4e Ravenloft Conversion Thread

[Nikolas of the Mists]

I also love Nikolas' suggestions about half-vistani. We could also have a feat like "vistani divination" which allows a half-vistani to cast rituals of the divination and scrying groups at a +3 level.

I was actually planning to have the Half-Vistani and Full-Blooded Vistani relatively similar.

Full-blooded Vistani would share the same stats (perhaps with an extra +2 Wisdom modifier), the same skill bonuses, and racial abilities, and have access to the Half-Vistani feats.

Where I will be making them different is in their Full-blooded abilities

a) Curses
b) The Evil Eye
c) The Sight
d) Mist Navigation
e) Tracking Magic
f) Static Burn

I was planning on adding a Half-Vistani feat taken at character creation called something like Scion of the Blood that would give them access to one Full-blooded power of A through E, perhaps with a minor drawback (like Static Burn-light).

I simply haven't worked out these Full-Blooded abilities yet, so I didn't list the option as a Half-Vistani feat yet.

[Jester of the FoS]

Here's my latest attempt at Azalin, mostly an excuse to get used to the rules and formatting:
http://www.box.net/shared/yoie7iegok

Azalin Rex (human lich) Level 23 Solo Controller (Leader)
Medium natural humanoid (undead) XP 25,500
Initiative +11 Senses Perception +13; darkvision
Shroud of the Grave (Necrotic) aura 5; all undead within 5 squares of Azalin lose any vulnerability to radiant damage
Necromantic Aura (Necrotic) aura 5; any living creature that enters or starts its turn in the aura takes 5 necrotic damage.
HP 1015; Bloodied 507
Regeneration 10; if Azalin takes radiant damage, his regeneration power doesn’t function on its next turn.
AC 37; Fortitude 35, Reflex 36, Will 35
Immune: disease, poison; Resist 15 Necrotic
Saving Throws +5
Speed 6
Action Points 2
Chill Touch (standard; at will)•Cold
+28 vs AC; 2d6+8 cold damage.
Necrotic Ray (standard; at will)•Necrotic
Ranged 10; +27 vs Fortitude; 3d6+8 necrotic damage.
Paralyzing Touch (standard; recharge ⚃⚄⚅) •Necrotic
+28 vs AC; 2d6+8 necrotic damage and Azalin makes a secondary attack as his dark magic attacks saps its strength. Secondary Attack: +27 vs Fortitude and target is stunned (save ends).
Dark Fire (standard; recharge ⚅)•Fire, Necrotic
Blast 3; +25 vs Reflex; 4d12+8 fire and necrotic damage.
Sickening Miasma (standard; sustain minor; encounter) •Poison, Zone
Burst 3 within 10; +25 vs Fortitude; 4d8+8 poison damage plus 10 ongoing poison damage (save ends). The zone is considered difficult terrain. Any creature that starts its turn within the zone takes 10 poison damage.
Call of the Grave (standard; encounter)
Ranged 10; four undead minions of Azalin’s level or lower appear in any unoccupied space within range. These undead minions take their turns immediately after Azalin.
Modify Memory (standard; encounter)•Charm
Ranged 10; +27 vs Will; target is dominated (save ends). Aftereffect: The target is dazed (save ends).
Contingency (free, when flanked; encounter) •Teleportation
Azalin can teleport 10 squares.
Life Drain (free, when first bloodied; encounter)• Necrotic
Burst 2; +25 vs Fortitude; 4d8+9 necrotic damage and Azalin heals 126 hitpoints.
Spellmaster (minor; recharge ⚄⚅)
Azalin regains the use of an expended encounter power
Alignment Evil Languages Dakonese, Balok, Draconic, Elven, Mordentish, Sepernal, Vaasi
Skills Arcana +19, History +19, Insight +14
Str 17 (+14) Dex 10 (+11) Wis 14 (+13)
Con 19 (+15) Int 27 (+19) Cha 16 (+14)
Equipment Dark robes with a crown, and a ring of wizardry
Description Skeletal yet imposing, Azalin wears the crown of his office atop his skull. The glowing red pinpoints of light in the empty eye sockets burn with inhuman hatred and a grim intelligence.
[/b]

[DocBeard]

I still think 'Half-Vistani' feels weird.

I mean, seriously: if you want to play a Vistani, why not just say you're a Vistani that's...I forget the term, but away from the tribe? Tie in the unknowable mysticism to being part of a Vistani caravan with a proper Raunie and Captain, and say that Vistani adventurers know full well what they risk by leaving the family.

That way, you keep the Vistani mystique without some crazy 'half-Vistani'...thing.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I mean, seriously: if you want to play a Vistani, why not just say you're a Vistani that's...I forget the term, but away from the tribe?

"Mortu" is the term for a Vistana who's stayed in one place too long and lost his or her innate powers.

Tie in the unknowable mysticism to being part of a Vistani caravan with a proper Raunie and Captain, and say that Vistani adventurers know full well what they risk by leaving the family.

That way, you keep the Vistani mystique without some crazy 'half-Vistani'...thing.

The half-Vistani was probably intended to get around the problem that no 1st level PC should start play knowing as many secrets about Ravenloft as the average full-blooded Vistana does. Even if they've lost all of their powers, true Vistani would still be privy to an awful lot of privileged, DM-only information.

Perhaps if they'd called it something other than "half-Vistani", it'd seem less corny. 3E in particular has too many half-(fill-in-the-blank) races. Surely the Vistani would have a word for such people in their own dialect, that wouldn't feel so trite?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Perhaps if they'd called it something other than "half-Vistani", it'd seem less corny. 3E in particular has too many half-(fill-in-the-blank) races. Surely the Vistani would have a word for such people in their own dialect, that wouldn't feel so trite?

They did call it something other than "half-vistani." The vistani word for it is giomorgo. The original "half-vistani" rules in VRGttV allowed for the possibility of mortus to use the same rules, though that wasn't mentioned in Denizens of Dread or the 3e stuff. I guess the theory was that the static burn could remove all those troublesome memories of the nature of RL too.

[DocBeard]

Hrm.

Well, I can just call 'em Mortu. It'd also work for other mystic nomad tribes, like the Abber Nomads or those guys from Phariza. Works well enough.

ANYWAY, to actually contribute something;

Heroic Tier Feat
Firearm Familiarity
The people of the Mordentish states had one great defense against the larger armies of the less developed states: gunpowder.
Prerequistes: Be from a Domain with a Culture Level of 7 or higher.
Effect: Suffer no penalty when using any type of firearm you are not specificly proficent with.

I figure this is a good balancer between 'The whole point of firearms is that they're easy to use.' and having them be Special weapons. If you live in a culture where firearms are common, you can purchase this feat to represent that familiarity.

[Mistress of Mockery]

Heroic Tier Feat
Firearm Familiarity
The people of the Mordentish states had one great defense against the larger armies of the less developed states: gunpowder.
Prerequistes: Be from a Domain with a Culture Level of 7 or higher.
Effect: Suffer no penalty when using any type of firearm you are not specificly proficent with.

IIRC, there is no penalties for lack of proficiency, it's just proficient people get bonuses. That's if my memory serves me. Which it might not.

[DocBeard]

*re-checks*

Well, my face is red. That doesn't make sense...eh, whatever.

[Mistress of Mockery]

*re-checks*

Well, my face is red. That doesn't make sense...eh, whatever.

I found it wierd, too. Oh well. Makes the feat kinda useless, I guess. Maybe firearms (being so complex and all) can impose a penalty for those not proficient, and the feat could get rid of that. Hmm.

[Isabella]

I figure this is a good balancer between 'The whole point of firearms is that they're easy to use.' and having them be Special weapons. If you live in a culture where firearms are common, you can purchase this feat to represent that familiarity.

Maybe firearms (being so complex and all) can impose a penalty for those not proficient, and the feat could get rid of that. Hmm.

I really think we need to pick one and stick with it. Are they easy to use or not? And please keep in mind that words like "historically" and "realistically" are all fine and dandy in theory, but that D&D and reality rarely talk, instead opting to wave to each other from across the street as they head to work.

I for one, am fine with anyone using a gun if they manage to get their hands on one, without adding a whole lot of rule exceptions that bog down the system. The price and domain CL will probably be the limiting factor, not the character.

[DocBeard]

I for one, am fine with anyone using a gun if they manage to get their hands on one, without adding a whole lot of rule exceptions that bog down the system. The price and domain CL will probably be the limiting factor, not the character.

Works. Let's just make 'em martial weapons.

[Nikolas of the Mists]

Anyone is able to get proficiency with a Superior weapon by spending a feat, not just those from higher CLs.
Such a Feat would simply be "Weapon Proficiency: Firearms".

Option:Characters native to CL 8 and 9 Domains treat Firearms as a Military Ranged Weapon instead of a "Superior" weapon. This grants automatic proficiency to Fighters and Rangers (Although I feel it fits nicely into the purview of Rogue as well ).

The shift from Superior to Martial in these realms is important. You cannot use a superior weapon without training (aka taking the weapon profieciency, p215 PHB). In changing it to a martial weapon for individuals from these domains any of them can use it, they just don't gain the profieciency bonus to hit.

[DocBeard]

Okay, that sounds good Nikolas. Here's my attempt at Firearms 2.0.

Military Weapons
One-Handed
Weapon: Pistol Prof: +2 Damage: 1d6 Range: 10/25 Price: 50gp Weight: 2lbs Group: Firearms Properties: Load minor, off hand, high crit.
Weapon: Scattergun Prof: +2 Damage: 2d4 Range: 1/5 Price: 150gp Weight: 5lbs Group: Firearms Properties: Load move, high crit, burst 3

Two-Handed
Weapon: Musket Prof: +3 Damage: 1d10 Range: 20/40 Price: 100gp Weight: 6lbs Group: Firearms Properties: Load minor, high crit.

Melee Weapon Enhancements
Weapon: Pistol Razor Prof: +0 Damage: 1d4 Range: Price: 20gp Weight: +0lbs Group: Light Blade Properties: Enhancement
Weapon: Bayonet Prof: +0 Damage: 1d6 Range: Price: 40gp Weight: +1lb Group: Properties: Light Blade Enhancement

Ammunition
Ammo: Bullets Price: 10 per gp.
Ammo: Silver Bullets. Price: 1 per gp.

New Properties
Enhancement: This weapon can be attached to another type of weapon, adding the statistics to the weapon in question; specificly, the bayonets can be attached to firearms, allowing them to be used in melee combat. With DM approval, the bayonet can be added to the crossbow, and the pistol razor can be added to the hand crossbow.

Burst: If fired within range, a burst weapon acts like a close burst power or attack. Example: Facing off against a pack of warewolves, George Weathermay is armed with a farmer's old scattergun and his wits. George can see three werewolves; one two squares away and one square to George's left, another standing three squares away, and one last moving in five squares away, and one to the right.

George fires; his scattergun can hit the first and second werewolf, because they're within five squares of George and three squares of eachother. While the third werewolf is within three squares of the other target werewolves...unless my writing sucks...it cannot be hit, because it is six squares away from George, and out of range.

[Isabella]

Burst: If fired within range, a burst weapon acts like a close burst power or attack.

I think what you might be looking for here is Area Burst instead, Doc, probably Area Burst 3 Within 5 squares. At least, I'm pretty sure that covers everything you said.

[Nikolas of the Mists]

Minor action to reload seems a bit trifling. Myself (and a couple others I know) were thinking of making reload be either a Move or Standard action, instead of a Minor.

Of course this would mean that we would have to increase the potential of the weapon, but that is achieved in many ways. I would like to try and steer clear of creating entirely new weapon properties if at all possible.

A crossbow loads in a minor action, I feel a gun would be slightly longer.
I think that a really good Utility ability for a firearms specialist Paragon Path would be to reduce loading to a minor action.