Dangerous Undead

[monsinyana]

the zombie survival mod has some interesting codes

for example its practically impossible to turn undead

killing the undead gives practically no xp

and many areas can never be cleared, for example - there may always be 5 on the board- kill one.. another spawns, etc

this causes a lot of running through trying to survive. also their hits do brutal damage and you may also contract a disease that if left untreated drops your con and strength every time you fail your save. if your con reaches zero in this way you die [PERMANENTLY!] and become a zombie.


anyway the codes really induce a lot of pants-shitting terror just trying to get from point A to B.


maybe some ideas in there the coding team likes?


Im also a big fan of ghosts/spirits causing permanent level drain. it would quickly lower the overall player levels and make the server -very- dangerous

id even like to see undead MPCs get this ability as well.


we're all too high level for the setting anyway. 

[ThePwush]

No. Hehehehehe. There are high levels, but not everyone is high level.  Not to mention, getting a level is a long amount of work, to lose it in a split second..nah. But that's just me.

[monsinyana]

other servers ive played on with low levels (some where 4th is a major achievement)- you really have a feeling of being hunted.

its taken me almost 8 years to (almost) get to level 16.
its really not hard to level if youre seeking it out. when i have, ive gained a few levels in just a few days time.

Not to mention, getting a level is a long amount of work, to lose it in a split second..nah.

that is the point of my suggestion- to wipe out the levels in only a moment. im not saying have permanent level drain fire off like it does now where its only temporary. maybe a 1% chance

if you make things a little more hardcore then youre going to have legitimate fear to go to certain places.  if you dont like it.. dont go to those places. no one is putting a flintlock to your head and -making- you go.

the rewards in such areas could be very good as well- maybe even a significant xp reward if you overcome such an area.


if it were up to me (and its not) id have major fear roll triggers just to enter such places. fail- and you just cant go in there.

ravenloft is much the like call of Cthulhu setting in that respect- just -seeing- a ghost often times is call for a horror check and failure could drive you insane.



if i recall from the books as well- things like skeletons dont 'see' you. they sense your living lifeforce. so it would be just as terrifying for someone who is invisible or sneaking if some sense your presence no matter what.

[ThePwush]

other servers ive played on with low levels (some where 4th is a major achievement)- you really have a feeling of being hunted.

its taken me almost 8 years to (almost) get to level 16.
its really not hard to level if youre seeking it out. when i have, ive gained a few levels in just a few days time.

Not to mention, getting a level is a long amount of work, to lose it in a split second..nah.

that is the point of my suggestion- to wipe out the levels in only a moment. im not saying have permanent level drain fire off like it does now where its only temporary. maybe a 1% chance

if you make things a little more hardcore then youre going to have legitimate fear to go to certain places.  if you dont like it.. dont go to those places. no one is putting a flintlock to your head and -making- you go.

the rewards in such areas could be very good as well- maybe even a significant xp reward if you overcome such an area.


if it were up to me (and its not) id have major fear roll triggers just to enter such places. fail- and you just cant go in there.

ravenloft is much the like call of Cthulhu setting in that respect- just -seeing- a ghost often times is call for a horror check and failure could drive you insane.



if i recall from the books as well- things like skeletons dont 'see' you. they sense your living lifeforce. so it would be just as terrifying for someone who is invisible or sneaking if some sense your presence no matter what.

While I agree with you on some points, and I do, some I just don't see the need if many people already play the fear element.  Forcing a roll that mechanically will or will not let you enter a location can break RP in a party going on a mission.  Imagine having to roll a fear to enter Castle Ravenloft (which people already fear), failing it and now an RP event will leave you behind. Or if you're a main player, you could end up wrecking it for everyone else. 

And as for leveling up quick, sure, if you are low enough. But once you hit X level, the hard cap and RL make sure you can't level in a few days.  Not that many people that can dedicate a few straight days to the game. So leveling will take weeks, if not longer. 

BUT...I can see personally some ideas I like. I would not like a permanent loss of level, but an extended loss (for example, a month) could really be an interesting RP gimmick. More ghosts/spirits with this ability would be nice.  And I am fan of H.P.Lovecraft myself.

[granny]

you may also contract a disease that if left untreated drops your con and strength every time you fail your save. if your con reaches zero in this way you die [PERMANENTLY!] and become a zombie.

I like that... as I want diseases to be taken more seriously. http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=32491.0

[ThePwush]

Just as a silly side note...

I've been zombified three times. No one knows how, just have. LOL

[granny]

Just as a silly side note...

I've been zombified three times. No one knows how, just have. LOL

come to me... and we might fix that, making it permanent!

[ThePwush]

Just as a silly side note...

I've been zombified three times. No one knows how, just have. LOL

come to me... and we might fix that, making it permanent!

No! Monk happy as is. Already different things. No wanna add more.

[EberronBruce]

It took me about 3 years to get to the level I am at. There are places on the server I have yet to see and would like to, but can't solo it, making my chances of seeing those places really small. Making things that hardcore would make it really really difficult for players who are not living in the US. So, it would screw the few Aussies, and the odd balls like me who live in Asia. It is already next to impossible to get anyone with the appropriate level to explore the Overseer ruins. Adding this would make it even more difficult and would force mostly paladins and clerics because they will be able to handle the situations better.

[monsinyana]

Adding this would make it even more difficult and would force mostly paladins and clerics because they will be able to handle the situations better.

i also suggested the difficulty increase in turning undead so clerics would not be an easy solution.



why does everyone not understand the concept that ravenloft is not a high level setting?

if youre 8th level - thats like epic levels as it was originally designed.

youre not supposed to overcome. thats the point of the setting. youre not supposed to 'win'
youre one of the few fighting the forces of darkness hoping to hold them at bay so the normal peasants live to see one more sunrise
and youre hated and despised by said peasants for interfering where you were not asked to in the first place. 
and you wont be remembered. or thanked.
you do these things because if you dont.. everyone is going to die.


just getting from valaki to tesr pool should be practically impossible for most

if the average level was lower then you dont need big threats to create a terror plot. 5 zombies would do.

ive seen this on other servers. its very effective. given the limitations of the nwn engine the key is the pcs having low levels


like on the zombie survival server.. they have 'safe houses' and an event might be- when a lot of pcs gather there- it attracts the undeads attention. because turning them is practically impossible, and because the highest level you can get is 4... when the dms spawn a zombie breaking through the windows its -very- terrifying

and when the place is getting overrun.. the plans you have to make are to work together just to -run away- and agree to meet at a different safe house

you end up feeling like youve had an epic accomplishment when your 'reward' is simply that you survived.


i know its not for everyone i just wish more felt that way.

[Gilad Abrams]

I agree with the general "vibe" of your post but the old silvich road is the major trade road of all of barovia. If the trip was really such a death race then their would be no trade and the village would have starved out completely from Being even more isolated then it already is.  Just pointing out that while I agree that in general thier should be a sort of dread around the setting everyone does not shiver in the corner crying all day.

[herkles]

youre not supposed to overcome. thats the point of the setting. youre not supposed to 'win'
youre one of the few fighting the forces of darkness hoping to hold them at bay so the normal peasants live to see one more sunrise
and youre hated and despised by said peasants for interfering where you were not asked to in the first place. 
and you wont be remembered. or thanked.
you do these things because if you dont.. everyone is going to die.

That is call of cthulhu NOT Ravenloft.

In Ravenloft you can win and you can overcome the darkness. It will not be easy and it will but you can earn a 'good' or happy ending. It will be frought with danger and difficulty but it is possible. Ravenloft forges heros, because when the world is a dark and grey world then those with goodness shine ever brighter.

There is a difference between very difficult and impossible and hopelessness.

[monsinyana]

call of cthulhu is 1 hit = dead (practically)
and never leveling up. the character you create pretty much is the character you will always play.

and no kind of magical healing


call of cthulhu is completely unforgiving. and yes in ravenloft youre supposed to succeed -just enough- to give you (false?) hope that you really can win.


when the set cult shows up that is always well done. anyone that gets involved seems to face a slow gradual dark fate you cant escape.. we need more of that kind of stuff.

[herkles]

call of cthulhu is 1 hit = dead (practically)
and never leveling up. the character you create pretty much is the character you will always play.

and no kind of magical healing


call of cthulhu is completely unforgiving. and yes in ravenloft youre supposed to succeed -just enough- to give you (false?) hope that you really can win.


when the set cult shows up that is always well done. anyone that gets involved seems to face a slow gradual dark fate you cant escape.. we need more of that kind of stuff.

Call of cthulhu isn't dnd, the power level of BRP can be very different. Keep in mind in cthulhu a lot of your enemies are humans, cultists and what have you. So combat against them can be brutal but also brutal for them.

Also about never leveling up. BRP is a classless and levelless system. It does not have any classes or levels. It mainly is a percentile system. Skills are important as everything is a skill. However to think you don't get stronger in skills in Cthulhu shows your lack of the system. Also there is magical healing in Cthulhu, not many but they do exist.

Lets say focus on the disguise skill. When you the session is over for the day, you roll a percentile to see if you get a higher roll then what it is currently. say it is 50 then everything 51 and above means your skill will increase. What this means is that it is easy to increase skills at the begining but harder to master.

You are viewing Ravenloft as a land of pure hopelessness where people can't chagne anything and are doomed to fail. Blue sums it up with these posts.

Sorry, but you're wrong. Ravenloft is not a place of bleak hopelessness like a Call of Cthulhu game. It IS a place of heroes, where they struggle to be a beacon of light in a world of darkness, where they struggle against temptations to stray from the path of good.

While every character should experience fear and horror, this is not Call of Cthulhu. Your ultimate destiny is not to die alone in the corner whimpering (although that's always a possibility).

What makes a character a hero in the Ravenloft setting is to experience that fear and horror and overcome it. Ravenloft may be a very dark place, but it is not utterly devoid of hope. The struggle between good and evil is pronounced here, but not in the way you might think....it is not a struggle between the White Hat-wearing Good Guys(tm) and the Skull-wearing Puppy-kicking Bad Guys(tm), but a struggle between the light and dark parts in every person's soul. Fear, horror, and insanity are an important part of this struggle...cutting the chaff from the wheat, if you will. Those who experience these emotions and can overcome them have a better chance of becoming a true hero...those who fail, tempt the darkness within.

[Amon-Si]

When the DMs start spawning death bringers... well, then you find out about dangerous undead...

[monsinyana]

Call of cthulhu isn't dnd, the power level of BRP can be very different.

Also about never leveling up. BRP is a classless and levelless system.

i dont know what youre referring to when you say BRP. when my group played Call of cthulhu we used the Chaosium system from the early 80s. thats abbreviated CoC.

[herkles]

BRP= Basic Roleplaying
CoC uses BRP mainly with the addition of the sanity score.