Expidition to Castle Ravenloft - Spoilers and Answers

[Felon]

As I said, since we don't say anything about him being in Ravenloft, and WOTC has approved this, then the owners of the character have no problem with this approach. We continue to act as if he was never there. This works just fine for Dragonlance and doesn't change the play experience of anybody running Ravenloft campaigns, or enjoying the two Soth novels, or using older materials. What it does mean is that there is no official support for Soth being in Ravenloft at any time in the current established continuity.

As somebody who is responsible for a lot of retroactive continuity wrinkle-smoothing, I fully understand that ire that arises when something is changed from an older source. My response to this is always the same: if you don't like it, don't play it that way.

Cheers,
Cam

You're kinda talking like I should know who you are. Should I? Get a sig, my friend. It's like your business card around here

 

[Cam Banks]

You're kinda talking like I should know who you are. Should I? Get a sig, my friend. It's like your business card around here

But I use my real name!

I'm a freelance designer, author, and developer for Sovereign Press/Margaret Weis Productions. I've contributed to all of their Dragonlance products with the exception of the Tasslehoff's Map Pouches, and I wrote the Ecology of the Draconian in the last Dragon magazine Campaign Classics issue. I have a Dragonlance short story and novel coming out in 2007 from Wizards of the Coast, as well.

Cheers,
Cam

 

[Felon]

And now I know who Cam Banks is. Thanks for humoring me.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

Soth wasn't in the black box...

pages 78-79.

Joël

 

[Swedish Chef]

Thanks Swedish Chef!

What percentage of encounters would you say allow players to avoid or escape combat? I'd like to know if I could run a group of 7-8 players with 3rd-4th level characters that focus on avoiding combat as much as possible. Are most of the encounters "Go kill x to get y" or are there other ways of accomplishing campaign goals?

The module provides many options for roleplay interaction with the NPCs. Many encounters can be negotiated through. Others, however, can only be completed by defeating your opponents. You may want your players to be 4/5th level. They can, however, run from most encounters if necessary.

 

[teitan]

pages 78-79.

Joël

Well spank me and call me gerbil boy... I forgot all about that.

 

[reanjr]

By that reasoning, since Krynnish gods were given realms in the Great Wheel cosmology in Fiendish Codex I, and WotC approved of it, that's where that stands. You must therefore consider any Dragonlance books that had previously suggested that Krynn has a seperate cosmology to be nothing more than a well-written "what if?" scenario.

In 2e I think the general concensus was that the Krynnish gods lived on the great ring, but the limited planar knowledge the Krynnish people had caused them to misinterpret their cosmological placement. It makes sense. Most religions go through cosmological restructuring at some point (i.e. Catholic's Purgatory and Limbo). So one can assume that they are coming to a greater understanding when they realize where the gods really live.

 

[clarkvalentine]

So one can assume that they are coming to a greater understanding when they realize where the gods really live.

As far as current (3rd ed, 5th Age of Krynn) Dragonlance continuity goes, though, the Great Wheel doesn't exist, the peoples' understanding of it notwithstanding. As far as Krynn is concerned, anywa; this doesn't impact other settings one bit.

It's possible I got your point backwards and that's exactly what you're saying, apologies if that's so.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

Well spank me and call me gerbil boy... I forgot all about that.

I would not, since I also made this kind of overlook / mistake in the past

Joël

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Want to make Ravenloft really difficult for your players?
Give Strahd some help, in the form of a high level cleric with a new spell, called Resurrection of the Undead as Undead. Then take that cleric and hide him/her/it (as Strahd would do) in some remote place well away from the Castle. Or even go so far as to put that cleric in stasis, with a contingency set up that if Strahd is killed, the stasis ends and the cleric wakes up, geas/quested (you just can't trust evil clerics) to raise Strahd.
And if you are feeling really nasty, when the party returns victoriously home from killing Strahd, have an angry Strahd send them a little 'victory present' to show him his appreciation of their efforts to kill him (make sure it hurts enough to make them want to go back after him again, of course.)

I suggest - just a suggestion - that you strictly stay away from the old cliche of: party finds casket, party opens casket and finds sleeping vampire, party stakes vampire, vampire dies. This is an insult to Strahd's intelligence (not to mention Dracula's.)
If your character had a special weakness, wouldn't he take countermeasures to protect himself? Sure he would! So, why wouldn't Strahd. Certainly, he didn't get to be Count Von Strahd, ruler of Barovia, by being silly or careless.

If your players have a problem with this, remind them of all the extra experience points and/or treasure they'll get, killed Strahd the second time around. And remind them that they chose to take on this powerful, dangerous opponent. If they expect you to be a nasty DM, then be a nasty DM and remind them that - until Strahd is gone for good - they are marked men and women for the rest of their lives (and unlives, which won't be very nice as Strahd exacts a cruel retaliation.)

Greetings, Cam. Cheers to Dragonlance. It was my favorite main setting.
If you are REALLY feeling nasty, have a kender somehow sneak along with the party into Barovia. This shouldn't be so hard, considering kender (if one of them could sneak into Par-Salian's Time Travel spell, one should be able to sneak into Barovia with adventurers!)
Then, once the kender is Barovia, naturally he or she will want to:

1. Explore the Castle (neat Castle, heard all about it!)
2. Meet and chat with the Count (Vampire? He must have some interesting stuff to relate!)
3. Learn all about undeath (just how does that work? Is it magic? Is it something else?)
4. Learn if there are any kender undead.
5. Ask if the Mists contact Krynn, and where, and how.
6. Ask how Paladine and Takhisis think of Ravenloft and it's interaction with Krynn.
7. Ask questions all hours of the day and night, ESPECIALLY when monsters are approaching that the party is trying to ambush (let's go talk to them!)

Remember, players, that killing a kender is an evil act. Restraining a kender is nearly impossible. Leaving a kender behind in Barovia is tantamount to murder, and also thus an evil act. And committing evil acts in RAVENLOFT ... is a *real* bad idea ...

If nothing else, your players will have more sympathy for the Heroes of the Lance after they survive the game ...