Campaign Ideas & Questions

[stormwell]

Been a fan of Ravenloft since I first came across some of the 3rd/3.5 Ed books secondhand in my LGS some years back, though never really got the chance to run or play in the setting.

As I said in the Introductions tread, I actually came across this site a while back after finding out about the Savage Worlds conversion but only recently decided to sign up.

Started planning a Ravenloft campaign, though looking to use the Savage Worlds rules along with the 3rd Ed era setting info. My basic idea was to have all the characters be outlanders who've been taken by the Mists from their respective worlds and ended up in Bavoria. Then after encountering Strahd, explore the rest of the Demiplane of Dread in order to try and find a means of escaping back to their worlds of origin.

For the first adventure I'm looking to adapt either Expedition to Castle Ravenloft or Curse of Strahd, curious on what people's views of these two adventures are? (they seem to be almost the same)

After Bavoria I'm thinking of pointing the characters towards Mordent (Azalin and the two Strahds), though trying to decide which would be a more plausible means of doing it; Strahd has a journal that mentions it or a letter from a minion?

[Skyrock]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft was a test balloon for the delve format of 4e, lining up encounters as pearls on a thread with not much choice once a thread has been picked. For a SaWo adaption, you can probably cut a lot of filler and speedbump encounters only intended as a way to gain XP in the 3.x rules, as the XP system of SaWo doesn't require such encounter bloat to have character progression. - It should also be noted that EtCR plays it rather loose with the Ravenloft canon, such as by sporting halfling Vistani and making Madame Eva a hag.

Curse of Strahd is more of a sandbox environment and thus structurally more satisfying if your players enjoy exploration and choice. 5e also has a bit less speedbump encounter bloat, although 5e still emphasizes combat encounters as a major XP source. - Other than the timeline paradox of Rudolph van Richten being active in early Barovia before the formation of the Core, it is farily compatible with the RL canon.

The major problem I would see with using EtCR or CoS (or classic I6 or 2E House of Strahd for that matter) as a campaign entry is that it is very hard to raise the ante once they are completed. Strahd is one of the most premier darklords of the setting, and after defeating him there aren't many possibilities for adventures that feel more grand. Going from successfully defeating Strahd to goofing around in Mordent or Darkon may feel rather anti-climatic. I6 and its derivatives work better as a capstone to finish a campaign.

[stormwell]

Thanks for that!

Looking to use the Core as it existed in 3rd/3.5 era, so it would probably be an idea to begin elsewhere and then use CoS as the campaign finale.

In that case, Mordent could be a good start by having the characters learn about Azalin and the Alchemist. Additionally, they could also be put onto van Richten's trail to eventually lead to Barovia which it make more sense timeline wise.

[stormwell]

Reading Gaz III's entry on Mordent, I read about the House on Gryphon Hill being raided by some adventurers 'a decade ago' which prompted Lord Godefry to pay attention to the living world once more.

But all I can seem to find is just a reference and little else, am I missing something?

[Skyrock]

AFAIK that raid isn't mentioned anywhere else - all the official modules playing in Mordent (House on Gryphon Hill & Howls in the Night) happen way before that, and neither necessitates to confront Godefroy.

Really up to determine to the DM who did it why, and what exactly happened.

[The Lesser Evil]

My guess on the raid was that it was mostly a mechanism to get Godefroy off his butt and transform him from a passive darklord into a truly dynamic and proactive one.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

My guess on the raid was that it was mostly a mechanism to get Godefroy off his butt and transform him from a passive darklord into a truly dynamic and proactive one.

Pretty sure that's correct. I don't recall any mention of such a raid in any other product.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Maybe we could cook something up...?

[The Lesser Evil]

Maybe we could cook something up...?

Perhaps something having to do with an early predecessor to the Blessed Army of Ezra (of the Mordentish sect)? Which might give Godefroy a personal reason to itch for a Mordentish-Darkonian death battle...

Edit: Another option might be that group that Lian de Loranche Punchinel was a part of, the Brotherhood of Bountiful Light. Outside of Children of the Night: the Created, we haven't heard anything about them. Although explicitly an organization for war, perhaps they settled down after fighting against various Falkovnian invasions and turned to domestic threats and monster-hunting.