As is tradition.
There are built in ways to bring them back, and make the players aware that Barovia has an unconventional relationship with death. This is an opportunity more than a problem, and a good early warning system if your players are not ready for that kind of story.
This is an opportunity more than a problem
Sounds like something Visit Barovia would say…
I actually did this. 3 players have accepted dark gifts and come back to life. I’m also using Lunch Break Heroes suggestions, and making it so that each time they use their gift they loose a bit of their soul. If they keep using it, eventually they’ll loose it entirely and their souless body will start trying to go to the amber temple.
I get the danger and the stress and signaling “this is barovia bitch” feeling pf the death house. But as a DM ? I hate killing players before they had a story and when they barely can’t do anything about it. I probably couldnt run that module, Im not sadistic enough. I say “sorry” everytime my players get koed and I dont feel they were stupid enough to deserve it.
set up a campaign around it - let your party get wiped and reroll their PCs’ heirs/lovers/etc to play through a revenge tour.
Great ! Now not only have I killed new characters, I also have to do extra work and forget the first campaign alltogether.
How about I forget step 1 : run death house as it is, and step 2 : kill half my party with cheap traps and unfair fights, to go straight to step 3 : do something else.
You do you hombre
Should be entire party.
Almost was 😂
As a neighbor, I sometimes wish that The Death House wasn’t so aptly named tbh 🤷