grapple a character, but inevitably they free the
companion (no further rolls required). That character
can be abandoned, however, by the party if they so
wish. If so, that character and ghoul enter combat
while the others escape.
Athletics can be used to rush and shove the ghoul
to the floor, allowing others to run by.
Stealth can be used to lead the party into sneaking
past the ghoul.
Spells can be used to distract the ghoul or block its
vision such as with the minor illusion spell.
27. DINING HALL
(Obstacle (DC 13), pg. 218)
Screams rend the nighted depths. Screams for mercy, for
help, for a quick end. You come across a man chained to
the wooden table, thrashing, screaming. A gash runs the
length of his belly, from which blood pulses out to the
beat of his heart! How or where he came from doesn't
matter, but in the distance, you hear them: the cultists,
chanting, hungering! Can you silence him before those
ravenous cannibals come upon you?
A ghost of Death House's red past has been made
flesh once again, and mad babbling threatens to draw
the ghostly cultists upon the adventurers. He has the
statistics of a restrained commoner with 1 hit point
remaining and is bound by chains.
If the characters linger here, five cultists (shadows)
arrive in 2 rounds and descend upon the man if he yet
remains. If freed, he stumbles down the darkened
corridors, babbling madly before fading from being.
If slain, he does not die quietly.
Athletics can be used with a weapon to break the
man's chains, while thieves' tools can unlock them.
Deception or Persuasion can be used to deceive
the man into calm to help the man.
Medicine can be used to dress his wounds, if the
character has a healing kit with 1 action.
Spells that restore hit points (healing word, cure
wounds) can be used to heal the screaming man.
A success here means that this lone spirit, weak as
he may be, devotes all his unearthly power to aiding
the adventurers.
26. HIDDEN SPIKED PIT
(Trap/Optional Obstacle (DC 15), pg. 218)
There is no mandatory obstacle here, but a trap that
might not have been previously encountered by the
adventurers. Run it as-is in the Death House module:
a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check is necessary to
notice the trap. The first character to step on the
trapped section falls prone and takes 1d6
bludgeoning damage, plus 2d10 piercing damage
from the spikes. The pit is 10-feet deep.
At your discretion, this can serve as an obstacle. A
player might request—scream out, even—for the
chance to stop a character from falling into the pit. If
so, it counts as a success or failure for the skill
challenge; otherwise, treat this area as a non-
obstacle. Some skill checks suggested by the players
might include:
Carpenter's- or Woodcarver's Tools can be used
to notice how rotted the planks are and understand it
to be unsafe before all's lost.
Insight or Perception might allow a character to
sense that all is not well.
Sleight of Hand can be used to snatch at the falling
character's belt, or snatch at the edge, preventing
their own fall.
25. WELL & CULTIST QTRS.
(Obstacle (DC 13), pg. 218)
You rush through the room—your lamplight is thrown
back by a black mist that boils out from the well in the
center of the room. With the wails of the outraged dead
thundering in your ears, you have no choice but to blindly
navigate the mist.
The room is heavily obscured by an unnatural, black
fog. Meanwhile in the well, a skeleton has been
roused from his slumber to snatch an adventurer. It
grapples the character of your choice. When the
adventurers traverse the room, read:
As you shamble through the darkness, something closes
around your wrist—a hand. You shout but it's already too
late. Wet, bone-fingers wrench you towards the well; you
slam against the lip, yet the creature still seeks to drown
you in those unseen waters.
 Acrobatics or Athletics can be used to break the STAGE 3. GET OUT!
grapple.
The adventurers have made it through the dungeon,
Insight can be used to recall one's steps, if the
but alas, the front doors are trapped.
characters explored this room beforehand.
Path A & B merge together into one and sees the
Perception can be used to navigate the darkness,
adventurers thundering up the stairs to the attic
hear the skeleton before it strikes, or find its victim.
(Areas 21 & 16). They do not encounter the obstacle
On a failure, the adventurer is pulled into the well
in Area 11 if they intend to go to the Entrance (Area
where they struggle against the skeleton that seeks
1); it's only if they attempt to go straight to Areas 12
to drown them; ultimately, the victim escapes, but
or 15 that they face the obstacle. In that case, skip
not worse for wear.
straight to Stage 4: Duped!
3. DEN OF WOLVES Path C sees the adventurers emerging from the
(Obstacle (DC 12), pg. 212-213) Den of Wolves and finding out firsthand the trap
You push open the trapdoor. The den is smothered by awaiting them at the Entrance.
smoke—and in the darkness of this place, you hear the
snarling of wolves. 21. SECRET STAIRCASE
Death House has animated the stuffed wolves in the (Obstacle (DC 14), pg. 217)
den and flooded the room with blinding smoke. The You thunder up the stairs, the wails of the dead all around
wolves have the statistics of a wolf but with you. The mortared walls pulsate with hordes of
spiderlings, all fleeing downward… to mother. Out from
vulnerability to slashing, piercing, and fire damage;
the abyss climbs a spider the size of a boar, all its
their Bite attack deals 1 piercing damage; and they mandibles gnashing. The beast unleashes a glob of web!
do not need to breathe. Unless a marching order was established prior, roll
Animal Handling can be used to subdue the initiative: the slowest player is restrained by the web.
wolves; the long-lost spirits of the beasts still obey The spider has the statistics of a giant spider but
such primal laws of nature. seeks only to drag prey down into the depths, away
Stealth can be used to slip past the wolves from the other adventurers.
undetected. Failure here is interpreted by the time lost
Spells such as minor illusion can be used to distract struggling against the spider, but inevitably the
the wolves; animal friendship can be used to subdue adventurer is freed, and the party books it upstairs.
them. Animal Handling or Intimidation can be used to
scare off the spider, especially if fire is used or an
ROUTE GRAPH attack is made.
LEGEND Athletics can be used to wrench the character out
DUNGEON 1ST FLOOR 2ND FLOOR 3RD FLOOR ATTIC

16 Path A of the web or to keep the spider from dragging the

Path B
Path C character away.
Path D Spells can be cast to burn the web or subdue the
15 11 12 spider (e.g., produce flame and animal friendship).
To 0. Courtyard
To 0. Courtyard

16. ATTIC HALL

(Links Areas 21 to 11, pg. 215)
Dust chokes the attic; where once were windows are now
10 6 7
bricks. Whatever spirit that haunts this wretched house
clearly has no intention of letting you leave.
There is no trap or obstacle here. If the characters use
3 2 4 the stairs to descend to the third floor, they find that
A A the door to the Nursemaid's Suite (Area 15) is
1 bricked up, forcing them into Area 11, the Balcony.
31 29 27
-
38 30 21
26 25
10. CONSERVATORY
(Optional Obstacle (DC 20), pg. 214)
This area is an optional obstacle, and a dead end. It's
probable that one adventurer will think they can lull
Death House by playing the instruments in the
Conservatory (dollars to donuts, it's the bard).
Let them try it. Death House will appreciate the
music before killing them. Perhaps the music will
even rouse the slain victims of the cult, who might
devote their unearthly power towards slowing Death
House's onslaught. The sky's the limit, right?
Performance or musical instruments can be used
to perform a song. Who knows whether it will help.
1. ENTRANCE
(Trap (DC 12), pg. 212)
There is no obstacle here, but a trap. To their horror,
the characters discover that the front doors are
bricked up—and behind them, the doors to the Main
Hall swing shut. Characters can make a DC 12
Dexterity saving throw to hurl themselves into the
Main Hall before the doors swing shut. Otherwise,
characters are trapped in here. Read:
The mahogany doors slam shut with ominous thunder.
You look about the room, desperate to escape—and when
you look back, the bottom half of the door has been
replaced by brick. Defying all logic, the wood has melded
into the rows of moldy brick. You blink—and to your
mounting horror, in that span of a second, more of the
door has been converted. You keep your eyes wide open
so as not cast away your chance at breaking down the
door... And that's when a fetid cloud of filth rolls in,
stinging your eyes and drawing tears. The walls are brittle
now, rotten. The wallpaper hangs in slivers, and behind
the plaster, you hear the scurrying of rats.
The characters can break down the door with a DC
14 Strength (Athletics) checks if they have
appropriate weapons or tools. It does not count as a
success or failure for the skill challenge.
For every round the characters are here, they must
succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw as the
rats' stench (whether they've been released yet or not)
causes them to blink. If all characters blink, three-
fourths of the doors are replaced by brick, increasing
the DC by 4. The second time, the entirety of the
doors become brick, raising the DC to 22.
The characters can instead destroy the newly-
rotten, brittle walls (AC 5, 5 hit points, vulnerable to
a DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check) separating them
from the Main Hall (Area 2), but that causes a swarm
of rats to pour out of the hole. A Medium creature
can squeeze through the hole, possibly provoking an
opportunity attack by the swarm.
STAGE 4. DUPED!
Having learned the Entrance is trapped, the
adventurers have but one choice left: leaping from
the balconies upstairs.
Paths A, B & C are now merged into one path:
reaching Areas 12 or 15 (the adventurers' choice).
Path D opens up for Small-sized characters. They
can utilize the dumbwaiter connecting areas 4, 7, and
12 to bypass several obstacles.
11. BALCONY
(Obstacle (DC 14), pg. 214)
The door to the bathroom bulges, buckling in its frame!
There comes a crack—the wood splinters! A flood of filth
comes crashing out, threatening to throw you down the
stairs!
The flood comes from Area 13, and crashes down
upon the adventurers, twisting unnaturally towards
the staircase so as to send them downward. So long
as one adventurer makes the check, there is hope, for
that character can quickly get his or her companions
back on their feet and up the stairs. On a failure, all
characters topple down the stairs, stopping
somewhere between the first and second floors.
Athletics can be used to stand one's ground and
resist the flood; other adventurers can brace
themselves against the character or angle themselves
so that he or she takes the brunt of the flood.
Nature or Survival can be used to call on past
experiences or knowledge of flash floods, allowing a
character in that split second to take necessary
precautions (hang on the other side of the balcony,
leap for a nearby door, et cetera). Characters with the
Outlander background have advantage on such a
check.
Sleight of Hand can be used to snatch at the
balcony or the oil lamps mounted on the wall before
being swept away.
7. SERVANT'S ROOM
(Links Areas 4 and 12 via dumbwaiter, pg. 213)
There are no traps or obstacles here; the kitchen
dumbwaiter (from Area 4) leads to here and can
continue upward to the Master Suite (Area 12),
bypassing the obstacle to get into the room.
Alternatively, a character can enter the Upper Hall
(Area 6), squeezing past the phalanx of animated
armor stationed at the top of the stairs. This
positioning can grant advantage to any ability checks
made by the party to thwart the phalanx.
6. UPPER HALL
(Obstacle (DC 14), pg. 213)
Metal footfalls crash against the wood, then ring out on
the marble staircase. The four wolf-helmed suits of armor,
you see, walk with a life of their own, and in that arcane
camaraderie they join together, shield with shield,
forming a two-rank deep phalanx to block the staircase,
and in one chorus they rasp, "One must die! One must die!
One must die!"
You pull back just before being impaled on the spears!
The suits of armor have been animated by Death
House but are not true suits of animated armor. For
the purposes of potential combat, they have an AC of
12, 5 hit points each, immunity to poison and psychic
damage, and -1 to Strength. Each suit can make a
spear attack (+2 to hit, 1 piercing damage) against
targets within 5 feet; these attacks might be made
with advantage (and melee attacks made against with
disadvantage) depending on if any attackers are
below them on the staircase. They have the high
ground—it's over.
Athletics can be used by a character wielding a
shield or similar protection to charge the ranks,
hoping to topple the statues. On a failure, he would
be speared up to four times.
Acrobatics can be used to leap to the other end of
the spiraling staircase.
Blacksmith's Tools or Investigation can be used to
ascertain the formation's weaknesses, for without
men in behind the armor, they have significantly less
strength. Characters with the Soldier background
have advantage on such a check.
4. KITCHEN & PANTRY
(Trap (DC 12), pg. 213)
The oven shrieks as you rush towards the dumbwaiter; the
pipes all groan and bulge—and from the oven erupts a
gout of flame!
There is no obstacle here, but a trap set by Death
House. As a character makes his way to the
dumbwaiter (which only Small-sized characters can
fit into), the oven spits fire. Any characters in the
room must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to
clamber into the dumbwaiter, working the rope-and-
pulley before being scorched. On a failure, a creature
takes 1d6 fire damage, but continues upward. The
explosion shakes the entirety of the manor.
The dumbwaiter leads upward to Areas 7 and 15.
STAGE 5. THE END DRAWS NIGH
The adventurers now must make their final choice:
from which balcony will they leap? Read:
The spirit has no intention of letting you leave alive, but
surely—surely—there must be a way out. You just have
to find it!
15. NURSEMAID'S SUITE
(Obstacle (DC 15), pg. 215)
As you rush towards the door, you a hear woman shout
out, "Tell me to push, one more time, Inala! One more
time, I swear to the Morninglord!" but her curses are
quickly consumed by cries of pain.
You peak into the room: women crowd around a young
girl laying in the bed, her feet up. Her face twists with pain
while a midwife says, "The baby's crowning, but… Gods,
it's ankles first."
The balcony—the only way out of this accursed
manor—lies nearby, and with frustrated horror, you see
that the door has been replaced with bloodied scythe-
blades that seem to spin even quicker whenever the girl's
contractions rage.
The memories of the past have come alive: while
Elisabeth fumes with mute disdain in the Master
Suite, the nursemaid is giving birth to the bastard
Walter. Several assistants crowd the room while the
baby is crowning—but he's coming out ankles-first.
The scythe-blades spin so long as the nursemaid is in
labor, spinning faster and faster during her
contractions. To escape the manor, the adventurers
must make it through that doorway.
If the party does not make an ability check for this
obstacle, they accrue a failure, and each creature that
passes through the doorway must succeed on a DC
15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 slashing
damage. Regardless, they pass through the doorway
and onto Area 15C, the Nursemaid's Balcony.
If the party attempts an ability check but fails, no
Dexterity saving throws are necessary.
Acrobatics or Investigation can be used to make it
through the doorway unscathed; the adventurer
making the check takes a leadership role in guiding
his or her companions through the blades. This check
is made only once for all characters present.
Insight can be used to gauge when the nursemaid's
contractions are about to begin or end.
Medicine can be used to assist in the birth: Walter
is coming out ankles-first, posing significant risk to
the him and the mother. The scythe-blades stop
spinning altogether if this ability check succeeds.
15C. NURSEMAID'S BALCONY
(Obstacle (DC 15), pg. 215)
You escape onto the balcony—a sharp wind blows, and
the world itself falls to misty depths a thousand feet
below. With the wails of the damned and depraved behind
you, and the cliff dropping into the void below, what do
you do?
Death House has put all its remaining energy to
afflict its prey with a powerful phantasmal force
spell (no saving throws required). The balcony has
grown into a cliff that drops to a thousand feet below
(an eerily accurate representation of the Tser Falls of
Barovia). Only with courage, skill, or acuity can the
adventurers conquer the illusory cliff without
destroying their minds in the process.
If no skills or spells are applied, the characters
accrue a failure and each creature that simply leaped
must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take
2d6 psychic damage and wakes to find itself mewling
at the foot of the Durst Manor an unknown amount
of time later. On a success, a creature takes half
damage. No matter the check made, scaling the cliffs
takes less than a minute, but feels as if it took an hour.
Acrobatics, Athletics or Survival can be combined
with tools such as rope or a climbing kit to scale the
cliff, leading others down.
Arcana can be used to understand the powerful
phantasmal force spell at work, that their psyches
stand to be torn apart if caution is thrown to the wind;
that perhaps the best way to survive is to play along.
Investigation can be used to shatter the illusion by
harnessing the strength of the mind.
Spells that slow or affect flying, such as feather
fall; or that would imbue creatures with courage,
such as heroism can be used to conquer the illusion;
both put the characters' psyches at rest, tricking their
subconsciousness believing all will be well.
12. MASTER SUITE
(Obstacle (DC 15), pg. 214)
The memories of the past have come alive; on the
eve of Walter's birth, the Dursts are engaged in a
cold war. The suite is as cold and unforgiving as
their marriage; while Gustav paces the room,
Elisabeth fumes in mute disdain at her vanity. Every
so often the two burst into a new round of
arguments—and the scythes spin ever faster.
Not quite ghosts, yet not quite illusions, the
Dursts are representative of the emotional carnage
of the manor. The scythes on the doorway are
connected to the two's temperament. And to escape,
the party must make it through those scythes.
Read the following:
The master suite has grown deadly cold: a well-dressed
man paces the room while a woman stares at herself in the
vanity, her eyes scornful as if to wonder why she wasn't
enough for her husband. You recognize the Dursts alive
and in the flesh—how or why doesn't matter. The two fall
between bouts of silence and explosive rage, arguing over
Gustav's infidelity.
You look to the corner of the room, to the balcony, that
sweet, sweet balcony, the gate to getting the hell out of
this accursed manor—and in the doorway spin rusted
scythe-blades. You look back: Elisabeth is glaring at you,
and she snarls, "Servant! Get out! Get out! Come back
only when the bastard's been born!"
You notice with mounting frustration that while
Elisabeth snarls at you, the scythe-blades spin pick up
speed, spinning ever quicker.
If the party does not make an ability check for this
obstacle, they accrue a failure, and each creature
that passes through the doorway must succeed on a
DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 slashing
damage. Regardless, they pass through the doorway
and onto Area 12C, the Master Balcony.
If the party attempts an ability check but fails, no
Dexterity saving throws are necessary.
Acrobatics or Investigation can be used to make
it through the doorway unscathed; the adventurer
making the check takes a leadership role in guiding
his or her companions through the blades. This
check is made only once for all characters present.
Insight can be used to gauge Elisabeth or Gustav's
emotions, finding the best possible moment to make
the leap.
Persuasion can be used to calm the Dursts, even
if for a moment.
12C. MASTER BALCONY
(Obstacle (DC 15), pg. 214)
You escape onto the balcony—a sharp wind blows, and
the world itself falls to misty depths a thousand feet
below. With the wails of the damned and depraved behind
you, and the cliff dropping into the void below, what do
you do?
Like the Nursemaid's Balcony, Death House has put
all its remaining energy to afflict its prey with a
powerful phantasmal force spell (no saving throws
required). The balcony has grown into a cliff that
drops to a thousand feet below (an eerily accurate
representation of the Tser Falls of Barovia). Only
with courage, skill, or acuity can the adventurers
conquer the illusory cliff without destroying their
minds in the process.
 If no skills or spells are applied, the characters
accrue a failure and each creature that simply leaped
must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or take
2d6 psychic damage and wakes to find itself mewling
at the foot of the Durst Manor an unknown amount
of time later. On a success, a creature takes half
damage. No matter the check made, scaling the cliffs
takes less than a minute, but feels as if it took an hour.
Acrobatics, Athletics or Survival can be combined
with tools such as rope or a climbing kit to scale the
cliff, leading others down.
Arcana can be used to understand the powerful
illusion magic at work, and that their psyches stand
to be torn apart if caution is thrown to the wind; that
the perhaps the best way to survive is to play along.
Investigation can be used to shatter the illusion by
harnessing the strength of the mind.
Spells that slow or affect flying, such as feather
fall; or that would imbue creatures with courage,
such as heroism can be used to conquer the illusion;
both put the characters' psyches at rest, tricking their
subconsciousness believing all will be well.
0. COURTYARD
(Obstacle (DC 15))
The mists cling to your every stride. In the moaning wind,
you hear the squealing of metal: the gate is closing shut,
and with it, your only chance of salvation! As you rush
through the courtyard, two figures appear—Rose and
Thorn. The girl shouts out, "You can't leave us! You
can't!"
Even after the characters finally emerge from that
accursed manor, they still face one last hurdle: the
true ghosts of Rose and Thorn await them in the
mists. The children desperately don't want their new
companions to leave. On a failure, Rose or Thorn
attempts to possess a character, bringing them back
into the manor. Any character already possessed by
the children from earlier refuse to leave the manor
grounds.
Deception or Persuasion can be used to beguile or
persuade the children (although any parent can tell
you that logical arguments are useless on children).
Intimidation can be used to convince the children
to relent, or, if a ghost successfully possessed any
character, they can force them out of that body.
Performance can be used by a character equipped
with a musical instrument or a talent for singing to
lull the ghosts with a lullaby, giving their
companions a chance to slip by.
Spells such as protection from evil and good can be
used to prevent the children from possessing a
character or freeing a character from possession.
VARIANT: THE CHILDREN AT REST
If Rose and Thorn's bodies were laid to rest in their
crypts, their souls are at peace. The Death House,
however, still uses illusions of the two as a last-ditch
effort to entrap the characters as the gates swing shut.
Insight can be used to recall the difference in
mannerisms between these children and the ones met
before.
Investigation can be used to discern that the
illusions are just that: illusions.
Religion can be used to ascertain, by a character
versed in religious rites, that the spirits certainly have
been lain to rest.
Spells such as detect magic can reveal that the
children are but illusions.
ENDINGS
By now, the adventurers should have either
succeeded against 5 obstacles, or failed 3. Roll
initiative; on 3 failures, the slowest adventurer is left
behind (see "Doomed to the Death House" below).
On 5 failures, the slowest two adventurers are
trapped while their companions make it to safety.
If the characters achieved 5 successes before 3
failures, all make it out—worse for wear, and forced
to carry in their hearts this hellish night forevermore.
SURVIVAL!
For any adventurers that make it out, read:
You dash through the mist, the manic shrieks and
demands of the dead thundering across the gloom. With
one final push, you hurl yourself through the gates,
landing on the gravel streets outside. You're bleeding,
aching. Your heart feels as if it's about to burst, and you
taste bile at the back of your throat—but you're alive! By
all the Gods, you're alive! You look back at that house of
utter death and shiver, putting as much distance between
you and it as you can... though on the sleepless nights
ahead you'll come to find that no amount of distance will
ever rid you of that nightmare.
DOOMED TO THE DEATH HOUSE
After accruing 3 failures, the slowest character in the
initiative fails to escape before the gates shut. After
5, the slowest two are trapped.
The Mists of Ravenloft slip into the courtyard;
creatures that remain outdoors (but not those that
escaped) must make a DC 20 Constitution saving
throw every round, gaining a level of exhaustion (see
Appendix A of the Player's Handbook). This
exhaustion cannot be removed while the creature is
in the mist, forcing them to either die outside or
venture back into that house of horrors.
 Ultimately, Death House torments its prey until CURSE OF STRAHD AIDES
their undignified death, and their spirits join the
Death House Script marks the third campaign aide
legion of souls trapped in the manor.
I've released for Curse of Strahd. If you're looking
To the adventurers left behind, read the following:
for other ways to make the campaign easier, you can
The gates are closing—closing! You push yourself into a
sprint, but it's too late. You begin to flag; your wounds, find my other work on DMs Guild or follow me on
your aches, they're just too much. There wasn't enough Twitter at @Wyatt_Trull; or contact me via
time. There's never enough time. wyattwalker.trull@gmail.com.
The gates shut with ominous thunder—and that's when If you like what I've provided, please leave a rating
the mists roll in. Gone is the gate, the village, and any or a comment like "This is great" or "Wyatt, you're
hope you may have sheltered in your heart. The mist slips handsome!" for these make it easier for me to pump
down your throat like a lover's tongue. Pain blooms in out more tools for your campaign.
your lungs.
You can't breathe. These blighted mists are choking the
very life from you—and with no other choice, you look ARTWORK
back to the manor, knowing full well in your heart that Credit goes to Enrique Meseguer's Haunted House,
you'll never leave again. released under the Creative Commons license on
Pixabay.com.
WHAT'S NEXT?
With the Death House behind them, the adventurers
will seek solace in that one universal panacea: wine.
The party stumbles through the eerily silent streets
until they find the Blood of the Vine Tavern, and in
it, Ismark Kolyana. And with pity in his eyes, he will
tell them the nightmare is yet to be over. Ismark
Kolyana will tell them, "Welcome to Barovia."

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
My players have never done a skill challenge. How
can I explain this concept to them quickly?
Here are some bullet points to mention:
• It's a montage. Use skills, not swords, to solve
obstacles. One character can't use the same skill
twice because dem's da rules.
• You need an unknown number of successes before
you accrue 3 failures. You aren't told when you fail,
and the DCs vary on the obstacle in front of you.
• Spells of 1st level of higher are automatic
successes. Cantrips are rolled (your spellcasting
ability score + your proficiency bonus) and can only
be used once—across all spellcasters—in this
challenge. Death House wisens up to your tricks!
• Tool proficiencies are legal
*unless the DM abandons that optional rule prior
What if the characters can do nothing?
This is a montage, all right? It's an action sequence.
When a character does nothing, you can rationalize
it as hesitation or indecision—things that get any
character killed in a horror movie. So, in short, if the
characters have nothing to offer, it counts as a failure,
but remember: none of these challenges are walls.
Even if they fail, after a few moments spent dawdling
or struggling, they eventually push past the obstacle.
If the players cannot come up with a solution, but
still have resources left, now is the time to make
suggestions to them, as outlined by each obstacle.
What does failure mean?
In this skill challenge, no obstacles are written as
walls. Even if the characters fail their ability check,
they continue past—by some method, narrated by the
DM, they struggle, fail, struggle, then succeed. Time
is of the essence. Thus, only one ability check is ever
made against one obstacle.
The route my players are expected to take doesn't
add up to 7 obstacles for [some reason]!
Throw in a Non-Area check early in the skill
challenge, such as Insight to recall the layout of the
manor; a failure is rationalized as, in their panic, the
party dawdles or argues for a few precious moments
before setting down the path again.
My players failed horribly early in the skill
challenge. What do I do?
Keep going. Attaining 3 failures means that the
slowest person in the initiative order, when they
reach the courtyard, is left behind—the gates shut
before they can make it, trapping them in the Mist.
At 5 failures, the two slowest are left behind.
My players achieved 5 successes very early in the
skill challenge. What now?
There are plenty of traps along the way that might
harry your players. Narrate the adventurers' thrilling
escape through the decaying nightmare that is Death
House, removing any further obstacles (not
necessarily traps). When they reach the courtyard,
still present them with Rose and Thorn. If the
children haven't been laid to rest, then the ghosts
might try to possess characters who dare to leave the
manor grounds; treat that encounter as a trap, rather
than obstacle. Essentially, play around with it!
The party is split! What now?
Weigh collective successes and failures against
personal. For example, if the party had accrued 2
successes and 1 failure before splitting up, and the
only Small-sized character bails to load up in the
dumbwaiter, he starts with 2S/1F; his subsequent
successes or failures do not affect the other
characters, and vice versa.
During a trap, a player suggested a skill check!
Should I allow it?
If the players can suggest appropriate skill checks
(i.e., logical, working solutions), let them make a
check. Since they opted for it, count it as either a
success or failure for the skill challenge.
My player wants to use magic to solve an obstacle!
If the spell is 1st level or higher, allow an automatic
success so long as it would logically solve an
obstacle. If it's a cantrip, have the character make an
ability check with their spellcasting ability, adding
their proficiency, comparing it to the obstacle's DC.
Once one particular cantrip is used, Death House
wisens up to that trick and that cantrip can no longer
be used by any of the characters.
Why isn't [insert skill] suggested as often?
Look, man. I was hard-pressed to figure out how
History or Nature could apply to these mainly
physical challenges. If your characters can figure out
a logical way to use it, go for it. This is about
collaborative storytelling, so don't just go by what
I've written. Your players will surprise you.