Vistani - Revision history

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2600:1700:13F1:A110:7117:D932:3CC5:FC4E at 03:30, 17 June 2023

2023-06-17T03:30:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:30, 17 June 2023
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	4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].		4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].

	It goes without saying, but the combination of ethnic stereotyping and hamfisted plot device makes Vistani a rather contentious aspect of the setting for some fans. The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.		It goes without saying, but the combination of ethnic stereotyping and hamfisted plot device makes Vistani a rather contentious aspect of the setting for [[SJW\|some fans]]. The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.

	==Tasques & Tribes==		==Tasques & Tribes==

1d4chan>Nubnuber: /* Gallery */

2022-08-16T19:18:34Z

Gallery

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:18, 16 August 2022
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	==Gallery==		==Gallery==
	<gallery>		<gallery>
			vistani Realm of Terror.jpg
	Vistana GH2.jpg		Vistana GH2.jpg
	</gallery>		</gallery>

	[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]		[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]

1d4chan>QuietBrowser: /* AD&D */

2022-05-05T02:48:29Z

AD&D

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	===AD&D===		===AD&D===
	The topic of Vistani PCs is discussed in a massive sidebar at the end of Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani, which emphasizes that the [[Half-Vistani]] race and the [[Gypsy]] class exist to allow for you to play a Vistani without actually ''being'' a Vistani. But it does begrudgingly allow you the option to make a ''Mortu'' Vistani - a Vistani who has lost most of their racial powers due to remaining in one place too long and suffering their racial curse - by playing a [[human]] character with the following racial kit. These same mechanics can also be used to play a ''giamarga'', a [[Half-~~Visani~~]]/[[Half-Elf]] hybrid, by applying the kit to the standard half-elf. What does it do? Well...		The topic of Vistani PCs is discussed in a massive sidebar at the end of Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani, which emphasizes that the [[Half-Vistani]] race and the [[Gypsy]] class exist to allow for you to play a Vistani without actually ''being'' a Vistani. But it does begrudgingly allow you the option to make a ''Mortu'' Vistani - a Vistani who has lost most of their racial powers due to remaining in one place too long and suffering their racial curse - by playing a [[human]] character with the following racial kit. These same mechanics can also be used to play a ''giamarga'', a [[Half-Vistani]]/[[Half-Elf]] hybrid, by applying the kit to the standard half-elf. What does it do? Well...

	Mortu Vistani suffer -2 Intelligence; Giamarga gain +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.		Mortu Vistani suffer -2 Intelligence; Giamarga gain +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, -2 Charisma.

1d4chan>Raton-Laveur at 05:58, 25 October 2021

2021-10-25T05:58:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:58, 25 October 2021
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	Narratively, Vistani serve pretty much the same role that [[Elminster]] is supposed to serve in-universe: a convenient deus ex machina. Need to get the party somewhere? A Vistani caravan can take them there. Need to give your players a smack with a clue-by-four? A Vistani fortune-teller can do it for you. Party desperately needs some macguffin or another? A Vistani caravan will helpfully provide it - for a price. Need to explain why this latest monster or villain is being a nuisance? A Vistani curse went horribly right, as they seem to always do.		Narratively, Vistani serve pretty much the same role that [[Elminster]] is supposed to serve in-universe: a convenient deus ex machina. Need to get the party somewhere? A Vistani caravan can take them there. Need to give your players a smack with a clue-by-four? A Vistani fortune-teller can do it for you. Party desperately needs some macguffin or another? A Vistani caravan will helpfully provide it - for a price. Need to explain why this latest monster or villain is being a nuisance? A Vistani curse went horribly right, as they seem to always do.

	~~It goes without saying, but the combination of ethnic stereotyping and hamfisted plot device makes Vistani a rather contentious aspect of the setting for some fans.~~

	In both 2nd and 3rd edition, Vistani were far too powerful to be used as a PC race, and so [[Half-Vistani]] were introduced instead; still with a dash of Vistani mysticism, but with some added [[Half-Elf\|"you are alienated from your peers"]] and [[Half-Orc\|"you were probably not conceived willingly"]] fluff. Ironically, [[Van Richten's Guide]] to the Vistani does actually include Vistani PC mechanics in it, although it explains that these are meant to help the DM create Vistani NPCs.		In both 2nd and 3rd edition, Vistani were far too powerful to be used as a PC race, and so [[Half-Vistani]] were introduced instead; still with a dash of Vistani mysticism, but with some added [[Half-Elf\|"you are alienated from your peers"]] and [[Half-Orc\|"you were probably not conceived willingly"]] fluff. Ironically, [[Van Richten's Guide]] to the Vistani does actually include Vistani PC mechanics in it, although it explains that these are meant to help the DM create Vistani NPCs.
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	4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].		4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].

	The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.		It goes without saying, but the combination of ethnic stereotyping and hamfisted plot device makes Vistani a rather contentious aspect of the setting for some fans. The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.

	==Tasques & Tribes==		==Tasques & Tribes==

1d4chan>Nubnuber at 00:54, 1 October 2021

2021-10-01T00:54:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:54, 1 October 2021
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	Unlike Half-Vistani, Vistani do not explicitly gain tasque-specific racial abilities, but it would make sense to "backport" those traits onto them. The one exception are the Boemian tasque, who can mystically compel others to like them (DC 15 Will save each round; if failed, the victim ignores the Vistani's [[Outcast Rating]]... nevermind we aren't actually told how high that is... - other Boemians and people with a legit grievance against Boemians can ignore this effect if their first save is a success, and creature immune to [[Charm Person]] are unaffected by it entirely).		Unlike Half-Vistani, Vistani do not explicitly gain tasque-specific racial abilities, but it would make sense to "backport" those traits onto them. The one exception are the Boemian tasque, who can mystically compel others to like them (DC 15 Will save each round; if failed, the victim ignores the Vistani's [[Outcast Rating]]... nevermind we aren't actually told how high that is... - other Boemians and people with a legit grievance against Boemians can ignore this effect if their first save is a success, and creature immune to [[Charm Person]] are unaffected by it entirely).

			==Gallery==
			<gallery>
			Vistana GH2.jpg
			</gallery>

	[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]		[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]

1d4chan>Nubnuber at 20:03, 10 September 2021

2021-09-10T20:03:54Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:03, 10 September 2021
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	Though [[Ravenloft]] is primarily inspired by [[Gothic Horror]], it owes just as much to the portrayal of that genre in Universal Horror and Hammer Horror films - particularly the latter. As such, when designing their setting, the writers at [[TSR]] felt that their setting also needed its own race of "morally ambiguous" magical [[Gypsy\|gypsies]] to fit with the tradition.		Though [[Ravenloft]] is primarily inspired by [[Gothic Horror]], it owes just as much to the portrayal of that genre in Universal Horror and Hammer Horror films - particularly the latter. As such, when designing their setting, the writers at [[TSR]] felt that their setting also needed its own race of "morally ambiguous" magical [[Gypsy\|gypsies]] to fit with the tradition.

	Meet the '''Vistani''', who were created to fill that niche. Foreign-looking humans who live as nomads, travelling the demiplane in caravans and making a living as entertainers, mystics and thieves, feared and hated by the sedentary people of the demiplane and looking down on the "Giorgio" right back in kind, smugly considering themselves superior to ordinary people and cursing them for their bigotry, even as they rob and manipulate those people whenever they see fit.		Meet the '''Vistani''' (singular ''Vistana''), who were created to fill that niche. Foreign-looking humans who live as nomads, travelling the demiplane in caravans and making a living as entertainers, mystics and thieves, feared and hated by the sedentary people of the demiplane and looking down on the "Giorgio" right back in kind, smugly considering themselves superior to ordinary people and cursing them for their bigotry, even as they rob and manipulate those people whenever they see fit.

	...Yeah, the Vistani do press a lot of 'Gypsy Stereotype' buttons. In their defense, they're not ''quite'' as bad as the Aperusa of [[Spelljammer]], who're slathered with a lot more of the negative parts of that stereotype, but still, there are people who find them kind of embarrassing.		...Yeah, the Vistani do press a lot of 'Gypsy Stereotype' buttons. In their defense, they're not ''quite'' as bad as the Aperusa of [[Spelljammer]], who're slathered with a lot more of the negative parts of that stereotype, but still, there are people who find them kind of embarrassing.
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	4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].		4th edition's designers thought that this was stupid, and so they redesigned the Vistani into a collective culture of mystical, but not necessarily inhuman, plane-travelling nomads in [[Dragon Magazine]] #380. This meant you could finally play a full-fledged Vistani, something that was immediately met with [[skub]].

	The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in '''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything''', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.		The Vistani went back to their older concept in 5th Edition's ''[[Curse of Strahd]]'', but some fluff text for a magic item in ''Tasha's Cauldron of Everything'', an artifact called Luba’s Tarokka of Souls, describes the Vistani as once again being more in-line with their 4E incarnation as a bunch of nomads who wander around the [[Shadowfell]] and accept members of other races into their bands.

	==Tasques & Tribes==		==Tasques & Tribes==
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	==Playing Vistani?==		==Playing Vistani?==
			[[File:Vistana MCAV2.jpg\|thumb\|"My crystal ball predicts my existence will become very problematic."]]

	'''Officially''', you're not supposed to play Vistani; they're supposed to be this mystical, mysterious, magical race who exist for ambience and to help the DM railroad you. That's why the [[Half-Vistani]] exists. But D&D players are D&D players, and so there have been some... cheats.		'''Officially''', you're not supposed to play Vistani; they're supposed to be this mystical, mysterious, magical race who exist for ambience and to help the DM railroad you. That's why the [[Half-Vistani]] exists. But D&D players are D&D players, and so there have been some... cheats.

1d4chan>Nubnuber at 19:56, 10 September 2021

2021-09-10T19:56:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:56, 10 September 2021
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	~~{{dnd-stub}}~~
	[[File:Vistani 3e.jpg\|thumb\|right\|300px\|An exotic gypsy maid from the land of [[Ravenloft]].]]		[[File:Vistani 3e.jpg\|thumb\|right\|300px\|An exotic gypsy maid from the land of [[Ravenloft]].]]
	Though [[Ravenloft]] is primarily inspired by [[Gothic Horror]], it owes just as much to the portrayal of that genre in Universal Horror and Hammer Horror films - particularly the latter. As such, when designing their setting, the writers at [[TSR]] felt that their setting also needed its own race of "morally ambiguous" magical [[Gypsy\|gypsies]] to fit with the tradition.		Though [[Ravenloft]] is primarily inspired by [[Gothic Horror]], it owes just as much to the portrayal of that genre in Universal Horror and Hammer Horror films - particularly the latter. As such, when designing their setting, the writers at [[TSR]] felt that their setting also needed its own race of "morally ambiguous" magical [[Gypsy\|gypsies]] to fit with the tradition.

1d4chan>QuietBrowser: Added missing 3e racial traits I missed due to the layout of the racial writeup.

2021-06-19T00:42:10Z

Added missing 3e racial traits I missed due to the layout of the racial writeup.

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:42, 19 June 2021
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	::Vision: Normal		::Vision: Normal
	::Bonus Feat: Voice of Wrath (+4 to Curse checks)		::Bonus Feat: Voice of Wrath (+4 to Curse checks)
	::Curse Master: A Vistani can gain a bonus to Curse checks if they use a "focus item" for that curse. A simple effigy grants a +1 bonus, but an item belonging to the victim (or part of the victim's body) grants a +2 to +4 bonus, depending on their connection.		::Curse Master (Ex): A Vistani can gain a bonus to Curse checks if they use a "focus item" for that curse. A simple effigy grants a +1 bonus, but an item belonging to the victim (or part of the victim's body) grants a +2 to +4 bonus, depending on their connection.
			::Evil Eye (Ex): 3/day, as a standard action, a Vistani can make a Gaze Attack that inflicts one of the following conditions if the victim fails a Will save. The save DC against the Evil Eye is (10 + 1/2 Vistani's Hit Dice + Vistani's Charisma modifier) if used by a '''male''' Vistani and (12 + 1/2 Vistani's Hit Dice + Vistani's Charisma modifier) if used by a '''female''' Vistani.
			:::Paralysis: 1d4+1 rounds. If the save is failed by 4 or higher, then the victim is paralyzed for 2 rounds and then goes into convulsions for 3 rounds, taking 1 damage per round, before having to make a DC 15 Fortitude save; if they pass tis second save, the victim merely faints, but if they fail, then they '''die''' outright.
			:::Fear: 1d4+1 rounds.
			:::Domination: 1d4+1 rounds.
			:::Suggestion: Lasts for 1 day or until task is complete, whichever comes first.
			::The Sight (Su): The Vistani ignore the normal rules affecting Divination spells in the [[Demiplane of Dread]], with the caveat that Vistani cannot use divination to directly foretell their own future, or divine their past. Not all Vistani have this power, but only female Vistani may possess this trait; males who develop the Sight are traditionally killed, to avert disaster.
			::Mist Navigation (Ex): Vistani can freely travel the [[Demiplane of Dread]], entering the Mists and exiting wherever they desire, even in another plane. They can take travelers with them. This ability does '''not''' mean they are free of the risk of encountering random monsters whilst traveling to their destination.
			::Magical Tracking (Su): Vistani can magically track any individual they wish from any distance away, so long as the target is not magically shielded from detection. Even then, the Vistani are skilled at tracking victims through indirect means and mundane methods of tracking.
			::Static Burn (Su): The Vistani's magical nature comes at a price; they must constantly migrate. A Vistani that remains within 1 mile of any point for longer than a week falls ill; if they re not carried beyond the designated area within 1d6+1 days, then they lose all of their magical abilities, '''permanently'''. The mechanics for this are, unfortunately not explicit, but an easy way to handle it is to replace the Vistani racial traits (up to and including Ability Score Modifiers and the Voice of Wrath bonus feat, if you're feeling cruel) with the [[Half-Vistani]] racial traits.

			Unlike Half-Vistani, Vistani do not explicitly gain tasque-specific racial abilities, but it would make sense to "backport" those traits onto them. The one exception are the Boemian tasque, who can mystically compel others to like them (DC 15 Will save each round; if failed, the victim ignores the Vistani's [[Outcast Rating]]... nevermind we aren't actually told how high that is... - other Boemians and people with a legit grievance against Boemians can ignore this effect if their first save is a success, and creature immune to [[Charm Person]] are unaffected by it entirely).

	[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]		[[Category:Dungeons & Dragons Races]][[Category: Monsters]][[Category:Ravenloft]]