SIDE QUEST: Dream Pastries
Part 1:
Morgantha, Morgan for short, is selling pies in the Town Square just outside the Blood On The Vine Tavern.
When the PC's First See Morgan:
An elderly woman stands behind a food cart and attending to a customer. Customer: "Thank you so much Ms. Morgan, thank you. Please be safe on your travels! I'll see you again soon!"
Meeting Morgan:
"Well hello there adventurers. I hope the roads have been safe travels today? You look hungry, could I interest you in a delicious snack? They usually cost 1gp but, the first one is always on me."
The Pies Are So Expensive Because:
"Its because of what is in them my dears! A bit of magic that my mother luckily passed on to me before she died. Bless her soul. The pies bring the eaters only the sweetest dreams, something poorly lacking in this dreary world."
- Morgan appears to be very sad as she describes this, clearly stricken at the sorry state of the world.
There are many different kinds of pies:
- Meat Pies "Barovians use all kinds of meats, Especially since we've a dreadful lack of sunlight for fruits and veggies. I myself prefer chicken, but there's also goat, deer, pig, wolf, and elk meat available here. You would think that Wolf meat would be something of a delecacy but, oh not here. With Lord Strahd in charge, there's more wolves in these woods than we know what to do with!"
- Nut Pies
- Berry Pies
- Potato Pies
Dream Pastry Mechanics:
Servings: 4 Shelf life: 10 days Effect: Characters who eat a serving of dream pastry will have wonderful dreams if they sleep within a 24 hour period, and cannot be woken for 8 hours. Additionally, the character gains 1d4 temporary hit points during that same 24 hour period. After 24 hours, the temporary hit points go away and they must make a Constitution saving throw if they have not already eaten more dream pastry. On a failed roll, they compulsively consume another serving of dream pastry and gain its benefits. For each serving of dream pastry eaten (including those compulsively eaten) the following day's Constitution saving throw DC increases by 2, to a maximum of 26, starting with a DC of 10 after the first serving. If the character fails their Constitution saving throw, and no pastry is available to eat, they enter into withdrawal and have horrible nightmares until all withdrawal symptoms have been removed. _________________________________________DREAM PASTRY WITHDRAWAL
For each failed saving throw against a dream pastry addiction that does not result in compulsively eating pastry, the affected character gains one (1) level of withdrawal and its effects. If a character has withdrawal levels and succeeds on a saving throw, they retain their current levels of withdrawal and do not gain additional levels or effects. Regardless of pass or fail, the next day's target DC is lowered by 2. When the target DC drops below 10, the character breaks their addiction and all withdrawal symptoms are removed. If at any time during withdrawal a character eats another dream pastry, all withdrawal effects are removed, the character gains the effects of the dream pastry, and the following day's Constitution saving throw DC increases by 2. When a character gains a level of withdrawal, a Lesser Restoration spell may be cast on the character to negate the effects of that level. Subsequent castings have no effect on withdrawal levels already in effect. Both addiction and any withdrawal symptoms can be removed with Greater Restoration. Level Effect| 1 | Disadvantage on skill checks |
| 2 | Subtract 1d4 from max HP |
| 3 | Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws |
| 4 | Reduce CON by 1 |
| 5 | Subtract 2d4 from max HP |
| 6 | Reduce STR by 2 |
| 7 | -1 to attack rolls |
| 8 | HP maximum halved |
