DustBunny wrote:Mischief wrote:I'm not quite sure how to align Krynn's timeline, but that might be interesting.
A D&D campaign worlds calender converter is
here 
If Strahd was born in 306 BC time, Krynn was at 63 PC and getting into the lovely days when the Kingpriest and the priesthood were becoming even more rabidly theocratic.
Interesting, I was using a meeting of crossplanar wizards someone random netizen mentioned that I already can't find again as a reference for the CY to DR conversion, and Azalin's entry as the CY to BC conversion (391 CY = 542 BC), so my reckoning turns out different by 11 years (As in Az would go back in time by 11 when he entered Ravenloft.) The calculator had good reasons why my approximations weren't as good in the references.
Using that calculator, assuming Krynn PC-AC is like BC-AD, Strahd and Soth are living contemporaries (299 BC = -71 AC) - Strahd became a general and the Tergs invaded Barovia when Soth was born. If you go by 5e, then Strahd and Soth are only fourteen years apart (BC to AC direct)
If you go by 1491 DR ≈ 735 BC and assume Ravenloft's timelime has been shifted while leaving the others fixed...
Strahd was born 306 BC, 282 CY Greyhawk, 76 AC Dragonlance, 1062 DR Forgotten Realms. Not too much was going on in Greyhawk, but
Vampire of the Mists was only ten years later DR time.
Azalin's entry date of 542 BC is 518 CY in Greyhawk and 1298 DR, so Azalin was born 358 CY / 1138 DR / 152 AC in 5e, so his adulthood would coincide with Castle Greyhawk's rise, and the year before Szass Tam became a lich.
I feel bad derailing the thread, but I think the logic behind the 5e shift is that although I6 was in 528 BC, CoS (which is I6 with sidedishes) is moved up to the Black Box year.
To try to bring the thread back around to topic, for those of you who think Strahd ought to be a better wizard in 5e, my explanation is that Strahd was slain by Mordenkainen, but came back by the grace of the Powers and his curse which slapped him with a power cut. Thus Strahd was soft when the adventurers came and clearly a bit too cocky. I assume he is even squishier after CoS since he canonically comes back again if the adventurers kill him. He must have learned his lesson and holds off Ezmerelda who stuck around to stake him for good.
Vampire Hunters. If he is still alive, Rudolph van Richten leaves Barovia to live out his remaining days in solitude. His protege, Ezmerelda d'Avenir, isn't convinced that Strahd is truly dead. She also knows that there are other evils in Barovia to be conquered, so she elects to remain in the valley.
... Upon his death, Strahd's vampire spawn are freed from his control, and each seeks a new destiny.
Strahd's Return. Ezmerelda's suspicion proves justified. Strahd's destruction is temporary, for his curse can't so easily be ended. The ancient Dark Powers with which Strahd forged his pact cause the vampire to re-form after a period of months... When Strahd is reborn, the mists surround the land of Barovia once more, ... Strahd remembers the defeat dealt to him and begins plotting his revenge. After the mists reappear, Madam Eva and her Vistani come back to the valley, the beasts of the land once more fall under Strahd's spell, and the burgomasters fortify their settlements, hoping against all hope that someone can save them from Strahd again.
So in 5e, if you want to nerf a Darklord, come up with an excuse why they died recently in a way they couldn't recover from with their own talent. As an example, Azalin might still be vulnerable and missing spells after the Requiem, so maybe some Darklords might try to take advantage of that.
