The Future of Ravenloft - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

The Future of Ravenloft

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Jun 11, 2004 7:06:01 What would you like to see released in the future? For example, although I'm not sure about the legalities, I'd love to see 3.5 re-releases of all the old modules.
I also think the guys that put out the Gazetters could come up with great new Children of the Night-style books!
What do you think?
#2
lord_of_the_seven_towers_dup
Jun 11, 2004 16:37:38 ~briefly~
hey, i have been a board member for a couple of years now, used to post a lot on min/mix but haven't been around for a while. Also use to haunt the Malodorous Goat Tavern (I was Unholy_Order FYI). I've been playing Ravenloft for about 5 years. Just thought i'd introduce myself to you guys as this is my first post on this board
~back to the action~

I really dont want to see any reprints of 2nd ed. material or even worse 3.0 --> 3.5 conversions. I think any of us can convert material 2E to 3E and have been doing so ever since the 3.0 PHB came out.

What i sometimes lay awake at night wishing for (not quite, but nearly) are adventures, but it is my curse as i know it is against WW or S&S or somebody's policy (maybe all the RL has made me some king of Domain Lord, would explain why i never go out anywhere).

Short of this, and assuming I had to see even more source books then i'd like to see some books on the differen cultural levels, well the big 3:

Medieval - about attitude to magic, and technology, some expanded weapons tables, and armour.
Chivalric - technology, up and coming stuff, differences from medieval and Renaissance, new fighting styles.
Renaissance - Clockworks, gunpowder, attitudes to magic, is technology replacing it?, new weapons.

Also i am still waiting to see a good PrC, i was very dissapointed with heroes of light. Maybe:

"The Loneome Road"-Guide to Bards + Rogues
"To the Bitter End"-Fighters and Monks
"In the Face of Despair"-Clerics and Paladins
"A Whisper in the Shadows"-Wizards and yeah you know where this is going.
"The Violent Night"

New PrCs, feats, Skills, alternative skill uses. Diffeen forms of the two classes, not exactly PrCs but concepts that are a little more suited to RL than the normal ideas from generic D&D. The Splat books were really popular and as long as these books dont include horrid re-prints of old material then it could go down well.

Dibs on royalties.
#3
malus_black
Jun 12, 2004 11:24:35 Well, while not exactly a Children of the Night series, as there really aren't that many themes left (CotN: Liches, anyone?), I'd love to see something along the lines of Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium II, meaning a book of NPCs, both good and bad. Here we could get both the ones left out of the Gazetteers (Lady Adeline, The Midnight Slasher, etc.) as well as brand new ones, ready to be dropped into any campaign.

Adventures would be really nice to have, but since there won't be any, I won't hope for any.

I believe there was a thread like this some time ago, and some people suggested a book on running Ravenloft in different eras, such as pre-conjunction or even back when there were only a few domains. This would be great.

Also suggested was a book of maps, both of the different domains as well as cities and important structures, something which would certainly come in handy.

Originally posted by Lord_of_the_Seven_Towers

Also i am still waiting to see a good PrC, i was very dissapointed with heroes of light.

You have looked at van Richten's Arsenal, right?
#4
lord_of_the_seven_towers_dup
Jun 12, 2004 12:29:18 If you maps, how about giant poster maps from the Red Box? you can pick a copy up (though i guess most people already have one) for about £5-10.

I do indeed have VRA and i was decidedly unimpressed, the best thing to do for a RL PrC is to adapt good ones from other settings or from 3.0/3.5 splats. My friend shall be playing a ftr/Ronin, his character ran away from his post as a captain in the Falkovnian army. OK not a feudal position but having read the flavour text for the PrC it does seem to fit very well.

The books in general have been rather poor, the artwork in the 3.0 campaign setting made me want to cry, though it is somewhat improved in the RL PHB. Some nice bits and pieces, like the Tarroka stuff in the DMG.

Out of interest what were the PrCs that did it for you from VRA?
#5
The_Jester
Jun 12, 2004 14:09:27 A new Children of the Night with new individual/unique NPCs and missed out classic characters is a MUST.
So many characters need to be updated to 3.5 from 2nd. And there was no CotN book for Hags, Liches or Ancient dead so they'll make some newbs.

As for the PrC in VRA, I find that most of them are excellent as they both fit the setting and update kits/classes.
The Alchemical Philosopher was good for all the previous feats. The Anchorite, Guardian Seeker and Hallowed witch were essential updates. Ditto the Knight of Shadows. I also felt the Avenger, Dirgist, and Stygian Attendant were interesting and atmospheric although perhaps overly specialized.
Some problems with the Pistoleer as gunpowder weapons have been cursed with improperly done rules and overly weakened. That and the Gut Shot abilities are useless as guns normally don't require any penalty when firing prone.
#6
malus_black
Jun 12, 2004 14:53:07
Originally posted by The_Jester
And there was no CotN book for Hags, Liches or Ancient dead so they'll make some newbs.

Hags and ancient dead would be great, we'll hopefully get some non-egyptian ancient dead soon. It might be a bit strange to fill a book with liches though. Although maybe that's just due to my belief that liches should be very rare, and I might still be pleasantly surprised.

Originally posted by Lord_of_the_Seven_Towers
Out of interest what were the PrCs that did it for you from VRA?

Well, first of all, I'm not all that PrC-interested, and I also tend to look at PrCs as something to use to flesh out a world, so it might not be that surprising that I like the ones that are part of organizations best.

Accordingly, I liked the Knights of Shadows, Anchorite of the Mists, Guardian Seeker (although that one was a bit specialized with all the evil artifact-dependant powers) and Hallowed Witch as ways of fleshing out the world and organizations, giving PCs who wish to join these something to aim for.

The Alchemical Philosopher is, unsurprisingly as I adored the chapter on alchemy, a favorite of mine, although I doubt that I will ever get a player who will take it.

The Avenger is good enough, but creating a PrC around a role-playing motive seems a bit weird. I might not be making any sense, but my point is that players may assume that they must take this PrC to have a nemesis of some kind, meaning that they'll aim for it if they have some sort of "my family was killed by a nasty monster" background. Also, the powers which allow the PC to track the nemesis seem a bit simple to me.

I find it difficult to make up my mind on the Stygian Attendant. I like it flavor-wise, but, as Jester pointed out, it's extremely restricted, aiming only at ghosts and their kind. Still, I like it, and I'd love to have a PC with these goals.

The Pistoleer is quite nifty, and it's got some great abilities. Less useful in low CL domains as there's little gunpowder (and a careless smoker might obliterate whatever gunpowder the Pistoleer brought with her) and few places to get new weapons. For high CL domains, however, this one's great, despite the innate problems with the firearms themselves, as Jester pointed out.

The Dirgist seems a bit strange, as it gets all its abilities on 1st level, making taking any further levels pointless, even from a roleplaying viewpoint. But the general idea is great, and as part of my... er... demagification of Ravenloft (meaning that I'm making it even lower magic) I'll turn it into a new core class with some nifty abilities over the levels and remove the spellcasting. I'll also remove the PHB bard, letting the classic bards be other classes with some ranks in perform.

It appears that I forgot to mention the Crypt Raider. I suppose the forgetting sums up my opinion of it, actually, being that it's nifty and balanced and all, but ultimately rather forgettable and nothing out of the ordinary. It's also quite specialized, which isn't all that good for the character.

My two cents, anyway.
#7
zombiegleemax
Jun 12, 2004 17:55:26 I used PrCs mostly as a means of letting a character multi class without punishing her for it. If you multi class you're basically making your character weak...PrCs make up that disadvantage. New PrCs are great as they give me new ideas...and I like *some* of the ones that aren't geared toward multiclassing but just the character reasons, though I find those can be very limiting.

I just use the rule that guns partially bypass certain types of armour, I think it makes guns worthwhile and explains why armour went out of fashion.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jun 11, 2004 7:06:01	What would you like to see released in the future? For example, although I'm not sure about the legalities, I'd love to see 3.5 re-releases of all the old modules. I also think the guys that put out the Gazetters could come up with great new Children of the Night-style books! What do you think?
#2 lord_of_the_seven_towers_dup Jun 11, 2004 16:37:38	~briefly~ hey, i have been a board member for a couple of years now, used to post a lot on min/mix but haven't been around for a while. Also use to haunt the Malodorous Goat Tavern (I was Unholy_Order FYI). I've been playing Ravenloft for about 5 years. Just thought i'd introduce myself to you guys as this is my first post on this board ~back to the action~ I really dont want to see any reprints of 2nd ed. material or even worse 3.0 --> 3.5 conversions. I think any of us can convert material 2E to 3E and have been doing so ever since the 3.0 PHB came out. What i sometimes lay awake at night wishing for (not quite, but nearly) are adventures, but it is my curse as i know it is against WW or S&S or somebody's policy (maybe all the RL has made me some king of Domain Lord, would explain why i never go out anywhere). Short of this, and assuming I had to see even more source books then i'd like to see some books on the differen cultural levels, well the big 3: Medieval - about attitude to magic, and technology, some expanded weapons tables, and armour. Chivalric - technology, up and coming stuff, differences from medieval and Renaissance, new fighting styles. Renaissance - Clockworks, gunpowder, attitudes to magic, is technology replacing it?, new weapons. Also i am still waiting to see a good PrC, i was very dissapointed with heroes of light. Maybe: "The Loneome Road"-Guide to Bards + Rogues "To the Bitter End"-Fighters and Monks "In the Face of Despair"-Clerics and Paladins "A Whisper in the Shadows"-Wizards and yeah you know where this is going. "The Violent Night" New PrCs, feats, Skills, alternative skill uses. Diffeen forms of the two classes, not exactly PrCs but concepts that are a little more suited to RL than the normal ideas from generic D&D. The Splat books were really popular and as long as these books dont include horrid re-prints of old material then it could go down well. Dibs on royalties.
#3 malus_black Jun 12, 2004 11:24:35	Well, while not exactly a Children of the Night series, as there really aren't that many themes left (CotN: Liches, anyone?), I'd love to see something along the lines of Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium II, meaning a book of NPCs, both good and bad. Here we could get both the ones left out of the Gazetteers (Lady Adeline, The Midnight Slasher, etc.) as well as brand new ones, ready to be dropped into any campaign. Adventures would be really nice to have, but since there won't be any, I won't hope for any. I believe there was a thread like this some time ago, and some people suggested a book on running Ravenloft in different eras, such as pre-conjunction or even back when there were only a few domains. This would be great. Also suggested was a book of maps, both of the different domains as well as cities and important structures, something which would certainly come in handy. Originally posted by Lord_of_the_Seven_Towers Also i am still waiting to see a good PrC, i was very dissapointed with heroes of light. You have looked at van Richten's Arsenal, right?
#4 lord_of_the_seven_towers_dup Jun 12, 2004 12:29:18	If you maps, how about giant poster maps from the Red Box? you can pick a copy up (though i guess most people already have one) for about £5-10. I do indeed have VRA and i was decidedly unimpressed, the best thing to do for a RL PrC is to adapt good ones from other settings or from 3.0/3.5 splats. My friend shall be playing a ftr/Ronin, his character ran away from his post as a captain in the Falkovnian army. OK not a feudal position but having read the flavour text for the PrC it does seem to fit very well. The books in general have been rather poor, the artwork in the 3.0 campaign setting made me want to cry, though it is somewhat improved in the RL PHB. Some nice bits and pieces, like the Tarroka stuff in the DMG. Out of interest what were the PrCs that did it for you from VRA?
#5 The_Jester Jun 12, 2004 14:09:27	A new Children of the Night with new individual/unique NPCs and missed out classic characters is a MUST. So many characters need to be updated to 3.5 from 2nd. And there was no CotN book for Hags, Liches or Ancient dead so they'll make some newbs. As for the PrC in VRA, I find that most of them are excellent as they both fit the setting and update kits/classes. The Alchemical Philosopher was good for all the previous feats. The Anchorite, Guardian Seeker and Hallowed witch were essential updates. Ditto the Knight of Shadows. I also felt the Avenger, Dirgist, and Stygian Attendant were interesting and atmospheric although perhaps overly specialized. Some problems with the Pistoleer as gunpowder weapons have been cursed with improperly done rules and overly weakened. That and the Gut Shot abilities are useless as guns normally don't require any penalty when firing prone.
#6 malus_black Jun 12, 2004 14:53:07	Originally posted by The_Jester And there was no CotN book for Hags, Liches or Ancient dead so they'll make some newbs. Hags and ancient dead would be great, we'll hopefully get some non-egyptian ancient dead soon. It might be a bit strange to fill a book with liches though. Although maybe that's just due to my belief that liches should be very rare, and I might still be pleasantly surprised. Originally posted by Lord_of_the_Seven_Towers Out of interest what were the PrCs that did it for you from VRA? Well, first of all, I'm not all that PrC-interested, and I also tend to look at PrCs as something to use to flesh out a world, so it might not be that surprising that I like the ones that are part of organizations best. Accordingly, I liked the Knights of Shadows, Anchorite of the Mists, Guardian Seeker (although that one was a bit specialized with all the evil artifact-dependant powers) and Hallowed Witch as ways of fleshing out the world and organizations, giving PCs who wish to join these something to aim for. The Alchemical Philosopher is, unsurprisingly as I adored the chapter on alchemy, a favorite of mine, although I doubt that I will ever get a player who will take it. The Avenger is good enough, but creating a PrC around a role-playing motive seems a bit weird. I might not be making any sense, but my point is that players may assume that they must take this PrC to have a nemesis of some kind, meaning that they'll aim for it if they have some sort of "my family was killed by a nasty monster" background. Also, the powers which allow the PC to track the nemesis seem a bit simple to me. I find it difficult to make up my mind on the Stygian Attendant. I like it flavor-wise, but, as Jester pointed out, it's extremely restricted, aiming only at ghosts and their kind. Still, I like it, and I'd love to have a PC with these goals. The Pistoleer is quite nifty, and it's got some great abilities. Less useful in low CL domains as there's little gunpowder (and a careless smoker might obliterate whatever gunpowder the Pistoleer brought with her) and few places to get new weapons. For high CL domains, however, this one's great, despite the innate problems with the firearms themselves, as Jester pointed out. The Dirgist seems a bit strange, as it gets all its abilities on 1st level, making taking any further levels pointless, even from a roleplaying viewpoint. But the general idea is great, and as part of my... er... demagification of Ravenloft (meaning that I'm making it even lower magic) I'll turn it into a new core class with some nifty abilities over the levels and remove the spellcasting. I'll also remove the PHB bard, letting the classic bards be other classes with some ranks in perform. It appears that I forgot to mention the Crypt Raider. I suppose the forgetting sums up my opinion of it, actually, being that it's nifty and balanced and all, but ultimately rather forgettable and nothing out of the ordinary. It's also quite specialized, which isn't all that good for the character. My two cents, anyway.
#7 zombiegleemax Jun 12, 2004 17:55:26	I used PrCs mostly as a means of letting a character multi class without punishing her for it. If you multi class you're basically making your character weak...PrCs make up that disadvantage. New PrCs are great as they give me new ideas...and I like some of the ones that aren't geared toward multiclassing but just the character reasons, though I find those can be very limiting. I just use the rule that guns partially bypass certain types of armour, I think it makes guns worthwhile and explains why armour went out of fashion.