Path of the Red Death


Conversions


So I recently got my hands on an old 2E D&D box called Masque of the Red Death. It was an alternate Ravenloft setting using Victorian gothic horror and set on earth during the 1890s. With the impending arrival of Occult Adventures I thought. "This could be cool" and plunked down my money for it.

So I am going to set about converting this for Pathfinder. At present I am still flipping my way through the pages of the various books and enjoying all the little tidbits I am finding, but before I begin the task in earnest I was wondering if anyone had some suggestions of any other things I might want to get my hands on, borrow, read or watch that would help be capture the mood properly


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Have you checked the Fraternity of Shadows? They might have some useful stuff and/or conversions.


red death taste better played in AD&D2E if you translate something to 3.X will fill so lame at all because the systems are uncopatible.

Victorian age is so gorgeous. If you do, try to check Transylvania for the Red Death Suplement.

There are a 3e version of red death, try to check that one :3


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don't know if I'd be able to find the 3E version anywhere. Was surprised enough to find the 2E version.

I think the one thing about converting something like this is you have to know what to parts of the game to keep and what to loose.

For one, obviously not every class fits, so right there I have to go through the list of what exists and pick and choose.

For another I'll have to pick what sort of optional rules best capture the feel. One of my kickstarters gave me an optional skill system called Gumshoe which might be a good fit. I've also got a stress system lying around somewhere that serves as kind of a Mental Hit Points leading to terror and madness.

Limited Magic from Unchained seems like a good option but then again I might want to see how the Occult classes turn out after playtesting before I decide on that.


one thing youll need to know with red death is that you just never try to mix spells and feats from pathfinder into rd, nor classes nor nothing else than red death itself.

Ravenloft isnt overpowered world with lot of magic with lot of classes. its barely played with commoners with some abilities and such. and thats why the horror was so successfull in those old good damn days. the fact that magic were so rare and punisheable and every single monster was a death sentence, and only a few people knows some lore about the beast that roam the world.

now in pathfinder, or even d&d you have to make an extraordinary effort to bring that feelling to your table. everything is known, all evils can be dispelled, and all are so hard to make a horror story in this system.

So, if you want to try red death in pf, just read the campaign and make one night adventure into yours pf one


oh I don't know I think it just comes down to setting the mood right and making certain to use the right turn of phrase.

I think my proudest moment as a DM was running Feast of Goblyns back in high school and getting a player to have his character commit suicide because he was convinced he was doomed simply from the description I gave him.

I think it went something like this
"You tumble down the sides of the pit to find yourself landing on uneven ground. As you make to light the torch it seems to shift beneath your weight and the dim light reveals scattered bones all around you. From beneath the mass of broken ribs and cracked skulls a chitenous horror as long as your forearm emerges, dripping green venom from it's mandibles"

In truth the creature was a size small centipede with something like 2 hit points.

Best lesson I ever learned from running a horror game is never ever name the creature. Just offer description and let their minds fill in the blanks

I could simply run the setting as is by dusting off some old 2E rule books, but I am more interested in adapting the setting for Pathfinder. It's an interesting challenge. Yes there is a lot about Pathfinder that won't fit, but it's more a matter of working out what will and what won't. What optional rules capture the feel properly and what house rules I'll need to come up with.

Wizards and Clerics and other full casters probably not a good fit, leave them out completely. But the Alchemist might fit the aethestic quite well with a little bit of tweaking. Gunslinger seems like it wouldn't be a bad choice either.

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