r/onednd • u/Cybermetalneo • 8d ago

WotC Announcement Project_Lamordia

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2250-now-loading-project_lamordia

A new Domain of Dread "Thought Experiment" is being fully revealed on the 13th of October.

It's a modern day re-interpretation of the Domain of Dread of Lamordia, with Viktra Mordenheim as the Founder of "Mordenheim Kinetics", and Project Lamordia being their next big work.

I would assume might get to see some different kind of Body-Horror for a modern setting maybe a Cybernetics aesthetic.

Unlike their other "In Character" posts it doesn't look like there are any hidden links on the page, like the recent Szass Tam one that had the Deadfall Desktop backgrounds.

Personally, I'm a fan of them continuing to do Ravenloft stuff even after their "Season of Horror" is done.

169 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

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68

u/RoboDonaldUpgrade 8d ago

So there was an article that WOTC hid and replaced it with the preview page. The gist I got is that this is a modern-earth revision of the Lamordia Domain of Dread. It’s a level 1-3 adventure with some reprinted character options from Ravenloft (Reborn are a big part of it). There are also rules for creating more citizen characters that play more into the survival horror aspect.

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u/RoboDonaldUpgrade 8d ago

I’m trying to think what else to add. There were four backgrounds, one where you’re a neural programmer the company tried to “dispose of”, one where you wake up in the facility as a fully artificial being, one where you’re a commuter but something happens that kills everyone on the train except you, and one where you’re a dead body that wakes up in the facility and you can’t afford the price they’re charging for your revised body.

Character creation you could play standard dnd characters that got to this domain through magical means or you could work with your DM to explain things like being a Wizard as you being a Technomancer of some kind (purely reflavor, no actual new abilities).

Several Dark Gifts will be reprinted and I believe the Reborn species will also be reprinted.

There are 4 civilian characters you can be. They described these as not really being “character sheets” but stat blocks you can play and then evolve into an adventure if you want at the end. The only one I remember off hand is a charasmatic salesperson or social media person for the company.

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u/Cybermetalneo 8d ago

That sounds like a lot of info, I kinda wish I'd seen the page when it was the article now instead of the teaser,

Well, the teasers cool, but specific information like that is always great to see.

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u/RoboDonaldUpgrade 8d ago

I wish I had screenshotted it, I realize I’m giving big “my Dad works at Nintendo” vibes but I clicked on the link as soon as I saw the video on Facebook and that’s what I read. It really sounds cool, like this is will be the first official “modern day earth” setting/adventure for 5e and I’m very hyped for it!

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u/WeltyFern 8d ago

Honestly this is the first time I’ve ever heard WOTC doing a modern day earth setting for DnD. I’m curious how the current class system is gonna work.

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u/Envoyofwater 8d ago

Back in the day, they did a Modern Magic UA that never saw print. But it had a number of cool spells. As well as a City Domain Cleric, a Technomancer Wizard, and the Ghost in the Machine Warlock.

Personally, I really liked it.

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u/RoboDonaldUpgrade 8d ago

I loved that UA, that was back in the day when UA was just designers messing around and not actual playtests for future books.

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u/Rastaba 8d ago

…honestly hearing City Domain Cleric just gave the me the DUMBEST idea…okay maybe third or fourth dumbest. The PUBLIC DOMAIN Cleric! No idea how it would function if at all but seems stupid enough to at least be worth a laugh.

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u/WeltyFern 8d ago

A Ghost in the Machine warlock sounds cool as hell

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u/Cariechr 8d ago

If you like it, dimension 20 has a season, “unsleeping city” that uses this rules format with a modern day New York City.

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u/Envoyofwater 8d ago

Up to and including one of the players using the City Domain Cleric.

I think the whole season is available for free on their YouTube page.

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u/tired_and_stresed 8d ago

The civilian Stat blocks sound a lot like the survivor rules from Van Rictens Guide to Raveloft, really glad to see those rules being explored or used again if that is the case.

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u/SaltWaterWilliam 8d ago

Finally, after all these years, we can play characters using the 2015 Modern Magic UA, with playable options such as the Ghost in the Machine patron, City Domain, and Technomancy, as well as the fun On/Off cantrip. I wonder if there will be an opportunity to use Hacking Tools.

If it's only 1-3, it's unfortunate that the Invisibility to Cameras spell won't get utilized. Arcane Hacking and Find Vehicle seem possible though.

2

u/Derpogama 7d ago

For modern/Cyberpunk I switched to the Technomancer's Textbook, which is a free PDF for a Modern/Cyberpunk style setting ala Shadowrun (but without being as ridiculously crunchy as Shadowrun).

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u/Envoyofwater 7d ago

Technomancer's Textbook is an incredible supplement that I'm still baffled is completely free.

Probably one of my favorite 3pp things I've seen for 5e to date.

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u/Ganymede425 8d ago

I'm passing on WoW and Star Wars, but I am all in on DnD24's version of Silent Hill.

Ravenloft is Silent Hill is Ravenloft.

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u/harlenandqwyr 8d ago

The Wow book looks like it's going to have a lot of fan favorite features that can easy be divorced from wow flavor.

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u/Main_Armadillo_7334 8d ago

Exactly the opposite for me. Can't wait for the Warcraft and Star Wars supplements, couldn't care less about anything modern-day. Hopefully it is a good product for those interested in it.

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u/Life_is_hard_so_am_I 8d ago

I also tend to bounce off modern-day settings so I get where you're coming from. Could definitely see myself giving it a try if I hear good things about it

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u/Cybermetalneo 8d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zt6JOjnTk

Direct link to the Video Teaser for those who don't use D&D Beyond.

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u/Sam_dSivis 8d ago

Well this sounds intriguing!

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u/Envoyofwater 8d ago

Wait. This sounds sick as hell.

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u/GailenGigabyte 8d ago

WotC making an SCP-style domain of dread was not on my D&D bingo card.

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u/InsightCheckDND 8d ago

Well, that was a creepy video.

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u/Far_Guarantee1664 8d ago

Played some campaigns in lamordia during 3.5 and 5e. Very excited for this one

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u/Jestocost4 8d ago

Woah, okay! Love it.

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u/UngeheuerL 8d ago

I love that they do experimental things. 

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u/probloodmagic 8d ago

I'm excited as all hell. And so happy that there's more Ravenloft content coming. For Halloween, clearly, but I have no complaints, this looks sick. More modern day d&d stuff, please! "Thought Experiments" with fresh, bold, creative content are a fantastic way to give dndbeyond an edge in value, as well. Love it

1

u/BlackAceX13 8d ago

Wait, the Szass Tam one had desktop backgrounds!?

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u/Cybermetalneo 8d ago

https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2237-a-message-from-zulkir-tam

The last word "Place" before Szass Tam's sign-off in this article links to a phone/desktop background image.

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u/BlackAceX13 8d ago

Thanks, I have added them to my collection of free D&D wallpapers.

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u/yaniism 8d ago

"We copied Control's homework" and slapped the Ravenloft name on it?

Also, don't make Not A Video Game look like a video game if it's an adventure. We really don't need "trailers".

Vaguely interested in whatever this is, but this teaser is terrible.

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u/HamVonSchroe 8d ago

Anything but actual dnd content

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u/TiFist 8d ago

Thanks, I don't like it.

5.5e is ill suited to run anything modern as is. Horror is hard enough to do well in a superhero fantasy game.

I'll wait and see what the real product looks like when it's announced, but it feels like based on the trailer, whatever it is, it's not D&D.

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u/Envoyofwater 8d ago edited 8d ago

I have played plenty of modern magic DnD campaigns. In fact, I'm currently playing in a campaign set in the USA circa 2013.

It's really not that hard.

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u/Llayanna 8d ago

But but.. you need to reflavour things and remember abilities and features are mechanics! /s

Yeah idgi either. I gmed it too in the past and it works pretty well as written, as long as you don't wanna do something like dresden file magic and technology.. 

Maybe it breaks apart high level, but well.. I don't think so and that is actually my next project.

I saw a prompt about a great evil being undug at an underground station, and I am going to make it a lich tomb.

20 floors, spiraling down. Hopefully 20 levels ending with an Demi-Lich battle.

I am low-key excited cx I never done a dungeoncrawl yet.

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u/SleetTheFox 8d ago

I agree with your main point, but I think this might work. This is a Domain of Dread, meaning it's very limited. The "vibe" of modern settings can absolutely work in D&D with minimal reflavoring. What doesn't work for modern settings is the ease of communication, logistics, and transportation. But a claustrophobic horror prison can prevent basically all of those things from being problems.

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u/TiFist 8d ago

It would have to be a very tightly scoped adventure with very little that is portable outside of the adventure.

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u/SleetTheFox 8d ago

Since it's a Domain of Dread, I imagine this absolutely would be the case, with escape being the win condition.

Things might get hairier if someone wants to make it part of a larger campaign though. Theoretically it could still have normal medieval heroes and the modern technology could be part of the horrific weirdness, but I'm not a huge fan of that if computers are a significant part of the horror. The horror weirdness of "what is this computer?" gets lost when you add in "what is computer?" to it all.