CONFIRMED: Ravenloft for 5th Edition

[mason]

I'm at work, can anybody confirm what's in this:

media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/DND/CoS_Character_Options.pdf

Just wondering if it is stuff already in the book or not.

[Jester of the FoS]

Just the Haunted One background, found in the Curse of Strahd book.

[Ken of Ghastria]

The Curse of Strahd Player's Guide and Dungeon Master's Guide for the Adventurers League are now online:


There's not much new info in here, though -- mostly guidance for new Adventurers League players, plus Ravenloftian notes on how certain spells and death may be altered in Barovia.

[alhoon]

Ouch, it is brutal...
Not even artifacts can get a creature out of Ravenloft nowdays... Azalin's rift-spanner or how it was called wouldn't work it seems.

We're also back to the dreadful old days that you could summon anything as normal, and it just couldn't go out. Without the mention that when the summoned creature can't leave would attack you; not that it was that important. So a mage or cleric could just be throwing outsiders.

No mention of reality wrinkles either.

THe bad thing: Sun is muted and doesn't harm vampires.
That's something that I would house-rule out. There's no way I'm having vampires running out in the day.

The good thing: If you're brought back to life, you're getting madness. Permanent. No save. You just go wacko from the experience.

The meh thing: Lycanthropy can be cured by a mere remove curse spell. Vampirism can also be cured... by a WISH spell that nobody can cast in Barovia.

The ???? thing: There's a Jenny HAG that casts spells. And can raise dead. For a price more than coins with a nice, large warning that sure, "here are prices for spells but there's nobody to cast them. Go see the hag and suffer."


Dark Powers checks: Not actually there. There is however a big curse you can take voluntarily if you die.

[Ken of Ghastria]

Jeny is a hag from the Forgotten Realms, who first appeared in the initial season of the Adventurers League. Her presence in the storyline has certain repercussions.

Also, Curse of Strahd is many things, but it was NEVER intended to be the Ravenloft Campaign Setting rulebook. There's a lot of stuff that it neither addresses nor contradicts. So, no... no reality wrinkles are mentioned, because they're not part of the storyline. Do they exist? That's up to you, as it's always been.

[Guardian of Twilight]

The Curse of Strahd Player's Guide and Dungeon Master's Guide for the Adventurers League are now online:


There's not much new info in here, though -- mostly guidance for new Adventurers League players, plus Ravenloftian notes on how certain spells and death may be altered in Barovia.

Is there a different place that we can download the files? I received a message that too many people are accessing it, and to try again within 24 hours...

[Ken of Ghastria]

Try this link from Robert Adducci:
https://lookaside.fbsbx.com/file/ALPG_A ... cxB_Sx5r-Q

[Five]

The good thing: If you're brought back to life, you're getting madness. Permanent. No save. You just go wacko from the experience.

That's if you've been dead for at least 24 hours, before being brought back to life.

[alhoon]

Yeah, true. Still good.
Or the mists can have your eyes MWAHAHAHAHA... no seriously. The mists may take your eyes.

[Zilfer]

Interesting that Strahd and interpose himself with a message to contact outsiders or deities. I think that would be an interesting event to happen, Strahd could manipulate the PC's plans potentially from that. xD

Another Tidbit: After being ressed by the Dark powers you detect as Evil.... so you can detect at least in this module. I'll consider running it like that but probably no other time does a detection work.

[thepoorman]

I also like that Strahd intercepts any deity-contacting spells. I may wind up using that for every Darklord, but make it more unconscious interception on the ones it makes little sense for. The powerful ones -Strahd, Azalin - would know full well that their mastery over the land lets them mess with clerics who don't know any better, but someone like Drakov wouldn't know this, but he still unconsciously twists the magic to give false readings or bad advice.

[Hazgarn]

I also like that Strahd intercepts any deity-contacting spells. I may wind up using that for every Darklord, but make it more unconscious interception on the ones it makes little sense for. The powerful ones -Strahd, Azalin - would know full well that their mastery over the land lets them mess with clerics who don't know any better, but someone like Drakov wouldn't know this, but he still unconsciously twists the magic to give false readings or bad advice.

I really do love this idea. It could have a lot of interesting implications for the Eternal Order and their decline during and after the Requiem...

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Got mine. Can't wait to crack it open.

[Jester of the FoS]

Reading through it.
Definitely the classic I6 with extra stuff. I6+. It plays fast and loose with canon in more than once instance, which might irk those who like the campaign setting lore.
Casual fans might not notice the subtle changes.

There are more nods (or just stolen ideas) from the setting than Expedition to Castle Ravenloft but there's a lot more small Strahd backstory changes.

But if you can overlook that, there's a lot of really cool stuff in it as well.

[Guardian of Twilight]

I'll be getting my copy on the 15th, which is perfectly fine with me. I actually started running Death House last night in my home game, which my players are seeming to enjoy. Four hours into it so far, and we stopped for the night at the level two milestone. We'll be picking up again in the morning if all goes well. I think that'll hold us over until the full module arrives! At least when it shows up, my players will be ready to get into the adventure straightway - providing none of them die, that is.