I am starting out a ravenloft campaign in a month. I would like to run it postconjunction at least mapwise because this is easiest based on the gazetters and new rules.
However I would also like to run the Grand conjunction campaign (the 6 scenarios available here at wizards.) Of course with a lot of modifications due to the postconjunction setting. (I will be putting in other selfmade scenarios along the way too.)
What I would like to ask you guys - the experienced ravenlofters
- is: Is this at all possible? And if so, have you got any good hints on how to make this work?Both myself and the players are very experienced roleplayers (and masters), but we have not played ravenloft before; some d&d but mostly presentday horror.
Thanks for any help you have to offer
Hi'
I am starting out a ravenloft campaign in a month. I would like to run it postconjunction at least mapwise because this is easiest based on the gazetters and new rules.
However I would also like to run the Grand conjunction campaign (the 6 scenarios available here at wizards.) Of course with a lot of modifications due to the postconjunction setting. (I will be putting in other selfmade scenarios along the way too.)
What I would like to ask you guys - the experienced ravenlofters
Both myself and the players are very experienced roleplayers (and masters), but we have not played ravenloft before; some d&d but mostly presentday horror.
Thanks for any help you have to offer
First off, you'd have to remove the prophecy, as it is central to the adventures (not as much with FoG and SoH). Secondly, you'd have to do some heavy re-writes to FtS and RoE, as they detail the collapse of the Conjunction.
Feast of Goblyns works as a stand alone adventure, as does Ship of Horror, the Grand Conjunction prophecy was retconned onto these adventures. NotWD could work without the prophecy as well, but Touch of Death has the prophecy central to it, perhaps another prediction could be substituted. But From the Shadows and Roots of Evil have the prophecy deeply embedded into the adventures. From the Shadows could be ran as a stand-alone adventure, but Roots of Evil, with its return to Prime Material Barovia, Inajira's involvement and the collapse of the GC, it'd be too difficult to remove the GC from it.
But that's just my thoughts.
The only one I can think of as troubling would be the Barovian occupation of Gundarak. That's a direct result of Dr. Dominiani's scheming in FoG. If you run FoG post-occupation, you'll need to change his motives a bit. But overall, it shouldn't be a big problem.
Thanks once again
The RL FAQ at the Fraternity of Shadows website has a list of changes that the GC caused. you'd have to account for some of them in your pre-conjunction version of the post-conjunction map. Here's the complete list:
The changes during the Grand Conjunction are detailed in the second boxed Campaign Setting (the "Red Box", published in 1994). To quickly summarise:
Dr. Dominiani, lord of Gundarak since the assassination of the former ruler, was given his own land. This left Gundarak to be conquered and absorbed by surrounding lands.
Borca and Dorvinia united into a single nation (retaining the name Borca).
Valachan moved and now lies west of Sithicus and Verbrek.
Arak, Arkandale, Vechor, Farelle, and Sanguinia disappeared. Arak was absorbed into Darkon. Arkandale was absorbed into Verbrek).
G'Henna, Bluetspur and the Nightmare Lands became Islands of Terror.
Markovia was wrenched out of the Core and into the Sea of Sorrows.
The domains of Dominia and Rokushima Taiyoo formed
The Sea of Sorrow gained a darklord.
The space left by G'Henna and Markovia became the mysterious "Shadow Rift."
The domain of Zherisia shrunk to become only the city of Paridon.
In 1997, Domains of Dread revealed that "aftershocks" of the Grand Conjunction had continued to reshape the demiplane in following years. This is most notable in the appearance of Clusters. Briefly:
Vechor reappeared after a decade as a Core domain.
The domains of Saragoss, Sri Raji, and the Wildlands merged to become the Verdurous Lands.
Har'Akir, Sebua, and Pharazia became the Amber Wastes.
The domain of Zherisia (renamed Paridon) joined with Timor to form the Zherisia Cluster.
Sanguinia and Vorostokov merged to become the Frozen Reaches.
And the domains of Nidala, Avonleigh, and Shadowborn Manor merged into the Shadowlands.
Most don't matter to you. There's the aformentioned Gundarak problem. You should probably split Borca back into Dorvinia/Borca. Valachan and Bluetspur only matter if you try to use the inset map in FoG directly, which I think has them on it in their original locations. Arkandale, Vechor, Farelle, Sanguinia, and the Nightmare Lands don't matter to you. You can assume they either never existed, or always were where they are now. You need to assume that Arak was absorbed by Darkon and the Shadow Rift displaced G'henna and Markovia a long time ago, or that the Rift was always there. You don't care about the Sea of Sorrow's darklord, Rokushima, or Zherisia. Dominia won't have formed yet if you're running FoG.
The Cluster forming only matters for Har'akir. When you run Touch of Death, you'll have to decide whether to use it as an island of terror, or part of a cluster. And the Nocturnal Sea also appeared post-conjunction, so Ship of Horror may need some minor touch ups now that Graben island is in the Nocturnal Sea.
That should be everything, I think....
Unfortunately, there's precious little info about pre-occupation Gundarak.
The following will soon be posted on the FoS site, but here's a preview. It was part of the domain-of-the-month serie, and we asked people to provide adventure hooks as well as known info on the lost Gundarak domain:
Gundarak adventure hook
Second edition: Black Box (Realm of Terror)
Adventures: Feast of Goblyns
Novel: Knight of the Black Rose
Was a canon domain (created in 593), now absorbed by Barovia and Invidia during the Grand Conjunction (year 740).
Darklord: Gundar
I choose this domain as one of the great ex. domains, now absorbed. Many people want to play in it before year 740, but it has never been really described in length. I'd like to expand our adventure hook data bank into something larger for this lost domain: what do we know about Gundarak? Don't forget to write the source for your info, or say so if you invented the information.
Joël
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Joël of the Fraternity
I start:
From the Black Box :
Gundarak included two cities, Zeidenburg and Teufeldorf (now in Barovia), plus Castle Hunadora (now in Invidia).
The taxes were heavy: even firewood was taxed. The harshest tax was on born girls: a heavy tax that the family had 15 years to pay, otherwise the girl was seized and brought to Gundar.
alhoon: You're kidding me! What if the girl in question decided to flee when she was 14 years old instead of that fate? What if she died by natural/unnatural causes?
Rotipher : That was never clarified in the products. My guess? If she escaped, her parents would undoubtedly have to pay off the "daughter tax" anyway, or else her *mother* would be taken. After all, the "tax" was really just an excuse for Gundar to snack on peasant girls, while fleecing anybody who could afford to pay. If the girl dies young, Gundar's men probably charge a pro-rated tax anyway, as compensation for "wasting the duchy's food on a sickly, weakling female", e.g. if she lived to age five, they'd charge a third of the usual fee.
alhoon : OMG! What a dilemma! "Should I run with this party of adventurers for the border (sacrificing my mom or sister) or stay and die?"
Did the Gundarakites knew that Gundar was a vampire or they just knew that every girl that entered that castle never came out?
What was the female population of Gundarak? I mean, many families would prefer to abandon their girls to their fate when born rather than grow attached with a girl that may be taken by their monstrous ruler.
Once, a mob killed Gundar’s tax collector and stormed castle Hunadora. However, this night, all rebels were killed and their corpse suspended to orchard trees near the castle.
The Lesser Evil : The blood of the rebels and the tainted emotions of their desperation could have seeped into the soil that feeds the orchards, turning them into dimly sentient plants with a hate for Gundar and his men. Perhaps it spawns a slew of dread plants, including blood roses, crawling ivy, and lashweeds, or even dread treants.
The original orchard trees could have merged to form a abnormally intelligent, Gargantuan Death's Head Tree, bent on plaguing anyone who seems to support Gundar. Its favored targets for seeding are Gundar's soldiers. In addition to the normal cries for help, the death's heads can utter curses involving "Gundar" and "death".
From Knight of the Black Rose
There is a portal in Castle Hunadora leading to an unknown place in the mists. It is opened when the blood of a Gundar family member is splashed on the marble.
Gundar had a son, the insane wizard Medraut.
Adv hook - something I used in a campaign (adapted from KotBR) : It works best if the players are outsiders. An undercover Strahd agent informs the players of a “secret” gate leading outside Ravenloft. Its trigger is the blood of a Gundar family member in the Hall of castle Hunadora. The Gundar family is depicted as evil, cruel and insane. Many layers of intrigue can be used: Strahd is using the undercover agent to sent the possibly dangerous PCs outside Barovia; Strahd uses the PCs to annoy Gundar by killing his son; Gundar is pleased to be rid of his insane dangerous son.
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Charlatan
No adventure hook, just mentioning that the novel Tapestry of Dark Souls had some characters (Ivar and Dirca) who were escapees from Gundarak, and that some of the wretchedness of their lives there is described in a flashback.
Hmm, I guess I have a vague idea for an adventure, based off the description in Gaz I of a road in former Gundarak/ currently Barovian territory haunted by 'screaming spectres cleaved nearly in twain'. Perhaps a ghost who dismembers his victims with phantom weapons, killing them in the exact manner that he himself died; the ghost is himself little more than an upper torso and pair of arms. Reuniting his scattered remains and blessing them will lay the spirit to rest. Maybe the premise is a bit more gory horror than spooky horror, but it was a spur of the moment idea...
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Ragdaj
As you know Gundar, unlike all other vampires was aging and that scared him. What if Duke Gundar ordered to the black mages of Twisting Tower in Teufeldorf to find the secret of youth? What if the children, which were taken from parents for their inability to pay taxes, were used in the horrible experiments to prepare an essence of youth? The real heroes must try to stop it!
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Gorthaur
How about this (after Strahd annexed Gundarak): It's kinda heavy fighting dungeon crawl with horror elements!
Castle Hunadora is held by Malocchio's Soldiers and Gabrielle Aderre seeks brave heroes, who conquer Castle Hunadora in her name.
After much fighting and bleeding the heroes succeed and get the castle into the hands of the barovian/invidian freedom fighters.
But there is a locked door in the cellar of the castle. Behind it, stairs lead down into the darkness. In the dungeons of Hunadora are the experiments of Duke Gundar. Undead, aberrations and other monsters live and crawl in the tunnels benath the castle.
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Cole Deschain
Duke Gundar's skeleton is in the possession of a certain weregorilla (Children of the Night: Werebeasts). If his stake is removed, he could easily try to reclaim his lands...
Drinnik Shoehorn: According to the adventure, the stake IS removed. It's DM's perogative if Gundar gets away at the end.
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vipera aspis
So, what do you guys/ladies think would happen if the Duke wrenched back his lands from Strahd? and how would that effect the core as a whole? Malocchio's Soldiers would certainly have a nasty time. that could be an awesome twist for pc's trying to take over the castle for Ms. Gabrielle Aderre.
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cure
Kartakan merchants would surely not refrain from selling weapons to the desperate sort of men who would run them into Barovia.
I have long imagined a small Kartakan hamlet a little east of the main road and very near the frontier. The Gundarakite resistance has caused a boom in the cottage industry of weapon manufacturing, has brought in a flood of stolen Barovian goods to pay for supplies and arms, has created a niche for poison manufacturing, perhaps with ties to Forlorn and its flora, and has filled the hamlet and its bar/inn with unsavoury types, resistors, profiteers, guides, spies, and of course bards, which is to say wolfweres.
A party could be hired to run weapons in and to bring refugees out. They could be hired to pull off a spectacular theft that would line the coffers of the resistance if only they can pull it off and make it back to the border. A darkling, who cannot of course cross the border himself, has always seemed to me to be one of the ideal central figures. And of course where Strahdt's spies, the Vistani come, Lukas' will go.
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Rotipher
Given all the teenage girls who were dragged off to be blood-chattels by Gundar's men after their parents failed to pay up -- plus the infanticide, child abandonment, and so on that no doubt resulted, as callous parents tried to dodge the "daughter tax" -- it seems that Gundarak would be an ideal place for LOTS of female ghosts, wraiths, and other vengeful spirits of all kinds. For that matter, now that being born female is no longer a criminal offence for Gundarakites, plenty of LIVING females might be up for a little payback; imagine the sort of mayhem that a nasty villainess -- Lyssa von Zarovich, for example, or Gabby herself if she's finally fed up with all those pesky males who keep complicating her life -- could incite amongst the Gundarakite women whose daughters were taken away (or suffocated at birth by a cruel and misery husband), merely by spreading ideas and a few handy poison recipes.
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Willowhugger
Hook 1# : Gundarak has an unusual curse upon it due to their Lord's affliction. Vampires and other undead in the domain slowly regain the ability to do certain activities but gradually have their other hungers increase.
* A Ghoul might slowly regain his good looks and intelligence but find his need for flesh even greater that he must kill a man to feast.
* Vampires regain the ability to have children but also gain violent sexual desires.
He might also lose his immortality.
* A Ghost gains the ability to fully manifest but continues having no ability to feel anything
Optional: This curse has afflicted Strahd who doesn't understand it still and it is slowly affecting him. He becomes desperate to somehow restore the Domain to Duke Gundar.
Hook 2# : Vlad Dracov has been secretly funding members of the former soldiers of Duke Gundar in Gunderak for some time now and is preparing to have a "far off" colony (that he might actually conquer since he can in no way directly coordinate the actions-which will only frustrate him more)
This movement is unrelated to Gabrielle Aderre's and Mallochio is funding them, resulting likely in a huge Civil War if they suceed in slaying Strahd's governors.
They believe they also have an impenetrable weapon against Strahd....Toben the Many.
Hook 3# : The Bandit Gang of Duke Gundar finally reaches Gunderak and Strahd Von Zharovich is challenged to a duel for the countryside. Strahd intends however to use a new spell he's devised with the Book of Souls to transfer lordship of the domains (and his curse) to Gunderak.
This matter is complicated though because Gunder has kidnapped the current incarnatioon of Tatyana and fallen for her!
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alhoon
Gundar was aging? His curse is that he is aging?
Malus Black : No-one said he aged fast. I believe it was one year per decade or something along those lines - but to a creature used to the prospect of eternal existence, it must have been terrifying.
Rotipher : Are you sure you aren't thinking of Tristan apBlanc...? He ages one year for every ten, but that's because he's (by day) a living being.
gonzoron : Gundar's aging non-canon, as far as I know, but I like it. It's from the BoSecrets article on him, as far as I can tell.
What was Gundar's level?
Malus Black : His writeup in the Book of Secrets put him as a 13th level Eminent Nosferatu fighter. I'm not sure what the canon answer is, or even if there is any.
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DeepShadow
In a lonely stretch of forest in Gundarak stands a crumbling tower of blackened stone, supposedly old even before Gundar ruled. It is believed curse, but few know the details; from time to time it is encircled in a ring of poisonous fog, and that's enough to deter visitors.
When fleeing Strahd on the night of the crescent moon, a paladin PC is advised to hide in the tower; apparently it is a blind spot in Strahd's ability to sense paladins. The PC is also warned to be gone before the crescent moon turns new.
Delayed, the character is forced to remain, and discovers the secret that has been hidden all these years: the tower has a master! A black-cloaked rider appears with the new moon, sends his sweat-lathered, coal-black steed to the pasture out back, and enters. Immediately he feels the chafe of the paladin's aura, but if the PC is quick, he may be able to escape, for the master of the tower cannot stray beyond a hundred yeards from the tower.
Not until the next crescent moon, when he mounts his coal-black horse and rides the Lonesome Road, searching for his head....
(P.S. This is a preview for my Headless Horseman revisited. Yes, his backstory belongs here in Gundarak, and while I won't say exactly why, he holds a razor-sharp clue in his hand when he rides....)
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alhoon
The PCs in an expedition or other adventure find a burned out book. Most of the book is unreadable. The parts that can be read seem to be written in Draconic. Studies about the undead and necromancy. However on the back cover of the book, the following is written (also in Draconic) with much more care and large letters.
"I'll burn, I'll destroy, I'll kill!
I'll wrench out the world from the hands of the living!
I'll remake the world as it should have been; as I want it!
Necrolyte."
Further study of the remainings of the book turn up that for the Necrolyte to put up a base of opperations in a place with the right ethereal resonance, he should make his lab "in a land once ruled by a vampire and now in the hands of a vampire". . . i.e. Gundarak.
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alhoon
A society of Gundarakite Rebels fighting against Strahd and Barovia has become a collection of extremists!
They have gathered around a powerful cleric that makes magic weapons to help them in their fight. Then, they take the war on Barovia acting as special saboteurs and terrorists.
The cleric's hate on Barovians has pushed him in finding a way to make cheap and effective weapons against them. He has found a way to distilize Gundarak's resonance against females and his own hate against Barovians.
A magic blade buried in the body of a Barovian maid and the corpse with the weapon buried in Gundarak's earth can be easily enchanted in a barovian Bane weapon(see below). The cleric has produced 3 Barovian bane blades and 9 lesser barovian bane blades that way.
The society operates in Barovian Gundarak to destabilize Strahd's authority and recruit agents, makes terrorist attacks in Barovia itself (more in order to take grim satisfaction in Barovians' suffering than anything else) and in neighbouring domains as adventurers and assassins to collect money and resources for their fight.
The society is evil. Rationalizing their blind hate, the members will attack a weak adventuring party in Invidia for example to take their equipment to use in their "just" cause. If the party has a Barovian in the numbers so much the better. If not. . . then well, tough luck for them.
Barovian Bane weapon: A magic weapon that has been baptised in Barovian blood with the ritual described above, can be turned to Barovian Bane or a lesser Barovian bane weapon cheaper.
A Barovian Bane magic weapon quality adds a +1 to the enchantment of the weapon. The weapon gives a +2 bonus on hit/damage rolls against all humans, but against Barovians it deals extra 2d6 damage.
If the above ritual isn't used, the weapon will be just as expensive as a human bane weapon but less useful.
However, if the above ritual is used (with the appropriate power check) the weapon costs 75% as much as it would. So a +1 human Bane longsword would cost 4000 gp and 320 XP while a +1 Barovian Bane longsword would cost 3000 gp and 240 XP.
Caster Level: 8th. Feats: Craft magic arms and armor. Spells: Greater magic weapon, bestow curse, summon monster I.
A Lesser Barovian Bane magic weapon quality adds a +1 to the enchantment of the weapon. The weapon gives a +1 bonus on hit/damage rolls against all humans, but against Barovians it deals extra 1d6 damage.
If the above ritual isn't used, the weapon will be just as expensive as a human bane weapon but far less useful.
However, if the above ritual is used (with the appropriate power check) the weapon costs 50% as much as it would. So a +1 human Bane longsword would cost 4000 gp and 320 XP while a +1 lesser Barovian Bane longsword would cost 2000 gp and 160 XP.
Caster Level: 8th. Feats: Craft magic arms and armor. Spells: Greater magic weapon, bestow curse, summon monster I.
The DM has to find a reason as to why the Extremists hate Barovians so much. Some could be victims of random brutalities made by the Barovians but the cleric should have a more defined reason.
PS. Don't ask why the SM I spell is needed in Bane weapons; I have no idea. The DMG has it as a prerequisite in Bane weapons. IMC this spell isn't needed.
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Manofevil
Huma's Blade! I think I actually have a hook to add for once.
Having seen a traveler's sketch of a prostitute in another province (take your pick) that bears a striking resemblance to a daughter of his taken to Gundar's castle the year before, A Gundarakite man and his broad extended family are convinced that every girl siezed by Duke Gundar is being sold into sexual slavery across the borders. This rural urban legend rapidly becomes a widespread held belief that is drumming up rebellion in the countryside. Any PCs in the area find themselves smack-dab in the middle of an uprising.
The run down on changes to take into account during the conjunction and the canon information on Gunderak are great.
What about necropolis? As I understand the timeline the whole death and Azalin affair is going on after (most of?) the conjunction campaign. Is that not a problem, or isn't any part of the campaign set in Darkon although Azalin is very much involved? (Or I am just mistaken in the timeline? ;) )
You guys are a new ravenloft masters dream come true
The run down on changes to take into account during the conjunction and the canon information on Gunderak are great.
What about necropolis? As I understand the timeline the whole death and Azalin affair is going on after (most of?) the conjunction campaign. Is that not a problem, or isn't any part of the campaign set in Darkon although Azalin is very much involved? (Or I am just mistaken in the timeline? ;) )
Necropolis is easy. Before the GC, Necropolis was a city called Il Aluk, the capitol of Darkon. It was populated by the living and was the largest city in the Core.
NotWD could work without the prophecy as well, but Touch of Death has the prophecy central to it, perhaps another prediction could be substituted.
You've got it backwards. Hyskosa's scroll and its prophecy are the crux of the plot in Night of the Walking Dead, but are a minor foreshadowing event in Touch of Death.
You've got it backwards. Hyskosa's scroll and its prophecy are the crux of the plot in Night of the Walking Dead, but are a minor foreshadowing event in Touch of Death.
From my quick screening of the scenarios I agree. I got the impression that the PCs are introduced to Hyskosas hexad in NotWD.
If one of the adventures requires a prophecy to drive the events, you can always concoct your own, to replace the Hexad for the purpose of just that particular adventure. It doesn't even need to be a true prophecy to motivate a villain's deranged plans, for that matter: a lot of Ravenloft's baddies aren't the most mentally-stable of folks.
This actually wouldn't help NotWD though, as the climax of the adventure is when the prophecy becomes true (which also gives the PCs the chance they need to defeat the otherwise too-powerful-for-them villain).