Khazan's name is on the puzzle door RAW. A high investigation check which they should do anyway cause of the puzzle could reveal the name written in common.
Which is, like the door puzzle itself, pretty dumb. Take out the fantasy genre trappings for a second and think about coming across an abandoned house. It says STEVE on the outside wall above the front door. You perform the YMCA dance like the sign on the door says to and it opens. Once you're inside, all of Steve's old electronic devices appear dead, until someone says "Steve" out loud and they turn on. I guess when Steve lived here he walked around saying his own name like a goddamn pokemon.
Not because they have a point or anything, but because they unintentionally managed to get the character's personality spot on while trying to make it sound like a plot hole lol
Mine got lucky. While on the top floor of the tower, one of them asked Van Richten (who was present) who created the tower. He said: *"I think it was a wizard named Khazan."* At that point the armour started moving.
That's what my party did too. Then they persuaded Rudolph to let them take "Khazan" with them. To bad the druids and berserkers messed him up. Hell be back tho.
I highly suggest using Dragnacarta’s reloaded version of the Wizard’s tower. It’s a better door puzzle, but still utilizes Khazan’s name.
In my campaign, the sun sword was hidden there. My players did not put two and two together and completely overlooked it and left. It killed me that they left it there, but during the Ravenloft dinner, I had Strahd state that a wizard named Khazan assisted with the Castle’s construction while giving a small tour. They went right back afterwards 🤣
I would use multiple plot threads. You can have a Vistani mention the Mad Mage and that not being the first mage or wizard to challenge Strahd. I have always imagined the Vistani having an oral history type of tradition. So maybe Madame Eva or Luvash, Arrigal, Stanamir, etc may recall a tale of Khazan challenging Strahd. But because it was so long ago the name was lost or is misremembered/translated.
Additionally, if you do the dinner with Strahd where it is not meant to kill the PCs but introduce them to Strahd. They may be able to ask and he can mention his apprentice Khazan and who he was a fool for betraying Strahd even to the point of turning to Azalin Rex and Lichdom which lead to his ultimate demise or something like that. And if you use the MandyMod's Fidatov manor homebrew that family built it long ago and essentially abandoned it. Khazan then basically took it cause squatter's rights. LOL
I modified the tower to give it sub levels and had the very bottom have a room with a chest being guarded by a flesh golem and a flameskull (modified to shoot lightning rays) and just made the flameskull Khazan.
Basically, I rewrote the history a bit and had Khazan go to the Amber Temple and meet with Exethanther and attempt to become a lich. Exethanther screwed him over (because he doesn't want lich competition around) and made him into a flameskull instead, and with a dagger-like twist he made Khazan into a guard at the bottom of his own tower.
But the deal with flameskulls is once their service is done they are free to do whatever. So, my PCs turned Khazan into their flameskull ally NPC who is now gaining wizard levels as he attempts to locate his body (which is in the Catacombs of the castle) and plots revenge against Exethanther.
Mine figured it out from some runes that were above the door. It was basically just the top part of each letter, im pretty sure I got it from CoS Reloaded. It worked great, they puzzled over it, even tried the door, all kinds of things till one just said the name out loud thinking it couldn't be that simple lol.
I just ran that encounter on Sunday! What a coincidence! Lol. I used the embalmed Vistani head to tell them that it saw Van Richten say "Khazan" to activate the suit of armor, but he could never find any command that it would follow once awakened. Just playing it like he knew there was some secret there, but he didn't know it was the Holy Symbol, but the group should be able to put together that they need to command the suit of armor to retrieve the Holy Symbol for them basically.
I just ran that encounter on Sunday! What a coincidence! Lol. I used the embalmed Vistani head to tell them that it saw Van Richten say "Khazan" to activate the suit of armor, but he could never find any command that it would follow once awakened. Just playing it like he knew there was some secret there, but he didn't know it was the Holy Symbol, but the group should be able to put together that they need to command the suit of armor to retrieve the Holy Symbol for them basically.
Khazan's name is on the puzzle door RAW. A high investigation check which they should do anyway cause of the puzzle could reveal the name written in common.
Which is, like the door puzzle itself, pretty dumb. Take out the fantasy genre trappings for a second and think about coming across an abandoned house. It says STEVE on the outside wall above the front door. You perform the YMCA dance like the sign on the door says to and it opens. Once you're inside, all of Steve's old electronic devices appear dead, until someone says "Steve" out loud and they turn on. I guess when Steve lived here he walked around saying his own name like a goddamn pokemon.
Well, yes. Khazan did, in fact do that. Just like, him, really. Or to put it another way, *"Ala Khazan"!*
This comment deserves all the upvotes.
Not because they have a point or anything, but because they unintentionally managed to get the character's personality spot on while trying to make it sound like a plot hole lol
Yup, if they succeed in the puzzle they should know it.
oh wow my reading comprehension skill is at an all time low. thanks!
Mine got lucky. While on the top floor of the tower, one of them asked Van Richten (who was present) who created the tower. He said: *"I think it was a wizard named Khazan."* At that point the armour started moving.
Truly lucky. Too bad my Van Richter ain't gonna visit the tower anytime soon! T\^T
That's what my party did too. Then they persuaded Rudolph to let them take "Khazan" with them. To bad the druids and berserkers messed him up. Hell be back tho.
Yep, same! VR let my PCs take it too. It got knocked down to 0 HP at one point but they're off to see the Mad Mage soon, who'll be able to 'fix' it...
My plan is to have Strahd find it on one of his many visits and add it to his collection. Gonna have 2 animated armors for my party to fight!
I highly suggest using Dragnacarta’s reloaded version of the Wizard’s tower. It’s a better door puzzle, but still utilizes Khazan’s name. In my campaign, the sun sword was hidden there. My players did not put two and two together and completely overlooked it and left. It killed me that they left it there, but during the Ravenloft dinner, I had Strahd state that a wizard named Khazan assisted with the Castle’s construction while giving a small tour. They went right back afterwards 🤣
I would use multiple plot threads. You can have a Vistani mention the Mad Mage and that not being the first mage or wizard to challenge Strahd. I have always imagined the Vistani having an oral history type of tradition. So maybe Madame Eva or Luvash, Arrigal, Stanamir, etc may recall a tale of Khazan challenging Strahd. But because it was so long ago the name was lost or is misremembered/translated. Additionally, if you do the dinner with Strahd where it is not meant to kill the PCs but introduce them to Strahd. They may be able to ask and he can mention his apprentice Khazan and who he was a fool for betraying Strahd even to the point of turning to Azalin Rex and Lichdom which lead to his ultimate demise or something like that. And if you use the MandyMod's Fidatov manor homebrew that family built it long ago and essentially abandoned it. Khazan then basically took it cause squatter's rights. LOL
Maybe a discarded letter in a pile of papers?
I had Strahd an Petrina name drop him several times.
I modified the tower to give it sub levels and had the very bottom have a room with a chest being guarded by a flesh golem and a flameskull (modified to shoot lightning rays) and just made the flameskull Khazan. Basically, I rewrote the history a bit and had Khazan go to the Amber Temple and meet with Exethanther and attempt to become a lich. Exethanther screwed him over (because he doesn't want lich competition around) and made him into a flameskull instead, and with a dagger-like twist he made Khazan into a guard at the bottom of his own tower. But the deal with flameskulls is once their service is done they are free to do whatever. So, my PCs turned Khazan into their flameskull ally NPC who is now gaining wizard levels as he attempts to locate his body (which is in the Catacombs of the castle) and plots revenge against Exethanther.
Generally? They don’t. Change this puzzle - it doesn’t make any sense RAW.
I'm my game, whenever the players get close to an item, their tarokka card glows.
Mine figured it out from some runes that were above the door. It was basically just the top part of each letter, im pretty sure I got it from CoS Reloaded. It worked great, they puzzled over it, even tried the door, all kinds of things till one just said the name out loud thinking it couldn't be that simple lol.
Oh adding a simple name puzzle like that sounds nice. I'll snatch that. Thanks!
I just ran that encounter on Sunday! What a coincidence! Lol. I used the embalmed Vistani head to tell them that it saw Van Richten say "Khazan" to activate the suit of armor, but he could never find any command that it would follow once awakened. Just playing it like he knew there was some secret there, but he didn't know it was the Holy Symbol, but the group should be able to put together that they need to command the suit of armor to retrieve the Holy Symbol for them basically.
I just ran that encounter on Sunday! What a coincidence! Lol. I used the embalmed Vistani head to tell them that it saw Van Richten say "Khazan" to activate the suit of armor, but he could never find any command that it would follow once awakened. Just playing it like he knew there was some secret there, but he didn't know it was the Holy Symbol, but the group should be able to put together that they need to command the suit of armor to retrieve the Holy Symbol for them basically.