D&D 5E Ravenloft: In search of The Core

dave2008 said:

I don't think there is any practical difference between some demiplanes separated by impenetrable mists and countries separated by impenetrable mists.

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Well. Penetrable mists. But, the practical difference I see is that if they’re countries you might have to pass through one to get to another, rather than going directly to your intended Domain.

When you travel through the mists, you never know where you'll end up. To that end, who can say where the Domains are relative to each other, really. You can interchangeably use it and not use the Core concept at the same time.

Charlaquin said:

Well. Penetrable mists. But, the practical difference I see is that if they’re countries you might have to pass through one to get to another, rather than going directly to your intended Domain.

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But the same thing could be true either way. It could be that the only way to get to Domain X is to travel through Domain Y whether their borders a physical or separate demiplanes. Demiplanes can be connected anyway you want. If the mist is a trans-dimensional border or it is physical border makes little (no) difference. The same can be said for penetrability at the mist borders. If that step across the border is physical or trans-dimensional makes little difference.

dave2008 said:

I don't think there is any practical difference between some demiplanes separated by impenetrable mists and countries separated by impenetrable mists.

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There isn't much. I would say the one thing that may matter, is if a Darklord (or anyone powerful enough really) attempts to invade other Domains, it is potentially much easier when you know where your armies are to.

So for example, if Hazlik raises an undead army, he could invade Kartakass, knowing that the Domain is there. I think the Core did have some story going on where armies clashed, but I barely remember what it was.

Urriak Uruk said:

So for example, if Hazlik raises an undead army, he could invade Kartakass, knowing that the Domain is there. I think the Core did have some story going on where armies clashed, but I barely remember what it was.

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Mostly Falkovia vs. everyone else, especially Darkon and occassionally Barovia, but part of his curse being stymied and suffering intolerable losses. Still, just about any Darklord that was a ruler would jump at the chance to absorb another realm into their own - with a few exceptions (like Anketepot).

Because of Borca’s position “on the road” to Barovia, it was a realm that had to deal with a threat of invasion from Falkovia, thus part of it’s write-up involved attempts to appease or keep Falkovia at bay, which disappeared when the realms went to “islands”.

Stormonu said:

Mostly Falkovia vs. everyone else, especially Darkon and occassionally Barovia, but part of his curse being stymied and suffering intolerable losses. Still, just about any Darklord that was a ruler would jump at the chance to absorb another realm into their own - with a few exceptions (like Anketepot).

Because of Borca’s position “on the road” to Barovia, it was a realm that had to deal with a threat of invasion from Falkovia, thus part of it’s write-up involved attempts to appease or keep Falkovia at bay, which disappeared when the realms went to “islands”.

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Yeah, also now that Falkovnia is itself besieged by undead hordes in 5E, it's hard to see how Drakov could invade other domains.

I've never liked how the Core was marketed or written.

The idea of a lone continent terrorized by Dark Powers who pull through time and space various evils to imprison in mist-bordered Domains of Dread is an interesting one, but not with the direction I read in the old 2E books. It felt like there was so much more of a fertile concept there that ended up being reduced down to a bunch of scared, unwitting, non-educated, and wholly ignorant NPCs who are constantly in fear of weird things in the mist. It isn't bad, per se, and for its time it was actually pretty revolutionary I think, but I really think the idea isn't pushed far enough.

I'd like to make a version of the Core (with please another name "the Core" makes me think of something gross but not in a horror way) where the civilization there has adapted to the Domains of Dread filling the surrounding waters and appearing randomly in the land. Maybe the Domain's of Dread have appeared in vital places, like lakes and major rivers, destroying them. Now the civilization of the Core has to brave their fears and dive into the Domains of Dread to bring back resources to keep themselves afloat.

Which, really, I just reinvented my own setting as a Ravenloft one here, so I think I'm being biased. But I still think you could really push the Core in a unique way, and if you didn't, I don't see much of a point for it existing at all in 5E Ravenloft.

I'll add, Ravenloft's Core has always reminded me of Marvel's Battleworld (look up Marvel Secret Wars if you don't know the reference). Which is fun in small doses... but gets weird and wonky really fast. It's hard to keep a consistent tone when you have very different places literally sitting next to each other.



That said, sometimes it's fun to have a God Emperor Doom ruling a complete mess of a world.

Change the way the borders work back to the old system of the core domains were not default surrounded by mists but were areas whose borders could be actively closed but were otherwise bordered by neighbors.

this allows more cross domain regular interaction with politics and trade and travel.

Bring in major highways and thoroughfares, like the Musarde river. I'm pretty sure there was at least one road that passed through a few domains, but for the life of me I can't remember the name.

Then, make those highways always pass through all the domains you want them to. If you start on the road at point A, you will go through domains B, C, and D, always in that order... but on some trips, there might be something in between B and C. Or there might be forks in the road that lead you to domain V.