Adventurer's League Season 4

Hey Game Fans we’re going to start our breakdown of Adventurer’s League Season 4 next week with the actual adventures and the experience point breakdowns for each, but today we’re going to talk about some of the story elements of the Season and a couple of ideas that we think are important to consider when gearing up for Season 4.  This will also probably be the last season we cover this way, because this is really the last season we were actively participating in Adventurer’s League.  We got out of it before the start of season 5, and we’ve decided not to cover that season as a result.  Let’s take a closer look at Season 4 of Adventurer’s League and have a bit of a discussion about Season 4 and some of the fun you can have with it.  

Getting Started with Season 4

We suggest you get your RPG survival kit ready (you can find that here) and check out our basic advice for getting started with Adventurer’s League (which is here).  Season 4 of Adventurer’s League is tied to the Curse of Strahd hardcover adventure and this season takes place in Barovia.  Previous seasons of Adventurer’s League give players freedom to hop around between adventures in differing seasons (meaning that you can play adventures from different seasons so long as you meet the level requirements to play that specific session).  Season 4 introduces a new story award called Demiplane of Dread.  So long as your character has this story trait, they are forbidden from playing in any adventure, session, or event that takes place outside of Barovia.  If you have a favorite character that you want to be able to play outside of Season 4, you want to not bring them into any of the Season 4 adventures, because once you get into Barovia, it’s very tricky to get back out.  That brings us to our next bit of advice for getting started with Season 4.  Make a new character.

If you’ve had an idea of something different that you’ve wanted to play, Season 4 is a perfect opportunity to work on a new character.  The season is very self contained with the Demiplane of Dread Award, so you have an opportunity to run a character in a single season of D & D straight to finish.  The Season also takes place away from the main body of the Sword Coast, so you have the chance to apply a “what happens in Barovia stays in Barovia” policy.  If you’ve wanted to experiment with a new faction, a new race, a new background, or a new class, you have the perfect opportunity to take any of those options out for a spin.  

Notable Changes

Season 4 has some changes to some of the rules of Adventurer’s League, and we’re going to cover those in brief.  One of the biggest changes is the lack of magical support (specifically healing) that characters can expect to have available.  Unlike previous seasons, the Lord of Barovia has actively disrupted and put down any organized churches that cropped up in his domain, and the Acolyte Background’s ability to get some free spellcasting is unavailable because there are no friendly churches.  Further, if the characters need more dramatic/serious healing properties, there’s only one agent in Barovia that can provide those spellcasting services, and her prices may require more than cash.

Another important consideration is Resurrection Madness.  If a character is dead for more than a day and brought back to life, they come back a little bit off in terms of personality.  This is an optional rule from the Dungeon Master’s Guide that is in full effect for the duration of the Season.  If you end up dying, try not to stay dead too long.  

Setting

Barovia (and Orsanou, by extension) is a bleak, desiccated land controlled by the malicious will of a powerful undead tyrant and the land shows it.  The light doesn’t feel as bright, the plants don’t grow as tall or as abundantly as they should and the people are burdened by things they can’t explain.  It’s an oppressed land, surviving through inscrutable means.  Winter has settled in over the land and It’s an ugly winter that is blanketing the land in heavy snow.  Barovia has a sense of humor, somehow, and even the darkest moments are lightened with outbursts of comedy.

Magic also works a little differently in Barovia.  Some spells just look different, while others behave in unpredictable ways, if they work at all.  The Dark Powers that govern Barovia have twisted some magical abilities in new ways and short circuit magic that would enable easy escape from Barovia.  Magical powers are still a useful resource, but they don’t necessarily work the same way.  

Remember, this adventure season features horror as a primary driving theme, so characters are a little harder to fix when they get banged up because the primary resources that provide the cure alls and the heals are absent.  Poisons, diseases, and curses are more common in Barovia than they are in other places, and they can critically impair your ability to adventure.  Also, i would encourage you to embrace the horror and let your character get scared a little.  The setting is going to try do it anyway, so embrace the spooky.  

Tie ins with Curse of Strahd

Now if you want a much better grasp of Barovia, (as a Dungeon Master) you can always pick up the Curse of Strahd hardcover adventure.  This gives you a larger sandbox to work with for the setting and clues you in to what’s going on around Barovia.  It also gives you access to Strahd, and if you really want to, you can try and find a way to incorporate the adventure from that book into the season.  Just remember to put together your encounters with some thought and figure out your rewards for you players.  

That’s about it for today’s article, we’ll be back next to week with the official breakdown for the adventures in the season and probably get the first adventure written up so you can take a look at what you’re working with.  As always, we hope this was a helpful introduction to Season 4 and that you can get a better feel of what you’re working with.  Game On, Game Fans.