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<blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 8032600" data-attributes="member: 7635">Re: Ravenloft. I think if there was a setting in need of an overhaul, Ravenloft is probably it. Since much of its inspiration comes from Victorian (and earlier) &quot;gothic&quot; lit, a lot of it is locked into some very dated concepts. This is not to say gothic horror is bad, but that more than a few domains/Dark Lords need some work.A few examples:Anton Misroi (Souragne): A plantation owner who gets involved with voodoo and becomes a Lord of the Dead. Every Antebellum Louisiana trope put into one kettle. Big Yikes. Baron Urik Von Kharkov (Valacha): Hoo-boy. A black man with a germanic/slavic hybrid name ruling a jungle domain. Made worse when you find out he was a PANTHER turned into a man and then into a vampire. He is literally a beast-made-man-made-Dracula. Dominic d'Honaire (Dementilu): A mesmerist/echanter who gets more repulsive the more he finds someone attractive. Real creeper vibe with him.Gabrielle Adierre (Invidia): Vistani (with all those problems) mixed with evil seductress tropes.Tsien Chiang (I'Cath)/Haki Shinpi (Rokushima Taiyoo): Both have the same problem: based on horror from other cultures without consult from said culture. Needs a critical eye from someone familiar with the culture to make sure they aren't offensive. Maharaja Arijani (Sri Raji): Same, but this time India. The Amber Wastes (various lords): Someone call an Egyptologist, just in case.This is just the obvious yikes, not counting the numerous Fridged Women that exist in many a Darklord's history, right up to the poster-child himself, ole Strahdy-Von-Zee. The good news is that most of these domains can be reworked, and the ones that can't can be &quot;lost to the Mists&quot; easily. But it needs some TLC. Put another way, I can see why WotC hasn't ventured beyond Barovia in its products...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Remathilis, post: 8032600, member: 7635"] Re: Ravenloft. I think if there was a setting in need of an overhaul, Ravenloft is probably it. Since much of its inspiration comes from Victorian (and earlier) "gothic" lit, a lot of it is locked into some very dated concepts. This is not to say gothic horror is bad, but that more than a few domains/Dark Lords need some work. A few examples: Anton Misroi (Souragne): A plantation owner who gets involved with voodoo and becomes a Lord of the Dead. Every Antebellum Louisiana trope put into one kettle. Big Yikes. Baron Urik Von Kharkov (Valacha): Hoo-boy. A black man with a germanic/slavic hybrid name ruling a jungle domain. Made worse when you find out he was a PANTHER turned into a man and then into a vampire. He is literally a beast-made-man-made-Dracula. Dominic d'Honaire (Dementilu): A mesmerist/echanter who gets more repulsive the more he finds someone attractive. Real creeper vibe with him. Gabrielle Adierre (Invidia): Vistani (with all those problems) mixed with evil seductress tropes. Tsien Chiang (I'Cath)/Haki Shinpi (Rokushima Taiyoo): Both have the same problem: based on horror from other cultures without consult from said culture. Needs a critical eye from someone familiar with the culture to make sure they aren't offensive. Maharaja Arijani (Sri Raji): Same, but this time India. The Amber Wastes (various lords): Someone call an Egyptologist, just in case. This is just the obvious yikes, not counting the numerous Fridged Women that exist in many a Darklord's history, right up to the poster-child himself, ole Strahdy-Von-Zee. The good news is that most of these domains can be reworked, and the ones that can't can be "lost to the Mists" easily. But it needs some TLC. Put another way, I can see why WotC hasn't ventured beyond Barovia in its products... [/QUOTE]

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