OOC Discussion II: The Return

[Zhym]

I'm out of town at a conference and may not get a chance to update until Thursday.

[Storm11]

No worries

[Dram]

Noprob. RL comes first.

[GreyWolfVT]

yup take care of RL first Zhym

[Cwreando]

Have a good time while your at it, if you can.

[Stirling]

Hello Zhym, just wanted to ask regarding Scarletts' turning attempt. The d20 roll of 9 would have turned creatures of at least 5, 5+HD and I don't think that even successful melee or spell attacks against her interfere with her turning as it would her prayer spell-casting. So as Scarlett reviews that turn undead failure, what can she or does she assume or know? In non-IC language she could realise these Strahd zombies are maybe 3HD creatures but get turned as if they were 6HD, or the turning was penalised for to the prevalence of the deathly mist or ghastly smells?
She is 7th level, so I anticipated the Strahd special zombies would be turned with a die roll, (certainly automatic turning for normal zombies if not immediate destruction.)

If we struggle vs zombies, turning wraiths and vampires is going to need a lot of prayer!

[Zhym]

First, turning isn't by HD in AD&D 1e, it's by undead type. There's a table on p.75 of the DMG.

Second, you already know that these are not typical zombies. These are faster and their body parts can fall off and keep attacking. One might also assume that they don't turn the same as regular zombies, either.

[Stirling]

Yes exactly, that was my point. Turn by type still goes up in a relative difficulty level and her roll was still a good one to turn reasonably dangerous foes. So that brings Scarlett to believe these greater Strahd zombies are especially hard. Would she realise though that her turning prayer of faith would have seen these creatures flee except for some exterior influence, for eg she would have turned them in the town but in Castle Ravenloft she is penalised by the evil aura?

Having failed to turn, Scarlett will leave post mortem enquiries until she can examine the bodies closer. She has some spells to use still, a Raise Dead might destroy a few but she doesn't have time now.

[Zhym]

Scarlett knows that she can usually destroy zombies and that she was unable to do so with these. She can only speculate as to why that might be.

[Inferno]

On p.66 of the DMG, there's a section called "Evil Areas." These special areas increase an undead creature's chance of success against being Turned.

It's possible that Strahd's castle qualifies. Also all of Ravenloft, but perhaps to a lesser extent? This might be the aura of evil that pervades the region.

[Zhym]

One other comment on this: the result of a turn-undead roll isn't something your character would be aware of. So, although Scarlett would know that she can usually destroy zombies, she wouldn't know what would have happened on this particular attempt.

[Storm11]

IC wouldn't it just seem that Scarlett's faith wasn't strong enough, her fear overcame her devotion?

[Zhym]

Zombies are such wimps against a 7th-level cleric that faith is hardly an issue. Per the table on p.75, a cleric of Scarlett's level should automatically destroy 1-12 zombies. Scarlett wouldn't have that table, of course, but she would know that she hadn't failed to turn a zombie since she was a curate. Even Agax should have been able to turn them. For these zombies to be unaffected is highly unusual.

What you characters don't know is why these zombies weren't affected.

[Stirling]

No all she would do for now is bite her lip (if the zombies aren't already doing that for her) and rebuke herself for lack of faith. She might feel her devotion is normally very strong and that this evil place prohibits certain blessings but without actual 'revealed knowledge' ( the zombies power comes from a worn amulet, or they are stronger the closer to Strahds tomb, etc) she understands as much as everyone else.

Maybe the distraction of tall handsome Lars or piques of jealousy over gorgeous Lady Bogdana has taken her eye of her first calling. On the face of it, these zombies are not too hard. Singularly easily despatched, a huddled group more intense especially since amputated limbs keep crawling on. It is this inner necrotic power that makes them so deadly. Scarlett just has to up her game devotionally (ooc:.... roll higher on the dice!).

I was always one for demanding clerics in my game go through pious acts, shows of devotion, offer acceptable sacrifice and preach to the lost so that the receive their spiritual blessings and power from divine favour and 'laying on of hands' from elder bishops and prophets instead of just meditating on a holy book and picking the spells you want.

[Zhym]

Continued here:

viewtopic.php?f=91&t=5153