I honestly can't think of any countervailing benefits of the +1/level rate. Defenders of that system, please, enlighten me.
(Though the overall issue may already have been discussed to death, I think it might be helpful to have a thread focused specifically on the question in the subject line.)
To answer the question in the subject line: Because we are still kicking ourselves over the fact that we came up with a brilliant and elegant way to do ability modifiers in Third Edition D&D, and yet there is still a questionable difference several editions later between a 14 and a 15 in an ability score. Modifiers are better. Ability scores in a range of 3-18 are now a relic of pure nostalgia.
(Note: I like this nostalgia, so I'm ok with it, but it's still pretty dumb.)
tl;dr +1/level is more elegant and will have less buyer's remorse.
Thank you for your work! In my preperation for this part of the adventure I came across this thread and love the idea.
One thing I changed though (even if it probably isn't necessary): I added a fifth option to most of the list (not the "nature" and "plane" parts). Otherwise, after three solved lines, the fourth is apparent, as it's the only one remaining.
From your work, it was quite easy to find additional parts that generally fit.
That's a good way to make it harder, yeah :) My party found it pretty challenging already, but they were kind of tired (they hit the puzzle at the end of a late night session!)
I wanted to pop back in to thank you again. I translated your puzzle (since we play in French) and used it in the playtest to turn this part of the adventure into more than just a bunch of skill checks, and that was fun!
I'm glad you liked it! And I'm fascinated to know that it worked in French as well :)
I had a paladin at my table that had the same issue. There should be a way to get more than one reaction, similar to how Combat Reflexes allowed more than one attack of opportunity.
It's an interesting idea. It points out a problem in the system (in most d20 systems, actually), where the math breaks down at the ends of the curve.
Example 1:
Attack +1 versus Armor Class 30
- You do not have a chance of normal success.
- If you roll a natural 20, you will critically succeed.
- You do not have a chance of failure.
- If you roll anything other than a 20, you will critically fail.
Or, more reasonably:
Example 2:
Attack +1 versus Armor Class 20
- If you roll a 19, you will succeed.
- If you roll a natural 20, you will critically succeed.
- If you roll a 10-18, you will fail.
- If you roll a 1-9, you will critically fail.
Under your method, you would never critically succeed or critically fail on this roll.
(It's been a long morning, so feel free to point out if I've missed something here...)
OK, I've taken some time to do some analysis of the NPCs that appear in the Bestiary. Clearly they were made using a prior edition of the rules. For example, the Cleric of Rovagug probably was a half-orc before they incorporated it into human (see, for example, the -1 Int modifier).
Overall, what you can expect from these NPCs is that they will lack the majority of general and skill feats that PCs get and they will not get as many class feats. They will also have fewer skills overall. They also lack backgrounds.
What they appear to get instead are some flat bonuses: to attack, damage, saves, hp, and skills probably varying by class.
They do not appear to get any bonus to armor class over and beyond what they would have for their level.
I think we are probably looking at three layers of differences between the NPCs and the PCs: 1) built using a prior set of rules for character creation, 2) build using some simplified rules to exchange skill and general feats for straight +1s in certain areas, and 3) typos.
The typos are what drive me up a tree, frankly :) And I'm pretty sure that the extra d6 of damage for the Mercenary Scout falls in that category. I think he was supposed to get an extra +1 damage, not +1d6.
In terms of playability, it's already a killer encounter. In my playtest, with the group that made it that far, the scout was a non-factor.
I wish NPCs followed more rules like the PCs need to follow.
An even worse instance of breaking those rules are the six level 2 spells the cleric has.
I do not like it.
To be fair, the Cleric has six level 2 spells because of Channel Harm. Instead of setting them apart, the stat block combines in his (3 plus Charisma modifer = 4) uses of the harm spell.
I don't have a problem with this sort of short-hand, per se. In fact, with high level builds, I kind of prefer it. Otherwise it becomes very cumbersome (as a GM) to track the many possible options each NPC enemy has.
And I don't mind it being a ridiculously tough encounter. The PCs are supposed to avoid this fight. If they don't, they've already kind of failed the purpose of their mission. And if it were too easy to beat, then the whole "rush to the tomb" part becomes somewhat pointless in retrospect.
What I don't like is when the numbers are just made up, and as long as they fit within a certain parameter, they are considered acceptable. I want there to be a system behind the scenes. It was a critical design goal in third edition D&D, and it is one of the major reasons that folks loved that edition, to the point where seeing it continue in Pathfinder was preferable to playing 4th and 5th edition D&D.
I hope that Paizo keeps that design goal for the new edition of Pathfinder. To be honest, just because their Bestiary doesn't do it at the moment, doesn't mean they have abandoned it. I think they are testing a lot of aspects of the system, and I anticipate a significantly cleaner version a year from now.
I hear you. I think it is up to each GM to balance playtest goals with "rules as written" versus having a fun time playing. But I also think that the designers would probably like to know about something that looks to me like an editing error, rather than a design goal. I could be wrong tho!
In the final encounter of the adventure, the Mercenary Scout (a human ranger) is listed as a level 3 creature. However, the damage that she's doing with her attacks seems way off (2d6+2 with a normal kukri and 2d6+2 with an expert composite shortbow). I realize that creatures in the Bestiary don't seem to match the normal character creation rules (that's a whole other conversation), but even so, that seems excessive.
Compare the anti-paladin, who also has an expert composite shortbow and is a level 5 creature, and deals only 1d6+4 damage. She deals 2d12+4 with her greataxe, but that's because it is a magical weapon.
Replace the text in the first three full paragraphs on page 29 with the following:
The magical runes portrayed on each elemental emblem on a ring can be deciphered to reveal a puzzle. Each emblem contains a theory about that particular element, as discovered or researched by Tular Seft. However, the words for all four elemental theories are mixed together, and only the words corresponding to a single element must be selected in order to activate that ring.
The following words and phrases, in order, are placed around each elemental symbol in groups of four. The player characters must determine which words or phrases, one from each group of four, when strung together, describe each elemental theory. Only one word or phrase from each group of four will be used in a theory. All words and phrases are eventually used, so no word is used twice for an element.
1. the nature of air
2. the nature of earth
3. the nature of fire
4. the nature of water
5. is diffuse
6. is position
7. is life
8. is power
57. unquenchable
58. by Shaitan
59. of dust
60. between fire
61. and earth
62. and unknown
63. and lightning
64. magic
It is probably a good idea to number index cards and write the words on them, so the players can move them around. If you want to make the puzzle easier, you can use only cards 1 through 28. If you want a harder puzzle, use all 64 cards.
The players can attempt to solve this puzzle on their own. However, it is very likely that they will need clues in order to do so. An Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion check of DC 25 will reveal three correct words or phrases for an emblem. The DC is reduced to 20 for an emblem into which an elemental gem has been placed. This skill check can be repeated with another full hour of study, if necessary, until all words are successfully revealed.
In addition, a PC can attempt to sabotage an elemental emblem with a successful DC 19 Thievery check. This will eliminate incorrect words from that ring. For the easy version, this will reveal six words or phrases that are incorrect for that ring. For the harder version, it will reveal twelve. Thievery can only be used in this way once per emblem.
Once the puzzle is solved for an emblem, a character can select the correct words by touching them, causing them to shimmer and glow. Entering in the correct code takes one round, after which the ring rotates counterclockwise, so that the elemental emblem lines up between the stone door and the central dais. Once all four are in a line, the double door to areas C5 grinds open. There is no penalty for entering an incorrect code. Thus, once the characters have narrowed things down to a few possibilities, they can simply guess.
The correct answer to the puzzle is below:
The nature of air is diffuse connections that pass energy quickly from solid to non-solid matter. The mysteries of the plane of air, the metal spheres, are solved in an examination of the properties of dust and lightning.
The nature of earth is position, relationships between similar materials, metamorphosed through heat to solid matter. The light in the plane of earth, the sun crystals, are merely a creation of enchantment by Shaitan magic.
The nature of fire is power, dominance in a circular path, enslaved, but unstoppable in its environment. The gifts to the plane of fire, the crystal towers, are actually the provenance of trade between fire and earth.
The nature of water is life, sustenance in different forms, combined through alchemy in liquid matter. The spheres in the plane of water, the flame stars, are named by the seekers of mystery, unquenchable and unknown.
I'm one of those people who likes solving puzzles on my own as a player, rather than simply making a bunch of skill rolls for my character to do it. I noticed that there is an intricate puzzle in Pale Mountain, so I wrote up an actual puzzle to go with it. It still incorporates the same skill rolls as the written adventure, so I don't think it will impact play-testing significantly.
It is a bit lengthy tho. If anyone is interested, I can either post it here, or I can send it via private message/email.
You know, I've seen this conversation many times on various forums. Here's my perspective:
I've been running and playing tabletop RPGs since the 1970s. Gaming rules have always had political messages in them. Since the very beginning. Often, the messages were negative, to try to exclude certain people from feeling like the game was written for them to play. And sometimes they were positive, to encourage those who might have felt excluded to join in the fun.
So the fact that this message is there, in the rules, is not at all new or controversial.
What is new, is that audiences are much more aware that a) there are people who have been routinely excluded from gaming spaces, harassed and driven away, and b) there are people who have deliberately set out to do this. Those two groups do not encompass all gamers. Maybe your group has been sheltered from this. But far fewer people can honestly say that now. More and more people have experienced or witnessed this conflict.
So this sort of message doesn't get skimmed over as much, in favor of the meatier sections of the rules.
If you read this, and you are one of those lucky folks who has not been affected by harassment or intolerance, and doesn't practice it on their own, then please feel safe in the knowledge that no one is going to change the way that you play your game.
If you read this and think: This is going to empower a type of person who has complained about the way that I run my games, or the way that I play my characters, then you may be in for an unpleasant awakening. Because I guarantee that a few paragraphs written by a game developer isn't what is going to stop intolerance in gaming. What is going to stop intolerance in gaming is legions of players, both old and new, who have decided that they do not have to put up with it anymore. _I'm_ going to be the one to tell you, you can't use that sort of language at my table, and if you do, you will have to leave. Not Paizo.
But if you read this and think: Maybe Paizo, as a company, really does respect my interest in their game and wants me as a customer, then this language was written for you. And, like me, you will feel a bit better about spending a lot of money on Paizo products and running a bunch of Paizo games. You will be able to recommend their books without as many of the typical warnings that you have to give to new gamers. You'll be able to introduce more people into the hobby. And the hobby will become a better place for everyone.
I have searched and I can't seem to figure this out. The PCs know that the Night Heralds are after the same item that they are. However, they have no idea how long it will take for the Night Heralds to reach the tomb and the traverse the labyrinth. The PCs just know that they have an advantage, since they know the back way inside.
However, the adventure states: "Remind the PCs how long they have left when they enter the tomb so they know whether they'll have any time to rest before or during their explorations."
How do the PCs get this information? Doesn't it make it more difficult to set up tension when the party has no idea whether they are ahead or behind schedule?
Four and a half hours for my group of four players. They were prepped with characters and experienced with first edition Pathfinder, but we did a lot of roleplaying and they skipped a few rooms.
PCs: Human Cleric, Halfling Rogue, Goblin Monk, Goblin Sorcerer
Overall: one PC knocked down to 0 HP twice, but no PC deaths, all goals accomplished, didn't fight the centipedes or the quasits
The real stars of this one were the Human Cleric, who was optimized for healing, and the Goblin Monk. I was surprised at how effective the Monk was! Especially with the Cleric backing him up. The Monk went down twice to Drakus (two critical hits!), but the Cleric got him back up again (and the Monk spent a Hero point the first time). He had Tiger Stance to do slashing against Drakus, which was also good.
The Rogue got to sneak around, disarm the statue trap, and find the secret door, so she had fun. She also got a wicked sneak attack off against Drakus.
The Sorcerer had substantially less to do, in part because he cast summon monster too early (in the first goblin room, with only one goblin left standing), and then didn't have it for later fights where it would have been useful. They did get to avoid the fungus, however, by sending in the summoned monster to check out the room.
My dice luck is legendarily bad, which is to say, I rolled a lot of 1s and 4s, but then I did crit twice in the last fight :) However, the goblin fight in the back cave was also a lot of fun to run, the party felt pretty challenged by the adventure as a whole.
Well, if the monster is something that can reasonably carry and manipulate spell components, no problem. If it has no prehensile appendages (like hands), I dunno.
Quite possibly there should be rules saying innate casting can, say, substitute Somatic Casting actions for Material Casting actions like sorcerers can---but it's not in the rulebook or bestiary at the moment.
I will say that IMHO if such rules get added they will almost certainly change Material Casting actions to something else, rather than just let you skip them, so innate spells won't be any quicker.
Yeah, I think assuming that they just replace all Material Casting actions with Somatic Casting actions makes the most sense.
OK, I have searched all over for this, and I just can't find it.
If a monster has an innate spell, and that spell includes a material component, does the monster need that material component? Does the spell require the Material Casting action? Or does the spell cast at one action quicker than normal?
Example: Invisibility has both a material and somatic component, so it takes two actions to cast. Does a monster with the innate ability to cast invisibility also require two actions to do so?
Page 144 in the Playtest rules, in the Skills section, says (in the fifth paragraph of the first column): "As the uses of a skill aren't comprehensive, there may be times when the GM asks you to attempt a skill check WITHOUT ANY OF THE LISTED ACTIONS, activities, free actions, or reactions ..." (My caps added for emphasis.)
Ah, thank you! I missed that! It might be clearer if that same paragraph stated that, unless the GM tells you otherwise, such skill checks can be made without training. But generally, I like the idea of open-ended skills, as opposed to ability checks.
Something came up in the Doomsday Dawn forum, and I wanted to move it here for those who were avoiding spoilers:
Are there ability checks in this game? Can you be asked to make a simple Dexterity check, based on anything in the rulebook? If so, based on the rules on page 290, this check would be Untrained, correct?
There are only two occurrences of the phrase "ability check" in the rulebook, both in relation to armor penalties:
"Clumsy This armor’s Dexterity modifier cap also applies to Reflex
saves and to all Dexterity-based skill and ability checks that
don’t have the attack trait."
There are no occurrences of this phrase in Doomsday Dawn (although there are situations that might normally call for one).
Yeah, in the case of the Thievery check, it looks like the author may have intended it to be Disable Device (especially since tools are required) that only requires one success to accomplish. However, the entry needs to specify if this is a Trained Only use of the skill.
This brings up a larger issue, which I may move to a different section of the forums: Why couldn't this be a simple Dexterity check? (The answer being, I don't think there are any rules for making straight ability checks in this game!)
In area A4, the players can investigate a body and use a Medicine roll to determine cause of death. Unfortunately, there is nothing in the rules about what sort of a skill use this would be, what proficiency is required, or how long it might take. There is only one Untrained use of Medicine described in the rules, and two Trained uses (outside of feats), and there is no feat that covers Forensics.
In most games, I would simply make something up, as the GM. But I think that this sort of use of Medicine is so common, that there should be a described action. Here's what I wrote up for it:
Medicine Trained Activity
Forensics (Concentrate) (Manipulate) (Secret)
By examining a body for ten minutes, you can attempt to determine the cause of death and related information.
Critical Success: You learn an additional piece of information about a person involved in the death, a weapon used, or the location where they died.
Critical Failure: You determine incorrect information.
On a larger scale, this sort of thing is going to happen a lot. Rather than have a huge number of Skill uses to page through, there should be some guidelines on how to create these sort of actions.
It's voting time! Please please, if you have a few seconds, click here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/vote/
and vote for me to be an ENnie Judge! You can take a look at my profile here: http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/?page_id=2370
It'll be a blast if I win, and I will get to playtest a ton of games in the greater Boston area! Thank you for your support!
I also own the book and plan on using PF to run a mini-Ravenloft campaign in the not so distant future. What sort of modification have you done to module itself?
Well, I'm not sure whether any of my players on are this board :) If so GO AWAY PLEASE!
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Thank you :)
I've added a lot more intrigue to the game, mostly. All of the big bads in the Castle are more active and have their own motivations and agendas. Madam Eva is a more active character and has her own plans, which only sometimes run in parallel with the party. Sasha, Lucian, Rafail, Kavan, Krysterix (or however you spell it) all have extended backstories and more to do. The party was actually invited to a dinner party at Strahd's court to praise them for handling the zombies :) So they have met all of these individuals in a non-combat setting, offering more opportunity for roleplaying. Of course, they did not know exactly who they were dining with! I've set the game in the world of Seventh Sea, so it is more gentile and less hack and slash, but still gothic horror.
I've also played up as a major theme the corruption of the land itself. I've rewritten the Knights of the Raven to be more ranger/druid-like, and their job is to protect both the land and the people. This makes freeing the fanes a goal in and of itself, rather than just to weaken Strahd.
This is sort of an old thread, but I am in the process of converting Expedition to Castle Ravenloft to Pathfinder now, if the original poster had any questions or suggestions! I would say I'm about halfway through the book. I'm revising a lot of things as I go, and plan to start running in a few weeks.
Very cool. We are running this next. Any way I could get the PF conversion from you?
Sure! I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't converted everything yet, but I've been running it for eight sessions now and it has gone very well! Two questions:
1) can you please just confirm for me that you own the 3.5 book?
2) I'm assuming you just want stat blocks, yes? I've done some substantial rewriting of the module itself.
You can email me at balsamic [no space] dragon [at symbol] gmail [dot] com.
AC 28, touch 22, flat-footed 24 (+6 force armor, +2 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural armor)
HP 80 (10HD, d4 +1 favored class, +3 Cha, +1 Toughness)
Fort +9 (+3 Cha, +3 cloak), Ref +11 (+3 Dex, +3 cloak, +2 feat), Will +13 (+3 Wis, +3 cloak)
Immune sunlight, undead immunities
DR 10 / silver, magic
Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, positive energy 10, sonic 10
Special Defenses fast healing 5, +4 turn resistance, ring of counterspells (dispel magic), nondetection, shadowless
Weaknesses vampire vulnerabilities, except sunlight
Speed 30, spider climb 20
Melee slam +9 (1d6+4 magic plus energy drain)
AoO Combat Reflexes, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple
Str 18, Dex 16, Con --, Int 20, Wis 17, Cha 16
Base Atk +5, CMB +8 (+10 grapple), CMD 21
Skills Appraise +9, Bluff +16, Diplomacy +8, Disguise +4, Fly +7, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +18, Knowledge (history) +14, Knowledge (local) +18, Knowledge (religion) +14, Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +18, Stealth +16
Passive Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Energy Drain, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Positive Energy Resistance, Toughness
Metamagic Feats Enervate Spell, Fell Drain
Item Creation Feats Scribe Scroll
Notable Possessions bead of force, cloak of resistance +3, lesser silent metamagic rod, ring of counterspells, ring of protection +2, Strahd’s ruby amulet (gem of seeing)
Active Feats and Abilities
Arcane Bond (Sp) Strahd has made his heirloom ruby amulet into a bonded object, allowing him to cast any spell from his spellbook (except from an opposition school), unprepared, once per day. It also functions as a gem of seeing, and can be used for up to 30 minutes per day to use true seeing by looking through the gem.
Bead of Force (ranged attack) Upon sharp impact, the bead of force explodes for 5d6 force damage in a 10 foot burst around it. It then functions as a resilient sphere spell (Reflex DC 16 negates) with a radius of 10 feet and a duration of 10 minutes. This is a single use item.
Blood Drain (Su) Strahd can suck blood from a grappled opponent; if he establishes or maintains a pin, he drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Strahd heals 5 hit points or gains 5 temporary hit points for 1 hour (up to a maximum number of temporary hit points equal to his full normal hit points) each round he drains blood.
Change Shape (Su) Strahd can use change shape to assume the form of a bat, wolf, dire bat, or dire wolf, as beast shape III.
Children of the Night (Su) Once per day, Strahd can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or 2d6 wolves as a standard action. These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve him for up to 1 hour.
Create Spawn (Su) Strahd can create spawn out of those he slays with blood drain or energy drain, provided that the slain creature is humanoid. The victim rises from death as a vampire in 1d4 days. This vampire is under Strahd’s command and remains enslaved until Strahd’s destruction. Strahd may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than 20 Hit Dice; any spawn he creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. Strahd may free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a vampire or vampire spawn cannot be enslaved again.
Dominate (Su) Strahd can crush a humanoid opponent's will as a standard action. Anyone he targets must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or fall instantly under the vampire's influence, as though by a dominate person spell (caster level 12th). This ability can be used only at close range
Energy Drain (Su) A creature hit by Strahd’s slam attack (or other natural weapon) gains two negative levels. This ability only triggers once per round, regardless of the number of attacks he makes. At the same time, Strahd gains 10 temporary hit points and a +2 bonus on skill checks, ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 hour.
Gaseous Form (Su) As a standard action, Strahd can assume gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
Grave Touch (Sp) As a standard action, Strahd can make a melee touch attack that causes a living creature to become shaken for 5 rounds. If Strahd touches a shaken creature with this ability, it becomes frightened for 5 rounds if it has fewer that 5 HD. Strahd can use this ability 8 times per day.
Improved Counterspell (Sp) Strahd can counterspell by using any spell of the same school being cast.
Life Sight (Su) Strahd can use this ability for 10 rounds per day as blindsight to detect living and undead creatures and distinguish between them. Constructs and other creatures that are neither living nor undead cannot be seen with this ability.
Power over Undead (Su) Strahd can Command Undead 8 times per day, save DC 18.
Wizard Spells (Sp) Strahd can cast 4 cantrips and 6 / 6 / 5 / 5 / 4 leveled spells per day. As a necromancer, one of Strahd’s slots must be a necromancy spell and preparing a spell from the abjuration or illusion schools costs two slots.
Wizard Spells Known
• 5th – blight, cloudkill, cone of cold, hold monster, magic jar, mind fog, permanency, prying eyes, symbol of pain, teleport, wall of force, waves of fatigue
• 4th – animate dead, arcane eye, bestow curse, charm monster, confusion, contagion, crushing despair, detect scrying, dimension door, enervation, fear, locate creature, mnemonic enhancer, resilient sphere, scrying, shout, solid fog, stoneshape, stoneskin
• 3rd – arcane sight, clairaudience/clairvoyance, deep slumber, fireball, fly, gentle repose, halt undead, haste, hold person, lightning bolt, protection from energy, ray of exhaustion, slow, stinking cloud, suggestion, tongues, vampiric touch, wind wall
• 2nd – acid arrow, blindness/deafness, bull’s strength, cat’s grace, command undead, darkness, detect thoughts, dispel magic, eagle’s splendor, false life, fog cloud, glitterdust, ghoul touch, gust of wind, hideous laughter, levitate, locate object, scare, scorching ray, see invisibility, shatter, spectral hand, touch of idiocy, web
• 1st – burning hands, cause fear, charm person, chill touch, comprehend languages, detect undead, expeditious retreat, hypnotism, identify, mage armor, magic missile, obscure object, obscuring mist, protection from chaos/evil/good/law, ray of enfeeblement, shield, shocking grasp, sleep, true strike, unseen servant
• Cantrips – all
Passive Abilities
Dayheart (Su) Strahd’s connection with this artifact renders him immune to sunlight.
Forest Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the forests of Barovia, Strahd benefits from a constant nondetection effect on himself and his gear, as the spell (caster level check DC 19). If Strahd’s connection to the Forest Fane is severed, Strahd loses this benefit and his CR is reduced by 1.
Mountain Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the mountains of Barovia, Strahd is surrounded by a field of force armor that grants him a +6 armor bonus to his AC. Because it is made of force, this armor protects him against incorporeal attacks and applies when Strahd is in gaseous form. If Strahd’s connection to the Mountain Fane is severed, he loses this benefit and his CR is reduced by 1.
No Vampire Aversions Strahd has no aversion to garlic or mirrors. Though he can be turned, characters cannot keep him at bay by presenting a holy symbol. He can enter any building in Barovia, whether he is invited or not.
Shadowless (Ex) Strahd casts no shadows and shows no reflection in a mirror.
Swamp Sign (Su) As a result of his connection to the swamps of Barovia, Strahd has resistance to acid 10, fire 10, and sonic 10. If Strahd’s connection to the Swamp Fane is severed, he loses this benefit and his CR is reduced by 1.
This is sort of an old thread, but I am in the process of converting Expedition to Castle Ravenloft to Pathfinder now, if the original poster had any questions or suggestions! I would say I'm about halfway through the book. I'm revising a lot of things as I go, and plan to start running in a few weeks.
I was surprised at the language choices when describing the Half-Elf and Half-Orc. _Many_ Half-Elves are "born out of violence"? This has always been a problematic area of D&D with respect to Half-Orcs, but I have never played in a campaign where it was common for a half-elf to be a product of rape (of an elf or a human). I have several thoughts:
1) If two of the base races are frequently products of rape, then rape is going to be an accepted story feature in your games. Are you sure that you want this to be the case?
2) If you are going to have rape be a part of the stories told in Pathfinder games, and have the game be more mature and dark as a result, I would suggest not watering down the language. "Born of violence" is almost a romantic euphamism for an issue that should either be dealt with in a more realistic way or not dealt with at all.
Although this is my first comment (as I am still reading my way through the rules), it shouldn't be construed as a negative impression. On the contrary, I think you guys have done a fabulous job from what I have read so far!
More comments to follow, once my toddler stops fussing....
