4e Ravenloft - Dragon 368

[GrimGent]

Well, the Ravenloft that I most accurately remember (and it could be horribly distorted) was xenophobic to the point of hysteria, much like the stereotypical "Wallachias" of the Dracula-style movies. Insular, frightened, and over-protective, these villages shut their doors and their minds to all that is outside because everything outside -- from the wind to the sun to the ever-present mist -- is alien, evil, and possessed of a black soul of corruption.

The details varied from one domain to another, naturally enough, but at least the populace of the 3e campaign setting published by White Wolf was roughly about 99.9% human (or at least masquerading as human), and even elves suffered from an "Outcast Rating" of 3 which acted as a penalty to all social skills except Intimidate. Many would in all likelihood see them either as freaks who have mutilated their own ears or unnatural creatures in league with the powers of darkness. Being greeted by a mob with torches and pitchforks is a distinct possibility.

 

[malraux]

The details varied from one domain to another, naturally enough, but at least the populace of the 3e campaign setting published by White Wolf was roughly about 99.9% human (or at least masquerading as human), and even elves suffered from an "Outcast Rating" of 3 which acted as a penalty to all social skills except Intimidate. Many would in all likelihood see them either as freaks who have mutilated their own ears or unnatural creatures in league with the powers of darkness. Being greeted by a mob with torches and pitchforks is a distinct possibility.

I wouldn't be shocked to see this aspect changed somewhat. I suspect WotC wants to remove all "surprise, you're character is now useless" situations. I can see Barovia being unwelcome to all outsiders, but I'll be that they don't go out of their way to penalize particular races.

 

[Irda Ranger]

I suspect WotC wants to remove all "surprise, you're character is now useless" situations. I can see Barovia being unwelcome to all outsiders, but I'll be that they don't go out of their way to penalize particular races.

Agreed, and too bad. The Core Settings (FR, Eb, "PoL-Land") can be a polyglot melting pot if that's what WotC wants, but other campaign settings should be free to play by different rules. No aquatic elves in Dark Sun, for instance.

If a DM took his Eb group (including an elf Chr-rogue) and forcably dropped them in Ravenloft to a greeting of "surprise, you're character is now useless", that would be Not Cool (TM). But with informed consent where everyone makes their characters in full knowledge of how the setting works no one would have to be "forced" into that situation.

That being said, WotC also has rule of "No bad choices", which I'm fine with as far as game design goes. It may be just easier to say "Look, Ravenloft is a xenophobic place. Don't make a character that 'looks funny' if you don't want them to get lynched."

I can hope, anyway.

 

[Vocenoctum]

If a DM took his Eb group (including an elf Chr-rogue) and forcably dropped them in Ravenloft to a greeting of "surprise, you're character is now useless", that would be Not Cool (TM). But with informed consent where everyone makes their characters in full knowledge of how the setting works no one would have to be "forced" into that situation.

Part of the fun of DMing Ravenloft was getting the group into RL in such a way that they didn't KNOW they were in Ravenloft for a while. You have to know your players of course, but "atmosphere" tended to go by adventure rather than by setting for me.

As for Ravenloft's "human-centric" setting, while they tended to be human-centric in my game, the elves/gnomes weren't singled out or anything. All the PC's were set apart from society, if a human magic user or human fighter wandered into Barovia, they were looked on with suspicion until proven and needed.

 

[malraux]

It may be just easier to say "Look, Ravenloft is a xenophobic place. Don't make a character that 'looks funny' if you don't want them to get lynched."

I can hope, anyway.

Xenophobic is reasonably fine. I don't think its unreasonable to assume that the residents of the DoD will be untrusting of strangers. I just don't think its a great idea for that to come out as just afraid of anything not human, but any outsiders.

 

[Echohawk]

Getting back to Soth, he both left Ravenloft and was killed off before Sovereign Press knew they were getting the license for dragonlance, if memory serves me correctly.

Yes, Lord Soth left Ravenloft and returned to Dargaard Keep at the end of the Ravenloft novel Spectre of the Black Rose, which was published in March 1999. That was more than four years before Sovereign Press released Age of Mortals, and two years before the company was founded.

 

[EATherrian]

Xenophobic is reasonably fine. I don't think its unreasonable to assume that the residents of the DoD will be untrusting of strangers. I just don't think its a great idea for that to come out as just afraid of anything not human, but any outsiders.

In the Domains of Dread you should be afraid of anyone you haven't known your entire life. You should just be cautious of them.

 

[Treebore]

Yeah Van Richten was cool
Very disgusted with way he, Khelben Blackstaff and Halaster got killed off, grr!!!
Never mind the Sorceror Kings in Dark Sun, double grr!!!!

They were never killed off! Oh, you mean what TSR and WOTC did with THEIR versions. Well, my versions are alive and well, thank you.

 

[Treebore]

As for making DoD part of the core, its easy to do. When I did my "Conglomerate World", where I have every setting I like that isn't its own full world, I put this HUGE black cloud bank down in the southwest corner between the continents of Airhde and the continent of Cascandia. Guess what that huge cloud bank encloses? Yep, you guessed it, the Domains of Dread. Works fine. I even threw in the Island of King Kong nearby just for the fun of it, since Necromancer Games did such a nice 3E version of it.

 

[Treebore]

Agreed, and too bad. The Core Settings (FR, Eb, "PoL-Land") can be a polyglot melting pot if that's what WotC wants, but other campaign settings should be free to play by different rules. No aquatic elves in Dark Sun, for instance.

If a DM took his Eb group (including an elf Chr-rogue) and forcably dropped them in Ravenloft to a greeting of "surprise, you're character is now useless", that would be Not Cool (TM). But with informed consent where everyone makes their characters in full knowledge of how the setting works no one would have to be "forced" into that situation.

That being said, WotC also has rule of "No bad choices", which I'm fine with as far as game design goes. It may be just easier to say "Look, Ravenloft is a xenophobic place. Don't make a character that 'looks funny' if you don't want them to get lynched."

I can hope, anyway.

Well, only certain parts of Ravenloft are Xenophobic, meaning the full Domains of Dread. Plus, at the levels you were supposed to bring them into the setting in 2E (5th+ level IIRC) they were usually very capable of good basic disguises.

No one was ever useless in my games. Once they discovered disguises would be a good idea. Which the discovery was part of the fun, IMO.