How did the inhabitants of Ravenloft, the common people, experience the Grand Conjunction? First of all, how is it called? In my opinion, most people won't have the slightest idea what exactly has happened: they may by now have found out that some lands vanished, but I doubt that anybody seriously would believe it was some sort of conjunction. I somewhere read (the FoS-FAQ?) that it's referred to as the "great upheaval", but according to Gazzetter I, this is (also?) the name of the event that tore Barovia away from the Prime Material Plane. Can somebody clarify which is correct?
But more importantly: what events took place when the GC happened? Did the earth shake, vulcanoes break out, storms devastate the land? I believe I read something in "Roots of Evil" about portals opening to the prime material plane? And if anything extraordinary happened during that time, was it equally noticable in every domain? Or was it strongest in Barovia and/or Darkon, while, say, Mordent only felt a slight tremor?
That is how I did it too, i.e. have the players meet scholars, priests, or other knowledgeable persons to inform them of the realms characteristics. Of course, these people are not always 100% right, so a few erroneous facts here and there is fun too.
> But most of their knowledge will come from the "normal" people the players deal with, so the question is: how much does somebody know who spend most if not all of his life in, for example, Barovia town, surrounded by Strahd's fog? Or in Dementlieu?
Don’t take this as the bible, but IMHO, “normal” peasants would not know a lot. They are a superstitious lot so their comprehension of the world is very limited. Remember that most medieval people never traveled more then 10 miles from their home village in their whole life. What they know is rumours and superstitions. Many probably refuse to acknowledge the presence of real monsters and dismiss it as child tales.
With the domain they live in, it is natural they will know of the most important people in the area or domain but not what they are, though rumours may have spread, they are still hearsay. They should never know what a domain lord or domain is (character pops out saying "what's a domain lord?"), though influencial people are easy to know if they have the fame.
They may pay tax, so the peasants know who they work for and recognize this political force. However, this political leader can be someone else then the darklord.
If parts of the domain is pretty nasty or inhospitable, the people should know about this, they hear stories, rumours, myths and so on. Some of these will easily be lies and others stretched beyond the actual truth. Working out what is truth from all the old wives tales can be fun.
So for me, talking to native can’t bring a lot of useful knowledge. In my campaign, I’ve had PCs meet people who helped them on some precise tasks. This is how they got the information they know. You can read my campaign journal in the smoking room of the FoS Manor.
> How did the inhabitants of Ravenloft, the common people, experience the Grand Conjunction? First of all, how is it called? In my opinion, most people won't have the slightest idea what exactly has happened: they may by now have found out that some lands vanished, but I doubt that anybody seriously would believe it was some sort of conjunction. I somewhere read (the FoS-FAQ?) that it's referred to as the "great upheaval", but according to Gazetteer I, this is (also?) the name of the event that tore Barovia away from the Prime Material Plane. Can somebody clarify which is correct?
You can call it whatever name, as it is a DM tool. Local people might call it “the time earth quaked”, “the day where the sun didn’t rise”, or similar apocalyptic name. People close to the Shadow Rift might call it “the day the hole appeared” or “the day Ghastria disappeared” (the domain that was there before the Rift).
More educated persons, those who know about the timeline of events that led to it, could call this event the GC. But IMHO, they would not be a lot to really know what led to the GC.
> But more importantly: what events took place when the GC happened? Did the earth shake, vulcanoes break out, storms devastate the land? I believe I read something in "Roots of Evil" about portals opening to the prime material plane? And if anything extraordinary happened during that time, was it equally noticable in every domain? Or was it strongest in Barovia and/or Darkon, while, say, Mordent only felt a slight tremor?
I believe this was never really defined. Your call on this. However, given the land structure of the domains who remained didn’t really change a lot during the event, I would limit it to earth shaking and eerie storms in the sky. So volcano could be a little farfetched IMHO.
Good gaming,
Joël
You can call it whatever name, as it is a DM tool. Local people might call it “the time earth quaked”, “the day where the sun didn’t rise”, or similar apocalyptic name. People close to the Shadow Rift might call it “the day the hole appeared” or “the day Ghastria disappeared” (the domain that was there before the Rift).
Shame on you, Joel, that's G'henna, not Ghastria! ;)
(Also Markovia).
The Great Upheaval was definately The Grand Conjunction. That's how it's been referred to most, in-character, in the books. It's what I use in my campaign, too. My Gaz I is packed away right now, so I can't check on what they called the day Barovia left the Prime.
What actually happened is that all the domains temporarily went to the prime material plane. How do you represent that? Earthquakes are a good choice, as are strange celestial phenomena. (constellations changing, etc...) The strangest stuff would happen where there used to be borders, since new lands would have been there temporarily. But since there are few major towns on the borders, few would notice that.
Most people would remember it most by what apparently happened afterwards: The mists rolled in and covered Bluetspur, and the nightmare Lands. The shadow rift appeared. Etc.
Also, Valachan turned 90 degrees, which was noted in Gaz IV.
Shame on you, Joel, that's G'henna, not Ghastria! ;)
Well, the G one ;)
Joël
> That is how I did it too, i.e. have the players meet scholars, priests, or other knowledgeable persons to inform them of the realms characteristics. Of course, these people are not always 100% right, so a few erroneous facts here and there is fun too.
I've just downloaded the first part of your journal, I'll start reading it once I've finished answering your post, but it already seems like we have quite a similar taste - I'm really interested to read how you run your campaign :-). I've also forbidden my players to read any ravenloft-books, mostly for the same reasons you mentioned. But it seems like you have read quite a lot of Ravenloft-material, do you have any recommendations for Barovia, beside the obvious ones like the Gazetteer and the DoD?
Having the players meet NSCs with bits of knowledge is my plan as well, most of them will have second-hand-rumors, like somebody who has once talked to a travelling salesman, who has been to xyz... Say, what is a scholar like in your campaign? I mean, does he travel himself (which might be quite dangerous, does he have any protection?), or do they rely on stories and books (where do they come from, are there really lots of scholars who can earn a living by writing books?)? I just wonder, in the "real" middle ages, the few people who knew anything about the world where as far as I know the monks, and there don't seem to be to many of them in Ravenloft.
> Don’t take this as the bible, but IMHO, "normal" peasants would not know a lot. They are a superstitious lot so their comprehension of the world is very limited. Remember that most medieval people never traveled more then 10 miles from their home village in their whole life. What they know is rumours and superstitions. Many probably refuse to acknowledge the presence of real monsters and dismiss it as child tales.
I agree, I believe mainly merchants and aristocrats ever left their place of birth...
Hm, I'm not sure about the direction the superstitions would take, whether a peasant wouldn't rather exaggerate the real or imagined threat of a monster. I mean, in our world the belief in witches was quite strong, and many people even seemed to believe in monsters like "Nessy" or the Yeti... And in our world these monsters don't even exist (or so I think :-)), how would these legends evolve in a world where there really IS a Dracula?
> With the domain they live in, it is natural they will know of the most important people in the area or domain but not what they are, though rumours may have spread, they are still hearsay. They should never know what a domain lord or domain is (character pops out saying "what's a domain lord?"), though influencial people are easy to know if they have the fame. They may pay tax, so the peasants know who they work for and recognize this political force. However, this political leader can be someone else then the darklord.
Thanks, good hint, maybe I should develop a few random locally famous Barovian people, to add a bit of life to my world. I mean, the burgomaster of Barovia town can easily become the burgomaster of Zeidenburg, if the PCs never meet the burgomaster during their stay in Barovia town :-).
> So for me, talking to native can’t bring a lot of useful knowledge. In my campaign, I’ve had PCs meet people who helped them on some precise tasks. This is how they got the information they know. You can read my campaign journal in the smoking room of the FoS Manor.
That's how I'll handle it as well, it also makes exploring the world much more interesting: getting a piece of puzzle here and there should be much more exciting than having somebody tell the players everything about the world in an hour-long monologue...
> You can call it whatever name, as it is a DM tool. Local people might call it "the time earth quaked", "the day where the sun didn’t rise", or similar apocalyptic name. People close to the Shadow Rift might call it "the day the hole appeared" or "the day Ghastria disappeared" (the domain that was there before the Rift).
Interesting, I hadn't thought so far! Of course, if the peasants hardly travel at all, it's highly unlikely that there would be a common name for the event..
> More educated persons, those who know about the timeline of events that led to it, could call this event the GC. But IMHO, they would not be a lot to really know what led to the GC.
Why exactly IS it called the GC? Does this Conjunction refer to the Planes, or to a stellar constellation? If it refers to the Planes, wouldn't only a very powerfull wizard (like Azalin) know of it? And I doubt Azalin would tell anybody...
> I believe this was never really defined. Your call on this. However, given the land structure of the domains who remained didn’t really change a lot during the event, I would limit it to earth shaking and eerie storms in the sky. So volcano could be a little farfetched IMHO.
Strange, I would have thought that such a major event would have been described exhaustively. I only browsed the adventures "From the Shadows" and "Roots of Evil", but somehow I seem to have missed something, didn't FtS end with the players defeating Azalin, and in RoE the players suddenly where in Barovia on the Prime Material Plane? I mean, in the transition between the two adventure all the juicy stuff should happen, shouldn't it?
I'm not yet sure where to place my players in the timeline. My first thought was to put them a few years behind the GC, as I don't really want to play the six adventures. I mean, sure, they have a lot of nostalgic value, but are the adventures really great, by today's standard? I've only read most of "From the Shadows", and it seemed to be mostly good ol' dungeon (or castle, in this case) crawling. However, right now I'm thinking of putting the players somewhere close to the GC and have them experience it, and leave them wondering what has just happened...
Another small question, did I understand this correctly, the Core Domains are NOT seperated by Mists? Meaning, somebody could simply walk from one Domain into the next without even noticing it, as long as the borders aren't closed?
May your players be afraid to go out into the dark :-)
Felix
> Shame on you, Joel, that's G'henna, not Ghastria! (Also Markovia).
Ah, Ghastria was the Domain of the RL Dorian Gray, wasn't it? What happened to it, I couldn't find it anywhere on the map...
> The Great Upheaval was definately The Grand Conjunction. That's how it's been referred to most, in-character, in the books. It's what I use in my campaign, too. My Gaz I is packed away right now, so I can't check on what they called the day Barovia left the Prime.
I'll try to find this reference to the Great Upheaval again, it's easily possible that I've simply missunderstood the paragraph, since it wasn't to clear what was meant. I just thought that for some reason it couldn't refer to the GC, but again I'll have to look at the exact context...
> What actually happened is that all the domains temporarily went to the prime material plane. How do you represent that? Earthquakes are a good choice, as are strange celestial phenomena. (constellations changing, etc...) The strangest stuff would happen where there used to be borders, since new lands would have been there temporarily. But since there are few major towns on the borders, few would notice that.
Interesting, suddenly all the Mists vanished and the domains were once again part of another world, as if they had always been that way? So somebody could simply leave the realm, if he just was quick enough to pass the border before the Conjunction ended? How long did this last? I just have an evil idea where I could place my players when the GC occurs, should I decide to let it happen without directly involving them, maybe just when they found out that it is nearly impossible to leave the Demiplane of Dread - and then suddenly have their hometown appear in a few miles distance, just to let it vanish again when they have almost reached it *g*
> Also, Valachan turned 90 degrees, which was noted in Gaz IV.
That's strange :-)
Cheers!
Felix
But it seems like you have read quite a lot of Ravenloft-material, do you have any recommendations for Barovia, beside the obvious ones like the Gazetteer and the DoD?
I'm not Joel, but I'll answer anyway. The Gazatteer is really the best source, but as far as supplementary stuff, check the Ravenloft catalogue at www.kargatane.com. It's not complete, but it'll point you to some good sources. Off the top of my head, The novels I Strahd 1 &2, and Vampire of the Mists are good for mood. Not many adventures actually take place there other than The original I6 Ravenloft (House of Strahd), RoE, FtS, Lyssa Von Zarovich entry in Cotn
ampires.Interesting, I hadn't thought so far! Of course, if the peasants hardly travel at all, it's highly unlikely that there would be a common name for the event..
Although the peasants might hardly travel, there are no doubt travelling merchants and such who could spread a common name.
Why exactly IS it called the GC? Does this Conjunction refer to the Planes, or to a stellar constellation? If it refers to the Planes, wouldn't only a very powerfull wizard (like Azalin) know of it? And I doubt Azalin would tell anybody...
A conjunction in Ravenloft is an uncommon occurance, when part of Ravenloft temporarily asserts itself over a prime material world. During that time, a town or building or whole domain plops down on an existing world, causing confusion on both sides, and people can cross either into or out of the area, possibly becoming trapped when the conjunction dissolves, and the part of Ravenloft returns to its original place. The GC was a Grand Conjunction because it forced all of Ravenloft to spill its contents on the Prime Material plane.
Strange, I would have thought that such a major event would have been described exhaustively. I only browsed the adventures "From the Shadows" and "Roots of Evil", but somehow I seem to have missed something, didn't FtS end with the players defeating Azalin, and in RoE the players suddenly where in Barovia on the Prime Material Plane? I mean, in the transition between the two adventure all the juicy stuff should happen, shouldn't it?
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But RoE was a bit poorly written, IMHO and didn't really explain what was happening enough. There's a bit of a better explanation in the Red Box: "when all six signs of the hexad were fulfilled, then the Grand Conjunction would return all the domains of Ravenloft to their worlds of origin" ... "This event [carrying Az's phylactery into the mists] triggered the Grand Conjunction. In its wake, all the domains broke apart and began to drift homeward, back to the Prime material plane. Azalin and Strahd were the first to escape."
Domains of Dread doesn't say too much more, but does use the word "upheaval" (but not "Great Upheaval"). The 3e RCS mentions "the Land of Mists was wracked by tremors and entire domains dissolved into vapor, the Mists of Ravenloft spread throughout the Material Plane to doom countless outlander worlds." ... "Core domains were wrenched into new positions, rivers altered their courses, the stars even changed their pattern." ... "Even years later, most denizens of the Realm of Dread still know nothing about the true events of the Grand Conjunction. Having seen only the chaos it wrought, most people call it the Great Upheaval and speculate wildly to its cause."
I've only read most of "From the Shadows", and it seemed to be mostly good ol' dungeon (or castle, in this case) crawling.
IMHO, NotwD and FoG are the two really good ones. SoH is ok until the awful climax. ToD is a standard mummy hunt, but not bad. FtS has the fun time-travel prologue, but then lapses into dungeon crawl. And RoE is pretty poor overall, but probably could be fun with an overhaul.
Another small question, did I understand this correctly, the Core Domains are NOT seperated by Mists?
yes, absolutely correct. That's one that trips up a lot of new RL DMs. If the borders are down, it's just like a normal political border.
Ah, Ghastria was the Domain of the RL Dorian Gray, wasn't it? What happened to it, I couldn't find it anywhere on the map...
Which map are you using? It's on the 3e map, out to sea, west of Mordent. Check the map in back of your Gaz I.
I'll try to find this reference to the Great Upheaval again, it's easily possible that I've simply missunderstood the paragraph, since it wasn't to clear what was meant. I just thought that for some reason it couldn't refer to the GC, but again I'll have to look at the exact context...
Well, you inspired me to unpack my RL books, and I looked in Gaz I. Page 17 describes the wedding in 351 that brought Barovia into Ravenloft. Page 19 mentions the Great Upheaval in 740, and how Strahd took over Gundarak. Sure enough, that's the Grand Conjunction. When Gundar died, Dominiani took over Gundarak until the GC, when Dominiani got pushed out to sea in Dominia.
Interesting, suddenly all the Mists vanished and the domains were once again part of another world, as if they had always been that way?
Actually the mists came with the domains and spread in the area on the Prime Material. It's unknown if they would've remained or dissapated if the GC became permanent.
So somebody could simply leave the realm, if he just was quick enough to pass the border before the Conjunction ended?
Yup, that was Azalin's plan for freedom.
How long did this last?
Azalin wanted it to be permanent, but it ended up only lasting through the events of RoE. A few days? I don't remember exactly.
then suddenly have their hometown appear in a few miles distance, just to let it vanish again when they have almost reached it *g*
Yup, that's evil. You'll fit in just fine 'round here.
I'm not Joel, but I'll answer anyway.
I'm glad you did, your answer cleared up quite a lot! You may have noticed that I don't have much experience with message boards, that's why my posts look more like emails :-). Now, let's see if I get this quoting-thing to work...
The Gazatteer is really the best source, but as far as supplementary stuff, check the Ravenloft catalogue at www.kargatane.com. It's not complete, but it'll point you to some good sources. Off the top of my head, The novels I Strahd 1 &2, and Vampire of the Mists are good for mood. Not many adventures actually take place there other than The original I6 Ravenloft (House of Strahd), RoE, FtS, Lyssa Von Zarovich entry in Cotn
Thanks, I wanted to take another trip to the local gaming store today, let's see what they have in stock... At first I wasn't sure whether I wanted my players trip through the whole realm, or whether I wanted to keep them in Barovia. There is so much great stuff in Ravenloft I want to shove my players into, but now I believe it might be a bit overwhelming if I have them jump from one domain to the next. I think I'll let them stay in Barovia for quite some time, all the time showing them small glimpses of the rest of the realm, making it seem like their new home Barovia is some sort of safe haven (as long as you don't go out at night) compared to the other domains - and then someday force them to flee into this horrifying world they've heard so much about...
Although the peasants might hardly travel, there are no doubt travelling merchants and such who could spread a common name. A conjunction in Ravenloft is an uncommon occurance, when part of Ravenloft temporarily asserts itself over a prime material world. During that time, a town or building or whole domain plops down on an existing world, causing confusion on both sides, and people can cross either into or out of the area, possibly becoming trapped when the conjunction dissolves, and the part of Ravenloft returns to its original place. The GC was a Grand Conjunction because it forced all of Ravenloft to spill its contents on the Prime Material plane.
Thanks, I think I finally have some idea of what the GC really was. I suppose you are right, with an event of this magnitude, there most likely will be a common name. At first I thought to a unknowing bystander, the GC would have seemed like some small natural incident... If I understand you correctly, "normal" Conjunctions do also occur? I mean, while the GC was the largest event, there also have been occasions when a single domain or part of it becomes part of the prime material plane again?
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But RoE was a bit poorly written, IMHO and didn't really explain what was happening enough. There's a bit of a better explanation in the Red Box: "when all six signs of the hexad were fulfilled, then the Grand Conjunction would return all the domains of Ravenloft to their worlds of origin" ... "This event [carrying Az's phylactery into the mists] triggered the Grand Conjunction. In its wake, all the domains broke apart and began to drift homeward, back to the Prime material plane. Azalin and Strahd were the first to escape."
Domains of Dread doesn't say too much more, but does use the word "upheaval" (but not "Great Upheaval"). The 3e RCS mentions "the Land of Mists was wracked by tremors and entire domains dissolved into vapor, the Mists of Ravenloft spread throughout the Material Plane to doom countless outlander worlds." ... "Core domains were wrenched into new positions, rivers altered their courses, the stars even changed their pattern." ... "Even years later, most denizens of the Realm of Dread still know nothing about the true events of the Grand Conjunction. Having seen only the chaos it wrought, most people call it the Great Upheaval and speculate wildly to its cause."
Too bad that especially the Grand Final of such a major campaign is so bad - I trust your judgment there :-). I was too lazy to read RoE all the way through when I first sought for some infos on the GC, but I was going nuts because I found nothing and couldn't believe there were no Infos at all...
IMHO, NotwD and FoG are the two really good ones. SoH is ok until the awful climax. ToD is a standard mummy hunt, but not bad. FtS has the fun time-travel prologue, but then lapses into dungeon crawl. And RoE is pretty poor overall, but probably could be fun with an overhaul.
You are right there, the time-travel episode of FtS really is great, but I didn't really like the idea of the headless horseman just popping up somewhere, attacking the players. I mean, this is Ravenloft, in my opinion such a major villain shouldn't be wasted just as an explanation how a player loses his head - and I think players get easily frustrated when they encounter something they just CANNOT defeat, when they are doomed to lose. But I'll have a look at NotwD, even if I don't play the whole campaign, maybe I can draw some interesting ideas out of it for my own creation of a zombie adventure...
Which map are you using? It's on the 3e map, out to sea, west of Mordent. Check the map in back of your Gaz I.
Oops, seems like I overlooked that one. Hm, I thought I had read somewhere that Ghastria had been removed from the 3rd edition. Seems like the source wasn't too reliable...
Well, you inspired me to unpack my RL books, and I looked in Gaz I. Page 17 describes the wedding in 351 that brought Barovia into Ravenloft. Page 19 mentions the Great Upheaval in 740, and how Strahd took over Gundarak. Sure enough, that's the Grand Conjunction. When Gundar died, Dominiani took over Gundarak until the GC, when Dominiani got pushed out to sea in Dominia.
You're right, maybe I should read the material more carefully...
Yup, that's evil. You'll fit in just fine 'round here.
Thanks, I'm glad to hear that *g*
Say, have you played the adventure "The Created"? Somehow I really like the idea of a mad Pinocchio, but haven't been able to find the book yet. Is it really worth hunting for? Or should I rather create my own version of it?
I'm not Joel, but I'll answer anyway. The Gazatteer is really the best source, but as far as supplementary stuff, check the Ravenloft catalogue at www.kargatane.com. It's not complete, but it'll point you to some good sources. Off the top of my head, The novels I Strahd 1 &2, and Vampire of the Mists are good for mood. Not many adventures actually take place there other than The original I6 Ravenloft (House of Strahd), RoE, FtS, Lyssa Von Zarovich entry in Cotn
Sorry I don't read this forum as often as the FoS message board.
Allow me to complete with cool fan made material and other stuff:
Bo Secrets 1999 - Effigy of Ivan Szimin (wood golem, ex Gundarak)
MCII Children of the Night - Montarri, Jacqueline (cursed human, collecting heads for herself)
MCII Children of the Night - Wagner, Jezra, The Ice Queen (cool ;) ghost)
Bo Secrets 1999 - Ardonk Szerieza (ex Gundarak, rebel leader)
Haunted Sites 98 - Places: Gates of Dusk, Haunted of Valcon Forest
Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 - Brotherhood Of Contemplative Power (monk order)
FoS Library: Nine of Hearts - (detective adventure Vallaki, Barovia), level 5-8
USS 2003 - Hags Of Vallaki; Vallaki Gazetteer; Erich Reinhold
There you go
Joël
As for leting your players know of the Darklords, let them discover this on their own minds as to how the land works. I once used an adventure in 2ed from the Book of Crypts that has an NPC that has escaped ravenloft and come back. This discovery runined the games for me and my players quickly ignored it. After all they were all native, why would they want to escape.
It ends off where you can devise a follow up adventure fairly easy.I would say if you can find it for a decent price,pick it up.
You are right there, the time-travel episode of FtS really is great, but I didn't really like the idea of the headless horseman just popping up somewhere, attacking the players. I mean, this is Ravenloft, in my opinion such a major villain shouldn't be wasted just as an explanation how a player loses his head - and I think players get easily frustrated when they encounter something they just CANNOT defeat, when they are doomed to lose. But I'll have a look at NotwD, even if I don't play the whole campaign, maybe I can draw some interesting ideas out of it for my own creation of a zombie adventure...
About the Headless Horseman encounter in FtS: I am of the opinion that it's not a good idea to make railroading PCs so obvious. Rather than play out the encounter with the horseman, come up with a nother way for the PC's heads to be separated from their shoulders. My suggestion: Hyksosa's brother, rather than enlist the PCs to fight the Horseman, begs them to free his brother from Azalin's dungeons. He provides the PCs with invitations to one of Azalin's balls, where hedonistic nobles cavort for the lich-king's amusement. At the grand banquet, Azalin reveals his true nature, and orders the Kargat vampires and lycanthropes hiding in the room to attack the PCs. They try to do non-lethal damage, and Azalin helps out by casting hold person. Once the PCs are subdued, Azalin calls in his headsman. The PCs then wake up in Azzie's lab on the shelf. It takes some work to set this up, but it is much more satisfying for the PCs than the Horseman killing them, and it explains how the lich got their heads in the first place.
Sorry I don't read this forum as often as the FoS message board.
Maybe I should pay the FoS board a visit, haven't been there yet, and it sounds like there is quite a lot going on.. :-)
Allow me to complete with cool fan made material and other stuff:
Bo Secrets 1999 - Effigy of Ivan Szimin (wood golem, ex Gundarak)
MCII Children of the Night - Montarri, Jacqueline (cursed human, collecting heads for herself)
MCII Children of the Night - Wagner, Jezra, The Ice Queen (cool ;) ghost)
Bo Secrets 1999 - Ardonk Szerieza (ex Gundarak, rebel leader)
Haunted Sites 98 - Places: Gates of Dusk, Haunted of Valcon Forest
Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 - Brotherhood Of Contemplative Power (monk order)
FoS Library: Nine of Hearts - (detective adventure Vallaki, Barovia), level 5-8
USS 2003 - Hags Of Vallaki; Vallaki Gazetteer; Erich Reinhold
There you go
Joël
Thanks, that's really great, exactly what I have been hoping for! Say, is there any Ravenloft material you haven't read yet? It seems like you have read any book and every fan addition that was ever written :-)
Thanks a lot again!
Felix
As for leting your players know of the Darklords, let them discover this on their own minds as to how the land works. I once used an adventure in 2ed from the Book of Crypts that has an NPC that has escaped ravenloft and come back. This discovery runined the games for me and my players quickly ignored it. After all they were all native, why would they want to escape.
I haven't read the Book of Crypts yet, why would any sane person return to Ravenloft of his own free will? But I can understand that your players wouldn't want to leave Ravenloft if they grew up there - after all, the rest of the universe might be far worse, in there opinion, hard to say how bad your own world is when you have no comparison (or, to quote Aldous Huxley, "Maybe this world is another planet's Hell"). However, my players are originally from the Forgotten Realms, so they know quite well that there IS a better world out there...
I ran an addy for The Created ,although it was a few years back. The domain of Odaire is very tiny,and has only a few interesting points to it.The story ,to me,has a more light hearted tone,but can easily be tweaked a bit to add a more horriffic touch .There are some weird encounters for the PC's that you can have fun with also.
It ends off where you can devise a follow up adventure fairly easy.I would say if you can find it for a decent price,pick it up.
So you'd give it about 3 points out of 5? If I understand you correctly, part of the adventure is fun but all in all nothing extraordinary? Ok, then I'll keep my eyes on ebay and see if I can find a used version of it...
About the Headless Horseman encounter in FtS: I am of the opinion that it's not a good idea to make railroading PCs so obvious. Rather than play out the encounter with the horseman, come up with a nother way for the PC's heads to be separated from their shoulders. My suggestion: Hyksosa's brother, rather than enlist the PCs to fight the Horseman, begs them to free his brother from Azalin's dungeons. He provides the PCs with invitations to one of Azalin's balls, where hedonistic nobles cavort for the lich-king's amusement. At the grand banquet, Azalin reveals his true nature, and orders the Kargat vampires and lycanthropes hiding in the room to attack the PCs. They try to do non-lethal damage, and Azalin helps out by casting hold person. Once the PCs are subdued, Azalin calls in his headsman. The PCs then wake up in Azzie's lab on the shelf. It takes some work to set this up, but it is much more satisfying for the PCs than the Horseman killing them, and it explains how the lich got their heads in the first place.
I'm glad you agree on the below-average encounter with the headless horseman. Great idea, thanks, that could work way better! Furthermore, in my opinion it's a much better introduction of Azalin, than the one used in FtS, gives the players a much better idea of whom they are dealing with(namely an incredibly powerful undead being who has an entire nation under his control). I'll keep your adaptation in mind, but it'll take quite some time for my Players to get there, right now they are still only Level 1 :-)
If I understand you correctly, "normal" Conjunctions do also occur?
Yup, exactly. It's a rare event, but does happen. Should be mentioned in all or most versions of the Campaign Setting.
I was too lazy to read RoE all the way through when I first sought for some infos on the GC, but I was going nuts because I found nothing and couldn't believe there were no Infos at all...
Well, there was a bit toward the end, when it talked about conjunctions occuring throughout the adventure and how random monsters (or even darklords!) might come pouring out of the mists.
You are right there, the time-travel episode of FtS really is great, but I didn't really like the idea of the headless horseman just popping up somewhere, attacking the players.
Agreed. My plan for running a modified version of it involves using the memory modification effect of Darkon, and setting it up as a side adventure with "pre-generated" characters. When they reach the library, they'll discover their pre-generated characters are actually their real characters who ran afoul of the Kargat and had their memories modified and heads cut off. (Wasn't my original idea, someone on the old RL mailing list came up with it, I think.)
Say, have you played the adventure "The Created"? Somehow I really like the idea of a mad Pinocchio, but haven't been able to find the book yet. Is it really worth hunting for? Or should I rather create my own version of it?
It's fun, but a bit railroading. It uses a very creepy concept (the creepy puppet), and I looked forward to getting it, but was disappointed in the execution when I finally read it. Haven't used it yet, but I might, with heavy modification.