From: The Jester Subject: Gothic Novel and Ravenloft for First Timers I would have to say that reccomended reading would be E .A. Poe and H. P. Lovecraft. Also Bram Stoker's original Dracula is quite good reading. I am trying to organise a campaign in Ravenloft, but, I am not sure that it would be the ideal place to take a group of fledgling players. I try to introduce as many people as possible to role playing in general. I have found that most are quite surprised at the fun that they have, and how attached they become to their characters. So what I am getting around to is:- Is it a playable sceanario for new players or would it be better to take them through a more 'flat' arena first. I know that the experienced players would lap it up, but, how would the newbies cope? I don't want to scare them so much that they get paralysed. And I don't want them blase' about the whole deal either. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From blackman@acsu.buffalo.edu Wed Apr 1 12:58:15 1992 Subject: RL-L: replies to stuff 2 thoughts/questions: 1) Has anyone any ideas for a "Sanity point" system like in CALL OF CTHULU, for characters in Ravenloft? 2) All recent modules have snatches of a prophetic poem recounting omens of a dark time coming in the demiplane, which are gradually being played out in the adventures. Does anyone know what they are all leading up to? cheers Wayne REPLY: I came up with a system of Sanity points that was based off of wisdom. Generally it is 4 times the wisdom plus the intelligence or 4 times the wisdom, i dont remember we havent made up new characters since the campaign started a year ago. and then when they failed a fear check, (oh Cthulhu had a priest in rl that they kept dealing with) they lost sanity...generally around a d6, d8 or d10...if it was a really bad saving throw failure it might go up to a d20..... About the prophetic poem, it is a gimmick that TSR is using to get us to buy all the modules to find out about the outcome. Its bound to be stupid, TSR has a history of making good stuff and the longer it exists the worse it gets. NEXT: Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1992 18:09 CDT From: Brian Jones Elementalist Mage(TOM)? Wouldn't they treat the elemental as a normal mage treats ordinary elementals? My reason for asking is that I DM a group in Ravenloft with 3 other DM's as Players, and they are constantly on the lookout for anything that I screw up, so I want to throw something unusual at them to show them that things are not as they appear in Ravenloft. REPLY: Want to mess up other DM's? Kill them all! It works. DM as players sometimes forget they are players. If they make helpful suggestions then it is alright but it they start being stupid shoot 'em. Ways to mess up DM's throw Azalin or Strahd at them at low low levels but make sure it is just a robot and not the real thing, but close to it. Change the monsters stats, run the spells and acquistion thereof by the BOOK! and if you have an elementalist in the party, let her/him have some fun......but not too much. And remember elementals are controlled but they aint normally stupid. NEXT: Date: Mon, 30 Mar 92 22:19:58 -0800 From: c9e-al@danube.berkeley.edu (Chua Hak Lien) [ I'm just trying this out. If it screws up, tell me.... ] According to Anthony Masters, author of _The_Natural_History_Of_The_Vampire_, this is how one should identify a Vampire. 1. Are there a number of holes about the breadth of a man's finger in the soil above the grave? > only if the vampire is young, stuipid or suicidal or any combination thereof. Remember vamps are generally geniouses. which means they arent gonna be real obvious 2. Does the revealed corpse have any of the following: a. Wide open eyes? b. A ruddy complexion? c. No signs of corruption? > probably looks like it is sleeping, during the daytime at night it might be awake. Do your vamps get tired toward morning? 3. Have the nails and hairs grown as in life? > depends on whose vamps you use. Anne rice says no. i dont remember any true gothic writer who say otehrwise 4. Are there two small livid marks on the neck? > should there be? only if the person is not yet a vampire. 5. Is the shroud partially devoured? > i dont understand this one 6. Is there blood in the veins of the corpse? > vampires always have blood in their veins, the question is who did it belong to. 7. Is the coffin full of blood? > only if the vamp is into sensory deprevation 8. Does the body look well fed? > probably not, s/he is dead after all see 4 above 9. Are the limbs fully flexible? > depends on the state of the corpse. freshly dead yes. after rigor has set in no, after rigor wears off, yes it does, yes and after the flesh rots (remember these people dont mummify there dead) completely flexible until the bones decay. Final note: The wood used for the stake is made of aspen, the same kind of wood that was traditonally used for the Holy Cross. > any type of wood should be alright to use Chua ==== ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Thu Apr 2 13:06:30 1992 Subject: RL-L: Haven Lost in Ravenloft My previous Ravenloft DM came up with an idea that I rather like and may use, as another idea of a place to hide for a tad. It is a place within Castle Ravenloft itself, called "Sanctuary". Sanctuary exists in a multi-dimentional pocket deep within the base of Strahd's castle, in the great room with 40 crypts. The gateway to Sanctuary is one of the crypts. Determining which crypt is difficult, as the gateway to Sanctuary moves on hourly intervals. There is no known way to divine the location--it must be found by trial and error--no doubt leading to numerous battles with undead before the right path is found. Sanctuary itself is well lighted room with a central table and a place setting, chair, and bed for every member of the party. Also present are a lutrine area (that magically cleans itself after use), food (that appears as requested (continual "create food and drink"), and a small fountain of water and wine. A party upon entering may stay indefinitely and do not age. Upon exiting, the party will find itself only a microsecond past the moment of entering Sanctuary. Sanctuary is an ideal place for a party to heal even the most severe wounds. Mages can recover spells, and Priests may be allowed to pray for spells as well if the DM allows it. (Mine did, but some DMs might not want their dieties existing beyond linear time.) Sounds too perfect. OK, here are the catches. First, Sanctuary is charged. After three uses it is gone forever, and no mage in Ravenloft can restore it. Second, the party should not know that it is charged; they look and look but only find a bunch of angry liches. Next, it lies deep within Castle Ravenloft--a great place to live in but I wouldn't want to visit. Furthermore, Sanctuary's existance angers the Dark Powers. The mysterious forces of Ravenloft will no doubt want to encourage the party to use it gluttonously so it can be destroyed. In other words, the DM will tempt the PCs as much as possible to use up Sanctuary wastefully so it can be eliminated. So, where did Sanctuary come from? Who knows? (My DM never told me.) Perhaps it is the product of a great wizard who was trapped in Ravenloft and needed a place to go. Maybe it was made not by a mage but a priest. In any event, close inspection of the walls will reveal the charred remains of an ultra-powerful spell that was once used in an attempt to destroy Strahd. appearantly the originator of Sanctuary is dead. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From brian_vickers@isd.Jpl.Nasa.Gov Thu Apr 2 18:10:59 1992 Subject: RL-L-TSR Hykosian modules RL-L:TSR Hykosian modules OK. First this is to test the address and show that I've been getting the Welcome message(s). !!! WARNING: If you are a player, spoilers may follow !!!! Second, let's talk about the modules TSR has put out for the Ravenloft campaign setting. Currently there are six: "Feast of Goblyns" "Ship of Horror" "Touch of Death" "Night of the Walking Dead" and the 2 original Ravenloft modules featuring the Barovian Count. (These don't have anything to do with the Hykosian prophecy, though.) What is the Hykosian prophecy, you might ask? Well it is the thread that connects each of the newer modules together. In each of the modules, the prophecy has a mentioning of doom for the player's main antagonist(s). There are six stanzas in the prophecy, one for each module. Unfortunately, we've only seen four to date. The public (DMs and players included) doesn't know anything about the 5th & 6th stanzas and are therefore ignorant of the overall scheme. Supposedly, if all six of the prophecies occur, then it spells DOOM for Ravenloft. What this means, I don't know. I'm along for the ride just like the rest of you. I'll do some investigating, and see what I can turn up. Personally, I'm curous to know where the last two adventures will take place, and what this Doom really is. I'll keep you posted. BTW, if you're starting a Ravenloft campaign, Night of the Walking Dead is for 1st-3rd levels, Touch of Death is for 3-5, and Feast of Goblyns & Ship of Horrors are 5-7. NOTE: SEE A CORRECTION TO THESE LEVELS IN THE NEXT MESSAGE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From alvalent@husc Thu Apr 2 22:37:37 1992 Subject: Re: RL-L-TSR Hykosian modules We know the 5th will take place in Sri Raji [sic]. Check out Night of the Walking Dead for more Details. Also, I thought Ship of Horrors was for level 8-10. I don't have my module in front of me, but I think that was the suggested level range. lee ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From carbon%superbock.UUCP%bnrmtl.UUCP@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU Subject: RL-L: Why good characters in Ravenloft? I beleive there are two main reasons for good characters to be allowed in Ravenloft: 1) To offset the evil domain lords. The domain lords must have people to oppress in order for their evil functions to have any meaning. Also, as good characters have a chance to thwart the plans of these domain lords they can also aid the dark powers in making there existence in the demiplane even more miserable. 2) To produce a new crop of domain lords. Although the characters may be good when they first enter the plane there is no guarantee that they will remain that way. With the inevitable paranoia that will be set in the characters minds once they get "used" (I use this term loosely as I don't beleive any body could get used to Ravenloft) to the demiplane it is highly probable that some other form of insanity may set in. Or they may unknowingly be tricked into performing evil acts which they may come to enjoy etc. The possibilities are endless. What do you think? Is this sound reasoning? Peter Carbon bnrmtl!carbon@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From carbon%superbock.UUCP%bnrmtl.UUCP@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU Subject: RL-L: Psionicists in Ravenloft I think there should be some type of domain lord who controls the psychic energy in Ravneloft. This way if a PC over uses his psionic powers there is a chance that this lord could dominate him or feed on his power. This is just an idea of course and I just thought of it after reading Lee's post on this but with more work could be feasible. What do the rest of you think of this? The lord could be some former psionicist who tried to obtain all kinds of material things through the use of his powers in an evil way. The dark powers made him even more powerful psionically but removed his need for a flesh and blood body. Thus he is cursed not being able to obtain what he wanted in the first place: material wealth but all powerful. His domain would not be physical but more spiritual in that it can extend into all the other domains (a bit like the headless horseman from the Dark Lords supplement). Again, this is just me throwing around ideas. Peter Carbon bnrmtl!carbon@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From carbon%superbock.UUCP%bnrmtl.UUCP@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU Subject: RL-L: Gothic Novel A book I enjoyed alot although it may not fit into the gothic genre is the Barbra Hambly book entitled "Those who hunt the night". Its a great story about vampires in 19th century England (if I remeber correctly). Definitely worth a read, as are all of Barbra Hambly's books. Peter Carbon bnrmtl!carbon@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From WMS2@vaxa.york.ac.uk Wed Apr 1 21:16:47 1992 Subject: Spelljamming out of Ravenloft? MHO on two questions that have been asked... SPELLJAMMER - what happens when you use a spelljammer in Ravenloft? Well, I wouldn't be in favour of a wildspace in Ravenloft. I reckon that, like trying to wonder out of the borders of the land, anyone who went too far would be surrounded by the Mists and transported to another location. The material from which Ravenloft comes is almost entirely groundbased, and while there are some space-based horror stories (eg. Alien) they lack the sort of supernatural basis that is necessary in the Demiplane. Why is it so hard to leave Ravenloft? In reality, it is only as hard as the DM wants to make it. If the party really want out cos they are getting bored, then the DM should let them discover an exit - the boxed set gives ideas on this. The reason it is stressed that it is hard to leave is for the horror value. The idea of being trapped, confined, manipulated and of not being able to get out is central to many horror stories - eg the classical setting of being stranded in a spooky mansion house miles from anywhere in the middle of a thunderstorm. Characters and players who feel claustraphobic will be scared, which is exactly the idea. If Ravenloft were just like any other place, then the players would be able to escape with some fairly medium level spells - eg Plane shift, etherealty, teleport without error etc. Plus, in many campaigns where the characters are powerful, they arre major players in the world, and thus the sense of mystery is lost. If they are forced to spend all their time looking for ways out, they don'y have time to build empires, and thus they will never be quite sure what is round the next corner...... cheers Wayne ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From kq07+@andrew.cmu.edu Thu Apr 2 10:15:18 1992 Subject: A Haven in Ravenloft Anyway, this is my idea, I haven't used it yet, but I figure that once the characters have been getting bashed for a while, it might be a good idea to allow them to see a light at the end of the tunnel, which ISN't the eyes of a carpathian beast. This will also allow the players an important goal other than LETS GET OUT"A HERE!!! I was thinking this... set up a sort of haven in Ravenloft. My idea is to have one of the ancient Greek heros stumble into Ravenloft (Having Nothing to do with the characters) Possibly even on his origional quest (i.e. Perseus to kill Medusae, I prefer something alittle more obscure like Bellerophon to kill the Chimerae) So this big powerful Greek hero is stumbling around the island realm of the Chimera (I chose Greek, because I have no Greek elements in most of my campaigns, so the players may look at it as being more exotic, the proverbial "Island Paradise") He goes on to defeat the Chimera, but now he can't get out of the demi-plane, but he is also powerful enough that the demi-plane can't "close" the island/realm before he leaves it. So he sets himself up as a sort of surrogate Lord, constantly battling with the Dark Powers to regain control of this little pocket. Now maybe this happened twenty years ago, or something, and it is this legend the players hear of. Possibly from the vistani. The only way to get there would be through the mists, thus the aid of the vistani would have to be enlisted, but the Dark Powers aren't about to be pushed around, and getting to this plane will not be easy. Perhaps the character needs to destroy a creature in league with the dark powers of 1.5x his own hit dice (or some fixed number) in order to open a window through the mists that the vistani could use to guide the character through. Not to mention the Vistani's payment. So after some sort of quest, the players arrive at this island. Perhaps a small scattering of other heros have also found their way, maybe some are the few legendary forces of good the people in the taverns have spoken about. They arrive at this Greek island, with the collumns and the olives only to discover that the price for staying is leaving. Bellerophon will meet the newcomers and assess their abilities. (For these purposes I have raised my Greek hero to the status of a Demi-God, not powerful enough to leave, but just powerful enough to hold the Dark Powers in check) Being as radically Lawful Good as he can be, he has dedicated himself to a major quest (Those Greeks and their quests) The destruction of the Demiplame itself! (Now you may or may not take this seriously as a DM, but Bellerophon definitely would) Anyone arriving, and being found "worthy" - understanding that allies are hard to come by here, Bellerophon's standards may have dropped slightly ; he would never allow an evil aligned character to stay, and if such a character actually had succeded in A Ravenloft Powers Check he would probably attack, the defense being immediate withdrawal into the mists, Bellerophon is trapped here as well - Anyone found "worthy" will be required, after a brief rest, to head back out into the mists and fight whatever evil that can be found. The primary goal is to discover inforation about the formation of the Demiplane and about the Dark Powers themselves - Back the Strahd... Bellerophon has had several "conversations" with the Dark Powers (in whatever form they choose to taunt him) but has made little headway into discovering any information that might be able to deal a real blow to the Powers themselves. Myabe he never will... I figure this could be a good basis for setting a up a long campaign in the demi-plane (is demi-plane hyphenated?) rather that the characters wanting to simply find a way out of a HUGE trap, they could try to find a way to disable it. All comments welcome - don't worry, be as harsh as you wish, my feelings don't get hurt through criticism - but please post your results to the mailing list, others might be interrested... RAX ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From blackman@acsu.buffalo.edu Thu Apr 2 15:21:18 1992 Subject: RL-L: stuff about leaving the demiplane Oh and this is a reply so you know i am getting the posts from this most prolific list. About exits out of ravenloft: there are some in fact in the boxed set (i wont quote cuz i havent got it with me) it says that the way out should be something diffucult to obtain or that happens only at a certain time. like the enterance into smaug's mountain in the hobbit. something like : there is an old abandoned house in the middle of a swamp where it is said that when the twin moons arise and straddle the great tree north that the waters part revealing a gateway and scrying pool. see its not that they dont want people leaving, its just that because RL is a demi-plane and possibly sentient, that the normal means of leaving wont work. they also wont get you into RL. i.e. you cant dimension door there. just my thougts. oh and one way i thought of running this, unfortunately with class conflicts we havent played this semester, is that my RL party would be slipping (oooops) into the Rifts world....another reason they havent yet is i havent figured out the conversions or more how i watn to convert the palladium system to dnd= any ideas on the conversion? chris ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From carbon%mackeson.UUCP%bnrmtl.UUCP@Larry.McRCIM.McGill.EDU Subject: RL-L: Psionicists in Ravenloft... I think there should be some type of domain lord who controls the psychic energy in Ravneloft. This way if a PC over uses his psionic powers there is a chance that this lord could dominate him or feed on his power. This is just an idea of course and I just thought of it after reading Lee's post on this but with more work could be feasible. What do the rest of you think of this? The lord could be some former psionicist who tried to obtain all kinds of material things through the use of his powers in an evil way. The dark powers made him even more powerful psionically but removed his need for a flesh and blood body. Thus he is cursed not being able to obtain what he wanted in the first place: material wealth but all powerful. His domain would not be physical but more spiritual in that it can extend into all the other domains (a bit like the headless horseman from the Dark Lords supplement). Again, this is just me throwing around ideas. Peter Carbon bnrmtl!carbon@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From hammond@dwalin.umcs.maine.edu Thu Apr 2 18:45:25 1992 Subject: Re: RL-L: Haven Lost in Ravenloft An idea that I have come up with, but not used is to have a ravenloft resistance group. These people would be made up of good and neutral adventurers who got trapped in ravenloft. They banded together to try to thwart as many of the Lords' plans as possible, and to try to find an escape. I figure they would be based in the old monestary on the cliff that is pictured in the boxed set. They players in my current game have met some people from this group, but htey have not figured out who they are or that there is such a group. BTW, this is where the characters could get training and other help that the local populace could not or would not give them. Steve Hammond ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From bcoleman@weber.UCSD.EDU Thu Apr 2 19:59:01 1992 Subject: RL-L: reply to RAX & "good zone" idea RAX, I like the idea of having a "good zone" such as you were mentioned. I myself, have been thinking of something along the same lines, though I am not quite as far along as you. My idea is as follows: The is a domain that has as it's lord a character of good alignment. This place is nice to live in and most, if not all of the population is good. This domain is different from most domains in that when sealed, beings are not allowed to enter. Besides this the "good zone" follows all normal rules of a Ravenloft domain. My explanation of this "good zone" is that the lord of the domain was trapped in Ravenloft. Up realizing that this was a land of evil the NPC set out on a quest to destroy the evil. He was so driven that he nearly succeded and this was noticed by the Powers. They decided that the best way to torment this hero was to give him his own domain so that he could not leave and continue his quest. In addition the Powers saw that by allowing him to seal his border and keep others out, it would be a torment to evil that would be unable to destroy him. Thus the Powers created his domain to trap and torture him and all evil lords at once. What this means for the players of course it that somewhere in Ravenloft there is place of saftey where they can rest and relax a bit. They can regain spells here in saftey and even train if they take the time. Of course, the ruller of this domain would want the players to help him in his war on evil, and may even prevent them from returning if they refuse to help. Also, this would not be an easy land to reach as the lords of all other domains would not want the players to enter the "good zone" so they may have an interesting time getting there, having to travel through the mists and probable dep[end upon the Vistani (sp?). Well, those are my thoughts on a "good zone" in Ravenloft. Opinions anyone? Bob Coleman