From alvalent@husc Sun Jul 19 11:12:21 1992 Subject: RL-L: Specializing in Evil Magics One of my players as sort of a test case talked me into letting him be a specialist with Dark Magicks. The deal is is he's a nice guy, but his dad was a demon, and he has learned his magicks from a little voice that chats with him inside his head. He thus tries to do good works, but only has the tools of evil at his disposal. A sleep spell for him is something like Dust of Sneezing and Choking and may slay opponents by accident. Charm Person is a binding of the soul. Metamorphose Liquids can only turn liquids into nasty things like blood and poison. He gets Darkness, but never Light, etc. Anything with an evil looking special effect or bad side effect he can specialize in, his opposition "schools" are thus anything that looks comforting, nice, helpful, etc. We play up the components a lot--for instance, Meta. Liquids requires the normal components, plus a drop of the caster's blood. Try it; you'll like it. It adds to the atmosphere quite a bit, and makes for some serious role-play on the player's part. It's like being a good necromancer in Ravenloft--bad things still happen to you. Lee ------------------------------- From andy@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu Sun Jul 19 23:13:20 1992 Subject: RL-L: Level advancement Another post from down here in Austin, the land of heat so wet you might as well swim to work... How do y'all handle level advancement in the Demiplane of Dread? (Answers involving undead will be chuckled at and discarded.) I'd already decided to chuck the training rules, but I don't really feel right just GIVING mages new spells, and they aren't going to find spell books of any power until later in the game (if they live). I can grant that a fighter or thief might have picked up some useful skills as he went, but an illusionist? Perhaps they find a friendly NPC in between adventures, I guess, or maybe they get a chance to do research in a big city. (Or I could let them leave every time they need to train...but that would be a PITA.) Another topic: I'd earlier asked about running adventures for other products (CoC, Vampire: The Masquerade) as RL games. Now I'm going to get more specific. Which TSR modules, first or second ed, would you like to see moved to Ravenloft? Here are a few ideas of mine: o S4, The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. Nasty enough without any augmentation, but once you boost the beastie in the middle... (also has the RLesque "just when you thought it was over" ending). o I haven't looked at T1-4 in a while, but I'd imagine that the Temple itself could be located on Ravenloft instead, with all the concomitant icky effects on spells and the like... o Actually, thinking about it, S2, White Plume Mt., would work well too, with Blackrazor getting more nasty. Yipe!! o S1...nah. o There've been some good, short, LOW-level adventures in Dungeon lately which might translate over well, too, but I only own three issues. Anyone who could check some others out, I'd be grateful... (YES, I have "Bane of the Shadowborn". Sheesh, what kind of wussy Dark Power do you think I *am*?) Ideas? Comments? Custard pies? --Andrew ------------------------------- From andy@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu Mon Jul 20 01:27:17 1992 Subject: RL-L: Mini-adventure plot As a supplement to my last post, let me describe how I got a friend of mine to go through a solo adventure in Bluetspur last year. He was traipsing along in Waterdeep when a weapon-dealer friend pulled him aside and wanted to show him this nifty new sword he'd just bought. (Note: blatant plot manipulation follows.) After my friend's adamant refusal to draw the blade, the dealer decided to pull it to look for himself. The gem set in the pommel swirled with mists, and the two of them found themselves in Ravenloft. They wandered Bluetspur for a while with no encounters, every now and then checking the sword (as the gem gave off a low-level pulse of red light every so often) and eventually discovered an inscription which I don't remember offhand. (If I ever rerun it, I'll recreate the inscription and let the Vistani reveal it...but I may wait and see what happens to Bluetspur first.) The gist of the inscription was that destroying the sword would lead to a way home. Well, they were discussing various ways of doing this when they were beset by mind flayers. The NPC was quickly hosed, and two of the illithids turned to my buddy and started doing that mind blast thing. He was a little worried. Luckily, just as they delivered the final tentacle wave, the gem pulsed a bright blue, and the two 'flayers fell dead. The other two were quickly dispatched, and my friend--who was suddenly more motivated--set about to trying to dismantle his new piece of hardware. After several dead-on rock tosses, he finally made an errant one which shattered the gem. The sword disappeared, and this big bright rectangle of light appeared where it had been. So did a spectre. It being LE, after all, it told my friend that as long as he didn't interfere with the spectre's getting to the portal, he wouldn't kill him. (It seemed fair to ME...) My friend, who was rather fond of his umpteenth level fighter, dumbly shook his head as the spectre floated through the portal. Nothing happened for a few moments, then the spectre keened (no, it wasn't a banshee, though I thought about it). I gave Ol' Buddy an INT check, which he made, and I told him the keen was just on the other side of the portal-- which was one-use-only and NOT closing. Then I asked for his action and looked at my watch. Inside of five seconds he told me he was going for the portal. Good PC. :) I don't know if I still have the stats on the sword, but I *do* have the stats on Jakub (the u has an umlaut), the spectre, now lord of his own domain, a gem-rich place. He's NOT a fun person, and Gemissa, the domain, is definitely a high-level place only. I'll post them later if there's any interest. (I'll even recreate the sword and the scrap of verse, if you're REALLY motivated.) It made for a nice one-shot, anyway, and if I'd run it better, I think he would have been terrified. (It's difficult to evoke the right mood when it's 3 in the afternoon and your player is hungry.) As it is, the spectators were amused. --Andrew ------------------------------- From alvalent@husc Mon Jul 20 12:09:56 1992 Subject: RL-L: Level advancement and Old Modules For level advancement, yes, I know that problem, too. I have priests, psionicists, and mages. Fortunately I can bend the rules and assume that the mystic (that's what we call psis in Ravenloft) can tap into new powers within the Devotions he already controls. One could push it a bit and assume priests are given divine inspiration. Mages are tougher, though not in my game, for we have a witch (a Transmuter specialist mage with the witch kit), so she's completely taken care of--the demon that possesses her form infrequently teaches her spells for the privilege of sharing her body, and in addition, as a specialist, she automatically gets one new spell for every new spell level she could cast. Still mystics getting new Devotions and Sciences within those Devotions is tough, but he'll probably run into another mystic in a few levels if he's REALLY lucky or else I'll run one of the adventures below, and that'll take care of it (see notes following). My suggestion for you for mages and perhaps priests as well are books, spell books for mages and "how-to" prayer books for priests, with some divine inspiration thrown in. Let them analyze new spell levels from instructions, etc. in the books. Prayer books are not unheard of-- the Forgotten Realms tends to use them here and there to allow for the teaching of obscure spells. The other mage option is research. Give them access to books that are about magic, but have only a spell or two inside as examples, and let them research new spells. Let them find one good library and haul away a few research oriented books: Using the Elements in Magic, Practical Dweomercraeft, Tactical Eldritch Strategies, A Guide to Investigation into Psychic Phenonmenon (teach people how to Magic Jar, ESP, Dismiss, Charm, and be Clairvoyant). These are good, 'cause a combination allows enough info to study for a LONG time and come up with something, especially given 1 or 2 spells of the appropriate level as a guide to work with. As for old modules, well, I'm glad you asked. Some take some revamping, but would work quite well. Rahasia is a D&D module by the Hickmans that has a dark cult and a panther motif that would go well with Valachan and its lord Von Kharkov, but you have to change the elves to peasants. The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh, an alchemist's haunted estate which turns out to be a smuggling ring Terrible Trouble at Tragidore, drow thieving and slaver ring who dress bandits up as vampires and accompany them with low level necromancers with zombies (or an evil priest, I can't remember). Bane of the Shadow Born as you mentioned. also in issue # 31 is A Local Legend, a mysterious ritualistic berbaleng killin oops killing spree Beyond the Glittering Veil is a psi adventure set in a realm of shadow which would work well with Twilight's Last Gleaming (also a shadow land adventure in issue #35 of Dungeon) also in issue #35 is the Green Lady's Sorrow, a Haunted Mansion perfect for Ravenloft (so says the author) oops my bad, that's not the Green Lady's Sorrow, that's the Ghost of Mistmoor (grin) In issue #29, the Nymph's reward involves a group of 3 hags perfect for Tepest Also in this issue is a demon-filled library in Ex Libris Through the Night, where a slithering tracker is mistaken as a vampire 'Til Death Do Us Part, the banshee-ghost, honeymoon couple from hell! Mightier than the Sword, a murder mystery In issue #25 The Standing Stones of Sundown involves a demon and could easily be worked up, but The Rose for Talakara is more suited for Ravenloft than anything on this list, even Bane..., it involves a skeleton warrior trying to con the party into killing the person who holds dominion over it. Issue #26 has Nine-Tenths of the Law, a werewolf opens a Magic Jar and the mage inside ends up with a form he never expected. >From #13 we've got The Moor Tomb map, an interesting adventure involving smuggler's and a ghast who thinks mightly highly of himself For other non-Dungeon sources, look no further than the Lords of Darkness supplement for the Realms, which talks about the ecology of undead and includes adventures for each type except the wraith. This was the predecessor to the Van Richten line of supplements. It is key! Right, Jason? Many of the Lankhmar supplements are awesome: Swords of Deceit has an adventure with a mummy, an adventure in the sewers vs. a Rat God (read a perfect Richemulot adventure), and an adventure involving necromancer's things that walk the night, and starring a vampire. Other sources are equally Ravenloftian with some work. PS., the swords of deceit module has massive sewer maps so you don't have to draw the darn things for Richemulot. The Assassin's Knot would work well in Nova Vaasa and possibly other high crime areas. How's that for starters? I have most of my adventures on a data base with a check box for Ravenloft compatible with levels, # players, etc. Helps me decide what to play on the weekend. This is, of course, not the whole of my collection, but a suitable portion of it. Lee ------------------------------- From alvalent@husc Mon Jul 20 12:09:42 1992 Subject: RL-L: One more adventure series + More on the Crawling Claw First off, interesting ideas for Bluetspur. Second, more on modules. Though the Vault of the Drow series is a huge dungeon crawl, you may well steal some maps and ideas from there as well as the Drow of the Underdark Handbook as well as the VERY pricey Menzoberranzan (the HUGE drow city) boxed set due later this year for some adventures in Arak. In addition to that, if running Arak, see Dungeon #26 for a giant spider/ettercap scenario (very much a side track) called Deadfalls on Nightwood Trail. As you will find out in a few days (hold on tight, Mr. Craig), I used a bit from a Lankhmar compendium of one-shots. The scenario was called the Blight of Lips, and it's a great set-up for Dorvinia, especially if you have thought of using my ring scenario. For those interested in the Crawling Claw scenario that I adapted from the Dark Tome, I suggest you take a peek at a movie starring Michael Caine called "The Hand." I've not yet seen it, and I imagine it's a bit of a B movie, but it must have some usefulness. If anyone's seen it, tell me. Lee ------------------------------- From CLEMENT@VAXA.CIS.UWOSH.EDU Tue Jul 21 12:32:07 1992 Subject: What to do with a new player? Hello all, I'm sending this post to both the Ravenloft and ADND discussion groups so if you are on both, you get two messages from me today (lucky you :) I haven't DM'd for a couple of years and now my fiance is interested in playing. She's interested in playing a female paladin. Any suggestions on a good introductory module ? Thanks, Storm Crow ------------------------------- From Sylvain_Robert@UQTR.UQuebec.CA Tue Jul 21 15:44:25 1992 Subject: Book of Ages Hi folks! The Book of Ages is now available in English. The file is a BinHexed copy of the MsWord 4 for the Macintosh text. It is 80K long. For those to who I promised a copy, it will be sent directly to them. For all other, simply e-mail me and you will receive the file. Following is the abstract of the table of content: 1. The Primordial Chaos......................1 2. The Awakening.............................1 2.1. The Seven Swords of Wayland...............2 2.2. The Guellup...............................3 2.3. Farniss-Gaa..............................3 2.4. The Boerg.................................3 2.5. Garlfilrick...............................4 2.6. The Forgotten Gods of Innissith...........4 2.7. The Known Gods............................5 2.8. The Races created by the Gods.............6 2.9. The Tablets of Fate.......................6 3. The Cosmos................................6 3.1. Space.....................................6 3.2. The Celestial Stairways...................9 3.3. Magical and Technological Worlds..........9 3.4. The Known Worlds..........................9 4. Sueo....................................11 5. Beyond the Gates of Dream: The dreamer...13 5.1. Dreamer abilities........................15 5.2. Dreamer magical items....................22 5.3. The dreamer in the campaign..............23 Enjoy! The Wanderer, sylvain_robert@uqtr.uquebec.ca ------------------------------- From Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Tue Jul 21 21:04:50 1992 Subject: RL-L: DM advice, anyone? >From STORM CROW: > I haven't DM'd for a couple of years and now my fiance >is interested in playing. She's interested in playing a female >paladin. Any suggestions on a good introductory module ? Females do make good Ravenloft gamers, because they feel the part more. I intend no sexism towards males. (In fact I am one myself.) It's just that women are more passionate, emotional, and a bit easier to scare. (I intend no sexism towards females either. I am not one myself, but my sister is.) I would recommend the classic I6 Ravenloft for starting ANY campaign. I always like the idea of starting with number one. A paladin going solo against Strahd would, of course, need to be of a high level. If you want to start at level one, however, my mind is a total blank. Let's see...Night of the Walking Dead? It's a level 1er. How about Bane of the Shadowborne? Book of Crypts? Sorry I can't think of anything too original. What I need right now is advice. I have a game coming up this Thursday (I sent this message on Tuesday) night. I will be playing Ravenloft II (I10). One of my players has already expressed his intent to do nothing more than hack and slash anything that comes along. Another player is playing a chaotic neutral wild mage. I am taking with me the Ravenloftified list of Wild magic, as incomplete as it is. I am also keeping Ravenloft Power checks in mind if the players start "dreaming evil" (to quote Ronnie James Dio). But what I need is a way of handling hack and slashers in what is supposed to be a Gothic mystery story. The other two players will most likely behave themselves. Any advice? Sorry I've been out of it for a while, but I have a friend in town for a week. He lives in Austin (and I don't), so I only see him for a short amount of time (twice a year). He will not be in town long enough to go to the game, by the way. .Sigs are irrelevant --The Borg Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Zigon Marovich Windwalker ------------------------------- From witzki@cs.wmich.edu Fri Jul 24 16:33:25 1992 Subject: RL-L: Mysteries of Valachan In response to Alvin Valentine's message: > Also, someone owes us info. on an adventure in Valachan with Lord Kharkov if > memory serves me. Aye, that would be me. As my numerous apologies have hinted at, my job keeps me quite busy AWAY from the net this summer. I have not forgotten to regale those interested with the curious events which transpired within the baron's humble abode, but you may have to wait until I get settled at IU/Bloomington. By the way, do we have any listers in Bloomington? Our gaming group's summer work schedules have been somewhat mutually exclusive, so I am understandably game-starved at the moment. In the short span of three weeks (yikes!), I will be moving south to the Hoosier state for grad school. I will know no one at first, but a priority will be finding gamers. . . . ------------------------------- From kenward@rocdec.roc.wayne.edu Thu Jul 23 11:23:03 1992 Subject: Re: RL-L: DM advice, anyone? > > >From STORM CROW: > > I haven't DM'd for a couple of years and now my fiance > >is interested in playing. She's interested in playing a female > >paladin. Any suggestions on a good introductory module ? > > Females do make good Ravenloft gamers, because they feel the part more. I > intend no sexism towards males. (In fact I am one myself.) It's just that > women are more passionate, emotional, and a bit easier to scare. (I intend no > sexism towards females either. I am not one myself, but my sister is.) > ^good thing too > is a way of handling hack and slashers in what is supposed to be a Gothic > mystery story. The other two players will most likely behave themselves. Any > advice? > .Sigs are irrelevant --The Borg > Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Zigon Marovich Windwalker > My advice would be to not offer an opportunity to hack-n-slash anybody. I10 is set up very well in that the npc's are well defined. If it's unclear to your pc's at first who they should be fighting (I10 will do that), then a hacker in the party could get the pc's into some serious trouble if he attacks the wrong people. If this character is going to go around killing people (for no apparent reason), make it clear to the other PC's in your group that this kind of behaviour is attracting undue attention to themselves. Peer pressure can be a powerful tool. Also, if this character does go overboard with the hacking, have the associates of the hacker's victims retaliate. Maybe they don't appreciate having their minions beaten up daily. Good Luck Dradon Ralinard (Psionicist from Ylraphon) ------------------------------- From Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Sun Jul 26 18:02:02 1992 Subject: RL-L: The Minions of Blackwell MINION OF BLACKWELL [RAVENLOFT, THE ISLAND "BLACKWELL"] Climate/Terrain: Any Frequency: Very Rare (Uncommon in Blackwell) Organization: Heirarchy Activity Cycle: Any Diet: Omnivore Intelligence: Very to Genius Treasure: none Alignment: Chaotic Evil No. Appearing: 1-20 Armor Class: 2 Movement: 18' Hit Dice: 6 THAC0: 15 No. of Attacks: 3 Damage/Attack: 1-4/1-4/2-8 Special Attacks: see below Special Defenses: see below Magic Resistance: 20% Size: M Morale: 14 XP Value: haven't figured it out yet Appearance: Minions of Blackwell are shapeshifters, capable of assuming the form of any humanoid between 4 and 7 feet in height. In their natural form they appear to be hideous monstrosities. A Minion of BW has double jointed legs, similar to those of preditory animal hind legs. It has its forearms split into two parts; the section with the radius bone has a thumb and two fingers, while the remaining two fingers are on a seperate section with the ulna. The head appears shrunken and featureless, with two stalks carrying eyes and sometimes hair. The creature's mouth lies vertically across its upper chest. Minions of Blackwell can easily be mistaken for dopplegangers, but can be stronger foes because of their ability to learn (ie, they can become npc wizards, priests, thieves, etc!) Combat: Some Minions of Blackwell know spellcraft. Others may employ weapons. They also have availible two claw raking attacks and a biting attack. Their mouths can come out of their chest and stretch about two feet out. (This attack is commonly used when a Minion disguises itself as someone's lover--a hug of death.) Minions can also use their shapeshifting abilities to form simple, sharp weapons that can deliver up to 3-30 hp damage per round. Habitat/Society: The Minions of Blackwell are servants of a being named Natas Blackwell, who is the lord of the domain Blackwell (an Isle of Terror that will be detailed soon). Whether they are an enslaved species or a diabolical creation is uncertain, though it seems most likely to be the latter. They have a heirarchy of power that is only vaguely understood by outsiders. Blackwell seems to be their ultimate ruler. It is not known if any of them seeks to overthrow his rule. Ecology: The Minions of Blackwell are not a natural race to the land that has become Blackwell. Of course, the land itself is not a naturally occuring phenomenon. The minions are more wide spread throughout Blackwell than most people believe, because of their ability to infiltrate the human populus. Minions often try to kill and replace key ruling officials, so that Blackwell can further his control over the people of Blackwell. Variants: Some minions may have more hit dice; usually the higher ranking ones. These will be the ones who have gained levels of experience within certain character classes. Under no circumstances are Minions of Blackwell intended to be a race for Player Characters! That is my monster for the day. Zigon Marovich, .sigs are still on vacation. ------------------------------- From Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU Mon Jul 27 13:01:14 1992 Subject: RL-L: Thanks, and more on Minions Thanks for all of you who gave me tips on getting FTP files. I realized last night that I left out two important things about the Minions of Blackwell, the beasties I posted yesterday. 1. The names "Minion of Blackwell" and "Natas Blackwell" are copyright Jonathan Coolidge, 1991. Use of the character Natas Blackwell, the creatures termed "Minion of Blackwell", and the likeness thereof, for any reason other than for non-profit enjoyment, such as role playing gaming, is forbidden without the permission of Jonathan Coolidge. For any materia I post regarding Natas Blackwell, the Minions of Blackwell, and the Demi-plane Ravenloft, anything that is not property of TSR is property of me. --Jonathan Coolidge. So there. 2. Minions of Blackwell are vulnerable to water. A splash of water does 1D4 damage, and if the Minion is in any form other than its true form, it is transformed back into its true form. If anyone is trying to figure out their XP value, this may chop it down a few HD. AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -One who has just Recognized Winnowill (Elfquest and Ravenloft cross paths) Z_COOLIDGEJS@CCSVAX.SFASU.EDU ------------------------------- From witzki@cs.wmich.edu Mon Jul 27 18:46:53 1992 Subject: RL-L: The House of Lament (qv RR1 Darklords) Greetings, all. A scant week or two ago, a small group of friends approached me and asked if I would PLEASE run a Ravenloft adventure (the fools). I hesitated for a moment or two before giving them the old "Well, I don't know. . . I'll see what I can do." No sooner did they leave the room, of course, than I dove headlong into my source material to find something appropriate. It was decided that this would be a small group (three players plus your truly) and that we would use new (i.e. expendable) characters. The characters would be of middling (5-6) level -- just enough to keep a healthy fear of death in them without causing them to feel absolutely impotent. These preliminaries aside, all that really remained was determining at appropriate killing ground. . . er, domain. . . to place them in. Hours of browsing revealed a very interesting possibility -- The House of Lament. I decided that none of the characters would know each other to heighten the tension, and I had them brought to the sinister house one by one by one. For those of you unfamiliar with this forboding edifice, I direct your attention to RR1 Darklords, pp 48-53. If you do not yet own this supplement, I am afraid that your enjoyment of my notes will be severely limited in scope. Those interested in using these notes to their full effect should seriously consider slinking to their T$R dealer and getting a copy. This first post contains the introductory narrative for one of the players, a male halfling fighter/thief who goes by the name of Blackthorn. His history is largely a matter of speculation (i.e. not even I know), but his present circumstances should be rather straightforward. Enjoy. P.S. Has anyone come up with a good Ravenloft text icon yet? You know, signature fodder. . . . P.P.S. No spellchecker used so be warned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "How could you be so STUPID?" you ask yourself for perhaps the hundredth time, impatiently swatting at the mosquito that has taken a rather annoying interest in the nape of your neck. It has been well over two hours since this chase began, and fatigue is threatening to creep its way into your bones with all the skill of. . . well, a thief. Somewhere high above, a full harvest moon sheds its radiance upon the moors in which you have lost yourself, but your view of it is completely obscured by this accursed fog. The dense mist is so thick you feel as though you could swim through it, and you have long ago lost your meager sense of direction. The only light available to you at all is the pale blue glow the moon has lent the air's moisture--not enough to see clearly by, of course, but just enough to render your night vision nearly useless. Shapes loom eerily out of the billowing vapors at odd intervals, and every sound seems to get distorted by its sojourn through the mist. The wet, calf-length grass clings to your legs and pulls on your boots as you trek across the muddy ground, and you finally stop to lean against the trunk of a nearby tree for some well-deserved rest. As you struggle to bring your ragged breathing back under some semblance of control, the hooting of a lone owl carries above the nighttime din of singing frogs and chirruping crickets. You had no idea that the locals of a sleepy, backwater town like Willow Creek could be so tenacious, but they have managed to dog you for an impossibly long period of time considering the prevailing weather conditions. Every time it seems as though you've finally lost them, you spot the telltale glow of torches that herald their continued pursuit as surely as the angry voices that echo crazily through the fog. Worse still, of course, is the fact that you can hardly blame them for their persistence--they believe they are hunting the murderer of the mayor's daughter, after all. Shandra Harkenstone. Both winsome and free-spirited, she was a rarity amongst the populace of Willow Creek. In a provincial community whose women were, for the most part, either shopkeepers or housewives, Shandra had the personality and talent to make an excellent. . . procurer. All she really needed to make a lucrative adventuring career for herself was a little guidance from a professional (not unlike yourself) in the field of creative financing. Unfortunately, however, frequenting the better-kept taverns was about the most adventure that her father would allow her on any given evening. When you arrived in Willow Creek but a scant week ago on the trail of the werewolf that killed your fellows, it was Shandra who listened to your tale with keen interest. Despite your most graphic storytelling to date, you got the distinct impression that Shandra alone accepted the possibility of a shapechanging fiend lurking in the shadows of fair Willow Creek. She decided to help you find the werewolf on the spot (though you never really asked her), and she refused to be dissuaded by pointed reminders of the beast's considerable power and ferocity. She was proficient enough with a dagger to defend herself, she argued, and she rationalized that you would be more than able to keep her from getting killed. That's what you'd thought, too. When she'd come to your room at The Journey's End in the middle of the night and voiced naught but a breathless "Come quick--I've found something", you shoudln't have left your room ("How could you be so STUPID?"). When she led you to the alley behind The Silvered Stein to show you the gutted remains of three of the tavern's former patrons, you shouldn't have followed ("How could you be so STUPID?"). And when she motioned you to one side to "Look at this", you shouldn't have looked ("How could you be so STUPID?"). But what did you do? You left, you followed, and you looked, of course. And your reward for these three crowning intellectual achievements was the gruesome sight of Shandra Harkenstone's slender frame, sliced to ribbons. Shocked, you drew your blade and turned to get some answers from Shandra-guide about Shandra-corpse, but a sharp pain blossomed into existence behind your right ear and the world lost most of its clarity. As you shook your head and fought to retain consciousness, you heard Shandra's screams echoing through the alley, telling YOU to let go of her and sheath your dagger. Rough, hairy hands slid over your face and torso while the screams for help continued and your awareness began to slip. At length, her screams changed into harsh, strangled, gurgling noises, and a hard, foreign object was shoved rudely into your hand as you slipped finally into oblivion. You have no idea how long you lay unconscious in that alley, but by the time you struggled weakly to your feet you were clearly the only living being present. The horrific sights nearby impressed themselves on you anew, and your mind had considerable difficulty comprehending your startling change in appearance. Blood stains darkened most of the front of your clothing, and you needed no mirror to know that the sticky, moist feeling on your face and neck indicated more of the same. As your eyes rapidly scanned the scene, you noticed one last, damning piece of evidence--Shandra's blody dagger in your hand. For a moment, you were stunned ("How could you be so STUPID?"), but a moment's hesitation was all it took to leave you looking very guilty when the constable and his men rounded the corner. Each of you stared at the other, wide-eyed. And the chase began. Running for all you were worth, you finally reasoned that you really didn't know the hidden highways of the town well enough to avoid capture within the town proper, so you headed out into the countryside. An autumn fog shrouded much of the land outside the town, and you determined that it could do nothing but help you in this situation. Angry cries from the men chasing you revealed that NOW they believed your story about a man-eating werewolf, but, predictably, they also believed there was a damn good reason why YOU knew so much about the beast. There would be no explaining your way out of this mess, you were sure. Unfortunately, the fog didn't seem to deter the frenzied mob at your heels one whit. They merely brought torches to bear and split off into smaller groups to sweep your trail. You, of course, were not afforded the luxury of a torch, since lighting one would pretty much reveal your location to everyone nearby. You simply kept moving, trying to stay one step ahead of them until they either gave up or grew careless. Distressingly, either their search techniques enjoyed phenomenal success or your evasion techniques were in sad need of modification, because you never quite seemed to get far enough ahead of them to escape. Twice so far you have been nearly caught when two of the groups converged on your resting spot. The sounds of nearby voices brings you abruptly out of your reverie. Casting your eyes quickly about you as you move silently to your feet, you see the glow of torchlight off to your left and you hear sloshing sounds as the townsfolk trudge nearer to your current position. Sighing wearily (but quietly), you make your way off into the mists once more. And you stop dead in your tracks when you hear a throaty snarl behind you. Without thinking, you turn and draw your sword in one smooth, corrdinated movement. You are momentarily relieved to see that there is nothing directly behind you, but you have the presence of mind to stay wary in spite of this fact. Cautiously, you continue forward more slowly this time, remaining alert for the slightest sound that might indicate the presence of a threat. You pivot periodically in an effort to keep an eye on all flanks, but you see nothing but pale blue vapors swirling over the uneven ground. Without warning, the screams begin. Heart-rending screams that speak of torturous pain echo crazily through the fog, stilling the crickets and ringing like a clarion in your sensitive ears. Other undulating voices wailing unintelligible words join the screams, with guttural snarls and savge ripping noises adding counterpoint to the macabre symphony humming in the air around you. "Get it off me! Get it offfff MEEEEEEEEEE!" Spurred on by the horrific tableau unfolding in the nearby mists, your mind shakes free the reins of rationality and bolts on a hellish ride of unbridled terror. Images tumble before your eyes in rapid succession, causing you to relive in vivid detail the events which led to the deaths of your former companions. Blood. Screams. Snarls. Blood. Fear. Panic. Blood. Rage. Helplessness. Blood. Blood. Oh gods, the blood! When you finally manage to bring yourself back under control, you realize that you are running headlong through the fog, and probably have been for some time. At the instant of this realization, some object on the ground interrupts the rhythm of your running and you pitch forward with a resounding thud. Despite your best efforts, you feel the world slipping away from you again as the darkness closes in around you. The sounds of the dying have grown mercifully silent, and all that you hear as you slip out of consciousness is the baying of a lone wolf. ***** You are awakened some time later by a nagging ache in your neck, caused no doubt by the rock which you have been lying on. You drag your beleaguered body to its feet when you remember that you ARE being hunted, after all, and you should probably wait until you're a little safer before you go napping again. After listening intently for several minutes, you entertain the thought that perhaps your pursuers have opted to call off the hunt and resume their search in the morning when they can see better (that's what YOU would do). All things considered, then, it would be best if you tried to make your way out of this horrid fog and find a decent place to hide out for the coming day. You resume your trek with a heavy heart, but a seething anger also churns within you at the thought of how many innocents have fallen victim to the marauding werewolf. It relies heavily on the fear and confusion it generates by its savagery, you reason, and if one approached it with a clear mind and weren't distracted by its ferocity, one might stand a good chance of defeating it. It is just a beast, after all, and we have successfully hunted beasts for centuries. Thoughts like these keep you occupied for several minutes as you traverse the fog-drenched moors. Gradually, the ground beneath you begins to grow harder and slope upward until finally the mists thin and you find yourself on a hillock. The full moon still shines overhead, though it has fallen lower on the horizon now and is occasionally obscured by thin, passing clouds. Before you, the sole edifice in sight, is a house, or, to be more accurate, a mansion. A high, thick stone wall marks the boundaries of the house, and a moat encircles the wall on the inner side, filled with black brackish water and decaying leaves. A stone footbridge leads across the moat to the narrow yard beyond, where balck, leafless oaks stand guard over a tangled ground. The lawn is overgrown with slender, arching vines, like those from a wild rose or flowering bramble. Dry leaves are caught in the vines, rustling as the wind makes an effort to loose them. The house itself is built from cut stone, with a round tower at the corner. Dark, tall windows on the second level stare out at the grounds below like sentinels, and grey lichens cover the entire surface of the house, creating tiny fissures along the face of the rock. The heavy oaken front double doors of the house seem to be ever so slightly ajar, as if it weren't closed securely behind the last person who used it. A light shines through one of the upstairs windows, but otherwise the house is dark. There is no road nearby that you can see, but there is one last feature that does not escape your attention. Wolf prints lead to the house. ------------------------------- From osickey@ecn.purdue.edu Mon Jul 27 22:28:40 1992 Subject: Greetings and Campaign Notes Greetings Denizens of the mist; Finally and at last I have found the time to contribute to this most wonderful of lists. In this first post I will give a brief background about myself, my dming style, my party, and campaign. If you have no interest in this skip to the next post. I will try my utmost to be brief. First of all I am a red-shirted junior in Chemical Engineering at Purdue (read that as 4th yr junior). I'm into heavy metal, classical music, horror (both gothic and recent), romantic era literature and modern fantasty epics (moorcock, donaldson, feist). BTW, whoever it was that suggested using Coleridges Rime of the Ancient Mariner for an adventure, fantastic idea. I've toyed with that concept for about a year and found it to enjoyable to plan and prepare for. Unfortunately my party has been heading further inland for quite some time. If your interested in basing adventures or campaigns on the Romantic writers work and don't want to use the obvious Dracula and Frankenstein, check out Coleridge's Christabel. It is supposedly the first vampire poem in the english language. I will warn you ahead of time, the poem was never finished, but it does provide an eerie forboding beginning to an adventure. My dming style is quite loose. The only rule that I and my party religiously follow is: The story must go on. In other words, whatever it takes to build the mood and enhance the reality of the game goes. I have players that believe you always have the chance of missing and you also always have a chance of hitting (much like Fingolfin vs Morgoth). On really good days the only reason for dice is for sound effects. Its wonderful when a player will decide that his to hit rolls have been too lucky and will intentionally critically miss a prone unconscious orc. I take advantage of the old random dungeon dressing tables in the DMG1 to help build up continuous tension and anxiety. Combine this with the candlelit arena of play, the eerie music of Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King, and my hyperactively imaginative players and you have a wonderful Ravenloft party. The party entered Ravenloft on a quest for a powerful artifact of good: The Scallop of the Spanning Sea. The Scallop is a massive crystal scallop shell that controls the weather of the Spanning Sea. The Scallop is needed so that the beleagured legions of law might be reinforced in their battle against the massed chaotic evil hordes of Chthon. (read this as gloomy Moorcockian law vs chaos battle). The forces of Chaos captured the Scallop and not being able to use it sent it with a few guardians into Ravenloft. Afterall, who comes back from Ravenloft. The Witch of Endor, the reigning queen of witches (and just one step shy of being immortalized), Mephistopheles, and a mysterious unnamed LN greater god, agree to put aside their differences in order to put the proverbial fly in the ointment of chaos powers' plans. The triad fashions a crystal blade which will cause one of the one portals into ravenloft to act as two portal. It sounds so easy, go in, find a huge crystal scallop, kill it guardians, and leave. The only questions are how does one find the location of an artifact of good in Ravenloft, can one get there before various Dark Lords try to destroy it?, what effect will RL have on a mostly evil party of tomb robbers?, and ultimately, how does one transport a huge crystal artifact? we shall see.... ---AZRAEL--- ------------------------------- From osickey@ecn.purdue.edu Mon Jul 27 22:42:52 1992 Subject: RL-Monty.Hall.CURE On rare occasions we all give out a little more cash than we intend to. I have found a wonderful way a dealing with this little problem, in a Ravenloft sense. The Merchant Wraith: ------------------------------------------------------------ Climate/Terrain: Any Frequency: Very Rare Organization: None Activity Cycle: Any Diet: valuables Intelligence: Normal Treasure: None Alignment: Neutral Evil No. Appearing: 1-4 Armor Class: 4 Movement: 12', (24 flying) Hit Dice: 6 THACO: 15 No. of Attacks: 1 Damage/Attack: 1-4 + random amount of monetary treasure SA: +2 or better weapons to hit SD: +2 or better weapons to hit Magic Resistance: 35% Size: Mansize Morale: Fanatic The merchant wraith, unlike other wraiths, does not drain levels or ability scores. The merchant wraith will instead drain 1d1000 coins of a random monetary type. In all other ways this wraith is identical to normal wraiths. Their is a rumor of merchant wights (drain 5d100 coins) and of Noble Merchant Wraiths which may also drain gems ---AZRAEL--- ------------------------------- From osickey@ecn.purdue.edu Mon Jul 27 22:48:28 1992 Subject: RL-Bloomington/Indiana To whoever was inquiring as to 'lofters in the bloomington area, I'm about two hours north at purdue. A few friends of friends were supposed to be moving to bloomington for grad school this fall. I will look into the situation, since these friends of friends were farely avid gamers. At any rate you can mail me up here at purdue. ---azrael--- ------------------------------- From osickey@ecn.purdue.edu Mon Jul 27 22:59:22 1992 Subject: RL-Literature I know this is about four months late but here is my contribution to the wealth of ravenloft source literature. The whole Necroscope series by Brian Lumley POE's Cask of Amontillado, Usher, Hopfrog, and of course The Raven Anne Rice's The Witching Hour (predominantly the historical part) Nearly any of the Cthulu Mythos stuff, especially one story whose title I am forgetting at the moment in which horrific beings enter this reality through the angles that walls, ceilings, and floors make. Jerusalem's Lot by Stephen King Dracula and Frankenstein (if all humanly possible see the old versions of the movies that follow the novels closely) S.T. Coleridges Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Christabel. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Organic Chemistry bu Loudon (sorry, its just the most fear and dread inducing book that I know of.) ---Azrael--- ------------------------------- END of DIGEST #12