caracter creation guidelines

[Joël of the FoS]

Creating a PC for Ravenloft isn't all similar to creating a PC for other D&D setting. What are the advices / tips you used for caracter creation?

I start:

(At least) one feat out of three should be from the Ravenloft list, to make sure players get the atmosphere and do not tend toward min-maxing.

Joël

[Jasper]

Evey Ravenloft PC should have some sort of profession that fits there class (Merchant (rouge), doctor (cleric), Scholar (Wizard) ,blacksmith (Fighter/barbarian), novelist (Sorcorers), hunter (Ranger) etc: ) and act accordingly. Those that say they just 'adventurers' should be shunned as shifty layabouts and should be treated no better then beggers and thieves.

It fits the gothic feel much more for the PC to be average people thrust into extaordinary situations then to be a fifteenth rank master of the north palm slayer of evil. Even the great evil of Dracula was taken down by a doctor and a lawer.

Even old Van Richten was a doctor and a writer while he fought evil.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Character must have a tragic flaw. Rarely put into game stats.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Although I don't believe that is an answer to your question, I want to share my RL rules modification:

I change two things for a RL game: If they players want to play outsiders (non-Ravenloftians), I let them choose only from the FR race list.

Plus, I usually don't allow multiclassing before level 5. In RL, I allow the players to choose a prestige class after level 3.

[Corrupted_Loremaster]

Specialization is fine, but that doesn't mean the combat-junkie shouldn't pick up an extra language or two and a smattering of social and knowledge skills eventually. What are you going to do when you need to gather information, and your rogues nowhere in sight? Or you need to know a monsters weakness right freakin' NOW, and your wizards already been knocked cold? Sure, you won't be nearly as good, but at least you'll have a slim chance of succeding.

[Jester of the FoS]

No limits or extra rules. If a player wants to be combat machines then they're going to suffer in social situations.

[Undead Cabbage]

First then design the character THEN they pick the alignment and mental stats (if you use alignments at all).

Ravenloft characters a very real characters. Its the personality decides the alignment and stats, not the other way around. Playing the "Lawful Good Dwarven Fighter with 18 str" is not very good material for Ravenloft. A certain character may just happen to be a LG dwarf fighter, but he shouldn't be specifically so.

The actual game mechanics are not what makes good Ravenloft characters. It's not about the sheet infront of you: it's about the character that you create outside of the numbers on the page. This is usually where the difference between Fantasy players and Gothic Horror players lie.

To actually quantify what I've just said: perhaps the player should first write a summary of the character before actually rolling anything, as if creating a character for a novel.

Jasper, that is an excellent idea about the profession. I will definately be using that rule in the future .

[BigBadQDaddy]

The actual game mechanics are not what makes good Ravenloft characters. It's not about the sheet infront of you: it's about the character that you create outside of the numbers on the page. This is usually where the difference between Fantasy players and Gothic Horror players lie.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Now if only I could get my munchkin players to see the light.

[Le Noir Faineant]

The actual game mechanics are not what makes good Ravenloft characters. It's not about the sheet infront of you: it's about the character that you create outside of the numbers on the page. This is usually where the difference between Fantasy players and Gothic Horror players lie.

I couldn't have said it better myself, Now if only I could get my munchkin players to see the light.

*Thinks of his own real-world gaming group and laughs*

[Undead Cabbage]

Its sometimes a hard thing to implement. I'd argue the biggest curse behind RL is actually finding players that fit well with it. If you're playing with a bunch of +5 longsword slinging power gamers, RL just isn't going to work.

And then there's the annoying argument "If Ravenloft is Dungeons & Dragons, then why aren't we facing either of them?"

I'd say that the Vitality/Wound point system would probably work much better for the setting, that and using armor as damage reduction. Not to mention, giving Fire-arms an edge on more primitive weapons, and having them negate armor.

I wouldn't say completely throw out the fantasy races (i.e. dwarves, gnomes, elves, and halfings), but instead make the player defend using them very well before just handing them off. Half-vistani and Calibans need significantly less defense, but the cliche still remains that Calibans are just Half-Orcs. The same can be said for a lot of the fantasy prestige classes, such as Arcane Archers and Dwarven defenders.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

If your players aren't used to thinking of D&D characters in terms of "personality/background first, stats later", I'd recommend telling your players that they should concoct ideas for characters who'd appear in a television series about spooky stuff, not in a role-playing game. Tell them that their characters need to be interesting enough that they'd be worth putting in a TV show -- and not one that's cancelled after three episodes, either -- because adventures will relate to their characters' backgrounds and goals, not just to a DM-concocted plotline. Sometimes, just getting players to think outside the box of "This is D&D, ergo story isn't important" can help get reluctant role-players dreaming up characters' personalities, and thinking of their PCs as TV characters -- characters, whom they'd enjoy watching a show about -- rather than game-characters can do that.

[Rhys]

Here are the guidlines I give my players:


- Roll 4d6 and take the highest three. You may re-roll 1's.

- Good or Neutral alignments, only.

- Core D&D and Ravenloft races, except Orcs and Caliban.

- Core D&D (PHB, DMG, and class books) and Ravenloft classes/prestige
classes only. Please talk to me about playing any other classes.
(Paladins, Druids and Monks may not multi-class.)

- Core D&D and Ravenloft feats, only. Same as above.

- Starting gold for your character level, divided by 2. If there are
expensive items you absolutely need, talk to me.

- No magic items may be purchased with your starting gold. I will
roll to see who, if anyone, possibly gets a minor magical item (as
they are extremely rare).

- Your character may be from any of The Core domains, or may be an
outsider. No Red Wizards from Faerun, please. Expect to have all the
bonuses and negatives that go with being a native of the domain you
choose.

- Your character may be from any of the Ravenloft households (Von
Zarovich, Renier, Weathermay, etc.) but it must be part of your
backstory, and you must talk to me first.

- No psionics, please.

[Undead Cabbage]

I agree, Roti, that pointing players to T.V. shows and litterature can sometimes help.

Another thing that I've found helps is to get the players to answer some questions as their character would. IMC I tailored seven of them to reflect the seven sins, but they could really be just about anything that would help establish the characters morals, virtures, and weakness. It's also good to get the players to write their answers down to use them as a reference for later potential plot hooks.

Automatically these answers can help deviate the boys from the men in roll playing. People who are creating a real character will be able to answer those questions in a real way. Others will tend to spout of a very text-book answer.

[Le Noir Faineant]

All these comments IMO are an indication that D&D isn't the best system for RL at all... Too less background, too much rules. - Maybe I'll try KULT for RL some day - or indeed Aquelarre...

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I don't think it's the D&D game's problem, just a problem with certain types of D&D players. If you're gaming with a bunch of stat-obsessed munchkins, no change of game-system will magically get them to think like a Ravenlofter; heck, I've watched players with that mindset trying to play a Toon game like it was a "My-PC-Out-Buttkicks-Your-PC" munchfest!