D&D Duet

Adventures and advice for creating a whole world, just for two

Totems of the Svalich Woods

by Leave a Comment

Picture of a dark woodland background with the words "Totems of the Svalich Woods"

A one-on-one Curse of Strahd adventure!

For DMs and players of Curse of Strahd, Totems of the Svalich Woods* is a one-shot side quest for one player and one DM or an additional Barovian adventure for duet CoS campaigns!  

Picture of a woman in a fairy tale dress in a dark wood with the words "Totems of the Svalich Woods"

About the Adventure

Several forms of darkness permeate this adventure. The twisted, primal evil of the Svalich Woods and the Dark Powers represents one manifestation, but the town of Barovia and its traditions encompass another.

picture of a leshen from The Witcher 3
“Leshen Learned alt” from The Witcher 3 by Natty Dread on Flickr, published under a Creative Commons license

Adventurers must resist both of these expressions of darkness to help a distressed young man. The village sent his sister into the forest as a sacrifice to the dark being that dwells within. Ultimately, this rescue quest leads to a confrontation with the leshen, an undead hunter who serves as the forest’s spirit guardian and enforces the Dark Powers’ whims.

This adventure takes place outside the village of Barovia and functions as a side quest or one-on-one session in a Curse of Strahd campaign. It could also be placed in the Forgotten Realms, at the edge of the Cold Wood, for instance, or any homebrew location that has dark forests.

This adventure assumes that you have access to the Players Handbook, the Monster Manual, Curse of Strahd, Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Items or creatures not referenced in these texts will be referenced in the appendices.

If you’re looking for an intense and atmospheric adventure deep in the Svalich Woods, you’ve found it.

This Adventure Includes:

  • Full one-shot adventure for levels 7 or 8
  • One sidekick character (or DMPC)
  • Beautiful art
  • Well-rounded NPCs
  • Three new creatures and
  • Two custom magical items

Connecting to Other One-on-One Adventures

picture of a dark woodland environment with the words "In the Heart of the Forest"

If you’re looking for a similar one-on-one adventure, In the Heart of the Forest* is an immersive one-shot adventure that also takes place in a dark forest and would fit in well alongside Totems of the Svalich Woods.

You can also check out our series on adapting Curse of Strahd for one-on-one play!

If you’re new to duet-style play, we’d love for you to check out the Crystalline Curse Trilogy, our three introductory two-person adventures.

A previous version of this adventure, scaled for groups, was published as part of The Bloodties Anthology, Volume I: Bloodstained* as “Roots of the Elkmire.” If you’re on the hunt for a variety of blood-themed adventures for tiers 1 and 2, please check out the anthology!

Please leave a review of the adventure on DMsGuild, and we’d love to hear if you would like to see more adventures for published campaigns in the future!

This post may contain affiliate links which means that—at no cost to you—we receive a commission when you follow the link and make a purchase.

If you like what you’re reading, please consider supporting the blog by purchasing our adventures and supplements in our shop or sponsoring us on Patreon. We appreciate you so much! Thank you for joining us on this adventure! – Beth and Jonathan

Reader Interactions

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions!