Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Jan 27, 2005 20:58:59	ok I have heared a few mentoins about ravenloft here and there but olny a few days ago it really sparked my interest when i found out it had a mixture of guns in the world (i was making a setting with guns) so i got very interested I just want to know what should i get/ download/ location/2e or 3e/core or phb? i just want to know When can i get this stuff and start (note i am a newbie)
#2 zombiegleemax Jan 28, 2005 6:48:29	I’d suggest reading a lot on the net about the setting. There are a number of really good web sites that have message boards like this and have information posted on the web. There are also several 2nd ed modules that are on Wizard’s site as free downloads. Download them and read them over. You’ll get more of an idea of what Ravenloft is all about. You might also want to look for any of the Ravenloft novels that were published. There were 20 in total. I think they are all out of print but often times when I go to one of the large book chains or small used bookshops I see copies floating around. They are getting harder and harder to find though. Anyway, the novels will help flesh out the setting and some of the key players like Strahd. Personally, I don’t see it as being about guns or different types of monsters… it’s more about the story and setting then anything else. Picture the old black and white classic monster movies. Creepy, dark and you don’t know who to trust. It’s a setting where the most evil being around is your only hope of surviving. The reason I point you to the novels to understand the key players is because they really are the setting. Without the darklords Ravenloft would be just like many other settings with just a darker tone to it.
#3 gotten Jan 28, 2005 9:02:01	You have a Ravenloft FAQ and other goodies at the FoS (check my sig) Joël
#4 zombiegleemax Jan 28, 2005 20:59:13	lildog im not saying that i want the world for the guns but thats what got ame interested now ive been doing a little reasearch my self (i can olny find one ravenloft download)
#5 zombiegleemax Jan 29, 2005 0:29:21	(i can olny find one ravenloft download) http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Drawing%20Room.htm They have links to all the ones that are out as free downloads. You can also sometimes find collections of Ravenloft stuff on ebay for cheap. Wizards also has most older adventures out as downloads you can get for about $5 each. Not ideal since I know I like to have the real copy in my hands but its better then nothing.
#6 zombiegleemax Feb 01, 2005 14:55:37	What is RL? Where do you start? In my mind RL is best defined by it heroes and villians. The greatest hero of the realm wasn't some uber mage like Elminster or a warrior like Conan. It was a 10th level expert named Rudolf van Richten who painstakingly researched the weaknesses of his enemies and made careful plans to defeat them...because there was no way he was *EVER* going to defeat his foes by going toe to toe with them. PCs who expect to be able to defeat every encounter through force of arms will likely die young. The bad guys are often a lot tougher than the PCs... But RL isn't about uber stated super villians who exist soley as a tactical challenge. Villians in Ravenloft are never evil for evil's sake. No two dimensional orc hordes or problems in the "troll fens". Villians tend to either be "human", something that can pass for "human" or something that was once "human but was corrupted. Cultists - werewolves and dopplegangers - Hags and the undead...these are the staples of RL foes PCs face. They usually have complex pasts, goals that they seek to achieve, and you can pass them walking down the street without noticing them. For example one of the most powerful characters in the setting Stradh von Zarovich. A vampiric noble who has become a masterful wizard, Strahd has the primary goal of possessing the "love" of woman periodically reincarnated into his realm. But though RL is a dark and moody realm evil is punished and Dark Powers see to it that events continue to frustrate his efforts...like *all* the other darklords and power NPCs events always conspire to thwart his deepest desires. Some nuts and bolts: Ravenloft (or the land of Mists as most natives call it) is a demiplane floating in the Ethereal Plane. Natives, regardless of culture, tend to be suspicious of outsiders, superstitious and have learned to keep their heads down without making waves. The nebulous Dark Powers (though inscrutible and unknowable) seem to ensure that virtue is tested and wickedness punished throughout RL. The main area is known as "the core" and is seemingly divided into domains (each the size of a small country) ruled by different people. Actually "prisons" is a better description of the domains function - each tailored to an individual cursed by fate and the Dark Powers. While gifted with powers and abilities that trump others in their domain, these Dark Lords (and Ladies) suffer curses that frustrate the desires dearest toi their black heart. These Dark Lords may be the political ruler of each domain but they may also just be a notible resident. The natives are almost always ignorant of the purposes of these domains, they just know the land changes just over the border - assuming they have ever been a days travel just beyond their village. PCs face special restrictions in RL. Travel and divinations have special rules and generally work poorly in RL...as two examples detect evil doesn't really work in RL (whats the point of hiding vampires and dopplegangers if the can be easily found out) and no mortal magic can shift someone out to another plane - though a few artifacts and/or other rare and mysterious processes can sometimes breach these restrictions. Primitive guns do exist as the more advanced domains approach renaisance technology (or even just beyond.) However other places are backwards...it largely depends on the nature of the Darklord and the domain. For example while in Borca or Richemuleot PCs might be ambushed by Masked Highwaymen or face a swashbuckling pistolier...but guns play a fairly minor role in the setting and player who want a lot of "crunch" option found in games like D20 modern will likely be disappointed by the paucity of "crunch" around such gun toting characters. The best place to start if you are interested in the setting is to look for a used copy of the Ravenloft Campaign Setting. Its a black hard-back book with a picture of a huge ruby "reflecting" a vampire on the cover. Hope you decide to give it a whirl! -Eric Gorman
#7 zombiegleemax Feb 02, 2005 6:41:15	:D :D im ready to give it a whirl!!! btw ive been studying it for a while and have gotten a little bit of the feel of ravenloft (i downloaded the original adventure just started reading) also is the campign setting 3/3.5e or adnd (couldnent find an adnd to download or buy) anyhoo thanks everybody (im not done yet though hahaha)
#8 manindarkness Feb 02, 2005 12:45:37	also is the campign setting 3/3.5e or adnd (couldnent find an adnd to download or buy) anyhoo thanks everybody (im not done yet though hahaha) The original is AD&D, but is nowadays published for the D20 by Arthaus/Sword & Sorcery. There were 2 CS boxes (the Black and the Red) and a book (Domains of Dread) for AD&D, and there are 2 CS books published by Arthaus (Ravenloft CS [3E] and RL Player's Handbook [3.5E]). The RL Dungeon Master Guide is not a campaign setting but a great aide for the mood and special rules. All 1E/2E RL stuff (except Bleak House) is available for download at a great price in www.svgames.com or another site that I don't remember. PS: Bleak House has arrived , my collection is complete, I embrace the mists.
#9 zombiegleemax Feb 03, 2005 14:57:40	For free downloads try www.kargatane.com the site has closed but all their netbooks are available on there, the Fraternity of Shadows also has a host of netbooks and other free material. Another good site is the Midway Haven Alchemical Observatory, not to mention the Mordentshire Catographic Society. I forget the url's of these last two sites, but a googling them should find them ;)
#10 zombiegleemax Feb 27, 2005 11:47:45	ok i got the players hand book and i liked it alot but i felt that it was missing how to adventure in it (i did read that one chapter on role playing in ravenloft) i just feel this gave rules not enough tips and detailed charicters (like i know count strad von .... was powerful and cool but not enough info on him stat wise) its a good book but im missing somthing!! what should i get next!!
#11 zombiegleemax Feb 27, 2005 14:18:57	Well, that's why you need the Dungeon Masters Guide :whatsthis But even then there seems to be a lack of information. I'm new to the setting as well, and the novels have helped me out a bit with getting the mood and themes down.
#12 zombiegleemax Feb 27, 2005 17:41:14	ok i got the players hand book and i liked it alot but i felt that it was missing how to adventure in it (i did read that one chapter on role playing in ravenloft) i just feel this gave rules not enough tips and detailed charicters (like i know count strad von .... was powerful and cool but not enough info on him stat wise) its a good book but im missing somthing!! what should i get next!! I'd follow that up with the DM guide, it will walk you through the DM side. Also if your interested I have two of the original adventures up on ebay right now with a starting bid of only 99 cents. For someone just starting off this might be a good way to read up for cheep. The one you might find the most inetersting is the original I6 Ravenloft adventure. It' has always been my fav. Just look for seller ID of Lildog7. I have a couple other items I'll be listing as well and often times they don't sell for all that much so you could find yourself getting a very good deal.
#13 gonzoron Mar 02, 2005 15:11:51	If you want Strahd's stats, you'll need Secrets of the Dream Realms (stats for (almost) all the darklords in the core, 1 prestige class and not much else) or Gazetteer I (incredibly detailed info on Barovia, Forlorn, Hazlan, Kartakass, and their respective lords including updated stats, and prominent NPC's and plot hooks). The stats for the Darklords were deliberately left out of the Player's Handbook/Campaign Setting. But really, his stats shouldn't be that important. He should be way too powerful for your first group of heroes to take on, so stat up a high level fighter/necromancer/vampire if you want and run with that. If they confront him, they should get crushed. The DM's guide will give you lots of practical tips on how to get the right mood, but if you're looking for "What should my first adventures be like?" the plot hooks in a Gazetteer should get you going. If not, downloading or buying an old 2e adventure (or anthology like Children of the Night: The Created for example) will point you in the right direction, and converting to 3e is mostly a matter of looking up monsters in the MM. Also poking around www.kargatane.com and www.fraternityofshadows.com is good advice.