How to roleplay a divine character in Ravenloft?

Question

My cleric just got sucked into the Demi-plane of Dread. I've been told that his connection to Moradin has been completely severed, but my spells still work.

How should I roleplay that? Are there any other limitations on divine characters in Ravenloft?

Answer 1

three approaches come to mind:

1. since he still gets higher than 3rd level spells, he knows he's not totally cut off from Moradin. He might thus take it as a test from Moradin.

2. He might take the lack of instruction as being cut off, and see the spells as being provided by others, instead. He may seek to find out who it is providing his higher level spells, but assume they are not hostile. (This is typical for spelljammer familiar characters...)

3. He might decide he's been cut off, and some other god is trying to lure him off. In which case, he might actually refuse to use his magic.

And yes, there are a lot of changes to which spells work, and how many work. And turning is altered, too. Nothing your character does will allow him to talk to his deity unless said deity is one of those trapped on the demi-plane.

Note: This answer based upon the Ravenloft Domains of Dread Hardcover for AD&D 2E and the Ravenloft hardcover for 3E by Sword and Sorcery, as well as Spelljammer for AD&D 2E.

Answer 2

The Manual of the Planes blurb for 4e refers to a Domain of Dread by name but not Ravenloft. Domains of Dread are located deep in the Shadowfell and are created by some odd power to be nigh inescapable unless its lord is destroyed.

To help roleplaying a divine character in ravenloft, one should consider the properties of ravenloft as a plane.

The Shadowfell has normal gravity, normal maliability in a world much like the mortal world, except for one thing, sources of light are muted, normal light sources give half the diameter of light.

The Domains of Dread are the same as the shadowfell except for the A> Mists B> Dark Lord

the Mists surround the Domains of Dread and prevent creatures from leaving.

The Darklord, while normally also the nominal lord, has some degree of control or maliability over his domain. The Book doesn't mention if this is conscious or explicit control, or if its more reactive, simular to the Fey Demenses that the book also mentions and refers to here.

As for escape, that normally only happens when the Dark lord has been slain.

As for the old fluff, The only really important bits I think are the Dark Powers that be, Ie the forces that make the Domains of Dread in the beginning and want to contain the Dark lords for whatever reason. As these powers are canonically unstated and are little more than plot devices, there is no real need to 'do'anything with or for them, except perhaps off a little corruption and make vague and ominous reference to them.

As for how to play your priest, the Domains of Dread do little but offer a sinister feeling and half light radius for normal light sources (plus or minus any particular details of the domain). Your priest knows that your powers won't suddenly turn off because your invested by powers by your superiors. Divine Casters are given their holy powers once, during their ordination and it remains on presumably forever, or until specifically recalled.

As for what sinister feelings and isolation can drive someone to do? That's up to you, but less has almost certainly destroyed greater men.

Answer 3

You could justify that his spells still work as a result of his true faith, but perhaps they are weaker because his deity is not actively supporting him?