D&D 5E Ravenloft souls

[77IM]

SPOILERS for CURSE of STRAHD (kinda)

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According to Curse of Strahd only 1 in 10 inhabitants of Barovia have souls; the rest are soulless shells, automata created by the mind of Strahd to fill in the expected population numbers.

What is up with that?

Like, why does the setting need that rule? What effect does it have? What would happen if it were removed? What are the implications (socially, morally, etc.) of so many soulless shells running around? Is it an evil act to kill and torment a soulless shell? Can a soulless shell love? Can they be raised from the dead? Do the PCs know that only 1/10 of the people have souls? Is there any way for a PC to figure out who does and does not have a soul? Can a soul be transplanted into a shell? Does any of this matter? If it doesn't matter, why even have that setting rule?

 

[UnknownDyson]

Because its an amazing feature to have in a horror campaign. Honestly Whats more horrifying then that revelation? Ravenloft is meant to be a horror scape, the plane actively seeks to torment its inhabitants.

 

[77IM]

How would it be revealed, though? And what about that would horrify visitors to Ravenloft? "So all those jerks in Barovia Village who were hostile and xenophobic towards us don't have souls? Well, let's just go back there and fireball that place to the ground."

 

[NotActuallyTim]

For the people who actually live there it's pretty terrifying to think you've grown up surrounded by creatures that exist only at the whim of a mad immortal dictator, but for visitors the main trouble is the paranoia that comes with it. If the population is created by Strahds mind, then most people you meet basically are an extension of Strahds' power and will.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

How would it be revealed, though? And what about that would horrify visitors to Ravenloft? "So all those jerks in Barovia Village who were hostile and xenophobic towards us don't have souls? Well, let's just go back there and fireball that place to the ground."

Actually the ones who were jerkish to you probably were ones that did have souls.

 

[UnknownDyson]

If I was dming I would give extra complications to divination rituals when locating people, and if the players investigated the problems, I would reveal it little by little. Just one example. It would horrify the players in the same way that people are horrified when they find out that soylent green is people. If you play ravenloft like the movie lethal weapon with vampires, then yes people probably wouldn't care. But this is horror, it needs to be unpacked over time.