Expedition to Castle Ravenloft playlist [please contribute ideas and comment on what

[Vallum]

Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is my most favorite module to run.

With the help of running it for about four years prior to the upcoming start of a new run through with a new group, this campaign is one I am quite proficient in running.
It's a setting that is not only open enough to allow me to insert much of what I like and please to the game, but is also solid enough to be run on its own with no homebrew required. I've run it both in 3.5 core and Pathfinder with 3.5 supplements.
It has evolved over the years, allowing me to add in modified twisted versions of known grim tales into the story, making the plot something more, to make the werewolves more memorable, to add in NPCs that the players will remember from their classic tales, yet look at with new light to see them rebooted though my game.

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Snow White is an Ice sorceress that controls 7 Dwarven Kings
Little Red Riding Hood grew up hunting the werewolf king, who ate her Grandmother
the witch from Hansel and Gretel is a giant who kidnaps children from near by villages and bakes them into cookie golems to feed her fae 'children'
and many, many more...

As such, I love to go all out for this setting, with props like PC handouts of old letters soaked in tea then baked, lighting effects of only having soft candles lite during the session, fog machines, falling books, sounds effects... But I find making a playlist of music to be one of my top priorities, (aside from normal DM obligations of making sure everything in game is fresh and ready in my mind and that the players have fun). Now, I used to have quite a large playlist, ranging from a simple loop of a few songs to specific songs for various scenes at which to play, (final battle music, ghostly dance music, eerie forest music, ect.)

I've made my playlist 3 years ago. That playlist was lost in a house fire. Made it again, and lasted me until last week, when my external hard drive found itself with some bad sectors, next thing I knew

le poof

All my data was locked up and couldn't even back it up. T'was a shame... I have some of my play list memorized. But I had an idea this time: why not ask for input from others, to expand, make something new from music I perhaps never thought of before.

here is music I know I had by heart. These are tunes I especially liked.

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General Music
(for traveling around in Barovia)
Shadow of the colossus: Silence
SotC: Creeping Shadows
SotC: Demise of the Ritual
Silent Hill 2: Promise(Reprise)*
^^Main background playlist so far^^

Aion: Death Waltz
Fits wonderfully if a creative DM would like to, perhaps, insert a ball room in Castle Rafenloft, (or just use room K25, map of it on pg 98, details of it found on page 97, both from the expedition to castle ravenloft campaign adventure book), with ghosts of past friends and nobles still dancing in his hall well after their death)


Classic/nostalgic/stereotype
Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV**
You have to. Its... just not tradition without it
1989 Batman (Suite part one)
Put here due to first 3 minutes of the song will undoubtedly get the players off track. BUT, (this is a big but), From 3 minutes to just before 5 minutes of this version of the song, one can cut and edited this almost two minutes of music to insert in the background playlist. The rest of the song keeps changing tone too much, (as is common with Danny Elfman). YMMV though, and if you practiced and memorized the song, you could create a wonderful scene with it. I just find it to be too much work IMHO.



Fight Music
Van Helsing: Final Battle

The Witcher soundtrack - Vizima outskirts night
Follow immediately with
Trinity Bloody OST - Betrayer
and
Trinity Blood OST - Assault
(Idea inspired and contributed by Mustard, a great pre-encounter-then encounter music when outside the first town and traveling through or around Barovian forest)

Bloodied: Within Temptation (suits a horde of vampires arising, but I can see it work with zombies or skeletons)



NPC music
(Ireena) Wojciech Kilar: Love Remembered (Track 7 from Dracula soundtrack)

Dark Sanctuary: Les Memoires Blessees
(Strahd, if playing up a suffering man in eternal damnation that you want the PC's to sympathize with)



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I've looked and looked through the internet via Google for opinions, and much were still the advice I found when others asked the last time I did a revision. A few are new ideas are from my new group.

Please, any ideas, (music related or otherwise), that people can contribute will be appreciated

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note
* Need to find a clean copy
** Need to find a deeper, darker copy of this

[flumphy]

For the first encounter with Strahd, the answer seems obvious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3eCR...eature=related

On a more serious note, this one might actually work...

[Vallum]

-snip-
On a more serious note, this one might actually work...

Hey totally spaced on that one. Thanks for sharing, It really helps

[Seatbelt]

I jumped to this thread from the forum main page so I didn't see the title. After reading your intro I was really hoping it was going to be a guide to the module. I've run it once before and loved it. But more ideas/advice would be great as I ran in to some problems.

[Vallum]

I jumped to this thread from the forum main page so I didn't see the title. After reading your intro I was really hoping it was going to be a guide to the module. I've run it once before and loved it. But more ideas/advice would be great as I ran in to some problems.

If I had my old playlist, then I really could write a guide top to bottom about Ravenloft, and throw out allot of ideas and enough encounters, NPCs, and fluff for it to go from mini campaign to full campaign. I just thought it would be fun to get GitP's opinion on the topic.

Though what I have posted in the OP, the top 3 songs, the batman theme posted by flumphy (second one), and the Silent hill Promise reprise make a good loop for background music that you can set to a mix, (but no repeat) on your MP3 player or computer. I would like to make it longer, but it fits what I need, and finding individual tunes to fit specific instances is much easier.

Other artists I recommend are Within Temptation, Nox Arcana, and Dark Sanctuary to get into the mood of Ravenloft

[Seatbelt]

Well I would love to read a guide some day. Although I'm sure its a monumental task.

[Mustard]

The Witcher came with a pretty good soundtrack for setting up an eerie mood. EDIT: To add - good for background music for anything, but I think it's particularly well-suited for when the PCs investigate something. Perhaps also "active" travel (e.g. pick a fork, you see this, where to next, etc.)

I quite like this one:
The Witcher soundtrack - Vizima outskirts night

[Vallum]

Well I would love to read a guide some day. Although I'm sure its a monumental task.

Well, tell me some of the issue you ran in, and I probably help you with it :coughcoughlikethestupiddwarvenrangercoughcough:

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The Witcher came with a pretty good soundtrack for setting up an eerie mood. EDIT: To add - good for background music for anything, but I think it's particularly well-suited for when the PCs investigate something. Perhaps also "active" travel (e.g. pick a fork, you see this, where to next, etc.)

I quite like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5tf0x0jazI - The Witcher soundtrack - Vizima outskirts night

Wow, this is a nice one. I could imagine myself playing a song similar to this, then stream into this song if you roll the random encounter table and end up fighting Straud transformed, (or this song by itself, but it defiantly gives that 'something is watching you, so be careful' feel). I only played a little bit of Witcher, but your song recommendation is really nice, and I'll think about where it would fit, (probably under general or travel music.

[Seatbelt]

Like for example, there is no ending. They kill Strahd. So... tadaa!

The dwarven ranger was pathetically weak.

Strahd's Vampire minions are terrilble.

They have you fight Strahd before "the final battle"?!?!? and ..he kinda sucks.

Without his buffs Strahd as written gets destroyed by a CR appropriate party of 4. At least my party of 3 destroyed him. I had to evolve him 3 times and give him some more wizard levels before he was competitive as a solo monster.

[Vallum]

Like for example, there is no ending. They kill Strahd. So... tadaa!

They can. But! This leave us, as DM, full reign to do whatever you want
A lil' research of past EtCR leave me with knowing more Dark Lords terrorizing Barovia. Have them interrupt the PCs when they are about to deal the final blow, thanking them for removing the fean's power from him, leaving the 'others' now activated and enabled for much, much more terrifying Dark Lords and, thus, more adventures to be had.

The dwarven ranger was pathetically weak.

Yup, used that dwarf as a scout for my grim dark Snow White sorceress that Strahd felt was trying to take over his old loves position of beauty, sop entrapped her heart, and turned the dwarves into mindless servants to assist her. Changed Tser Falls to be a necessary quest in order to get to Lysaga Hill, and to be a ice cave with ice spikes and slippery terrain that the PCs need to make reflex saves (usually DC 15) every time they move or else get ice kebob'd
The dwarves can be anything you desire, and that's what I love about it. Paladin and RSoP getting to full of themselves? Barbarian Dwarves that are quite alive and not evil tends to ruin their run time, (especially with some knock back effects to smash them into said ice spikes).

Just my 2 cp

Strahd's Vampire minions are terrible.

Max HPs, give them [more] class levels, give them feat chains that we all know and love, make them explode for 5d6 damage and have them come in dozens.

Overall, that's where a good DM steps in and ramps things up to eleven

They have you fight Strahd before "the final battle"?!?!? and ..he kinda sucks.

Without his buffs Strahd as written gets destroyed by a CR appropriate party of 4. At least my party of 3 destroyed him. I had to evolve him 3 times and give him some more wizard levels before he was competitive as a solo monster.

Remember: Strahd is immortal. Not that Undead immortal bs. But real immortality. He already ignores sunlight and crossing water weaknesses...
Ramp that up, make him truly a terrorizing force to deal with. I always included that, (as it should have been listed in the book), he cannot be killed. period. He will keep coming after you, will hit and run if he chooses to screw with you. Or wait until he gets his spells back.
It gets the player to think: how to stop someone who is immortal?

Buuuut.... If you do what I tried doing at first when playing against a fully optimized group and wanted him to be able to be, say, staked, I DID change him by having him level in PrC's and optimized him as a real PC wizard would, rolled his stats, and his max his HP. If that still not enough, have his HD be d12's. (enervation + incantrix = ouch).
This helps the PC's with cheesy builds in 3.5 to not start splatting him all over the wall through reflex, call themselves artists, and wonder where the real villain is.

If Strahd loses more then half of his HP, have him run. He has fast healing, and a castle of awesome that will allow him to, basically, hit the party whenever he wants. He has the home field advantage.
Also: party separation makes him much scarier. 1v1 Strahd can be scary to the fighter with pitiful will saves... Which we, then, send after the party after mind controlling him or turning him into a vampire

[Seatbelt]

I'd love to see any more of your notes. Any chance you have any of them in a word document or anything?

[Vallum]

I'd love to see any more of your notes. Any chance you have any of them in a word document or anything?

I wish. I memorized all of Ravenloft and my notes for it by the second time I ran the campaign, then memorized it for pathfinder/3.5, (which I prefer doing).

If there was anything else specific you were wondering about, just ask me, and I can, (probably), answer it.

[Pigkappa]

I'm going to play (again) this adventure soon and will post some ideas I had below.

What I'm still looking for is an ending. The lack of an ending is really awful :(. After EtCR, I'm likely going to run the expedition to the demonweb pits, but the adventure doesn't seem really easy to link to EtCR and the PCs certainly deserve to go back to a city outside the realm of Barovia before starting a new adventure.




- As many PCs as possible should have a reason to visit Barovia. Someone could have been hired to find Jeref Maurgen. Another one could have had a recurring dream about the ruins in the Lysaga Hill being desecrated. Another one could have heard about a powerful necromantic tome (Strahd's book). And maybe an old book speaking about the Sunsword has just been discovered.
- Both the witches and werewolves secondary plot are on.
- Valicia will eventually try to talk to the PCs if possible. She will propose to stop the attacks if the village gives them 4 teenagers to sacrifice at each full moon. I don't expect them to agree, it's just to make her more interesting. She also has a cursed item to explain why she went crazy.
- Sasha is more Diplomacy-focused and will try to speak with the PCs in the tavern and possibly Dominate a few of them. She's up for a social encounter and not a fight.
- The stupid Dwarf has been restatted to be a Ranger 9 with spells and feats to be able to move at a decent speed and possibly run away if necessary. If the PCs just go to his cavern and fight him, his cavern remains as stated in the book. If they kill him first and go there later, I'll likely make the traps more dangerous.
- Baba Zelenna has been restatted to be a Witch 9 (the Pathfinder class; I'm awfully ignorant about Pathfinder however).
- Madame Eva has been restatted to be a Cleric 7 since the PCs seriously need someone able to cast Restoration.
- An old Sorcerer and a blacksmith and his family added to the village. Some of them are likely going to be killed for revenge against the PCs when they harm Strahd or if they let the werewolves attack the village.

- Activating the Ravenkind Symbol requires a ritual in area K46. They will be attacked during the ritual, and Lady Vey will enter the Symbol at the end. Madame Eva doesn't know this information, but she knows that Baba Zelenna has studied the symbol. If the PCs use Speak with Dead with Kolyan Indirovich, they can find out something about the ritual. If they speak with Baba Zelenna, she'll ask them to willingfully receive a Geas for that information. She'll ask them the head of Madame Eva.
- Activating the Sunsword requires using it to slay a Demon. Madame Eva doesn't know this information, but she knows that the Drowned Lady once studied the sword. However, the Drowned Lady has gone crazy and she won't speak to the PCs unless she absolutely has too (she will if she's captured and tortured, or if they use Speak with Dead). Some information will also be available if they pass a Decipher Script check on the ruins in the Swamp; she wrote something there (with blood). There will be news of the witches summoning a Demon during the New Moon night on the Lysaga Hill, so that's a chance to activate the sword. If they fail, they could use it to kill Lucian, but few people know about him.

[Vallum]

Do you know your PCs party yet? Is there a Cleric, is it all melee, anyone a wizard? This will be important, as I find Ravenloft should be molded to what the party make-up is, and allowing various NPCs to accompany them or not.

[Pigkappa]

Do you know your PCs party yet? Is there a Cleric, is it all melee, anyone a wizard? This will be important, as I find Ravenloft should be molded to what the party make-up is, and allowing various NPCs to accompany them or not.

We started a few days ago. There's a Cleric (seeking the necromancy tome to destroy it), a Wizard (seeking the tome to study it), a Fighter, a Rogue, a Monk.



The Fighter and Rogue are going to Barovia to meet the Razuru, the local blacksmith they once knew (they just made this up, I hadn't planned for it). The Fighter is skilled in Craft (blacksmithing) and has heard this blacksmith is great. The Rogue is the blacksmith's son.

Since this is Ravenloft, I've already decided that their father is dead. However, this is a good chance to create a nice sidequest involving Tordor, an half-orc NPC I introduced, who's the current blacksmith in Barovia. He's likely to have known Razuru. Any suggestion for this adventure?

My current idea is quite complicated, and I don't really like it. Tordor is ill because of the zombies and is unable to speak until Doru is killed. Then, Tordor will say that Razuru disappeared a few years ago, once he left the village with Kolyan Indirovich, but Tordor didn't tell this to the villagers because they would never believe an half-orc over Kolyan. Kolyan was actually bringing Razuru to Baba Zelenna, and the blacksmith has been sacrificed in an Evil ritual. This was the price requested by Baba Zelenna to tell Kolyan how to unlock the Ravenkind Symbol (see above). The PCs can enter the cave of Baba Zelenna, where Razuru's corpse is, and give him a decent burial.

[Vallum]

We started a few days ago. There's a Cleric (seeking the necromancy tome to destroy it), a Wizard (seeking the tome to study it), a Fighter, a Rogue, a Monk.



The Fighter and Rogue are going to Barovia to meet the Razuru, the local blacksmith they once knew (they just made this up, I hadn't planned for it). The Fighter is skilled in Craft (blacksmithing) and has heard this blacksmith is great. The Rogue is the blacksmith's son.

Since this is Ravenloft, I've already decided that their father is dead. However, this is a good chance to create a nice sidequest involving Tordor, an half-orc NPC I introduced, who's the current blacksmith in Barovia. He's likely to have known Razuru. Any suggestion for this adventure?

My current idea is quite complicated, and I don't really like it. Tordor is ill because of the zombies and is unable to speak until Doru is killed. Then, Tordor will say that Razuru disappeared a few years ago, once he left the village with Kolyan Indirovich, but Tordor didn't tell this to the villagers because they would never believe an half-orc over Kolyan. Kolyan was actually bringing Razuru to Baba Zelenna, and the blacksmith has been sacrificed in an Evil ritual. This was the price requested by Baba Zelenna to tell Kolyan how to unlock the Ravenkind Symbol (see above). The PCs can enter the cave of Baba Zelenna, where Razuru's corpse is, and give him a decent burial.

So sorry about the late, late, late response. Never got the message until now. Whether you need it or not anymore, I shall try to answer it anyways.

and it depends if you want more interaction with the corpse or not.

I could see the corpse supporting/helping [Baba Zelenna/whichever NPC you see to fit], reanimated with the necrotic energies of Ravenloft, mixed with the blacksmiths confusion-turned-hatred for his new state of being, turning him into a powerful undead, more powerful then even Doru, (setting that the Cleric was only a puppet for Straud to test Straud's experiments on creating stronger undead beings). Perhaps even having an NPC twist his hatred to blame the fighter and rouge for his current state of being, (Be quite heavy on dialog here, really try to get the PCs to cring in faliure for something outside their reach of power to help, letting the PCs know how helpless they can be, even when it counts).

Or you could tie it into Baba Zelenna summoning the Demon in the body of the blacksmith, (or even hosting the body to make it more cruel, having the smith sob and cry as the demon forces the smith to attack the PCs), having the only answer to destroy the host to send the demon back to home plane. Either way, it should be emotional enough that to destroy their fathers body is cruel, crueler then any son or apprentice to go through.

IF neither of these, and more of leaving the corpse as something to do later. Make what they have to do gruesome, (perhaps needing to gouge the eyes of the corpse as an example), something that would make them second thought to struggle with the idea of pulling through with the idea of what MUST be done, despite what FEELS wrong.