Strahd von Zarovich

For Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition

Presented by ADnD Downloads

Thanks to Secrets of the Kargatane
Note: This version may vary from the Ravenloft Core Rules book version.

Character Sheet
Male Vampire, 5th-Level Fighter/15th-Level Wizard (Necromancer)
● Strength 24 (+7) ● Alignment Lawful Evil
● Dexterity 20 (+5) ● Speed 30 ft.
● Constitution -- ● Size M
● Intelligence 18 (+4) ● Initiative +9 (Dexterity, Improved
Initiative)
● Wisdom 17 (+3)
● Armor Class 21 (+5 Dexterity, +6 natural)
● Charisma 16 (+3)
● Hit Points 62

● Fortitude Save +9 (immune to ffects that ● Attack Bonus +12/+7/+2

require a Fort save unless they affect ● Spell Resistance 130
objects) 
● Reflex Save +13 
● Will Save +15 

Skills
● Alchemy +19 ● Listen +13 (+8)
● Bluff +3 (+8) ● Move Silently +5 (+8)
● Climb +15 ● Search +4 (+8)
● Diplomacy +7 ● Sense Motive +3 (+8)
● Concentration +18 ● Ride +13
● Hide +5 (+8) ● Scry +19
● Jump +15 ● Spellcraft +19
● Innuendo +6 ● Spot +13 (+8)
● Knowledge (Ravenloft) +19 ● Swim +15
Note: The +8 parenthetical bonuses are additive thanks to Strahd's vampire status.

Feats
● Alertness (vampire) ● Dodge
● Cleave ● Empower Spell
● Combat Casting ● Improved Initiative (vampire)
● Combat Reflexes (vampire) ● Iron Will

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 ● Lightning Reflexes (vampire) ● Spell Focus (necromancy)
● Mobility ● Spring Attack
● Mounted Combat ● Still Spell
● Power Attack ● Weapon Focus (longsword)
● Quicken Spell ● Weapon Specialization (longsword)
● Silent Spell

Special
As a vampire, Strahd has a number of special powers including domination, energy drain, blood
drain, children of the night, create spawn, undead abilities, damage reduction 20/+2, cold and
electricity resistance 20, gaseous form, spider climb, alternate form, fast healing 4, and turn
resistance +4. For more information see "Vampire" in the Monster Manual.
Strahd is immune to garlic, holy symbols, and mirrors. (He may still be turned by powerful priests
and does not cast a reflection, but the mere presence of a holy symbol or a mirror does not bother
him.) He can withstand up to ten rounds of sunlight without suffering damage, although the
eleventh round destroys him.
Resisting his domination ability requires a Will Save (DC 17).
Strahd has many types of minions, which he can mentally summon at any time. These creatures
arrive in 2d6 rounds. He can summon ldl0x10 bats or rats, or 3d6 worgs. The bats can not attack,
but they do confuse, obscure vision, and foil spellcasting. He can also summon ldl0 zombies or
2d10 skeletons Undead created by the Count tend to be very difficult to turn and are treated as
having one more Hit Die than their type would normally indicate.
As a master vampire, Strahd has created other vampires, most of them female. It is his habit to
destroy these lesser vampires after a year or so. He cannot allow too many vampires to prey on
the populace or plot to overthrow him.
Unlike other creatures of his type, Strahd does not need permission to enter any home or building
in Barovia. In a sense, Strahd is the land; his bond is so tight that he needs no invitation to explore
his own domain. As lord, he can even control many inanimate objects in Barovia. For example, it is
known that he can open and close the two main gates on the Old Svalich Road merely by thinking
about it, no matter where he is at the time. He has a similar power over the main entrances to
Castle Ravenloft. He can sense the passage of any thinking creature through these gates. Once
the creatures have passed through the gate, however, he loses track of them. (Anyone entering
from the Mists does so without his knowledge.) He also has a horsedrawn carriage that travels the
roads of Barovia, unmanned, at his whim. Strahd can sense the presence of thinking creatures
near the carriage and knows whether or not they are inside it. He cannot read their minds or tell
anything about them, however. The full extent of Strahd's power over objects is not known. It may
be that these powers change to suit the whim of the dark powers. On the other hand, Strahd may
have such control over all his direct possessions.
During daylight, Strahd falls into a coma and appears dead to all normal or magical tests. He can
sleep anywhere within Barovia and recover lost hit points. He prefers comes, but any resting place
free of sunlight will do.
Strahd keeps a contingency spell active at all times. It states that when he is exposed to
paralyzing or destructive light, he is instantly teleported to a secret coffin hidden in a cave in the
mountains. There, he can heal until he is ready to seek vengeance.

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Arcane Spells Prepared
(5/5/5/5/5/5/4/3/2): Strahd is a skilled wizard, specialized in the school of necromancy (but unable
to cast spells from the school of illusion). He can prepare and extra necromantic spell per level. He
typically prepares the following spells (though not all at once): 0 - detect magic, disrupt undead,
mage hand, open/close, ray of frost, resistance; 1st - burning hands, cause fear, comprehend
languages, hold portal, magic missile, protection from good, unseen seruant; 2nd - alter self,
darkness, detect thoughts, fog cloud, scare, spectral hand; 3rd - dispel magic, hold person,
lightning bolt, magic circle vs. good, tongues, vampiric touch; 4th - contagion, dimension door,
enervation, fear, polymorph other, wizard eye; 5th - animate dead, avoidance, magic jar, sending,
teleport, wall of stone; 6th - antimagic shell, contingency, death spell, guards and wards, summon
invisible stalker; 7th - finger of death, limited wish, power word stun, spell turning; 8th - horrid
wilting, maze, symbol.

Languages
Balok, Mordentish, and Vistani.

Possessions
Magical items are rare in Ravenloft, but Strahd has a small collection. His most prized item is a
crystal ball. With it, he monitors his domain, as well as many events beyond his borders. The
bloodstone pendant Strahd wears is an amulet of proof against detection and location. He also
wears a cloak of resistance +2. On his left hand is a ring of major elemental resistance (fire).
Stored away in his armory he also has a spellcaster's bane longsword +1.

Appearance
Strahd is a tall man at just over 6 feet tall. His body is lean and hardened from long years as a
warrior. His gaunt face has strong features and prominent cheekbones. His eyes are dark and
hypnotic, like deep pools with subtle reflections of red light, but when he is aroused or enraged,
they bum like redhot coals. His skin is usually pale, but it becomes flushed with each feeding and
retains its healthy color for several hours.
When he became lord of Barovia, Strahd's ears developed points, like the ears of an elf. The
deformity is subtle, however, and he can readily disguise it by combing his hair over the tips. In
order to explain them, he sometimes claims to be a half?elf, but this is untrue.
His fingers are elongated and thin, with long, sharp nails. If he wishes to conceal the nails, he
wears soft, gray, lambskin gloves. Like most vampires, his fangs are not obvious unless he wants
them to be noticed. He can speak and even yawn without attracting undue attention. However,
when he is attacking, the fangs lengthen until they protrude over his lower lip.
Strahd tends to wear black with touches of white and red. His clothing style is the tailored, layered
look common to Barovian nobles. He also wears a large red stone on a heavy gold chain around his
neck.

Background
Strahd calls himself the "first vampyr," but the claim seems unlikely, given the diversity of these
creatures. Still, he was certainly the first vampire in Ravenloft.
It is not known exactly how or why Barovia entered the Demiplane of Dread-whether it was
Strahd's pact, the murderous rampage, or a curse on the land of Barovia itself. Perhaps it was a
combination of all three. Nonetheless, Barovia did enter the Demiplane and was the first domain of
what became the Core.

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In time, the land changed to reflect Strahd and his curse. Barovia expanded, encompassing
several valleys in the Balinok Mountains. A ring of choking fog encircled the town of Barovia and
Castle Ravenloft, and Strahd's control over creatures in Barovia grew even stronger.
Prior to his fall from grace, Strahd had been a mage of mediocre skill. After his transformation, he
dedicated himself to death, becoming a powerful necromancer. (He had little else to do with his
time, being trapped in Barovia.) He explored his vampiric nature and powers. In 470, a band of
Vistani, led by Madame Eva, entered Barovia. She and her kind had a natural resistance to the
powers of the land, and Strahd was in awe. Eventually, Eva and Strahd struck a deal. Strahd would
keep them from harm (his own) if they would agree to search for a portal that would release him
from the Demiplane. Strahd even gave Madame Eva the secret to counteracting the effects of his
deadly fog.
In 542, Azalin the lich entered Ravenloft. Reluctantly, he agreed to serve the vampire lord. Strahd
required two things of the lich: that he teach the vampire great magic and that he use his powers
to find an escape from Ravenloft. Eventually Azalin became lord of Darkon, which was recently
transformed into the domain of Necropolis. The lich's hatred for Strahd is unending, and he very
nearly managed to destroy the vampire in 740.
Aside from that near catastrophe, the years have passed and Barovia still stands. In the wake of
the Grand Conjunction, Strahd found himself lord over the Gundarakites (subjects of a previous
rival, Duke Gundar), and he has been encouraging the Barovians to subjugate them.
Strahd is a ruthless, cold, calculating genius. Everything he does is for some ultimate goal. Strahd
also never takes anything at face value. He always has a contingency plan (or two) for any
situation. As an undead creature, time means nothing to him. He is more patient than any mortal.
He always plays his cards close to his chest. His plans should usually include anything the players
may think up, and he never gives away hints or clues.
He has only two weaknesses. First, he has been powerful for so long that he underestimates the
abilities of normal humans. He is definitely egotistical, though he does not often let foolish pride
endanger him. It does not bother him in the least to retreat before an opponent.
The second weakness is his eternal love for Tatyana. Her body was never found after she plunged
from the tower battlements of Castle Ravenloft, and through the years there have been repeated
sightings of women who so closely resemble Tatyana that they could only be her reincarnations.
Finding one of these women, obtaining her, and finally winning her love is Strahd's obsession.
Strahd would do almost anything to regain Tatyana. He will not act blindly or foolishly for her, but
he is willing to take calculated risks. She alone can bring emotion to his soul.
Strahd maintains relations with the Vistani and a few of the other domain lords in Ravenloft, but he
breats them like pieces on a chessboard, to be manipulated toward his goals. The Vistani are his
primary source of information from other lands, but they also conduct trade and make purchases
for him. He cares nothing for his descendants, servants, or minions.

Closing the Borders

Strahd is able to cause the choking mist around his castle and the village of Barovia to spread out
over the entire domain. The vapor infuses itself around a character's vital organs and acts as a
latent poison. Once a victim has breathed this fog, he can never leave Barovia without Strahd's
express permission (and antidote). If a character attempts to leave, he begins to choke. For each
hour he spends outside the ring of fog, suffers a point of Constitution damage. No known spells or
magical items can prevent or otherwise affect the poison.

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