Witch Hunter RPG Themes and Ravenloft

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Five
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Witch Hunter RPG Themes and Ravenloft

Post by Five »

Witch Hunter - The Invisible World RPG has within it the idea of themes, special rules to help add tension and atmosphere to the setting. They are said to be indicative of the mastermind's (villain) corruption of society, so it ultimately affects everyone- NPCs, minion, villains, and the PCs. For example, the theme of Deception carries with it an in-game plus to Persuade and Decieve, as everybody becomes a bit more sketchy. Lies increase, people become less trustworthy, etc. The theme of Fear causes the populace to become a bit more paranoid, reports/rumors of hauntings might rise, and the tone or feeling of the area in question subsequently becomes a bit creepier. Mechanically there is a negative to Fear checks.

Example themes included in the book (Witch Hunter - The Invisible World 2nd Edition) include Deception, Fear, Greed, Loss, Madness, and Rage. Obviously the sky is the limit when it comes to the DM/GM, and any number of themes can be created and implemented.

Personally I think this concept is practically tailor-fit for Ravenloft. All a DM has to do is isolate a theme for each domain by analyzing the Dark Lord's curse (maybe two - a primary and secondary for the "high-end" Dark Lords), scribble a quick mechanic (usually a plus and minus/benefit and hindrance) and let it ride.

Has anybody ever used anything like this in their version of Ravenloft?

Here's a link to the pdf: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/123 ... nd-Edition

Themes are described on pages 203-204, and 251.
"A very piteous thing it was to see such a quantity of dead bodies, and such an outpouring of blood - that is, if they had not been enemies of the Christian faith."

- Jean Pierre Sarrasin, "The Memoirs of the Lord of Joinville"
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Nox
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Re: Witch Hunter RPG Themes and Ravenloft

Post by Nox »

Never used it, but the fact that those themes affect the world around is interesting in my opinion. I don't know If this would fit every questline/campaign though.
Im sure it could be applied to many adventures to give a stronger feel to that particular location/domain/whatever.
To be honest I would use it sporadically just to make some place unforgettable.
In some way this kind o "distortion" looks similar to reality wrinkles since they affect the reality and players around them.
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Hamiclar
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Re: Witch Hunter RPG Themes and Ravenloft

Post by Hamiclar »

the domains of dread have witch hunter prestige class, not counting the Ravenloft players handbook. I had them but dropped them when I got the book previous mentioned, it saves you a lot of converting.

The other areas can be found in outcast ratings and if you have access to heroes of darkness check out the sections which talks about ones popularity with locals or deeds precede them.
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Nox
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Re: Witch Hunter RPG Themes and Ravenloft

Post by Nox »

Hamiclar wrote:The other areas can be found in outcast ratings and if you have access to heroes of darkness check out the sections which talks about ones popularity with locals or deeds precede them.
You just gave me an advice with that comment :lol: , I did not know about that section (i did not look in that book much since i thought it was for evil campaign only, my bad.)

Edit: Sorry for double post, i got an error while I was editing :cry:
Edit 2: I just saw the Delete button. How many fails today :oops:
Last edited by Nox on Tue Apr 04, 2017 2:37 am, edited 2 times in total.
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