Stupid Question...

[Dark Angel]

There are a few different creatures named "changeling" in various settings and editions of the game and other game and media. it seems you may be talking about the doppelganger-blooded race that (I think) originally came from the Eberron products. (In our VRS: Doppelgangers book, they are the equivalent of calibans among doppelgangers). I play one in a non-ravenloft campaign, and it's a lot of fun. When killed, they revert to their natural squishy, alien-ish form. When knocked unconscious, they don't. (at least in 3.5).

If you're talking about the people whose shadows are stolen by the shadow fey, or about Hags who haven't shed their human form yet, or the leaders of the Dominion, or fey souls born into human bodies, or a fey left in an abducted infant's cradle, or a creature with all creature types, or a shapeshifting insect/unicorn creature, or some other kind of changeling, I can't help you....

I was trying to recall if her PC came from a different setting (beyond the Realms), but again I will likely defer to the above (unless something else is found, I just wanted to know what the hell this thing may look like upon death).

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

pretty much like this:
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Changeling

[alhoon]

They are determined by post count save for the mods who get their own special one it seems. Or long time members that seem to have received a special title in honor of them being around for a long time or probably being friends with the mods.

I got mine for playing in the FoS campaign

[Dark Angel]

pretty much like this:
http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/Changeling

That's them! Christ, she even sent me the picture at the bottom of the wiki entry separately. Basically, they are a doppleganger offshoot with a more fey appearance in their natural form. Again, thanks Gonzoron, another mystery solved. Stay tuned for more adventures and wacky situations in "Stupid Questions!"

[Dark Angel]

So I just recently purchased the wizard's spell compendium (AD&D, 2nd edition) and found a 4th level spell called "Awaken Intelligence". It permanently enspells an animal with greater intelligence. It claims to be from a Ravenloft supplement, but it does not specify and doesn't ring any bells. Sound familiar to any one else?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

So I just recently purchased the wizard's spell compendium (AD&D, 2nd edition) and found a 4th level spell called "Awaken Intelligence". It permanently enspells an animal with greater intelligence. It claims to be from a Ravenloft supplement, but it does not specify and doesn't ring any bells. Sound familiar to any one else?

It doesn't sound familiar to me offhand with respect to Ravenloft, but in 3e/PF, it's a standard 5th level Druid spell in the Player's Handbook/SRD/PRD called simply "Awaken".

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm
http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/spells/awaken.html

[Alastor]

So I just recently purchased the wizard's spell compendium (AD&D, 2nd edition) and found a 4th level spell called "Awaken Intelligence". It permanently enspells an animal with greater intelligence. It claims to be from a Ravenloft supplement, but it does not specify and doesn't ring any bells. Sound familiar to any one else?

In the 3rd Edition Dragonlance supplement Towers of High Sorcery, there is a wizard spell called Awaken the Mind that sounds very similar, but it is only permanent if the caster sacrifices a diamond of a certain value.

Haven't run across this spell in any Ravenloft product, but given that the normal Awaken spell is twisted by the Dark Powers (according to the 3rd Edition campaign setting), it would be strange if the spell originated there.

[Dark Angel]

So I just recently purchased the wizard's spell compendium (AD&D, 2nd edition) and found a 4th level spell called "Awaken Intelligence". It permanently enspells an animal with greater intelligence. It claims to be from a Ravenloft supplement, but it does not specify and doesn't ring any bells. Sound familiar to any one else?

In the 3rd Edition Dragonlance supplement Towers of High Sorcery, there is a wizard spell called Awaken the Mind that sounds very similar, but it is only permanent if the caster sacrifices a diamond of a certain value.

Haven't run across this spell in any Ravenloft product, but given that the normal Awaken spell is twisted by the Dark Powers (according to the 3rd Edition campaign setting), it would be strange if the spell originated there.

A 3rd edition source would be right out, the books are compiled up into 1995. It doesn't seem like a Ravenloft corrupted spell from the prime worlds (like Bloodbane's frightful joining being modified by Strahd) as it bestows intelligence on an animal (is that a cruel thing in and of itself?). It comes across as a Wildlands kind of spell (but would be useless there as the animals are already intelligent), a Markovian kind of spell (but Markov doesn't need magic to blend and bend humanoid and animals bodies), or maybe the Nightmare Lands (as a totem animal kind of aspect for the Abber Nomads, but that sounds as contrived even as I write it). Looking into the Drawing Room for the published dates has me leaning towards the Masque of the Red Death as an option as I am not familiar with it and that could explain the lack of knowledge on my part. I dunno, grasping at straws at this one.

Thanks for trying Alastor!

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I'm thinking it's a mistaken attribution to Ravenloft. (or invented for that book and back-fit to Ravenloft.... by someone who doesn't know much about Ravenloft... ) The spell doesn't appear in the black box, red box, forbidden lore, or the MotRD boxed set and GE Gazetteer, which would be my best guesses. (I also checked Islands of Terror, thinking maybe the Wildlands section would have it, but no luck.) I was going to check all the Ravenloft products up to '95, but it's too much work. The bulk of the modules were in that time frame, as well as all the RLMCs and VRGs, Darklords and The Nightmare Lands, but I can't imagine which ones of those might have had such a spell. (I thought maybe Neither Man nor Beast, but it's 1996. too late.)

[Dark Angel]

I'm thinking it's a mistaken attribution to Ravenloft. (or invented for that book and back-fit to Ravenloft.... by someone who doesn't know much about Ravenloft... ) The spell doesn't appear in the black box, red box, forbidden lore, or the MotRD boxed set and GE Gazetteer, which would be my best guesses. (I also checked Islands of Terror, thinking maybe the Wildlands section would have it, but no luck.) I was going to check all the Ravenloft products up to '95, but it's too much work. The bulk of the modules were in that time frame, as well as all the RLMCs and VRGs, Darklords and The Nightmare Lands, but I can't imagine which ones of those might have had such a spell. (I thought maybe Neither Man nor Beast, but it's 1996. too late.)

If I had to guess, I would assume there was an error from the book rather than the many, many people on this forum never having heard of such a thing. I though the Wildlands too (but they already have this ability from the domain) or Markovia (but he kind of 'reverse engineers' his 'animals'). So either way, it just seemed too Dizney with the potential to be very insidious in nature.

[ewancummins]

I checked those, twice. I know it's in the back of one of the supplements (and maybe in another one or two), but I'll be damned if I cannot find it.

Sea Zombies:

Greyhawk Adventures (the hardback for 2E) and the Greyhawk MCA

[ewancummins]

This is the Monster Manual version:
Sea Zombie 2e stats. Apparently they were in on of the annuals..

They were also in:
1E:
TSR 2023, Greyhawk Adventures, p. 33/34 (several designers named, main designer James Ward) ;
TSR 2107 MC 5 Greyhawk Appendix (“Zombie”) (several designers named);

3E:
WW 8387 “Tome of Horrors” p. 283/284 (“Brine Zombie”) (Scott Greene);
Dungeon 106, p.48-50 (Drowned One template) (Greg Vaughan)


The Ravenloft version might differ from them...

Ah, I see I duplicated info from someone's previous post.

Greyhawk, heck yeah!

[Dark Angel]

And we are back in traditional fashion and bringing back the dead threads as usual!

But more likely I have a situation that may dictate some refined touches that you all can solve.

I have a fairly high level group (between 8th-12th level) and one of them happens to be a witch (as per the 2nd edition Van Richten Guide). Of my 5 players, I have only two women playing with the other men playing one male and two female PCs. Not a huge issue unto itself, but the ladies have expressed some issue with the boys playing girls. They also expressed issue with using magic (wishes and the like) to make them men and 'easier to deal with'.

The potential issue is (as a witch) the one PC is reliant on her gender as the kit states. Witches are watered down clerics and warlocks are the same for wizards. Would a change of gender force an alignment change and overall kit change? I don't want to have the player lose the kit abilities out of spite of the other players and am seeking advice before this becomes a thing. As the PC is the only cleric type in the group, they may be shooting themselves in the foot by potentially removing their healer type. Thoughts?

[Mistmaster]

You should stop them, they have no right to question theyr fellow player's right to play what they want.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

First, I don't think a gender change would force an alignment change. A person who afflicts another with a gender change might deserve an alignment shift and a Powers check, but the subject would not. On the other hand, if the subject decides to seek revenge and goes too far, then the actions following the gender change might provoke an alignment change.
The only combination alignment/gender change I know of is one of the magic arches in the Tomb of Horrors, where you had to make one save for each effect. Passing back out reversed the alignment change, and passing through a third time fixed the gender change. The third time also teleported you outside the Tomb buck naked and sent your possessions to the true crypt.

I am not familiar with the 2e mechanics on witches, but I think it depends on why they are all female. Are only females chosen and trained for it? In that case, the character's training is unaffected by her change, so she can retain her powers as a man. If only women can wield these powers for some mystical reason, then she would lose her powers. If you don't want that to happen, take the former interpretation.
If you want a middle ground, she could start to slowly lose her powers as a man, thus allowing the characters to realize they shot themselves in the foot and quest after a solution before it is too late.

Also, I am not sure I fully understand the situation. Are the female players considering switching the genders of the female PCs played by men? What reasons do their characters have for changing the genders of others? If they don't have one, then enacting such a plan would be metagaming. If their characters have legitimate reasons, then I would find stopping them by fiat to be a sort of railroading.