# Difficulty

> From the Curse of Strahd game wiki (it covers the whole game, spoilers included): https://curseofstrahd.app/wiki/rules/difficulty.html. Unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy, not approved or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.

There are four modes, modelled on Baldur's Gate 3. You pick one on the New game page, after choosing the party.

- **Story** is for playing the tale. Foes have less health and spread their blows around, your heroes get +2 to attacks and saves, a Long Rest is never interrupted, and nobody dies for good.
- **Balanced** is the 2024 rules as written. Monsters fight from their stat blocks. Saves from before the modes existed load as Balanced.
- **Tactician** is for a hard fight. Foes are tougher and get +2 to hit and to their DCs. They gang up on whoever is hurt, go for your healers and casters, drink potions when Bloodied and run when their side breaks.
- **Honour** is Tactician without mercy. Bosses keep their full strength even against a low-level party, cruel foes strike heroes who are down, and the whole playthrough has one save.

#### Changing mode

- Story, Balanced and Tactician can be swapped at any time in Settings.
- Honour can only be picked at a new game. Leaving it is for good.
- An Honour run has one save slot, which the game keeps up to date: autosaves and the start of every fight write over it, and so do Save Game and F5. A fight you quit halfway comes back to its start, never past it.
- If the whole party falls in an Honour run, the run ends. The game and its save carry on in Tactician from there, for good.

#### Tips

- On Tactician and Honour, foes you beat drop the potions and scrolls they didn't get to use, so check the loot after a fight.
- A boss counts as anything with Legendary Actions or a Challenge Rating of 5 or more. On every mode but Honour, a lighter version of the boss fights a party that's under the fight's level.
- Long Rests in a risky place have a 1 in 6 chance of being interrupted on every mode but Story ([House Rules](https://curseofstrahd.app/wiki/rules/house-rules.md)).

What each mode changes, read from the game's own table:

## Story: *For the tale*

Foes are frailer and spread their blows around, your party gets +2 to attacks and saves, and nobody dies for good.

- Enemy Hit Points: 25% fewer, within what their Hit Dice could roll.
- +2 to your attack rolls and saving throws.
- Enemies spread their attacks around and don't chase the killing blow.
- Nobody dies for good: a hero who would die is left Unconscious and Stable.
- A Long Rest is never interrupted, even in a risky place.

## Balanced: *The book as written*

Foes at their stat block, fighting the way the book has them.

- Enemy Hit Points: their stat block's.
- Enemies fight as the book has them.

## Tactician: *For a hard fight*

Tougher, sharper foes (+2 to hit and to their DCs) who gang up on the hurt, go for your healers, drink their potions and run when beaten.

- Enemy Hit Points: 20% more, within what their Hit Dice could roll.
- +2 to enemies' attack rolls and the DCs of their spells and abilities.
- Enemies gang up on the hurt and go for your healers and spellcasters first; their spellcasters cast from their whole spell list.
- Armed foes carry a Potion of Healing and drink it when Bloodied; casters carry a spell scroll. You loot what they don't use.
- When their side breaks, foes flee the fight, except mindless things and bosses.

## Honour: *One life, one save*

Tactician with no mercy: bosses at full strength, cruel foes finish the fallen, and one save.

- Enemy Hit Points: 20% more, within what their Hit Dice could roll.
- +2 to enemies' attack rolls and the DCs of their spells and abilities.
- Enemies gang up on the hurt and go for your healers and spellcasters first; their spellcasters cast from their whole spell list.
- Cruel foes strike a hero who has fallen to 0 Hit Points.
- Armed foes carry a Potion of Healing and drink it when Bloodied; casters carry a spell scroll. You loot what they don't use.
- When their side breaks, foes flee the fight, except mindless things and bosses.
- Bosses fight at full strength even against a low-level party.
- One save for the whole playthrough.
- Picked only at a new game; leaving it is for good.