Crafting the Ravenloft World

[jack]

Howdy, ya'll. I'm new to the boards and just wanted to say hello. Also I have a question that I'm hoping you'll help me with.

First, I have just gotten into D&D about eight months ago coming from other horror RPG's with the sole purpose of playing Ravenloft. The past eight months I played some straight D&D to get the hang of it and now want to start crafting my Ravenloft world. I have bought everything buyable for the setting (as well as downloading every netbook from FOS) and have read through it but now I have a problem.

I can't see how to mesh D&D into Ravenloft. I've got the characters, I've picked a Domain (Mordent) and I'm ready to go but the adventures just tend to be a D&D game with Ravenloft in the background.

I've read through the RDMG but there is no real examples or ideas that hit me in the head and make me say, "Oh, that's how I make Ravenloft...well, Ravenloft."

Coming from a horror RPG background and being a fan of Gothic horror novels one would think it would be easy for me, but for some reason I'm just stumped.

Any help ya'll could give me would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jack

[Rotipher of the FoS]

There are some old 2E Ravenloft modules available for free download on the WotC website, if you'd like to see the kinds of plotlines that designers of the setting used in the past. Some of them are a bit more "dungeon-crawlish" than what the game-setting has become, in its transition to the 3E products, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you're still getting used to the D&D system (and aren't sick of dungeons yet).

The netzines available on this website, Quoth the Raven and the Undead Sea Scrolls, have several far-written adventures that capture the mood and style of Ravenloft storylines. The old Kargatane website (check our links page) is no longer active, but it still has the Book of S_____ netzines and some nice stand-alone adventures available for download, too.

[Hallow]

Indeed, i had a similar problem when i first started running in the dread realms.. (a year and a half ago...) Everything I did seemed too fantasy, or strait gore, to disgust my PC's.. What I did was read a few Ravenloft novels (Heart of Midnight, Knight of the Black Rose, and Vampire of the Mists), and some fan stories and that really helped me to understand the setting quite a bit more...

[LordGodefroi]

I can't see how to mesh D&D into Ravenloft. I've got the characters, I've picked a Domain (Mordent) and I'm ready to go but the adventures just tend to be a D&D game with Ravenloft in the background.

Your problem isn't all that rare. Ravenloft is a mid- to low-magic world; When 3rd ed D&D ramped up the power levels in order to accomodate more fantastic worlds and gaming situations, it made running Ravenloft that much more problematic. Oddly enough, however, the 3rd ed / Sword & Sorcery years was when Ravenloft became the most unified and cohesive in terms of tone.

Ravenloft isn't supposed to be like any other kind of horror game. Heroes are still supposed to be heroes and not just victims who happen to be the main characters. Ravenloft characters are, generally speaking, supposed to vanquish the ancient evil and set the world right again. If Ravenloft were a movie, it'd be a Hammer Studios film like Brides of Dracula or Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. In short, Ravenloft is not without its elements of adventure nor without a glimmer of hope . . . unlike Call of Cthulhu or Vampire: The Masquerade/The Requiem.

That 3rd edition RL materials were remarkably consistent in tone suggests to me that it isn't necessarily the game itself but how you tailor it. Published Ravenloft itself has necessary rules changes to accomodate the tone: Altered magic, Powers checks, and fear, madness, and horror saves.

In your game, it doesn't have to stop there. For example, I also use the Black Magic rules from Fantasy Flight Games book Darkness & Dread along with the rules for ritual magic from the Relics & Rituals books. Material from these books helps support the "Dennis Wheatley" tone I think Ravenloft should reflect. Thumb through those books at your local game store and see if they're any help. And, of course, re-read your RL DMG again. The tips in there are more valuable than you think.

[Bloody Morgan]

The best advice I could give would be to scrap most of the the published scenarios, taking only the core idea and scenes from each, then re-write them. Standard D&D does tend to fall into the "gather a party and give them a quest" mold, which really doesn't work that well in Ravenloft.

I find it much more plausible to ask characters to create a certain kind of character - not necessarily a certain class or race*, but with a certain familial tie, nationality, etc. For example, when I ran it I had the players all be natives of a tiny village in Gundarak. A larger city might call for all the PCs to be part of the city watch, all residents in a certain neighbourhood, all members of the same family, etc.

Once you have a setting and a group, build up their surroundings. Come up with a few ongoing plots which intersect with their interests to start them off and give them motivation, but give the players a free reign. Let their characters pursue their own goals, then think about what the goal is and what forces it will bring them into conflict with.

There's room for dungeons & quests all right, but they should come across as things that the PCs decided to track down and look into, rather than things they've been pushed towards.

Bloody Morgan

* though race is hugely important in Ravenloft, and should be given serious consideration for anything non-human.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I agree that if you're having trouble coming up with adventures that feel like Ravenloft, the best source is to look at... Ravenloft adventures. I'd particularly recommend the Children of the Night series to get you started. Also, check out other people's campaign journals to see what they've done. Several are archived at and/or linked to from this site.

[Jester of the FoS]

Try starting small, just go for spooky and build from there. Make sure you know what scares the players and try to use that.
Work on atmosphere. That's what sets the Gothic and Ravenloft apart from other worlds. It's not just monsters and heroes but what the world looks like, sounds like, and feels like. It's okay to have battle and dungeon crawls as long as there is lots of description and its easily pictured in the mind.

[WolfKook]

I used to have the same problem. My group was (And still is) too acustomed to "normal" D&D (And WoW) to easily adapt to Ravenloft, and -I have to accept -I use to be a little too wild as a DM to create a proper atmosphere (After reading "Traps and Treachery", a little adventure I ran in Rokushima Taiyöo ended up as an episode of survivor, and that is definitely NOT the mood I wanted to create).

Things have started to change in the campaign we recently started: I read all of the gazetteers and the netbooks and used some of the articles in the later ("A year in Ravenloft", "Anchors of Faith", the one with the astrology notes, etc.) to build atmosphere. That helped me give atmosphere to the setting, by adding descriptions.

Recently, the characters crossed over the domain border between Borca and Richemulot, and I described how they saw, and felt, the change. The strange vegetation disappeared, and they started to receive casual visits from rats during the night. I described them how they felt observed and followed and -though it was not an important part of the campaign, as they are just on their road to Mordent -the pass through Richemulot became a memorable scene.

[alhoon]

Play the night of the walking dead. It epitomizes what Ravenloft is for me.

Also remember: Ravenloft can be changed to accomodate your needs. if you want a misty place with xenophobic people that has strange happenings that lead to that ancient temple everyone seems to have forgotten, make your own small domain or something.

[jack]

First off, thank you to everybody that has responded. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it now. See if I'm right...

The party, working for the Lord of Mordent, is sent on a census mission around the domain. They come across a small town by the sea to count chickens and such.

That night, a deep fog rolls in and the next day a prominent figure in the community, a well loved priest, is found dead. His body is stark white, with a look of horror, frozen on his face. His eyes are completely black.

Town gets the creeps.

Next night, same fog, next day a prostitute is dead. Same condition.

Town gets The Creeps.

Third night, same. Next day, new death.

THE CREEPS.

Town approaches the party and says, "Hey, you're government men and women, on the taxes payroll, deal with this." So, naturally the party investigates and they start hearing rumors, whispered among the townsfolks of a fog monster. So they start investigating a fog monster and find sufficent clues that lead them to the beach where they camp one night and see a mysterious figure. The follow the figure into a cave and bam! they find a goblin and kill him. Problem solved.

Next night, fog. Next day, death.

More clues and red herrings until they finally uncover the truth: that the deaths are coming from a new breed of aggresive roach that has come in from a trading ship and the bite is poisonous. All of this running around and looking for a monster (and finding a monster or two) when all they had to do was get rid of the ship.

So, Ravenloft is the con game of bait and switch.

Also, from a mechanics point of view, Ravenloft is less of a focus on combat skills and abilities and more on the skills that deal with investigation and social interaction. Being able to "Great Cleave" a vampire is great, but you have to be able to figure out that you're fighting a vampire first.

Have I got it?
Jack

[TwiceBorn]

By Jove, I think you've got it, ol' chap...

By the way, I love the idea of starting the party out as tax collectors... I may have to use that one myself someday.

[Archedius]

As long as players get a chance to discover the new roaches before the total end of the campaign then yes. I've found (when I first started DMing RL and was not yet ok at it) that PC's doing investigational work hate it when they had absolutely no way to come to the right conclusion before the climax of the session. In other words- investigations should reward your players ability to reason and learn by allowing them to take charge and initiate the climax themselves. If your PC's do not take charge and let you guide them through after giving them their chance at an early resolution- then you should initiate the climax for them.
Your plot sounds nice; I wouldn't mind being one of your players
IMO bait and switch are a sort of 'punishment' towards your PC's for being to trusting/lazy/cruel/pugnacious/stupid. It is perfectly fine to use them on occasion but if used too often your players will become bored and feel railroaded.
I do not know if I am correct in saying this but I try to use the beginning sessions of a campaign to train/beat my players into investigating before engaging. Just remember that in future adventures you DM to make sure that intellegent creatures act intellegently i.e. hiding in a PC's inn room/ attacking a PC when they're in an outhouse (that one is a good one if you play a realistic game where your players are serious enough to consider having to go...)
I know I'm rambling on but make sure that when you have your players engage in combat- if your players can handle it: do not pull punches. Have your encounters dirty and violent i.e. taking of hostages, poisoning, full use of your monsters abilities, having your monsters attempt to kill PC's in the negative HP's and that sort of thing. Your players will respect the nature of Ravenloft more and as I'm lucky enough to see- expect you to kill their chars when appropriate. K I'm done- sry if any of this insulted your DMing experience as I tried putting down what I have learned. Good luck with your campaign!

[WolfKook]

Hey! That's it! And now you've given us (Well, me, at least) a lesson on the nature of Ravenloft.

I also love the idea of the PCs starting off as tax collectors!

[jack]

sry if any of this insulted your DMing experience

Not at all. I have found the advice given here to be very helpful. Also, personally, I very much enjoy having discussions with people who have a different view than me (as long as it doesn't get nasty). Nothing pleases me more than for someone to say something that makes me say, "Hmm, good point, I've never thought of it like that before." How can that not help one to better their game and, in many cases, their life? (Of course, bettering ones game is far more important than bettering ones life, wouldn't you say? )

Your plot sounds nice; I wouldn't mind being one of your players

If you ever find yourself in Southeast Texas, Houston, let me know and I'll try to give you the heebie jeebies.

And now you've given us (Well, me, at least) a lesson on the nature of Ravenloft

Aww, shucks, Wolfie, twern't nothin'.

As for everybody liking the tax collector thing, I'm glad I could contribute.

Now, I would say, "Happy gamin', ya'll," but this bein' Ravenloft, well, happiness just ain't what it use to be.

Jack

[The Giamarga]

Let us know how it turns out.

Also would you mind telling us what your characters are? Do they start at 1st level? What classes.

I think making the PCs with a lot of ties to the background setting is another key of RL. Giving them a few levels in NPc classes, having a real job etc. etc.