Raising

the
Stakes
T h e E s s e n t i a l C u r s e o f S t r a h d C o m pa n ion

Van Richten’s Tower

Explore the mysteries of an archwizard’s
legacy in this module guide for
Curse of Strahd

A module guide from Lunch Break Heroes

Credits Patrons
Lead Designer: Steve Miller This guide was made possible through the generous
Writers: Holly Abair, Steve Miller, Sven Truckenbrodt support of the following patrons.

Special Thanks Gold Tier

The following community members have made sig- • Aaron Doston
nificant contributions to this guide, either directly or • Alexis
indirectly. • Amber-Nicole Stephens
• Attercops • Bill Boyea
• DragnaCarta • Brice Cloyd
• MandyMod • Jeffrey Arms
• Palazard95 • Jesse Andresen
• Sorcelle • Jonathan Cabral
• Ziopliukas • Joseph Gilliam
• Julia Pihlmann
Artwork • Justin Bastian
• Images from Pixabay.com and • Justin Mendoza
Unsplash.com • Justin Scott
• Kyle McGowan
• Nicholas Hochhalter
• Sean Brooks
• Shane Alexander
• Shawn Kuester
• Shen Zhao
• Spencer Bodine
• Tags
• Talon ReQuo
• Thomas McMillian
• Will Brensdal
• Xavier Madison

Platinum Tier
• Adrian E.
• Alex Rosalez
• Brenton Snyder
• David Despoth
Disclaimer: Lunch Break Heroes is not liable for • Gas the Koopas
any loss of limbs, sanity, or soul that may arise as • Jason Haase
a result of using this guide to traverse the lands of • Kevin Brandon
Barovia. We are additionally indemnified against • Kevin R. Cannon
the effects that any player might experience after • Monica Jones
eating at Morgantha’s diner. • Morgana
• Thomas Stanley
• Thomas van Iersel
• Warmaster James
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Curse of Strahd, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eber-
ron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective
logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.

This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Lunch Break Heroes and/or other authors.
Van Richten’s Tower
O
n the shore of Lake Baratok stands a crum-
bling edifice that was once the property of
the wizard, Khazan. The tower serves as a
relative safe-haven for characters, in that it
is the only area safe from Strahd’s scrying spell. Aside
from that, it is little more than a base of operations or
a small stop on the way to other locations.
This chapter aims to add interest to the area by
adding intriguing elements to the tower. It also aims to
eliminate confusion around the tower’s original owner.
Video Companion
Watch the companion video for this chapter on YouTube.
Goodbye, Khazan
To streamline your game’s lore and alleviate any con-
fusion, this guide recommends that Khazan should be
removed from your game’s lore and his history merged
with that of Exethanter.
This is done to alleviate player confusion. Firstly,
Khazan’s name sounds too similar to that of Kavan,
the ancient barbarian at Yester Hill. Secondly, the
presence of Khazan as a lich within Barovia’s history
means that there is a strong possibility that players
may conflate Khazan and Exethanter.
Instead of Khazan, Exethanter served as Strahd’s
archwizard and constructed the tower on the shores
of Lake Baratok. All references to Khazan within the
tower should be replaced by a reference to Exethanter,
such as the name above the tower door in area V2.
Areas of the Tower
The following sections describe updates to the areas
of the tower. Any area not listed here should be run as
it is written in the module, or adjusted to your liking.
V1. Ezmerelda’s Wagon
Ezmerelda’s wagon is a staple of many groups’ stories
of their arrival to the tower. Due to the difficult nature
of discovering the booby trapped door, and the high
damage of the resulting explosion, this is also the site
of many character deaths.
If Ezmerelda is not with the party, this guide rec-
ommends—at your discretion—moving Ezmerelda’s
wagon to the outskirts of Krezk, where she may be
found inside the Abbey of Saint Markovia. This pro-
vides a much less lethal introduction to the tower.
V2. Tower Door
As noted previously, replace Khazan’s name above the
door with that of Exethanter. This area is otherwise
unchanged.
V4. Tower, First Floor
Scattered around this room are four wooden crates.
These were brought to the tower by Rudolph van
Richten to store extra supplies.
Between three of the crates, characters can find 30
days of dried rations, 300 feet of hempen rope, 5 pints
of oil, two healer’s kits, and one hunting trap. The
fourth crate contains van Richten’s monster hunting
equipment. Inside, characters will find 7 vials of holy
water, 10 wooden stakes, 10 bulbs of garlic, and a
heavy crossbow with 20 bolts.
V5. Tower, Second Floor
The floor here is sturdy, and does not collapse when
characters step on it. The floor is littered with molder-
ing books of various subjects, many of which lay open
at random pages. Time and the elements have ren-
dered most of the books unreadable. All of the books
here are non-magical.
Within the western wall, four feet above the floor, is
a small alcove, inside of which sits the bust of a mid-
dle aged man. The bust is of exquisite craftsmanship,
and has been affixed within the alcove with Sovereign
Glue.
As characters ride the elevator, any character with
a passive Perception score of 10 or higher gets the
impression that the eyes of the bust are following
them. If any character approaches within five feet of
the bust, it will speak and exuberantly introduce itself
as “Buster”.
Buster the Bust
Shortly after the creation of the tower, Exethanter
used his magic to give sentience to a marble bust,
fashioned after his own likeness.
Although Exethanter granted the bust intelligence
and personality, he did not bother to give it a name.
Buster gained his name only recently after a lengthy
conversation with Ezmerelda D’Avenir on the subjects
of literature and history. She decided that no creature
of such intelligence should go unnamed, and thus
dubbed the sentient bust “Buster”.
Although Buster is quite fond of Ezmerelda (“She’s
turned several pages for me!”), he has a very low
opinion of the tower’s previous occupant, Rudolph van
Richten. Upon first arriving to the tower, Van Richten
ruthlessly interrogated Buster for information, at one
point threatening to burn all of the books in the tower.
Van Richten's Tower | 3
 Through his centuries of isolation, Buster has spent
his time thinking, yelling at looters that climb in from
the scaffolding, and reading the books that lay open on
the ground near him. One particular book of poetry is
his favorite.
What is Love?
Centuries of reading the same poems over and over
again have given Buster romantic notions of one day
finding a love of his own. He has recently become
smitten with Ezmerelda, who has been kind to him
during her visits to the tower.
In an attempt to woo her, Buster asks the character
to find him several items. A new book of poetry, a bou-
quet of flowers, and a bottle of wine. Where the items
can be found in Barovia is at your discretion.
Upon receiving the items, Buster will happily tell the
characters the command word to activate the ani-
mated the suit of armor on the fourth floor so that they
may reveal the hidden compartment behind it, and will
freely share any information he has about the tower
and its previous owner.
What Buster Knows
Buster is willing to share the following pieces of infor-
mation with the characters, if they help him or other-
wise convince him to do so:
• The tower was built by Exethanter, Strahd’s
archwizard.
• Exethanter left the tower to seek immortality
and power through lichdom, but never returned.
• Before leaving, Exethanter mentioned a “temple
of amber” in the southern mountains.
• The hole in the wall on the third floor was cre-
ated by a lightning strike.
• The scaffolding was built by looters who stole
nearly everything from the tower.
• The command word for the suit of armor on the
fourth floor is “Ravenovia”.
V6. Tower, Third Floor
Before the mists sealed Barovia away from the materi-
al plane, Exethanter was fond of stargazing. He spent
many nights charting the movement of the stars and
planets, and wrote several treatises on astronomical
phenomena. After the mists arrived to obscure the sky,
however, his stargazing hobby came to an end.
As a consolation, Exethanter enchanted the ceiling
of this floor of the tower to resemble the night sky. The
stars and planets were meticulously recreated accord-
ing to his notes and calculations. However, the magic
of the room has faded over the centuries, leaving only
a few patches of the night sky available for viewing
amidst the wooden ceiling.
4 | Van Richten's Tower
At your discretion, a successful DC 20 Intelligence
check can reveal constellations that are native to your
characters’ home land, wherever that may be.
V7. Tower, Fourth Floor
When Ezmerelda moved into the tower, she found
Rudolph van Richten’s notes burnt to a crisp, minus
a lone journal entry. With that lone entry, she traced
Rudolph’s steps and reproduced much of his research
in Barovia.
To that end, the walls of this room are covered in
Ezmerelda’s hastily scrawled notes and charcoal
drawings of various people and places. Dominating
the eastern wall are two portraits. The first portrait
is of Strahd von Zarovich, and the other is of a se-
vere-looking old man with glasses and thinning hair,
labeled “Rudolph”. A crisscrossing web of dark thread
connects all of the other notes and portraits to the two
larger portraits.
A DC 10 Intelligence check reveals that the inter-
connected papers on the wall represent Strahd’s and
Van Richten’s connections to other people and places
within the land of Barovia.
Connected directly to Strahd, characters can find
named portraits of Rahadin and Strahd’s brides Lud-
milla, Anastrasya, Volenta, and Escher. Also connected
are Lady Wachter and Arrigal.
Connected directly to Van Richten are notes regard-
ing Vallaki, the tower that the characters are in, as
well as the Vistani camps through the land. There is
also a sketch of the severed head that can be found
inside the trunk in this area.
There are also several drawings of Castle Raven-
loft, done from a distance. A DC 13 Perception check
grants information about the layout of the grounds
and exterior of the castle.
Laying flat on the desk is a hand drawn map of the
immediate area around Lake Baratok. A circle has
been drawn around an area of forest to the northwest
of the tower’s location, with the word “Werewolves”
written next to it.
Exethanter’s Treasure
In the hidden compartment behind the suit of armor,
characters will find a bronze telescope and sextant.
The two items have tarnished with age, and are well
worn with signs of previous use. Despite the tarnish
and wear, the name “Exethanter” is clearly engraved
in the metal on both pieces.
If presented to Exethanter in the Amber Temple,
one or both of these items can help to return his lost
memories. This is useful for parties that are unable to
cast Greater Restoration or Wish.