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[Let's Read] DM's Guild Ravenloft Sourcebooks
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9154674" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/PCVhCTT.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/product/322081/Vallakis-Got-Talent" target="_blank"><strong>Product Link</strong></a></p><p></p><p><strong>Product Type:</strong> Adventure (Mini-Game)</p><p></p><p><strong>CoS-Required?</strong> Yes</p><p></p><p>Besides being the largest population center in Barovia, Vallaki is known for its many mandatory festivals. While the Baron’s poor attempts at enlivening community spirit is a major part of resentment against his regime, the traveling bard Rictavio is of a different bent. Vallaki’s Got Talent is an additional scenario that takes place before the Festival of the Blazing Sun, where Rictavio invites the PCs to perform with him for the upcoming festival.</p><p></p><p>But wait, you might ask? Rictavio isn’t actually a Bard, and his Charisma and Performance modifiers are a mere +0 each! That is true, but Rictavio compensates for this by substituting cantrips that can pass for sleight of hand and illusory entertainment, giving him a +5 modifier. We even have a sidebar of how he can use his cantrips, such as using Thaumaturgy to perform a ventriloquist act with the monkey Piccolo and make it seem like they’re talking to each other.</p><p></p><p>For the event itself, the players are encouraged prior to the session to come up with various performances of their own, ideally playing off of the talents of their PCs. Each performance is a Performance check or another skill based on DM permission, and the result of the roll affects the Aplauda-Meter measuring the crowd’s overall enthusiasm and good spirit (or lack thereof). The Aplauda-Meter ranges from -10 to 10, and begins at -3 given that the people of Vallaki are not eager to be there.</p><p></p><p>Vallaki’s Got Talent can be resolved in one of two ways: the PCs genuinely trying to uplift the people’s spirits and have a good time, or use the performances as an opportunity to turn public sentiment against Baron Vallakovich. In the former case, the evening can resolve from Rictavio and the party being forced out of town by an angry Baron at worst (-3 or below), to people warming up to the Baron and reducing Lady Wachter’s influence in town (+10 and above). Middling results can earn Rictavio’s trust (2- to +5). Better results can net discounts and free gifts for goods and services from townsfolk, while the party may possibly learn Rictavio’s true identity as well at the best result (+6 to +10)!</p><p></p><p>In the event that the PCs wish to incite rebellion, the worst result involves a resentful crowd relieved that the Festival is over, causing Lady Wachter to doubt the party’s capabilities (0 or below). A middling result causes dissent to spread, the Wachter cult gains more momentum, and the Baron orders Izek and the town guard to remove the party from Vallaki (+1 to +5). The best result puts the town on the edge of a riot, causing the Baron to send Izek out to arrest the party which angers the townsfolk even more, to the delight of Lady Wachter and Strahd (+6 and higher).</p><p></p><p>The final part of this short supplement says that these rules can be used for generic performances outside of the Curse of Strahd adventure. There’s also an in-character story based off of Tolstoy’s the Crane, the Crab, and the Fish, but adopted for Barovian fauna which is told by Rictavio during the festival.</p><p></p><p><strong>Overall Thoughts:</strong> For a supposed carnival ringmaster, Rictavio doesn’t really do much entertaining in the default adventure beyond sharing tales with regulars at the Blue Water Inn. So I appreciate the idea of him participating in some pre-Festival festivities as a means of strengthening his carnie persona, and I do like the clever use of cantrips for putting on a show. I also like how it gives an otherwise underused skill in 5th Edition some love. I do feel that one of the initial results is a bit sudden in terms of narration: Rictavio revealing his true identity to who may as well be strangers feels very out of character. Sure they can Perform well, but that doesn’t prove they can keep his secret safe from Strahd!</p><p></p><p><strong>Join us next time as we take on the role of the Knights of the Silver Dragon going to war with Strahd in the prequel adventure, Assault on Castle Ravenloft!</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 9154674, member: 6750502"] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PCVhCTT.jpg[/img][/center] [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/322081/Vallakis-Got-Talent][b]Product Link[/b][/url] [b]Product Type:[/b] Adventure (Mini-Game) [b]CoS-Required?[/b] Yes Besides being the largest population center in Barovia, Vallaki is known for its many mandatory festivals. While the Baron’s poor attempts at enlivening community spirit is a major part of resentment against his regime, the traveling bard Rictavio is of a different bent. Vallaki’s Got Talent is an additional scenario that takes place before the Festival of the Blazing Sun, where Rictavio invites the PCs to perform with him for the upcoming festival. But wait, you might ask? Rictavio isn’t actually a Bard, and his Charisma and Performance modifiers are a mere +0 each! That is true, but Rictavio compensates for this by substituting cantrips that can pass for sleight of hand and illusory entertainment, giving him a +5 modifier. We even have a sidebar of how he can use his cantrips, such as using Thaumaturgy to perform a ventriloquist act with the monkey Piccolo and make it seem like they’re talking to each other. For the event itself, the players are encouraged prior to the session to come up with various performances of their own, ideally playing off of the talents of their PCs. Each performance is a Performance check or another skill based on DM permission, and the result of the roll affects the Aplauda-Meter measuring the crowd’s overall enthusiasm and good spirit (or lack thereof). The Aplauda-Meter ranges from -10 to 10, and begins at -3 given that the people of Vallaki are not eager to be there. Vallaki’s Got Talent can be resolved in one of two ways: the PCs genuinely trying to uplift the people’s spirits and have a good time, or use the performances as an opportunity to turn public sentiment against Baron Vallakovich. In the former case, the evening can resolve from Rictavio and the party being forced out of town by an angry Baron at worst (-3 or below), to people warming up to the Baron and reducing Lady Wachter’s influence in town (+10 and above). Middling results can earn Rictavio’s trust (2- to +5). Better results can net discounts and free gifts for goods and services from townsfolk, while the party may possibly learn Rictavio’s true identity as well at the best result (+6 to +10)! In the event that the PCs wish to incite rebellion, the worst result involves a resentful crowd relieved that the Festival is over, causing Lady Wachter to doubt the party’s capabilities (0 or below). A middling result causes dissent to spread, the Wachter cult gains more momentum, and the Baron orders Izek and the town guard to remove the party from Vallaki (+1 to +5). The best result puts the town on the edge of a riot, causing the Baron to send Izek out to arrest the party which angers the townsfolk even more, to the delight of Lady Wachter and Strahd (+6 and higher). The final part of this short supplement says that these rules can be used for generic performances outside of the Curse of Strahd adventure. There’s also an in-character story based off of Tolstoy’s the Crane, the Crab, and the Fish, but adopted for Barovian fauna which is told by Rictavio during the festival. [b]Overall Thoughts:[/b] For a supposed carnival ringmaster, Rictavio doesn’t really do much entertaining in the default adventure beyond sharing tales with regulars at the Blue Water Inn. So I appreciate the idea of him participating in some pre-Festival festivities as a means of strengthening his carnie persona, and I do like the clever use of cantrips for putting on a show. I also like how it gives an otherwise underused skill in 5th Edition some love. I do feel that one of the initial results is a bit sudden in terms of narration: Rictavio revealing his true identity to who may as well be strangers feels very out of character. Sure they can Perform well, but that doesn’t prove they can keep his secret safe from Strahd! [b]Join us next time as we take on the role of the Knights of the Silver Dragon going to war with Strahd in the prequel adventure, Assault on Castle Ravenloft![/b] [/QUOTE]
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