Rules for charging into the Mists?

[Solan]

"Domains of Dread" provides no information on what happens when heroes new to Ravenloft venture into the Mists surrounding the Core. Did one of the previous rules books say what to do in that situation? How long are they likely to be in there and can they retrace their steps or not?

[Solan]

Non one who has one of the old rulebooks could tell me what was said about going into the Mists? Please?

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Non one who has one of the old rulebooks could tell me what was said about going into the Mists? Please?

Anything is possible even encountering dragons (canon says only Ebb+ exist in Ravenloft). In general the Mists can be used in various ways.

Someone can get lost in them (even forever).

May reemerge from the same place that got in from.

Can be transported in any other Domain in the Demiplane of Dread.

Can be transported in any time in the Demiplane of Dread.

Random encounters with various creatures that roam the Mists, who are also lost or creatures of the Mist subtype.

If a creature entering is particularly evil it may become a Darkolord of their own domain.

They can encounter any mysterious place. Take for instance Trillen Mistwalker. In life, he was an explorer of the Mists surrounding the Mistlands and was obsessed with finding an ancient tower within the Mists. His obsession led him to coerce his brother Ysilsten Mistwalker to go with him. On the journey, Ysilsten perished. The regret over Ysilsten's death combined with Trillen's obsession of discovering the tower eventually drove Trillen insane. He died a few years later. Trillen lives on as a ghost, stilled obsessed over finding that tower. He frequently recruits the foolish to accompany him on explorations of the Mists. Because he appears solid like he did in life, Trillen can fool others into believing he is alive. He also has the power to charm victims to accompany him on his ill-fated and futile journeys.

A full-blooded Vistani may navigate through the Mists and even escape the Demiplane of Dread, although they always come back for some mysterious reason.

Anchorites of the appropriate level may mist navigate to any domain they want to go.

In 5e there are domain talismans that someone can use to navigate to a specfic domain.

[Five]

Just about busted the scotch tape holding the corners of the box together to snap this pic...heh

Nevermind. Won't let me upload the pic. Oh well.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

From the Black Box and Red Box

The Mists of Ravenloft appear to be a manifestation of the Border Ethereal. They surround the demiplane at all times, creating the Misty Border. They do not radiate an aura of magic, nor reveal any alignment or sign of life.
...
Usually the Mists are content to transport a few hapless travellers, leaving others behind. In some worlds, sages speak of entire armies that have vanished in the fog, and it is conceivable that the Mists have swallowed their ranks.
...
Characters in Ravenloft who willingly step into the Misty Border can wander within it. They walk in a bewildering, foggy dreamworld, where time and space seem twisted and entangled. If their desire to remain in this limbo is strong enough, they can remain. When their will to stay in the border falters, they find themselves in one of Ravenloft's domains within an hour. No one can predict or control where a wanderer emerges - tht is determined by the forces of Ravenloft.

The Misty Border is not completely void of life. Small, temporary domains sometimes form within it. The Border is also home to many wandering monsters. Just as a character can choose to stay in the Mists, so can a creature, particularly one without the brains or personality to establish a domain. These creatures lurk within the Misty Border, hoping to encounter travellers. Given such encounters, few travellers choose to remain in the Misty Border for long.


From Domains of Dread

For some reason, the Mists never travel to the inner or Outer Planes. Exactly why this is, none can say. While some insist that the powers of those planes are so awesome that they are able to hold the Mists back, this seems unlikely. If a gate spell can pierce the borders of thee otherwordly realms, it seems impossible to accept that the Mists could not do so o if they wished.

The Border Ethereal

Only one alternate dimension can be reached with any degree of certainty or frequency by the inhabitants of Ravenloft. Known as the Border Ethereal, this misty region is a sort of dimensional membrane that insulates the Ethereal Plane from the rest of the multiverse. Mny ghosts and other incorporeal creatures exist at least partially within the Border Ethereal.
In other places, those who enter the Border Ethereal can then move on to either the Ethereal Plane itself or into other planes of existence, Those who begin their journey in Ravenloft, however, are not able to slip the bonds of the Mists so easily. When they opt to leave the Border Ethereal, such travelers will always find themselves returned to the Demiplne of Dread.

From 3e Core Rulebook

A traveller who enters the Misty Border hoping to reach another domain quickly finds herself engulfed by the netherworld of obscuring white fog. Even the ground beneath her feet fades away. Direction and distance become meaningless; unless a traveller uses a Mistway (a "current" in the flow of Mists) or is escorted by the Vistani or a powerful anchorite (a cleric of a goddess said to have merged with the Mists) , she has no control over where the Mists will deposit her.
The Mists can even rob time of its meaning. Within the Misty Border, night blends featurelessly into day, and no turning of the moon occurs. Legends are even told of travellers who emerged from the Mists weeks or years after - or even before they entered.
...
Rumours speak of more insidious appearances by the Mists. Whispered tales tell of folk who wandered for days in a small grove of trees, or of back alleys that became twisted labyrinths, or of a house that contained more rooms than it physically could. People who encounter this phenomenon are said to be "Mist-led." Opinions differ on whether the Mists disorient these folk by fogging their senses or by imposing true, ephemeral changes to reality.

[Solan]

Many thanks, Mephisto! What a kind and helpful devil you are !

[DustBunny]

"Domains of Dread" provides no information on what happens when heroes new to Ravenloft venture into the Mists surrounding the Core. Did one of the previous rules books say what to do in that situation? How long are they likely to be in there and can they retrace their steps or not?

A little late, but maybe check out the unpublished Van Richten's guide to the mists in the FOS Cemetery.

Technically not canon as Arthaus never published it before their license expired, but still, it's a VRG.