Why is “The Curse of Strahd” So Popular in Dungeons & Dragons?
The sinister vampire and Lord of Barovia has been around in the Dungeons and Dragons mythos for nearly 40 years! The menacing, undead master of his own cursed demi-plane has gone through several iterations and retcons over the years. Yet Strahd, and the game module built around him, still remains a timeless, loveable, demented feast of fright, terror, dread, and despair!
The “Curse of Strahd” remains the most popular module in the history of Dungeons and Dragons because Strahd, himself, is such a great villain. Great villains, and the obstacles and challenges they present for heroes to overcome make for great storytelling. In addition, the land in which Strahd lords over, Barovia, has become so demented and perverse, it’s quite easy to become enthralled in this terrifying world.
An Amazing Villain
Imagine a malevolent narcissist with all of the time and resources in the world. Like most narcissists, Lord Strahd Von Zarovich is amazingly prideful, and is obsessed with power and subservience. But unlike most, he is immortal. The vampire lords over his domain with fear and dread. No one openly opposes him, and very few dare even oppose him in secret. He feeds off the land, both literally and figuratively, spreading misery and suffering.
It’s not his evil nature alone that makes him a great villain, however. There are many outright evil characters who are not very interesting throughout literary and cinematic history (::gestures subtly at Mr. Freeze::). What often makes an evil persona so villainous and so enjoyable to hate is how much they can get away with, with no one to stop or oppose them. Think about King Joffrey, or Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones. They were both utterly depraved psychopaths with unchecked power, and acted out their worst fantasies on everyone in their orbit, while everyone was powerless to oppose them. Even those thoroughly disgusted had no choice but to remain silent.
At least with outright villains like who are immensely powerful like Thanos, Jason Vorhees, or Freddy Kreuger, people can still stand up and try to fight them. Not so with Strahd. If Strahd is not using a charm ability to steal your free will, people know that even a perceived slight by him could result in your death. Or worse. Strahd has created a place where those disgusted by his most vile acts must stand by, avert their eyes, and say nothing.
What else makes a great villain? Combining their evil nature alongside their cunning and strategic mind. Think about the Joker. The Joker has multi-layered plans and often thinks several steps ahead in his schemes. He is Batman’s most difficult adversary despite having no ability to fight, and no strength or super power to speak of.
There is absolutely no doubt that Strahd Von Zarovich, like the Joker, is utterly brilliant. His thirst for blood is likely rivaled by his craving for esoteric knowledge. The dark lord is often willing to pay handsomely for acquiring new books and manuscripts. Boasting a massive library of rare, valuable, and powerful tomes of knowledge, Strahd Von Zarovich has spent centuries mining the treasures from these books. He has become a very powerful wizard in addition to being an already fearsome fighter and warlord before being turned into a vampire.
Strahd has spent centuries carefully laying out traps, placing powerful warding spells, amassing a horde of underlings, and knowing every nook and cranny of his mazelike home, Castle Ravenloft. Anyone choosing to oppose the dark lord in his own home is at an unimaginable disadvantage simply from the dangers of the castle itself. Strahd’s home field advantage inside Castle Ravenloft is so profound, it is nearly an unbeatable maze treachery in and of itself without having to fight an immortal vampire within its walls. Lord Strahd Von Zarovich has taken great pains to make any fight inside his home a nearly unwinnable fight, and he does not fight fair.
In addition to his unchecked behavior and his meticulous cunning, Strahd is also unbelievably powerful. The menacing lord has spellcasting abilities, an amazing ability with a sword, the ability to summon vampire spawn to fight alongside him, the ability to transform into mist, the ability to walk through solid walls, the ability to transform into a bat and fly away, the ability to charm people and have them go from enemy to ally.
So why is Strahd and amazing villain? Imagine an egomaniacal narcissist with a position of power so profound, no one will dare oppose him. He has the brilliance and foresight of a master strategist, and boasts the power of a legendary demi-god. Strahd is very much like a terrifying combination of Tywin Lannister + Darth Vader + Hannibal Lecter.
Strahd’s Weaknesses
Even Strahd’s weaknesses make him a more interesting character. Not the standard vampiric weaknesses such as sunlight, holy symbols, etc. (which he does have). But more so the character weaknesses. Strahd is nearly unbeatable with the exceptions of two things that could be used against him. One of which is his arrogance. Strahd has been the king of the hill for so long, and so many overconfident adventurers have tried to destroy him, he has grown supremely certain of his ability to dispatch anyone without much effort. An interesting angle for villains is always when they’re undone by their own haughtiness.
The bigger and more profound weakness is Strahd’s true Achilles heel. His love and adoration for the maiden Tatyana. Tatyana was betrothed to his brother Sergei centuries ago, but Strahd was madly in love with her and bitterly jealous of her affection for his younger brother. Strahd’s vampirism was created when he made a pact with a dark power. Strahd pledged his life and soul to the darkness in exchange for never growing old, and being with Tatyana.
In exchange for these requests, the dark power requested Strahd murder his younger brother, and drink his blood. Do that, and the pact will be sealed. As dark powers of want to do, Strahd was tricked. He would never age another day through being cursed with vampirism. And he would always be with Tatyana, but he could never have her for his own. After Strahd murdered his younger brother, Tatyana elected to take her own life.
Strahd would discover twenty years after her death, the soul of Tatyana was reborn into another Barovian woman who also tragically died after Strahd discovered her. Years later, another. And then another. And then another. Strahd grew to learn Tatyana’s soul would be reborn into another body every generation, with the woman looking exactly like her each time. Every time Strahd found her and drew close to her, she would tragically die before he could have her. Strahd is doomed to always be so close to having Tatyana, but always losing her. Over and over and over. This is the true Curse of Strahd.
An Amazing Setting
The land of Barovia is a prison. Strahd’s heinous act of killing his younger brother on his wedding day, drinking his blood, and causing the maiden Tatyana to be so overcome with grief she took her own life was so sinister, it drew the attention of many dark powers. The land of Barovia was, at once, imprisoned in a noxious cloud of poisonous fog surrounding its borders. Strahd, and the thousands of citizens within, were trapped forever.
The land is a demi-plane. It’s isolated in its own little corner of existence, separate from the material world. No one can enter, and no one can leave, with a few notable exceptions. Throughout the centuries, Strahd has managed to learn how to rest some limited control over the borders of his land. Strahd allows the mysterious Vistani to pass between the mists of Barovia and the material plane unhampered. In exchange, the Vistani travelers often act as Strahd’s spies and servants, frequently bringing him news of the land and also foreign treasures and knowledge from the material plane.
The Vistani will also often trick people into entering Barovia in order to become Strahd’s new playthings for a short time. Not all of the Vistani are evil or willingly serve Strahd, however. Many do see him for the heinous creature he is, and maintain a polite, but distant pact with him.
Strahd has gained the ability to grant passage to and from his land, and occasionally will make a bargain for people to leave. Certainly anyone who could persuade an incarnation of Tatyana to become a bride of Strahd would certainly gain his favor forever and be allowed to leave, even though he himself is trapped here forever.
The land of Barovia itself is sinister and perverse. As time marches on, the land becomes more twisted and tainted with the rot of the dark powers lording over it. Evil things lurk and fester. Goodness wains and struggles to find footing. People become empty and hollows shells devoid of souls, joy, sadness, pain, or sorrow. They are simply people who are so far separated from their humanity, they literally do not have the ability to smile or cry. The ground weeps with the blood and screams of those victimized upon it. The dense fog often chokes and taunts those who cannot escape it. No one goes out at night. Barovia is a place utterly devoid of cheer or hope, where the sun never fully and completely shines through the mists. If misery and depression were a land, it would be Barovia.
A Break from High Fantasy
So what is the appeal of the Curse of Strahd? Why is it so good? With all of Dungeons and Dragons rich history of high fantasy, the Curse of Strahd is a break from the general theme of D&D. The escape from high fantasy into a rich world of horror invites players in. The sadistic villain encourages them to stay. The poisonous mists ensure that they do.
