Darklords of the New Age: Comments thread

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

OK, this one I like a bit better. But some flaws I see:
1) I would change the name Red Death to something else. Anything else. As is, it provokes too much confusion with the MotRD setting. (And also note that the Crimson Death name is taken already as well.)
2) I don't see why Amadeo has to be a co-darklord. He's powerless, which makes for a good curse, but not a great DL. I'd rather see Guendalina as sole darklord, with Amadeo as part of her curse.
3) The Call treads the fine line between making ones own choice for evil vs. being forced into evil. (see the fate vs. choice debate on the last entry.) I see that you took pains to show that they could choose to resist or embrace The Call, but still... it's a little troubling.
4) I don't get Amadeo's suicide at all. He went from noble and concerned, to vengeful, to... suicidal? I just don't get it. It seems thrown in to match better to the Romeo & Juliet gone bad homage, which isn't necessary IMHO. (Amadeo needs suicide like Maligno needs a Cricket. i.e. not at all.)
5) The bit about people stealing the Red Lion to become Podesta is weird. Any common thief or skilled forger could become leader of the land?
6) I'm also not sure Guendalina needs to be Podesta at all. I'd love to see more domains like NV and Lamordia, where the darklord isn't the political leader.

[Sorti]

1) I would change the name Red Death to something else. Anything else. As is, it provokes too much confusion with the MotRD setting. (And also note that the Crimson Death name is taken already as well.)

We called it that to link more with the Venice background, it's sad it was taken already . We'll probably change it later.

2) I don't see why Amadeo has to be a co-darklord. He's powerless, which makes for a good curse, but not a great DL. I'd rather see Guendalina as sole darklord, with Amadeo as part of her curse.

Actually I think Amedeo as a DL has some adventure hook potential; he's powerless, but this doesn't mean he doesn't have some plans for himself on how to destroy Guendalina, the city and everything... Also, Amedeo is there to show what happens when you stray from the path of goodness; he tried his best just up to the end, and he succumbed just when he was close to achieving something for the good of everybody. He decided the people of Oriebo didn't deserve his efforts and, in the end, he turned against all of them. He was heavily punished because he actually could have changed things, but he decided it wasn't worth it.

3) The Call treads the fine line between making ones own choice for evil vs. being forced into evil. (see the fate vs. choice debate on the last entry.) I see that you took pains to show that they could choose to resist or embrace The Call, but still... it's a little troubling.

I think something like this was discussed for true werebeast DLs; if you're born an evil beast, do you have a choice? I think Guendalina and Amedeo had much more choice than Lukas or Maligno. Still it's an interesting point to debate.

4) I don't get Amadeo's suicide at all. He went from noble and concerned, to vengeful, to... suicidal? I just don't get it. It seems thrown in to match better to the Romeo & Juliet gone bad homage, which isn't necessary IMHO. (Amadeo needs suicide like Maligno needs a Cricket. i.e. not at all.)

Amedeo spent all of his life for his city and his beloved; when he decided both of them were doomed, living had no more sense to him. He preferred oblivion, and he wanted his city and beloved to die with him. The DPs, had other plans, of course

5) The bit about people stealing the Red Lion to become Podesta is weird. Any common thief or skilled forger could become leader of the land?

Wait you got it wrong the Podestà has to show off the Red Lion to show she's capable of defending it, and thus symbolically to defend the city. If she loses it she's Podestà no more, but the thief does not become it; another one gets chosen by the ruling council. (of course the Lion has to be retrieved first, of course, and until it isn't the city has no single ruler and a lot of turmoil...)

6) I'm also not sure Guendalina needs to be Podesta at all. I'd love to see more domains like NV and Lamordia, where the darklord isn't the political leader.

I also don't think DLs in general need to be the rulers of their domains, but in Oriebo's case there's a lot about political power, manipulation and so on, so the DLs are the most politically powerful & better manipulator (Guendalina) and the most powerless and useless (Amedeo) beings of the realm. That was the sense, more or less.

[whalejudge]

I like the non-human darklord bit, the fact that the DL isn't a necromancer or something else. I like how his continuing crimes have to do with causing madness.

What I'm not wild about is another practically unkillable DL. Need to solve riddles to kill him? How about the PCs playing Alexander to his Gordion Knot?

[Igor the Henchman]

I really like Astylos. Good, solid adventure villain material. In addition, both his species and modus operandi set him quite apart from the other lords. And I love the riddles' gimmick. Felsinea seems like a perfect place to run some "Da Vinci Code"-inspired goodness, full of hidden secrets and academic intrigue. Good job!

[Checco]

OK, this one I like a bit better. But some flaws I see:
1) I would change the name Red Death to something else. Anything else. As is, it provokes too much confusion with the MotRD setting. (And also note that the Crimson Death name is taken already as well.)
2) I don't see why Amadeo has to be a co-darklord. He's powerless, which makes for a good curse, but not a great DL. I'd rather see Guendalina as sole darklord, with Amadeo as part of her curse.
3) The Call treads the fine line between making ones own choice for evil vs. being forced into evil. (see the fate vs. choice debate on the last entry.) I see that you took pains to show that they could choose to resist or embrace The Call, but still... it's a little troubling.
4) I don't get Amadeo's suicide at all. He went from noble and concerned, to vengeful, to... suicidal? I just don't get it. It seems thrown in to match better to the Romeo & Juliet gone bad homage, which isn't necessary IMHO. (Amadeo needs suicide like Maligno needs a Cricket. i.e. not at all.)
5) The bit about people stealing the Red Lion to become Podesta is weird. Any common thief or skilled forger could become leader of the land?
6) I'm also not sure Guendalina needs to be Podesta at all. I'd love to see more domains like NV and Lamordia, where the darklord isn't the political leader.

What Sorti said.

One simple precisation: 'Red Death' is the name the Plague had in medieval Venice, so we kept it...ofc tying a vampire clan to it

The Red Lion statue is another similitude to Venice, whose symbol and coat of arms were Saint Mark's Golden Lion...which had to be made a little more gothic.

I really like Astylos. Good, solid adventure villain material. In addition, both his species and modus operandi set him quite apart from the other lords. And I love the riddles' gimmick. Felsinea seems like a perfect place to run some "Da Vinci Code"-inspired goodness, full of hidden secrets and academic intrigue. Good job!

I'm glad someone quickly noticed how we tried to create a fertile ground for DMs who love to use traps and hide infos behind "Da Vinci Code" style researchs

What I'm not wild about is another practically unkillable DL. Need to solve riddles to kill him?

I'm with you about unkillable DLs, the most simple solution was to create him with the desire never to be met not to interfere, so the chances the PCs will have to confront him are close to zero (assuming they learn about his very existance and desire to find him).

Of course, the more riddles you manage to solve, the greater the chances to kill the sphinx .

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I like that Astylos sidesteps the "non-human DL" problem by being a usually good monster, rather than an usually evil one. His crime is perfectly fitting for DL-ship, and keeping him a secret lurking evil makes his high-fantasy origin less visible, and hence, less jarring, at least until PCs discover him.

I'm not wild about the real-world references to Medea and Oedipus. Nor do I really like the whole concept of "Riddle Magic," but that's just me.

I assume taking a "Gifted" out of Felsinea would cure them?

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Also, Amedeo is there to show what happens when you stray from the path of goodness; he tried his best just up to the end, and he succumbed just when he was close to achieving something for the good of everybody.

I guess... I would argue that Guendalina shows the same thing, since she started out resisting the Call as well. He just resisted for longer than she. I'd prefer to see someone who never succumbed to The Call, just to prove it could be done. Proving that would make it more believable when you say Guendalina had a choice. I'm sure you've got some Good nosferatu-descended NPCs in the domain that prove this, but it seems to me like Amadeo would be the natural choice.

I think something like this was discussed for true werebeast DLs; if you're born an evil beast, do you have a choice? I think Guendalina and Amedeo had much more choice than Lukas or Maligno. Still it's an interesting point to debate.

Agreed. As much as I love Harkon, and as much as they've tried to make him "more evil" than a normal wolfwere, it's still troubling.

Wait you got it wrong the Podestà has to show off the Red Lion to show she's capable of defending it, and thus symbolically to defend the city.

OK, that makes a lot more sense. I didn't get that from the text.

One simple precisation: 'Red Death' is the name the Plague had in medieval Venice, so we kept it...ofc tying a vampire clan to it

In that case, why not go with the original Italian name? (Babelfish tells me: Morte Rossa. Is that correct?)

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

I have to say Astylos is my favorite so far. Getting a Spinx to work in a non-Egyptian setting was pulled off well.

[DocBeard]

I always thought that Lukas's thing was that he went against his people's morals, without trying to find a new morality to support him.

Like(sigh) let's look at Drizzit. Is that how you spell it? I think so. Anyway; Driz turned his back on his culture and religion, but picked up another religion to compensate, which he follows relatively well. Dude's not perfect, but he does his best to live what he feels is a moral life.

Lukas just wanted to join humanoid society for power, and had no intentions of becoming any more civilized than he had to be. He was trying to have all the benefits of civilization while still being a murderous predator, and that's what made him stand out to the Dark Powers, not so much his killing and eating people.

[Sorti]

I like the non-human darklord bit, the fact that the DL isn't a necromancer or something else. I like how his continuing crimes have to do with causing madness.

I really like Astylos. Good, solid adventure villain material. In addition, both his species and modus operandi set him quite apart from the other lords. And I love the riddles' gimmick. Felsinea seems like a perfect place to run some "Da Vinci Code"-inspired goodness, full of hidden secrets and academic intrigue. Good job!

I like that Astylos sidesteps the "non-human DL" problem by being a usually good monster, rather than an usually evil one. His crime is perfectly fitting for DL-ship, and keeping him a secret lurking evil makes his high-fantasy origin less visible, and hence, less jarring, at least until PCs discover him.

I have to say Astylos is my favorite so far. Getting a Spinx to work in a non-Egyptian setting was pulled off well.

I'm really, honestly, deeply glad you liked it (I'm very sensible to compliments, and a little moved )

Lukas just wanted to join humanoid society for power, and had no intentions of becoming any more civilized than he had to be. He was trying to have all the benefits of civilization while still being a murderous predator, and that's what made him stand out to the Dark Powers, not so much his killing and eating people.

I understand your point; if you're already a monster in some way you need something that sets you apart from the other monsters like you.

About Guendalina in particular, we cut a part about her experiments in the current sketch because we felt it was maybe too macabre . It was about her failed spawns; she tried kidnapping prostitutes and have her demented children get them pregnant, and she discovered with amazement that the offspring produced is of a vampiric bloodline purer than herself (probably due to the sheer depravity of the act). For now they've all been stillborn, but she's trying to get one to live to study him (and of course kill him sometime in the future, how dares he be closer to her nosferatu ancestress than her?). For now she just drinks the purer blood of the stillborns.

As you see it's a little creepy and long to describe, so we cut it away . Would it be a good way to make Guendalina more distinctly evil, to eat her own grandchildren?

[Checco]

Nor do I really like the whole concept of "Riddle Magic," but that's just me.

I assume taking a "Gifted" out of Felsinea would cure them?

Riddle Magic is best resumed as follows: solving Riddles makes you immune to their effects, which are spell-like abilities.

If you either are a sphinx or a human having studied the sphinxes' magic (fulfilling the Knowledge/Feats required), knowing the answer to a Riddle grants you some spell-like abilities. Technically, anyone with the right prerequisites could obtain Astylos' spell-like abilities, provided he managed to recover all the sphinxes' lore.

A Gifted brought out of Felsinea would not be cured. To cure him, a Limited Wish or a spell of similar power is required -or someone must use the Riddle of Mind to erase the Gift-, though Astylos could simply gift the subject again, if he caught his interest, so it would be better to cure him and bring him away hastily from Felsinea, as the Riddle of Mind requires the target to be close to Astylos, and he never ever moves from the catacombs.

One simple precisation: 'Red Death' is the name the Plague had in medieval Venice, so we kept it...ofc tying a vampire clan to it

In that case, why not go with the original Italian name? (Babelfish tells me: Morte Rossa. Is that correct?)

Indeed, 'Morte Rossa' is correct.

We would have used that and other Italian names, but we didn't because every term would have required a translation and probably added few to the reader's enjoyment.

Since MofRD exists, I think we'll change every 'Red Death' with 'Morte Rossa', including the name of the Nosferatu clan.

Regarding Amedeo and the fact that he could have resisted the Call until the end, it would be possible without forbidding him to become a DL.

We will modify the background with him never accepting the Call, it adds significance.

By the way, thanks to everyone for the constructive criticism and suggestions

[Igor the Henchman]

About Guendalina in particular, we cut a part about her experiments in the current sketch because we felt it was maybe too macabre . It was about her failed spawns; she tried kidnapping prostitutes and have her demented children get them pregnant, and she discovered with amazement that the offspring produced is of a vampiric bloodline purer than herself (probably due to the sheer depravity of the act). For now they've all been stillborn, but she's trying to get one to live to study him (and of course kill him sometime in the future, how dares he be closer to her nosferatu ancestress than her?). For now she just drinks the purer blood of the stillborns.

As you see it's a little creepy and long to describe, so we cut it away . Would it be a good way to make Guendalina more distinctly evil, to eat her own grandchildren?

Yes, indeed. This extra detail makes her more interesting and ties her more closely to the flavour of the domain. Though I dare say it might require some measure of literary subtlety and taste to describe properly.

My opinion regarding "powerless" darklords, however, remains unchanged. I think Amedeo would work better as a colorful NPC.

[Manofevil]

Astylos isn't bad, but his motives sound too much like Azalin's for my taste and his passtimes too much like Haslik's. Put simply. we've been there and done that. The non-human DarkLord does add a bit of flavor but I definitely liked the first two better.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Riddle Magic is best resumed as follows: solving Riddles makes you immune to their effects, which are spell-like abilities.

Yeah, I see what you're going for, it just doesn't resonate with me. I can't quite quantify why not.

We would have used that and other Italian names, but we didn't because every term would have required a translation and probably added few to the reader's enjoyment.

On the contrary, I think a few scattered foreign terms heighten the sense of place. (As you did with Podesta, for example). Obviously, there is a limit, but for a background detail like this, you no more need to translate it than they needed to translate "Richmulot" or "Tristenoira" or "Malocchio". The root words evoke enough of a feel that we can either guess the translation or subconsciously get the gist.

We will modify the background with him never accepting the Call, it adds significance.

It's just a suggestion. You don't have to modify it on my account. If you think you've got a good reason to leave it as is, please feel free to do so. I'm just a voice in the crowd. (but I do like that version better)

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I really like the story on this one (Casteldebole), but I'm torn by a contradiction. Baccio's need for vengeance and the whole story setup requires the neverending war, yet the domain doesn't seem to reflect his personality. Perhaps the war itself needs to be fueled by vengeance, as he is, to match him more closely. As it is, the domain matches Chiara much better, since she is an incarnation of strife. But again, we have the Mordenhiem/Adam problem: Built as as creature of strife, empowered by the goddess thereof, did Chiara have a choice in her "fall"? And therefore, who's the darklord? the monster or the creator? You've chosen "both," but I don't know if that's consistent with the precedents.

In writing the above paragraph, I think I've figured out what I'd do with these two. I think personally, I might use them as non-darklords, tucked away in Borca. Replace the rival duchies with warring powerful families, and make Magda a casualty of the gang war, with Baccio's goal the destruction of the two families.

Again, all just IMHO.