Need a crash course in Ravenloft (S&S 3.5 version)

[RigaMortus2]

I am looking for fluff, game setting info, and stuff like that. Any general information people can give me will help. I am aware it is "gothic fantasy" with some "horror themes" thrown in there. Any other info would be great.

A couple specific questions I do have though...

1) In the defaul setting, is Necromancy an accepted form of magic? Or is that reserved for the bad guys?

2) If using the "fiendish" Warlock class from Complete Arcane, would something like that be more/less acceptable than a Necromancer.

We will be starting a new Ravenloft game in the next few weeks, and we need some ideas that would fit the setting and have party cohesion. We want a Clerical-type character, one that is very pious. Was toying with the idea of another player being a Warlock or Dread Necro, if that is something accepted by people. If that is taboo in the setting, we'll probably nix that idea.

Thanks for any advice, tips, info you can give...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Pretty much everything evil-flavored is acceptable in Ravenloft, but there's a price. The dark powers want that stuff to be used, and boost the characters who use them, but eventually, they get turned into monstrous NPCs.

 

[jdrakeh]

1) In the defaul setting, is Necromancy an accepted form of magic? Or is that reserved for the bad guys?

If you're in Ravenloft, you may be a bad guy. Generally people only end up there if they've done something really, really, really bad on another plane. It's basically a sentient demi-plane that feeds on evil and draws those who commit great acts of evil to it.

Escape from the demi-plane is possible but it's really not so much 'escape' as it is convincing the demi-plane that your presence there will weaken it rather than make it stronger -- at which time it will spit you out.

Ravenloft's 'heroes' tend to be much less likeable (or even heroic) than your typical D&D paragon of good. Consider Lord Soth, a one-time resident of Ravenloft, since regurgitated onto a Prime Material plane where he eventually found some measure of peace.

 

[Klaus]

If you're in Ravenloft, you may be a bad guy. Generally people only end up there if they've done something really, really, really bad on another plane. It's basically a sentient demi-plane that feeds on evil and draws those who commit great acts of evil to it.

Escape from the demi-plane is possible but it's really not so much 'escape' as it is convincing the demi-plane that your presence there will weaken it rather than make it stronger -- at which time it will spit you out.

Ravenloft's 'heroes' tend to be much less likeable (or even heroic) than your typical D&D paragon of good. Consider Lord Soth, a one-time resident of Ravenloft, since regurgitated onto a Prime Material plane where he eventually found some measure of peace.

Just to make it clear:

Ever since the 2e Domains of Dread book, and that was reinforced in 3.x, the focus of the book has been on heroes *native* to Ravenloft. So none of this "we're trying to escape" nonsense. You were born in a world where evil is rewarded and good people huddle around fireplaces at night trying to live long enough to see the dawn.

It's like 4e's "points of light" assumption, but the points of light are more light flickering matches trying to to illuminate the void of space.

 

[jdrakeh]

Just to make it clear:

Ever since the 2e Domains of Dread book, and that was reinforced in 3.x, the focus of the book has been on heroes *native* to Ravenloft. So none of this "we're trying to escape" nonsense. You were born in a world where evil is rewarded and good people huddle around fireplaces at night trying to live long enough to see the dawn.

It's like 4e's "points of light" assumption, but the points of light are more light flickering matches trying to to illuminate the void of space.

Hmm. . . I knew that was the default assumption in the 2e Domains of Dread book. I must have missed that part in the 3.0 Ravenloft books (I never bothered with 3.5).

 

[Rechan]

Crash course:

Creatures: "Boo."
NPCs. "IT's EATING US!"
The Plane: "Eeeexcellent."

I don't know about "Taboo in the setting". In general, the people there are a lot like medieval europe: scared out of their wits, huddled together and fairly insular, as far as I can tell. So a Necromancer might make them keep their distance, and the peasants might get torches, but you're just "Yet another number of evil entities out there."

Something else to keep in mind: Ravenloft is a cobbling of different "Genres" or "Time Periods" of horror. Over here is a Renaissance/Victorian England area, over there is a "European Colony in a Jungle" type area, another is traditional Transylvania with misty mountains and vampires. Another may be pure Egyptian. Each area or Realm in Ravenloft has its own Lord, whose presence basically shapes the realm itself. They're sort've like a less-powerful demi-god in their own little pocket of Ravenloft.

A warlock shouldn't have too much trouble. If anything, you don't look evil, unlike a Dread Necro.

 

[Klaus]

Hmm. . . I knew that was the default assumption in the 2e Domains of Dread book. I must have missed that part in the 3.0 Ravenloft books (I never bothered with 3.5).

Every domain description has guidelines for natives.

Back in the Fraternity of Shadows website I posted a map made up of the Ravenloft maps cobbled together using the mistways as a guideline, to show how the residents imagine their world (i.e., as a real world, not a demiplane floating in mist).

 

[InVinoVeritas]

My Paridon campaign here at ENWorld is one way to do Ravenloft, but definitely not the only way. Check my sig for details.

Regarding Dread Necromancers and Warlocks: Necromancy is evil, and evil is simultaneously rewarded and punished. A Necromancer may quickly find himself changing to fit the undead or somesuch monstrous transformation. I wouldn't recommend a Necromancer PC. Warlocks, on the other hand, might not perform evil acts, but folks in the Demiplane of Dread already don't trust wizards; warlocks might very well result in torches and pitchforks if they don't keep a VERY low profile.

Anyone is allowed access to good and evil in Ravenloft; that's part of the allure of the world. A person's innocence and good status is not the result of being insulated from evil. It is the result of conscious choices to stay on the path of good with every step. Temptation is very much an important aspect of a Ravenloft campaign. You always want to be sure that evil acts--and only acts earn changes, not thoughts--always look like a choice with benefits. However, giving in to evil acts only increases one's removal from society until they literally become a monster.

Why are you interested in there being a Dread Necro or Warlock PC in the campaign? What are you looking for in the campaign?

Here's a quick rundown of my tips and tricks for running a Ravenloft campaign:

1. Focus on perceptions and emotions. Don't just describe what they see; describe what they sense. In my Paridon campaign, for example, there is a dangerous alchemical substance running around. It looks like pink crystals, feels sticky and gritty, smells like roses and sweat, and tastes like cherries and raw meat. If I stopped at "pink crystals," it wouldn't pack nearly as much emotional impact.

2. The game is about the decisions we make. Never force someone to perform an evil act. It must always be a conscious choice. Similarly, avoid the "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation where only evil choices are possible. A person should always be able to choose the good path--it can be expensive, cost the person everything. But it must never be impossible to choose.

3. Don't forget the good. In Gothic horror, it is easy to simply have evil everywhere. However, conversely, good must be somewhere. If there is no good to fight for, there is no reason to fight. That's not horror, that's despair and uselessness. It's also quite quickly boring and no fun. Make sure there is always something worth protecting.

4. Monsters are people, too. People are monsters, too. The line between a person and a monster is vanishingly thin in Ravenloft. Take time to flesh out characters. Give everyone motivations. Make sure there is a reason for everything. Everything should be the result of conscious choices--see #2. So, everyone needs enough personality to make those choices.

5. There are no fights in Ravenloft, only violent dances. Ravenloft isn't a place for fighting the nameless hordes. When you attack a bunch of mooks, then there is no real decision to be made. This is not to say that you can't fight mooks from time to time, but they need a reason to be there.

Of course, this is just my way of running the game; there are others, as well. Feel free to borrow from my "Paridon: The Dark Metropolis" campaign in my sig. I've enjoyed it immensely.

Have a great time. Ravenloft is a very rewarding campaign world, with lots of interesting stories. I hope you have a great time with it!

 

[Hawken]

Its also a setting relying on a lot of lore, old wives' tales, legends and such.

A Necromancer (muchless a Dread/True Necromancer) PC is going to have a hard time of things because the typically 'evil' assumptions about them are magnified tenfold in a Ravenloft setting. Necromancers are the bad guys. And good guy necromancers rarely stay that way for long. Too many necromantic spells require "powers checks" to see if the spell has attracted the "Dark Powers" of Ravenloft and started that character down the road to corruption. So, its not that its accepted (its not) or that its 'reserved' for bad guys, its just that anyone using necromancy is either a bad guy or on their way to becoming one (whether they realize it or not).

Warlocks will be mistrusted, as most cultures/domains in Ravenloft mistrust any kind of magic (except Darkon). But a secondary danger (if your DM is clever enough), is mistaking the Warlock for being a male witch. Witches and hags are a whole other can o' worms in Ravenloft which can lead to a lot of interesting roleplaying events. So, its not that they are more or less accepted than necromancers, they're just likely viewed as an entirely different problem to deal with. "What? Witches and warlocks this week? We just had a necromancer last week! C'mon! Can't this place stay saved?!"

There is even a domain that actively has witch hunts (ala Salem Witch Trials) which could prove to be very detrimental to a magic-using PCs health. Although in fairness, they hunt anything pretty much non-human given half an excuse too!

 

[Voadam]

A couple specific questions I do have though...

1) In the defaul setting, is Necromancy an accepted form of magic? Or is that reserved for the bad guys?

2) If using the "fiendish" Warlock class from Complete Arcane, would something like that be more/less acceptable than a Necromancer.

1 Necromancy and Evil descriptor spells tap into evil power. In Ravenloft using such magics has a chance of supernaturally corrupting the caster the same way certain evil actions do. These corruptions give both powers and curses to the corrupted.

Socially necromancers are generally considered users of black magic and not well received. They are often feared and some decide that pitchforks and bonfires are the appropriate way to deal with such scary threats.

2 hmm, undead based black magic user versus fiend powered black magic user. I would not think there would be much of a difference for how much of a difference there was in social acceptibility for both. The social response will likely be the same, fear or bonfires.