Summary of Van Richten's Lonely Tower | Running Curse of Strahd 5e

Game Storyline and Overview

The video discusses "Van Richten's Lonely Tower," a location within the "Curse of Strahd" 5e module. The tower is associated with the character Van Richten, who is portrayed as a somewhat unlikable figure with a dark past. The video critiques the design of the module, particularly the emptiness of the tower, and suggests ways to enhance it for gameplay.

Gameplay Highlights

Tower Structure: The tower consists of four stories, but many floors are described as empty. The creator aims to fill these spaces with interactive elements and lore.
Character Adjustments: The original character Khazan, a lich, is replaced with Exethanter to streamline the narrative and avoid confusion among players.
Key Areas:
- Area V1: Ezmeralda's Wagon, which can be relocated to Krezk if necessary to avoid overwhelming players with a powerful explosion.
- Area V4: The first floor includes crates with Van Richten’s supplies, including monster hunting gear.
- Area V2/V3: Remain largely unchanged, with the name above the door updated to Exethanter.
- Area V6: The third floor serves as an observatory with remnants of Exethanter's studies of the stars.
- Area V7: The top floor features a conspiracy web created by Ezmeralda, detailing connections to Strahd and other key figures in the campaign.

Strategies and Key Tips

Enhancing the Tower: Players are encouraged to add interactive elements to the tower to make it more engaging, such as:
- Buster the Bust: A sentient marble bust that players can interact with, who can provide lore and ask for items to help woo Ezmeralda.
- Treasure and Lore: Players can find treasures like a sextant and looking glass, which are remnants of Exethanter's past.
Character Dynamics: Van Richten's character can be adjusted to either retain his dark traits or be played as a more helpful mentor, depending on the desired campaign tone.

Featured Gamers/Sources

The video features insights and suggestions from the creator, who shares personal experiences and adaptations related to the game. Specific references to other videos and guides are mentioned for additional context.

Notable Quotes

— 00:10 — « The guy shows up, sits around for a few months, and he gets a tower named after him? »

— 01:34 — « Barovia is a really small place and liches are extremely powerful NPCs. There really should only be one of them at a time in an adventure. Two is just too many. »

— 06:42 — « Who makes the command word their own name? That's just stupid. »

— 13:10 — « Never trained a tiger to commit a hate crime. »

— 13:47 — « He's a very ends justify the means kind of guy, and that really clashes with the do-good attitude of most adventuring parties. »