4E Ravenloft

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm not sure you'll ever get "Lord Azalin has sealed his border against Dragov's forces, trapping the PCs in Darkon. Several Vistani offer you safe passage through the Mists, but they demand a terrible price to do so." Ravenloft. Which is a bit of a shame.

I don't know how hard it'd be to simulate the mists -- which really varied in their presentation from dreadlord to dreadlord, anyway -- and replicate that scenario. Instead of the mists being part of the default cosmology, it can just be the product of the dreadlord's powers or perhaps a magic item, as appropriate.

Although, honestly, in a strict PoL setting, I'd just use such scenarios as part of the World, rather than as a separate plane, which I'd find creepier, personally: Stuff like this can happen again just over the next hill, rather than in some mysterious Other Place. (Which is why all the best horror movies, going back to Hitchcock's Psycho, which starts out appearing to be an entirely different movie, about a woman on the run with stolen cash, go for the mundane before scaring the crap out of the audience.)

 

[Mokona]

I don't grok how something could work as a one-off adventure module, but not be very playable.

I wasn't specific enough. The Ravenloft of the past isn't very playable as an ongoing campaign setting. It needs a lot of changes to work as the kind of campaign setting which would support a Ravenloft Campaign book, Ravenloft Player's Guide, and one Ravenloft Adventure module.

I don't deny that people have successfully played Ravenloft campaigns. It's just that the Ravenloft setting assumptions so violate the core play of Dungeons & Dragons that Ravenloft...well, it isn't very approachable as a full blown campaign world.

 

[Shemeska]

It's just that the Ravenloft setting assumptions so violate the core play of Dungeons & Dragons that Ravenloft...well, it isn't very approachable as a full blown campaign world.

Given that you're obviously from another planet, does the light of our yellow sun give you special superpowers?

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Well, WOTC has said they are bringing back Dark Sun and Spelljammer, so why not Ravenloft too?
they WERE the best settings for D&D, IMHO.

 

[Phaezen]

Well, WOTC has said they are bringing back Dark Sun and Spelljammer, so why not Ravenloft too?
they WERE the best settings for D&D, IMHO.

Well as far as I can see, Spelljammers are in the Manual of the Planes. They now travel the Astral Plane between worlds and not the Phlogiston.

Ravenloft has also been handeled to a point. The domains are in the Shadowfell, and some do make worldfall from time to time.

Phaezen

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Phaezen,
yes I know, but WOTC folk explicitly stated Dark Sun and Spelljammer settings are gonna be revamped, same as for Forgotten Relams

(just hope they don't make such a dman mess as 4th ed FR!)

 

[Jack99]

Phaezen,
yes I know, but WOTC folk explicitly stated Dark Sun and Spelljammer settings are gonna be revamped, same as for Forgotten Relams

(just hope they don't make such a dman mess as 4th ed FR!)

Where was this explicitly stated?

 

[Remathilis]

Phaezen,
yes I know, but WOTC folk explicitly stated Dark Sun and Spelljammer settings are gonna be revamped, same as for Forgotten Relams

(just hope they don't make such a dman mess as 4th ed FR!)

I'm certain they will make a mess of it. ;-)

 

[Wraith Form]

Where was this explicitly stated?

My question, too.

As to the discussion, I'll take my Ravenloft however, whereever and whenever I can get it.

I liked both the "weekend in hell" and "you are natives to the Mists" models and see the good and bad features of both.

I think 4th edition will better support the weekend in hell concept, as this edition is quite heavily focused on combat (even moreso than previous editions), but I won't spit on WotC if they wanted to re-release the full-blown campaign setting..!

 

[Mokona]

you're obviously from another planet

Noted.

I love the Ravenloft concept. I have only my understanding of the Wizards R&D approach to 4th edition to guide my guess about what they'll do to Ravenloft in order to release it as a 4th edition setting.

If Wizards of the Coast releases Ravenloft as the campaign setting for one cycle (year), I predict they'll make major changes on the order of the changes where the Great Wheel cosmology morphed in to the Astral Sea & Elemental Chaos.

This is just my prediction and if it bothers anyone then I suppose you can pray that I don't know Wizards methods well enough to forecast accurately.