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#1 vitomancer3 Jun 09, 2008 5:17:16

So I've been reading the Ebberon and Forgotten Realms versions of H1 and I keep thinking, jeeze, throw out trying to figure out alternate rules for fear/horror/madness/powers checks for a minute, why not just adjust set dressing accordingly to make this a Ravenloft piece? Now I'm just spitballing here but I wanted to get some input (linix style, we can make this amazing if everyone puts in): The village of Winterhaven is located in the domain of Kartakass. It is far enough away from Harmonia that it only occasionally sends merchants to trade (about every other month, save in winter). It is unseasonably warm and Harkon Lukas spends his winters there often (it is in fact winter) but hasn’t yet arrived in town (the PC’s will meet him on the way back from their first foray into the keep). Replace mention of Orcus with Vecna, throughout the mod. Ravenloft should be harder than a normal game. It is my advice that you look at the level of the party and increase the difficulty of encounters by 1 but never more than 2 over the party level (3 seems to be the Zen for the almost TPK). The party should be lured here by the hook that the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins have lost their uncle, a longtime friend of the party against the darkness, and he hasn’t been seen in months. Douven’s last name is Foxgrove. Have the Shadowfell just be an even darker version of Ravenloft (time to re-dye your blacks). I thought about whether or not to keep the planar Ravenloft problem and just decided that this should mostly be a mod with some Ravenloft flavor, as changing cosmologies could have all kinds of unknown effects on the module (as we’re only in H1). Add some encounters based on the domain: Kobolds aren’t very Ravenloft. Instead, replace them in the following ways. They are now: Madcaps, Small Natural Fey Keep all stats save that their description is: These creatures resemble children save for their long moustaches, blood-red caps, long sharp teeth and diaphanous wings on their backs that are fall too small to lift them. After Arriving in Winterhaven: Ninaran is a Dusk Hag, which will come up later. She still looks like an elf. She doesn’t appreciate the attention of the villagers and while she hasn’t been attacked (she literally smells funny to the wolfweres) she does clue the PC’s into the danger they’re in: On DC 17 Diplomacy: “I’d be careful around here if I were you. Some of the inns residents don’t always check out, which I’ve found during my stay. I can’t say why but I’d be careful about where I slept.” Inn Fight: Several of the villagers are actually wolfweres and attack the party before fleeing. This attack should be by surprise while they’re resting in the inn. Three wolfweres (below) and Bairwin (don’t bother with the whole added cult thing, rather just use the stats) attack after the first on the road attack. For every party member past the fifth, add a wolfwere. As soon as a wolfwere reaches bloodied it flees. They won’t answer questions about who’s a wolfwere and who’s not. If fleeing is impossible they fight to the death. They lead with Sleep, then follow by attacking in melee. Assume the room at the Inn is a cramped 2Wx4L square affair and remember to use the rules for squeezing. Beds are at each end, the second to bottom right wall has the door (which the wolfweres kick down) and the opposite wall has a large window. A3: Replace Irontooth with Ironteeth. Use Sightless Reapers in place of Kobold Dragonshields. Dark Servants replace Kobold Skirmishers. Add 1 social encounter challenges where they get to meet Harkon Lukas and either impresses him with their singing or he sends packs of wolves to kill them after courteously leaving. Until I read this section of the DMG someone else will have to write this up. Replace Hobgoblin Soldiers with Skeletons and the hobgoblin artillery with Dark Casters from the Forgotten Realms adaptation The gnome has poisoned Douven Foxgrove and the antidote is held by Kalaran. Douven explains that Kalaran wanted his help on the dig but that he wouldn’t give in to evil: “In this dark world it seems tempting even when one’s life is on the line to fall to it. They offered me the antidote if I would help on the dig but I would not. Now I’m doomed to slowly rot to death as the Zomboo poison slowly rots my limbs. Please fight Kalarel and if he should have the antidote he promised bring it back to me.” This provides some more tension for the party and strengthens the resolve to enter the keep and confront Kalarel. Also seeing the wretched state of their friend will motivate them to act quicker. Shadow wolves are useful as well and can provide some relief from the repetitive kobold encounters by replacing some of those with Lurker based encounters instead Wolfwere: Use werewolves and replace silver with Cold Iron and replace Bloodrage with Sleep (wizard, +2 vs. Will). -5 to all attacks initiative, and defenses, -2 damage takes to CR 3.