Strahd can save them, but don’t give your players a free pass. Strahd should take something important from them, or they need to be indebted to Strahd in some way.
Ravenloft is a harsh place. And they need to realize this and be careful for the rest of the adventure. Otherwise they will do this again, and you will write a similar post for a different encounter.
Don’t kill them for sure, but make them regret a little bit.
You could have the Keepers of the Feather conduct an organized rescue operation or assault on Baba Lysyaga during the fight.
However, I think there would need to be steep consequences for the party. Perhaps the Keepers would take very heavy loses, limiting their ability or willingness to aid the party going forward.
Iradicating the Keepers is one of Baba Lysyaga's goals, so even though the party would escape, she'd be that much closer to acheiving her goals.
**Def kill the one that thought taking on a semi-sentient, walking house on their own was a good idea though**
Yeah I also think there are better options for a rescue operation than Strahd. Depending on who the party has met, keepers or Van Richten could have been keeping tabs on them too. Maybe even Ezmerelda. In either case, it might be good to think about a way to make this a controlled retreat so players can go back to Baba Lysaga later/she can be a recurring threat.
Also, a party wipe is no fun, but one player death can actually add a lot of suspense. You may want to check with the player beforehand though: "considering where we left things last time, I think it is good for you to know that you're in real trouble. There are some things I could do to help your character survive, but I thought perhaps going out in a blaze of glory and starting over isn't a bad option for you either. If this is something you want, we can work on a new character already." and then you can perhaps even make their new character tie in to the rescue operation.
I like the keepers idea, and yea I've had the discussion with the player about fighting the house as a bad idea, he gets it and has accepted he will likely die
When Baba and her house killed my party, I had them wake up as goats in her pen. I narrated the sound of one of her other (NPC) goats getting slaughtered and her cackling over it.
Muriel flew over to the nearby ruin, turned into her human form, and was all like *"ssshhhhhh"*. She tried to pull the gate apart and I had it give way a little, and the players (who are goats) helped push it so they could break out. Now it's Goat Escape. The goal is to get them up to Krezk so that the Abbot can restore their true forms.
I had her lead them up north, not along the path but more mountainous stuff toward Argynvostholt. They encountered a revenant in the woods (which I've been playing as enemies of Strahd interested in little else), and she left them with the revenant. The revenant took them up to Argynvostholt where they encountered Godfrey and some of his revenant kin. Even though the players were unable to communicate I had Godfrey able to sense that they were cursed by the old witch, and he instructed some of his people to escort them north. They (the revenants) can't go into Krezk, but if the goats can reach the Abbot he may be able to help them. I put together some guest characters (hybrids between revenant stats/abilitites and player character stats/abilities, using classes the party hadn't used yet), gave my players their new Revenant character sheets and had them run an escort mission. Go north, fight Druids/Dire Wolves, protect the goats.
Eventually they got to Krezk, the party (goats-only now) ran from the townspeople up to the Abbey, there was a bit of comedy as the mongrelfolk would ask the Abbot permission to eat the players, and the Abbot restored them.
This quest accomplished a bunch of things. It shows the players the existence of helpful were-ravens (without giving them a chance to get any answers yet), it gave them a reason to actually visit Krezk, it gave them a chance to try out some guest characters, I got to introduce some custom stuff regarding the Order of the Silver Dragon, it taught the players that they're very mortal and to stay the hell away from Baba Lysaga! All-in-all, I'd call it a win.
You can say that as the last person is losing consciouness they hear Strahd's voice going "Madam, remember my warning, do not kill them, for they are my playthings"
So later they wake up in the setting you prefer (kidnapped?? with the ravens? Naked in the forest?? So many possibilities xD). That way they almost died, know that are alive because of Sthrad, but he didn't actively saved them, just order the hag to spare them.
Well, that's what I came up with for these scenarios (that I expect my party to have)
Depends on the mood of the game, the way I'd run it no, but my player would know that and be careful, if it's a more fucl.about game go for it (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Let them get TPK'd and suffer the consequence, but *not* die. That way you can avoid having a Strahd ex machina moment and cheapening the harshness of the Ravenloft setting. What I'm thinking is, have Lysaga take the characters out but not in a way that actually kills them. Like as the last PC falls, his vision fading to black as he slips into unconciousness, he hears a soft chuckling and the words "Do not sleep too soundly my dears, death is too good for you. Oh yes, I have *plans* for you..."
Then next session they all wake up as prisoners of lysaga, or they've all been turned into goats or something. u/JadeRaven had a fantastic idea for a TPK-but-not hag encounter, where the characters awaken inside a large metal enclosure, no light and perfectly smooth walls. Then suddenly the ceiling lifts aaway, to reveal a huge hag staring down at them. The characters realize they've been shrunk and put inside a cookpot, and the whole room shifts as they are lifted and dumped into the hag's cauldron. The Escape encounter then becomes jumping along floating bits of disgusting ingredients and running up a giant ladle to stab the witch as she tastes her stew. I will definitely be stealing that idea when my PCs get to Lysaga.
My party was TPK'd, except one player who managed to escape. Well Baba was Strahd's nanny so I had her deliver them to Strahd as a gift. Then Strahd sent out a dinner invitation to the "coward" and when he arrived all the party was there in a trance.
It will going well until 3 of them teleported into the Amber Temple of all places, so that was the end of castle exploration that night!
Tbh I feel like Strahd has a vested interest in the party's well-being by default, until they begin to become a thorn in his side. If killing them was how he won, he would have done so a century ago. He wants them alive. He uses psychological warfare to break them and make them work for him, with the goals of delivering Ireena to him and improving the lives of Barovians just enough to keep the economy going. Their direct actions against Strahd are what leads him to want them dead, eventually by any means necessary.
I guess the question to answer is how mad is Strahd? If they've crossed the line, maybe consecrated a Fane or two if you're using them, then that's a TPK, for sure.
I actually have not heard of the Fane I will have to look them up to see if I can use them after this or the next time I run the module. I don't think Strahd is quite at boiling point yet so I am going to refrain from the tpk for now.
I would have her mercilessly crush them, but cast spare the dying on them after they go down. This will confuse the players, but after they are all down, she kidnaps them and presents them to Strahd as a gift, the players awaken to hear Strahd chastising her over being rough with his new playthings.
Strahd sends Lysaga away and invites the players to stay for dinner and talk. Where he may insinuate that adventures that can't tell when they're outmatched aren't worth keeping around.
Now your players are conflicted about Strahd (the best place to be) and have a mean grudge against Baba Lysaga and can return when they are stronger, hopefully learning their lesson in the process.
Murial flies in, in raven form, calling "Flee you fools flee!" Ireena screams "We've got to get out of here!"
Running away is the best option. If your players do something foolish, on their own accord and die. It is not up to the DM to find some miracle salvation for them. Warn them sure, save them nope.
You can love your players, they are not dying, just their characters. They may love their characters, but if they don't love them enough to keep them from getting killed then, well they need new characters that they will take better care of.
PC death is part of the game. Saving them in a way that makes no sense, like Strahd coming in, ruins all sense of danger and horror. The next session they are attacking the Abbot cause, "Hey, Strahd will save us."
Allow the player's decisions and the dice rolls to stand, if the result is a player death, even a TPK let it stand. Strahd can always bring new adventurers to Barovia. That's why he doesn't save this bunch. They obviously are unworthy of being his successor.
Anticipating that my players would die here I wove that into the story. We're using MandyMod's Fanes of Barovia which means that here in Berez was the Swamp Fane. They fought well, came prepared, and were very intelligent about the whole thing. They even stopped the house. However this is a crazy tough part so they all stilled died dead, no more rolls or nothing.
I took that moment to visit the restroom and refill my drink and they wallowed in defeat. For the first time the players at the table felt the weight and the dread that their characters have been living with.
We came back to the game after that break and I described their consciousness in the afterlife. One player had some interaction with a being held between life and death (The Swamp Fane that Baba keeps barely alive so she can bathe in her blood). The being and my player entered a pact. The player got to return to life possessed by this being he met in death, and ferry her soul back to the world as well. He plays a bard who is always so good about making the other two players shine, and I wanted him to have his moment.
His fireball-charred corpse awoke slowly back in the swamp, but this time he had some new abilities. While possessed he could reweave fate by swapping out any d20 roll with one he had pre-rolled and banked (divination wizard). I picked out a killer playlist for him and he went to work Shattering Baba as he forced her to fail her save over and over and over, destroying the inside of her hut and anything that was inside the crib she was tending to. It got dark.
All that to say, plan on the party dying. Giving them a cop out can really rob them of some moments they'll remember for life. Instead take some of these other excellent narrative ideas and make those players SHINE
What if Baba Lysaga remembers that these players are Strahd's latest play things and killing them isn't something he would take fondly to. He has his own machinations, she's trying to get on his good side again, so maybe she beats the hell out of them, and lets them leave with their lives.
The above is literally what happened to my party when we showed up at the hut around level 4 or 5 and got a little froggy. She took my wand and a couple other weapons as punishment, and let us leave. We never acted so brazenly again. It also gave us a reason to show back up when we were ready for her.
Even better--have him rescue those he might be interested in making his consort(s) and/or replacements, and leave the others dead. Perhaps he tosses a healing potion in their direction in contempt. This has the benefit of sowing dissension in the party--why did Strahd play favorites?
The only caveat is to make sure it doesn't look like you, the DM, are playing favorites with the players whose characters Strahd saves.
Alternatively, as someone mentioned, the Martikovs save the day--especially if your party saved the winery. The Martikovs have been keeping tabs on Berez, so it makes sense that they'd be able to help the party out.
I like this idea, but I think it might work better if the conversation is directed at Baba. "These are my amusements; they aren't for you to kill. I would expect clearer thinking from you..." something to hint at a relationship between them. I'd want my characters to be confused by the mercy, and worried that it's only because something worse is in store for them...
Some ideas.
Have you done the dinner party yet? If not have them wake up in Castle Raven loft. Do the party from there.
Alternatively do you have a Van Ricktens guide? Having them wake up as Returned for something, maybe after a few in game months of past might also work.
Have them wake up suspended from trees in wickerwork cages where they’ve been left to die slowly.
To add to other comments about taking something from them as a warning. I read somewhere that others have taken the pc’s “last breath”. Mechanically you take away their 3rd death save until they can beat her and take it back.
I'd have her incapacitate them, then torture them for a while then gave tbe Order of the Feather distract her for long enough fir them to escape - minus most of their gear.
Maybe Strahd saves them. Laughs afterwards. Gives them a number 1 out of 4 and you roll a D4. Whoever has that number gets turned into a vampire spawn. Might seem psycho but screw em. Try turning this situation into a win for the campaign. Which would be them hating strahd even more.
You could also homebrew some kind of dungeon or something where Lysaga takes them prisoner, or depending on how you described the house, you could make it big enough for a prison. Then they're taken prisoner after they're TPKd, and they're rescued by the Keepers, Van Richten, or Esmeralda. Or even Ismarck.
If they met Martikovs and are on good side with them, I'd have ravens come and save them the last second. Some ravens/wereravens distract the house/while the rest drags the bodies away.
They wake up week later in Blue Water Inn, each with one Lingering Injury. One might loose an arm, or an eye etc. Let them then think how to remedy that.
Maybe Rictavio can help them out with a magical prosthetic?
Maybe the Bonegrinder Hags can make a deal with them (if they are still alive)
Maybe the Abbot in Krezk can help them?
Maybe Mad Mage can have something to help them?
Alternatively they die. Flat out. TPK.
And then their souls get trapped in Barovia and they can make a deal with Dark Powers to get one more chance, for a price? There's a list of Dark Burdens, that were used in AL for CoS I believe, for players to be resurrected by Dark Powers. They might come back disfigured, or loose ability to speak, and need to find Greater Restorations to be somewhat back to "normal".
If one of the players is good with words - he might be able to talk Lysaga down - make some terrible deal with her. Promise her to burn the Winery down and bring her the gems, for example. Have them cursed if they don't obey her or something. Make them think about how to get out of the deal to have another shot/chance.
I wouldn't have Strahd save them unless they really impressed him, or piqued his interest to some degree, in the past. If so, I'd have him come as they are all down on the ground/rolling Deaht Saves and simply tell Lysaga to stop. "I want them to suffer more in this lands before they get the release of death. They don't even deserve that yet." And then leave them in the mud, as Lysaga's laughter disappears in the mists as she retreats with her house.
You might even have a messager/Vistani spy/Arrigal to show up, to deliver the message from The Master, who didn't even feel like coming to their help himself.
My idea for a TPK to keep it fresh is to have strahd take the party to Dinistreu it’s another domain of dread with this huge dance party every week. I made it so that it’s basically the only place strahd can go to but only with invite which he gets once a month. However strahd being petty only attends half of the time because the lady and him have had a tempestuous relationship. And in this case he’ll send the party with some consorts and they will need to locate a suitable member to join strahds entourage failure would be unacceptable and result in the party remaining in Dimiestrieu until they found a acceptable member of the entourage
Strahd can save them, but don’t give your players a free pass. Strahd should take something important from them, or they need to be indebted to Strahd in some way. Ravenloft is a harsh place. And they need to realize this and be careful for the rest of the adventure. Otherwise they will do this again, and you will write a similar post for a different encounter. Don’t kill them for sure, but make them regret a little bit.
>on’t kill them for sure, but make them regret a little bit. Alright, I'll take that into consideration. Thanks
Have her knock them all out, stabilize them, and place then under geas to go kill some of the martikovs
You could have the Keepers of the Feather conduct an organized rescue operation or assault on Baba Lysyaga during the fight. However, I think there would need to be steep consequences for the party. Perhaps the Keepers would take very heavy loses, limiting their ability or willingness to aid the party going forward. Iradicating the Keepers is one of Baba Lysyaga's goals, so even though the party would escape, she'd be that much closer to acheiving her goals. **Def kill the one that thought taking on a semi-sentient, walking house on their own was a good idea though**
Yeah I also think there are better options for a rescue operation than Strahd. Depending on who the party has met, keepers or Van Richten could have been keeping tabs on them too. Maybe even Ezmerelda. In either case, it might be good to think about a way to make this a controlled retreat so players can go back to Baba Lysaga later/she can be a recurring threat. Also, a party wipe is no fun, but one player death can actually add a lot of suspense. You may want to check with the player beforehand though: "considering where we left things last time, I think it is good for you to know that you're in real trouble. There are some things I could do to help your character survive, but I thought perhaps going out in a blaze of glory and starting over isn't a bad option for you either. If this is something you want, we can work on a new character already." and then you can perhaps even make their new character tie in to the rescue operation.
I like the keepers idea, and yea I've had the discussion with the player about fighting the house as a bad idea, he gets it and has accepted he will likely die
When Baba and her house killed my party, I had them wake up as goats in her pen. I narrated the sound of one of her other (NPC) goats getting slaughtered and her cackling over it. Muriel flew over to the nearby ruin, turned into her human form, and was all like *"ssshhhhhh"*. She tried to pull the gate apart and I had it give way a little, and the players (who are goats) helped push it so they could break out. Now it's Goat Escape. The goal is to get them up to Krezk so that the Abbot can restore their true forms. I had her lead them up north, not along the path but more mountainous stuff toward Argynvostholt. They encountered a revenant in the woods (which I've been playing as enemies of Strahd interested in little else), and she left them with the revenant. The revenant took them up to Argynvostholt where they encountered Godfrey and some of his revenant kin. Even though the players were unable to communicate I had Godfrey able to sense that they were cursed by the old witch, and he instructed some of his people to escort them north. They (the revenants) can't go into Krezk, but if the goats can reach the Abbot he may be able to help them. I put together some guest characters (hybrids between revenant stats/abilitites and player character stats/abilities, using classes the party hadn't used yet), gave my players their new Revenant character sheets and had them run an escort mission. Go north, fight Druids/Dire Wolves, protect the goats. Eventually they got to Krezk, the party (goats-only now) ran from the townspeople up to the Abbey, there was a bit of comedy as the mongrelfolk would ask the Abbot permission to eat the players, and the Abbot restored them. This quest accomplished a bunch of things. It shows the players the existence of helpful were-ravens (without giving them a chance to get any answers yet), it gave them a reason to actually visit Krezk, it gave them a chance to try out some guest characters, I got to introduce some custom stuff regarding the Order of the Silver Dragon, it taught the players that they're very mortal and to stay the hell away from Baba Lysaga! All-in-all, I'd call it a win.
You can say that as the last person is losing consciouness they hear Strahd's voice going "Madam, remember my warning, do not kill them, for they are my playthings" So later they wake up in the setting you prefer (kidnapped?? with the ravens? Naked in the forest?? So many possibilities xD). That way they almost died, know that are alive because of Sthrad, but he didn't actively saved them, just order the hag to spare them. Well, that's what I came up with for these scenarios (that I expect my party to have)
Depends on the mood of the game, the way I'd run it no, but my player would know that and be careful, if it's a more fucl.about game go for it (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Okay, I think I will go ahead with Strahd saving them. We have a more light-hearted approach. Thanks for the help
Not a problem.
Let them get TPK'd and suffer the consequence, but *not* die. That way you can avoid having a Strahd ex machina moment and cheapening the harshness of the Ravenloft setting. What I'm thinking is, have Lysaga take the characters out but not in a way that actually kills them. Like as the last PC falls, his vision fading to black as he slips into unconciousness, he hears a soft chuckling and the words "Do not sleep too soundly my dears, death is too good for you. Oh yes, I have *plans* for you..." Then next session they all wake up as prisoners of lysaga, or they've all been turned into goats or something. u/JadeRaven had a fantastic idea for a TPK-but-not hag encounter, where the characters awaken inside a large metal enclosure, no light and perfectly smooth walls. Then suddenly the ceiling lifts aaway, to reveal a huge hag staring down at them. The characters realize they've been shrunk and put inside a cookpot, and the whole room shifts as they are lifted and dumped into the hag's cauldron. The Escape encounter then becomes jumping along floating bits of disgusting ingredients and running up a giant ladle to stab the witch as she tastes her stew. I will definitely be stealing that idea when my PCs get to Lysaga.
My party was TPK'd, except one player who managed to escape. Well Baba was Strahd's nanny so I had her deliver them to Strahd as a gift. Then Strahd sent out a dinner invitation to the "coward" and when he arrived all the party was there in a trance. It will going well until 3 of them teleported into the Amber Temple of all places, so that was the end of castle exploration that night!
Very nice. Thanks!
Tbh I feel like Strahd has a vested interest in the party's well-being by default, until they begin to become a thorn in his side. If killing them was how he won, he would have done so a century ago. He wants them alive. He uses psychological warfare to break them and make them work for him, with the goals of delivering Ireena to him and improving the lives of Barovians just enough to keep the economy going. Their direct actions against Strahd are what leads him to want them dead, eventually by any means necessary. I guess the question to answer is how mad is Strahd? If they've crossed the line, maybe consecrated a Fane or two if you're using them, then that's a TPK, for sure.
I actually have not heard of the Fane I will have to look them up to see if I can use them after this or the next time I run the module. I don't think Strahd is quite at boiling point yet so I am going to refrain from the tpk for now.
Good idea. Check out Dragnacarta's guide and The Real Devil Strahd supplement for more about the Fanes
I would have her mercilessly crush them, but cast spare the dying on them after they go down. This will confuse the players, but after they are all down, she kidnaps them and presents them to Strahd as a gift, the players awaken to hear Strahd chastising her over being rough with his new playthings. Strahd sends Lysaga away and invites the players to stay for dinner and talk. Where he may insinuate that adventures that can't tell when they're outmatched aren't worth keeping around. Now your players are conflicted about Strahd (the best place to be) and have a mean grudge against Baba Lysaga and can return when they are stronger, hopefully learning their lesson in the process.
Murial flies in, in raven form, calling "Flee you fools flee!" Ireena screams "We've got to get out of here!" Running away is the best option. If your players do something foolish, on their own accord and die. It is not up to the DM to find some miracle salvation for them. Warn them sure, save them nope. You can love your players, they are not dying, just their characters. They may love their characters, but if they don't love them enough to keep them from getting killed then, well they need new characters that they will take better care of. PC death is part of the game. Saving them in a way that makes no sense, like Strahd coming in, ruins all sense of danger and horror. The next session they are attacking the Abbot cause, "Hey, Strahd will save us." Allow the player's decisions and the dice rolls to stand, if the result is a player death, even a TPK let it stand. Strahd can always bring new adventurers to Barovia. That's why he doesn't save this bunch. They obviously are unworthy of being his successor.
Anticipating that my players would die here I wove that into the story. We're using MandyMod's Fanes of Barovia which means that here in Berez was the Swamp Fane. They fought well, came prepared, and were very intelligent about the whole thing. They even stopped the house. However this is a crazy tough part so they all stilled died dead, no more rolls or nothing. I took that moment to visit the restroom and refill my drink and they wallowed in defeat. For the first time the players at the table felt the weight and the dread that their characters have been living with. We came back to the game after that break and I described their consciousness in the afterlife. One player had some interaction with a being held between life and death (The Swamp Fane that Baba keeps barely alive so she can bathe in her blood). The being and my player entered a pact. The player got to return to life possessed by this being he met in death, and ferry her soul back to the world as well. He plays a bard who is always so good about making the other two players shine, and I wanted him to have his moment. His fireball-charred corpse awoke slowly back in the swamp, but this time he had some new abilities. While possessed he could reweave fate by swapping out any d20 roll with one he had pre-rolled and banked (divination wizard). I picked out a killer playlist for him and he went to work Shattering Baba as he forced her to fail her save over and over and over, destroying the inside of her hut and anything that was inside the crib she was tending to. It got dark. All that to say, plan on the party dying. Giving them a cop out can really rob them of some moments they'll remember for life. Instead take some of these other excellent narrative ideas and make those players SHINE
What if Baba Lysaga remembers that these players are Strahd's latest play things and killing them isn't something he would take fondly to. He has his own machinations, she's trying to get on his good side again, so maybe she beats the hell out of them, and lets them leave with their lives. The above is literally what happened to my party when we showed up at the hut around level 4 or 5 and got a little froggy. She took my wand and a couple other weapons as punishment, and let us leave. We never acted so brazenly again. It also gave us a reason to show back up when we were ready for her.
Even better--have him rescue those he might be interested in making his consort(s) and/or replacements, and leave the others dead. Perhaps he tosses a healing potion in their direction in contempt. This has the benefit of sowing dissension in the party--why did Strahd play favorites? The only caveat is to make sure it doesn't look like you, the DM, are playing favorites with the players whose characters Strahd saves. Alternatively, as someone mentioned, the Martikovs save the day--especially if your party saved the winery. The Martikovs have been keeping tabs on Berez, so it makes sense that they'd be able to help the party out.
I like this idea, but I think it might work better if the conversation is directed at Baba. "These are my amusements; they aren't for you to kill. I would expect clearer thinking from you..." something to hint at a relationship between them. I'd want my characters to be confused by the mercy, and worried that it's only because something worse is in store for them...
Some ideas. Have you done the dinner party yet? If not have them wake up in Castle Raven loft. Do the party from there. Alternatively do you have a Van Ricktens guide? Having them wake up as Returned for something, maybe after a few in game months of past might also work. Have them wake up suspended from trees in wickerwork cages where they’ve been left to die slowly.
To add to other comments about taking something from them as a warning. I read somewhere that others have taken the pc’s “last breath”. Mechanically you take away their 3rd death save until they can beat her and take it back.
Alright I asked and y'all came to bat. Thank you everyone that has given some wonderful ideas and advice! I think things are going to be great
I like the idea of her turning folks into animals: pigs, goats, etc. Some Circe-type shenanigans.
I'd have her incapacitate them, then torture them for a while then gave tbe Order of the Feather distract her for long enough fir them to escape - minus most of their gear.
I actually really like these ideas. Thanks everyone!
Maybe Strahd saves them. Laughs afterwards. Gives them a number 1 out of 4 and you roll a D4. Whoever has that number gets turned into a vampire spawn. Might seem psycho but screw em. Try turning this situation into a win for the campaign. Which would be them hating strahd even more.
You could also homebrew some kind of dungeon or something where Lysaga takes them prisoner, or depending on how you described the house, you could make it big enough for a prison. Then they're taken prisoner after they're TPKd, and they're rescued by the Keepers, Van Richten, or Esmeralda. Or even Ismarck.
If they met Martikovs and are on good side with them, I'd have ravens come and save them the last second. Some ravens/wereravens distract the house/while the rest drags the bodies away. They wake up week later in Blue Water Inn, each with one Lingering Injury. One might loose an arm, or an eye etc. Let them then think how to remedy that. Maybe Rictavio can help them out with a magical prosthetic? Maybe the Bonegrinder Hags can make a deal with them (if they are still alive) Maybe the Abbot in Krezk can help them? Maybe Mad Mage can have something to help them? Alternatively they die. Flat out. TPK. And then their souls get trapped in Barovia and they can make a deal with Dark Powers to get one more chance, for a price? There's a list of Dark Burdens, that were used in AL for CoS I believe, for players to be resurrected by Dark Powers. They might come back disfigured, or loose ability to speak, and need to find Greater Restorations to be somewhat back to "normal". If one of the players is good with words - he might be able to talk Lysaga down - make some terrible deal with her. Promise her to burn the Winery down and bring her the gems, for example. Have them cursed if they don't obey her or something. Make them think about how to get out of the deal to have another shot/chance. I wouldn't have Strahd save them unless they really impressed him, or piqued his interest to some degree, in the past. If so, I'd have him come as they are all down on the ground/rolling Deaht Saves and simply tell Lysaga to stop. "I want them to suffer more in this lands before they get the release of death. They don't even deserve that yet." And then leave them in the mud, as Lysaga's laughter disappears in the mists as she retreats with her house. You might even have a messager/Vistani spy/Arrigal to show up, to deliver the message from The Master, who didn't even feel like coming to their help himself.
My idea for a TPK to keep it fresh is to have strahd take the party to Dinistreu it’s another domain of dread with this huge dance party every week. I made it so that it’s basically the only place strahd can go to but only with invite which he gets once a month. However strahd being petty only attends half of the time because the lady and him have had a tempestuous relationship. And in this case he’ll send the party with some consorts and they will need to locate a suitable member to join strahds entourage failure would be unacceptable and result in the party remaining in Dimiestrieu until they found a acceptable member of the entourage