Darklords of the New Age: Comments thread

[Checco]

I liked 'The Dangerous Liasons', and this seems to be a good gothic translation of the novel.

(I wish my DM would made us face more female sadist minions instead of horrible monsters, but maybe it's just me )

I have a question: was Lisanne sucked from the Mists too, or is her just a tool for the DP to torment the DLs? (I bet on the latter, however)

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Spelljammer fans have been clamoring for a Spelljammer based domain for years, and I support them having one, though I'm likely to ignore it as much as I ignore Kalidnay, Cavitius, Tovag, and to a lesser extent Sithicus and Hazlan (sorry, Zoltan). I love the fact that RL can pluck what it needs from the other campaign worlds and I love the backstory that gives some NPCs, but I personally am unlikely to use a domain much if it REEKS of another setting. Sithicus and Hazlan are the exceptions here because being connected to the core since the beginning, they've been forced to influence and be influenced by their neighbors. (I'm not counting Darkon, Falkovnia, etc. because I think they stand on their own without dripping with Oerth or Taladas flavor.)

Anyhoo, if you're gonna have a spelljammer domain, this one is as good as any, In my uninformed opinion. (I have some SJ stuff but haven't gotten to read it yet.) It seems to hit all the points it needs to, and the DL is the perfect sci-fi horror darklord, if you're not going to mist-nap HAL himself. But that very perfection makes it lacking a bit to me. As though it checks all the boxes, but doesn't sing to me. This may be indicative of my aforementioned bias, or the word count limit, but it leaves me saying, "OK you've filled in the blanks and made a Spelljammer domain.. now what?" But maybe that's enough... a marginal thumbs up.

[MadStepDad]

Black Dragon = Unrivaled Awesomeness.

[whalejudge]

I don't have any problem breaking the goth mold somewhat to produce unusual and unique domains from any campaign setting (anyone got ideas on a domain from Council of Wyrms?), or even reaching into a modern or futuristic setting; I've got a sketched out alternate core with a downed fraal starship and the captain as darklord, and I think a Ravenloft version of Expedition to the Barrier Peaks would be awesome. Black Dragon is a bit close to Ebonbane or the House of Lament in concept for my tastes, a sentient thing, and as a member of the SJ Council and co-author of Hackjammer, I have some Spelljammer related problems with it, too.

[Nathan of the FoS]

and as a member of the SJ Council and co-author of Hackjammer, I have some Spelljammer related problems with it, too.

Well...that is not so surprising. I have never played Spelljammer. I just like the idea of it a lot...Dungeons and Dragons IN SPACE!!!

So, y'know, it is legitimate to say, "Who is this punk interloper who is ignorant of the time-honored traditions, etc. etc.?" On the other hand, well, if not me, who? And if not now, when? So, if you'd like to lay some pointers on me, please do!

I was wondering what you meant by "not a hat", and then I thought, oh, helm, duh. Helm of a ship, helm helmet. FWIW, I picture the helm as being something like a virtual reality set-up--a place to sit, control panel, places for the arms and legs, and something like a VR helmet. So, a hat, yes, but not just a hat.

WRT "Are Annaes and the Black Dragon against the core principles of Ravenloft"--this is the kind of thing people disagree pretty strongly about, and it look like the domain is winning some big fans and some big detractors. Which is pretty much unavoidable when one leaves the beaten path and goes off to play in the "Here be dragons" part of the map.

[Manofevil]

That hat/helm thing of yours is just too funny Nathan.

Some of you may be familiar with the chibi avatars we're doing on the other thread. Like this one of Bluebeard:


How about the authors of the contestants (at least the humanoid ones) do avatars of their entries?

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

Here's mine of Sabrina Whitestag...

[Rotipher of the FoS]

I also like the Black Dragon, although I agree with those who think its status as a spelljammer should be kept hidden. All PCs would need to learn is that it desperately wants to travel -- maybe just through the sky, maybe to the Moon, maybe to other planes or weird Lovecraftian dimensions -- without necessarily tying Ravenloft to a setting full of hippo-headed blast addicts and giant space hamsters. An oblique reference to SJ is fine -- heck, Mystara can be every bit as wonky, and Meredoth still fits Ravenloft -- but a blatant one is going too far, IMO.

The 'Dangerous Liaisons' darklords are interesting, but I'm not convinced they wouldn't work better as non-lord villains than domain-bound ones. I can easily picture those two as a couple of Ivana's ermordenung, taking out their own frustrations on an Innocent for kicks and giggles. If you want to keep the erotic side to their relationship, we can always do what TSR's code of standards never let their writers say outright, and have the duo indulge in sexual games that don't require direct skin-to-skin contact.

The Romeo-and-Juliet story, to be honest, seems like it'd be a great short story, but only a so-so domain. Nobles with nasty habits are so common in the game-setting, it's hard to say how much the nosferatu-wannabe is going to stand out -- assuming players don't get her confused with Talena von Zarovich -- or if the heroes would ever delve into her history, except possibly at the very end of a campaign-arc ending in Guendalina's death.

Chiara's an interesting villain, and I'd have to rate this one near the top of the choices presented so far. I do have to wonder how Chiara feels about other women, however, as IMO an awful lot of her isolation and bitterness towards humanity would be ameliorated if she simply had a BFF in her life. So why doesn't she find one, if she craves the company of peers who won't just treat her as a political tool or sexual prize?

As for the elf, she seems too out-of-touch to rate darklordship. If she's truly incapable of comprehending death, and drains life from others due to a magical affliction she never asked for, then damning her to a domain for killing people is like damning a three-year-old for innocently shoving a playmate into the pool to drown. She's also far too similar to the Lady of Ravens.

[Checco]

The Romeo-and-Juliet story, to be honest, seems like it'd be a great short story, but only a so-so domain. Nobles with nasty habits are so common in the game-setting, it's hard to say how much the nosferatu-wannabe is going to stand out -- assuming players don't get her confused with Talena von Zarovich -- or if the heroes would ever delve into her history, except possibly at the very end of a campaign-arc ending in Guendalina's death.

The observation that the story could be more suited for an adventure or two, maybe placed with the DL as 'evil NPCs' instead, was made by several ones in this thread, but it's also something we realized when we finally chose the final version.

The only way to give the domain more ground for more than two-three adventures is to delve the PCs in political manipulations (or investigations), something abundant and easy to use in Oriebo. Our 'adventures sketch' currently seems to be healthy, especially because the PCs would very rarely interact with the DLs themselves but more likely with other high-bloodline receptacles.

(Or be one of them resisting the Call, that should provide many interesting PC scenarios)

Chiara's an interesting villain, and I'd have to rate this one near the top of the choices presented so far. I do have to wonder how Chiara feels about other women, however, as IMO an awful lot of her isolation and bitterness towards humanity would be ameliorated if she simply had a BFF in her life. So why doesn't she find one, if she craves the company of peers who won't just treat her as a political tool or sexual prize?

I must confess that Chiara desiring the love of another woman is an idea that we did not think about (we decided in early stages that she would have been firmly straight).

She has contempt for both the men seeing her as a sex toy and the women who cannot match her beauty and powers (and would desire to be in Chiara's position of 'the most beautiful').

However, her position where she cannot do anything but follow Baccio's order would prove to be a huge obstacle should she desire to meet and spend time with women, as Baccio wants to assure would-be suitors that Chiara craves for a single man.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Not having seen/read Dangerous Liasons or Cruel Intentions, I don't exactly get the reference, but I pick up enough from cultural osmosis. In the end, though, I do see way too much similarity to Ivan and Ivana. The backstory is good, perhaps even better than the Borcans, but the current sketch is near identical, with a splash of Gabrielle Aderre's M.O. (And I'm already tired of co-darklords, with 3 out of the first 6 domains having two DLs each. What's wrong with plain and simple single darklords?)

The Glass Countess I kinda like.... a very creepy NPC. Very fairy-tale like... might be just what Tepest needs to replace the three hags. I like the little connections to the rest of the setting (Hala, Inajira, even Chernavog, cute.) Wish she had a single act that tipped her over to DL-hood. I guess she could be the first real example of the powers check system at work, enough reanimation over time, and enough failed checks, and she gets a domain. But it knida lacks a climax. Also, there's some contradiction over whether she understands death but fights it, or is simply oblivious. (And one could argue that if she is truly oblivious, she makes a good force of nature, but not a great DL. With no concept that she's doing anything wrong, even subconsciouly, with not even anyone telling her she's doing wrong, can she truly be blamed? Or is all her 'evil' just accidental?)

[Yaoi Huntress Earth]

The Glass Countess I kinda like.... a very creepy NPC. Very fairy-tale like... might be just what Tepest needs to replace the three hags. I like the little connections to the rest of the setting (Hala, Inajira, even Chernavog, cute.) Wish she had a single act that tipped her over to DL-hood. I guess she could be the first real example of the powers check system at work, enough reanimation over time, and enough failed checks, and she gets a domain. But it knida lacks a climax. Also, there's some contradiction over whether she understands death but fights it, or is simply oblivious. (And one could argue that if she is truly oblivious, she makes a good force of nature, but not a great DL. With no concept that she's doing anything wrong, even subconsciouly, with not even anyone telling her she's doing wrong, can she truly be blamed? Or is all her 'evil' just accidental?)

Here's a link on Dangerous Luasons to help you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Liaisons_dangereuses My feelings about the Glass Countess are pretty much the same and I really like how you gave her some good adventure hooks.

[whalejudge]

Can't say I really care for this one as a darklord. A great villain, though. I prefer the darklords to know who they are and why they're here; the fractured memory thing I don't care for. The fact that she seems so unknowing as to what she's doing is another problem for me, as is the lack of any particular great crime. While someone noted the power check failure at work, she's supposed to come from outside Ravenloft; my impression is that the mists gather someone in from outside and put them in their own domain when they commit a particular great crime. If her history had included time spent in Ravenloft prior to her entering the Mists and getting her own domain (such as Azalin or Soth), that would make more sense to me

[Igor the Henchman]

I was hoping I'd have the resolve to accept the constructive criticism silently, but the temptation to adress some comments about the Countess have gotten the better of me. Oh well.

As for the elf, she seems too out-of-touch to rate darklordship. If she's truly incapable of comprehending death, and drains life from others due to a magical affliction she never asked for, then damning her to a domain for killing people is like damning a three-year-old for innocently shoving a playmate into the pool to drown.

Also, there's some contradiction over whether she understands death but fights it, or is simply oblivious. (And one could argue that if she is truly oblivious, she makes a good force of nature, but not a great DL. With no concept that she's doing anything wrong, even subconsciouly, with not even anyone telling her she's doing wrong, can she truly be blamed? Or is all her 'evil' just accidental?)

The fact that she seems so unknowing as to what she's doing is another problem for me, as is the lack of any particular great crime.

These are very good observations regarding her backstory. It totally serves me right to try and hide vital information between the lines.

Here's the gist of it: the Countess isn't oblivious.

She certainly isn't unaware of the existence of death. Rather, she fears it, to the point of desperate, deep-seated denial. Her only real "blind spot" is realising that mortality isn't necessarily a bad thing. She'll do anything to prevent other people from dying, be it kidnap them, torture them or turn them into mindless abominations. Her whole campaign against death stems from her being terrified at the thought of being left completely alone.

Wish she had a single act that tipped her over to DL-hood. I guess she could be the first real example of the powers check system at work, enough reanimation over time, and enough failed checks, and she gets a domain. But it knida lacks a climax.

Mea Culpa. I totally didn't make it clear in the write-up and I apologize. She became a darklord the night she ordered the slaughter of her elven subjects. Condemning dozens of innocents for daring to try to leave her side was her Act of Ultimate Darkness. All subsequent events are supposed to take place in Ravenloft.

I really appreciate all your comments. Obviously, I now know what parts of the write-up still need work.

[Sorti]

I was hoping I'd have the resolve to accept the constructive criticism silently, but the temptation to adress some comments about the Countess have gotten the better of me. Oh well.

Sorry, doesn't work like that .

I like the Countess, I find her very tragic and well done in incarnating the ultimate form of denial for the fear of death, and I also like how you tried to integrate her with existing Ravenloft domains and lore. My only doubt was if there would be any chance for adventuring, but I see you addressed that with some hooks as well. Good job!

[Checco]

I was hoping I'd have the resolve to accept the constructive criticism silently, but the temptation to adress some comments about the Countess have gotten the better of me. Oh well.

Hey, you mean that those who answer to reviews and critics (like me!) are weaklings?! How unfair