The Domains of Dread - Revision history

August at 00:38, 3 November 2025

2025-11-03T00:38:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:38, 3 November 2025
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	''It is home.''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist''		''It is home.''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist''

	''The Domains of Dread'' is a persistent world ~~hosted on Neverwinter Nights~~ blending Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a world inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original ~~''RAVENLOFT''~~ campaign setting.		''The Domains of Dread'' is a Neverwinter Nights persistent world blending Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a world inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original Ravenloft campaign setting.

	It is expected to be announced in Q3 2026, with a full release intended for Q1 2027. Development began in Q1 2024.		It is expected to be announced in Q3 2026, with a full release intended for Q1 2027. Development began in Q1 2024.

	== Vision ==		== Vision ==
	~~Codified first~~ in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, ~~''RAVENLOFT''~~ has endured ~~as one of the~~ most beloved ~~TSR modules—and by~~ 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. ~~This~~ period~~, moreso than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition work or latter volumes such as Fifth Edition’s~~ ''~~Curse~~ of ~~Strahd~~'' ~~and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft'', owns~~ most of ~~the~~ inspiration ~~seen in The Domains of Dread~~.		First collected in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured among TSR’s most beloved modules—by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is this period that ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration as opposed to Third Edition or Fifth Edition Ravenloft.

	The Domains of Dread seeks to provide cohesion between modern design principles ~~as viewed through the lens of OSR, or~~ Old School Renaissance. It may be conceived as an alternate ~~or revised~~ Third Edition ~~created~~ with the benefit of hindsight ~~while~~ taking on pains to ensure the original Gothic atmosphere is preserved even in a Persistent World ~~chassis~~. ~~It does not retell~~ these ~~old~~ stories verbatim~~: rather~~, it expands on the ~~good bones of~~ what came before~~, seeing ''RAVENLOFT'' pushed~~ to its most ~~logical~~, ~~coherent and~~ well delivered conclusion.		''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide cohesion between the more modern design principles found in Old School Renaissance or OSR titles and the older story threads found in eponymous 1998 hardback of the same name. In this it may be conceived as an alternate Third Edition made with the benefit of hindsight, taking on pains to ensure that the original Gothic horror atmosphere be preserved even in a Persistent World context. Rather than retelling these stories verbatim, however, it expands on the seeds planted by what came before so to push Ravenloft to its most cogent, well delivered conclusion.

	It ~~respects~~ the ~~intent~~ of the ~~setting~~ while understanding that TSR’s ~~version~~ was created to be a framework for enumeration by Dungeon Masters, later writers and, today, ''The Domains of Dread'' designers. ~~This effort to recondition~~ story and character elements 40 years on may never be perfect and neither were ~~those~~ originals, but it ~~will be~~ ours and may also be yours.		It is the goal of the team to respect authorial intent while understanding that TSR’s Ravenloft was created to be a framework for enumeration by Dungeon Masters, later writers and, today, ''The Domains of Dread'' designers. Reconditioning story and character elements nearly 40 years long may never be perfect and neither were the originals, but it is ours and may also be yours.

	== Low-Medium Magic ==		== Low-Medium Magic ==
	In keeping with OSR ~~principles~~, ''The Domains of Dread'' ~~is best~~ described as a low-medium magic server, whose level cap is <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any [[Weapons\|weapon]] or [[armor]] is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them ~~while already~~ at the level ~~cap, with~~ <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> ~~equipment~~ considered good and excellent ~~specimens~~ respectively.		In keeping with its OSR philosophy, ''The Domains of Dread'' may be described as a low-medium magic server whose level cap is <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any [[Weapons\|weapon]] or [[armor]] is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them at the <code>14th level</code>; <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> specimens are considered good and excellent respectively.

	~~Consequence to this~~, soft ~~[[Attributes\|~~attribute]] bonuses ~~end~~ at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and ~~[[Classes and Archetypes\|~~class]] archetype features are designed with these ~~boundaries~~ in mind.		As consequence, soft attribute bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and class archetype features are designed with these limitations in mind.

	''The Domains of Dread''~~, as OSR before it,~~ takes a hard stance on resurrection. The Mists ~~have constricted the~~ organs ~~of consequence-free~~ resurrection ~~and regeneration~~ found on Prime Material worlds, ~~ensuring that they remain~~ out of reach for player characters. ~~In other words,~~ ''The Domains of Dread'' is a permadeath server, though players may expect their characters ~~to be lethally killed~~ almost never in Character versus Environment ~~activities~~, only [[Death, Dying and Maiming\|maimed]] with critical injuries, ~~and instead~~ as a ~~possible~~ consequence of Character versus Character conflict.		''The Domains of Dread'' takes a hard stance on resurrection. The Mists constrict organs for easy regeneration and resurrection as may be found on some Prime Material worlds, keeping them out of reach for player characters. Likewise ''The Domains of Dread'' is a permadeath server though players may expect that their characters are almost never killed in Character versus Environment conflict, only [[Death, Dying and Maiming\|maimed]] with critical injuries, leaving permadeath as a consequence of Character versus Character conflict.

	Classes ~~have been redesigned~~ to be less reliant on ~~magic~~ items, as ~~the quality of being a magic—~~[[Modifiers\|Influenced]]~~—item carries~~ specific drawbacks in ''The Domains of Dread'' in [[Tension]], imperiling ~~characters~~ who use ~~them recklessly~~. ~~They~~ are ~~richer in features, especially what are owed to their class archetype~~, which may be ~~described~~ as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters at the <code>3rd level</code> ~~in character creation~~. Multiclassing is disabled ~~as it becomes redundant with the introduction of~~ class archetypes.		[[Classes and Archetypes\|Class]] archetypes are designed to be less reliant on a constant supply of supernatural items and associated consumables, as they—being [[Modifiers\|Influenced]], in server parlance—carry specific drawbacks to use in ''The Domains of Dread'' in [[Tension]], imperiling those who rely on their reckless use. All classes are subdivided into associated archetypes, which may be conceived as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters at the <code>3rd level</code>. Multiclassing is disabled to give these class archetypes the space to mechanically substantiate their concept as much as possible.

	Nevertheless it ~~should be~~ expected that ~~power levels for the class archetypes~~ are lower than other Neverwinter Nights servers ~~who make use of~~ high magic and deeper level caps. ~~Yet the designers of~~ ''The Domains of Dread'' ~~have created~~ a wealth of options within these class archetypes to use ~~during~~ roleplay and combat, ~~hence~~ a server which ~~ultimately~~ ends ~~close~~ to medium magic without compromising the Gothic atmosphere of ~~''RAVENLOFT''~~.		Nevertheless, it is expected that “power levels” are lower than on other Neverwinter Nights servers using high magic and deeper level caps. ''The Domains of Dread'' provides a wealth of flavorful options within these class archetypes for use in roleplay and in combat, leading to a server which begins at low magic and ends closer to the beginning of medium magic, all without compromising the Gothic atmosphere of Ravenloft.

	== Technical Specifications ==		== Technical Specifications ==
	The game ~~server~~ is hosted ~~locally~~ by the [[Staff, Requirements and Applications\|Server Owner and Operator]], ~~located~~ in ~~upstate~~ New York State. ~~Roughly, the~~ following ping ranges may be expected:		The game world is hosted by the [[Staff, Requirements and Applications#Server Owner and Operator\|Server Owner and Operator]], in Upstate New York State. The following ping ranges may be expected:

	* <code>'''Eastern North America'''</code>: <code>5-30ms</code>		* <code>'''Eastern North America'''</code>: <code>5-30ms</code>
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	* <code>'''Asia and Oceania'''</code>: <code>100-180ms</code>		* <code>'''Asia and Oceania'''</code>: <code>100-180ms</code>

	The alias of the game ~~server~~ will always be ''nwn.thedomainsofdread.com,'' ~~which will resolve to the~~ present IP. For the NWSync shard, this ~~will be~~ ''nwsync.thedomainsofdread.com''. Overall, measures have been taken to ensure players ~~may connect~~ globally ~~with~~ minimal difficulties owed to geographic ~~location~~.		The alias of the game world will always be ''nwn.thedomainsofdread.com'', resolving into whatever ithe present IP is behind Cloudflare. For the NWSync shard, this is ''nwsync.thedomainsofdread.com''. Overall, measures have been taken to ensure players connecting globally face minimal difficulties owed to geographic distance.

	~~In terms of~~ hardware, the server is equipped with ~~the latest~~ Ryzen ~~workstation-class~~ CPU, enough RAM to distribute the game ~~server,~~ NWSync shard, testing repositories and backup solutions without ~~any bottleneck to~~ server performance.		For hardware, the server is equipped with a modern Ryzen CPU, enough RAM to distribute both the game world and NWSync shard, testing repositories and backup solutions without bottlenecking real server performance.

August at 00:08, 3 November 2025

2025-11-03T00:08:27Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:08, 3 November 2025
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	''It is home.''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist''		''It is home.''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist''

	''The Domains of Dread'' is a persistent world hosted on Neverwinter Nights ~~that blends a custom ruleset from~~ Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a world inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original ''RAVENLOFT'' campaign setting.		''The Domains of Dread'' is a persistent world hosted on Neverwinter Nights blending Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a world inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original ''RAVENLOFT'' campaign setting.

	It is expected to be announced in Q3 2026, with a full release intended for Q1 2027. Development began in Q1 2024.		It is expected to be announced in Q3 2026, with a full release intended for Q1 2027. Development began in Q1 2024.

August at 20:30, 20 September 2025

2025-09-20T20:30:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:30, 20 September 2025
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	<blockquote>''THERE IS A LAND that exists between the Known and the Unknown. Fear soaks a dying Man as he would slake on water ~~in this land~~. Hesitation sits on his very brows. Repudiation aches his fingers. A land that must be wrought—if I may be so certain—from those men, those foolish men. Men who at once believed themselves gods. Men who at their hour of triumph looked out to what had become of this land, our land, and despaired.''		<blockquote>''THERE IS A LAND that exists between the Known and the Unknown. Fear here soaks a dying Man as he would slake on water. Hesitation sits on his very brows. Repudiation aches his fingers. A land that must be wrought—if I may be so certain—from those men, those foolish men. Men who once believed themselves gods. Men who at their hour of triumph looked out to what had become of this land, our land, and despaired.''

	''This land is the Core.''		''This land is the Core.''

August at 20:28, 20 September 2025

2025-09-20T20:28:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:28, 20 September 2025
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	<blockquote>''THERE ~~EXISTS a land~~ between ~~all that is~~ Known and ~~all that is Not Known~~. ~~In this land fear, hesitation and repudiation~~ soaks a dying ~~man~~ as would water. A land ~~wrought—I am~~ certain—from men, ~~'''~~foolish~~'''~~ men. Men who ~~thought~~ themselves gods. Men who in their hour of ~~what they thought their~~ triumph ~~were made~~ to ~~look upon~~ this land, our land, and ~~despair~~.''		<blockquote>''THERE IS A LAND that exists between the Known and the Unknown. Fear soaks a dying Man as he would slake on water in this land. Hesitation sits on his very brows. Repudiation aches his fingers. A land that must be wrought—if I may be so certain—from those men, those foolish men. Men who at once believed themselves gods. Men who at their hour of triumph looked out to what had become of this land, our land, and despaired.''

	''~~And it~~ is ~~our home~~.~~''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist~~''		''This land is the Core.''

	''~~The Domains~~ of ~~Dread~~'' is a persistent world hosted on Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition, blending a custom ruleset modified from Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a storyline inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original Ravenloft campaign setting. It is a heavy roleplay server pursuant to Gothic horror themes, choices, and consequences.		''It is home.''</blockquote>— Anonymous, ''Annals of the Unknown Arcanist''

	It is ~~slated to be announced to the public in late 2025,~~ with a ~~full release intended for autumn 2026. Development began in early 2024~~.		''The Domains of Dread'' is a persistent world hosted on Neverwinter Nights that blends a custom ruleset from Dungeon and Dragons Third Edition and Pathfinder First Edition sources with a world inspired by Advanced Dungeon and Dragons’ original ''RAVENLOFT'' campaign setting.

	~~== The Vision ==~~		It is expected to be announced in Q3 2026, with a full release intended for Q1 2027. Development began in Q1 2024.
	~~First codified~~ in ~~1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—by 1990~~, ~~campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons~~. It is from this period that ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or later edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.

	~~What~~ ''~~The Domains of Dread~~'' ~~seeks to provide is a cohesion~~ of ~~modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through~~ the ~~lens of OSR~~, ~~or Old School Renaissance~~. ~~In many ways it is an “alternate”~~ Third Edition~~, one created with the benefit~~ of ~~hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even~~ to ~~an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling~~, ~~rather an expansion founded on~~ the ~~good bones~~ of ~~what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion~~.		== Vision ==
			Codified first in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, ''RAVENLOFT'' has endured as one of the most beloved TSR modules—and by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. This period, moreso than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition work or latter volumes such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft'', owns most of the inspiration seen in The Domains of Dread.

	It ~~will never~~ be ~~perfect~~, of ~~course~~, and neither were ~~the~~ originals, but it is ours and may ~~well~~ be yours.		The Domains of Dread seeks to provide cohesion between modern design principles as viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. It may be conceived as an alternate or revised Third Edition created with the benefit of hindsight while taking on pains to ensure the original Gothic atmosphere is preserved even in a Persistent World chassis. It does not retell these old stories verbatim: rather, it expands on the good bones of what came before, seeing ''RAVENLOFT'' pushed to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.

			It respects the intent of the setting while understanding that TSR’s version was created to be a framework for enumeration by Dungeon Masters, later writers and, today, ''The Domains of Dread'' designers. This effort to recondition story and character elements 40 years on may never be perfect and neither were those originals, but it will be ours and may also be yours.

	== Low-Medium Magic ==		== Low-Medium Magic ==
	In keeping with OSR principles, ''The Domains of Dread'' ~~may be generically~~ described as a ~~“low~~-medium ~~magic”~~ server, ~~with a~~ level cap of <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any weapon or armor is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them while already at the ~~maximum~~ level, with <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> equipment considered good and excellent specimens respectively.		In keeping with OSR principles, ''The Domains of Dread'' is best described as a low-medium magic server, whose level cap is <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any [[Weapons\|weapon]] or [[armor]] is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them while already at the level cap, with <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> equipment considered good and excellent specimens respectively.

			Consequence to this, soft [[Attributes\|attribute]] bonuses end at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and [[Classes and Archetypes\|class]] archetype features are designed with these boundaries in mind.

	~~Consequently~~, ~~soft~~ [[~~Attributes~~\|~~attribute~~]] ~~bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment~~ and ~~class features are designed with these limits in mind~~.		''The Domains of Dread'', as OSR before it, takes a hard stance on resurrection. The Mists have constricted the organs of consequence-free resurrection and regeneration found on Prime Material worlds, ensuring that they remain out of reach for player characters. In other words, ''The Domains of Dread'' is a permadeath server, though players may expect their characters to be lethally killed almost never in Character versus Environment activities, only [[Death, Dying and Maiming\|maimed]] with critical injuries, and instead as a possible consequence of Character versus Character conflict.

	~~[[Classes and Archetypes\|~~Classes]] have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the ~~quantity~~ of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]]~~, in server terms—item~~ carries specific drawbacks in The Domains of Dread, imperiling ~~those~~ who use them recklessly. ~~This means classes~~ are richer in features, especially ~~those~~ owed to their archetype, which may be ~~conceived~~ as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters ~~within their class~~. Multiclassing is disabled ~~to account for greater~~ class ~~expression within~~ archetypes.		Classes have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the quality of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]]—item carries specific drawbacks in ''The Domains of Dread'' in [[Tension]], imperiling characters who use them recklessly. They are richer in features, especially what are owed to their class archetype, which may be described as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters at the <code>3rd level</code> in character creation. Multiclassing is disabled as it becomes redundant with the introduction of class archetypes.

	~~Still,~~ it should be expected that ~~a class’s total possible~~ power ~~will be~~ lower than other servers ~~which are higher~~ magic~~, such as those from the Forgotten Realms~~. ~~It is~~ the ~~intent~~ of ~~our design to ensure that even if “depowered”, every class archetype—including martials—will~~ have a wealth of options to use during roleplay and combat, hence ~~the need for~~ a server ~~that is higher magic than low~~ magic without compromising the ~~tone~~ of ~~Ravenloft~~.		Nevertheless it should be expected that power levels for the class archetypes are lower than other Neverwinter Nights servers who make use of high magic and deeper level caps. Yet the designers of ''The Domains of Dread'' have created a wealth of options within these class archetypes to use during roleplay and combat, hence a server which ultimately ends close to medium magic without compromising the Gothic atmosphere of ''RAVENLOFT''.

	== Technical Specifications ==		== Technical Specifications ==

August: /* Technical Specifications */

2025-05-22T02:37:33Z

Technical Specifications

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:37, 22 May 2025
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	== Technical Specifications ==		== Technical Specifications ==
	The game server is hosted locally by the [[Staff, Requirements and Applications\|Server Owner and Operator]], located in upstate New York State ~~in the United States~~. Roughly, the following ping ranges may be expected:		The game server is hosted locally by the [[Staff, Requirements and Applications\|Server Owner and Operator]], located in upstate New York State. Roughly, the following ping ranges may be expected:

	* <code>'''Eastern North America'''</code>: <code>5-30ms</code>		* <code>'''Eastern North America'''</code>: <code>5-30ms</code>

August at 02:34, 22 May 2025

2025-05-22T02:34:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:34, 22 May 2025
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	== The Vision ==		== The Vision ==
	First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from this period ~~which~~ ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or ~~latter~~ edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.		First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from this period that ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or later edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.

	What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.		What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.

August at 02:34, 22 May 2025

2025-05-22T02:34:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:34, 22 May 2025
Line 8:		Line 8:

	== The Vision ==		== The Vision ==
	First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR ~~modules—and by~~ 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from this period which ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or latter edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.		First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from this period which ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or latter edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.

	What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.		What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.

August: /* Low-Medium Magic */

2025-04-13T22:45:33Z

Low-Medium Magic

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:45, 13 April 2025
Line 19:		Line 19:
	Consequently, soft [[Attributes\|attribute]] bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and class features are designed with these limits in mind.		Consequently, soft [[Attributes\|attribute]] bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and class features are designed with these limits in mind.

	[[Classes and Archetypes\|Classes]] have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the quantity of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]], in server terms—item carries specific drawbacks in The Domains of Dread, imperiling those who use them recklessly. This means classes are richer in features, especially those owed to their archetype, which may be conceived as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters within their class. Multiclassing is disabled to account for ~~the~~ greater class expression within archetypes.		[[Classes and Archetypes\|Classes]] have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the quantity of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]], in server terms—item carries specific drawbacks in The Domains of Dread, imperiling those who use them recklessly. This means classes are richer in features, especially those owed to their archetype, which may be conceived as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters within their class. Multiclassing is disabled to account for greater class expression within archetypes.

	Still, it should be expected that a class’s total possible power will be lower than other servers which are higher magic, such as those from the Forgotten Realms. It is the intent of our design to ensure that even if “depowered”, every class archetype—including martials—will have a wealth of options to use during roleplay and combat, hence the need for a server that is higher magic than low magic without compromising the tone of Ravenloft.		Still, it should be expected that a class’s total possible power will be lower than other servers which are higher magic, such as those from the Forgotten Realms. It is the intent of our design to ensure that even if “depowered”, every class archetype—including martials—will have a wealth of options to use during roleplay and combat, hence the need for a server that is higher magic than low magic without compromising the tone of Ravenloft.

August: /* The Vision */

2025-04-13T22:43:33Z

The Vision

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:43, 13 April 2025
Line 8:		Line 8:

	== The Vision ==		== The Vision ==
	First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—and by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from ~~that~~ period ''The Domains of Dread'' owes ~~the~~ most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or latter edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.		First codified in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has endured to this day as one of the most beloved TSR modules—and by 1990, campaign settings—for Advanced Dungeon and Dragons. It is from this period which ''The Domains of Dread'' owes most of its inspiration, rather than Sword and Sorcery’s Third Edition or latter edition work such as Fifth Edition’s ''Curse of Strahd'' and ''Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenlof''t.

	What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.		What ''The Domains of Dread'' seeks to provide is a cohesion of modern design principles both in gameplay and storytelling viewed through the lens of OSR, or Old School Renaissance. In many ways it is an “alternate” Third Edition, one created with the benefit of hindsight while not losing what makes Gothic fantasy so compelling even to an audience forty years removed from the blue book original. It is not a retelling, rather an expansion founded on the good bones of what came before, remaking and adding where necessary to push Ravenloft to its most logical, coherent and well delivered conclusion.

August at 22:31, 13 April 2025

2025-04-13T22:31:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:31, 13 April 2025
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	In keeping with OSR principles, ''The Domains of Dread'' may be generically described as a “low-medium magic” server, with a level cap of <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any weapon or armor is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them while already at the maximum level, with <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> equipment considered good and excellent specimens respectively.		In keeping with OSR principles, ''The Domains of Dread'' may be generically described as a “low-medium magic” server, with a level cap of <code>14</code>. Barring ephemeral circumstances the largest Enhancement Bonus to expect on any weapon or armor is <code>+3</code>, wielded by characters who have earned them while already at the maximum level, with <code>+1</code> and <code>+2</code> equipment considered good and excellent specimens respectively.

	Consequently, soft [[Attributes\|attribute]] bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code>~~, hard [[Skills\|skill]] bonuses at <code>+10</code>,~~ and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and class features are designed with these limits in mind.		Consequently, soft [[Attributes\|attribute]] bonuses are capped at <code>+10</code> and soft skill bonuses at <code>+15</code>. Equipment and class features are designed with these limits in mind.

	[[Classes and Archetypes\|Classes]] have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the quantity of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]], in server terms—item carries specific drawbacks in The Domains of Dread, imperiling those who use them recklessly. This means classes are richer in features, especially those owed to their archetype, which may be conceived as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters within their class. Multiclassing is disabled to account for the greater class expression within archetypes.		[[Classes and Archetypes\|Classes]] have been redesigned to be less reliant on magic items, as the quantity of being a magic—[[Modifiers\|Influenced]], in server terms—item carries specific drawbacks in The Domains of Dread, imperiling those who use them recklessly. This means classes are richer in features, especially those owed to their archetype, which may be conceived as a mandatory subclass chosen by all characters within their class. Multiclassing is disabled to account for the greater class expression within archetypes.