The Player Characters
The two characters the player creates before the game starts. Both are retainers of Lord Dhelt, who chase after his attempted assassin, only to end up in Ravenloft for their trouble.
- The Alcoholic: Almost all of their conversations with Bray Martikova involve trying to score some free brandywine.
- Can't Drop the Hero: Unusually averted. The party size limit is four, and they can be removed if the party is too big. If you do, they are gone for the rest of the game.
- Character Customization: These characters can be male or female, one of six racesnote and one of six classes note Facial pictures can also be chosen, as well as their stats.
- Purple Prose: They speak in a very theatrical way.
Party Members
A few characters from Barovia can offer to join the party if the player speaks to them. These include: Fhalken the merchant; Velika the wanderer; Gloriana the elven traveling mage; Tatian the commoner; Mischa the acolyte priest; Vuko the graverobber; Ryszard the hermit mage; Irmgarde the priestess; Anselm the captured warrior; and Vladislav, the Burgomaster's chief enforcer.
- '80s Hair: Gloriana's coiff is magnificent.
- Action Girl: Tatian is a pure class fighter, so she's the most straightforward about it, but all of the women fight with whatever skills they have at their disposal.
- Agent Peacock: Velika is flamboyantly dressed, and even called a peacock by the party at introduction. Although they correct themselves and call her peahen later since she's a woman.
- A Lighter Shade of Gray: Vuko is an avowed graverobber. But he is willing to fight the undead and help the party on their quest.
- Badass Adorable: Tatian's ruby red curls and sweet face make her look unassuming, but she is able to fight.
- Boyish Short Hair: Irmgarde.
- Crutch Character: Irmgarde starts at level 6, higher than the party at that point.
- Deader than Dead: Mischa was reduced to dry bones by Strahd. The Rod of Rebirth is needed to restore him to life. Also, as she is an elf in 2nd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, Gloriana cannot be raised from the dead with "Raise Dead".
- Good Is Not Soft: Most of the party members are good, but they will put any evildoer in the round without looking back.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Irmgarde and Vladislav are required party members for the Ivlis caverns map, but will leave the party afterwards.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Irmgarde, Velika, and Vladislav are listed as Half Elf with possibility of player characters being one.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Mischa is the only party member who joins out of a desire to kill Strahd. He's also quite blond.
- Lady Drunk: Gloriana is never seen without a mug of tuika.
- King Incognito: Vladislav is Strahd in disguise.
- Master of None: Velika is a multi-classed character, and while her thieving skills are enough to conquer most thief challenges in the game, she's not as good a warrior or mage as a pure class. Likewise, Tatian's low Strength of 12, Dexterity of 13, and poor initial HP rolls (total 16 from 4d10) makes her a poor choice for a warrior over Fhalken, who's high Strength gives him good to-hit and damage bonuses: Even Mischa and Velika will have higher HP than she will.
- Magikarp Power: Mischa starts only at level 4, while the party is probably 3 levels ahead of him at that point since two dungeons need to be completed before he can become available. But since he is the only priest in the game since Irmgarde will disappear before he becomes available, he can use his spells to great effect once he gets caught up.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Mischa's attempt to kill Strahd for being a vampire caused the church to be corrupted and the head priest's soul trapped in the Mirror of Life Stealing.
- Only in It for the Money: Velika tags along with the party for some money, trying to save up and get a house.
- Optional Party Member: The only characters the party needed to meet are Vladislav, Irmgarde, and Mischa (and only Vladislav and Irmgarde need to be recruited). The party must pass by Velika, Gloriana, Irmgarde, and Vuko, but they can be ignored altogether. The party doesn't even need to encounter the rest of them.
- Permanently Missable Content:
- If you remove a party member while they are dead, you can never get them back. Otherwise, they will pick a spot when leaving and you can recruit them again.
- Irmgarde and Vladislav disappear after the Ivlis Caverns are completed, the latter of which is mentioned to have abandoned the party at the portal. Interestingly, if you bring Tatian there, she will also disappear forever, as Vladislav will abduct her. It's an All There in the Manual moment, but Tatian is the reincarnation of Strahd's lover, Tatyana.
- Unlike all other potential party members, Mischa does not have a place where he will stay when not in the party. Thus, if he not recruited at the first encounter or you later dismiss him from the party, he will disappear forever.
- Princess in Rags: Subverted. The party think that Tatian is a noblewoman because of her poise, but she's a commoner.
- Recruitment by Rescue:
- Fhalken was about to be eaten by goblyns when you come across him.
- Anshelm is found locked up in a remote tower of Castle Ravenloft.
- Religious Bruiser: Mischa is a holy warrior of Lathander. Irmgarde is a cleric of an unknown deity.
- Strange-Syntax Speaker: Ryszard speaks weirdly. The other characters call him out on this.
- Unknown Rival: Ryszard dislikes the other two mages: Gloriana for being a show pony and Velika for not putting her magic to practical use. Neither of them think anything of Ryszard at all.
- Wutai: In the Eastern European inspired realm of Barovia, Irmgarde noticeably dresses like a ninja. Justified Trope, as she is a foreigner to the land.
