The Lesser Evil wrote:I just got done with the Clavius Kreel article, and I've got to give the author accolades for the work they put into it. Taking that little blurb in MM IV and getting so much out of it is a pretty nifty thing- you've now got a solid way to introduce new undead and to explain why they weren't there before if you should need it- not to mention adventure hooks. The monster selections were mostly spot on for Ravenloft- it alerted me to a lot of creatures I'd previously passed over- particularly the defacer and vasuthant. The suggested salient abilities also seem to gel pretty well with the monsters' roles/flavor.
The above being said, I do have some minor questions/constructive criticisms/suggestions for future work (as I hope you continue to do similar adaptations of non-ravenloft source material.) The first suggestion that I have is to consider making mechanics changing to the spells to fit in with how Ravenloft affects magic (potentially weakening anti-undead magic, bolstering of necromancy but at increased risk, etc.)
The other thing that struck me a little bit was that I felt some confusion with the walking dead classifications assigned to a few of the undead. The Plague Walker and the Spectral Rider were classified as Hungry Dead, but I'm not really sure what they're supposed to eat- no mention's made of consuming flesh, etc. I thought the plague walker more Obedient Dead whereas the Spectral Rider is a bit harder to point down. Similarly, the Salt Mummy and the Drowned were classified as Obedient Dead- when their entries seem to imply they usually arise by accident/spontaneously, therefore I'm left scratching my head on who they would obey. I'm curious to hear how these categorizations were reached.
One final bit of nitpicking is that the deathshrieker and the urdark are incorporeal creatures, and therefore can't be classified as Walking Dead. Nitpicking aside, I found this article pretty insightful and look forward to your future work, Starscream.
Thank you for you compliments!
as my first work with Ravenloft fluff, I knew I would done some errors.
For some undead I was unsure too about classification, I think the three categories in VRG to Undead are too limiting.
The incorporeal are not ghost, but neither one of the three. I thought about creating a new special entry, but I was not confident about it, so I tried to fit in what I have.
So I thought about the nature of those undead and how they could be used, so some I decided to be Obedient and other Hungry, even if they "eat" nothing.
If I could came back in time, I would prefer to create a new category for them...
Gonzoron of the FoS wrote:Oh, I missed Clavius Kreel. I read that one too and enjoyed it a lot. Nice expansion of a little blurb into something memorable.
thank you very much Gonzoron, having your appreciation is a honor!
). And this is the most number of articles we've had since QtR22. So don't worry too much. In the end, we're all dust anyway, but I expect QtR to keep chugging along for a good long while yet.
