I never even clocked the alteration of Dominia to replace the "lunatic running the asylum" to studying the regrets of an unnatural long life. A little like trying to blend him and Soth's torment
Ah yes, that's a good point! In the old Domain of Sithicus, Lord Soth was constantly serenaded by banshees, who reminded him about all the terrible things he did in life (except much to Soth's frustration, the banshees would also confuse specific details or fabricate others). Maybe that's another reason why they changed the Domain? To fit the gap that Soth would have filled, thematically? Again, that's a good comparison! Thanks again for watching and for this observation. Best wishes, and cheers!
Indeed! I really love the lore of Ravenloft as a campaign setting, from the 90s iteration in 2e all the way up to its present-day iteration in 5e! What's your favorite part about Ravenloft, either lore-wise or in terms of gameplay? Thanks very much for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
The new run by Jonathan Hickman is good for inspiration as well. Mr. Sinister is constantly cloning and improving upon himself creating a terrifying but surprisingly humorous take on the various clones creating, betraying, and replacing one another.
Ah, thank you so much for this recommendation! I'll jot it down and check it out later. Thanks, too, for watching and for commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
Oh, that's an excellent source of inspiration! I should have caught that one; thank you for pointing it out! Any particular issues of X-Men (or related comics) you have in mind? I'd love to know! It's very nice to hear from you again, and to see you once more in the comments. Best wishes, and cheers!
One thing I think has been lost among these different videos is that each of the dread domains is meant to be as much a place of power as it is a prison. I tend to focus more of why the prison has the shape it does for who it does.
It's true: many of my Ravenloft adventures focus on the specific flavor of horror fiction that the Domain thematizes, rather than the specific curse that the Darklord has, and how the Darklord is both denied what they want the most while also empowered to achieve anything else. I think this is because, in many cases, a Domain's intended flavor of horror isn't directly tied to a Darklord's torture. In most cases it's there, but not something that the PCs need to pay attention to merely by being in the Domain. To be fair, a few of my adventure videos do focus on the Darklords' empowered torment: there's my Darkon video that focuses on Azalin's past and his efforts to escape; my Risibilos video where the PCs constantly interact with the Darklord; my Vhage Agency video that does almost the same; my Cyre 1313 video focuses on the Last Passenger's guilt and the mystery of uncovering it; my I'Cath, Valachan, and Odiare videos also present the Darklord as both tortured as well as powerful... Still, thank you very much for the feedback! You say that you have an alternative focus; is there anywhere I could take a look? Feel free to join the Discord and share, if you haven't already! Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers My main focus, and where I get the most fun out of making session ideas, if looking at the darklords and figuring out their torture and connections to their domain. For this lighthouse one for example, I would do research into who the darklord is and what purpose the domain has to had this "terror under the lighthouse" kinda vibe. I think I'd go for more of a type of monstrous horror where the monster rises from beneath the lighthouse, a lure to the living, to feed upon them and add to it's collection of fossils. As for who the dread lord is, I'm not sure. Maybe it's the monster beneath the lighthouse, maybe there is a lighthouse keeper that is stuck on the island, forced to lure others to it to feed the beast, always trying to steal what ships they came with so they can leave, but always being shipwrecked back on the shores of the lighthouse.
@@pirateking56128 that's a really fun idea; I'd love to see that developed into an adventure of its own! As for my version of the Domain, the Darklord is the Sea Serpent, who is called up from the depths by the Lighthouse, thinking it to be a mate--a reassurance that the Sea Serpent is not the last of his kind. Yet the Lighthouse is not another sea serpent; it's just a lighthouse. So it doesn't respond. It takes the Sea Serpent months to reach the surface from the ocean's bottom; it has to move slowly, or else explode from the sudden pressure change. The whole time it's following the call of the Lighthouse. When the Sea Serpent finally gets there, the Lighthouse does not welcome it; it does not respond. Since the Lighthouse does not respond to the Sea Serpent, the latter eventually angers and lashes out at the Lighthouse, hoping to destroy the thing that calls to him, which hurts him by not loving him back. Once the Lighthouse is destroyed, the Sea Serpant dives back below to the ocean's depths. It can't remain there, however, for the Lighthouse is always magically reconstructed, and always returns with its call. (I think that's very well within the spirit of ye olde schoole Ravenloft, no?) Thanks very much, again, for sharing these ideas. Best wishes, and cheers!
Could this be a good adventure to use the Mirror Zone rules from Tasha's Cauldron? Might be a good way of making that identity based horror more personal for the characters if their own reflections become a potential threat. Another idea that occurs to me is if this is run as a one shot, it might be a darkly fun twist to make one or more of the characters slowly realize they look a lot more like the good doctor and his clones than they first thought. This could be a twist reveal that they too are a clone, a horrific transformation from spending too long in this domain, a delusion picked up by their mind from the horrors they experienced, or even could be left vague and up to interpretation.
Oh, those are both excellent ideas! I wish I included them, now! Yes, a mirror zone--or series of them--would be excellent, as would the discovery that the PCs were clones all along. Maybe they could come across a room, which held the "original" PCs in vats of fluid, unconscious, with documentation suggesting that they're the originals? Thanks for this wonderful suggestion! Best wishes, and cheers!
Thank you so much for saying so; writing the introductions to these videos is one of my favorite parts of the creation process, but also one of the most challenging. I keep thinking that I'm out of ideas, until it's time for the next video! Thanks very much for watching, too, and for supporting the channel with your comments! Do you have any requests for future topics, or Domains of Dread in particular? Or any favorite videos I've released so far? Best wishes, and cheers!
I... really need to read more pieces of literature. I envy your talent, Dr. Bower. When I was looking over these island Domains, I could not figure out how they could possibly be ran with such little information. But you managed, with what seems to be little difficulty, because you have read so many pieces of literature. Bravo.
Thank you so much, for such glowing praise! Yes, this channel was originally inspired by the idea of using philosophy and literature to help improve one's role-playing games. I'm delighted to hear that you're enjoying the content, and that it's helpful! If you like scary literature, check out my upcoming game based on "The King in Yellow" tales by Robert W. Chambers. There's info, and people can sign up at, nilhemoth.com. Thanks again so much. Best wishes, and cheers!
Hey, that's an excellent idea to incorporate into a larger, Domain-hopping campaign, for sure! Thanks very much for sharing it! Maybe the clone hit squad could include clones of the PCs? Or would you keep it to clones of Dr. Heinfroth? Thanks very much for watching and for commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
Ha! Please do, if you like! I have more than one UA-cam account, and I often do the same with my favorite videos. Either way, thank you very much for watching and supporting the channel! Best wishes, and cheers!
I love that you reference Noel Carroll in multiple videos! He's authored some of my favorite essays I've read for a dissertation. His writing comes across as both unpretentious and engaging.
Thank you! Yes, his work in aesthetics is refreshingly clear, and you can tell that he's a genuine fan of horror fiction as well as someone who enjoys doing philosophy about it. I always assign chapters 2 and 4 of his "The Philosophy of Horror" when I teach aesthetics, and sometimes when I teach an introduction to philosophy, too (especially if it's in the fall semester, and we can read it in October)! Thanks very much for watching and for commenting; it's nice to hear from another reader of Carroll. Is your dissertation work far in the past, or is it still ongoing or....? In any case, thanks so much again, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers It was 5 years ago, but weirdly, I remember my undergraduate dissertation more clearly. For my master's, I bit off far more than I could chew (in terms of the breadth of the topic, skills, and mental capacity) and gave myself the lofty goal in examining how animation can produce sympathy/empathy... it also incorporated elements from too many different disciplines. Not exactly a mess, but I can see now that it was a doomed endeavor from the start.
@@phdnd-drbowers hey, i was thinking, do you think it would be possible to contact you? i created my own Domain of Dread, and i wondered if you'd be interested in talking about it, maybe provide some critics or ideas, like providing literary sources if you happen to know some.
@@DiMadHatter absolutely! Please feel free to join our Discord community, or if you like you can email me at PhantasmsOfSriRaji@gmail.com! DISCORD INVITE: discord.gg/hwYsAefE
Oh yes, especially if he's based on Nas'hrah from Fear and Hunger! Nice to see you in the comments, Kappa! Thanks for contributing to our Discord community. Best wishes, and cheers!
It's such a good game! One could make a whole TTRPG just based on its mechanics! I also enjoyed the Super Eyepatch Wolf video on that one, which went viral some months back. Thanks for watching, best wishes, and cheers!
@@orgixvi3 oh, that's excellent! I don't know anything about the sequel, although I'm intrigued because it apparently uses (or misuses, for all I know) Robert W. Chambers' King in Yellow! Very exciting! Is that element of the game going to figure in your campaign? Please let me know how, if so! (Also, did you see that I've designed a ttrpg based on the stories from "The King in Yellow"? I have several videos on it, and you can get early access to more if you sign up at nilhemoth.com!) Best wishes, and cheers!
another good video first, it wasn't put there in 5e but I think in 2nd? certainly by third it was in the sea of sorrows. One thing that I think would be neat to tie Domina to other games, particularly a Barovian Game is that Domina killed Duke Gundar during the Grand Conjunction and brought parts of Gundark into Barovia; the other parts went to Invidia. Duke Gundar was a nasty sadistic Vampire who is now a patient. I am not sure on the whole clone element, I like having other patients who are victims or kept there like gundar. Though it would need to be addressed in a session 0. That said I do like some parts of the clone stuff. And the adventure as described was neat. In terms of media or things for inspirational maps, I would suggest Pathfinder Adventure Path Strange Aeons; the Lovecraftian Adventure Path and the first one is set in an Asylum and has some other maps to use.
Ah, thank you for those suggestions! And yes, I think Dominia was actually an Island of Terror in the 2e Red Box set, if not earlier. My mistake! Still, on account of clones being introduced, the 5e version is certainly different! One thing that might be fun, as well as a bit of body horror, is for there to be a curse on Dominia's asylum: anyone who stays there long enough will eventually become a clone of Dr. Heinfroth. That would be horrifying, and it would also allow for people to be taken prisoner, while giving imprisoned PCs a ticking clock on how to get out. (Damn, now I wish that was included in the video! Ah, well; I'll put it in the official write-up...) Thanks again for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
WARNING! Not only is the mortuary level from ToFW very zany, meaning it might clash with the tone of the latter part of the adventure, it is also designed to kill the PCs (for reasons I won't get into to avoid spoilers, but it is very much intentional)!! A few encounters would have to be modified, and you definitely need to get rid of the demilich (yep).
@@tibot4228 no apologies necessary; in fact I forgot to include this in the video, so you're absolutely right to share this warning. Thank you for doing so! I'll make sure to include the warning when this Domain eventually gets a write-up. Best wishes, and cheers!
Yay! One of my favorite Domains! I really like the use of the heist to free Prisoner/Clone 13 as the main story structure. Figuring out what the character should do in Dominia has always been a struggle. Now I have your suggestions! A cool aspect that could either replace or enhance elements of your version is the use of the Elder Oblex stats and memory draining abilities. One of the horror elements that Dominia evokes is a loss of self. Heinfroth, alone with himself, begins to lose his memories as his cloned selves multiply and are devoured. This could work just like how the Elder Oblex must consume memories, but then splits and loses some of these subsumed identities as it produces more oblexes. I also just really like oblexes. Well done on another great video!
Oh, that's another excellent suggestion! I love the idea of incorporating oblexes, and you're right: they're perfect for this Domain, specifically, with their duplicating powers! One might also turn to podlings and pod plants, but I don't think they have the same charm. Excellent idea; thank you for sharing it! Best wishes, and cheers!
Indeed! I meant to do a double-feature the other week, when I released Blaustein, but I was just too tired. So I did it this week, instead! I have another few videos on the way, too; I'm not teaching this summer session, so there's some more time to make them. Hopefully you'll see another quite soon! Thanks for watching! Best wishes, and cheers!
I really like your videos and ideas, specially the inspirational media for each of your adventures. I was wondering, since sometimes the adventure ideas are for characters of level 8, for instance, I feel like 5e characters are too resourseful to be scared at times. Do you have any house rules to keep players a little vulnerable? That said, the adventure ideas fit very well in a shadowdark game. Thank you, curious to see the next one!
Greetings, and thanks very much for watching and commenting! Yes, I agree that, as a high fantasy game that's focused on killing monsters, there are limitations to how horrifying those monsters can be. I don't think this makes horror impossible in 5e, or even substantially more difficult, but it does mean that you'll either need a lot of player buy-in, or else some extra mechanics or gimmicks now and then to keep things spooky. My favorite little element to throw into 5e, in order to make it more difficult, is to use Kor Artificer's rules for stress damage, specifically in the same manner as in Darkest Dungeon. They can be found here: kor-artificer.tumblr.com/post/168120537089/darkest-dungeon-stress-system-in-dd-download I add a couple elements to make it particularly grueling: first, I say that a long rest just cuts a PC's total stress in half, and second, that certain enemies generate stress damage at the start of every round in which they fight the PCs. I have a video on it, here: ua-cam.com/video/hCA1Qza2Pbg/v-deo.html I'm also delighted to hear that you're adapting many of these ideas for Shadowdark! Indeed, one of the things I really enjoy about Shadowdark is that you can take many of the old 2e Ravenloft adventures and just run them as-is, without any conversion. The hit points, armor class, etc. tend to work out for all the 2e enemies, as well as their damage, environmental hazards, and so forth. And all the things Shadowdark emphasizes, e.g. torchlight and darkness, is very Ravenloft indeed! Thanks very much for watching and for your question! Indeed, I'll see you at the next one. Best wishes, and cheers!
The first campaign I ever played was a ravenloft campaign that started with Bleak House and Dominia, and then I played that adventure again a few years later. The Dominia part is a real kick in the teeth! I never made the connection that (probably for the best) 5e version of Dominia still lets you explore psychological horror and that core division of you an other. A game where you hint that the PCs are clones with memory implants as part of an experiment could be pretty bleak and intense. Thanks for the great video!
Oh absolutely! It has a delightful soundtrack as well. I'm sure you have also seen Delicatessen, too? I recommended it for my Dementlieu video, which a lot of people have enjoyed running. I'm delighted that you appreciate the lists of media that I always include! It's one of my favorite parts of every video. Thanks very much for commenting; best wishes, and cheers!
I never even clocked the alteration of Dominia to replace the "lunatic running the asylum" to studying the regrets of an unnatural long life. A little like trying to blend him and Soth's torment
Ah yes, that's a good point! In the old Domain of Sithicus, Lord Soth was constantly serenaded by banshees, who reminded him about all the terrible things he did in life (except much to Soth's frustration, the banshees would also confuse specific details or fabricate others). Maybe that's another reason why they changed the Domain? To fit the gap that Soth would have filled, thematically? Again, that's a good comparison!
Thanks again for watching and for this observation. Best wishes, and cheers!
Ravenloft so delightful to play and even better to know
Indeed! I really love the lore of Ravenloft as a campaign setting, from the 90s iteration in 2e all the way up to its present-day iteration in 5e!
What's your favorite part about Ravenloft, either lore-wise or in terms of gameplay?
Thanks very much for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
The new run by Jonathan Hickman is good for inspiration as well. Mr. Sinister is constantly cloning and improving upon himself creating a terrifying but surprisingly humorous take on the various clones creating, betraying, and replacing one another.
Ah, thank you so much for this recommendation! I'll jot it down and check it out later. Thanks, too, for watching and for commenting! Best wishes, and cheers!
Essentially the Darklord is like a vampire version of Mr. Sinister from X-Men.
Oh, that's an excellent source of inspiration! I should have caught that one; thank you for pointing it out! Any particular issues of X-Men (or related comics) you have in mind? I'd love to know!
It's very nice to hear from you again, and to see you once more in the comments. Best wishes, and cheers!
One thing I think has been lost among these different videos is that each of the dread domains is meant to be as much a place of power as it is a prison. I tend to focus more of why the prison has the shape it does for who it does.
It's true: many of my Ravenloft adventures focus on the specific flavor of horror fiction that the Domain thematizes, rather than the specific curse that the Darklord has, and how the Darklord is both denied what they want the most while also empowered to achieve anything else.
I think this is because, in many cases, a Domain's intended flavor of horror isn't directly tied to a Darklord's torture. In most cases it's there, but not something that the PCs need to pay attention to merely by being in the Domain.
To be fair, a few of my adventure videos do focus on the Darklords' empowered torment: there's my Darkon video that focuses on Azalin's past and his efforts to escape; my Risibilos video where the PCs constantly interact with the Darklord; my Vhage Agency video that does almost the same; my Cyre 1313 video focuses on the Last Passenger's guilt and the mystery of uncovering it; my I'Cath, Valachan, and Odiare videos also present the Darklord as both tortured as well as powerful...
Still, thank you very much for the feedback! You say that you have an alternative focus; is there anywhere I could take a look? Feel free to join the Discord and share, if you haven't already! Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers My main focus, and where I get the most fun out of making session ideas, if looking at the darklords and figuring out their torture and connections to their domain. For this lighthouse one for example, I would do research into who the darklord is and what purpose the domain has to had this "terror under the lighthouse" kinda vibe. I think I'd go for more of a type of monstrous horror where the monster rises from beneath the lighthouse, a lure to the living, to feed upon them and add to it's collection of fossils. As for who the dread lord is, I'm not sure. Maybe it's the monster beneath the lighthouse, maybe there is a lighthouse keeper that is stuck on the island, forced to lure others to it to feed the beast, always trying to steal what ships they came with so they can leave, but always being shipwrecked back on the shores of the lighthouse.
@@pirateking56128 that's a really fun idea; I'd love to see that developed into an adventure of its own!
As for my version of the Domain, the Darklord is the Sea Serpent, who is called up from the depths by the Lighthouse, thinking it to be a mate--a reassurance that the Sea Serpent is not the last of his kind. Yet the Lighthouse is not another sea serpent; it's just a lighthouse. So it doesn't respond. It takes the Sea Serpent months to reach the surface from the ocean's bottom; it has to move slowly, or else explode from the sudden pressure change. The whole time it's following the call of the Lighthouse. When the Sea Serpent finally gets there, the Lighthouse does not welcome it; it does not respond. Since the Lighthouse does not respond to the Sea Serpent, the latter eventually angers and lashes out at the Lighthouse, hoping to destroy the thing that calls to him, which hurts him by not loving him back. Once the Lighthouse is destroyed, the Sea Serpant dives back below to the ocean's depths. It can't remain there, however, for the Lighthouse is always magically reconstructed, and always returns with its call.
(I think that's very well within the spirit of ye olde schoole Ravenloft, no?)
Thanks very much, again, for sharing these ideas. Best wishes, and cheers!
Could this be a good adventure to use the Mirror Zone rules from Tasha's Cauldron? Might be a good way of making that identity based horror more personal for the characters if their own reflections become a potential threat.
Another idea that occurs to me is if this is run as a one shot, it might be a darkly fun twist to make one or more of the characters slowly realize they look a lot more like the good doctor and his clones than they first thought. This could be a twist reveal that they too are a clone, a horrific transformation from spending too long in this domain, a delusion picked up by their mind from the horrors they experienced, or even could be left vague and up to interpretation.
Oh, those are both excellent ideas! I wish I included them, now! Yes, a mirror zone--or series of them--would be excellent, as would the discovery that the PCs were clones all along. Maybe they could come across a room, which held the "original" PCs in vats of fluid, unconscious, with documentation suggesting that they're the originals? Thanks for this wonderful suggestion! Best wishes, and cheers!
That introduction went so hard man
Thank you so much for saying so; writing the introductions to these videos is one of my favorite parts of the creation process, but also one of the most challenging. I keep thinking that I'm out of ideas, until it's time for the next video!
Thanks very much for watching, too, and for supporting the channel with your comments! Do you have any requests for future topics, or Domains of Dread in particular? Or any favorite videos I've released so far? Best wishes, and cheers!
I... really need to read more pieces of literature. I envy your talent, Dr. Bower.
When I was looking over these island Domains, I could not figure out how they could possibly be ran with such little information.
But you managed, with what seems to be little difficulty, because you have read so many pieces of literature. Bravo.
Thank you so much, for such glowing praise! Yes, this channel was originally inspired by the idea of using philosophy and literature to help improve one's role-playing games. I'm delighted to hear that you're enjoying the content, and that it's helpful! If you like scary literature, check out my upcoming game based on "The King in Yellow" tales by Robert W. Chambers. There's info, and people can sign up at, nilhemoth.com.
Thanks again so much. Best wishes, and cheers!
I would have a clone hit squad, show up another point in the campaign. Just the hell of it .
Hey, that's an excellent idea to incorporate into a larger, Domain-hopping campaign, for sure! Thanks very much for sharing it! Maybe the clone hit squad could include clones of the PCs? Or would you keep it to clones of Dr. Heinfroth?
Thanks very much for watching and for commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
I guess now I have to like all the videos in this playlist with this account as well :-P
Ha! Please do, if you like! I have more than one UA-cam account, and I often do the same with my favorite videos. Either way, thank you very much for watching and supporting the channel! Best wishes, and cheers!
I love that you reference Noel Carroll in multiple videos! He's authored some of my favorite essays I've read for a dissertation. His writing comes across as both unpretentious and engaging.
Thank you! Yes, his work in aesthetics is refreshingly clear, and you can tell that he's a genuine fan of horror fiction as well as someone who enjoys doing philosophy about it. I always assign chapters 2 and 4 of his "The Philosophy of Horror" when I teach aesthetics, and sometimes when I teach an introduction to philosophy, too (especially if it's in the fall semester, and we can read it in October)!
Thanks very much for watching and for commenting; it's nice to hear from another reader of Carroll. Is your dissertation work far in the past, or is it still ongoing or....? In any case, thanks so much again, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers It was 5 years ago, but weirdly, I remember my undergraduate dissertation more clearly. For my master's, I bit off far more than I could chew (in terms of the breadth of the topic, skills, and mental capacity) and gave myself the lofty goal in examining how animation can produce sympathy/empathy... it also incorporated elements from too many different disciplines. Not exactly a mess, but I can see now that it was a doomed endeavor from the start.
TWO VIDEOS AT ONCE!!?! IS THIS XMAS?!!? omg, thanks alot Dr Bowers!!!
No, no, thank *you* for watching! Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers hey, i was thinking, do you think it would be possible to contact you? i created my own Domain of Dread, and i wondered if you'd be interested in talking about it, maybe provide some critics or ideas, like providing literary sources if you happen to know some.
@@DiMadHatter absolutely! Please feel free to join our Discord community, or if you like you can email me at PhantasmsOfSriRaji@gmail.com!
DISCORD INVITE: discord.gg/hwYsAefE
Mort can also be a fun NPC to carry through the mists in future adventures
Oh yes, especially if he's based on Nas'hrah from Fear and Hunger!
Nice to see you in the comments, Kappa! Thanks for contributing to our Discord community. Best wishes, and cheers!
FEAR AND HUNGER MENTIONED ❤
It's such a good game! One could make a whole TTRPG just based on its mechanics! I also enjoyed the Super Eyepatch Wolf video on that one, which went viral some months back. Thanks for watching, best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers I've actually been planning to run a mini-campaign based on Termina, the second game.
@@orgixvi3 oh, that's excellent! I don't know anything about the sequel, although I'm intrigued because it apparently uses (or misuses, for all I know) Robert W. Chambers' King in Yellow! Very exciting! Is that element of the game going to figure in your campaign? Please let me know how, if so!
(Also, did you see that I've designed a ttrpg based on the stories from "The King in Yellow"? I have several videos on it, and you can get early access to more if you sign up at nilhemoth.com!)
Best wishes, and cheers!
another good video
first, it wasn't put there in 5e but I think in 2nd? certainly by third it was in the sea of sorrows.
One thing that I think would be neat to tie Domina to other games, particularly a Barovian Game is that Domina killed Duke Gundar during the Grand Conjunction and brought parts of Gundark into Barovia; the other parts went to Invidia. Duke Gundar was a nasty sadistic Vampire who is now a patient.
I am not sure on the whole clone element, I like having other patients who are victims or kept there like gundar. Though it would need to be addressed in a session 0. That said I do like some parts of the clone stuff. And the adventure as described was neat.
In terms of media or things for inspirational maps, I would suggest Pathfinder Adventure Path Strange Aeons; the Lovecraftian Adventure Path and the first one is set in an Asylum and has some other maps to use.
Ah, thank you for those suggestions! And yes, I think Dominia was actually an Island of Terror in the 2e Red Box set, if not earlier. My mistake! Still, on account of clones being introduced, the 5e version is certainly different!
One thing that might be fun, as well as a bit of body horror, is for there to be a curse on Dominia's asylum: anyone who stays there long enough will eventually become a clone of Dr. Heinfroth. That would be horrifying, and it would also allow for people to be taken prisoner, while giving imprisoned PCs a ticking clock on how to get out.
(Damn, now I wish that was included in the video! Ah, well; I'll put it in the official write-up...)
Thanks again for watching and commenting. Best wishes, and cheers!
WARNING!
Not only is the mortuary level from ToFW very zany, meaning it might clash with the tone of the latter part of the adventure, it is also designed to kill the PCs (for reasons I won't get into to avoid spoilers, but it is very much intentional)!!
A few encounters would have to be modified, and you definitely need to get rid of the demilich (yep).
Or just keep the respawn mechanic, and raise the question of whether the PCs themselves are clones?
@@phdnd-drbowers That is an excellent idea and I apologize if I missed you mentioning it in the video!
@@tibot4228 no apologies necessary; in fact I forgot to include this in the video, so you're absolutely right to share this warning. Thank you for doing so! I'll make sure to include the warning when this Domain eventually gets a write-up. Best wishes, and cheers!
Yay! One of my favorite Domains!
I really like the use of the heist to free Prisoner/Clone 13 as the main story structure. Figuring out what the character should do in Dominia has always been a struggle. Now I have your suggestions!
A cool aspect that could either replace or enhance elements of your version is the use of the Elder Oblex stats and memory draining abilities. One of the horror elements that Dominia evokes is a loss of self. Heinfroth, alone with himself, begins to lose his memories as his cloned selves multiply and are devoured. This could work just like how the Elder Oblex must consume memories, but then splits and loses some of these subsumed identities as it produces more oblexes. I also just really like oblexes.
Well done on another great video!
Oh, that's another excellent suggestion! I love the idea of incorporating oblexes, and you're right: they're perfect for this Domain, specifically, with their duplicating powers! One might also turn to podlings and pod plants, but I don't think they have the same charm. Excellent idea; thank you for sharing it! Best wishes, and cheers!
Two videos at once?!
Indeed! I meant to do a double-feature the other week, when I released Blaustein, but I was just too tired. So I did it this week, instead! I have another few videos on the way, too; I'm not teaching this summer session, so there's some more time to make them. Hopefully you'll see another quite soon!
Thanks for watching! Best wishes, and cheers!
I really like your videos and ideas, specially the inspirational media for each of your adventures. I was wondering, since sometimes the adventure ideas are for characters of level 8, for instance, I feel like 5e characters are too resourseful to be scared at times. Do you have any house rules to keep players a little vulnerable? That said, the adventure ideas fit very well in a shadowdark game. Thank you, curious to see the next one!
Greetings, and thanks very much for watching and commenting!
Yes, I agree that, as a high fantasy game that's focused on killing monsters, there are limitations to how horrifying those monsters can be. I don't think this makes horror impossible in 5e, or even substantially more difficult, but it does mean that you'll either need a lot of player buy-in, or else some extra mechanics or gimmicks now and then to keep things spooky.
My favorite little element to throw into 5e, in order to make it more difficult, is to use Kor Artificer's rules for stress damage, specifically in the same manner as in Darkest Dungeon. They can be found here: kor-artificer.tumblr.com/post/168120537089/darkest-dungeon-stress-system-in-dd-download
I add a couple elements to make it particularly grueling: first, I say that a long rest just cuts a PC's total stress in half, and second, that certain enemies generate stress damage at the start of every round in which they fight the PCs.
I have a video on it, here: ua-cam.com/video/hCA1Qza2Pbg/v-deo.html
I'm also delighted to hear that you're adapting many of these ideas for Shadowdark! Indeed, one of the things I really enjoy about Shadowdark is that you can take many of the old 2e Ravenloft adventures and just run them as-is, without any conversion. The hit points, armor class, etc. tend to work out for all the 2e enemies, as well as their damage, environmental hazards, and so forth. And all the things Shadowdark emphasizes, e.g. torchlight and darkness, is very Ravenloft indeed!
Thanks very much for watching and for your question! Indeed, I'll see you at the next one. Best wishes, and cheers!
@@phdnd-drbowers Awesome tips on the stress mechanics! thank you!
The first campaign I ever played was a ravenloft campaign that started with Bleak House and Dominia, and then I played that adventure again a few years later. The Dominia part is a real kick in the teeth! I never made the connection that (probably for the best) 5e version of Dominia still lets you explore psychological horror and that core division of you an other. A game where you hint that the PCs are clones with memory implants as part of an experiment could be pretty bleak and intense. Thanks for the great video!
GARY!
GAAAARY! 😛
Thanks very much for watching! Best wishes, and cheers!
City of Lost Children is so cool
Oh absolutely! It has a delightful soundtrack as well. I'm sure you have also seen Delicatessen, too? I recommended it for my Dementlieu video, which a lot of people have enjoyed running.
I'm delighted that you appreciate the lists of media that I always include! It's one of my favorite parts of every video.
Thanks very much for commenting; best wishes, and cheers!