Let's make FALKOVNIA in 5e!
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- Опубликовано: 29 дек 2023
- What do we want? ZOMBIES! When do we want them? BRAINS!
Let's explore the Ravenloft Domain of Dread, "Falkovnia," where zombie hoards run rampant monthly, and where the only civic authorities would rather impale you first and ask questions later. As always, we'll talk about what the Domain is, cite some media to help us get an imaginative grip on it, and then sketch out an adventure! 
Игры
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Huzzah! My favorite domain of dread! Well done, and glory to Drakov! :D
Thank you so much! In the name of Drakov! :-P Thank you for watching, and cheers!
A personal idea I have for when I eventually may run Falkovnia is when the PC's arrive, they run into an elderly man and his wife who live in a destitute house but can provide the PCs one night's stay while they get their bearings.
However, they know that something is up with one of their goats.
There are two goats, one however died and is possessed by a Dybbuk.
One of the players, the druid, will no doubt talk to one of the goats, but the Dybbuk will note that they are talking to the goat and when questioned, will try to declare that weird stuff is happening to the OTHER goat.
If the Dybbuk is not deal with before nightfall, the Dybbuk possessed goat will sneak into the home and savage the old man, giving it an even better disguise to make off with.
I think another angle you could take with the ghosts is that they can't find peace until their zombified bodies are destroyed
Ah, excellent idea! We are on the same wavelength, here; check out my video (uploaded this evening, just a few minutes ago) about Tanith Lee's "Kill the Dead!
Thanks so much for the suggestion and for watching! Best wishes, and cheers!
Okay, for non-zombie media; I would recommend 1984, and Starship Troopers for the Falkcovia Military State, side of things. Gears Of War COG, and New Vegas Kaiser Legion, and along with Brotherhood Of Steel from Fallout 4. Could be used as an example, of authoritarian post-apocalypse governments.
Good suggestions, all! Falkovnia is a complex Domain of Dread, and so I leaned more into the zombie side of things than the side dealing with social oppression. I really enjoy what I hear and watch about Fallout: New Vegas, but I am not especially familiar with the series!
@@phdnd-drbowers I think like getting the idea across, that the people in charge, are as likely to kill you as the Zombies. It could be done, in a scene; like describing how the walls are covered in propaganda posters, or upon entering the outpost, party is met with grizzly execution of someone.
ah two videos in one day :D thank you for your hard work this year! i've relied on this channel a lot
Thank you for watching, and for giving some of my ideas a try! Best wishes, and Happy New Year!
Falkovnia one of the domains that I think got the biggest changes from 2e/3rd to 5e. Going from a medieval quasi-fascist militaristic state to zombie horror. And with 5e not having the Core, you don't have the Geopolitics of Falkovnia being the breadbasket of the western core but lead by a warlord trying to conquer its neighbors to the point that the Mordentish realms of Borca, Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot have all aligned against Falkovnia in the Treaty of Four Towers. while Drakov has attacked the land of Darkon about five or six times. Drakov has in the old canon invaded every single neighbor of Falkovinia, including G'henna when it was part of the core.
Also personally the fact that really only Lekar remains kind of diminishes one of the elements of Zombie horror that I like, namely how people work together and turn on one another; it also gets rid of the ability to use fun NPCs from the past like Gondegal, Vladimir Ludzig, the Kobold Basilisk and others. That said I do like the inclusion, and also the downplaying of the fascist elements, which I would extend backwards to be before the zombie apocalypse happens so that the fascist elements are gone; ie the title isn't Falkfurher but probably Hawk King. I would play up the importance of Hawks.
Anyways, I do think you could mix the two versions easily enough and solve my issue. As mentioned Vlad Drakov has attacked Darkon countless times. Numerous times. and Azalin is tired of Vlad's shenaniganry. Its not that Vlad is actually a threat to the powerful wizard-king since he isn't. But he is annoying and probably takes some time out of his busy schedule in his schemes to deal with Vlad, time he very much rather not be wasting on such a pathetic problem. So Azalin sends out a massive zombies hoard and necromancers to deal with drakov and to everyone's surprise Vlad dies and the zombies effectively take over the country.
Now when Drakov dies, its not like there is going to be clear succession to the throne of Falkovinia. So while Vladiskava is able to take control of Lekar from her brothers and sisters and there are many. The other cities and towns of Silbervas, Stengengard, Aerie and Mofenzri don't fall under her sway. So now Falkovnia has different warlords who are likely to fight one another. The Mordentish nations of the core are both terrarified of the idea of the Zombie hoard escaping falkovnia to lay waste to their lands, but also glad to see Vlad Drakov dead and new warlords arise. Warlords who won't attack them but are much more interested in trade.
Going to continue my thoughts on your adventure in a comment below :)
So now onto the adventure. using this mixture approach; could also use this without changing much of either version.
Act 1: Probably doesn't need much changes. What I would do is make the Church, a church of the Eternal Order. Which while a darkonese religion was brought back to Falkovinia following the wars, and with the zombie hoard running rampant has only exploded in popularity. Which yea a faith that is about keeping the dead at bay would do that. I would say that the church does keep the zombies at bay due to the holiness there, The zombies can wail at the door and walls but can't enter, but the PCs can't really leave either.
the rest of the act is fine as it is. I actually really like this part as just a one shot or something to drop into other ravenloft adventures, would work well in barovia or Darkon or with some twists Verberk.
Act 2: So I would change the town not to be silbervas, since Silbervas is being controlled by someone other than Vladiskava, could be Ludzig, could be Gondegal, could be one of Vlads other children be it Vigo, Mikhail, Vlad Drakov II, Vlad Drakov III, etc. So this town lays between Silbervas and Lekar and thus isn't controlled be either warlord.
For the eyes have it part, my only thing I would do is include some elements of the flora of Falkovinia mentioned in the Gazetter, including the hostile ones. So tossing in Abfalduz Vine, Blood roots, assassin vines, crawling ivy and so on. just weird and creepy. But overall not much to change here.
Another change I would do is make the undead be able to communicate with the living. For the two necromancers, and especially Sodosma, want to not just conquer Falkovina but transform the land into something like the Necropolis, ie the old city of Il Aluk where now only the undead are there. The Skeletal knights and other powerful undead are all aboard the plan, while the undead dwarves and farmers hate it, since that means eternal slavery hence like in your write up the tomb dwarves would groan and reveal about the clay tablet.
Act 3: honestly I wouldn't change anything. Its just a fun epic final battle that is cool.
Many thanks as always for your suggestions! Others in the thread, too, may well appreciate your presentation of lore from this Domain’s previous iterations! Cheers!
Another video in a day, you been busy!
Indeed! And we’re not done for the year, yet! 😉 Thank you so much for watching, and cheers!
Ngl I often struggle with zombie focused campaign ideas but this video helps alot and gets the creative gears going as well as your prior vids. Resident Evil kinda helps in a way but other DnD monsters do too like a Barrowghast or other undead giants with some reflavor to the setting of this domain.
Ah, that's a good point; I should have mentioned Resident Evil! Good suggestion! Thanks very much for watching and using this material; it makes me both happy and proud to hear such a thing. Best wishes, and cheers!
You’re still making these!!!!
< 200 views.
I’ll be 100 myself here soon enough. I’ve ran several of your adventures and my party loves them.
Do you publish anything?
Thank you so much! Yes, I absolutely have some of these published, with more coming soon! (Volumes 2 and 3 have been delayed because a couple of weeks 😅)
www.dmsguild.com/product/458590
It’s awesome that you have run some of these, and splendid to hear that the players enjoyed them! Which were their favorites, if I may ask, and what did you, yourself, enjoy the most?
Best wishes, cheers, and Happy New Year! 🎈
@@phdnd-drbowersmy party really enjoyed playing the Gremlin adventure during a short fetch question in Hazlan. No ok besides myself had seen the gremlins so it went off perfectly.
My favorite was Odiare; the party ended up in the Demon Web Pits of Lolth for ‘reasons’. Who else could be pulling all those strings.
I’ve stolen idea after idea and even full adventure structure from you and your channel. The definition of underrated and outstanding!!! Found your channel while DMing a Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign and used scores of ideas from your DarkSun videos.
I hope you have a table that enjoys your enviable creativity. 🤌
Thank you so much! I am delighted that those two adventures went so well! Indeed, a few people have written back to confirm that those two are pretty fun 😅 Cheers! 🦇
@@rorygilliland-kunkle8999 Thank you so much for the fond wishes, and for such lovely words! I'm very glad you found my channel, and delighted to hear the adventures I pitch are well-received! Best wishes, and cheers!