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Message: <blockquote data-quote="humble minion" data-source="post: 8269883" data-attributes="member: 5948">When to comes to clothing and general aesthetic though, Ravenloft has always trended historically-later that most D&D settings, probably because so many of its source inspirations come from the late 1800s.   The art etc is trying to reflect that, or at least split the difference between 1800s Gothic literature and the default vaguely-approximately-medieval assumptions of D&D.  And it's worth remembering that D&D adventurers will almost always be insanely rich by commoner standards after a couple of levels.  A healing potion is worth nearly two months labor for a farmhand for instance, and even low level PCs will often have a couple of them hanging around.  I suspect clothes shopping very rarely comes up in many campaigns, but I'd expect most PCs would certainly have the money to dress in the style of the nobility if they wanted.  It might even be a plot point in some places.  Are certain clothing styles associated with or restricted the nobility or landholders?  If wealthy commoners attire themselves that way, can it help them get access into the halls of power or do they get scorned as gauche new money or thugs getting above themselves?  Will high-class modistes even take grubby adventurers on as clients?  Are there sumptuary laws?  Are there even certain styles associated with political or cultural subgroups, and are the PCs aware of this and what happens if they make a faux pas by dressing the wrong way to an audience or something?  There's prominent historical examples of people attaining wealth and influence through being known as fashion trendsetters (Beau Brummell is the obvious one) - how does a PC go about this?  If you've got that awesomely powerful Cloak of the Archmage or Ring of Protection but it's soooo embarrassingly unfashionable and you're trying to make a good impression at court, the matter of when you do and don't choose to wear it is a genuinely meaningful and difficult choice.  When clothing is status, clothing is COMPLICATED.  On the bright side, this is probably a good way to get your money's worth out of that proficiency in Weavers Tools!(Yes, I've been reading a lot of Regency comedy-of-manners stuff recently, vaguely intending to rip the Ravenloft book to pieces once i get it and cobble together a Gothic Austenian England setting out of the useful bits - I find this stuff absolutely fascinating)</blockquote>

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