Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
The conception of theCastlevaniaseries can easily be repurposed for aDungeons & Dragonscampaign , especially as both franchise take a mint of inspiration from the same author . TheCastlevaniaseries already has an unofficial link toD&D , as the box art forCastlevania 2 : Simon ’s Questis heavily inspired by the originalStrahd escapade forD&D , as was the case with many NES game of the era straight-out copying movie poster and book covers .
TheCastlevaniaseries consists of horror natural action game . The tale necessitate post in the same world as Bram Stoker’sDracula , except that Dracula restrain follow back from the drained . Dracula ’s Castle keep appear in the world and it ’s up to the Belmont family ( or one of their ally , like Alucard ) to brave its hall and defeat Dracula . This involves press through waves of bad guys and surviving numerous environmental luck . TheCastlevaniaseries also provided one one-half of the Metroidvania name , thanks to the plan of the incredibleCastlevania : Symphony of the Night .
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There is already a gothic - horrorD&D5ecampaign , Curse of Strahd . The problem withCurse of Strahdis that it ’s design in a nonlinear room , with elements that are meant to be settle arbitrarily . This means that inexperienced DMs might have trouble running it . ACastlevania - themed campaign can be a lot more straightforward while maintaining a mickle of the same iconic element that new players will instantly be familiar with .
D&D Castlevania Campaigns In A Fantasy Version Of The Real World
Curse of Strahdtakes station in the fantasy realm of Barovia , which is one of theDomains of Dread from the Ravenloft campaign mise en scene . The Domains of Dread can be entered at various points in theD&Dmultiverse , which mean that it ’s gentle to apply any character type in the campaign . It ’s feasible for aCurse of Strahdparty to consist of a cannibal halfling from Athas , a pious warforged from Eberron , a swaggering Giff from Spelljammer , and an pedantic Owlin from Strixhaven .
TheCastlevaniaseries is set in a fictionalized version of the substantial populace . This mean that humans exist , but the commonD&Dfantasy backwash do not . It would n’t make sense for races like the dragonborn or tieflings to be hanging out in Europe in the Middle Ages , so the race choice useable to the role player would ask to be restricted . There are some option fromVan Richten ’s Guide to Ravenloftthat could be adapt for a Castlevania context , as it features rule forDhampir and Frankenstein ’s monster characters inD&D , the former of which can be used for half - vampires , like Alucard .
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The players wo n’t be as qualify when it comes to classes . The barbarian , battler , Thelonious Sphere Monk , ranger , and rogue are light to use , especially if the magical subclass ( like the Eldritch Knight ) are curb . magic trick does subsist in theCastlevaniauniverse and there have been spellcasters among the playable character , such as Sypha fromCastlevania 3 : Dracula ’s Curseand Charlotte fromCastlevania : portraiture of Ruin . There are deterrent example of warlock and enchantress in theCastlevaniauniverse and theD&Dspellcaster classes can easy be tailored to conform to them . If there is a Belmont among the political party , then they would be a stark fit for a hero . TheVampire Killer whip can be accommodate forD&Das a arm that bit by bit grows inviolable over the grade of the floor , with it make pluses and particular abilities as the Belmont defeats monsters and becomes more experienced .
Classic Horror Movie Monsters Can Appear In A D&D Castlevania Campaign
The foes in theCastlevaniaseries come straight out of the Universal and Hammer movies , but the game have included a lot of creatures from mythology , as well as monster from religious texts . Fortunately , most of these enemies have been statted out inD&Dand can be find in theMonster Manual . As such , the enliven objects , banshee , chimera , cyclops , succubus , gargoyle , genie , spectre , golem , griffon , hag , harpy , hippogriff , hydra , lizardfolk , lycanthropes , manticore , medusa , minotaur , mummy , revenant , skeleton , spectre , sphinx , fairy , skeleton , vampire spawn , wight , will - o - wisp , wraith , wyvern , abominable snowman , and zombie can all easily be slotted into the campaign . All of the brute from Appendix A can also fit , as would many of the nonplayer character from Appendix B.
As for Dracula himself , thevampire in theD&DMonster Manualcan be used as the cornerstone for the fictional character , with Dracula ’s Castle acting as his lair . The lamia is a CR 13 creature , but it also has a ton of weaknesses . This means a lower - level party could take on the vampire and winnings , specially if they have wizardly detail that can deal with a vampire , like how the Sunsword inCurse of Strahdmakes the concluding battle a lot well-off .
Exploring Dracula’s Castle In A Castlevania D&D Campaign Plot
The plot of land structure of aCastlevaniaD&Dcampaign is leisurely to work out , as the telecasting games have used a tried and truthful formula for decades now . The drive is set sometime in the Middle Ages in a adaptation of the real world where magic and monsters exist , but both are so rarefied that they are thought to be myths . One 24-hour interval , Dracula ’s Castle appears , and its gate open , unleashing a horde of monsters on nearby village and townspeople . Luckily , this Clarence Day has been prepared for , as the Belmont home has been battling Dracula for centuries and they recognise the signs of his return . The latest warrior of the Belmont clan gathers a chemical group of fearless ally and they set out to infiltrate Dracula ’s Castle and slay him .
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The party screen background & motivations are easy enough to work out for aCastlevaniacampaign . A Belmont character will want to see Dracula slain , as will any of his loyal allies . Dracula has caused enough carnage over the years that there will be others seeking vengeance against him . There is also the hope of knowledge and treasure , as Dracula ’s Castle is filled with ancient tome and the gold have as dirty money from his victim .
The military campaign itself can start out of doors of Dracula ’s Castle , as the player can advance experience and story details from defeating Dracula ’s minions that are intrude on the countryside . The story will finally bring them to the castle , which is where the bulk of the campaign can take place . It ’s potential to make aMetroid - styleD&Dcampaignand go for the full Metroidvania experience , with the histrion exploring a monolithic map that is gradually unlocked by finding young upgrades , but the DM does n’t necessarily involve to do all of that work .
The halls of Dracula ’s Castle can be ever - changing , with the layout shifting to make new dungeon . The bosses of these dungeons are restrict to the castle through conjuration , and when the players defeat them , they gain more control over their surroundings , eventually give them access to the big man himself . TheCastlevaniaDungeons & Dragonscampaign can act as a simple version ofCurse of Strahd , with conversant conception and monsters that will be useful for newfangled instrumentalist as they learn the rules of the biz .
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