D&D 5e Ravenloft Player's Compendium

1 RAVENLOFT PLAYER’S COMPENDIUM by Jeremy Forbing – Version 1.01 This document provides subclasses, feats, and other character options for Ravenloft campaigns. It also includes a brief, spoiler free adventurer’s guide to each of the Domains of Dread. As always, work with your DM to decide which new rules are right for your character and the campaign. SPELL NOTATION Speaking of spells, those marked with asterisks or other notations are as follows: *=This is a new spell described in this document. XGtE=This spell appears in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything TCoE= This spell appears in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything In some cases, content from the author’s other products has been adapted or included—rather than require you to reference those products, all necessary rules are repeated here. Art Assistance: Bryan Holmes Cover Art: Dean Spencer LEGAL NOTICE This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Jeremy Forbing. It is published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. ©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe, 4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK. Interior Art: Lluis Abadias, Armando Ayala, Jacob E. Blackmon, Daniel Comerci, Storn Cook, Felipe Gaona, Leslie Ng Zhong Han, Rick Hershey/Empty Room Studios, Wren Hunter, Forrest Imel, Vagelio Kaliva, Fil Kearney, Enmanuel Martinez Lema, Kirk Mason, Matt Morrow, Joyce Maureira, Brett Neufeld, Patrick E. Pullen, Dean Spencer. Some art as provided by Wizards of the Coast via DMsGuild.com, used by permission. Some art via Shutterstock. All rights reserved. Other art via public domain, as provided by Sine Nomine Publishing. Statblocks based on Simple 5E Microsoft Word Template by Laura Hirsbrunner (available at DMsGuild.com) Special Thanks: M.T. Black; Hiten Dave; R P Davis; Anthony Joyce; Celine Massuger (and Isaac & Owen)

1 Table of Contents Chapter 1: A Guide to the Domains of Dread ................................. 3 The Domains ........................................................................................... 5 Rumored Domains .............................................................................. 18 Points of Darkness: Newly Uncovered Domains ................ 19 Chapter 2: Lineages ................................................................................. 20 Creating Your Character ................................................................. 20 Gloom-Touched .................................................................................. 20 Half-Golem ............................................................................................. 22 Shade ........................................................................................................ 25 Chapter 3: Subclasses & Class Options ........................................ 28 The Barbarian ........................................................................................... 28 Path of the Flame Warden ............................................................. 28 Path of the Implacable Juggernaut ............................................. 30 Path of the Ravager .......................................................................... 32 Path of the Reaper ............................................................................. 33 Path of the Shadowcursed ............................................................ 35 Path of the Wind Walker .............................................................. 37 The Bard ..................................................................................................... 38 College of Destiny ............................................................................. 39 College of Intrigue ............................................................................ 40 College of Resistance ....................................................................... 41 College of Testaments .................................................................... 42 The Cleric .................................................................................................. 45 Defier Domain ...................................................................................... 45 Exorcism Domain................................................................................ 47 Hearth Domain .....................................................................................48 Prophecy Domain ............................................................................... 49 Pyre Domain........................................................................................... 51 The Druid ................................................................................................... 54 Circle of the Equinox ........................................................................ 54 Circle of the Skinchanger ............................................................... 56 Circle of the Solstice ........................................................................ 59 Circle of Standing Stones ................................................................ 61 The Fighter ................................................................................................ 63 Blade Dancer.......................................................................................... 63 Hedge Knight ....................................................................................... 64 Lamplighter ........................................................................................... 66 Errant Master ......................................................................................... 68 Mageguard ............................................................................................. 70 Watcher on the Wall ...................................................................... 72 New Fighting Style Options ........................................................ 74 The Monk ................................................................................................... 75 Way of the Boundless Mind ......................................................... 75 Way of the Faceless ......................................................................... 77 Way of the Incarnate Ancestor .................................................. 78 Way of the Sightless Strike........................................................... 81 New Martial Stance Options ........................................................ 82 The Paladin ...............................................................................................84 Oath of the Apex ...............................................................................84 Oath of Blood ....................................................................................... 86 Oath of the Borderlands .................................................................. 89 Oath of Defiance................................................................................. 90 Oath of Inquisition ............................................................................ 92 Oath of Ravenkind ............................................................................ 94 Paladin Fighting Style Options ................................................... 97 The Ranger ................................................................................................ 98 Corsair ...................................................................................................... 98 Deep Dweller ...................................................................................... 100 Justicar.................................................................................................... 102 Ghostwalker ........................................................................................ 103 Mooncaller ............................................................................................ 105 New Favored Terrain Options .................................................. 106 Ranger Fighting Style Options .................................................. 106 The Rogue ............................................................................................... 108 Acrobat .................................................................................................. 108 Alleyblade ............................................................................................ 109 Glamourist .............................................................................................. 111 Scholar ..................................................................................................... 113 Tomb Robber ....................................................................................... 115 Enhanced Expertise Options ........................................................ 116 The Sorcerer ............................................................................................. 118 Alchemical ............................................................................................. 119 Ancient Artifact .................................................................................. 121 Pale Master .......................................................................................... 122 Reanimated ........................................................................................... 125 Seer of Spirits ..................................................................................... 128 New Metamagic Options .............................................................. 129 The Warlock ........................................................................................... 130 New Pact Boon Options ................................................................ 130 The Architect of Order .................................................................. 133 The Dark ................................................................................................ 135 The Monarch of Beasts ................................................................... 137 The Realmbound Tyrant ............................................................... 139 The Wyrd Coven ............................................................................ 140 New Eldritch Invocations ............................................................ 143 The Wizard ............................................................................................ 149 Guild Wizardry ................................................................................. 149 School of Mentalism ........................................................................ 152 School of Nethermancy ................................................................. 153 School of Phosphoromancy ........................................................ 154 School of Reanimation ................................................................... 156 The Artificer ............................................................................................ 159 Eradicator............................................................................................... 159 Salvager ................................................................................................... 161 Vigilante ............................................................................................... 164 New Artificer Infusions ................................................................. 166 The Blood Hunter .................................................................................. 167 Order of the Witchbreaker .......................................................... 167 New Blood Curses ............................................................................ 172 New Fighting Style Options ....................................................... 173 Chapter 4: Feats....................................................................................... 174 Chapter 5: Spells ....................................................................................... 183

3 CHAPTER 1: A GUIDE TO THE DOMAINS OF DREAD Ravenloft is the name of a castle in Barovia, but to sages, it also lends its name to a number of distinct yet connected realms, which some sages are reluctant to call a world. These Domains of Dread are connected, however—by the Mists that define and frequently invade their borders, by the dark evils that dominate them, and in past ages by continents and clusters. Taken together, these domains form a terrifying realm all their own. This Land of Mists is a construct, woven from the hidden fears of innumerable worlds, from Eberron to the Forgotten Realms of Abeir-Toril, shaping their realm’s reality to reflect their own sinister sensibilities. Barovia was the first Domain of Dread, but there are dozens or more lands much like it—all once part of another world, now drawn into the Mists by the unknowable Dark Powers to become places of relentless horror. Darklords like Strahd von Zarovich rule each one of them, cursed for their dark deeds to reign over a domain that reflects their particular sins, but which they can never leave. Until recently, Barovia and many other domains seemed to share a single landmass, a continent with a mostly temperate climate dominated by rugged, forested geography known simply as the Core. By the year 735, however (as described in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft), the Mists and borders dividing the domains never seem to part. At the same time, the people of the domains experienced subtle changes in their inclinations, becoming less interested in places beyond their homelands. For now, large-scale mercantile expeditions or military conquests from one domain to another have generally come to an end. Each of these benighted lands is more isolated than ever. Many sages associated these changes with the magical experiments of the Wizard King of Darkon, the famed Azalin Rex. Recently, these occult endeavors seem to have resulted in Azalin’s disappearance, and the sundering of Darkon into separate geographies. Within the Mists, time and distance lose meaning, and traditional navigation doesn’t work at all. Yet travel through the Mists from

4 one domain to another is still possible. The most reliable means is a Mist talisman, a focal item that can lead the bearer through the Mists to a particular Domain of Dread (as described in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft). Groups like the Vistani and the letter-carrying Keepers of the Feather have their own means of traveling between domains as well. And for those willing to take the risks, there are the Mistways and Echo Paths. THE MISTWAYS Adventurers and other perceptive explorers have noticed that travel through the Mists, though unpredictable, isn’t entirely random. If one enters the Mists from a particular part of a domain’s border. along the right bearing, one is often taken to the same location in another domain. This is a far from a perfect means of travel, but it works more often than it doesn’t. Previously, these so-called Mistways were solely used to travel between the continent called the Core and the more isolated domains known as Isles of Terror or Clusters. Now, however, most who seek them out are trying to bridge the divide between domains that previously shared a border. Far too often, Mistways fail, leading hikers, caravans or vessels astray from their intended destination. For example, journeying due south from the city of Paridon in Zherisia and into the Mists usually takes you to northwestern Darkon. Yet sometimes, that same Mistway takes travelers to southeast Kalidnay or eastern Borca. Particularly insidious Mistways ground seagoing vessels suddenly on dry land; one route strands ships that sail the Nocturnal Sea in the sands of Har’Akir. Some Mistways lead not only from one domain to another, but also back again. Others are a one-way trip. The wise traveler in Ravenloft never assumes they can return the way they came. Despite these troublesome qualities, however, those who brave the Mists have begun to studiously document the Mistways, recording the domains they link as well as their reliability. ECHO PATHS Rumors speak of another strange means of traveling between domains, one even less reliable than the Mistways. Those who believe in Echo Paths say that if someone has previously travelled between domains, if they attempt to recreate certain details of a past journey, it will take them to the same destination as before. The requirements are allegedly quite particular. You must depart during the same phase of the moon as they did during the original voyage. You must follow the exact same path in the same direction, stopping only in places where you stopped the first time. And you must carry at least one item on your person that you had with you during your prior travel. Those who have used this method say it is more reliable than the use of Mistways, and even allows the traveler to take others along who have never visited the intended domain. However, there have been some strange results. Visitors have returned to Darkon by an Echo Path and reported finding the domain still unified as it was before, with Azalin once more ruling from an intact Castle Avernus. They have gone to Lamordia, and found a domain that has not been enlightened by the illuminated science of Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, while a reclusive man with a very similar name conducts his own private research at Schloss Mordenheim. Another traveler barely survived an Echo Path voyage to Falovnia, where she found an even more sadistic dictator, one Vlad Drakov, in the midst of urgent preparations for an impossible war against Darkon. One expedition found its way to Sithicus, but found Nedragaard Keep intact, still ruled by the death knight Lord Soth. Yet most domains seem to be the same whether you visit them via an Echo Path, a Mist talisman, or as a guest traveling with a Vistani caravan.

5 THE DOMAINS Even across the impenetrable Mists, tales of each domain filter between settlements. Visitors to these many and varied lands verify some of the details in these stories, and lore about each one is available to those willing to ask around or perform diligent research. The info in this section was compiled by the famed monster hunter Ez d’Avenir from various sources, primarily the travel journals of a mysterious scholar referred to only as “S.” The documents explain how this traveler was commissioned by Azalin Rex himself to make a survey of the Domains of Dread. A note from Alanik Ray indicates that “S” is currently a student at the University of Dementlieu. Yet intriguingly, most of her journal entries are dated over 20 years in the future… Arak Sources disagree as to whether Arak is a domain of its own or merely the “Underdark” of Tepest—perhaps it is both. Either way, little is known of the place, save that it is a dangerous subterranean realm, inhabited only by drow and/or evil fey. Barovia The accursed land of Barovia, has grown larger in recent years, annexing the lost domain of Gundarak. It remains a misty realm, where populated valleys are isolated between treacherous mountains and great wolf-prowled forests. Local burgomasters exert as much power as they can within their villages, but absolute power lies in the hands of Count Strahd von Zarovich, lord of Castle Ravenloft. In fact, many locals believe their lord may be a vampire or other immortal creature. Bluetspur The unearthly wasteland known as Bluetspur is not merely inhospitable, but lethal and alien. It was pulled into the Mists from some unnamed world hostile to mortal life. The surface is razed by scorching storms and the underground is ruled by alien intelligences. Underneath the cyclopean peak called Mount Makab, a colony of aberrant beings enslaves humanoids for their eldritch experiments and conspires against the very stars. Borca Feuding aristocratic dynasties scheme to dominate the government, commerce, and entertainment of Borca. The most powerful of these families is the Boritsi, but all of the noble houses enjoy a hideous excess of wealth. It is beautiful land blessed with a hard-working

6 populace, but the peasants are brutally oppressed by the nobles and their competing intrigues. Its cultural center, the great city of Levkarest, is a perfect place to take in exquisite works of art, enjoy opulent luxury, or get yourself poisoned by a rival. The Carnival Two silver pieces buys you entry to the Carnival, a traveling domain capable of visiting other domains as well as worlds beyond the Mists. However, you’ll need to pay additional fees to see the attractions of its Big Top, Sideshows, and House of Horrors. A group of independent traveling merchants follow the Carnival, and wherever it stops they erect a traveling trade bazaar nearby, the Litwick Market. Cyre 1313 (The Mourning Rail) In the world of Eberron, great elemental engines are used to pull long trains of cars carrying passengers and cargo. This system of transportation is known as the lighting rail. But the last train to leave a doomed kingdom called Cyre never made it into neighboring lands. Rather, the unfolding magical disaster known as the Mourning seems to have transported the train to the Domains of Dread. It travels from domain to domain, rattling through the wilderness, never arriving at any destination. Darkon Once the largest domain, sprawling and diverse, yet orderly, Darkon has now been sundered into separate islands in the Mists. Each night, the hungry Mists—known in Darkon as the Shroud, since they now behave differently here—roil and expand, consuming a bit more of the four remaining regions. These quarters—the Jagged Coast, the Mistlands, Lychgate, and Rexcrown— are ruled by competing claimants to the legacy of Darkon’s powerful wizard-king, the legendary Azalin Rex. The current cataclysm coincided with Azalin vanishing, and since his disappearance, a golden star called the King’s Tear hangs in the sky above. The locals must now burn their dead, lest they rise as undead at nightfall. Azalin’s rule was abetted by secret police known as the Kargat, who still wield great power in great cities like Il Aluk and Martira Bay. In its heyday, Darkon also housed larger populations of dwarves, elves, and halflings than any other domain. Dementlieu Many consider the temperate and prosperous coastal domain of Dementlieu to be a bastion of civilization. It boasts of being the center of art and culture for all the dread domains. Yet it is also said to be a land of secrets and hidden loyalties. The indomitable Duchess D’Honaire holds court and establishes the social pecking order at an opulent event called the Grand Masquerade. Hosted by the duchess in Port a’Lucine, Dementlieu’s most magnificent city, this weekly costume party is the axis around which the domain’s society revolves. Falkovnia A desolate military police state, Falkovnia is ruled by a truly bloodthirsty and sadistic mercenary commander, General Drakov. It is a realm of ruins surrounding Lekar, its last remaining city. Once, Drakov’s every thought was bent on conquering nearby domains, but there is no longer any time for such ambitions. Since around the same time Azalin disappeared in Darkon, Falkovnia has been on the defensive. Every month on the new moon, a horde of undead descends on the domain, emerging from a different place to eradicate the living. Every denizen is drawn into the battle against this mindless foe. After each invasion, the population burns their dead and attempts to rebuild, but they know their homeland is doomed. The only thing keeping the Falkovnians from abandoning the domain is the fear of Drakov’s tattooed soldiers, the Talons. Anyone caught in any act of disobedience, including an attempt to escape through the Mists, is impaled outside Lekar’s walls.

7 Forlorn The tiny domain of Forlorn surrounds the smoking fortress Castle Tristenoira. Its dwindling population lives in hiding to fight off this accursed land’s main inhabitants, the devouring monsters known as goblyns. Ghastria A small, fertile island in the Sea of Sorrows, Ghastria is home to the village of East Riding, which merchants say is inhabited by roughly six-hundred subjects ruled by a benevolent marquis. For some reason, the land lacks what one might call vigor or vim. The locals only seem to be going through the motions, existing rather than truly living. However, once a season, some force infuses the island’s residents with a lust for life. G'Henna The arid land of G’Henna consumed by religious zealotry. This theocracy was torn from the Core during the cataclysmic events of the Grand Conjunction, and now, with all the Domains of Dread even more isolated from each other, its residents spiral into despair. The populace is devoted to the bestial god Zhakata, whose favor they seek to end their starvation. Yet one by one, they slowly succumb to the creeping fear that the god preached by the prophet who leads them will never appear to relieve its suffering. Gundarak Sources conflict, but most indicate the realm of Duke Gundar is likely no longer a Domain of Dread. Its lands have been annexed by Barovia, making the Gundarakites new subjects of Strahd. However, some members of this new Barovian ethnicity are treated poorly by the existing natives, partly due to past hatreds—like Barovia’s ancient foes, the Neureni invaders of old, some immigrants from Gundarak worship a deity called Irlek-Khan, whom the Barovians believe to be a demon lord. Hazlan Travelers from the Forgotten Realms recognize the magocracy of Hazlan as a microcosm of the hellish nation of Thay, which has troubled all of Faerûn in various ways for centuries. It is ruled by the vengeful and tyrannical Red Wizard Hazlik. Scarred by years of unrestrained magical experimentation and destructive rivalries between Hazlik’s apprentices, this domain is a wasteland. In fact, constant exposure to unleash supernatural forces is ravaging the population and causing the entire domain to crumble. However, it is also a place where unique and powerful magic can be found. Har'Akir In the harsh and arid desert realm of Har'Akir, settlements can only persist by depending on four oases: the Muhar Oasis, the Red Oasis, Sek's Tears, and the White Oasis. The extreme heat is a greater threat than any monster, and with few sources of water or food, mere travel across the desert sands is enough to kill unprepared adventurers. The land is strewn with ancient pyramids and other monuments, especially in the City of the Dead, a vast canyon of tombs. In fact, the various tombs all connect below ground, forming a massive labyrinth built during past golden ages, where priceless relics can still be found. The largest settlement is Muhar, a mud-brick city near the oasis of the same name which thrives despite the punishing climate. The land’s natives, the durable Akirrans, have developed a rich culture centered around a love of music. They worship an unusual pantheon of deities known nowhere else. I’Cath Those who have returned from this sprawling, labyrinthine city are quick to warn any would-be visitors to stay away. Its windowless walls and indistinguishable gray houses combine with

8 shifting geography to make it a nearly inescapable maze. To make matters worse, whole districts are regularly demolished and rebuilt by wandering undead called jiangshi. The only exit is the Four Trees Gate, which few have ever seen. In fact, most of the city’s inhabitants spend both their days and their nights in an endless sleep. The few who wake find themselves starving in a city where precious little food can ever be found. On a hill in the center of the city stands a palace, built from the bones of disobedient subjects by I’Cath’s ruler, the immortal sorceress Tsien Chiang. By day, her four cursed daughters wander the city. Tsien originally came from the massive empire of Shou Lung in the Forgotten Realms, and centuries later her descendants founded the Chiang Consortium, an important trading network in both Faerûn and Kara-tur. Invidia Despite its temperate climate and picturesque landscape, Invidia is a land of hot tempers and tempestuous passions, where the land itself seems to inflame the emotions of visitors and natives alike. Most of the population lives in bustling villages along the Gundar and Musarde Rivers. Grudges and feuds are quick to erupt yet slow to fade among these hardworking and independent people. The locals greatly fear an enchantress called Gabrielle Aderre. Though the nature of her powers is not known, folk agree she is both powerful and wicked. Living in an estate outside the village of Karina, she is endlessly indulgent of her young son, Malocchio, believing he is destined for greatness. Kalakeri Treachery abounds in the war-torn rain forests of Kalakeri, where rival forces struggle for control. Adventurers who have escaped the violent wilds tell tales of scavenging for bare necessities and supplies while fighting for their lives. Once called Sri Raji, these lands are defined by the never-ending war between three powerful personages—Ramya, Arijani, and Reeva—who maneuver ceaselessly to determine who will claim the Sapphire Throne. Kalidnay A city-state surrounded by lifeless desert, Kalidnay was once part of the apocalyptic world of Athas. Here, the reclusive sorcerer-king Kalid-ma rules his suffering subjects from a ziggurat palace. This reign is aided by the Templars, an aristocratic secret police granted spellcasting powers by Kalid-ma’s very existence. In these lands, the use of arcane magic drains life energy from the surrounding area, and reckless spellcasting has left the domain is almost entirely barren, The scarcity of water and food allows the Templars greater control over the oppressed populace.

9 Kartakass This small domain has no large settlements, only a few charming villages. Yet the bards of Kartakass are renowned as the best performers in the world. Each village is led by a meistersinger, a sort of mayor who is also a virtuoso performer. Many musicians from the other Domains of Dread and beyond brave wolf-infested forests to study under the meistersingers in the competing backwoods towns of Skald and Harmonia. The land is mostly rugged foothills rising to the nearby mountains. In the Kartakan hills, berries called meekulbern grow in overgrown, thorn-wielding thickets. From these berries, the native brew meekelbrau, a potent alcoholic beverage for which the domain is famous. This bitter concoction is said to relax the throat and sweeten the singing voice. Keening The ten-mile radius around Mt. Lament comprises the entirety of the haunted domain known as Keening. It contains no living inhabitants, only an abandoned trade road, a powerful banshee, and the City of the Dead, bustling with walking corpses who continue the careers and pursuits they knew in life. Klorr The name “Klorr” comes up in certain sources related to the Domains of Dread, but research only yields the name of a watchmaker and clockwork engineer, without any specifics as to a particular place or time. Lamordia The cold and bleak coastal realm of Lamordia is a civilized barony inhabited by practical folk with an equally practical worldview. Huddled against the cold in their cosmopolitan cities, the locals place little faith in deities or magic. In this frigid land, great recent advancements have been made in certain obscure sciences. Water boiled in the sewers of the sophisticated city of Ludendorf powers advanced clockwork technology. The city’s leading social club, the Syndicate of Enlightened Citizens, extols the virtues of reason and seeks to eradicate superstition. Flesh golems, homunculi, and other constructs perform punishing tasks to aid society’s progress. The professors at Ludendorf University perform experiments many would consider blasphemous or immoral, but they refuse to let sentiment stand in the way of discovery. The most lauded genius is the secretive Dr. Mordenheim, owner of the isolated castle, Schloss Mordenheim. The ruler, Baron von Aubrecker, has not appeared in public for years, but Lamordian Society remains orderly and efficient. The terrain grows more rugged as one moves inland, especially along the rocky uplands. The Sleeping Beast mountains are known for their glaciers and their warped, disturbingly overgrown forests.

10 Markovia The largest known island in the Sea of Sorrows, Markovia is a lush and seemingly uninhabited place which some scholars say was once part of the continent known as the Core. Years ago, an attempt was made by Lamordians to settle Markovia, but the colonists vanished mysteriously. Mordent The landed gentry who ruled this coastal countryside domain vanished long ago, leaving only the benevolent Weathermay Family of Heather House to govern. They are assisted by each settlement’s mayor, appointed by local landowners. Each mayor appoints a sheriff and magistrate. Peace is kept by members of volunteer town watches, alongside a special order of detectives known as the Lamplighters (described under the Fighter section). Alchemy and other sciences flourish here as well. Despite its picturesque, pastoral landscape and quaint towns, Mordent is home to far more than its fair share of violent crimes (especially murders) and haunted houses. Perhaps this is why it is also the homeland of so many famed monster hunters, such as the WeathermayFoxgrove twins and their uncle, the ranger George Weathermay. The Nightmare Lands Rumors say that somewhere within the Nocturnal Sea is a place known as the Nightmare Lands. This island reportedly is a point where dreams and reality intersect. So far, no mariner has been able to navigate to it, although Captain Onid Rhelarian once claimed to have sailed the famed scholars Rudolph van Richten and Gregorian Illhousen there. Niranjan No documentation on this domain was available at the time of this writing. References to it do not appear in any of the journals of the traveling scholar called “S”, but a note from Ez names it as a Domain of Dread. It has been suggested that it may be tied to another domain that is known to sages, but this remains pure speculation. The Nocturnal Sea A body of water too wracked with storms and clouds to be safely navigated, the Nocturnal Sea is full of populated islands, many of which are unmapped and have little contact with outsiders. Near these islands, jagged shoals lurk beneath the waters, posing a deadly threat to all but the most experienced mariners. The sky above the Nocturnal Sea is perpetually overcast, regardless of season, making celestial navigation impossible. ISLANDS IN THE NOCTURNAL SEA Certain islands in the Nocturnal Sea have proven either interesting or profitable enough to spur both the adventuresome and greedy to visit them, and to keep seeking new lands across the sea and Mists. The most noteworthy of the islands are: Vechor, a place of wild magic and madness that is the easternmost and largest island in the Nocturnal Sea; Graben Island, 75 miles off the coast of Nova Vaasa, the second largest island in the Nocturnal Sea, home to four insular villages and ruled by a wealthy merchant family of nobles who share the isle’s name; The Isle of Ravens, inhabited by many birds and one sorceress, who may have turned treacherous sailors into the titular ravens; Knammen, immediately west of Graben, containing the small fishing village of Meerdorf; L'ile de la Tempete/The Lighthouse, is a ten-mile long kidney shaped island surrounded by the world’s most treacherous shoals, filled with unrecognizable fossils, and dominated by a deceiving lighthouse; Liffe, a large and well-inhabited island of rustic farmers and musicians, with a deepwater port and shipyards, ruled by the highborn bard Baron Evensong; Todstein, 60 miles east of Graben and forever surrounded by icy storms, an island where no one is known to have ever safely landed.

11 Nosos The anarchic and overcrowded metropolis of Nosos squats amid deforested wasteland. Here, all of nature is smothered in garbage, poison, and the smoke of a thousand chimneys. While the affluent elite debauch themselves in endless masquerade balls, the pale and plague-ridden commoners scrounge greedily among smogspewing refineries and burning coal mines. Nova Vaasa Named for the nation of Vaasa in the Moonsea region of the Forgotten Realms, from which the population and the uncaring feudal lords who rule them descend, Nova Vaasa is a place of contradictions. Known for its many breeds of prized horses, Nova Vaasa consists primarily of a great grassy plateau, the Vaasimark. Crumbling stone ruins and humble horse ranches break up the landscape. Broad rivers meander across the steppes, cutting deep gorges through the plateau where they reach the Nocturnal Sea. Visitors are often surprised by the realm’s stark class divisions and crushing urban poverty, and by the extravagant wealth of its five noble families—the Bolshniks, Chekivs, Hiregaards, Rivtoffs, and Vistins—who own nearly all property in the domain. Some nobles have proposed reforms to aid the impoverished, but few of their peers pay any heed. Prince Othmar Bolshnik, the vain and ruthless patriarch of the Bolshnik family, is the current ruler of the land. Traditionally, Nova Vaasa's leadership passed from the head of one noble family to the next every five years. Unfortunately, Othmar has not relinquished his mantle in over twenty-five years, a fact that has caused undeniable tension among the five ruling families. Such is Othmar's military and political power, however, that none dares attempt to oust him. Odiare The small city of Odiare (sometimes spelled Odaire, an error made so frequently it has become official) was taken from a region known as Italy in the mysterious plane some have called Gothic Earth. Children here have struggled to support themselves for years without the aid of adults. Now they are beginning to come of age, but live in fear of what growing up could mean. They have been trapped in this city, on their own, since an evil construct murdered their parents. In churches where no sermons are preached, they offer prayers against the day when that terrifying construct returns. Pharazia Once a desert land of ruined cities, life-giving springs, and nomadic tribes, Pharazia is rumored to have been destroyed. Others say it has merely been through such extreme changes it is now unrecognizable. It is said to have once shared borders with Har’akir and Sebua, as part of a larger landmass called the Amber Wastes. Richemulot Three urban communities divided by vast forests comprise the domain of Richemulot (pronounced REESH-muh-loh). All three are known for their finely constructed sewer systems. The landscape is largely undeveloped, broken only by isolated cottages and farms, because most of the domain’s population is concentrated in its three large settlements: Pont-a-Museau, St. Ronges, and Mortigny.. Each family inhabits a large home or series of buildings, as much as their numbers require. Most homes have fallen into ruin or disreapir. The Richemuloise are not possessive or materialistic folk, and don't feel much attachment to the things they own. In fact, most of what they have was found abandoned. At least a third of the buildings in each town lie abandoned or in ruins. These ancient towns are

12 usually bustling with people, yet their many vacant houses, shops and other structures give each an atmosphere of emptiness. Not even the Richemuloise know why the places they now call home were abandoned. The original inhabitants who so cleverly built these silent settlements remain a mystery. This seemingly egalitarian realm claims to value intelligence, guile, knowledge, and professionalism over material wealth, but corruption festers in labyrinthine sewers and behind the closed doors of the elite. Rider’s Bridge This furtive, mobile domain manifests on whatever road the sinister Headless Rider travels to pursue its next victim… Risibilos Risibilos is a small domain, with most living on the sides of a great rise that comprises the center of the realm. The slopes of this giant hill are covered in farms and hamlets, and at the top is the town of Risibilos. All of the buildings seem to droop or sag, as if worn by age. The native people are friendly, but dour and humorless, displeased with their lot in life. At the center of town, at the highest point, stands the castle of King Doerdon. They say once, the king outlawed laughter, but now the opposite is true: all residents of the domain, save for the king himself and his court jester, are required under penalty of death to start every sentence with laughter. After hearing each person you meet begin their every utterance with a joyless "ha ha ha," one begins to understand the unhappiness of the folk who live here. Some the king created the law under the influence of the jester, who is described as human in some tales, but in others as a ventriloquist’s dummy who takes on fanciful identities and costumes. Rokushima Táiyoo A beautiful archipelago, Rokushima Táiyoo is home to a sophisticated feudal culture known for its precise traditions of diplomacy, ancient philosophies, and artistic spirituality. Yet all of this advanced civilization’s many unmatched achievements are threatened by a relentless civil war between feudal rulers. The isles surround the Great Mirror Lake, which is fed by clear mountain springs and named for its glassy surface. The islands' landscape is rugged yet picturesque, offering frequent vistas of damp evergreen forests, arching wood bridges, sweeping mountainsides, and misty waterfalls. Each one of Rokushima Táiyoo’s islands is ruled by one of four shujin, warlike feudal nobles who can each call numerous lesser vassal warlords to their banner. The shujin are siblings, engaged in a ceaseless cold war with one another over the birthright each feels they were denied by their deceased father. This slow, smoldering conflict makes life hellish for the shujin's subjects, with samurai dueling in the streets, uncontrolled organized crime, and frequent incidents of sabotage of assassination. The shujin scheme against each other rather than governing, making the domain lawless even at its most peaceful. Everything gets worse when the unending struggle explodes into outright warfare. As the shujin's armies slaughter each other in gruesome battles, they take villages, shrines, monasteries, and farms with them. The common folk can do little but try to survive. Rokushima Táiyoo is also known as the Six Islands of the Sun, even though there are only four isles. The Rokuma claim that the two vanished islands sank into the surrounding waters of the Poison Sea after their defeated shujin were killed. Sanguinia Sanguinia is a domain of jagged, frozen mountains with treacherous slopes shrouded in primeval evergreen forests. Rugged outcroppings, bitter screaming winds, sheer ledges, and avalanches that choke passes for months at a time make travel a lethal challenge for all but the most hardened mountaineers. The dizzying peak of Mount Radu is often the

13 only visible landmark. East of Mount Radu, the glassy surface of Lake Argus is pockmarked with holes carved out for ice fishing. Similarly, Sanguinia itself is dotted with great standing stones, each with glyphs of mythic heroes and frightening behemoths. Whatever culture erected these monuments is long gone, their fate a mystery to all. The current inhabitants are rugged, plainspoken, and practical, eager to celebrate life’s small victories. They live in simple, thick-walled homes, masterfully constructed to keep out the cold. Much grander design is exhibited in Castle Guirgiu, the abode of the hereditary ruler, Prince Ladislav Mircea. Spired turrets pierce the mountain air, and the steep roofs of dark green slate are free of snow and ice. Though only a low stone wall and perpetually frozen moat guard Guirgiu, the locals are too terrified to approach. Young Prince Mircea is known for his cruel changes of mood and his oddly casual attitude towards his tyrannical rule. He is said to be incredibly handsome, but also reclusive, and even those subjects who claim to have seen him in the past haven’t laid eyes on him in years. Scaena Originally a theatre in Dementlieu, Scaena now appears in various cities at different times, in the Domains of Dread and beyond. It consists only of a single playhouse. Yet this performance venue includes a tastefullyappointed lobby, business offices, many different levels of seating, a gallery containing the complicated system of ropes and pulleys that moves the curtains and scenery, catwalks and trellises that provide for the hanging of lanterns and other lights, a deceptively deep wooden stage, the area beneath the stage where hidden trapdoors lead, a comfortable green room and backstage area with makeup tables and several dressing rooms, a scenery workshop where new sets are built and painted, plus a poorly lit basement that stores a bewildering array of props and costumes. While resident playwright Lemont Sediam Juste's plays are said to employ predictable plots, the performances themselves are astonishingly immersive. Sebua The forsaken domain of Sebua is a desert wasteland that shelters lost secrets and glittering evils. The sun scorches a landscape of trackless sand dunes, rocky flats, looming cliffs, sandstone buttes, and natural arches. Scattered oases barely yield anything but brackish water. No natives appear to dwell in this desolation, save the wild children of the ruins of Anhalla. In a sun-ravaged city of crumbling stone walls, lost children dwell in pitiful shelters of dried mud, having taught themselves how to survive in this harsh place. Belligerent baboons dart through Anhalla’s ruins as well, tormenting interlopers with their screeching and thievery. Yet on the outskirts of the rubble, intact stone structures can be seen, a magnificent walled estate. Travelers have reported hearing sweet music and laughter floating over the walls, but none has ever glimpsed the festivities within and returned. One oasis, known as the Red Oasis, bears an uncanny resemblance to the location

14 of the same name in Har’Akir. Folklore says that both are the same Red Oasis, and that when those who enter it in Har’Akir try to leave, they sometimes find themselves in Sebua. The Sea of Sorrows Often known by alternate names (such as the Sea of Souls or the Sea of Secrets), the Sea of Sorrows is a darkly cold and fog-bound sea. It is sparsely inhabited except for eerie beasts of the sea, and so vast its far edges have never been mapped. In some places, it is choked with debris and sargassum. In others, the surface is a wine-dark expanse so devoid of landmarks one might fear sailing on forever. Daylight is weak and sickly on the sea, while night is as black and oppressive as a tomb. Without stars to guide them, sailors find navigation exceedingly difficult, though wealthier captains have benefited from the magnetic compass in recent years. The sea has a reputation for being haunted by ghost ships, particularly the infamous pirate vessel Relentless. ISLANDS OF THE SEA OF SORROWS Though the Sea of Sorrows is vast and mostly devoid of residents, some of the scattered islands in the ocean are inhabited. The most prominent of those are: Blaustein, a small island and village ruled by the charismatic noble Bluebeard; Demise, one of two sizable islands in the Lamordian island chain called the Finger, is dominated by a seemingly impassable labyrinth made from white stone; Dominia, a tiny island, home to an asylum run by the world’s leading expert on mental disorders,Dr. Heinforth; Vigilant Bluff, said to be a place where weary travelers can find sanctuary—provided they show complete respect for the local faith and customs. Sailors’ tales say that the moonless, seaweed-filled seascape of Saragoss can be found in the Sea of Sorrows as well. Tales also say that this vast tangle of marine vegetation surrounds the Wildlands, a primal domain ruled by talking animals. The Shadow Rift The mother of all chasms, the Shadow Rift begins where the surrounding ring of land ends in sheer cliffs, as if crumbling into nothingness. Black fog swirling hundreds of feet below the Rift’s edge hides whether there is any bottom to the abyss. The Shadowlands Some scholars describe the Shadowlands as actually being two or three different domains, including the cursed and haunted forestlands of Avonleigh and a single accursed house said to be a domain all its own. Whatever the case, the destiny of all of the Shadowlands is known to be tied to the deeds of noble paladins, especially those of the Shadowborn family, such as the legendary hero Kateri Shadowborn. Today, Alexi Shadowborn has founded a new incarnation of his ancestors’ knighthood, the Circle. Another heroic paladin, Elena Faithhold, is famed as the Knight-Protector of the Province of Nidala. Sithicus Sithicus is a forest-bound kingdom of unfriendly and fractious elves, ruled over by a hated despot. The residents are supernaturally haunted by memories of the past and seem destined for a bleak future. Sithicus was once ruled by the infamous death knight Lord Soth from Nedragaard Keep, a castle at the center of the domain. Then an event known as the Hour of Screaming Shadows changed everything. Now, Nedragaard Keep is a crumbling pile of rubble, standing on a solitary black peak. Before the vanishing of Lord Soth, the kingdom was administered in the death knight’s name by the despised dwarf seneschal Azrael Dak. After the former lord disappeared, Azrael became the land king’s in name as well as deed. Natives of other lands recognize most of Sithicus’s denizens as what they might call high elves, though they are often known to outsiders as “hissing elves” due to their sibilant dialect of

15 Elvish (the name Sithicus comes from this language, meaning “Land of Spectres”). Referring to themselves as the Silvanesti, the natives wear clothes favored by elven cultures of ancient times, but in drab colors. These elves know little joy, and even their most beautiful creations are tainted by a sense of loss and despair. Arms and armor are unpolished and dented. Songs, poems, legends, and plays all tell of tragedy. Gardens are overgrown with weeds or made impassable by piercing thornbushes. Disrepair befalls once-wondrous architecture, blighting spiral towers of living wood with insect galls and rot. Yet crumbling settlements are still preferable to the savage wilds for travelers, and even for most of the native elves. Travelers tend to stick to the main roads that lead to the domain's principal settlements, HarThelen, Hroth, and Mal-Erek. Outsiders are treated with disdain or even hostility by the Sithican elves, who remain haughty and suspicious toward all other races and lands. Even human merchants who settled in these lands generations ago, who have married elves and raised half-elf children, are considered lesser beings. Communities of even more xenophobic natives are hidden deep in the domain's forests. Some are colonies of darkminded wood elves, Others are villages of a violent and unique halfling subrace known as the Afflicted Ones. Both usually kill outsiders on sight. The very existence of the Afflicted Ones is just a legend to most Sithicans, and the regions where they live are considered haunted by the elves, who avoid them fearfully. Souragne The hot and humid domain of Souragne is a lush river delta choked with dark bayous and infested with alligators. The residents dwell in two settlements, the eternally sinking Port d'Elhour and Marais d'Tarascon, a community

16 where above-ground crypts outnumber the residences of the living. Many of those who dwell here seek to placate the hungry spirits of the swampland. Called Maison d’Sablet by the Souragniens, the wooded swamp that covers most of the domain stretches out like a languid snake. Within the swamp is an infamous prison run by a sadistic warden. Staunton Bluffs A line of sandstone cliffs divides the small, rainswept domain of Staunton Bluffs in half, running north to south. The western region is flat and good for farming, with a few wooded patches. Eerily fearless regiments of mercenaries sweep across this countryside, burning villages and killing helpless peasantfolk. Their inexorable march is always towards Castle Stonecrest, the ancestral home of the ruling Bleysmith family, which perches upon the highest of the cliff. Tepest The forestlands of Tepest are said to resemble the idyllic country-sides depicted in children’s storybooks, though the land is prone to powerful storms. The Timori Road crosses the domain from east to west, hugging the sothern shore of Lake Kronov near the domains center and providing a route through the mountains. Two villages, Viktal and Kellee, house almost all of this domain's people. The folk here lead humble lives, living in small, white-washed cottages roofed with bundle of twigs and bark, but they decorate their homes with bright colors and intricate floral patterns. The locals are united by their superstitions. They say they can call on a benevolent forest spirit or deity called Mother for aid. Yet most Tepestani also live in fear of the fairy creatures they believe hide under every rock and in every brook, some of whom are evil fey who kidnap the wicked. Yet darker threats than these loom in the windswept mountains. When night falls, doors shut tight, and even herd animals are locked into sturdy, secure stables. Rumors say that beneath the fairy tale surface, the fervor of witch-hunting and inquisition simmers, ready to boil over into confused accusations, hasty public trials, and fiery executions. Timbergorge If fey informants once questioned by the Weathermay-Foxglove twins are to be believed, Timbergorge was once a forest valley in the Feywild called the Green Quills. After the young treant appointed to guard this place failed, allowing intruders to defile the woods and start a forest fire, the angry Archfey who claimed these lands cast the Green Quills out of the Feywild. Embittered and evil, the treant dwells in the place still, seeking to slaughter the werewolves he blames for his fall from grace. Whether or not the tale is true, survivors of accidental sojourns in the cursed place have confirmed the presence of an evil treant waging war against werewolves. After pouring molten silver over his jagged mouth to better kill lycanthropes, the treant became known as Silvermaw. Tovag The legend of the lich Vecna is known across the planes, and an important part of that legend is the tale of Kas the Bloody-Handed. This vampire served as Vecna’s champion, until he betrayed his master. Wielding the powerful artifact that bears his name, the Sword of Kas, he met the lich in a battle that supposedly destroyed them both—but the Dark Powers had other plans. Both were plucked away, and further news of Kas was not recorded until he was already the lord of Tovag. Aside from the Burning Peaks and the Tamross River, this wasteland is nearly devoid of landmarks. Karsican Way joins Tor Gorak and the Fortress of Kas, while three lesser roads lead out through the mountain passes. Kas believes they end in the domain of Cavitius, ruled by his hated former master Vecna. He builds armies of prisoner solders, led by undead commanders. They scour his land, capturing anyone they find

17 and forcing them to serve Kas as soldiers alongside them. They also hunt members of the elusive Cult of Vecna. Eventually, all of these armies march into the Mists to continue Kas’s war against the lich. Most sages report however, that there is no longer any evidence that Cavitius still exists. Ulbrion Little is known of the fog-bound Ulbrion archipelago, in the far north of the Nocturnal Sea. It is only recently that sailors have discovered a name for this place, which lies somewhere between Todstein and Vechor. What is known is that is home to a mysterious race of draconic seafarers occasionally glimpsed at sea. Believed to be a subrace of dragonborn, the Ulbrionitans occasionally dock their tall-masted sailing ships at ports in other domains. They usually seek to acquire spices, magnets, citrus fruits, or olives, seeking either to pay with rubies and gold coins or to trade their coal, iron, gun powder, or clockwork devices. They are usually armed with rapiers and pistols. Reportedly, whenever they cross certain parts of the Nocturnal Sea, these seagoing dragonborn never fail to sacrifice a large animal and toss the carcass over the side, along with an offering of their gold coins, bearing inscriptions in Draconic and the image of their queen. Valachan The domain of Valachan is the rugged home of the selfsufficient Valachani people. Until recently, they were bedeviled by the supernatural baron who ruled them, as well as the White Fever that drained their life and blood. However, some reports indicate that the baron, Urik von Kharkov, has been deposed and possibly killed. Unfortunately, the same reports also say that some new, dangerous force hunts the Valachani jungle. Verberek Towering forests, misty hollows, overgrown wetlands, and unnatural predators make the wild domain of Verberek far more than a treacherous backwater. Civilization is not welcome here. In this land, the wolf is master, and humans huddle in their isolated homes like cowering prey. Even the leading religion is worship of a dubious deity known as the Wolf God. There are no villages in Verberek, only small hamlets with a few families each. A circle of roughly hewn stones, each twice as tall as a man, stands at the domain’s center. The natives know to avoid “the Circle” on nights of the full moon.

18 The Vhage Agency One of a rare few domains comprised of only a single building, the Vhage Agency is also noteworthy as a domain adventurers actually seek to visit on purpose. It is a good place to find work as an occult detective, as adventurers with a more investigative bent are sought here. The woman who runs the business, Flimira ”Flintlock” Vhage, tracks supernatural mysteries and esoteric crimes across the Domains of Dread, and sometimes even gets wind of them from other worlds. She hires adventurers to take on these cases, investigating the true nature of strange events and reporting back to her. The Mists bring in operatives from adventurers from across the Multiverse. Vhage has worked with Mordentish lamplighters, inquisitives of Sharn, members of Waterdeep’s Force Grey, and lawmages of the Azorius Senate’s Lyev Column, and demonstrated a surprising understanding of all their techniques. The office itself is something of a mystery: once one passes through the frosted glass door, everything inside—including Vhage and the adventurers themselves—appears in monochromatic hues of grey. Vorostokov Travelers from other domains have occasionally stumbled upon the “valley of eternal winter,” but Vorostokov remains secluded, a land cut off from the outside world by icy, forbidding peaks. In this vast and unsettled realm, stolen from the continent of Cerilia in the world of Aebrynis, the desperate inhabitants of a dozen tiny, scattered villages struggle to survive. The domain’s log buildings are long and low, single-room structures that reek of pitch and pine resin. Animals, including reindeer and goats, are stabled inside residences so that their body heat warms the household. The native humans, known as the Voros, not only face freezing temperatures and scant food stores, but packs of ravenous wolves and the undead spirits of those who have frozen to death in the woods. Most subsist on the bounty of the boyarsky hunters who roam the icy planes and frozen coniferous forests, ruling with an iron fist and threatening rebel villages with starvation. Zherisia Some argue that Zherisia is actually two domains: above ground, the lonely city of Paridon, and below, in its expansive network of sewers, the horrors of Timor. Little is known of Timor, but Paridon is a sophisticated metropolis torn apart by popular anger and political dissent. Massive protests are a daily occurrence, driven by high taxes, shortages of food, and the fact that so many citizens go missing each night. One traveler, stolen by the Mists from the world of Gothic Earth, has described Paridon as a combination of two of her homeworld’s most politically dominant capital cities. RUMORED DOMAINS Beyond the confirmed domains, rumors speak of many more, but many of these may only be legends. Wild and wooded Farelle, forgotten Arkandale, the mourned city of Metrol, Vecna’s rumored domain of Cavitius,, the Necropolis ruled by Death itself, the mountain-top fortress of Skullcap, the vanished village of Tilverton, Castle Spulzeer and the magic dagger Aggarath, the Gothic Earth boom-town of Tombstone—none of these can be confirmed as true Domains of Dread as of this writing.

19 POINTS OF DARKNESS: NEWLY UNCOVERED DOMAINS Recently, a group of adventurers brought by the Mists from an outlander realm have found their way to Darkon, seeking lore of the new world in which they find themselves. One of their number has joined Darkon’s Fraternity of Shadows, and impressed them by bringing much new knowledge—including legends of regions of their homeworld that, judging by a number of well-documented details, seem to have been annexed by the Mists as their own Domains of Dread. One of the oldest cities in a human empire, Darani was ruled by an evil emperor known as Magroth the Mad, until he was killed by the hero Krondor... then Krondor was murdered in turn by his own brother Kalaban. The Mists claimed the city and returned it to the rulership of the undead Magroth the Mad. In a place called the Nentir Vale, Death of Innocence was the last temple of Nerull, the deity of the dead, until Nerull’s rival, the Raven Queen, sealed it away from the outside world. Histaven (also called the Withered Lands) is ruled over by the self-deluded tyrant Count Artius and plagued by the constant assaults of a wretched avenger known as the Rag Man. During the war between two empires now lost (a tiefling empire called Bael Turath and the draconic Arkhosia), the silver dragons Arantor and Imrissa attacked a tiefling outpost called Monadhan, only to discover they were wiping out a camp of refugees. When the two dragons fell into fighting, Arantor killed Imrissa, only to find himself claimed by the Mists as Monadhan's undead darklord. Another Nerathi city, Graefmotte fell in the last battle before the empire's fall, and became a Domain of Dread after its lord killed his own son rather than see him destroyed with the city. Sunderheart, known as the pleasure garden of the empire of Bael Turath, was also the ancestral home of the tiefling noble houses Dreygu, Zannifer, and Khanebor. It was once called the City of Carousing, but now this ruin is known as the City of Curses.

20 CHAPTER 2: LINEAGES The existing D&D rules include a number of fantasy race options when you build your character, and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft also introduced the concept of lineages, which can be a part of character creation or an option you choose to add to your character later. This chapter presents three new lineage choices for characters in your campaign: gloom-touched, half-golems, and shades. When you’re making a new character using one of these new lineages, use the rules below under “Creating Your Character” to fill out your character’s details. CREATING YOUR CHARACTER At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of one of the game’s fantastical races. Alternatively, you can choose one of the new race options in this book, or one of the following lineages. If you choose a lineage, you might have once been a member of another race, but you aren’t any longer. You now possess only your lineage’s racial traits. When you create a character using a lineage option here, follow these additional rules during character creation. ABILITY SCORE INCREASES When you determine your ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2, and increase a different one by 1. These increases can’t raise a score above 20. You follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. If you are replacing your race with a lineage, replace any Ability Score Increases you previously had with these. LANGUAGES Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of widespread languages to choose from. The DM is free to add or remove languages from that list for a particular campaign. If you are replacing your race with a lineage, you retain any languages you had and gain no new languages. CREATURE TYPE Every creature in D&D, including every player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race option presented here tells you what your character’s creature type is. List of Types. Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn’t work on a creature that has the Construct or Undead type. Having More Than One Type. Some creatures are of more than one creature type. If an effect works on at least one of a creature’s types, that effect can work on that creature. For example, if you are both a Humanoid and an Undead, cure wounds works on you, since the spell works on a Humanoid. GLOOM-TOUCHED Similar to tieflings, whose ancestry ties them to the Lower Planes, gloom-touched embody the eldritch influence of the Domains of Dread. In fact, some scholars have previously called them “Shadowfell tieflings.” However, unlike tieflings, for the most part gloom-touched are physically indistinguishable from members of the other races from which they descend,

21 though they tend to be taller, and often more wiry or muscular. Any child born in the Domains of Dread or the Shadowfell might be gloom-touched, though they are extremely rare. In other worlds, children born near Shadow Crossings (places where the Shadowfell connects with or overlaps the material plane) may also take on these traits. In Eberron, manifest zones tied to Dolurrh or Mabar also produce gloom-touched. However, not every gloom-touched is born this way. Some make the transition during adult world after spending too much time in the Shadowfell, or after making one too many crossing through the Mists. Gloom-touched have a special relationship with fear, and their talents allowing them to control fear in both themselves and others. SHADOWS ON SOCIETY’S EDGE The darkness in their nature makes gloom-touched feel like outsiders, even in their native homelands. They tend to distrust all except their closest companions. Truly misanthropic gloomtouched enthusiastically embrace their power over fear, seeing others as pawns to be exploited in the quest for power. Among mortals, gloom-touched often take up a life of wandering or live as social outcasts on the fringes of society. SIGNS OF GLOOM Those in the know can spot the gloomtouched by looking for four distinctive signs. First, they constantly exude a slight smell of smoke (whether woodsmoke, pipeweed, or some other scent, depending on the individual), even when perfumed or bathing. Second, their shadows always lag a split second behind them, and sometimes do not precisely copy their actual actions. Third, whenever their reflection is seen, the shadow of a knife’s edge is always falling across their face. Finally, they always have misty gray or black eyes. GLOOM-TOUCHED TRAITS You have the following racial traits. Creature Type. You are Construct and Humanoid. Size. You are Small or Medium. You choose your size when you gain this lineage. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Ancestral Legacy. If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that race: any skill proficiencies you gained from it, and any climbing, flying, or swimming speed you gained from it. If you don't keep any of these elements, or you choose this lineage at character creation,

22 you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice. Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Mastery of Fear. You can cast the cause fear XGtE spell once with this trait, regaining the ability to cast it when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell. Stalwart. Whenever you make a saving throw to avoid becoming frightened, you are considered proficient with that type of saving throw, and you add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus. Surprising Strength. When determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift, you do so as if your Strength score were 5 higher. Terrifying Strike. When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, in addition to the normal effects of a critical hit, you can push the target up to 15 feet away from you, and the target is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. CALIBANS In the Domains of Dread, individuals whose birth or childhood is believed to have exposed them to strange witchcraft, curses, the Mists, or the energies of Shadowfell are frequently known as “calibans.” In fact, the superstitious, untrusting folk of Ravenloft term have not only applied this term to the gloom-touched, but also to hexbloods (as described in Van Richten’s guide to Ravenloft), half-orcs (whose orc ancestry is unfamiliar to natives of most domains), tieflings, shadar-kai, and even aasimar. Often, the least-educated humans name anyone whose appearance they cannot understand as a caliban. Many receive this as an insult or condemnation, and the label can lead to internalized shame, frustration, isolation, and even rage. Many socalled calibans find better lives as wandering adventurers, leaving behind communities where ignorance all too easily becomes scorn. HALF-GOLEM You have had one or more portions of your body replaced with parts of a construct animated by an elemental spirit. Like all half-golems, you are the result of good-intentioned actions taken too far. Unlike an actual golem, you have a mortal soul animating your body and its new additions. While the application of a poultice infused with curative herbs or the casting of a spell can save the life of an injured or diseased person, only powerful magic can replace a missing limb. Such magic is often beyond the reach of common folk who survive such an amputation, so arcane artisans applied their knowledge of golem construction to come up with a way to replace lost limbs. While the initial results seemed promising, there was a limit to the effectiveness of the technique—merely replacing one limb is not enough to allow a mortal body to use it, due to its inhuman strength. Other changes are required to keep the new limb from tearing itself away from the body when its full strength is used. Replacing a single arm with an inhumanly strong one requires the replacement of most of the back and often at least one leg, for example. As a result, the term "half-golem" is apt. CREATING A HALF-GOLEM A humanoid can be transformed into a half-golem by means of the same techniques as used to make a golem. It requires a manual of golems, and the required costs in gold and time are halved. HALF-GOLEM TRAITS You have the following racial traits. Creature Type. You are both Construct and Humanoid. Size. You are Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Ancestral Legacy. If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that race: any skill proficiencies you gained from it, and any climbing, flying, or

23 swimming speed you gained from it. If you don't keep any of these elements, or you choose this lineage at character creation, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice. Heavy Limbs. When you take the Dash action, the amount of speed you gain from that action is reduced by 10 feet. Living Weapon. When you hit with a melee attack using a weapon or an un unarmed strike, you can choose to deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier instead of the normal damage. Minor Magic Resistance. When you make a saving throw against a spell or other magical effect, you add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to the saving throw if it doesn't already include your proficiency bonus. Resilient Form. You have advantage on all saving throws against effects that would push you, cause you to fall prone, or alter your form (such as polymorph) and you have resistance against bludgeoning damage from nonmagical attacks that are not adamantine. Subrace. Choose one of the following subrace options: CLAY HALF-GOLEM One or more of your limbs are sculpted from clay like the limbs of a stone golem. This clay is of an acidic nature, and exposure to acid strengthens and revitalizes you. It can barely contain your life force, allowing you to occasionally release it in a sudden burts of strength and speed. Acidic Clay. You have resistance to acid damage. When acid damage you would take is reduced by your resistance or another effect, you can use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to 1 + your level. Burst of Haste. You can use a bonus action to magically speed up your movements. Until the end of your next turn, you gain a magical +2 bonus to AC and have advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action. After you use your burst of haste, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. FLESH HALF-GOLEM One or more of your limbs have been rebuilt from a grisly assortment of humanoid body parts stitched and bolted together. This enchanted muscle tissue responds to the power of lightning, invigorating you with vitality and strength. Animating Spark. You have resistance to lightning damage. When lightning damage you

24 would take is reduced by your resistance or another effect, you can use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to 1 + your level. Fiery Frenzy. When you take non-lightning damage that reduces you to half your hit points or fewer, or when you take fire damage, you can use your reaction to enter a sudden frenzy. Until the end of your next turn, you have advantage on Constitution and Wisdom saves as well as melee attacks, but ranged attacks against you are made at advantage. After you use your fiery frenzy, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. (If another trait or feature allows you to enter a similar state, like a barbarian’s rage, this state and that one do not interfere with each other). IRON HALF-GOLEM One or more of your limbs are wrought of metal, enchanted and smelted with rare tinctures and admixtures. Those parts of your body look as if they’re covered with oversized plates of armor. Forged in Fire. You have resistance to fire damage. When fire damage you would take is reduced by your resistance or another effect, you can use your reaction to gain temporary hit points equal to 1 + your level. Metal Plating. Your metal portions grant you a +1 bonus to Armor Class. STONE HALF-GOLEM One or more of your limbs are sculpted from mineral like the body of a stone golem. Like a statue’s extremities, yours may be rough and rocky or as smooth as white marble. The enchantments that animate these parts change your relationship with time, and in combat you and your opponents can feel the world slowing around you. Slowing Aura. As an action, you can slow the passage of time for the creatures nearest to you. Each creature other than you within 5 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw. The DC for this saving throw equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. On a failure, the creature’s speed is reduced by half for 1 minute, and it cannot take reactions until the end of its next turn. On a success, the creature’s speed is reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn. A creature that fails can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. Once you use your slowing aura, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Stone Limbs. Your stone portions grant you a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

25 SHADE Ambitious, ruthless, and constantly expecting betrayal, shades are mortals who have traded part of their souls for a sliver of dark essence from another plane. No matter what race, nation, or land one was first born into, each shade undergoes a dark ritual of rebirth that transforms them into a creature of stealth and secrecy who is caught between life and death. In taking on the twilight powers granted to shades, they also take on dark thoughts from worlds beyond, creating an even darker disposition. This arduous ritual is as likely to slay its practitioner outright—obliterating body and soul—as it is to transform the subject into a shade. The first shades were citizens of Thultanthar, better known as the City of Shade, which was originally part of the nation of Netheril in the Forgotten Realms. Their High Prince spirited away the entire city and its population into the Shadowfell for 2,000 years. He also discovered the ritual known today in scholarly circles as the Trail of Five Darknesses, and used it to transform his most loyal subjects into shades. Competition to earn this honor was fierce, and those who won it referred to themselves as Shadovar. In the millennia after the creation of the first shades, a rare few mortals deciphered the knowledge of how to become a shade on their own. Sentient mortals of any ancestry can become shades. The ritual draws upon ambient shadow magic, and is most survivable when performed at places where the boundaries between worlds are the thinnest, usually near the borders of domains or crossings to the Shadowfell. Shades resemble their original mortal selves, though they sacrifice their native vitality to become slender creatures of shadow. Their eyes are orbs of dull black, dark gray, or purple. Their coloring takes on subdued hues, with most shades having pale or ashy skin and lank, black hair. They prefer dark, somber clothing of silk, suede, or supple leather, decorated with metal. It is common for shades to mask their true nature with magic or clever disguises, using their shadow powers as a screen against watchful eyes. In many cases, shades reject family or clan names from their past lives to take on the name of the domain, shadow crossing, or other place where they transformed. Only adult mortals can survive the rite. There are no such things as young shades, and shades produce offspring as normal for a member of their original race. The ritual also doubles a shade's normal life span. Usually, the pact that fuels a shade’s transformation ritual is made with powerful beings in the Shadowfell, or even with the Dark Powers themselves, but some negotiate with beings in the darkest depths of the Far Realm (known as “the Far Shadow”) or with deities connected to darkness or the Underdark. Most who become shades do so due to their own unbridled ambition or utter desperation. A few shades deny self-serving drives, seeking to overcome their shadowy taint. These shades reject their own kind and seek other company. Almost always drawn to the life of an adventurer, such shades try to earn the trust of a close circle of friends. defending those comrades with the ruthlessness for which their kind is known. Many have noted the similarity between the shade race and the elves known as the shadarkai. The transformation is believed to be similar, and in the past, it is believed many who have been called shadar-kai were actually shades. This accounts for much of the confusion between those who believe shadar-kai to have formerly been human and those who know them as elves. PATIENT AMBITION The transformation Shades undergo creates a consistent sense of ambition for which their

26 kind is known. No matter the justification, the conscious act of embracing the power of shadow changes that person. For many shades, having given up a portion of their own soul in the name of power means that no sacrifice is too great. Shades value restraint, poise, and patience. They bide their time in all things, keeping a low profile as they manipulate events to their advantage. The sliver of shadow within each shade subdues emotion. They still fees love, hate, pride, despair, and the like, but bury these feelings deep inside. A shade's smirk or frown carries as much weight as a half1ing's laughter or an orc's frenzied roar. A PATH OF THEIR OWN For each shade character, it is important to determine whether this was a path they choose to follow freely, or if they see the shadow as a curse and a burden they must bear. Shades stand between life and death. A part of each shade's soul has already moved on. Although shades still live, the shadow that fills subdues their mortal emotions. They are not given to rash action or sudden changes of plan, and do not rush into any situation where they have the option to first analyze the potential dangers. The strength of shadow is its ability to conceal, and shades take full advantage of their opponents' lack of awareness to read their weaknesses. If shades have a unifying ethic, it is the notion of protecting what is theirs. The things each shade calls their own—their possessions, their knowledge, even their friends—are precious to them, and those who attempt to harm or steal what is theirs suffer harsh retribution. They defend their goals and their allies with the same extreme prejudice, and woe to any creature that underestimates their wrath. SHADES IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD Wizards of Darkon have uncovered the Trail of Five Darknesses, as have elven mages in Sithicus (especially since the Hour of Screaming Shadows), students of Hazlik in Hazlan, swamp-dwelling mystics in Souragne, and devotees of the unique pantheon worshipped in Har’Akir. SHADES IN OTHER WORLDS OF D&D In Eberron, arcanists of Aundair and Karrnath have studied the energies of Dolurrh and Mabar to make the transformation. In the Forgotten Realms, many members of the Eshowe tribe of Chult became shades, particularly mages and clerics of Eshowdow, the Shadow Giant. SHADE TRAITS You have the following racial traits. Creature Type. You are Humanoid. Size. You are Small or Medium. You choose the size when you gain this lineage. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Ancestral Legacy. If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that race: any skill proficiencies you gained from it, and any climbing, flying, or

27 swimming speed you gained from it. If you don't keep any of these elements, or you choose this lineage at character creation, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice. Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Fragile Mortality. Whenever you regain Hit Dice at the end of a long rest, you must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. If you fail, you lose a number of Hit Dice equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded down). Blessing of the Raven Queen. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and translucent. Necrotic Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage. Subrace. Shadovar share certain traits that independent shades do not. Choose one of the described types as your subrace. INDEPENDENT SHADE Having become a shade on your own, you know the selfish ambition that drives most of those make the transformation, so you maintain a determined self-reliance when among your own kind. Yet you also know there is strength in numbers. Many shades congregate in settlements close to shadow crossings or on the misty borders of a Domain of Dread. Whether you are part of such a community or walk among the common folk, you sharpen your natural gift for stealth to a preternatural level, allowing you to walk unseen nearly whenever you wish. Swift as Shadows. You learn the shifting shadow* cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability score for it. If the space you end up in after casting shifting shadow* is not in direct sunlight, you can cause that space to be blurred and concealed by shadow magic, making it heavily obscured until the end of your next turn. Twilight Cantrip. Whenever you use your action to cast a cantrip during your turn, you can take the Hide action as a bonus action that turn. SHADOVAR Shadovar tend to be arrogant, having been raised in the Netherese city of Thultanthar to believe status as a shade was a reward for the most worthy. They find it difficult to trust others, but necessity has compelled them to make new alliances. A century ago, Thultanthar returned to Faerûn, leaving many Shadovar behind who were on missions elsewhere in the Shadowfell or in the Domains of Dread. Even for those who returned to the mortal world, the flying city soared above the deserts of Anauroch for only a hundred years before falling in a climactic battle. Having lost their ancient home, Shadovar are now forced to find their own places among mortals. Residents of many worlds find the attire, customs, speech, and equipment of most Shadovars oddly dated, since their culture was cut off from contact with mortal beings for over two thousand years. Shadovar adventurers often wear ornate robes or intricately filigreed breastplates, and for weapons they favor similarly-styled staves or halberds. Netherese Cantrip. You know one Evocation, Illusion, or Necromancy cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. Shar’s Bargain. When you cast a cantrip that has a casting time of 1 action, you can choose to inflict necrotic damage on yourself equal to your proficiency bonus to change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting. This damage cannot be reduced or prevented by any means. Once you use this trait, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

28 CHAPTER 3: SUBCLASSES & CLASS OPTIONS RULES REMINDER: SPELL SAVE DCS If a class or subclass feature allows you to cast a spell and its spell save DC isn't specified, the DC = 8 + your spellcasting ability modifier (which might be 0) + your proficiency bonus. RULES REMINDER: CANTRIPS ARE SPELLS Cantrips are 0-level spells, which don’t use spell slots. When a feature applies to spells, that feature applies to cantrips, unless the feature specifies that the spells must be of 1st level or higher or must expend a spell slot. THE BARBARIAN Barbarians dwell in many of the Domains of Dread, especially those where life is a daily struggle against the cruel terrain. Tiny homesteads in Verbrek labor to beat back the looming shadows of the forest. The frozen wastes of Vorostokov are dotted with tiny villages who are both at war with nature and dependent upon it. The burning sands of the Amber Wastes are seldom traveled by anyone but the native nomads. Communities, clans, and tribes need hunters, warriors, and protectors— and the most powerful of these are barbarians. Lone barbarians can be found in many lands, where they live as wandering mercenaries, fearsome adventurers, or solitary hermits. Among wood elves, goliaths, goblins, and the desert halflings of Kalidnay, barbarians are often champions or leaders. New Primal Paths PATH OF THE FLAME WARDEN The flame in the hearth, the embers of the grass fire, and the burning aftermath of a lightning strike all call to you, and the fiery elemental spirits tied to these lands by ancient pacts have chosen you. You channel your barbaric fury to infuse your body with a fiery primal radiance. Known as flamecunning, this power enhances your bouts of rage and wreathes your attacks in purifying flame. As you grow in power, the flamecunning fills and consumes you, keeping your flesh free of lycanthropy and other diseases, while inspiring your allies to greater prodigies of valor. Eventually, this flame burns so bright that your mere presence becomes a source of burning agony for your enemies. FLAMECUNNING STRIKE At 3rd level, as a bonus action, you can choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. Until the end of this turn, your melee weapon attacks against that creature ignore its damage

29 resistances, and if you are raging, the next time you hit it on this turn, it takes an additional 2d6 fire damage. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until after the end of your next turn. LIVING CRUCIBLE At 6th level, the primal fire in your soul burns away the taint of evil. You gain resistance to fire damage and have advantage on saving throws against magical diseases While raging, you automatically succeed on saving throws against contracting any disease, mundane or magical. HUNTER’S CRY At 10th level, the purifying flames within you can inflame the hearts of your allies. As an action, you unleash a howling battle cry. Until the end of your next turn, every ally within 15 feet of you gains advantage on attack rolls and saving throws, and hostile creatures within 15 feet of you cannot take reactions. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. AURA OF FIRE Beginning at 14th level, the potent force of your rage inspires your allies and instills fear in your foes. When raging, you emanate a fiery aura within a 15-foot radius. The area within your aura is difficult terrain for your enemies and any enemy that ends its turn within your aura takes fire or radiant damage (your choice) equal to your Rage Damage bonus. IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD The purging mystic fire and immunity to disease granted by this path make flame wardens implacable foes of lycanthropes. Many travel to lands infested with werebeasts, seeking to scourge the curse away. The domains of Barovia, Borca, Darkon, Falkovnia, Farelle, G'Henna, Invidia, Mordent, Nova Vaasa, Richemulot, and Sithicus all provide ample hunting, but those who hunt werewolves and the like seldom live long. There is little evidence for rumors of a similar infestation in Kartakass, a domain which instead remains famous for its skilled bards and potent meekulbrau wine.

30 PATH OF THE IMPLACABLE JUGGERNAUT You have been subjected to a cruel ordeal that changed you forever. Though you appear normal most of the time, blasphemous magical experiments have altered your fundamental nature. The unleashed curiosity of a renegade artificer, master necromancer, demented cultist, or other practitioner of ungodly enchantments left a monstrous alter ego seething within you, ready to be unleashed. Your rage is not only the fury of battle, but a metamorphosis into a terrifying new body far different from the one you were born with. BLASPHEMOUS REBIRTH IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD Bizarre experiments of the sort that might create barbarians of this path, as well as similar abominations like reanimated sorcerers (as described with the other sorcerer subclass in this chapter), are most often performed in Lamordia, whether by Dr. Mordenheim, researchers at Ludendorf University, or the “illuminated scientists” of the Syndicate. In their arcane research, students of wizardry in Hazlan often display a similar lack of moral compunctions. Hidden laboratories in Darkon, Mordent, or Paridon might yield similar results. But theoretically, any user of magic willing to torment intelligent creatures for the sake of knowledge might be responsible for an Implacable Juggernaut—including many Darklords. IN OTHER WORLDS OF D&D In Eberron, as the Last War grew more terrible and desperate, magical research pushed further and further beyond the laws of gods and mortals, seeking to create the deadliest soldiers imaginable. Most of this research resulted in new and deadlier warforged, but members of all races became test subjects for various attempts at transformation—attempts which may yet continue in certain dark corners of Khorvaire. TRANSFORMING RAGE Starting when you choose this path at 3rd level, while raging you can use a bonus action to shift into a larger and more horrifying form. This effect lasts for 1 minute, and does not end when your rage ends, though it does end early if you die or end it as a bonus action. When you use this feature, it grants you the following benefits: Your size increases by one category. Your physical size doubles in all dimensions and your weight is multiplied by eight. If there isn't enough room, you attain the maximum possible size in the space available. Everything you are wearing and carrying changes size with you, though any item you drop returns to normal size at once. While your weapons are enlarged, they deal an extra 1d4 damage. Your jump distance doubles. Your new appearance gives you advantage on all Charisma (Intimidate) checks, but disadvantage on all other Charisma checks.

31 DENSE FORM At 3rd level, your altered form resists all attempts to move it or change it further. Whenever you make a saving throw against a spell or effect that would alter your form, push you, or cause you to fall prone, roll 1d8 and add the die to your saving throw total. At 17th level, you roll a d10 instead of a d8. RELENTLESS RAGE At 6th level, your inhuman form heals itself when it suffers a grievous blow. While raging, when you take damage that reduces you to half your hit points or fewer, as a reaction you can instantly regain hit points equal to twice your barbarian level. Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest. PRETERNATURAL VIGOR At 10th level, your unnatural fortitude allows you to shrug off effects that would devastate or destroy a normal creature. You add the extra die from your Dense Form feature to all your Constitution saving throws and death saves, in addition to saving throws against the effects listed under that feature. If applying this bonus to a death saving throw increases the total to 20 or higher, you gain the benefits of rolling a 20 on the d20. SWIFT RETRIBUTION At 14th level, you instinctively lash out when struck. Whenever a creature within 5 feet inflicts damage on you, it provokes an opportunity attack from you. If the opportunity attack hits, you can move up to 10 feet as part of the same reaction without provoking further opportunity attacks. THE FORM OF THE JUGGERNAUT If you choose this primal path, it is up to you and your DM to determine the appearance of the larger form you can take on when you rage. Remember that this form grants benefits like those of an enlarge/reduce spell’s increase in size (including doubling of your physical dimensions, an even greater increase in weight, advantage on Strength checks and saves, and enlarged weapons), and so the description of the form should account for these things. A warforged would probably shift and transform to become a larger and deadlier construct, while beings of flesh and blood are more likely to grow into some kind of biological horror. Your weapons may appear to become part of you or transform to resemble natural weapons such as horns, fangs, or claws. The details of your new form give you no additional abilities except for the existing alterations granted by the Transforming Rage feature. Some possible ideas include: A many-armed titan with over-sized metallic claws on each hand. A batrachian aquatic hybrid with scales and amphibious features. A mummified undead colossus, wrapped in strips of ancient cloth that seem to move of their own accord. A berserk green-skinned goliath grown too muscular for the clothing that hangs from your frame in rags. A horned fiend with goat-like hooves and fiery red skin. A bulging, hunchbacked, flesh golem-like construct. A massively muscular, hirsute form that mixes your features with those of a large animal, like the hybrid form of a werebear or other lycanthrope. A Large-sized version of a frost giant or other giant subtype. A roughly-hewn statue of gray stone that makes a scraping sound when it moves its heavy limbs. A cyclopean, tentacled horror straight from the mad depths of Xoriat or the Far Realm. A massive warforged plated in thick armor and bristling with blades.

32 PATH OF THE RAVAGER You are connected to a multigenerational tradition of raiding established communities for resources and wealth. This may take the form of sea-raiding, horseback assaults as part of a large horde, or some other violent practice. Even the mightiest rulers must respect your people and your ability to devastate any settlement you target, and they offer bribes and negotiation to stave off your wrath. Your elders have taught you that fear is the greatest weapon of all. Barbarians on this Primal Path make terror their ally, depending on the panic they create to practice their ruthless trade. RAVAGING WAYS At 3rd level when you choose this path, you gain proficiency with your choice of one of the following: navigator's tools, one type of artisan's tools, one type of vehicle (land or water), or the Animal Handling skill. In addition, when you are not wearing medium or heavy armor, you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. SWIFT RAIDER Starting at 3rd level, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack while raging, if you moved at least 10 feet in a straight line immediately before making that attack, you can use your bonus action to force the target to make a Wisdom saving throw (DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). On a failure, it is frightened of you until the end of your next turn. DEFIANT GAZE Starting at 6th level, you can see up to 1 mile away with no difficulty, and are able to discern even fine details as though looking at something no more than 100 feet away from you. In addition, when you would roll a Wisdom (Perception) check or Wisdom saving throw at disadvantage, you roll normally instead. BRUTAL REPRISAL Starting at 10th level, when a creature fails its saving throw against your Swift Raider feature, it takes 1d10 psychic damage, in addition to becoming frightened of you until the end of your next turn. In addition, while you are raging, if a creature has attacked you within the last minute, you can use the bonus action granted by your Swift Raider feature on that creature when you hit it with a melee weapon attack, even if you did not move at least 10 feet in a straight line before the attack. INESCAPABLE FEAR Beginning at 14th level, while you are raging, frightened creatures within 5 feet of you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws that are not against spells. Whether you are raging or not, you make opportunity attacks against frightened creatures with advantage.

33 PATH OF THE REAPER Death marks you as its champion. Whether you follow your destiny willingly or strive against it, you are charged with speeding certain fated souls along to the next world. Often, a death dealer like yourself has a tribal or ancestral tie to lands where an afterlife realm such as the Shadowfell bleeds into lands where mortals dwell. It is also possible you nearly died and cut a deal with death to survive. IN OTHER WORLDS OF D&D Llegends in various worlds speak of barbarian warriors marked by the Raven Queen, or of the Valkyries—the “choosers of the slain.” Reapers often serve deities of death, fate, or the grave—such as Osiris, Kelemvor or Myrkul in the Forgotten Realms, or the Keeper in Eberron—and seek to claim the souls of those who defy their patrons. Non-human reapers are often tied to deities of earth and death, such as the halfling god Urogalan, Segojan Earthcaller of the gnomes, or the elven Naralis Analor. Among orcs, barbarians of this path are considered champions of either Shargaas or Yurtrus, but never both, and these reapers compete to harvest the most souls for the deity with whom they identify. STORMCROW SPIRIT Starting at 3rd level, a grim spirit in the form of a black-feathered bird attends you, escorting the souls of those you slay to the realm of the dead and at times assisting you. This incorporeal spirit usually remains on your shoulder, invisible to all creatures but you, but as a bonus action you can command it to move to any point you see within 60 feet of you. This command is not spoken; the spirit senses your instinctive intent for it. At the start of your turn, if the stormcrow spirit is more than 60 feet away from you, it vanishes from its current location and reappears on your shoulder. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though when it is visible it has the spectral appearance of a raven, crow, or similar bird. While your stormcrow spirit is present and within 60 feet of you, you have advantage on saving throws against becoming frightened, but when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you cannot choose to knock it unconscious instead of killing it. Whenever you reduce at least one living creature (not a construct or undead) to 0 hit points during your turn, at the end of that turn, if your stormcrow spririt is present and within 60 feet of you, it grants you temporary hit points equal to your Rage Damage bonus. Once the stormcrow spirit grants these temporary hit points, it vanishes to lead the slain creature’s soul to the afterlife, returning to you at the start of your next turn. Whenever your stormcrow spirit moves away from you or reappears after vanishing, its spectral form becomes visible to all creatures present until the end of your next turn. MAGIC OF DEATH At 3rd level, you can cast use your stormcrow spirit to cast certain spells, even while you are raging. You can compel the spirit to use you as a vessel to cast one of the following spells with the normal casting time but without using a spell slot or any components: detect evil and good, dread revelation*, false life, gentle repose, or warding wind XGtE . The spirit cast the spell through you, which works just as if you had cast it, using your Constitution or Wisdom (whichever is higher) as the spellcasting ability. You can even maintain concentration on a spell cast with this feature while you are raging. When the spirit casts a spell in this way with a range of touch, you can choose for it to deliver the spell itself or use you to do it, but when the spirit is not present, you cannot cast spells with this feature at all. When you cast a spell in this way, your current hit points and hit point maximum are both reduced by an amount equal to the level of the spell. This reduction can’t be lessened in any way, and the reduction to your hit point maximum lasts until you finish a long rest. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution or Wisdom modifier

34 (your choice). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. BOUND SOUL Beginning at 6th level, when your stormcrow spirit would guide a creature you killed to the afterlife, you can force both the stormcrow spirit and the dead creature’s spirit to linger for a time so you can ask the dead creature questions. When you gain temporary hit points from your stormcrow spirit at the end of a turn, you can use your reaction to prevent the stormcrow spirit from vanishing and force the animating spirit of a living creature (not a construct or undead) that you killed that turn to manifest above its corpse as an incorporeal spirit. While it is manifested in this way, you can speak to the dead creature in its spirit form and it understands your words, provided it could understand at least one language in life. It can also speak to you, assuming it could speak at least one language in life, and you can understand what it says. Whenever you ask the dead creature a question, it must answer. The creature’s spirit knows only what it knew in life. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, but the dead creature can’t speak a deliberate lie while communicating with you via this feature. It is aware of this, and if it would normally respond with a lie, it will instead be evasive in its answers, which it can do as long as it remains within the boundaries of the truth. It is unlikely to be cooperative, since you killed it and it almost certainly hates you. This effect ends once you have asked the creature five questions, or once 10 minutes have passed. When you use your reaction on this feature, your stormcrow spirit does not vanish at the end of that turn the way it normally would; instead, it vanishes when the effects of this feature end, taking the dead creature’s spirit with it, then reappearing alone at the start of your next turn. PUNISHING REBUKE At 10th level, those who would stop you from sending your foes to the afterlife pay a terrible price for interfering with destiny. While you are raging, when a creature forces you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to deal 2d8 necrotic damage to that creature. DEATH’S CHOSEN At 14th level, when you take damage from an attack, you can use your reaction to give yourself resistance to all of that attack’s damage.

35 PATH OF THE SHADOWCURSED Something unholy lives in you. When you rage, you let it out. For you, raging is not merely summoning up primal ferocity or venting your own anger, but granting another separate will control of your body for a time. The true nature of the shadowy presence in your mind may vary, or you may not understand it. It could be a vengeful relative’s spirit, the remaining vestige of forgotten deity of war, a dark splinter of your own personality, a tainted totem spirit, or the sentience that once dwelt in a cursed weapon but has instead moved into you. Whatever it is, it is now a part of you, and you know you will never be free of it. Some barbarians with this primal path are unusual for that class in that they were born or raised in an urban settlement or hierarchal society, but after whatever horrid doom put the shadowy second spirit in their mind, they were compelled them to leave. Such shadowcursed have lived outside of “civilized” ways for so long, they are highly unlikely to return. THE SHADOW WITHIN At 3rd level when you choose this path, you are cursed, and an evil intelligence lives within you, a foul shadow defined by the worst elements of your soul that makes a mockery of your ideals. You create an extra Flaw that is only in effect when you are raging. While raging, you have no Ideals. Because this secondary personality has a will of its own, it helps you to anticipate threats and resist psychic attacks. You add a bonus equal to half your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) to all saving throws against psychic damage or being charmed, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious. While you are raging, you gain additional benefits. During your rage, you add a bonus equal to your full Constitution modifier to all saving throws against psychic damage or being charmed, frightened, stunned, and knocked unconscious, instead of just half. Your eyes gleam with an unholy light when you rage, granting you advantage on Charisma (Intimidate) checks but disadvantage on all other Charisma checks. These abilities come with a growing curse, as the dark spirit within you torments you when you go too long without letting it out. When you would normally regain all of your Hit Dice, if you have not attacked a creature while raging within the past 24 hours, you immediately expend a number of Hit Dice equal to your proficiency bonus without gaining hit points. SHADOWCURSED WEAPON Starting at 3rd level, you are able to shunt the hateful shadow in your mind into a weapon it possesses, granting you some relief from its constant whispers and attempts to control you, though its influence never completely leaves your thoughts. You can transform one weapon you are holding into your shadowcursed weapon by spending 1 hour concentrating on that weapon, as if performing a sort of dark ritual. This can be done during a short rest. The weapon can be magical, but it cannot be an artifact or weapon that is already sentient. It ceases being your shadowcursed weapon if you die, if you perform the l hour ritual on a different weapon, if it is more than 100 miles away from you for longer than 24 hours, or if you use a l hour ritual to break your bond to it. While you have a shadowcursed weapon, that weapon is considered magical, and it inflicts additional damage on successful attacks equal to half your proficiency bonus (rounded up). In addition, the shadowcursed weapon loves killing, and rewards you with life-force stolen from its victims; when you make an attack with your shadowcursed weapon that reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). If you have gone without having a shadowcursed weapon for longer than 24

36 hours, you have disadvantage on Intelligence and Charisma saves. If another creature wields your shadowcursed weapon, they also gain the magical bonus to damage, but whenever a creature carrying your shadowcursed weapon rolls a d20, they take 1d6 psychic damage if the die comes up as a 1 or a 2. SUSPICIOUS THOUGHTS Beginning at 6th level, you can better harness the hateful vigilance of the shadow that rides upon your soul, as it warns of possible threats and casts its suspicions on the motives of those you meet. You add a bonus equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) to all Wisdom (Insight) and Wisdom (Perception) checks. BLOODTHIRSTY SHADOW Starting at 10th level, your shadowcursed weapon’s love of killing grows into a truly formidable power. While you are raging and wielding your shadowcursed weapon, you can use a bonus action to make one additional weapon attack with your shadowcursed weapon. In addition, when you attack with your shadowcursed weapon while it is not your turn, you gain a +2 bonus on the attack roll. AGAINST THE SHADOW Starting at 14th level, your long fight against the shadow blackening your thoughts fortifies your mind against influence. You gain proficiency with your choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma saving throws, you are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions, and you have advantage on all saving throws against enchantment spells. WEAPON OF DOOM Beginning at 14th level, your shadowcursed weapon has grown so powerful that it threatens everything around you, punishing your flesh when it is frustrated in its attempts to kill. While you are raging and your shadowcursed weapon is on your person or within reach, if there are any creatures within 5 feet of you at the beginning of your turn, you must choose one such creature and make an attack against it with your shadowcursed weapon if you are able. This attack does not expend your action or bonus action, and it is never made at a penalty for disadvantage. If the attack misses, you take psychic damage equal to your barbarian level. If your shadowcursed weapon is not drawn or in hand, you make it so as part of the attack, and if you do not have the necessary hand or hands free to wield your shadowcursed weapon, you must drop any item that would prevent you from wielding it.

37 PATH OF THE WIND WALKER You protect your people as a lookout, standing a lonely vigil on peaks of glaciers or mountaintops to watch for devastating storms or approaching armies—and the spirits of wind and winter stand with you. In the secluded silence far above your community, you hear the voices of stormy elementals, ancestral ghosts, forgotten demigods, and others. They teach you to wield mystical powers and bring woe to any who dares strike at you in your windblown aerie. IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD Among tribal groups and clans that dwell near mountains—especially in icy domains such as Sanguinia and Vorostokov—it is established custom to choose lookouts like you. They greatly honor the brave warriors who swear to spend all or part of their year watching over their kinfolk from distant heights, but don’t expect them to be the same when they return. TERROR ON THE MOUNTAINSIDE Starting at 3rd level when you choose this primal path, you are an expert in fighting while climbing. While you are not wielding a twohanded weapon or using a shield, you gain resistance to damage from falling, and if you have at least one hand free, you can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action. Also, you can roll a d4 in place of your normal unarmed strike damage. In addition, you’re naturally adapted to cold climates (as described in the Dungeon Master’s Guide), and you’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. CHILLING RAGE At 3rd level, the preternatural elemental power within you allows you to draw in a life-giving warmth from things and creatures around you. When you use a bonus action to enter your rage, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier + your barbarian level (minimum of 1). While raging, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points with an unarmed strike, you gain temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus. While you still have temporary hit points gained from this feature, you have resistance to cold damage, and your unarmed strikes deal an extra 1d4 cold damage. SPIDER ON THE ICE At 6th level, you gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. In addition, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. WINDSWEPT STEPS At 10th level, whenever you gain temporary hit points from your Chilling Rage feature, you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed until the end of your next turn. If your flying speed ends while you are in the air, you fall if nothing else is holding you aloft. AVALANCHE ATTACK Beginning at 14th level, if you begin your turn at least 10 feet vertically higher than one or more creatures you can see, the first time you hit one of those creatures with a melee attack during your turn, you can force that creature to roll a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your Constitution bonus + your proficiency bonus). On a failure, the creature is knocked prone and it takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1d12 + your Constitution modifier.

38 THE BARD Most bards learn their trade in larger settlements, or find their way to such places early in their careers. There they find more lucrative performance venues as well as exposure to arts brought from other lands. However, the fickleness of audiences also usually necessitates travel. Since travel is dangerous, common folk seldom leave their hometowns, yet alone their native domains. Wandering storytellers who offer news of distant lands are often received eagerly in new settlements, though distrust of outsiders remains common. Regardless of where they begin, many bards aspire to study at the famed bardic colleges of Kartakass. For those who study music and the performing arts, few opportunities are more prestigious than admission to the Harmonic Hall or performing in Harmonia's amphitheater. RULES REMINDER: TEMPORARY HIT POINTS DON’T “STACK” If you have temporary hit points and receive more of them, you decide whether to keep the ones you have OR gain the new ones. For example, if a spell grants you 12 temporary hit points when you already have 10, you can have 12 or 10, not 22. Temporary hit points can’t be healed, but unless a duration is specified, they last until they're depleted or you finish a long rest. RULES REMINDER: BEING CHARMED IS NOT MIND CONTROL Charming a creature does not, on its own, grant any control over the target or its thoughts. It merely makes a creature unreceptive to the idea of hurting you and more receptive to social interaction with you. The actual text reads: A charmed creature can’t attack the charmer or target the charmer with harmful abilities or magical effects. The charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature. The charmed condition often comes with additional effects when it is imposed by a spell or special ability (such as a vampire’s gaze), but the rules always call those added riders out specifically. For example, the charm person spell adds that the charmed creature “regards you as a friendly acquaintance,” but even this is not mind control. A knight protecting a king won’t let her “friendly acquaintance” into her monarch’s private quarters; the spell won’t make a blacksmith give away a fine suit of plate mail. Being charmed never creates consent or acquiescence to anything. Any spells or effects that do control a target’s behavior in some way, like dominate monster or crown of madness, always do so only as specifically described.

39 NEW BARDIC COLLEGES COLLEGE OF DESTINY You are gifted with prescient insights, allowing you to navigate the twisting roads of luck and fate. Traditionally, this college’s members wield bows and other ranged weapons, using their preternatural insights to aim with uncanny accuracy. Your foresight emulates that of legendary heroes who could sense truths that have not yet come to pass. By manipulating fortune and glimpsing the future, you help your allies avoid harm and fulfill their true destinies. PROPHETS IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD True prophets, like bards of this college or clerics of the Prophecy domain (described in the Cleric section) are rare in any world, but in the Domains of Dread the people are even more hungry for their words. Amid so much darkness and oppression, any prediction of better days to come—or assurance that one has a future at all—can make all the difference between sustaining hope and giving in to despair. BONUS PROFICIENCIES Starting at 3rd level when you join the College of Destiny, you gain proficiency in any one skill or tool of your choice. You also gain proficiency with all ranged martial weapons. INSPIRING PREDICTION Beginning at 3rd level, you inspire others by describing your visions of the future. When you give a creature a Bardic Inspiration die, that creature rolls the die immediately instead of waiting until it is used. Record the result of the die roll. When the creature rolls the Bardic Inspiration die on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, it can choose to use the result of that die roll or use the recorded result instead. In addition, when you hit with a ranged weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to roll a bardic inspiration die and add the number rolled to the weapon damage roll. MAGIC OF DESTINY At 3rd level, you learn your choice of one of the following cantrips: blade ward, guidance, intent laid bare*, jinx shot*, sword burst XGtE , toll the dead XGtE , true strike, or vicious mockery. You also learn your choice of one of the following 1st-level spells: cause fear XGtE , comprehend languages, detect magic, detect evil and good, detect poison and disease, identify, misdirected mark*, prophesied strike*, speak with animals, or staggering note*. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know. VIRTUE OF PRESCIENCE At 6th level, the wisdom of your forethought grants greater protection to your allies. When an attack roll is made against a creature that has a Bardic Inspiration die from you, it can use its reaction to roll the Bardic Inspiration die and add the number rolled to its AC against that attack, after seeing the attack roll but before knowing whether it hits or misses. Further, when a creature adds a Bardic Inspiration die from you to its AC or to a saving throw, if the number rolled is lower than your Wisdom modifier, treat the roll as a number equal to your Wisdom modifier instead. UNFOLDING FATE At 14th level, when things unfold as you have foreseen, you can use your prophetic knowledge to make a devastating strike. When a creature rolls your Bardic Inspiration die or uses its recorded die roll from your Inspiring Prediction feature, you can use your reaction to make one ranged weapon attack. The attack inflicts extra damage equal to the creature’s Bardic Inspiration die roll. If this attack targets a creature within 5 feet of the creature that rolled your Bardic Inspiration die, you have advantage on the attack roll.

40 COLLEGE OF INTRIGUE Anywhere competing factions jockey for position and plot against each other in pursuit of power, bards like you are invaluable. Your chosen group—whether it’s a secret society, a noble house, a thieves’ guild, or something else—taught you the value of loyalty and secrecy, and how to command fear and respect, whether by magic or other means. The key to your success and survival is an expert understanding of the desires, hopes, and fears of those around you. BLOOD INITIATION When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you have been fully initiated as a member of your secret society, and you have been trained in all their mysterious ways. You gain proficiency with your choice of one of the following skills: Deception, Intimidation, Insight, Performance, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth. You also gain proficiency with your choice of one of the following tools: disguise kits, forgery kits, poisoner kits, or thieves’ tools. In addition, you can communicate wordlessly with any other member of your secret society who can see you. If you can see them, they can communicate back. This is not telepathy, but a combination of gesture and innuendo that no one outside of your group can perceive without some kind of magical insight. ASSESS & EXPLOIT At 3rd level, you learn the hunter’s mark spell. You also learn the vicious mockery cantrip if you don’t already know it. These are bard spells for you but do not count against the total number of spells or cantrips you can know as a bard. When an ally attacks a creature that is the subject of your hunter’s mark, you can use your reaction to expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration, rolling a Bardic Inspiration die and adding the result to the ally’s attack roll. If the ally hits, they inflict additional damage equal to your Charisma modifier. IMPLIED THREAT Starting at 6th level, you can use what seems like gentle teasing, a polite word of caution, or even just a look to communicate a terrifying threat. When you cast the vicious mockery cantrip, you add your Charisma modifier to the damage roll. In addition, at 14th level, when you successfully strike an opponent with an attack,

41 you can cast vicious mockery as a bonus action, targeting only the opponent you struck. DANGEROUS SECRETS At 14th level, if you spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with a creature outside combat, you can expend one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration to cast the detect thoughts spell on that creature while you are interacting with it without using a spell slot, as long as it is not hostile to you. When you cast detect thoughts in this way, if you choose to probe deeply into that creature’s thoughts, you roll the Bardic Inspiration die you expended and subtract the result from the target’s Wisdom saving throw roll. On a failed save, the target is not aware you are probing its mind. In addition, when you roll an ability check or saving throw to resist any attempt to discern information about you, your plans, your location, or your thoughts, you have advantage on that roll. This includes effects that would read your thoughts or compel you to speak the truth. If you succeed on your roll, you can cast vicious mockery as a reaction, targeting the source of the attempt to discern the information. COLLEGE OF RESISTANCE As a student of the changing tides of history, you know those willing to rise up and overthrow unjust rulers can change the world for the better. Your bardic abilities allow you to lead and support such uprisings. Real change requires vision, determination, unity, and leadership, and you seek to nurture all these qualities. Like other bards, you can captivate an audience, but your goal is to educate as well as entertain. You inspire would-be rebels to action, showing them better worlds are possible and teaching strategies by which old orders can be overthrown. BONUS PROFICIENCIES At 3rd level when you select this bardic college, choose two of the following skills: Deception, History, or Persuasion. You gain proficiency with these skills if you don’t have it already. You also gain expertise with the two chosen skills, which means your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses them. FIREBRAND STRIKE When you join this college at 3rd level, you gain the ability to inspire others by striking a magically empowered blow. Once per turn, when you hit a hostile creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration to deal additional psychic damage to that target equal to your Bardic Inspiration die roll. If the target was at its hit point maximum when you struck it, you add your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) to the psychic damage. As part of the same action, choose a number of non-hostile humanoids within 60 feet of you who can see you, up to a number of them equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Each target gains temporary hit points equal to the roll of your Bardic Inspiration die, and can immediately use its reaction to move up to

42 half its speed towards a hostile creature it can see without provoking opportunity attacks. FEARLESS WORDS At 3rd level, you can use oratory or another kind of performance to inspire others in overcoming fear, defeat, and fatigue. After performing for at least 10 minutes, you can choose a number of non-hostile humanoids you can see within 60 feet who heard you for at least 10 minutes. The maximum number of creatures you can choose for this feature is equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Each target gains the following benefits: It gains 2d6 temporary hit points It recovers 1 level of exhaustion While it still has the temporary hit points gained from this feature, it has advantage on saving throws against becoming frightened or exhausted. The number of temporary hit points increases when you reach certain levels in this class, increasing to 2d8 at 5th level, 2d10 at 10th level, and 2d12 at 15th level Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. PROTECTED COMRADE Starting at 6th level, you can magically safeguard the destiny of an ally. As a bonus action, you can expend a bard spell slot to place a protective ward on one ally you touch. Until this ward ends, any bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage the target takes is reduced by an amount equal to 1 + plus the level of the expended spell slot. This effect lasts for 1 minute, or until you use this feature again. When a creature you can see within 60 feet of you hits the warded target with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack against the attacker. If that attack hits, it deals extra psychic damage to the target based on the spell slot you initially expended for this feature. The extra damage is 1d6 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell-level higher than 1st, to a maximum of 4d6. MANTLE OF DEFIANCE At 14th level, you can infuse spells of freedom and defiance into your comrades. When a creature gains temporary hit points from your Fearless Words or Firebrand Strike feature, while it has those temporary hit points, it is immune to the charmed condition and gains all the benefits of the freedom of movement spell. IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD These benighted lands have no shortage of unjust rulers. The cruel warlord Vlad Drakov of Falkovnia, Sithicus’s dwarf tyrant Azrael, the reclusive sorcererking of Kalidnay, the theocratic Yagno Petrovna of G’henna, and Strahd himself are only a few examples. Most bards of this college work covertly in such an oppressor’s domain, pretending to be mere entertainers as a cover for their true agenda.

43 COLLEGE OF TESTAMENTS It is a common belief among bards that the stories and songs of a people live on after they are gone, if only there is someone to hear them. You listen for the voices of the departed, preserving lost cultures and the memory of extinct species. Many pay more heed to messages from the planes beyond, but you are most attuned to spirits and other echoes that remain in the mortal world. Despite this, your respect for the spirituality of those who have passed gives you a greater connection to the divine than most other bards. Such unheard lore is often found in desolate or isolated places, such as the frozen north, where lost settlements are buried and footsteps of ancient immigrants can still be heard on the wind. While others might see newly unearthed ruins, buried tombs, or the remains of dinosaurs trapped in the ice as curiosities, or even sources of plunder, you are honor them as opportunities to preserve the legacy of the forgotten. Thus, many members of this college dwell farther from large settlements than other bards would. BONUS PROFICIENCIES At 3rd level when you select this bardic college, you gain proficiency with your choice of two of the following skills: Animal Handling, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Performance, Persuasion, Religion, or Survival. CALL SPIRIT WITNESS When you join this college at 3rd level, you can use a bonus action to magically summon a spirit witness, an incorporeal remnant of a creature that once dwelled in the nearby area. You summon your spirit witness to a point you can see within 60 feet of you. It counts as neither a creature nor an object, though it has the spectral appearance of the creature it represents. It grants you and all creatures within 5 feet of it advantage on saving throws against necromancy spells and on Intelligence checks related to creatures or cultures that have lived within 1 mile of the location where it was summoned. As a bonus action, you can move the spirit up to 60 feet to a point you can see. The spirit persists until you’re incapacitated or you finish a short or long rest. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it

44 again until you finish a short or long rest. REMEMBERED GLORIES At 3rd level, you can call on your spirit witness to channel its memories of past heroism and triumphs into you and your allies. When a creature within 5 feet of your spirit witness hits with a weapon attack, you can expend one use of your Bardic Inspiration as a reaction to deal psychic damage to the target hit by that attack, and to one other creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of the first target. The damage equals your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) + the number you roll on the Bardic Inspiration die. Until the start of your next turn, a creature that takes this psychic damage has disadvantage on any attack roll that isn’t against the creature that hit it with the initial attack. ARCANA UNEARTHED Starting at 6th level, you learn the clairvoyance and speak with dead spells. These are bard spells for you, but they do not count against the number of bard spells you know. When you cast clairvoyance, rather than creating a spherical sensor, the spell invisibly summons the spirit of a creature that once lived in the nearby area and instantly sends it to the chosen location. In addition, whenever you summon a spirit with your Call Spirit Witness feature, you can choose one of the divine domains available to the cleric class. As long as the summoned spirit persists, you can cast the domain spells bestowed by that domain as bard spells, channeling the knowledge of how to do so from the spirit. You cast these spells as if they were your bard spells, but each must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the bard table, and you must use a spell slot of an appropriate level to cast it. You do not gain any other features or benefits of the chosen domain. CELESTIAL LEGACY Starting at 14th level, your spirit witness calls upon ancient holy covenants to protect you when you are at your most vulnerable. If you are reduced to 0 hit points or are incapacitated against your will while you have a summoned spirit witness, you can immediately gain the benefits of the conjure celestial spell as if it were cast using a 9th-level spell slot, summoning a celestial of your choice that is challenge rating 5 or lower. The conjured celestial appears within 20 feet of you. If it receives no commands from you, it protects you from harm and attacks your foes. The spell lasts for 1 hour, requiring no concentration, or until you dismiss it (no action required). Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.

45 THE CLERIC In some worlds, clerics feel the strength or support of their deities tangibly, in their hearts and souls. In Ravenloft, this is replaced by a hollow feeling of emptiness or distance. Clerics continue to receive their spells, but here there is no direct divine guidance. For natives, this long, dark night of the soul is the norm, but many clerics from elsewhere struggle with their faith. Many of Ravenloft’s religions are more darkness than light. More clerics here preach Bane the Lawgiver’s ceaseless demands of obedience or Zhakata's ravenous cruelty than the compassion of Ezra or the Morninglord, The heroism of clerics who preach more nurturing faiths is as rare as it is vital, whether it’s a local pastor shepherding her congregation, or itinerant priests who bring both spiritual aid and worldly salvation to other domains. New Divine Domains DEFIER DOMAIN Clerics of this domain are not true clerics, though they have similar abilities. Disillusioned or heretical, they have disavowed the worship of any deities they once believed in. Most consider the divine mysteries of the gods (whom they often refer to only as "powers") to be elaborate scams. Many defiers believe that the creatures called “gods” are not changeless, ineffable beings, but merely entities that have achieved a greater level of power—but who are still as fallible as mortals. Such "clerics" often work tirelessly to discredit the gods, interfering with their clergy and attempting to liberate their congregations from what they consider false faith. To maintain spellcasting abilities that equal those of religious clerics, some defiers enter into some kind of arrangement with a powerful being, like the otherworldly pact of a warlock. There are no delusions of divinity or worship involved in these arrangements; the defiers know what they are getting into, and are willing to pay the price. Other defiers instead align themselves with the supreme force they call "the Great Unknown." This entity transcends the alleged gods (whom they consider to be powerful beings rather than divine creators worthy of worship). After all, some force must have created the planes of reality and given mortals their innate sense of good and evil. Such a force could not merely be one of the petty powers, however, wrangling with rivals and driven by greedy narcissism to seek worship. Rather, the force behind all creation must be unequalled and beyond such temporal concerns. Defiers aligned with the Great Unknown call themselves the Athar, and they are a very influential faction in some parts of the Outer Planes, especially the city of Sigil.

46 DOMAIN SPELLS You gain the following spells at the cleric level listed: DEFIER DOMAIN SPELLS LEVEL SPELLS 1st detect evil and good, sanctuary 3rd calm emotions, silence 5th intellect fortress TCoE , counterspell 7th aura of purity, Mordenkainen’s private sanctum 9th banishing smite, modify memory BONUS PROFICIENCY When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and with all martial weapons. UNBINDING STRIKE At 1st level, when you hit a target with an attack roll, you can expend a spell slot to attempt to free that target from the influences of planar powers—whether they want that freedom or not. The target you hit takes extra psychic damage equal to twice the level of the spell slot you expended for this feature, and any divination, enchantment, or illusion spell that is on the target ends if it is of a level equal to or lower than that spell slot. In addition, if the damaged creature is concentrating on a spell, the DC of the saving throw it makes to maintain its concentration is equal to your cleric spell save DC or half the damage dealt, whichever is higher. CHANNEL DIVINITY: SKEPTIC’S REBUKE Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to repel those you see as representative of the so-called gods. As an action, you present your holy symbol and one aberration, celestial, fiend, or humanoid spellcaster of your choice with 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw, provided it can see or hear you. If the creature fails its saving throw, it is turned for 1 minute or until it takes any damage. A turned creature must spend its turns trying to move as far away from you as it can, and it can't willingly move to a space within 30 feet of you. It also can't take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it from moving. If there's nowhere to move, the creature can use the Dodge action. After you reach 5th level, when a creature fails its saving throw against your Skeptic’s Rebuke feature, the creature is banished for 1 minute (as the banishment spell, no concentration required) if it isn't on its plane of origin and its challenge rating is ½ or lower. As you reach higher levels in your cleric class, the challenge rating can be higher, as follows: CR 1 at 8th level, CR 2 at 11th level, CR 3 at 14th level, and CR 4 at 17th level. DEFIANT MIND Starting at 6th level, your defiant nature grants you resistance to psychic damage. In addition, when you hit an aberration, celestial, or fiend with an attack, or any creature that has regained hit points since the end of your last turn, you deal additional psychic damage to it equal to your cleric level. DISILLUSIONING STRIKE At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with psychic energy. Once during each of your turns, when you deal damage to one or more targets, you can choose to deal an extra 2d4 psychic damage to one of those targets. At 17th level, this extra damage increases to 3d4. UNSHACKLED WILL At 17th level, you gain resistance to necrotic damage and radiant damage, and you have advantage on all saving throws against divination, enchantment, or illusion spells.

47 EXORCISM DOMAIN Most churches dedicated to good-aligned gods maintain a covert order, a hidden group given unique powers to intervene when otherworldly violations threaten the innocent. There are very few of you,and being organized at all is very new for clerics called to your divine mandate. Yet secrecy remains paramount. If common folk knew the nature and scale of the threat constantly posed by abominations, fiends, and other horrors from outside the world, how could they go on with their lives? When absolutely necessary, you alter the memories of those who have encountered the darkest forces you fight. Most clerics of this domain hate violating the minds of the innocent, but sparing common folk such knowledge is considered a mercy, and often prevents a nearcertain loss of sanity. This domain is most common among deities of protection, duty, or vigilance, but any god concerned with preserving the mortal world against extraplanar incursion may grant its powers as necessary. Clerics of this domain often care little for their own appearance, but maintain their tools devotedly. Their armor and clothing are commonly embroidered, painted or inlaid with sacred verses, holy writings, and religious symbols. EXORCISM DOMAIN SPELLS Cleric Level Spells 1st protection from evil and good, shield 3rd arcane lock, see invisibility 5th counterspell, magic circle 7th banishment, Mordenkainen’s private sanctum 9th circle of power, dispel evil and good BONUS PROFICIENCIES When you choose the Exorcism domain at level 1, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and with one martial weapon of your choice. You also gain proficiency in the Insight, Investigation, and Perception skills. You add a bonus equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1) to your passive Perception and passive Insight scores, instead of your normal proficiency bonus. EXORCIST’S STRIKE From 1st level, when you hit with a melee attack during your turn, you can use your bonus action to force one target of the attack to roll an Intelligence saving throw. On a failed save, you grant psychic protection to one ally of your choice within 30 feet of the target. The next time the target attacks the protected ally or forces that ally to make a saving throw before the end of its next turn, it takes 2d4 psychic damage. Once you reach 11th level, you add your Wisdom bonus to this damage. ANOINTED VIGILANCE Starting at 2nd level, whenever you use the Turn Undead option of your Channel Divinity feature, instead of affecting undead with this ability, you can choose to affect one of the following types of creatures: aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, or fiends. Otherwise, the effect is identical to when you use Turn Undead, and creatures of the chosen type suffer the same effects. In addition, whenever you cast detect evil and good, you can make a special quick use of it to avoid interfering with your concentration on other spells. You can change the spell’s duration from “Concentration, up to 10 minutes” to “1 round” for this casting, gaining its benefits only until the end of your next turn. PROTECTIVE PRAYERS Beginning at 6th level, when a hostile creature within 5 feet of you makes an opportunity attack, that attack roll is made with disadvantage. If the attack still hits, the attacker takes radiant damage equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

48 DIVINE STRIKE At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8. UNCANNY PROTECTOR Starting at 17th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you or a creature within 5 feet of you with an attack, you can use your reaction to grant the attack’s target resistance to one type of damage dealt by that attack until the end of its next turn. HEARTH DOMAIN The warm security of hall and hearth is sacred to many cultures and faiths. Naturally, the hearth-flames of one’s home are also symbolic of community, family, and safety. Like clerics of the Light domain, they believe in the holiness of fire, but for Hearth clerics, gathering around the fire and its warmth is what provides the true sanctification. Deities who grant this domain are patrons of mothers, children, and those who protect them, and they confer special blessings on the meeting places of those who govern communities. Hearth clerics eschew large temples for smaller shrines and sanctuaries, often within larger homes or strongholds. They defend and unite communities, preside over the quotidian rituals of daily life, and see to proper rites. HEARTH DOMAIN SPELLS Cleric Level Spells 1st faerie fire, sanctuary 3rd flame blade, lesser restoration 5th Leomund’s tiny hut, fireball 7th fire shield, Otiluke’s resilient sphere 9th flame strike, hallow BONUS PROFICIENCIES When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor. CREATE HEARTHFIRE When you choose this domain at 1st level, you learn the create bonfire XGtE and fire hawk* cantrips as cleric spells if you don’t already know them. These count as cleric spells for you, but don’t count against the number of cantrips you know. When a creature fails its saving throw against the fire created by your casting of the create bonfire XGtE cantrip, you can always choose for that creature to succeed instead. HEARTHFIRE WARD At 1st level, when you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that would create fire or inflict fire damage, you can choose a friendly creature within 30 feet. The chosen creature gains temporary hit points equal to your cleric level + your Wisdom modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest. HOLY FIRE Starting at 2nd level, you can use your Channel Divinity to call down blessed flame which heals allies but scourges enemies. As an action, you present your holy symbol. Each non-hostile creature of your choice within 30 feet of you is healed for a number of hit points equal to 2d6 + your cleric level. At the same time, each hostile creature of your choice within 30 feet of you must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes either fire or radiant damage (your choice) equal to 2d6 + your cleric level on a failed saving throw, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that has total cover from you is not affected. DEFENDING FLAMES Beginning at 6th level, when you deal fire damage to a Large or smaller creature, you can

49 also push that creature up to 10 feet away from you. DIVINE STRIKE At 8th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with divine energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 fire or radiant damage (your choice) to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8. SAINT OF HEARTH AND HOME Starting at 17th level, you gain resistance to fire and necrotic damage. As an action, you can temporarily give up both of these resistances, transferring them to one other creature you touch. The creature keeps these resistances until the end of your next short or long rest, or until you transfer them back to yourself as a bonus action. IN THE DOMAINS OF DREAD Clerics of the Hearth domain are actually more common in the Land of Mists than they are in other worlds. In this realm of darkness and fear, most peoples’ daily lives and sense of safety are that much more dependent upon the fires of hearth and home. Any village lacking a large church or temple likely has a small, humble shrine to a hearth deity. Frequently, such a shrine has an “eternal flame,” a fire that is never permitted to go out. GODDESSES OF THE HEARTH In most worlds, deities granting this domain tend to not to be male. They include the goddess Boldrei in Eberron and Eldath and Lliira in the Forgotten Realms, as well as Hathor and Isis of the Mulhorandi pantheon, the dwarf goddess Berronar Truesilver, the halfling deities Cyrrollalee and Yondalla, the orc goddess Luthic, and the giant goddess Hiatea. PROPHECY DOMAIN This is the domain of fate, destiny, and prediction. Unlike most other divine domains, it is not always granted by a god associated with those particular phenomena. Instead, any deity that wishes to have a more direct voice among mortals can bestow upon a cleric the prophetic gifts provided by this domain. While the power to foretell the future is great, it comes with a burden to bear as well. All these prophets have an affliction that is married to their unique boon, a physical metaphor for the double-edged nature of their oracular abilities. Other clergy often refer to this affliction as a “thorn,” and speak of it with reverence, as well with a quiet relief that they were not the one to receive such a gift. DOMAIN SPELLS You gain domain spells at the cleric levels listed in the Prophecy Domain Spells table. See the Divine Domain class feature for how domain spells work. PROPHECY DOMAIN SPELLS Level Spells 1st detect evil and good, hunter’s mark 3rd augury, find steed 5th bestow curse, clairvoyance 7th arcane eye, divination 9th commune, dream BONUS CANTRIPS Starting at 1st level, you receive constant—and at times, overwhelming—insight from your prophetic gifts. You learn the guidance and vicious mockery cantrips. These count as cleric cantrips for you, but they don’t count against the number of cleric cantrips you know. When you cast vicious mockery, instead of insults, you utter prophecies of punishment for the target’s transgressions. BONUS PROFICIENCIES At 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Insight and Religion skills.