DustBunny wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:32 pm
Mephisto of the FoS wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 8:43 am
I am thinking of buying
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen as it could be useful when running the
When Black Roses Bloom adventure setting the Dragonlance adventure inside the
memory mirrors. Is it any good?
On this I couldn't say sorry, beyond online reviews.
I had a quick view through it and so that it is mostly war related, there is also an expansion edition with a bordgame to make the PC's more involved in "war strategy". Something that resembles the 2e BATTLESYSTEM™ perhaps?
I liked the Fray rule, that means that whoever enters it may take damage from random opponents or even "friendly fire" during the fray of the battle, but I would make it more random than just a save DC to avoid taking damage and I would for sure make it more chaotic in the battlegrounds not just a rectangle "framing" it.
DustBunny wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:32 pm
Kalaman is a separate city state about 2-3 hundred miles east of Palanthas, and was attacked and conquered by the Red Dragon army when Verminaard was still alive. It was later liberated by the Whitestone army when the metallic Dragons returned.
I knew that I was just wondering if Sothy was described in the books as taking part in this.
DustBunny wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:32 pm
While Soth was aroundat this time, he was serving Kitiara and really didn't give a damn about Takhisis or her plans. Hence I suspect he was included in this campaign for 'name' recognition.
battle to turn it into a curb stomp instead of a rout).
Apparently not...
DustBunny wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:32 pm
On the other hand - most of the Kalamar events occurred 'off screen' as far as the original books and adventures were concerned, so they could be easily integrated into the War of the Lance timeline.
Fortunately the city is called Kalaman (not Calamar
)
DustBunny wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 7:32 pm
Maybe Kit sent Soth to help out for a bit while she went to the Battle of the High Clerists Tower? (It would also explain why Soth wasn't present at this battle to turn it into a curb stomp instead of a rout).
That sounds like a good explanation but in the end I believe some elements of the adventure could be incorporated inside one of
Tindafulus's Memory Mirrors changing the setting to be Palanthas instead of Kalaman, but I believe the rest is useless for
When the Black Roses Bloom.
It is safe to say that
Shadow of the Dragon Queen has more elements from
When the Black Roses Bloom than the other way around (duhh.... decades have passed since WtBRB). The kender vampire appearing in the adventure, the
Mirror of Reflected Pasts and the "Visions in Fire" where Cataclysmic fire re-creates tragic scenes from his life all these concepts first appeared in WtBRB.
These scenes from "Visions in Fire" represent Soth's memories of events—re-creating tragic scenes from his life. These scenes represent Soth's memories of events—which don't always match the actual events, while the Mirror of Reflective Pasts reflect events from the creature's past reflected in the mirror's glass. These memories aren't real, but rather idealized versions of those occurrences. (hmmm... this reminds me of something...)
Although only the first of these "Fire Visions" is similar to the illusions of the Ravenloft
Memory Mirrors, since some happened later, I believe someone in the team that designed it liked Lisa Smedman's idea.
Leedara, one of the elves that accompanied Isolde is not a banshee but a neutral ghost now helping the PCs. Well this is 5e after all there had to be some inconsistency with the older version (at least the villain/future darklord isn't Lady Soth). So now the dispute between Ravenloft and Dragonlance of where Soth belongs to can expand to the
memory mirrors as well. As for the kender vampire it is a different kind of vampire than the ones Lord Soth created in Ravenloft so it is OK (THEY didn't steal that
).
I think I like Caradoc as a possessing ghost.
I believe
Shadow of the Dragon Queen could be a nice "side trek campaign" for PC's, making them somehow "hooked" to the memory mirrors. They can continue "living" inside these mirrors and be heroes of Dragonlance, making it easier for them to understand why Soth has been addicted to them and spends so much time in them. In the end all the heroic deeds they make while inside the mirrors are mere illusions. I could go as far as making them lose all experience gained while inside the mirrors when expelled from them, to show this contrast between illusion and reality (they gain XPs only for breaking the circle of Lord Soth's addiction). When they get back inside of the mirrors their illusionary levels are restored, making them also addicted to the mirrors. Thus a DM can make a Dragonlance campaign while the PCs are still in Ravenloft, the Players have to decide if they want to continue the Draonlance campaign knowing that when they decide to continue the Ravenloft campaign they are still the level they were before going inside the mirror, maybe even extremely thirsty, hungry and fatigued as they have spend a lot of time inside the illusionary world of Lord Soth's brain...
X
= 0 ???