Powers Checks

Within the Dread Domains of Ravenloft, entities that embody the most primal terrors of sapient life rule supreme. These entities are often referred to as the Dark Powers, gathering a menagerie of lunatics & tyrants from across the omniverse. These darklords are their prisoners but are often allowed a degree of freedom within their domain. Often this only causes a darklord to sink further into their depravity as they torment the innocent victims dragged into their domain, fruitlessly attempting to fulfill their desires or find some means of escape. However, the Dark Powers are ever vigilant and searching for potential additions to their collection.

Any act of evil committed within the Dread Domains can potentially gain the attention of the Dark Powers. They are capricious wardens over their prisons, often rewarding & punishing transgressions in the same moment. Their goals are uncertain, but some theorize that as embodiments of fear they draw power by entrapping hapless victims within domains designed to terrorize them. As such, it behooves them to find those that can be corrupted into becoming darklords. If a character does perform an act of evil, a powers check may be made to determine if the Dark Powers have taken an interest.

Making a Powers Check

Whenever a player character willfully performs an evil act, the DM can perform a Powers check by making a percentile roll. Mortals have no control over the whims of the Dark Powers; no magic or special feature available to player characters can ever modify this roll.

The DM should find the character's transgression on the tables below to determine the chance of failure. If the DM rolls this number or less on the percentile die, the offending character fails the powers check & moves one stage down the path of corruption. If the DM rolls higher than the listed number, the character succeeds at the powers check as the act has fallen beneath the concern of the Dark Powers - this time.

The DM can raise or lower the chance of failing a powers check depending on the circumstances of transgression.

Character Motivation. If a character commits an evil act for particularly vile reasons, the chance of failure can be increased as much as double the recommended percent. If a character commits an evil act for altruistic purposes, such as threatening a character in order to prevent them from encountering a greater danger, the chance of failure can be decreased by as much as half the recommended percent.

Compounded Evils. If a character commits an evil act that could be considered for multiple powers checks, such as murdering a good-aligned character by casting a necromantic spell, it can be resolved in one of two ways. First, the DM can resolve to use whichever act of evil would be the most difficult to pass, which in the above example would be murder with a 10% chance of failure. Second, the DM can add the percentages to create a higher chance of failure. In the above example, the murder is at 10% while casting a 3rd-level necromancy spell is at 6%, creating a total of a 16% chance of failure. Which option for resolving of compounded evils is up to the DM's discretion.

Use Sparingly

Powers checks are intended to add fun new consequences to players' choices & to enhance the horror of the Ravenloft setting. Players should beware of the mysterious masters of dread taking notice of their characters. Use only when it can be a benefit to the game's narrative, as overuse can quickly exhaust your players or make them paranoid of taking any action.

Tables for Powers Check

Below here are the recommended tables for making Powers checks.

Crimes & Other Violent Acts

The acts listed on this table cause direct harm to others. To determine the chance of failure, compare the transgression to the alignment of the victim on the table below. The acts listed on the table & other terms are also defined below.

* The offender automatically gains the attention of the Dark Powers.

Definitions

Assault (Major). An attack in which the offender intentionally causes, or attempts to cause, lasting harm to the victim. Typically, this is done without any concern for the victim's life.

Assault (Minor). An attack in which the offender does not intend to cause lasting harm to the victim.

Betrayal (Major). Any act of betrayal that results in lasting harm or death to the betrayed party.

Betrayal (Minor). Any act of betrayal that results in a lasting negative effect on the betrayed party.

Extortion. Any act of coercion that uses the threat of violence or other harmful consequence to force the victim into compliance.

Lying. Telling falsehoods or purposefully withholding the truth with malicious intent.

Murder (Not Premeditated). When a murder is committed but was not planned in advance by the offender. Examples would include a crime of passion from a tense situation escalating to lethal results or unintentional deaths occurring during the commission of another crime.

Murder (Premeditated). When the murderer planned their actions in advance with the intention to cause the victim's death.

Negligent Manslaughter. Any act that results in the victim's unintentional death due to negligence on the offender's part. The negligence must be to the point that the offender could reasonably know there was a potential for harming others.

Theft (Major). Any act of theft that results in serious hardship for the victim, such as swindling an impoverished widow of her meager savings.

Theft (Petty). Any act of theft that results in temporary hardship for the victim, such as stealing a priceless painting from a wealthy aristocrat.

Threats of Violence. Any act of intimidation in which the victim feels that their safety is sincerely under threat.

Torture (Routine). Any intentional act of harm committed to extract information or force compliance in the victim.

Torture (Sadistic). Any intentional act of harm committed for the satisfaction or pleasure of the offender.

Innocence

For the purposes of a Powers check, an innocent is any humanoid of good alignment that has not committed an act worthy of a Powers check. In the Dread Domains this often takes a supernatural quality that shields the innocent from minor evils but also makes them a target for the forces of darkness.

Unholy Acts

Unholy acts are transgressions against a religious code, which can have severe consequences for divine spellcasters. Similar to crimes & other acts of violence, an offender must knowingly & willfully violate a religious code to warrant a Powers check. If it is not reasonable for a character to have knowledge of a religious code, then it is not reasonable to punish them for violating said code.

* The offender automatically gains the attention of the Dark Powers.

Definitions

Break a Tenet. Willfully violating a religious practice that the faithful are expected to follow. An example would be if a devotee refusing to do their expected daily prayers. This could be a symptom of a character having a crisis of faith that the Dark Powers could use to their advantage.

Break an Oath. Willfully violating a religious practice that the clergy of a faith are expected to follow. An example would be a priestess refusing to follow the orders of her high priestess for selfish reasons.

Break a Vow. Willfully violating a religious practice that the clergy of a faith are required to follow. An example would be a cleric that took a vow of chastity partaking in the services of a brothel.

Defilement. Any act that results in a sacred object, person, or place losing the holy blessing of their faith. An example would be dispelling a priest's blessing that warded a home against evil.

Desecration. Any act that results in a sacred object, person, or place not only losing the holy blessing of their faith but becoming ritually unclean. An example could be performing an especially evil ritual to a dark god, desecrating the church of a good-aligned god in the process.

Sacred Innocent

A person that is considered an innocent (as defined above) can be considered sacred person due to the supernatural qualities of their purity within the Dread Domains, even if they are not actively affiliated with a religious group. If an innocent is also a faithful devotee of a good-aligned faith, such as a cleric raised within a holy order or an especially devout family, the character can be considered a sacred innocent. Any act of that would corrupt a sacred innocent can increase the chance of failure of a Powers check to as much as double the recommended percent.

Arcane Acts of Evil

Powers checks can also be triggered through the use of dark magic & other unholy supernatural forces. These checks for arcane acts of evil are not determined by the alignment of the victim(s), but by the amount of power the offender calls upon to perform the act. Unlike with committing crimes, violent acts, or unholy acts, the offender need not know that a form of magic is considered evil or profane for it to gain the attention of the Dark Powers.

Definitions

Casting Any Spell with Criminal or Evil Intent. If a character uses magic in order to commit a crime, violent act, or unholy act, the Dark Powers may take a special interest due to their influence over magic within the Dread Domains.

Casting a Necromancy Spell. The school of necromancy is often considered a taboo form of magic. This is especially true within the Dread Domains, as the Dark Powers seem to have a special interest in those that use magic to manipulate life, death, & undeath.

Attuning to an Evil Magic Item. The act of attunement binds a magic item to a character, which can be noticed by the Dark Powers if the item in question is incredibly evil. Unfortunately, the attuner need not know that the magic item is evil in order to trigger a Powers check. For a magic item to be considered evil, it must have one of the following properties:

• Evil Intent. If the magic item was crafted with evil intent. Items that are cursed or specifically built to perform acts that are evil, criminal, or unholy are good examples.

• Willfully Evil. If the magic item is sentient & has an evil-aligned personality, it will probably actively attempt to corrupt the attuner via its influence, even if the item is incapable of actually speaking.

• Necromancy. If the magic item can be used to cast necromancy spells, does necrotic damage, or has effects similar to a necromancy spell, it could be considered an evil magic item

Using an Evil Magic Item. If a magic item can be considered an evil magic item, as defined above, each time it is used has the potential for the Dark Powers to take notice. This includes evil magic items that do not require attunement.

Crafting an Evil Magic Item. If a character goes through the process of crafting an evil magic item, as defined above, it could become a part of that character's legacy that will potentially corrupt future victims.

Laying a Curse. If a character lays a curse or willfully causes another creature to become cursed, the Dark Powers will possibly take an interest. The difficulty of the Powers check is dependent on the severity of the curse in question as described below.

For more information, see Curses.

Failing a Powers Check

For more information, see Path of Corruption.

If a character should fail a Powers check, then they will take a step down the Path of Corruption. The character's act of evil has caught the attention of the Dark Powers, who will now bestow upon the character a dark gift. The gift serves as both a boon that will tempt the character to commit futher acts of evil, and a curse that will make it more difficult for the character to conceal their offenses. Should they be venture further down the path of corruption, a character is destined to either be destroyed or become a darklord of their own domain.

However, hope is not lost for a character that seeks redemption after falling down the path of corruption. For each act of evil that triggered the Powers check that they failed, the character must perform a number of atonements equal to the chance of failure of the failed Powers check. An atonement must serve to either rectify the pain & suffering caused by the character's sins or serve to prevent others from falling victim to similar evils. Once the character has successfully completed the necessary number of atonements, they can repeat the original Powers check. On a success, the character retreats one step along the path of corruption. On a failure, the character must perform another atonement before repeating the Powers check again.

Sources