PLAYER'S GUIDE TO RAVENLOFT: NOW IN 4E! (09-05-09)

[The Nightmare Man]

Hmmm... It'll be interesting to see what you come up with for this. The world of Eberron is not directly connected to the core D&D cosmology [as Keith Baker has said]. Thus, the Great Wheel is an entirely different cosmological framework to that which was presented in the Eberron Campaign Setting.

If there is to be a connection between the two settings... it may have to involve Sigil, since the City of Doors, according to Rich Baker, occupies it's own separate planar environment in the Great Wheel [in 3e] and could, theoretically, allow travellers from other settings to crossover into the Great Wheel.

You don't actually need Sigil, nor Rich's opinions. The Shadow plane is connecting cosmologies in 3e as the Astral Plane is connecting planes. Which means that to go from Ravenloft to Eberron you go either:
from the Deep Ethereal through the Astral Plane to the Shadow Plane and then to Eberron's Shadow Plane
or
from the Deep Ethereal to the Near, then to the Material Plane, then to Shadow Plane, then to Eberron's Shadow Plane.

Of course the opposite direction is easier, as it doesn't involve escaping from the Mists .

Interestingly, it's even been suggested that Xoriat could potentially result in a cross-cosmological connection between the EBERRON cosmology and the core D&D Great Wheel. The theory outlines that possibility that Xoriat is a "section" of the Great Wheel's Far Realm making an incursion into the cosmology of the EBERRON setting. It's existence in the Material Plane has tamed the alien realm somewhat, allowing probable passage for non-Xoriat derived beings -- depending upon the whims of the individual DM.

Supposedly, if planar travellers could make a safe journey through the Far Realm, determine a logical course, and arrive relatively intact, they would emerge through Xoriat and into the crystal sphere of the EBERRON setting.

[Gwenfloor]

Why is the Church of Yutow a Cult of Shadow?

Nobody has answered my question yet.

Why is the Church of Yutow a Cult of Shadow?

As far as the summary of it goes in Gaz4, it's not really a religion that teaches hope and all that, so it's classified there.

Oh, I did not notice Dion's post. Sorry.
I should have guessed. Yutow is all about obedience.

[tec-goblin]

Interestingly, it's even been suggested that Xoriat could potentially result in a cross-cosmological connection between the EBERRON cosmology and the core D&D Great Wheel. The theory outlines that possibility that Xoriat is a "section" of the Great Wheel's Far Realm making an incursion into the cosmology of the EBERRON setting. It's existence in the Material Plane has tamed the alien realm somewhat, allowing probable passage for non-Xoriat derived beings -- depending upon the whims of the individual DM.

Supposedly, if planar travellers could make a safe journey through the Far Realm, determine a logical course, and arrive relatively intact, they would emerge through Xoriat and into the crystal sphere of the EBERRON setting.

It makes sense, but that's probably the most dangerous way to visit Eberron. Ie, the most interesting

[tec-goblin]

Mournland/Cyre is a good bet, as well as Aerenal.

Also, let's not forget that Ravenloft's Ancient Dead are not too different from the new creature type Unliving (which originated from Eberron): they both channel positive energy, for one. In fact, I saw somewhere in this board around two or three years ago that one of the Kargatane said the Ancient Dead were, indeed, technically Unliving rather than Undead.

IMC, deathless are undead with the deathless subtype. This makes it even more difficult to distinguish between them. While the Elves KNOW that their deathless are not evil, it's very difficult to convince an outsider.

Of course, in a Ravenloft domain, the elves might believe that their deathless are not evil, but they could be .

Mournland and Karnath are indeed great choices for Ravenloft domains, and Kaius is the epitome of the tragic story as a darklord. Less cliché than Strahd, and very ambiguous.
In general I think Eberron is more suited for Masques than FR. Even the warforged, with their simplistic mindset can have huge clashes of values and personality, and can be portrayed as very very tragic personalities. They'll never be fully alive (ok, disregarding one prestige), they are exploited, they are often hated. It's like a PC-friendly Dread Golem.[/i]

[Dion of the Fraternity]

I have never seen anything wrong with Ravenloft eventually gaining an Eberron-esque domain. The same furor we're seeing now is I think probably the same furor over when Ravenloft years ago took Toril-esque domains.

[Le Noir Faineant]

Oooh, please leave those REALMERS out of it!

*But Elminster could abakadabra Azalin into a frog in no time...*

*Who says Vecna could not be a Faerunian deity?...*

*So I failed the power check. But can I open that coffin now?...*

Oh, how we hates them, preciousss.

[WolfKook]

I have never seen anything wrong with Ravenloft eventually gaining an Eberron-esque domain. The same furor we're seeing now is I think probably the same furor over when Ravenloft years ago took Toril-esque domains.

I have no problem with Eberron-esque domains, either. The problem I see is with the new races created for that setting and the clash they could have in a gothic setting. Say:

-Changelings: Essentially, half-dopplegangers. What would their connection to the dopplegangers of Zherisia be? How would the people of the land of the mist react to a "faceless" person?

-Kalashtar: A dream creature possessing a human vessel? Nice... Would there be any connection to the Nightmare Lands, or will the creature be completely disconnected from their home world? How would any of these options affect it? What would the DPs think about such a symbiosis? I know I would love to twart it if I were them.

-Shifters: Lycanthrope blood? Would that make a member of this race a werecreature? Would they be specially affected by the DPs? Would they turn into full-fledged werebeasts?

-Warforged: Living constructs? Not strange to the land of the mists at all. Would they acquire the "dread golem" template? What would the reaction of the people be?

[Dion of the Fraternity]

The problem I see is with the new races created for that setting and the clash they could have in a gothic setting.

Simple solution: leave them out of it. Kalidnay didn't have thri-kreen when Athas gave the domain to Ravenloft.

The reality is that although Ravenloft's crown is Gothicism, its wider fan-base knows it more as a Horror setting (check out the spine of Vampire of the Mists and the other Ravenloft novels!). Keeping the four native Eberron races in therefore may not be such a bad idea, after all.

[Jonathan Winters]

(Major computer problems so you won't see me often for a while.)

I personally have no problem having Eberron-based domains in RL. And I don't play Eberron at all.

I would prefer it if' ''our'' RL was more inclusive than exclusive. It just seems friendlier to everybody and might attract more people from the outside...

I'd rather have more friends in my sandbox... (And I still get to do what I want with my game.)

Patrick

[Rotipher of the FoS]

-Changelings: Essentially, half-dopplegangers. What would their connection to the dopplegangers of Zherisia be? How would the people of the land of the mist react to a "faceless" person?

FWIW, this issue is addressed in the upcoming doppelganger book, although not in depth.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Alright people, a draft of the cover's up!

[Jonathan Winters]

Wow!

It reminds me of Talon's excellent art!

I can't wait for this...

Patrickl

[Alanik Ray]

Hey, good work on the cover, Dion!

What's the name of the font you used?

[Dion of the Fraternity]

Update (Aug 23, 2007)

"The Core" is now finished!

There are four microsections (NW, NE, SW, SE) to the Core; they're just very brief summaries, not more than two paragraphs long, but they have enough to describe each sector's culture and geography. Also, insterted in the "Core" entry are a brief 1 or 2-sentence description of the families found in "Legacies of the Blood."

[The Giamarga]

Given that Ravenloft abducted Maligno from Gothic Earth -- a world that was never slotted into the D&D cosmology anywhere -- and Meredoth from Mystara -- a world that, for most of its publication-history, conformed to the radically-different Basic/Expert/etc game's planar framework -- it's pretty clear that the Mists can cross between cosmos, not just between planes.

Imho Planescape is the core-cosmology. It can and imho should encompass all other (D&D) settings including Dark Sun, Gothic Earth, Mystara, FR, Eberron etc. That does not have to mean that the cosmologies of those settings are wrong. And with the new novel line it seems that the real Earth is reachable by the Mists too. But Greyhawk and FR fans already knew that real Earth is part of the core cosmology.

As for Gothic Earth not being connected to the core cosmology:

... Roger E. Moore's article Chronomancy and the Multiverse, which explicitly says that the Masque of the Red Death setting is the same as Averoigne from Castle Amber/Clark Ashton Smith, and suggests Murlynd [of Greyhawk] has visited it.

See also Ripvanwormer's great article on canonfire on Oerth's parallel worlds (including Gothic Earth and Real Earth) and this thread on WoTC about The Great Wheel as the default cosmology