Do people in Ravenloft know about Powers Checks?

[Amicus]

Not as a game feature, of course; but rather as a generally accepted principle of existence. It seems like the seven-step path of corruption, with its horrifying changes and eventual descent to darklord status, would be fairly difficult to miss in daily life. "Don't steal, Timmy, or eventually you'll gain a series of inexplicable abilities and monstrous physical attributes, and then disappear entirely. Also, you'll grow hair on your palms."

For example, say I'm a scholar in Ravenloft, and I'm concerned about all these undead creatures wandering the land. So I decide to study necromancy to better understand the principles at hand-- which seems like it would be a practical course of action, especially in the more rationalist Enlightenment-style domains. Except of course the practice of necromancy seems to pretty much guarantee an unending string of Powers Checks, and so I'm basically doomed to end up as a debauched slavering mutant.

Now, after awhile it should be pretty obvious that anyone practicing necromancy as a career will come to a bad end. Yet necromantic spells are undeniably useful, so figure there's still going to be cabals and secret societies to explore this knowledge. But the inevitable Powers Checks seem to guarantee that every long term practitioner will eventually be granted their own domain. Given that the apparent temporal power of most darklords is much more obvious than their respective curses, this might even prove an added attraction.

In any case it seems plain that necromancers should learn to anticipate the appearance of mysterious abilities from no obvious source, as they accumulate Dark Gifts from all these failed Powers Checks. Also, the most successful necromancers inevitably disappear-- or so it would seem to their peers, when the necromancer earns darklord status and is snatched away into the Mists. Perhaps younger necromancers assume that their mentors eventually get taken out by their enemies or something?

Much the same could be said of organizations like assassins' guilds, crime syndicates, possibly even law firms: how do such organizations even continue to exist? Within a decade, pretty much every practicing member, by the nature of their profession, ought to be transmogrified into a hideously warped ruler of their own cursed domain, shouldn't they?

Also, regarding the path of corruption: it seems like most of the darklords in Ravenloft were originally sucked in from outside the demiplane. Are there any homegrown examples, who gained darklord status via the failed Powers Check route? Because it seems to me that the seven-step method would tend to result in a fairly mediocre darklord, at least if the examples given in the Ravenloft core rulebook are any indication: a human insect swarm, a hulking idiot, and a sniveling werejackal. These do not seem like the sort of domain rulers that would inspire much in the way of gothic horror. I don't see the "Big Dumb Guy" Island of Terror as being a particularly memorable adventure setting.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

Sounds like what the Knowledge (ravenloft) skill was meant for. Ranks in this skill represent knowledge of this kind of thing. Most people aren't eligible, but the ones who are would be the kind of people you're talking about--secret cabals, etc.

[Sorti]

I had it explained in-game like "cursing yourself"; when you curse someone you awaken his "bad karma" (and that's why it doesn't work if the target did nothing bad; he does not have bad karma for the curse to work on) and ask the universe (or the Powers That Be, or the Ancient Gods, or whatever) for retribution.

In a similar way, when you do nasty things your bad karma grows so much that the universe itself decides to punish you. The fact you gain advantages from the failed power check is not something scholars usually consider, as it's quite debatable that a +4 Str is worth becoming an unintelligent beast. It would be considered a side effect, or more likely a part of the curse. If you must eat filth to survive, no one will say "Hey, cool, he's immune to poison!"

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

While there are some examples of native darklords, none of them went through the full powers check path. Rather, they seem to have committed a single heinous act that got them a domain, and a curse, in one fell swoop. (sometimes led up to by a series of evil acts that somehow didn't get them any powers check "gifts" beforehand, unless they were all wiped away upon reaching darklordhood and somehow never mentioned.)

There are also a few canon examples of non-darklords that have failed a powers check or two, but in general it seems the powers check route is reserved for PC's. Many long-term evildoer NPCs who haven't reached DL status have no signs of failed powers checks at all.

In-game you can justify it by saying the dark powers are only interested in certain kinds of evildoers, and simply don't care as much about run of the mill evil as they do about would-be heroes succumbing to evil. There's definitely a good amount of folklore on curses and such, and the whole vague "meddling in darkness leads you to a bad end" shtick, but that's probably the extent of it unless (as DS said) you learn Knowledge (RL).

Out of game, the reasons are just as you said. It's just not sustainable if every NPC follows the letter of the rules. The world would be filled with grotesqueries, and the common folk would catch on. Since the themes of the setting are best preserved when the common folk don't[ catch on to such things, it's best not to rigidly enforce them, IMHO.

It's best, (again just IMHO), to use the powers checks rules to:
a) keep PCs in line, reminding them that they are the good guys, even if they flirt with darkness
and
b) spice up select NPCs as examples of what happens when you give in to evil.

[The Giamarga]

I think a link to Nathan's Unified Power Check Theory is in order.

It explains nicely why most Darklords have not progressed through the stages of corruption but rather have made a jump to the last stage, and also why not all evil people become gradually darklords, as progressing from one stage to another gets harder and harder.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Yes, knowledge of Powers checks and the sorts of action which induce them should be limited to those with a number of Knowledge (Ravenloft) ranks. At most, popular folklore might speak of the "higher justice of the great [fill in deity's name]", or of how "evil turns upon the evildoer", but never in terms explicit enough to constitute a solid warning (e.g. "Using necromantic spell X has a Y% chance of getting you spanked...."). It's a sure bet that the use of Necromancy has a dark reputation in Ravenloft, but not necessarily more so than in the average game-setting.

The one in-character group that does know something about Powers checks, FYI, is the in-game Fraternity of Shadows. They ban the practice of Necromancy -- or, at least, getting caught practicing it -- by their own membership, for this very reason.

[High Priest Mikhal]

The (in-game) FOS and a few rare individuals aside, yes. Knowledge of even the existence of powers checks would be limited to someone with ranks in Knowledge (the planes) (or Knowledge [Ravenloft], whatever you prefer).

Dang, how did I miss that thread? Thanks, The Giamarga.

[Jester of the FoS]

In game terms I'd rule it a very high DC knowledge check, at least 25 or higher. So it's very unlikely even a trained scholar would know unless they were exceptionally well-read (and above level 5).

Power checks are likely reserved for NPCs with potential and PCs.

[ewancummins]

Ordinary folks will have heard of people who failed powers checks, naturally. They just explain it all in terms of either religion or folklore. You know- wrath of the gods, witch marks, fairy tales about the wicked getting punished by fate, etc.

The Powers probably don't pay attention to every little act of evil. The PCs are special people, as are some NPCs. Of course the Powers are watching them a bit more closely....

[Jester of the FoS]

It'd really just be the way of the world, just another fact of life. In effect it's just instant karma: those that do evil and are sinners become twisted and ugly or monsters. And by extension, monsters are those who are sinners or were sinners in life. And the ugly and deformed and inhuman must also be evil and corrupt.

The folk of the western Core might think it unrelated to evil and more a lack of following Ezra, while the Eastern Core would related it to following heathen gods (ie not the Lawgiver). Tepest would tie it to witchcraft and black (aka all) magic.

[WolfKook]

It'd really just be the way of the world, just another fact of life. In effect it's just instant karma: those that do evil and are sinners become twisted and ugly or monsters. And by extension, monsters are those who are sinners or were sinners in life. And the ugly and deformed and inhuman must also be evil and corrupt.

...thus supporting discrimination against caliban and the like. I like that.

[Dominique]

The folk of the western Core might think it unrelated to evil and more a lack of following Ezra, while the Eastern Core would related it to following heathen gods (ie not the Lawgiver). Tepest would tie it to witchcraft and black (aka all) magic.

Heck, worshipers of the Lawgiver would be on powers checks like white on rice. They've always taught that physical corruption is a result of spiritual corruption.

[High Priest Mikhal]

Those who see them happen might not make the connection to immorality. Even van Richten, who witnessed more than a few powers checks in action, ascribed them to curses rather than ethical/moral failings. Then there's the fact so many powers checks resemble real curses, spells, and even magical diseases like lycanthropy.

Another factor in folks not knowing about immorality = powers checks is the theme of "What we're taught is moral and immoral might not be what really is." Lawgiver followers believe it's perfectly fine to abuse those below them in the social hierarchy (Hazlan, anyone)--but the Dark Powers might find such behavior worthy of a curse. To the abuser they didn't do anything wrong and thus they'd never make the connection that what they're doing is actually evil.