Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends

Discussing all things Ravenloft
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Mortepierre
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Dark Tales & Disturbing Legends

Post by Mortepierre »

The book is out! Well, as a pdf on DriveThruRPG at any rate :P

Just downloaded it. Art looks great, the tales/adventures creepy and - by Azalin's crown! - there is even a full appendix on the Voodan class from Souragne! WOHOOOOOOOOO :D
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Cool!

Post by Faust »

Is the voodan class a class or a prestige class?

Also what else is included?

I need details plz!!! If only to patiently wait for next week when i will be able to buy it!(I dont have the time to go to town until at least next week!!!)
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Post by Mortepierre »

The short and sweet of it:

182 pages softcover RL accessory

5 chapters + appendix (at the end)

Basically, this book is about taking 5 archetypical horror stories which will bring happy memories (well, you know what I mean..) to any people hailing from Europe or America, and turning them into adventures worthy of Ravenloft (or other settings, with a little more work).

Talon Dunning is one of the artists and once more scores high with the interior art. I can’t help it, I just love the man’s work!

Each chapter is built the same way. First, you get the Story. Basically, the legend folks have heard about the place/people/event. Next, the Truth is revealed in all its horror. Then you get tips (well, more than tips actually) on how to Use the Story as a RL/D&D adventure. Finally, there is Variations on a Theme, which explains how to customize the story for your campaign and gives you ways to twist it around to surprise your players.

D&D stats, new monsters/spells/feats/magic items are all collected in the Appendix at the end of the book. A wise choice for it makes for a more enjoyable reading, although I would have preferred a format akin to what we got in Legacy of the Blood where each chapter ended with its own appendix. Still, no big deal.

Chapter 1: To Inherit Eternity
The classic tale of being cautious about what you wish for, lest you get it...

Chapter 2: The Curse of Ashington Manor
A ‘time loop’ story but one with a twist.

Chapter 3: The Brood of Brutkalte
A family rotten to the core couldn’t have produced a more rotten apple...

Chapter 4: Noises in the Night
Bogeymen aren’t real, are they? But what if...

Chapter 5: To Honor and Obey
It’s wedding time in Souragne and the groom’s family wants to make sure his noble blood stays pure. They just didn’t know how far they would need to go...

Appendix:
NPC/items/feats/spells/monsters of the various chapters, treated chapter by chapter. The part concerning Chapter 5 includes the new core class Voodan, a priest of the loa (spirits of the land) + the rundown of the loa pantheon of Souragne.
Last edited by Mortepierre on Mon May 02, 2005 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Steve Miller »

"Ushington Manor"?

Is that a typo, or did the name change in editing?
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Post by Mortepierre »

Ooops!

Sorry, that was a typo. Fixed now. Me bad :oops:
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Post by Lost and Damned »

thanks for the info, hopefully one of the message board mods will combine our two posts, don't want to waste the space....
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Post by Steve Miller »

Mortepierre wrote:Ooops!

Sorry, that was a typo. Fixed now. Me bad :oops:

No biggie. I just really like the name Ashingston... and it took me longer than it probably should have to settle on it. I would have cried if it had been changed. :)
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Post by Shadowsworn »

Sounds great. I'll be sure to pick it up when it comes into print.
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Post by tec-goblin »

Interesting... Is it really customizable? Can the stories be used for high-level parties? I don't know if I'll buy the download or printed version... Probably download it...
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Post by Gwynplaine »

Well, well, well....
it looks like my pact with the Dark Powers paid off!

Now I can play my Voodan the way it was designed to be played.

Not that there was anything wrong with the cobbled together shaman class I have now, I'm just a purist at heart.

That's probaly why my pleas were heard....
*shudder*
I think I'm in trouble.

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Post by Tobias Blackburn »

This book is... wow.

Now, this book isn't really for players. Its a DM source, but there are items, the Voodan core class, and a few other things that the Players can use.

The stories can be used at any level of play, and work well with both Ravenloft and Gothic Earth. The first chapter, To Inherit Eternity, is an entire campagin unto itself, with secret cults, artifacts and a deadly and manipulator to face (eventually). Ryan Naylor's Bogeymen are excellent villians, and Steve Miller's Curse of Ashington Manor is a true Ravenloft tale, giving a great use of the Tarokka cards and harkening back to the House of Strahd and The House of Gryphon Hill (though I prefer Ashington for pure creepiness).

Its also nice to see the authors getting direct credit for their pieces on the credit page.
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Post by Drinnik Shoehorn »

Tobias Blackburn wrote:This book is... wow.

Now, this book isn't really for players. Its a DM source, but there are items, the Voodan core class, and a few other things that the Players can use.

The stories can be used at any level of play, and work well with both Ravenloft and Gothic Earth. The first chapter, To Inherit Eternity, is an entire campagin unto itself, with secret cults, artifacts and a deadly and manipulator to face (eventually). Ryan Naylor's Bogeymen are excellent villians, and Steve Miller's Curse of Ashington Manor is a true Ravenloft tale, giving a great use of the Tarokka cards and harkening back to the House of Strahd and The House of Gryphon Hill (though I prefer Ashington for pure creepiness).

Its also nice to see the authors getting direct credit for their pieces on the credit page.
Are they the bogeymen that appeared in the Book of Sacrifices?
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Post by Tobias Blackburn »

Drinnik Shoehorn wrote:
Tobias Blackburn wrote:This book is... wow.

Now, this book isn't really for players. Its a DM source, but there are items, the Voodan core class, and a few other things that the Players can use.

The stories can be used at any level of play, and work well with both Ravenloft and Gothic Earth. The first chapter, To Inherit Eternity, is an entire campagin unto itself, with secret cults, artifacts and a deadly and manipulator to face (eventually). Ryan Naylor's Bogeymen are excellent villians, and Steve Miller's Curse of Ashington Manor is a true Ravenloft tale, giving a great use of the Tarokka cards and harkening back to the House of Strahd and The House of Gryphon Hill (though I prefer Ashington for pure creepiness).

Its also nice to see the authors getting direct credit for their pieces on the credit page.
Are they the bogeymen that appeared in the Book of Sacrifices?
Let me check...

All but Griswold and The Gentleman, and we are introduced to the frightening Mr. Fox.
The Remnants have one saying to represent loss, disappearance, exile, and death. It is [i]Shiao Marests[/i], "Taken by The Shadows".
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Post by Brandi »

Apropos of nothing-- can threads be merged on this board?
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Post by DeepShadow of FoS »

Lost and Damned:

has anyone seen this new addition to Drivethru's PDF's? its called Tales and Disturbing Legends

anyone got it? is it any good?[/url]


Steve Miller:

I understand it's a work of pure genius.

--Steve Miller, co-writer of "Dark Tales and Disturbing Legends"

PS: While at DriveThru anyway, I recommend this other work of pure genius (for d20 Modern): Modern Advances: The Hardcore Activist.


alhoon:

Does this book (That I have never heard of ) contain adventures or just adventure hooks?


Steve Miller:

alhoon wrote:
Does this book (That I have never heard of ) contain adventures or just adventure hooks?

The basic format is this:

A story/legend, followed by all the elements you need to build adventures around that story/legend.

In my section, I provide a full adventure, but it's built in such a way that the industrious DM can either run it as a single adventure, or break it apart and use the elements in many different adventures.

How other designers did their sections, I'm not sure, but I got the sense that a number of folks were taking cracks at new ways of doing things.

(And you haven't heard of it,because it's brand-new. The print version is due out later this month.)


Mortepierre:

Lost and Damned wrote:
has anyone seen this new addition to Drivethru's PDF's? its called Tales and Disturbing Legends

anyone got it? is it any good?[/url]

<points to his own post on the same forum>


Lost and Damned:

Mortepierre wrote:
Lost and Damned wrote:
has anyone seen this new addition to Drivethru's PDF's? its called Tales and Disturbing Legends

anyone got it? is it any good?[/url]


<points to his own post on the same forum>


Points to time....

My post was a minute before yours, slow-coach

To Steve, Thanks for the Info steve, it should be good then, once my budget allows me to buy it, my Star Wars Episode Three Figure Collection comes first though


Ryan Naylor:

I think it's grossly unfair you all get to see this before I do.


Tobias Blackburn:

Ryan Naylor wrote:
I think it's grossly unfair you all get to see this before I do.


What? You think you should see it before us? You just wrote the dang thing? If you wanted prestiege you should have gone into layout!

Just picked it up and have been flipping through the PDF. Great work guys. I'll comment on it more later.
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