All Strahd Must Be Eaten [Unisystem]

[Tsotha-lanti]

I've returned to working on my Unisystem conversion of D&D's Ravenloft, and thought I could use some comments around this point. On the Unisystem side, I'm using All Flesh Must Be Eaten, Witchcraft, our own Satyr's Unisystem Midnight (the D&D setting) conversion, and to a lesser extent the Buffy and Army of Darkness Cinematic Unisystem games. On the D&D side, I'm using the 3.0 and 3.5 Ravenloft material from Arthaus/Sword & Sorcery, supplemented by AD&D Ravenloft material.

My aim, obviously, is to modify the setting for a game that does a far, far better job at horror than d20 ever would. I also want to separate the setting from the standard D&D cosmology. While Ravenloft is connected to other worlds by the Mists, it's an almost exclusively one-way connection - but even the 3.X books are full of references to the standard D&D cosmology that even Van Richten would be unlikely to have a clue about. (In fact, I'm going so far as to say that Darklords like Azalin and Strahd are mostly ignorant of the larger cosmology, and only Azalin even begins to understand something of the nature of Ravenloft.) Ideally, the conversion would be so separated from the Great Wheel cosmology that no familiarity with it would be needed.

My to-do list so far looks like this...

Characters

Types What kind of characters? This will include racial and class packages.
Qualities & Drawbacks Qualities and drawbacks to define Ravenloft characters. This will include conversions of d20 feats like True Innocent or Ethereal Empathy.
Skills A revised skill list, including any new skills, and notes on most of the skills as they pertain to the modified system and setting.
Archetypes Ready-made characters fitting broad archetypes.

Rules

Combat
Corruption I'll probably base this on Taint from Witchcraft to an extent. Sinkholes of Evil, powers checks, and the path of evil (all the way to Darklords) will be covered.
Horror Horror mechanics. Fright checks will be joined by Horror and Madness checks.

Magic

Overview How magic works. I'm probably going to use Invocations from Dungeons & Zombies, modified to taste.
Spells Spells - invocations, whatever.
Magic Items How magic items work, how they are created, and some examples.
Near Ethereal The other side, including Ethereal Resonances and ghostly mechanics.

Monsters This will cover some basic classes of monsters, like golems, ghosts, vampires, ancient dead, and the like, as well as specific monsters


I'm going to outline some stuff I've got so far, starting off with one of my own favorites: the Near Ethereal, ethereal resonances, and ghosts. Please comment and ask questions. If there's something that puzzles you ("How do domain borders interact with the Ethereal?"), ask and I'll figure out an answer.

[Tsotha-lanti]

The Near Ethereal. Based on both the Ethereal Plane in general in D&D, and especially on the 3.X description of the Near Ethereal in the Ravenloft Player's Handbook.

THE NEAR ETHEREAL
The Near Ethereal is another plane of existence, lying underneath and around the physical world. It is the realm of the dead and the past, called the Other Side, the Gray Realm, or the Spirit World.

The Near Ethereal is defined by ethereal resonances: psychic imprints of emotions and emotionally charged events in the real world. While it reflects the real world, the strength and nature of the reflection is defined by the ethereal resonance of the area: locations where no passions have been experienced are faint and indistinct on the Near Ethereal, while places where powerful emotions have been felt are stark, tangible, and reflect those emotions.

Magic can allow those in the physical world to enter the Near Ethereal - and, hopefully, to leave it again - and interact with the things therein.

Some sages believe that the misty appearance of the Near Ethereal is no coincidence, and that it is inextricably linked to the Mists of Ravenloft - perhaps the Mists are an extrusion of the Near Ethereal into the physical world.

Characteristics
On the Near Ethereal, there is shadowy ground underfoot, and the world is filled with grey vaporous mist. Shapes appear in the mists, indistinct and dark, reflecting the physical world. Physical creatures can be distinguished most easily; while animals are fleeting shapes at best, humans are recognizable for what they are, if not for who. Those governed by strong passions, or who have experienced great emotions recently, are outlined more starkly.

Even when the physical world is perceived, it is usually intangible: only when the place or building has a strong ethereal resonance can it be interacted with - the ethereal travellers are interacting with the resonance itself, a "ghost" of the physical reality.

It is impossible for visitors to the Near Ethereal to interact with the physical world except by special magic - they can not touch real things, even when interacting with their resonances, nor can they hear or be heard across the barrier of the worlds. Ethereal travellers can walk through walls on the physical plane, except when they have resonances. Ghosts, however, possess many ways to do just this - if they did not, their existence would be unknown on the mortal plane.

Movement through the Near Ethereal happens by conventional means - usually walking. Time passes as in the real world, and distances and speed are similar to the physical reality. Ethereal resonances can twist what passes for space and time in the Ethereal.

The Near Ethereal extends across the borders of domains, but if they are closed, the ethereal vapors coalesce at these borders and prevent movement across them in the Near Ethereal. It is possible to travel between the Core and the domain clusters and islands of terror in the Near Ethereal, arriving in the Near Ethereal of those other domains. This works much the same as traveling through the Mists in the physical world, but is much more dangerous - the creatures that sometimes haunt the Mists are more prevalent in the Near Ethereal, and the Mists are even more treacherous and difficult to navigate.

---

What sort of questions does this leave about the general nature of the Ethereal? Is there something in the original material I need to address? Note that I intentionally avoid even acknowledging that there's an Ethereal, a Border Ethereal, and/or a Deep Ethereal - for the purposes of Ravenloft, only the Near Ethereal exists and is accessible. I'm actually considering changing the name from Near Ethereal to Ethereal - if it's the only Ethereal, why would they qualify it with Near? Alternatively, I could use the Other Wise, the Spirit World, the Gray Realm, or something similar - any ideas?

Next: Ethereal Resonances and Ghosts.

[Tsotha-lanti]

What rules I have (and intend to have) for ethereal resonances will draw mostly on Witchcraft - the bits on Places of Power and Spirits of the Dead, specifically.


Ethereal Resonances
Ethereal resonances are the psychic imprints of passions and emotionally charged events on the mundane plane. They take shape - visible, audible, and even tangible - on the Near Ethereal, and remain there. These resonances vary in strength and clarity, depending on how powerful the emotions that created them were.

Ethereal resonances form the reality of the Near Ethereal. A house in which many joys and sorrows have been experienced over generations will have a recognizable presence in the Near Ethereal, and many of the events will have their own resonances - though the ethereal shape is unlikely to reflect any recent changes to the real house.

Resonances are also defined by the emotions that created them. They affect the appearance and feel of the resonance on the Near Ethereal: a resonance created by fear will be dark, twisted, and frightening, while a resonance created by true love will be warm and comforting. If the resonance is powerful enough, these emotions may work a subtle effect on anyone within the area of the resonance.

Ethereal resonances are charged with Essence by the emotions that created them, but this Essence fades over time - unless it is fed. The resonance of a gruesome murder will eventually fade and disappear, but the resonance of a terrifying massacre will take much longer to disappear. Resonances that are constantly fed by passions will grow stronger and starker - a torture chamber used for decades will develop a powerful resonance of horror and evil.

Some resonances - almost always hauntings - are maintained and fed indefinitely by the Dark Powers. Such places are usually well-known in local legend.

Resonances are generally divided into five ranks of magnitude, according to the amount of Essence Overflow they produce - the amount of Essence per 24 hours that ghosts may draw from the resonance. Some mortals may learn to channel this Essence, too.


Resonance Rank / Essence Overflow
One / 1-10
Two / 11-50
Three / 51-100
Four / 101-500
Five / 501+

Strong resonances make people within their effect prone to the emotion that charged the resonance. Anyone in the area of the resonance suffers a penalty to any tests to resist the associated emotion (usually Willpower tests or Fear tests). Resonances do not, as a rule, inflict this emotion themselves - rather, the penalty applies when someone is targeted by a spell or has to make a Fear, Horror, or even Madness test. The resonance of a lovers' trysting spot would impose a penalty on attempts to resist love spells, while the resonance of a torture chamber would impose a penalty on Fear tests. These effects are stronger for anyone who is exposed to the resonance in the Near Ethereal.


Resonance Rank / Ethereal Penalty / Material Penalty
One / -0 / -0
Two / -1 / -0
Three / -2 / -1
Four / -3 / -1
Five / -4 / -2

[Tsotha-lanti]

Sinkholes of Evil
Ethereal resonances of evil - corruption, curses, horror, murder, slaughter, tragedy, wrath - are unclean and terrible things. These resonances - called sinkholes of evil - weaken the resolve of the innocent and righteous, and empower the blasphemous and undead. Apply the above penalty to Fear, Horror, and Madness tests, and to any tests that attempt to control or dispel the undead. Being exposed to a sinkhole of evil in the Near Ethereal will, in itself, call for Horror or Madness tests.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Added a sentence:

Ethereal resonances form the reality of the Near Ethereal. A house in which many joys and sorrows have been experienced over generations will have a recognizable presence in the Near Ethereal, and many of the events will have their own resonances - though the ethereal shape is unlikely to reflect any recent changes to the real house. Ethereal creatures, such as ghosts, generally experience these resonances as solid and tangible, interacting with them as if they were real.

--

Ghosts and the Near Ethereal
Ghosts are the most distinctive and recognizable type of ethereal resonance, and doubtless the most interesting. They are created when a death leaves a powerful ethereal resonance that traps the deceased soul before it can move on to whatever reward or punishment truly awaits the dead in Ravenloft.

Ghosts depend on the Essence of the ethereal resonance to interact with the world. Only strong resonances can create and empower ghosts. The power of ghosts is determined by the strength of the resonance of their death; a sudden but natural death combined with mundanely powerful emotion would only create the weakest of ghosts, if even that, while a terrible, tragic death or one involving frightful passions could create a mighty ghost.

Free ghosts not bound to a specific location are almost unheard of, and it is likely that what reports exist are based on misunderstandings. Ethereal resonances are by definition bound to a specific place, and this limits a ghost to that location where its resonance was created.

Ghosts possess a wide array of different traits and abilities, but almost without exception they are tied to their resonance, acting out the events or passions that surrounded their deaths. The Essence of the resonance is critical for ghosts - they draw on it to use their abilities to manifest or otherwise affect the world.

In the Near Ethereal, ghosts can appear almost real, depending on the magnitude of their ethereal resonance. Weak geists appear grey and barely opaque, while powerful ghosts can be indistinguishable from living ethereal travellers.

Like all ethereal resonances, ghosts are classed into five ranks. The abilities and attributes of ghosts are described elsewhere.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Hit a snag: I'm not sure whether to make all incorporeal undead beings of the Near Ethereal - spectres, wraiths, and the like. But if they're not souls of the dead bound by ethereal resonances, what the heck are they?

On a practical level, I'm not actually sure if I want wraiths and spectres bound to a location. Having them fading in and out of the physical world could work just fine, but I'm not 100% if they need that sort of ability. I suppose I could make an option for ghosts that are always manifested, too...

---

Touching the Near Ethereal
Some persons - variously called mediums, psychics, or shamans - can perceive and even interact with the Near Ethereal (by possessing the appropriate Qualities, or by using the appropriate spells or magic items). When seen from the real world, the Near Ethereal can appear in various ways: as a grey and misty reality, as a faded superimposition on the real world, or even indistinguishable from the physical world.

No physical attack - including elemental spells - can reach across the border between the worlds and affect ethereal creatures, but purely mystical spells and effects can. Certain enchanted weapons and special substances - like holy water - can work on ethereal creatures if they manifest themselves in the real world, but not if they remain entirely ethereal.

There are two general ways of entering the Near Ethereal: mentally or bodily. Certain magics can allow the mind or soul to cross the border into the Near Ethereal - such travellers can move about normally, but they can only affect ethereal things through more magic - either spells or mystical techniques (the appropriate Qualities). The body of the traveller remains immobile and comatose in the physical world, and the mind will usually return to the body after a certain time has elapsed.

Entering the Near Ethereal bodily is possible, but dangerous: the traveller has no connection to the physical world, and no guarantee of ever being able to return. While in the Near Ethereal, mortals require no sustenance and do not age, but being trapped in a half-reality of dead spirits and fading memories is a haunting experience; even short exposure can call for Horror saves, and prolonged residence in the netherworld will inevitably lead to madness. It is even possible that the traveller will eventually become a creature of the Near Ethereal or of the Mists.

While in the Near Ethereal bodily, travellers can interact with ghosts and resonances as if they were real and physical: thus it is possible to enter the Other Side to confront a ghost with steel and fire (although if such powerful magics are available, there are doubtless safer options, too).

[Tsotha-lanti]

Now I get to ghosts themselves, and hit another snag. I've described how ethereal resonances produce an Essence overflow that ghosts tap to power their abilities (essentially, they need to burn Essence to do anything, from manifesting to flinging a vase across the room to draining the life out of a victim).

Ghosts are ethereal resonances themselves - but should they produce their own Essence overflow, or should the haunting or haunted location be an ethereal resonance all by itself, producing the Essence overflow used by the ghost?

I'm inclined toward the latter solution, since I feel that combining multiple proximate psychic echoes into one ethereal resonance - so that a single haunted insane asylum with a terrible history is one rank four sinkhole of evil, rather than multiple individual resonances of varying strengths (the way I see it, the difference in magnitude between ranks is exponential, even if the growth in Essence overflow isn't; so you'd never get enough mundane rank 1 or even rank 2 resonances to total a rank 5, and a rank 5 resonance would effectively absord other nearby and similar resonances, and overpower weaker and differing resonances).

I also feel that forcing all ghosts in the area to share the resonance's Essence overflow is a good idea. The number of ghosts would usually be related to the power of the resonance anyway (if twenty people are tortured to death, the resonance is going to be powerful enough to support the ghosts).