So, I found a bunch of Ravenloft books online and have just started reading through them. Already found a few interesting things.
Half-Vistani: +2 Wis, -2 Cha. +2 Wilderness Survival, despite being supposedly updated to 3.5, should probably be Survival. The bonus increases to +4 when making fires. During a full moon must make a DC 15 Will Save or run wild under the full moon.
Now the fun part. Depending on their Vistani parents tribe, they receive a bonus of some type. Here are the tribal bonuses.
Canjar: +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft checks.
This bonus rises to +4 when attempting to learn new
spells. Favored Class: Wizard.
Corvara: +2 racial bonus on Open Lock and
Sense Motive checks. Favored Class: Rogue.
Equaar: +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal
and Ride checks. Favored Class: Ranger.
Kamii: +2 racial bonus on any metal-based
Craft checks (e.g., blacksmithing) With a successful
Appraise check, Kamii can identify metals and
determine where any metal item originated. Favored
Class: Rogue.
Naiat: +2 racial bonus on Perform checks.
Naiat have a base Outcast Rating of 0. Favored
Class: Bard.
Vatmska: +2 racial bonus on Heal and Profession
(herbalism) checks. Favored Class: Cleric.
Zarovan: Racial bonus of (Idl0-ld4) to initiative.
Roll at the start of each encounter. Favored
Class: Sorcerer.
Zarovan get a potentially HUGE Bonus to Initiative. Wonky since it is anywhere from a -3 to a +9, but that could still be pretty interesting.
Classes:
Barbarian Rage: This operates as stated in the
Player's Handbook. However, barbarians enjoy an
additional +4 bonus to Fear, Horror, and Madness
checks while enraged. Barbarians not currently in
the throes of rage when one of these checks arises
do not gain the +4 bonus.
Tales of Death and Madness
At the DM's discretion, an evil bard can
perform so chillingly (such as singing a dirge,
enacting a play of foul murder, or telling a tale
about one man's descent into corruption) that
he frightens his audience. If the bard succeeds
by 10 or more on his Perform check, members
of; the audience are required to make a Fear
check
• Bonus Feats: Fighters add Back to the Wall,
Courage, Dead Man Walking, and Jaded to their
list of possible bonus feats.
Back to the Wall is the only one that is decent. And even then, it is kinda meh.
Back to the Wall [General]
You are at your best when your situation is at
its worst. The minions of evil may overwhelm
you, but the gods be damned if you don't take a
few of them down with you.
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +2.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls
and Armor Class when you are at one quarter or
less of your maximum hit points.
Divine Grace: The paladin's noble spirit
bleeds out into the world around her, subconsciously
placing virtuous minds at ease and
sinister minds on edge. The paladin can apply her
divine grace bonus when attempting to improve
the reactions of good NPCs (effectively allowing
her to count her Charisma bonus twice). However,
this modifier counts as a penalty when attempting
to improve the reactions of evil NPCs (effectively
negating the paladin's Charisma bonus). Note also
that the divine grace bonus applies to all Fear,
Horror, and Madness saves.
Aura of Courage: Although the Ravenloft
paladin remains immune to magical fear, she is not
immune to "natural" Fear saves, which are the
product of her own sense of survival. (In a sense,
playing a PC immune to fear in a horror campaign
is simply missing out on the point.) Instead, the
paladin receives the Courage feat for free at 2nd
level.
Special Mount: A paladin's special mount is
a dread companion. See the "Dread Companions"
sidebar. In Spoiler. It is long.
Dread Companions
Some classes can call upon the world for a steadfast animal companion, and the world will respond.
In Ravenloft, it falls to the Dark Powers to heed this call. Their response is the dread companion.
The Dread Companion is a template that should be added to any familiar or paladin's mount
summoned within Ravenloft. A dread companion uses all of the base creature's statistics and special
abilities except as noted here. The creature's type changes to magical beast (if it is not one already).
Dread companions share their master's ethical alignment, but their moral alignment is always evil.
Do not be mistaken; they are not mindlessly malicious, nor are they dedicated to their master's destruction.
Indeed, they are utterly loyal to their masters — to a fault.
Dread companions share an empathic link with their masters. Through this link, they are privy to all
of their master's innermost thoughts and desires. Their masters may understand why some wishes are best
left unspoken, but dread companions utterly lack a conscience. They cannot grasp why their master's
desires should be repressed, no matter how dark or selfish. If the master desires an object, the companion
may try to steal it; if a rival causes its master harm of any kind, the companion may seek revenge. The
dread companion of a scrupulous master knows that its master does not want to acknowledge her
unspoken desires, and may act in secret. In psychological terms, when a character calls for a familiar or
paladin's mount in Ravenloft, she receives her own id in flesh and blood.
When the master is at low levels, a dread companion has a rather dull mind (see the respective
sidebars in the Player's Handbook). As the master gains power, however, the intellect of her dread
companion follows suit. The dread familiar of a neophyte wizard may just seem mischievous; at higher
levels, that same dread familiar is capable of crafting devious and cunning plots.
When a dread companion is faced with a situation that would call for a Fear, Horror, or Madness
check, it does so independently of its master. Indeed, some of the most stalwart dread companions are
inured to the terrors that send their masters fleeing. Note also that a dread companion to a good or neutral
character has different modifiers to these checks, due to its own inherently evil alignment. Special cohorts
(see the Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 45) are treated the same way.
Familiars and other companions brought in from other realms (that is, not native to the Ravenloft
world) do not become dread companions. They retain their original alignments and other traits.
SKILLS:
Bluff
Telling Fortunes: This is the skill of inventing
plausible fortunes from thin air. It is the art of
picking up clues about a target and telling her what she wants to hear; it does not include the
ability to actually peer into the future. This skill is
most commonly the tool of charlatans, false
prophets, and Vistani seers who decide not to tax
their Sight.
The DM should apply a circumstance modifier
based on how far-fetched or specific the prediction
is. A vague, common prediction ("You will meet a
dark stranger") might carry no modifier to the DC,
while the modifier for an outrageous or easily
refuted prediction might rise to +10 or even +20.
The use of arcane props like a crystal ball or a
tarokka deck gives a +2 circumstance bonus to the
Bluff check.
Seduction: Most commonly associated with
the act of physical seduction, this skill can also
include a carnival barker delivering a spiel to draw
patrons into her tent or a crime boss trying to lure
a constable onto her payroll. Seduction is the art of
manipulating a target by sensing her desires and
promising to deliver on them. With a successful
Seduction check, you can convince a target to
perform a small service for you — perhaps following
you to a secluded locale or paying a few coins.
The DM should apply a circumstance modifier
based on how well the promise matches the
target's desires, how demanding the requested
service is, and whether the seducer can deliver on
the promise. An impoverished family man may be
resistant to physical enticement but willing to
accept a few coins, for example. Likewise, a randy
sailor may respond well to attentions of a lady, but
he might balk if asked to follow her into an acridsmelling,
web-choked cellar. Use the example
circumstances listed in the Player's Handbook as a
guideline.
Seduction cannot rob a target of her free will.
If an NPC attempts to seduce a PC, the PC is not
charmed. Instead, the DM should present the NPC
and her offer in an enticing light. If a seduction
check fails, the target realizes the seducer is attempting
to manipulate him — but in the right
circumstances, he may still find the offer
appealing.
Craft now has a Gunsmithing and Clockmaking option.
New SkillHypnosis:
The following is a class skill for monks,
sorcerers, and wizards.
Hypnosis (Cha; Trained Only)
You have studied the hidden workings of the
human mind and can unlock its secrets.
Check: You can use hypnosis to induce a
deep, calming trance in your subject. The effects
of a hypnotic trance are identical to those created
by the hypnotism spell. Unlike the spell, however, the skill allows you to
hypnotize only one target at a time, who does not
receive the -2 penalty to her Will save. Each
attempt to use hypnosis requires 1 hour. If the
target is unwilling, you must first succeed at a
Bluff check to disguise your intent.
A Hypnosis check is opposed by the target's
Will save. Loud or distracting surroundings grant a
+2 circumstance modifier to the target's Will save.
Willing targets can voluntarily choose not to make
their saving throw.
Once the target is hypnotized, you can either
plant a suggestion (as per the hypnotism spell) or
aid the recovery of a target who suffers from the
effects of a failed Madness save. The latter option
is detailed under "Recovering from Madness" in
chapter 3.
Retry: Generally, you cannot retry a Hypnosis
check against an unwilling target; the target becomes
too suspicious to cooperate. If attempting to
hypnotize a willing target, you may retry freely.
Retries are a vital component in the process of
helping targets recover from Madness effects, in
fact.
Feats: Some interesting options.
Ghostsight
[General]
You can see creatures in the Near Ethereal.
Since ghosts make up the majority of creatures in
Ravenloft's Near Ethereal, folklore views this as
the ability to see the dead.
Prerequisite: You must have had a brush with
death (been reduced to —1 hit points or lower, or
slain and then brought back to life).
Benefit: You can see creatures that are ethereal
as if they were normally visible. Unlike the
see invisible spell, this capacity does not reveal
illusions or allow you to see invisible or astral
creatures. Your ability to see ethereal creatures is
limited only by your own visual range. You are
vulnerable to gaze attacks from ethereal creatures.
You have no special ability to hear or physically
affect ethereal creatures. This is a supernatural
ability.
Special: You are strangely attuned to the
Ethereal Plane. Ethereal creatures can see you
unusually clearly and must succeed at a Spot
check at DC 15 to realize that you are not actually
in the Near Ethereal as well. These creatures may
even be drawn to you out of curiosity, desperation,
or malice.
Haunted:
[General]
The spirit of a friend, ally, or loved one has
returned from the grave to watch over you as a
geist.
Prerequisite: For the obvious reason, someone
close to you must have died.
Benefit: Your guardian spirit normally remains
in the Near Ethereal. Those who can see
ethereal creatures may spot the geist lurking near
you, but it is otherwise invisible and intangible.
The geist acts as a second pair of eyes and ears
when it manifests, allowing you a second roll on
Search, Spot, and Listen checks. The geist can also
inform you of events that take place in your
presence while you are asleep or unconscious, or it
can simply offer companionship.
Special: The geist communicates through
phantasms; it cannot affect physical objects. You
can ask the geist to manifest whenever you are
alone. The geist immediately vanishes if another
intelligent, living creature enters the scene. You
can summon the geist as often as you want, but
each time it manifests, it inflicts 1 point of temporary
Charisma damage as it unconsciously draws
strength from your will to live.
Redheaded:
[General]
According to the folklore of some domains,
people bom with red hair have been marked by the
fey.
Prerequisite: Wis 11+.
Benefit: Choose one 1st-level or two 0-level
druid spells. The spell (or orisons) must be chosen
when the feat is taken and cannot be changed later.
You can cast this spell (or each orison) once a day,
as a druid equal to your character level. Like a
druid, you must select a time of day when you
regain the spell, but you do not need to spend time
preparing it. This is a spell-like ability.
Special: You may take this feat only at the
beginning of the game. You don't need to take this
feat to have red hair, but you do need to be born a
redhead to take this feat.
Reincarnated:
[General]
You have vague, dreamlike memories of a
former life. You even possess skills you've never
knowingly learned.
Benefit: Choose a nonrestricted skill you do
not have as a class skill. That skill is always
considered a class skill for you. Your spirit was
reborn because it is emotionally linked to a
creature that has lingered in this world. If you ever
encounter your "soul mate," it will instinctually
recognize you, and you gain a +2 bonus to all
Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with
it.
Special: You may take this feat only at the
beginning of the game.
Mists Domain
Deity: Ezra
Granted Power: Once per day, you may call on the shield of Ezra, a film of luminous mist that
envelops your body for one round per cleric level. The form of protection granted is determined by your
alignment. Lawful good: 25/+5 damage reduction vs. metal weapons. Lawful neutral: 15/+1 damage
reduction vs. all physical attacks. Neutral: +10 to all Fortitude and Reflex saves vs. damaging spells. Lawful
evil: +10 to all Will saves vs. mind-affecting spells and effects. This is a supernatural ability.
Mists Domain Spells
1 Obscuring Mist. Fog surrounds you.
2 Fog Cloud. Fog obscures vision.
3 Gaseous Form. Subject becomes insubstantial and can fly slowly.
4 Solid Fog. Blocks vision and slows movement.
5 Mind Fog. Subjects in fog suffer -10 Wis, Will checks.
6 Wind Walk. You and your allies turn vaporous and travel quickly.
7 Teleport without Error. Mists instantly transport you anywhere, with no off-target arrival.
8 Vanish. Mists instantly transport a touched object.
9 Imprisonment. Traps subject within the Mists.
Repose Domain:
Deities: The Eternal Order, Osiris
Granted Power: You can grant final rest by tracing your deity's symbol on a newly dead body. That
corpse then receives a Will save (using your Will save bonus) to resist any attempt to transform it into an
undead creature, including the animate dead and create undead spells and the create spawn ability of
undead creatures. This is a spell-like ability you can use once per day.
Repose Domain Spells
1 Detect Undead. Reveals undead within 60 feet.
2 Gentle Repose. Preserves one corpse.
3 Speak with Dead. Corpse answers one question/two levels.
4 Halt Undead. Immobilizes undead for one round/level.
5 Raise Dead. Restores life to subject who died up to one day/level ago.
6 Antilife Shell. 10-foot field hedges out living creatures.
7 Resurrection. Fully restore dead subject.
8 Control Undead. Undead don't attack you while under your command.
9 Soul Bind. Traps newly dead soul to prevent resurrection.
Interesting rule regarding certain items as improvised weapons:
Death by Pitchfork
The minions of darkness have a habit of
striking when heroes are ill prepared to face
them. All too often, heroes may be forced to
defend themselves with common objects.
Furthermore, many characters who heroes
encounter in Ravenloft, from mobs of irate
villagers to thieving goblinfolk, are more
likely to wield such weapons of opportunity
than true military arms.
Tool-grade weapons are similar to the
military-grade weapons listed in the Player's
Handbook. Characters wielding such items
suffer a -1 penalty to attack and damage
rolls, however. The tools listed below are
considered simple weapons. No character
can be proficient with an item that lacks an
obvious grip or handle, such as a wooden
plank. Listed below are several tool-grade
weapons and the military-grade weapons
they resemble.
Axe: Battleaxe
Crowbar: Light Mace
Flail, Grain: Light Flail
Gaff: Light Pick
Hammer: Light Hammer
Hatchet: Handaxe
Hoe:* Quarterstaff
Machete: Scimitar
Pick: Heavy Pick
Pitchfork: Trident
Poker, Fireplace: Halfspear
Scythe: Scythe
Shovel:* Quarterstaff
Sickle: Sickle
Sledge: Warhammer
* Unlike a quarterstaff, these tools are
not double weapons.
