On Manipulation and Power Checks

[Spiteful Crow]

Detect "Witches"? Wouldn't that kinda encourage killing more witchy looking people and making more power checks?

[Tobias Blackburn]

Detect "Witches"? Wouldn't that kinda encourage killing more witchy looking people and making more power checks?

If the Dark Powers didn't want people to make more power checks they wouldn't give a gift with their curse.

Thanks for the idea, Brandi, but he's more of a "They're doing it too" follower, rather than a "Anything you say my Dark Master."

[Undead Cabbage]

Detect "Witches"? Wouldn't that kinda encourage killing more witchy looking people and making more power checks?

I'm pretty sure thats the idea. The PC should be a temptation to commit more evil.

For the follower, her personal demon in this case is that she does not think for herself, and instead goes with what the Monk thinks. For a first PC, perhaps she could get telepathy with the Monk (or perhaps just empathy, with telepathy coming later). Eventually, the mage would begin to lose her ability to think independently, with her thoughts be overshadowed by the Monks.

The course of action for her to avoid this would be to instead of just following, think through a situation on her own. A telepathic link with the Monk would tempt her to go to the monk for answers, thus her creating a dependence upon him.

[Tobias Blackburn]

That's an interesting idea, Cabbage. I would only worry about that it is too specific. For example, they're about to face an invasion of Toben Zombies. If the Monk is killed off then the wizard's failed check becomes moot or flies free.

[Brandi]

Thanks for the idea, Brandi, but he's more of a "They're doing it too" follower, rather than a "Anything you say my Dark Master."

Then maybe something more like Mister ? from Carnival... a blank trying to fill its void with someone's-- anyone's-- will.

[Manofevil]

Is there, maybe, a raving lunatic terror track where a person who's done something like this flies into a violent, even homicidal rage while vehemently denying that they ever did this terrible thing. Or maybe if they fall far enough, they adopt another persona entirely and spend the rest of their lives hunting their former selves?

Turn the party members into Malken?

More like a combination of that and becoming Elena Faithhold.. I'd actually expect RavenLoft to be crawling with these types. given the damage many people suffer in their lives.

[Undead Cabbage]

Err, right, the Monk dying might be a problem with that.

Should the monk die, what happens from there might be up to the player. Once again, going through the options.

A: She moves on without becoming reliant upon another. If she does this, I guess in a way she's solved her inner demon...this way is kind of weak for plot though.

B: She mourns for the Monk. Potentially, she might even still have 'telepathy' with him (which is really the DPs screwing with her mind). She's then instructed by the 'monk' to do certain things, leading to more failed powers checks.

C: She gets over the monk, and becomes a follower of someone else, with whom she gains telepathy.

I'll admit, options A and C are kind of weak. Any other ideas?

[Rotipher of the FoS]

A little late for me to add this opinion, but I was thinking about this bit:

Things were fine until the party's caliban cleric of the Morning Lord checks the girl to see if she was alive and discovered the 13 serpents etched on her ring. The "She was a Healer!" stopped the others dead in their tracks.

While it's a little unorthodox, it occurs to me that it wouldn't be bad DM-technique to make a Powers Check mandatory in this situation, simply because the players themselves considered their own PCs' actions to be shockingly horrible, once they knew the truth. There are times in a game when it's best to step away from strict game-mechanics and mold your decisions to suit the players' needs and expectations -- omitting a Fear check because the players are already role-playing their characters' distress so well is a classic example -- and if the PCs' actions have gotten to the point where the players are actually repelled by their conduct, then quibbling over %tiles and charts is rather a moot point: they definitely do deserve to suffer a Powers Check, and possibly even an automatic Caress (or worse) if the whole gaming-group is repelled. Drama should usually trump game-mechanics in such pivotal moments of role-play, especially in Ravenloft.

YMMV, but that's what I think. And if your players really are so shocked, they would most likely agree, assuming they're not metagaming. Redemption should, of course, still be possible, but if the players are being honest they'll agree that it needs to be earned, not lucked into by the random roll of %tile dice.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Thanks for the idea, Brandi, but he's more of a "They're doing it too" follower, rather than a "Anything you say my Dark Master."

Then maybe something more like Mister ? from Carnival... a blank trying to fill its void with someone's-- anyone's-- will.

I really like this option. It's both appropriate and very, very creepy.

Whatever the details, this PC's Terror Track should definitely be leading to transformation into a monster, not a darklord. Yes-men who act under others' influence make lousy darklords; else, Nostalia Romaine would be co-lord with Ivana, rather than Ivan. If you plan out this PC's Track, you may want to have her lose all capacity to think for herself by Stage Five, thus making that final step to earn a domain impossible for her (since she can no longer form the intention to do evil).

[Jasper]

A pratcial Wax golem terror track idea-


Stage one:
PC gains +1 to any attack or +2 to the DC of any spell cast on a target but only if another member of the party attacked first. PCs hands become smooth and undefined.

Stage two:
PCs attack bonus raises to +3 for attacks and +6 for spells. PC's skin takes on a yellow sheen causing a OR of 3.

Stage three:
PC gains ability to mimic any attack or spell cast by another member of the party 1/day. PC becomes completly hairless and all facial features become indestinct (no wrinkles, scars dissapear etc; ) causing a -6 to charisma

Anyone have ideas for stage 4-6?

[Undead Cabbage]

While it's a little unorthodox, it occurs to me that it wouldn't be bad DM-technique to make a Powers Check mandatory in this situation, simply because the players themselves considered their own PCs' actions to be shockingly horrible, once they knew the truth. There are times in a game when it's best to step away from strict game-mechanics and mold your decisions to suit the players' needs and expectations -- omitting a Fear check because the players are already role-playing their characters' distress so well is a classic example -- and if the PCs' actions have gotten to the point where the players are actually repelled by their conduct, then quibbling over %tiles and charts is rather a moot point: they definitely do deserve to suffer a Powers Check, and possibly even an automatic Caress (or worse) if the whole gaming-group is repelled. Drama should usually trump game-mechanics in such pivotal moments of role-play, especially in Ravenloft.

Let me just say I whole-heartedly agree with this. The game mechanic for Power's checks is simply there to enhance game play. Technically, no GM holds any obligation to any rule. Most of the time, following them gives roleplaying a nice sense of organization. However, in the event that a rule only hinders game play, the rule looses its value. The game is the important thing, not the numbers.

Automatic failure of this powers check would certainly add an interesting element to the game. So Tobias, should you feel that you WANT this player to fail the powers check in order to enhance your game, I'd say do it. Provided your players are ok with it (a sign of a good RL player is acceptance of this kind of thing, at least in my opinion), and provided you want this to happen, then there's no reason for it not to happen.

The Wax golem path is actually much better. As Roti put it, very eerie.

[The Giamarga]

Thank you everyone. You've got some nice ideas.

I think that I might allow the use of Detect "Witches" once per day, but her eyes change colour to black for the duration of its use and minutes afterwards.

This power would be quite beside the stuff that Undead cabbage wrote. I mean it would justify his wrathfulness from then on, which it shouldn't really. Perhaps he should be able to detect magic and he only thinks it is witchcraft.

You might also look at Van Richten's Arsenal for the Witch Pin magic item for inspiration.