What makes Arthurian fantasy its own genre, different from more traditional D&D-ish medieval fantasy? What are some Arthurian-style plots?

[JConstantine]

Speaking of fae, another thing that differentiates Arthurian Legend from D&D-esque fantasy that's worth highlighting specifically is not simply the scale and prevalence of magic, but where it comes from and who utilises it. Magic is the domain of fae and other other-wordly entities, and pagans. It is never wielded by the good Christian protagonists, except magical items that were found/won/gifted. The Lady of the Lake is typically fae (obviously inspired by Greek nymphs); Morgan le Fay is variously a fae or the offspring of one; even Merlin is said to be the offspring of an incubus and a mortal woman.

The aforementioned Merlin (1998), has this transition from paganism to Christianity as a more prominent focal point than other adaptations.

Perhaps also worth noting is that Merlin, despite being an example of the archetypal wizard, was actually a bard. Just not the D&D conception.

Not sure how well all this actually translate into Daggerheart, though.

 

[Simon Collins]

On a separate note, in an attempt to answer the OP's query, the following are three major related themes of the Arthurian genre that I think could be taken and used in a Ravenloft-style setting:

1. Moral Integrity: loyalty, bravery and honour, protection of the weak, the physical and spiritual quest for a religious artefact symbolic of moral purity.
2. Conflict of duty and desire: romance, forbidden love, and the consequences of betrayal.
3. Prophecy: the influence of fate and destiny; the inevitability of tragedy.

 

[Voadam]

Lots of ways to go with Arthurian themes.

For Sir Clark I'd probably go with something more emphasizing goodness.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Lots of ways to go with Arthurian themes.

View attachment 415909
For Sir Clark I'd probably go with something more emphasizing goodness.

I get that Aquaman's real name is Arthur, but man, does he seem like a boring choice to lead the Round table.

 

[Voadam]

I get that Aquaman's real name is Arthur, but man, does he seem like a boring choice to lead the Round table.

King of Atlantis so king of Camelot makes sense to me.

Never seen him as leader of the Justice League though.

 

[Faolyn]

That doesn't mean it's a good idea. A knight's life is hard enough without things scarier than the Fey... I don't remember faerie knights in Mabinogion or LeMorte, but there are enough Faerie stories in Arthuriana that Faerie nights.
When the Arthurian stories do go horror, it's not modern style. It's the characters dealing with the mad machinations of a Fae or the Fairy-touched casters who delusionally think they're in control.

So basically one of my horror go-tos.

(Like I said, I can make anything horror. And I love fey.)

 

[Faolyn]

Damn, I haven’t a clue but based on your description can you please post whatever you do, because this sounds AWESOME.

Well, I wrote up a doc for my friends. Here's the link. If you have thoughts, feel free to share them!

Edit: Some notes.

In RAW Ravenloft, Banemaw is fiction. Elana will go destroy a village because of a perceived evil and then blame it on the nonexistent dragon. In this version, Banemaw is real, but exists as an “id-monster,” an unintentional extension of Elana’s own psyche and completely out of her control. Elana truly believes that she is Doing Good by destroying evil, and those beliefs constantly battle with her desire for bloodshed. When her need to destroy becomes overwhelming and she can find nothing she can safely smite, Banemaw manifests. She doesn’t realize that she created him, simply because she rationalizes all of her evil acts. As such, she can never defeat him. Even when she manages to catch up to Banemaw and engage in battle with him, something happens lets him escape before she can strike the final blow.

I plan to use the Lurking Darkness table from the Age of Umbra campaign frame, although this will be rolled when the characters take rests in deeper woods.

Powers checks will be done strictly with player buy in, should any players actually turn to the dark side. They’ll also be an option instead of a scar, representing the Dark Powers tempting dying PC into evil. I’ll make cards similar to the Transformation cards from the playtest packet to represent their slow descent into evil.

For Prince Loht, I am modifying the sketch of him from Gaz. V. He is still recovering from being attacked by Gwydion, but the assault left him mad. He is actually subtly connected to Gwydion now. Gwydion is psychically influencing Loht to free him from his prison; Loht is torn between his own desire to become the true leader of the Ellefolk and the “intrusive thoughts” that keep whispering power and health should he free Gwydion.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

King of Atlantis so king of Camelot makes sense to me.

Never seen him as leader of the Justice League though.

He was the leader during the Detroit Era, which is not fondly remembered.

 

[TiQuinn]

Well, I wrote up a doc for my friends. Here's the link. If you have thoughts, feel free to share them!

Edit: Some notes.

In RAW Ravenloft, Banemaw is fiction. Elana will go destroy a village because of a perceived evil and then blame it on the nonexistent dragon. In this version, Banemaw is real, but exists as an “id-monster,” an unintentional extension of Elana’s own psyche and completely out of her control. Elana truly believes that she is Doing Good by destroying evil, and those beliefs constantly battle with her desire for bloodshed. When her need to destroy becomes overwhelming and she can find nothing she can safely smite, Banemaw manifests. She doesn’t realize that she created him, simply because she rationalizes all of her evil acts. As such, she can never defeat him. Even when she manages to catch up to Banemaw and engage in battle with him, something happens lets him escape before she can strike the final blow.

I plan to use the Lurking Darkness table from the Age of Umbra campaign frame, although this will be rolled when the characters take rests in deeper woods.

Powers checks will be done strictly with player buy in, should any players actually turn to the dark side. They’ll also be an option instead of a scar, representing the Dark Powers tempting dying PC into evil. I’ll make cards similar to the Transformation cards from the playtest packet to represent their slow descent into evil.

For Prince Loht, I am modifying the sketch of him from Gaz. V. He is still recovering from being attacked by Gwydion, but the assault left him mad. He is actually subtly connected to Gwydion now. Gwydion is psychically influencing Loht to free him from his prison; Loht is torn between his own desire to become the true leader of the Ellefolk and the “intrusive thoughts” that keep whispering power and health should he free Gwydion.

This is all fantastic because it’s hitting all the domains that I always felt should’ve formed their own fantasy core in Ravenloft, distinct from the more modern 19th century domains like Mordent and Lamordia. Love the work you’re putting into making these seem like a cohesive whole with lots of different directions to go - Loht, Elena Faith-hold, SOTH!

Just good stuff!

 

[Faolyn]

This is all fantastic because it’s hitting all the domains that I always felt should’ve formed their own fantasy core in Ravenloft, distinct from the more modern 19th century domains like Mordent and Lamordia. Love the work you’re putting into making these seem like a cohesive whole with lots of different directions to go - Loht, Elena Faith-hold, SOTH!

Just good stuff!

SOTH LIVES! They really screwed up on Inza.

As soon as I can find my stylus I'll try to create a map of some sort.