Highlights (since these are public docs, I'm not using SPOILER tags):
- Spellcasting services during Season 4 are only available from Jeny Greenteeth, the hag from DDEX 1-8, Tales Trees Tell. Characters with the Acolyte background can not use their background benefit during Season 4 adventures. Spells cast by Jeny also have a downtime day cost, unless the character agrees to perform a random task for Jeny as determined by a table included in the ALDMG.
- Faction Charity during Season 4 is more accurately Dark Power Charity -- any character who returns from the dead via this method gains a Dark Gift (determined randomly) and the 'Touched by the Mists' story award (which makes you appear to be an evil undead creature when in the area of effect of a Detect Good and Evil spell). The advantage is that the character can choose to use this free resurrection during the adventure, and returns to life at "the start of the next round", not necessarily on his turn in the initiative order. The Dark Gift can be removed by a Remove Curse spell, but it is not clear if the story award is also removed if the Dark Gift is removed.
Edit: a later sidebar notes that, while in Barovia, characters can gain renown points, but do not advance in rank or have the ability to undertake secret missions until after they return to Faerun.
- DM XP is now determined from a matrix based on the target level of the adventure and the length of the adventure (2 or 4 hours). Running a hard-cover adventure grants DM XP for each 2 hour *session* run, regardless of whether that session ends or contains the end of an episode. The DM also earns gold equal to half the amount of XP gained for the session. Every two hours of play gives a DM 5 downtime days as a reward.
- DMs can also download a 'DM Quest' pack from the DMs Guild; completing the quest tasks on this packet grants the DM additional rewards as noted in the packet.
- Allowed Rules for Curse of Strahd are the PH/Basic Rules (the SRD is not mentioned but is included by implication as it has replaced the Basic Rules), Curse of Strahd Appendix A (the Haunted One background and the list of Gothic trinkets), Monster Manual Appendix A (beasts only), and the SCAG. There is a sidebar that indicates what material from SCAG is modified or disallowed for AL play. Use of the EEPG instead of the SCAG is not noted, so it is not clear if it is allowed.
- The section on Deities explicitly allows a choice from the Forgotten Realms deities listed in the PH as well as in the SCAG.
- Starting lifestyles for backgrounds from the SCAG are included.
- "Certain rechargeable items can be recharged only within a particular storyline, including items such as wingwear and balloon packs from the Elemental Evil storyline. Such items are treated as consumable items outside that storyline." So while you are playing Season 2 modules or the Princes of the Apocalypse adventure, those items do still count as permanent, rechargeable items -- I assume this would include if you take a character who had played adventures outside of Season 2 and returned to play other Season 2 adventures (such as a character returning to play Tier 2 adventures after reaching level 5).
- "Once characters enter Barovia by playing the launch event adventure Death House, DDAL-4-01 Suits of the Mists, or the hardback Curse of Strahd adventure, they cannot return to Faerun. As long as they are trapped in Strahd's realm, characters cannot participate in any adventure or event that takes place outside Barovia."
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Pauper
