Encounter Difficulty: Hard Victories Awarded: 2 Expected Party: Five heroes at level 2 with 1 Victory, and one retainer (Father Lucian, Priest of the Morning)
If you have fewer or more than 5 heroes (plus Father Lucian), modify the encounter in the following ways:
Number of heroes
Modification
3
Remove three vampire spawn from the encounter.
4
Remove one vampire spawn from the encounter.
6
Add one vampire spawn to the fourth initiative group.
Ireena is also present
Add one vampire spawn to the fourth initiative group.
Father Lucian isn't present, and the heroes have no abilities that deal holy damage
Remove one vampire spawn from the encounter.
1. Volenta
Volenta begins combat by designating a hero as her rival—preferably a shadow, conduit, or censor, in that order—then using her Check Out Our Loot malice feature to lob a firebomb at the heroes. Afterward, she uses Poison the Blade before targeting weak-looking heroes with her Swift Serration.
If Father Lucian is present, Volenta prefers to target the heroes. As she fights them, she taunts Father Lucian gleefully, noting, "I'd intended to rip out your throat in front of your cute little congregation, but I guess decorating the church steps with your friends' heads and entrails isn't a bad second place!"
Volenta flees from combat if she is winded, teleporting away from the fray after using Swift Serration if possible. (The other vampire spawn don't accompany her, and fight to the death.) If she can't effectively flee the encounter (because she's slowed, for instance) she resorts to using her Exsanguinating Bite. Remember that, without sunlight or running water, Volenta can't be truly killed!
When Volenta flees, she smashes through a nearby window and gallops across the rooftops like a four-legged beast. As she flees, she snarls, “You think your precious little church can keep you safe? He'll burn down the rest of Vallaki to get to you, and kill the rest of this stinking vermin to force you out!” She then sneers at the heroes and promises to see them again soon before vanishing from sight behind a chimney.
2. Father Lucian
In combat, Father Lucian uses his Thunder of Heavens ability to damage vampires who seem close to death and allow heroes with low Stamina to spend a Recovery. He stands as near to the front lines as possible while remaining behind full cover, seeking to ensure that any attacking vampire spawn will be hindered by his Stalwart Guardian feature. He uses his maneuver to Catch Breath if he is winded, Aid Attack if he is adjacent to an enemy, or Hide if he is neither.
3. The Vampire Spawn
The Barovian Vampire Spawn fight in pairs. First, one Grabs a weak-looking hero, then drags them out of the windows and onto the rooftop, converting their main action into a maneuver to use Vampire Celerity if necessary. The second spawn then uses their own Vampire Celerity to join their partner on the roof and target the grabbed hero with Exsanguinating Bite.
If more heroes climb onto the roof, the vampires on the roof drop or shove their grabbed heroes off the roof onto the ground, then drop safely to the ground (thanks to their 3 Agility) and continue biting.
The fifth vampire spawn focuses on getting and protecting the bones.
4. The Bones
The sack with St. Andral's bones is a size 1S object. If any hero (or any retainer) has the bones of St. Andral, the vampires use their maneuvers to attempt to Grab the bones. Heroes (and retainers) in possession of the bones can use a maneuver to throw the bones to an ally to whom they have line of effect.
5. Terrain
The walls of the shop are made of wood. Much of N6f. Vampire Nest is occupied by crates and piles of wood, which are half a square tall and provide cover but do not block line of effect.
The windows on the north, east, and south sides of the shop are shuttered, as are the windows in Henrik's living space. (There is no glass in the windows, just wooden shutters.) A creature can open or close the shutters of a window as a free maneuver, or destroy the shutters completely as a maneuver.
The first floor of the coffin shop is 2 squares tall. The second floor is also 2 squares tall at the sides, but the roof slopes up to a height of 3 feet above the center of the floor.
On the roof, the dormers provide cover for creatures on the same half of the roof, but don't block line of effect. The chimney similarly provides cover for creatures on the west half of the roof. The central ridge of the roof is 1 square above the west and east edges of the roof, and thus provides high ground for creatures standing atop it and blocks line of effect for creatures on opposite sides.
Ending the Encounter
When the heroes exit the encounter map with the bones of St. Andral, award each hero 1 Victory. If the heroes also winded Volenta and destroyed the vampire spawn, they earn a second Victory. Any surviving vampire spawn kill Henrik, then flee to Castle Ravenloft.
## Statblocks
Rival Malice
At the start of any rival's turn, you can spend Malice to activate one of the following features.
Work as One (3 Malice)
Until the end of the round, each rival can impose a bane on a strike made against an adjacent rival as a free triggered action.
We Just Do It Better (3 Malice)
Until the end of the round, whenever any rival makes a power roll against the target of their Rivalry trait, they roll a d3 and add it to the power roll.
Check Out Our Loot (5 Malice)
One rival pulls out a magic consumable and hurls it, targeting a 5 x 1 line within 1 square of them or a 3 cube within 10 squares of them. Each enemy in the area makes an Agility test. The rival chooses a damage type and a condition for the outcome of the test from one of the following pairs: sonic damage and dazed, poison damage and weakened, or fire damage and frightened.
≤ 11: 11 damage; the condition affects the target (save ends)
12-16: 8 damage; the condition affects the target (EoT)
17+: 5 damage
Calling the Shots (7 Malice)
Each rival regains 10 Stamina. Until the end of the round, whenever a rival uses an ability against an enemy, each other rival adjacent to that enemy can make a free strike against them.
Coordinated Takedown (10 Malice)
Each rival moves up to their speed and uses a main action or maneuver that doesn't cost Malice.
Volenta, Vicious Shadow
Rival, Undead, Vampire
Level 2 Elite Ambusher
EV 16
Size
Speed
Stamina
Stability
Free Strike
1M
7
80
1
5
Immunity Corruption 3, poison 3
Weakness —
Movement Climb
Might
Agility
Reason
Intuition
Presence
+0
+2
+0
+0
+1
Regeneration
While not in sunlight or running water, the vampire regains 10 Stamina at the start of each of their turns. If the vampire takes holy damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of their next turn.
Exploit Opening
Volenta deals an extra 5 damage to any bleeding target.
Rivalry
At the start of an encounter, Volenta chooses one creature within their line of effect. Both Volenta and the creature can add a d3 roll to power rolls they make against each other.
Swift Serration 2d10+2
Signature Ability
Melee, Strike, Weapon
Main Action
Melee 1
Two creatures or objects
≤ 11: 7 damage
12-16: 11 damage
17+: 14 damage; A < 2 bleeding (save ends)
(1 Malice): Volenta can teleport up to 5 squares, then can attempt to hide.
Exsanguinating Bite 2d10+2
Melee, Weapon, Strike
Main Action
Melee 1
One creature
≤ 11: 8 damage; M < 0 bleeding (save ends)
12-16: 13 corruption damage; M < 1 5 corruption damage and bleeding (save ends)
17+: 16 corruption damage; M < 2 7 corruption damage and bleeding (save ends)
Effect: Volenta regains Stamina equal to any corruption damage dealt.
Poison the Blade
—
Maneuver
Self
Self
Effect: Volenta coats their weapon with poison. They gain an edge on their next strike, and any potency for that strike increases by 1. Exsanguinating Bite can't benefit from this effect.
Barovian Vampire Spawn
Undead, Vampire
Level 4 Horde Harrier
EV 6
Size
Speed
Stamina
Stability
Free Strike
1M
5
30
0
2
Immunity: Corruption 4, poison 4
Weakness: —
Movement: Climb
Might
Agility
Reason
Intuition
Presence
+2
+3
-1
+1
+2
Unslakable Bloodthirst
The vampire spawn has speed 10 while any creature within 10 squares of them is bleeding. The vampire spawn must use Exsanguinating Bite against a bleeding creature on their turn if they are able to.
Regeneration
While not in sunlight or running water, the vampire spawn regains 5 Stamina at the start of each of their turns. If the vampire spawn takes holy damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of their next turn.
Exsanguinating Bite 2d10+3
Signature Ability
Melee, Strike, Weapon
Main Action
Melee 1
One creature or object
≤ 11: 5 damage
12-16: 7 corruption damage; M < 2 bleeding (save ends)
17+: 9 corruption damage; M < 3 bleeding (save ends)
Effect: The vampire spawn regains Stamina equal to any corruption damage dealt.
(1 Malice): The target takes an additional 3 corruption damage.
Vampiric Celerity
—
Maneuver
Self
Self
Effect: The vampire spawn can shift 1 square, then move up to their speed. The next ability the vampire uses before the start of their next turn gains an edge.
Snare Trap
Level 1 Trap Ambusher
EV 1
A rope snare is set to grab a target, leaving them hanging upside down.
Stamina: 3
Size: 1S
Hidden
The snare trap is hidden until triggered or detected.
Deactivate
As a maneuver, a creature adjacent to a snare trap can make an Agility test.
≤ 11: The creature triggers the trap and is affected as if in its space.
12-16: The trap is deactivated but the creature is slowed (EoT).
17+: The trap is deactivated and doesn't trigger.
Activate
The snare trap is calibrated to be triggered by creatures or objects of a particular size or larger. The trap triggers when a creature or object of the appropriate size enters its space.
Effect: A triggering creature or object ends their movement and is targeted by the Snare ability.
Snare 2d10+2
Melee, Strike, Weapon
Free Triggered Action
Melee 0
The triggering creature or object
Trigger: A creature or object of the appropriate size enters the trap's area.
≤ 11: The target shifts 1 square away from the snare.
12-16: 1 damage; A < 1 restrained (save ends)
17+: 3 damage; A < 2 restrained (save ends)
Effect: A creature restrained this way is vertical pulled 2 squares and suspended in the air by the snare line. On a successful save, the snare is cut or breaks and the creature falls to the ground. The snare must be manually reset.:
Net Trap (+1 EV)
The snare becomes a net that can wrap up multiple targets. The net has 3 Stamina and fills an area of 3 squares by 3 squares. The Snare ability loses its existing keywords, gains the Area keyword, and targets each creature or object in the area. The trap can be triggered by a target moving through one specific square, or by requiring multiple squares to be moved through. Any creature who makes their save to end the restrained effect ends that effect for all targets, who all fall to the ground.
Dart Trap
Level 1 Trap Ambusher
EV 1
A concealed dart thrower hurls missiles at short range.
Stamina: 3
Size: 1S
Direction
The dart trap fires in a fixed direction
Hidden
The dart trap is hidden until triggered or detected.
Deactivate
As a maneuver, a creature adjacent to a dart trap can make an Agility test.
≤ 11: The creature triggers the trap and is targeted by it.
12-16: The trap is deactivated but the creature is slowed (EoT).
17+: The trap is deactivated and doesn't trigger.
Activate
A pressure plate, switch, or other linked trigger is activated.
Effect: The Dart ability.
Dart 2d10+2
Ranged, Strike, Weapon
Free Triggered Action
Ranged 5
One creature or object
≤ 11: 2 damage
12-16: 4 damage
17+: 5 damage
Poison Darts (+2 EV)
The darts are tipped with poison. Any creature who takes damage from a dart also takes 1d6 poison damage at the start of each of their turns (save ends).
Large Darts (+1 EV)
Larger, heavier darts impart kinetic force to the trap's attack. A target of the Dart ability is pushed 1 square on a tier 1 outcome, 2 squares on a tier 2 outcome, or 3 squares on a tier 3 outcome.
Gatling Darts (+4 EV)
The dart trap is equipped with multiple barrels to launch darts at a high rate of fire. The Dart ability loses the Ranged and Strike and takes the Area keyword, its area becomes a 5 x 1 line within 1, and it deals an extra 1d6 damage.
