I'm surprised to hear a lot of this. I was not envisioning her quite like you've portrayed but it could be because I depicted the hag sisters as lovable old women and my players bought it hook, line, and sinker. Personally, I get a much more sadistic and tormented picture of Baba. Allow me to indulge myself: The book says she ritualistically sacrifices beasts to Mother Night and bathes in their blood during nights of a new moon to stave off her extreme old age. Very metal, I'd want the PCs to catch her in the act as punishment for their peepery, but of course the Hut wouldn't let them in to catch her off guard. I'm thinking she would not be keen to have polite conversation. She's been a hermit for possibly centuries, paranoid about spies and ravens but powerful enough to do something about it. I imagine her grasping a raven around the neck the entire time she is speaking to you. The thing is desperately trying to escape and you just have to watch it be nonchalantly strangled as she uses it like stress ball. Or as she stands on the stoop of her hut, the ravens squawking incessantly, she'd jab a finger into the cage casting Inflict Wounds on whichever unfortunate creature couldn't move away quick enough. All its feathers rapidly fall out, lesions erupt from its skin, and it dies a boiling, stinking death, leaking through the bottom of the cage. She strikes me as the type of person to polymorph you into a frog, boil you until you're on the verge of death, pull you out, heal you, and repeat. Then once your novelty had run its course you'd be bled, disemboweled, stuffed, and staked in a damp field to act as her minion. Though she'd make sure your consciousness remained in the husk so you could forever powerlessly witness the tragedies your taxidermied body would commit She IS just a human, that's true, but I don't think utter depravity and sadism is limited to just hags. I see her as maybe the most demented character in the book because she can justify literally any act of cruelty in the name of protecting her one true joy, Strahdy Boy. The only thing in the world that prompts any positive emotion from her is Strahd and her illusory baby. I don't think she'd ever talk about the baby openly. I'd think she'd be kind of embarassed because she's artificially indulging in her past which could be seen as weakness. Sorry for the novel of a post. Your video has inspired me to think more about this villian and I think that's really the point, so thank you!
Great Lines! I know I wish you'd put them in the description box, for any one else thinking the same: Come in, come in. it’s been so long since I’ve had good company I’m just a simple woman, trying to get by in this world. I am a mother looking after her child This place seems safe enough for me. It keeps me away from all the nasty skulkers outside. Plus, I quite enjoy the view from here Why that is Strahd! Isn’t he just a sweet little angel? Make sure to stay quiet and don’t wake him up! Oh at this point it must be 400 years or so. My has the time slipped by me The ravens are not good for this land. I know they conspire against my dear son, and I have waged war against them for it I found the skull ages ago, I hollowed it out and made it a vessel to transport me around. It helps my weary bones going up and down this tree My night has blessed me with powers beyond even my own comprehension. She has shared with me the knowledge of eternal life, as well as magic that can tear my enemies asunder! I used a gem from the filthy winery to make this tree come to life. It serves me well and it hurts those disgusting raven lovers You would bring harm to my sweet child? Oh it is you that shall be shown harm! Once I’m done with you, I will found out how far your conspiracy goes Get away from me you filthy beasts! You belong with the insects of the earth! Are you working with the ravens? I’ll make you reveal your secrets! Why fight against my dear Strahd? Do you not see his destined glory? I’ll stuff you like my scarecrows and send you to fight for me I’ll be back and in greater force you evil beings Please don’t kill me! I can tell you about Strahd! I can show you the secret to hearing Mother Nights words! May mother night curse you all! May Strahd see through your treachery
this is one of the few i didnt get to use and now im going to have her be the main reason one of the players is in barovia in their personal dream sequence hook
My party interacts heavily with Vasili Von Holtz and he flirts with Irena a lot. The characters love Irena and have become almost fond of Vasili. Well, I’m thinking of how to reveal that he’s Strahd and one way was if they don’t find the bones of St Andrals and one of Strahd’s brides attacks during the feast. Strahd has to stop his bride and the vampire spawn if they get close to Irena. Orrrrrrrrrr Vasili goes to Berez to help Irena search for this magic stone gem. And he meets Baba Lysaga and during the conversation, Baba explains who she is to the party. It comes out that she cursed Strahd’s mother and that’s why she died on her way to the castle. Vasili erupts into anger as he shifts back into Strahd and in a rage he fights Baba and the Hut alongside the party. Once the witch and her skull are dead. Strahd will summon his flaming horse and planeswalk away because he “needs to be alone” and leaves the party to deal with the hut and get the gem. (This allows the 2 CR 11 monsters fight the party at level 6-8 without them getting totally TPK’ed and allows for an intense narrative without stealing all of the danger or spotlight from the party)
I can’t imagine Baba having anything but a Ukrainian or Russian accent. That’s the accent I will be using for Baba Lysaga in my CoS campaign that I’ll be running after my group have finished with Lost Mine of Phandelver. This will be their second module and are so excited!! I can imagine Baba like a Ukrainian or Russian Babushka which would make her even creepier when she refers to Strahd as her son.
I made her a Teatotaller, who was waging war against the wereravens because Strahd was drinking the wine too much... also she convinced the hags to steal the champagne gem.
I played her like a crazy witch because she was the maker of my blood hunter and he wanted revenge. So missed opportunity... I will try to player her like this in my second group, they have no connections to her. This will be amazing! Are you planning to do Exathanter as well? Thanks for this amazing videos!
The campaign is over but we completely destroyed her and the house lol one of our players went down 3 or 4 times but we won I wore her head around as a trophy lol
I'm surprised to hear a lot of this. I was not envisioning her quite like you've portrayed but it could be because I depicted the hag sisters as lovable old women and my players bought it hook, line, and sinker. Personally, I get a much more sadistic and tormented picture of Baba. Allow me to indulge myself:
The book says she ritualistically sacrifices beasts to Mother Night and bathes in their blood during nights of a new moon to stave off her extreme old age. Very metal, I'd want the PCs to catch her in the act as punishment for their peepery, but of course the Hut wouldn't let them in to catch her off guard.
I'm thinking she would not be keen to have polite conversation. She's been a hermit for possibly centuries, paranoid about spies and ravens but powerful enough to do something about it. I imagine her grasping a raven around the neck the entire time she is speaking to you. The thing is desperately trying to escape and you just have to watch it be nonchalantly strangled as she uses it like stress ball.
Or as she stands on the stoop of her hut, the ravens squawking incessantly, she'd jab a finger into the cage casting Inflict Wounds on whichever unfortunate creature couldn't move away quick enough. All its feathers rapidly fall out, lesions erupt from its skin, and it dies a boiling, stinking death, leaking through the bottom of the cage.
She strikes me as the type of person to polymorph you into a frog, boil you until you're on the verge of death, pull you out, heal you, and repeat. Then once your novelty had run its course you'd be bled, disemboweled, stuffed, and staked in a damp field to act as her minion. Though she'd make sure your consciousness remained in the husk so you could forever powerlessly witness the tragedies your taxidermied body would commit
She IS just a human, that's true, but I don't think utter depravity and sadism is limited to just hags. I see her as maybe the most demented character in the book because she can justify literally any act of cruelty in the name of protecting her one true joy, Strahdy Boy.
The only thing in the world that prompts any positive emotion from her is Strahd and her illusory baby. I don't think she'd ever talk about the baby openly. I'd think she'd be kind of embarassed because she's artificially indulging in her past which could be seen as weakness.
Sorry for the novel of a post. Your video has inspired me to think more about this villian and I think that's really the point, so thank you!
awesome stuff! the whole point of all these series to get people thinking, and you have more than pulled that off! keep up the awesome work!
You inspired me with great ideas as well. Thanks a lot!
Brilliant!!
Great Lines! I know I wish you'd put them in the description box, for any one else thinking the same:
Come in, come in. it’s been so long since I’ve had good company
I’m just a simple woman, trying to get by in this world. I am a mother looking after her child
This place seems safe enough for me. It keeps me away from all the nasty skulkers outside. Plus, I quite enjoy the view from here
Why that is Strahd! Isn’t he just a sweet little angel? Make sure to stay quiet and don’t wake him up!
Oh at this point it must be 400 years or so. My has the time slipped by me
The ravens are not good for this land. I know they conspire against my dear son, and I have waged war against them for it
I found the skull ages ago, I hollowed it out and made it a vessel to transport me around. It helps my weary bones going up and down this tree
My night has blessed me with powers beyond even my own comprehension. She has shared with me the knowledge of eternal life, as well as magic that can tear my enemies asunder!
I used a gem from the filthy winery to make this tree come to life. It serves me well and it hurts those disgusting raven lovers
You would bring harm to my sweet child? Oh it is you that shall be shown harm! Once I’m done with you, I will found out how far your conspiracy goes
Get away from me you filthy beasts!
You belong with the insects of the earth!
Are you working with the ravens? I’ll make you reveal your secrets!
Why fight against my dear Strahd? Do you not see his destined glory?
I’ll stuff you like my scarecrows and send you to fight for me
I’ll be back and in greater force you evil beings
Please don’t kill me! I can tell you about Strahd! I can show you the secret to hearing Mother Nights words!
May mother night curse you all! May Strahd see through your treachery
this is one of the few i didnt get to use and now im going to have her be the main reason one of the players is in barovia in their personal dream sequence hook
My party interacts heavily with Vasili Von Holtz and he flirts with Irena a lot. The characters love Irena and have become almost fond of Vasili. Well, I’m thinking of how to reveal that he’s Strahd and one way was if they don’t find the bones of St Andrals and one of Strahd’s brides attacks during the feast. Strahd has to stop his bride and the vampire spawn if they get close to Irena. Orrrrrrrrrr Vasili goes to Berez to help Irena search for this magic stone gem. And he meets Baba Lysaga and during the conversation, Baba explains who she is to the party. It comes out that she cursed Strahd’s mother and that’s why she died on her way to the castle. Vasili erupts into anger as he shifts back into Strahd and in a rage he fights Baba and the Hut alongside the party. Once the witch and her skull are dead. Strahd will summon his flaming horse and planeswalk away because he “needs to be alone” and leaves the party to deal with the hut and get the gem. (This allows the 2 CR 11 monsters fight the party at level 6-8 without them getting totally TPK’ed and allows for an intense narrative without stealing all of the danger or spotlight from the party)
haha awesome stuff!
I can’t imagine Baba having anything but a Ukrainian or Russian accent. That’s the accent I will be using for Baba Lysaga in my CoS campaign that I’ll be running after my group have finished with Lost Mine of Phandelver. This will be their second module and are so excited!! I can imagine Baba like a Ukrainian or Russian Babushka which would make her even creepier when she refers to Strahd as her son.
I made her a Teatotaller, who was waging war against the wereravens because Strahd was drinking the wine too much... also she convinced the hags to steal the champagne gem.
She stole the gem to aid in her efforts to stay young and alive.
The book says this.
Did I miss a video on you doing the Death House?
Nope, it's last on the list for the series haha
Alright thank you I was curious
I played her like a crazy witch because she was the maker of my blood hunter and he wanted revenge. So missed opportunity...
I will try to player her like this in my second group, they have no connections to her. This will be amazing!
Are you planning to do Exathanter as well?
Thanks for this amazing videos!
Exathanter isnt much of a villain haha. I need to do a hero and neutral voiced series at some point!
@@NoFunAllowed good point :D
The campaign is over but we completely destroyed her and the house lol one of our players went down 3 or 4 times but we won I wore her head around as a trophy lol
haha now thats dark