Ravenloft Campaign Setting

The World of Ravenloft

II this was forgot in contemplating the How to Use This Book
glorious and awful scenery before him
— light struggling with darkness — and You now hold the core book for the D20
dark-ness menacing a light still more Ravenloft setting. It contains all the guidelines you
terrible, and announcing its menace in the blue and need to play in a Ravenloft campaign or to apply
livid mass of cloud that hovered like a destroying its Gothic atmosphere to any setting of your own
angel in the air, its arrows aimed, but their direction creation. You will need the Player's Handbook,
awfully indefinite. Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual to
make full use of these new rules.
— Charles Maturin, Melmoth the Wanderer
If you plan to run a Ravenloft campaign, you
Beyond mortal senses, beyond your reality, may find the next two Ravenloft releases useful:
there lurks a boundless plane. It permeates your Secrets of the Dread Realms is filled with forbid-
world and fills the void between worlds. It is the den lore for the DM, including the identities and
border between the lands of the living and of the powers of Ravenloft's infamous darklords. Deni-
dead. There, mind and matter become one; thought zens of Darkness is a compendium of the most
and passion, fear and yearning can become more chilling and lethal creatures known to lurk in
tangible than iron. It is the Ethereal Plane. Ravenloft's misty realms.

Somewhere, lurking deep within those ethe-real Chapter by Chapter
mists, a dark and nameless dimension is ruled by
dark and nameless powers. Some say it is a prison This chapter introduces the Ravenloft setting,
for the damned; some say it is a crucible to test the including a lexicon of common terms used in
virtuous. Others simply call it home. It is a land of Ravenloft campaigns.
mist and shadow, love and death, sacrifice and
seduction, beauty and horror. It is a land of whis- Next, Chapter Two: Player Characters pro-
pered fears made manifest. It is the Realm of Dread. vides all the changes needed to reshape heroes for
Gothic adventures. This chapter also introduces a
Perhaps you have sensed its touch. At the new race, the giogoto, and new skills, feats, reli-
bidding of the Dark Powers, tendrils of the ethereal gions, and equipment.
Mists that bind this land reach out to caress the
Material Plane. They stroke the skin at the back of Chapter Three: Ways of the World offers the
your neck when a creaking floorboard warns that game rules that form the foundation of Gothic
you are not alone in the dark. Their invisible fingers adventure campaigns. These include new rules for
crawl down your spine when inhuman shadows fear, horror, and madness; laying curses of ven-
rustle at the edges of your vision. geance; powers checks; and the changes imposed
on spells and magic items.
The Mists do more than merely caress. The Dark
Powers are drawn to innocence and villainy, to Chapter Four: The Dread Realms provides a
loathing and desire, to obsession, and to despair. player's guide to more than forty of the domains
They seek out squandered dreams and inner demons. that compose the world of Ravenloft.
They savor the decay of the spirit. Their Mists
snatch up fiends at the moment of their ruin and Chapter Five: Horrors of the Night offers
steal upon heroes in times of doubt. expanded rules for the most infamous creatures
known to haunt the Realm of Dread, from vam-
To what end do the Dark Powers add these souls pires to lycanthropes to hags. A DM can use these
to their tarnished collection? To torment them? To rules to ensure that her players will never know
purify them? None can say, for few souls drawn into exactly what to expect from their foes. This chap-
the Realm of Dread ever leave to tell the tale. Yet ter also details Ravenloft's mysterious gypsies, the
perhaps you will soon learn for yourself, for tonight, Vistani.
the Mists have come for you.
Finally, Chapter Six: The Ravenloft Campaign
Welcome to the Land of Mists. Welcome to the
crucible of virtue and the spoils of damnation. offers advice to players and DMs on how to
Welcome to the Realm of Dread.
explore the themes and concepts inherent to
Welcome to Ravenloft.
Gothic adventures.

5

Chapter One

Changes Wrought Early Gothic Tales

With this edition of Ravenloft, you will note Early Gothic novels were tales of mystery,
the obvious systemic changes to the Dungeons & romance, and brooding horror. They were
Dragons, 3rd Edition rules. typically set in earlier times, though their authors
were more concerned with instilling an
Also, it is our intent with this presentation of atmosphere of decadence and decay than with
the Ravenloft setting that whole campaigns be achieving any sense of historical accuracy. At the
played herein. While the Realm of Dread is still as heart of these early tales sat the vast and
suitable for a "weekend in hell" for outlanders, the crumbling Gothic castles that gave the genre its
setting has been made more internally consistent name. These ancient citadels were more than mere
and suitable for extended games. It is, by nature, a scenery. Their slow descent into picturesque ruin
darker world this time around, but still evocative reflected the spiritual decay of their masters, their
of the fantasy environment. While we have no secret passages spoke of ancient mysteries, and the
intention of introducing the introspection and specters that walked their halls decried old crimes,
sometimes florid horror of some of White Wolf neither avenged nor forgotten.
Game Studio's other settings, we still want you to
gather around the table to play and occasionally The master of the castle — and villain of the
jump or cringe at Ravenloft's terrors. It is a world tale — was a murderer and usurper who had
of Gothic adventure, ready for your heroes to unwittingly sacrificed all hope for happiness in a
brave its dangers. Much less emphasis is placed on relentless, Faustian pursuit for knowledge, power,
getting in and "going home"; this edition presumes or pleasure. The protagonist paled in comparison,
that your exploits in Ravenloft will occur on a usually assuming the role of a lovely and innocent
much longer-term scale. To that end, we've young maiden imperiled by the villain's desires, or
emphasized cohesion and scaled back on the a brave young man laid low by a stolen birthright.
camp.
Gothic tales were infused with an atmosphere
The Gothic Mystique of supernatural dread. Ancestral curses and
mournful ghosts manipulated events and eroded
t might be said that the Gothic novel is a the characters' sanity. Unnatural deformities such
primitive detective story in which God as scars, strange birthmarks, or hunched backs
or Fate is the detective. turned men into monsters, apparent punishments
for the crimes of their fathers. Gothic tales evoked
—E. F. Bleiler, editor, Three Gothic subtle horrors, deriving terror from foreboding,
not gore — the knowledge that the coming sunset
Novels will free a vampire from its crypt, not the grisly
Imagine a scene set in an earlier age, resem- details of a werewolf s rampage. Indeed, the
bling a highly romanticized version of our own supernatural was presented so subtly in early
medieval era. It is a world still beholden to ancient Gothic novels that it was often explained away
superstitions. A meager handful of valorous young entirely once the tale's central mystery was
men and women explores an ancient ruin, seeking resolved. In the brightness of day, ghosts became
to uncover the sinister web of mystery locked tricks of the light; eerie creatures became mad
within its maze of secret passageways. In these hermits.
shadowed halls, our heroes face many supernatural
threats — but none are so terrible as the powerful One supernatural presence could not be de-
and corrupt master of the keep, who sits at the
center of both the ruin and its mystery. nied. Behind the scenes, the forces of divine Good
These images, familiar to any dungeon-
crawler in modern fantasy roleplaying, first burst and Evil dueled to drive the tale to its conclusion.
to literary life with the birth of the Gothic genre in
the latter eighteenth century. The father of this Most early Gothic tales adhered rigidly to the
genre was Horace Walpole, a dilettante author
enraptured with his romantic vision of the Middle same story arc. The tyrannical villain has
Ages. His novel The Castle of Otranto laid the
thematic foundation that all early Gothic novels committed a terrible crime and escaped justice, but
would closely observe.
his sins have made his existence corrupt and

hollow. The innocent young protagonists arrive in

the villain's realm. Incensed by their purity, or

fearing that they will expose his guilt, the villain

persecutes the young innocents. As the tale

unfolds, twists of fate and spectral interlopers

reveal the villain's crimes and the young hero's

stolen birthright.

6

The World of Ravenloft

It is the villian’s own foul deeds and the divine come Dorian Gray, who hid a portrait of his true
forces of justice — far more than the hapless depravity; Dr. Moreau, who sought to make men
protagonists — that drive the villain to his final of beasts and a god of himself; and Dr. Jekyll,
ruin. In the end, all crimes are avenged, evil whose struggle with suppressed savagery would
devours itself, and true love emerges victorious. form the foundation of the Gothic werewolf.

The Late Gothic Tradition As the nineteenth century gave way to the
twentieth, one aspect of the early Gothic tradition
The Gothic genre blossomed in the early nine- started to make an unexpected comeback: the
teenth century. New generations of authors broke hero. The protagonists of Bram Stoker's Dracula
through the rigid formula of the early Gothics, pursued their immortal foe across Europe to end
adding layers to Otronto's foundation. The hapless his evil reign. The consulting detective came home
protagonists of the early tales were pushed aside, to create "occult detectives" such as Le Fanu's
now serving as mere witnesses to the villain's General Spielsdorf, Stoker's Van Helsing,
downfall. The Gothic genre now belonged to the Blackwood's John Silence, and Hodgson's
villains: sophisticated antiheroes both repellent Carnacki. These characters studied the occult not
and compelling, possessed of amazing potential in the pursuit of personal power, but to combat its
squandered through painfully common mortal evil — these virtuous scholars plunged their
flaws. Such Gothic villains included Victor Faustian counterparts deeper into darkness.
Frankenstein, whose hubris doomed his divine
ambitions, and the caliph Vathek, who pursued his With his tales of the Puritan witch-hunter
lust for power into an Arabian hell. Solomon Kane, Robert E. Howard even carried
the Gothic staples into the fantastic worlds of pulp
The nebulous curses and haunts of the early adventure, the same genres of swords and sorcery
tales now became all too real. The later Gothic that would one day spawn fantasy roleplaying.
authors reinterpreted ancient legends to invent
archetypical new horrors. Mary Shelley created To the Grave and Back
the flesh golem, giving life to the dangers and
responsibilities of parenthood. John Polidori As the twentieth century dawned, the horror
modeled the world's first aristocratic and genre moved on. The Gothic tradition gave way to
charismatic vampire on his associate, the famed the weird tales of authors like H. P. Lovecraft,
poet Lord Byron. who retained a Gothic aura of decay while
creating fearsome alien entities, reflecting a
The ghosts and ghouls of the Gothic tradition society humbled by scientific discovery and the
were, above all else, allegorical doppelgangers: inhumanity of the Great War. Vampires, ghosts,
reflections of human evil. When Frankenstein re- and werewolves were soon dismissed as
jected his monster, he rejected the terrible threadbare cliches.
consequences of his own profane actions. Those
same deeds would return to haunt him in the form But they always come back. A few decades
of his forlorn creation. passed, and then the Gothic tradition burst back
into the world, like Mr. Hyde too long repressed.
The Victorian Revival With each Gothic revival, new writers twisted the
old archetypes, applying the anxieties of their age.
As the nineteenth century continued, the Every era has a disease that can walk in a
Gothic tradition writhed beyond its roots. As the vampire's shoes; every generation has seen the
genre came to a close, Edgar Allan Poe added cautionary tales of Frankenstein and Moreau come
tales of dementia and obsession, and in "The one step closer to reality.
Murders in the Rue Morgue" carried the Gothic
sense of unnatural dread into his new creation: the The Gothic genre refuses to lie quiet in the
"consulting detective." grave. Its horrors — vampires, madmen, ghosts —
continue to resonate within us because they are
The Gothic genre once again flared to life at us.

the century's end. New authors applied the societal We invite you now into a world of Gothic

fears of their day to the old staples. The adventure: where innocence battles corruption,

burgeoning fields of evolution and psychology where love destroys and redeems, where magic

threatened to prove man no more than a beast cannot overcome morality, and where divine jus-

wrapped in the thin veneer of civilization. From tice comes to all.

these fears of repressed passion and self-betrayal

7

Chapter One

The Realm of Dread Necromancy and the Undead

vil is ... a moral entity and not a Forces that tap into the corrupting power of
created one, an eternal and not a the Negative Energy Plane are potent and perilous
perishable entity: it existed before the in Ravenloft. The vile undead — creatures trapped
world; it constituted the monstrous, in a twisted mockery of life — become more pow-
the execrable being who was also to fashion such erful and are often shielded from magic that would
a hideous world. It will hence exist after the reveal their true nature. Those who dare command
creatures which people this world. the undead must take care, for with increased
—Marquis De Sade, L'Histoire de juliette, ou power comes increased resistance to control.
les Prosperites du Vice
Necromantic spells are similarly enhanced,
Ravenloft is a world unlike other worlds. It is but few forces carry greater risks of tainting the
a construct, an artificial pocket realm endlessly caster's soul than those that disrupt the natural
prowling the trackless Ethereal Plane. The impla- cycle of life and death or deny the spirits of the
cable Dark Powers crafted their realm from the dead their final reward.
hidden fears of the innumerable worlds of the
Material Plane, and shape reality to reflect their Divination
sinister sensibilities.
The Realm of Dread does not easily surrender
This section introduces the core concepts of its mysteries. Divination is untrustworthy in
the Ravenloft setting; further details can be found Ravenloft. Magic that would reveal a creature's
in chapter 3. true nature, portend future events, or reveal the
desires of the gods often produces skewed results
Tenets of Terror or even fails entirely. Only the Vistani, a nomadic,
gypsylike race, can reliably reveal the future's se-
On the surface, the Realm of Dread seems crets.
much like any low-magic setting (see chapter 6 in
the Dungeon Master's Guide) found on the Travel
Material Plane. Spellcasters are rare, and common
folk seldom witness the supernatural, The Ravenloft Mists often cause travelers to
understanding it only through folklore (though lose their way, or abandon them in strange lands.
that folklore is fright-eningly prevalent). However, Even magical forms of transportation must con-
few of Ravenloft's denizens know that the natural tend with the Mists' misdirection. Only powerful
laws of their world have been insidiously magic can transport subjects from one domain to
rewritten. another, and not even the most powerful of spells
can grant escape from a closed domain. (See "Do-
Good and Evil mains," below.) The Mists even restrict planar
travel: unless the Mists allow it, no force short of
Spell effects that detect ethical alignment a major artifact or the direct intervention of a deity
(alignment on the law-chaos axis) perform nor- can provide passage to other planes.
mally, but no magic can directly detect moral
alignment (alignment on the good-evil axis). By The Near Ethereal
shielding evil, the Dark Powers force mortals to
rely on their own judgment. Although some people Although characters in Ravenloft cannot
in Ravenloft come to dismiss the concept of abso- readily travel to other planes, they can reach the
lute morality as an antiquated myth, Good and Ethereal. Even then, these travelers can access
Evil remain vital and omnipresent, locked in only the Near Ethereal — the border between the
eternal struggle. Characters who preserve their Deep Ethereal and other planes — like waders on
innocence are subtly protected from the forces of the shores of a vast and bottomless ocean.
darkness, while those who commit evil acts risk Ravenloft's Near Ethereal is a realm of restless
falling to these eldritch powers, their minds and spirits, its landscape shaped by the lingering pas-
bodies slowly warping to reflect their inner sions of the living.
corruption. People who wholly embrace the lures
of evil may eventually find themselves trapped in
prisons of their own making.

8

The World of Ravenloft

Domains Domain Borders

The Realm of Dread is composed of scores of In regions made up of more than one domain,
small pocket "nations" not too far removed from the edges of a domain may be recognized as
planes themselves, like the cells of a honeycomb political boundaries, or they may be indicated
— or the cells of a prison. Each of these only by physical landmarks — a brook, perhaps,
artificially constructed countries, called domains, or the edge of a forest. In some cases, however, a
is the prison of a singular evil entity: its darklord. traveler may have no way to tell that she has
A domain may stand alone, an "Island of Terror" crossed into a new den of evil.
surrounded by the Mists of Ravenloft, or it may
join seamlessly with other domains in "clusters" to Even worse, that traveler may find escape
form a continuous landscape. impossible, even if freedom is just a few paces
away. Almost all darklords can "close" the borders
Every aspect of a domain, from its climate to of their domains at will; if a darklord cannot close
the creatures that call it home, is a subtle reflection his domain, the cause often lies in the nature of the
of its darklord, offering painful reminders of the curse that binds him to the land. When a darklord
transgressions that forged the darklord's doom. closes his domain, immensely powerful supernatu-
The size of a domain may range from a single ral effects manifest at the borders to prevent
room, to a lonesome manor and its grounds, to an passage. As an example, many travelers in
expansive dominion containing numerous towns Ravenloft have heard tales of the poisonous vapors
and a thriving culture. Some occult sages believe that sometimes surround Barovia, choking anyone
that a domain's size may be a measure of the who attempts to leave. No mortal magic can
darklord's force of personality, his squandered overcome the effects of a closed domain border,
potential, or even of the tragedy of his tale. nor can a dice throw.
However, the Dark Powers may grant a less
compelling darklord a vast but sparsely populated The Mists of Ravenloft
domain, furthering his isolation, or they may trap a
powerful darklord in a smaller domain, Thick fog blankets the melancholy moor of a
concentrating his evil. Gothic tale, confounding travelers and washing
away the world. A film of vapor seeps along the
headstones of a graveyard, concealing hidden dan-
gers.

9

Chapter One

In Ravenloft, these Mists assume a life of their Outlanders
own. The Ravenloft Mists act as the claws of the
Dark Powers. Every child in Ravenloft knows of Ravenloft's insular folk have many
the Misty Border, the churning walls of Mist that equivalent terms for "outlanders," travelers
surround and isolate domains and clusters. who hail from foreign domains beyond the
Misty Border. On rare occasion, these
A traveler who enters the Misty Border hoping stragglers may even claim to have come
to reach another domain quickly finds herself from lands beyond the Realm of Dread.
engulfed by a netherworld of obscuring white fog.
Even the ground beneath her feet fades away. The Mists can stretch their tendrils into
Direction and distance become meaningless; un- any world with ties to the Ethereal Plane. In
less a traveler uses a Mistway (a "current" in the game terms, an outlander is any creature that
flow of the Mists) or is escorted by the Vistani or a has been drawn into Ravenloft from one of
powerful anchorite (a cleric of a goddess said to these worlds. The Mists usually reach into
have merged with the Mists), she has no control other worlds to snatch up evildoers; indeed,
over where the Mists will deposit her. many darklords are rumored to be
outlanders. The domains of these outlander
The Mists can even rob time of its meaning. darklords are often reminiscent of other
Within the Misty Border, night blends worlds on the Material Plane.
featurelessly into day, and no turning of the moon
occurs. Legends are even told of travelers who Although no one truly knows why, the
emerged from the Mists weeks or years after — or Mists sometimes draw other folk into
even before — they entered. Ravenloft as well, be they hapless bystanders
or mighty heroes. If the DM approves,
The Mists are not limited to the netherworld players can create outlander player
between domains. They can appear anywhere and characters. Outlanders are rare, but they have
at any time in Ravenloft, boiling up from the earth no special advantages or penalties in relation
to snatch up creatures and place them where they to native characters.
will. Rumors also speak of more insidious appear-
ances by the Mists. Whispered tales tell of folk Darklords
who wandered lost for days in a small grove of
trees, or of back alleys that became twisting Darklords are the seed of evil at the heart of
labyrinths, or of a house that contained more every domain, but few of Ravenloft's denizens are
rooms than it physically could. People who aware that they exist. Heroes have no infallible
encounter this phenomenon are said to be "Mist- means of detecting who or what is the darklord of
led." Opinions differ on whether the Mists any given domain. Some darklords control their
disorient these folk by fogging their senses or by domains openly, acting as political rulers, while
imposing true, ephemeral changes to reality. others skulk in the shadows, their very existence a
secret. Indeed, the very concept of a "darklord"
Regardless of how the Mists manifest, when isn't one that the average citizen of Ravenloft is
they come, no force can stop them. aware of.

The Mists appear as a bogeyman in countless Most domains are inhabited by a single
legends. Ravenloft's folk blame any bad luck on darklord, though on rare occasion the Dark Powers
the meddling of the Mists and often refer to the may grant a single domain to a small group of
Misty Border as the World's-End Mists or the evildoers. These darklords are usually linked both
Mists of Death. The Misty Border is the legendary by blood relation and their crimes.
home of countless unfathomable horrors.
Mindless, slavering beasts do not become
At the best guess of sages and scholars, the darklords. Mere evil is not enough to earn a do-
Mists are a manifestation of the Near Ethereal, main. Despite their corruption, darklords share the
strands of the cobweb that binds that Realm of same motivations as countless other folk: they
Dread — but the Mists are indistinguishable from hope for love, crave respect, or even yearn for
normal banks of fog, even under magical scrutiny. mere acceptance. Yet darklords are not poor,
The Mists may also take other subtle forms. For misunderstood souls damned through no fault of
example, in deserts they often appear as clouds of their own.
dust or rippling waves of heat; in lands cloaked by
winter, they may appear as blinding snowstorms.
Even the merest ripple in a calm sea may indicate
a parting — or closing — of the Mists.

10

The World of Ravenloft

Their selfish natures pervert simple wants into and empower evil, or are the Dark Powers locked
obsessive lusts, and they earn their domains in an internal struggle between light and darkness?
through horrid crimes. Darklords are all the more
monstrous for the empathy one might feel for This in turn leads to the greatest mystery
them, not in spite of it. Even when forced to face surrounding the Dark Powers: are they good or
their transgressions, most darklords remain evil? Some sages point to the outlander darklords.
obstinately blind to their own failings, lashing out The Dark Powers have forever imprisoned these
at the world for perceived wrongs. foul villains in realms of eternal perdition. The
Dark Powers never actively seduce the righteous
A darklord is both the warden and the ultimate into evil; they merely react to those who have
prisoner of his domain. A darklord can trap others already succumbed to inner wickedness. The Dark
in his domain by closing the borders, but he can Powers do not behave like demons; they do not
never leave. Some of Ravenloft's darklords have corrupt souls through malicious trickery. In this
spent centuries striving to escape from their Mist- sense, the Dark Powers are a force of austere
veiled prisons, to no avail. The curse that binds justice, reserving their cruelty for the cruel.
them to the land offers them little rest; not unlike
Tantalus in the underworld, they are tormented by Other sages, however, claim that the torment
their greatest desires. the Dark Powers inflict on darklords merely drives
those villains into an agonized frenzy, inflaming
Should a darklord be destroyed, his domain their corruption. Perhaps the Dark Powers seek to
ceases to serve a purpose. If another evil creature raise an army of darkness to one night unleash on
in the domain has earned damnation, the Dark the Material Plane. In this context, the Dark
Powers may appoint it the domain's new darklord. Powers are a sadistic engine of suffering.
A domain in a cluster may be absorbed by its
neigh-rors, expanding the prisons of other And what of the innocents caught in the Dark
darklords. If neither of these events occurs, the Powers' clutches? What of the villagers who fall
domain dissolves back into the Mists from whence prey to the horrors of the night, or the heroes who
it came. must do battle with the forces of evil? Do the Dark
Powers delight in watching the destruction of
The Dark Powers innocence, or do they flaunt these pure souls in the
faces of the darklords as reminders of the path not
The Dark Powers are the ultimate masters of taken?
the Realm of Dread, and its ultimate mystery.
They have created an entire world in their own Are the Dark Powers good or evil? Are they
image, but not even the most powerful divinatory gods or monsters ? What is the ultimate goal of
magic can unveil their true nature. Few of their grand and awful experiment? The truth may
Ravenloft's denizens are even aware that the Dark transcend mortal comprehension.
Powers exist, blaming sinister events on the Mists
or their gods. Occult scholars who try to pry open History
the Dark Powers' secrets typically end up pursuing
the phantoms of their own minds. istory has many cunning passages, con'
trived corridors
What are the Dark Powers? Are they true
entities or something more akin to an elemental And issues, deceives with whispering
force? Mystics have proposed that they may be a ambitions ,
banished pantheon of gods, or strange and ancient Guides us by vanities.
toes of the gods, or even some dark aspect of the —T. S. Eliot, "Gerontion"
divine subconscious. Some philosophers have
even claimed that the Dark Powers do not exist, The study of Ravenloft's past can prove a
that they are actually a sentient manifestation of maddening exercise. When a new domain forms in
human sin. None of these theories is anything the Mists, its denizens appear with complete
more than idle speculation, however. memories of full lives, and their culture may
record a history that stretches back centuries
Are the Dark Powers many or few? This book before the domain's actual creation. Whether these
refers to them in the plural, but this is a mere "false histories" are real and drawn from other
convenience. If the Dark Powers include multiple worlds or entirely fabricated by the Dark Powers is
entities, then do they act as a unified whole, or are a matter best left to the philosophers.
they fractious? Does the same force both punish

11

Chapter One

Through long tradition, most lands of the Strahd called for his scattered relatives to join
Realm of Dread have adopted the Barovian calen- him at Castle Ravenloft and reestablish the proud
dar (BC) to mark the passing of the years. This von Zarovich lineage. It was then that Strahd first
book does the same. Isolated domains, such as met his youngest brother, Sergei, a handsome and
those found in clusters or Islands of Terror, may charming cleric a full quarter-century his junior.
still track time through their own reckoning. In Sergei, Strahd saw himself before the coming
of the Tergs, and for the first time, he began to
Pre-351: The Time Before ponder his lost vitality.

The true origins of the Realm of Dread remain While living at Castle Ravenloft, Sergei met a
a mystery. Through the veil of allegory, the cre- local villager named Tatyana, a young woman as
ation myths of numerous traditions, including the full of life and beauty as himself. Their love was
legends of the Vistani, hint that the Dark Powers immediate and pure. Sergei brought Tatyana to
and their sinister realm may be as ancient as dread Strahd, announced their plans to wed, and asked
itself. Sifting a common theme from these often for his eldest brother's blessing.
contradictory tales, the Realm of Dread may have
crept through innumerable eons, forever ebbing Sergei's words struck Strahd a more crippling
and flowing in an eternal cycle of expansion and blow than that inflicted by any Terg warrior.
decay. If so, then the creation of the domain of Strahd was immediately enraptured with the
Barovia merely marked the birth of a new cycle of simple girl, but she loved only Sergei, treating
torment — and the death of whatever came before. Strahd like a father. Tatyana's grace confronted
Strahd with all the pleasures of life that war had
However, the few sages who delve into denied him, and her love for Sergei tormented
Ravenloft's arcane origins note that no reliable Strahd with his squandered youth. A desperate
record of a domain predating the creation of hatred for Sergei flared to life in Strahd's heart.
Barovia has ever been found. In their learned
opinion, the creation of the Realm of Dread can be This was when Strahd made his pact with
traced back some four hundred years to a single death, as recorded in The Tome of Strahd. Strahd's
world on the Material Plane. Little is now known account of the doomed wedding is largely
about this world beyond the name of one of its accurate, but it neglects a few vital facts. One of
kingdoms: Barovia. the many guests invited to Castle Ravenloft was
Leo Dilisnya, patriarch of a mercantile family still
According to Barovian records, Strahd von struggling to rebuild after the war. His entourage
Zarovich was born in the year 299 BC. As the came to the wedding concealing crossbows,
eldest son in an aristocratic line, he obeyed tradi- plotting to eradicate the rival von Zarovich line.
tion and entered the military as a child, rising
steadily in the ranks. The moment Strahd murdered Sergei with an
assassin's blade, strange mists descended on Castle
In the same year Strahd became a general, a Ravenloft and flowed across the land, forming the
horde of pillaging barbarians, the Tergs, invaded domain of Barovia. When Strahd expressed his
Barovia and drove Strahd's family from their an- love to Tatyana, confessing his crime, she fled
cestral lands. Strahd rallied the tattered Barovian from him in horror, throwing herself from the
forces, driving the Tergs back in a grueling and castle walls. As Strahd watched her fall, Leo's
bloody conflict that would last decades. Strahd's assassins launched their attack — but Strahd's
youth had long since been spent by the time his bloody pact had forever freed him from the
weary army defeated the last of the Terg warlords. indignity of death. As the poison-tipped bolts
As the noble houses of Barovia struggled to pierced his body, his heart ceased to beat and he
rebuild from their losses, Strahd claimed became a vampire. All his hopes destroyed, Strahd
sovereignty over the lands he had liberated from had nothing left but fury. He rampaged through
the Tergs as his reward and settled into the the castle, slaughtering guests and assassins alike.
mountain fortress of the last Terg, dubbing it By dawn, not a single soul was left alive within
Castle Ravenloft. the castle walls. The Realm of Dread was born.

Count Strahd's new subjects hailed him as a 351-469: A Private Hell
conquering hero, but the decades of war and the
endless parade of death had hardened Strahd's The domain of Barovia originally existed as
heart. His reign, like his war-torn life, held no
room for compassion. an Island of Terror, alone in the Mists. Few

records survive from this time.

12

The World of Ravenloft

Strahd retreated from public life, and many As with many outlanders before him, Azalin was
Barovian villagers came to believe that he too had obsessed with the goal of escaping Barovia. Strahd
died. The few survivors of the massacre scattered and Azalin formed a cautious alliance, and for the
throughout the domain, settling into new lives. next four decades, Azalin — who now rules the
Strahd spent the century learning the limits of his kingdom of Darkon — dwelled in a remote tower
Mist-bound prison and adapting to undeath. overlooking Lake Zarovich, scrutinizing the planar
fabric of the Land of Mists.
Strahd also spent these years hunting down the
traitorous Leo Dilisnya, who had excused himself 547-587: The Expanding Stain
early from the wedding, claiming illness.
According to some tales, Strahd finally found the After suffering nearly two centuries of isola-
wizened Leo hiding in a remote monastery, nearly tion, Barovia was finally joined by new domains.
five decades after the ill-fated wedding. Most ac- Forlorn was the first to appear, melding with
counts agree that, wherever Leo Dilisnya is now, Barovia's southern border to form the first cluster.
his torment has never ended. Leo's family Curious Barovian explorers ventured into this new
survived, however. To this day, the Dilisnya name land, only to retreat from its twisted, inhuman
is renowned for cunning and infamous for inhabitants. Three decades later, the domain of
duplicity. Arak materialized to the northeast. Unlike mon-
strous Forlorn, Arak was home to several human
470-546: Outlanders Arrive towns, where the denizens told tales of dark elves
and evil fey. The Barovians took their first, falter-
As the decades wore on, the insular Barovians ing steps toward trade, and the Barovian cluster
took note of the occasional appearance of "out- began to grow into what would soon be called the
landers," strangers from beyond the Mists. Most of Core.
these stragglers were simple, lost wanderers. Some
of these folk adapted to their new home, but others In the autumn of 579, Mordent appeared to the
struggled to return to their own worlds. The latter west of Barovia, and the Core now had a coastline.
usually disappeared. Perhaps they found their way Legends claim that Mordent's sudden appearance
home, but most Barovians believe they simply fell was somehow connected to Azalin and Strahd,
prey to the unnatural predators that lurk in the who were attempting to open a portal to another
Barovian night. One group of powerful outlander world. Mordentish folklore does claim that both
heroes assaulted Castle Ravenloft, believing they men visited their lands, where they became
could destroy the evil within. They were never embroiled with the fate of a human alchemist and
seen again, their fates all too clear. his Apparatus, a terrible artifact said to be able to
rend and exchange mortal souls. Whether or not
A few of these outlanders retain historical these tales contain any truth, Azalin and Strahd
significance. The first of these new arrivals were did finally end their fractious alliance soon after.
the enigmatic tribes of the Vistani. According to Azalin entered the Mists and claimed a new
legend, they first appeared at the stroke of mid- domain, Darkon. The appearance of this vast land
night separating the years 469 and 470. The doubled the size of the Core.
Vistani were soon feared and respected for their
sixth sense and command over the Mists. The Late in the sixth century, a blasted wasteland
Vistani's leader, the wizened Madame Eva, soon — the domain of Bluetspur — joined the Core
forged an alliance with Count Strahd — a pact near Forlorn. Half-mad human refugees fled into
based on mutual need, not respect. Barovia, doubling the population of Immol, and
claimed their homes had been destroyed by a race
A few years after the arrival of the Vistani, a of alien, brain-stealing entities. The southern lands
young boy named Martyn Pelkar emerged from of the Core became notorious as the realm of
the Svalich woods, claiming that a luminous, monsters.
sylvan being had rescued him from the beasts that
had slaughtered his parents. Though often Deeper in the Mists, new Islands of Terror
dismissed as a madman, Pelkar would spend the
rest of his life establishing what is today known as appeared, including the desert realms of Har'Akir
the Cult of the Morninglord.
and Sebua and the foggy city of Paridon. The folk
The last of these significant outlanders is
of most of these domains would go decades before
Azalin, a powerful wizard who emerged from the
learning that other lands lay beyond their Misty
Mists in the sixth century.
Border.

13

Chapter One

568-699: Scourge and Expansion Every invasion ended in crushing failure, äs
Azalin's undead minions effortlessly decimated the
The fourth Century closed with an event of Falkovnian ranks. Each defeat only intensified
horrendous devastation that would be unmatched Drakov's rage. Again and again he marched his
until the Requiem. In the spring of 588, a massive citizens to the slaughter. By the end of the fourth
and violent sandstorm suddenly roiled to life in invasion, Falkovnia had lost thousands of its sons,
Arak's mountain passes. By the time the storm but Drakov still had yet to claim a single foot of
died out, all surface life in Arak had been Darkonian soil. Darkonians and Falkovnians alike
destroyed. The storm even altered Arak's came to call Drakov's failed conquests the Dead
landscape, transplanting Mount Lament miles to Man's Campaign — for only the dead had added to
the west to form the domain of Keening. Both of their holdings.
these desolate regions were deemed cursed and
have been shunned by sensible travelers ever Although no history book records it, another
since. event of quiet significance occurred in this era.
After a scheming Vistani clan and a sadistic vam-
The Century following the Scourge of Arak pire destroyed his family, a humble Darkonian
was marked by explosive growth. A dozen new doctor, Rudolph van Richten, dedicated his life to
domains joined the Core, sprouting like tumors, combating the monstrous horrors of the night.
and were matched by just as many Islands of During the decades of his work, Dr. van Richten
Terror. The Mists withdrew to reveal the Sea of would expose the weaknesses of Ravenloft's hor-
Sorrows, leading to the steady trade of goods and rors and create a legacy of knowledge and
ideas between Mordent, Lamordia, and Darkon wisdom.
and ush-ering the northwestern Core into a new
age of enlightenment. 735-740: The Grand Conjunction

After having been scattered to the winds, the According to most accounts, the Vistani seer
Dilisnya family gathered in the new domain of Hyskosa first recorded his prophecy predicting a
Borca and reestablished their economic might. cataclysmic "Grand Conjunction" in the year 735.
One of their number, Yakov Dilisnya, claimed to However, the Vistani do not seem to flow through
be the messenger of a divine guardian and founded time äs others do, and copies of "Hyskosa's
the Church of Ezra. By the end of the fifth Century Hexad" have been found dating back at least a
the first clerics of the Lawgiver, Ezra's most Century. More certain is that Azalin learned of
power-ful rival faith, would establish their church Hyskosa's omens in this year and in them saw an
äs the state religion of Nova Vaasa. opportunity. Still driven by his outlander desire to
escape to his own world, Azalin manipulated
In the dying decade of the fifth Century, an events over the next five years to fulfill the
outlander named Vlad Drakov appeared in prophecies and bring the Grand Conjunction to
western Darkon, massacring several villages premature fruition.
before Azalin's forces drove his mercenaries into
the Mists. The new domain of Falkovnia Vistani call Hyskosa a Dukkar: a male Vistana
appeared, and the next era of Ravenloft's history born with the Sight and fated to bring destruction
would begin. to his people. When the Grand Conjunction was
triggered in the summer of 740, it threatened to
700-734: Dead Man's Campaign turn Ravenloft inside out. As the Land of Mists
was wracked by tremors and entire domains
The Realm of Dread continued to expand dissolved into vapor, the Mists of Ravenloft
during this era. Half a dozen new domains joined spread through-out the Material Plane to doom
the Core, including Dementlieu, which would countless outlander worlds.
rapidly become the hüb of northwestern culture,
and Sithicus, ruled by a skulking black knight Fortunately, Azalin's manipulation of the natu-
rumored to possess terrible powers. Political
unrest flared in several regions, äs the rulers of ral order of events weakened the Grand
both Borca and Invidia met their ends at the hands
of assassins, and Nova Vaasa's Prince Othmar Conjunction enough to allow a band of adventur-
seized illegal control of his realm.
ers to cause its collapse. The Material Plane was
Yet none of these events defined the era like
saved, but the Realm of Dread did not escape
the Dead Man's Campaign. Until Drakov
unscathed. Core domains were wrenched into new
appeared, open warfare had been unknown in the
positions; rivers altered their courses; the stars
Land of Mists. As the sixth Century began,
even changed their pattern.
however, Drakov drove his armies into Darkon no

fewer than four times.

14

The World of Ravenloft

Several Core domains were absorbed by their Boatmen even claimed that a new sea was forming
neighbors: Darkon consumed Arak, Borca merged in the Mists to the east of the Core.

with Dorvinia, Verbrek absorbed Arkandale, and Many folk began to warily reexamine their
roles in the world. Clerics in Tepest declared an
Gundarak was divided between Invidia and Inquisition to wipe out the fey, blaming those
spirits for the apparent destruction of G'Henna and
Barovia. Several domains broke off from the Core Markovia. Clerics of Ezra in Darkon warned
to become Islands of Terror or vice versa. The against a prophesied Time of Unparalleled
Darkness, when all but the faithful would be
most startling effect, however, was the creation of destroyed in a flood of evil. After having
persecuted the use of arcane magic in his realm for
the Shadow Rift, a vast and bottomless chasm that decades, the lord of Hazlan suddenly reversed his
position, establishing a school of wizardry. The
now lies where the Core domains of G'Henna and black knight of Sithicus is said to have fallen into
despair, never leaving his ruined keep.
Markovia once lay.
Political unrest emerged in the southern Core
Even years later, most denizens of the Realm again as Malocchio Aderre, decried by the Vistani
of Dread still know nothing about the true events as a new Dukkar, suddenly appeared and seized
behind the Grand Conjunction. Having seen only control of Invidia. Forging a military alliance with
the chaos it wrought, most people call it the Great Falkovnia, Aderre has since been sending his mer-
Upheaval and speculate wildly as to its cause. cenaries into neighboring domains to hunt the
Vistani, even when those neighbors threatened
741-749: The Land Congeals armed reprisals.

Most sages agree that the aftershocks of the Unseen by most, a secret society spread
Grand Conjunction may still be subtly reshaping throughout the northern Core, working toward the
the Land of Mists. This era was marked by the terrible event that would end the era.
Great Upheaval's most visible aftereffects: the for-
mation of new clusters. The domains of Sri Raji,
Saragoss, and the Wildlands were first, merging to
form the Verdurous Lands. In following years,
other domains would meld to create the Amber
Wastes, the Shadowlands, Zherisia, and the
Frozen Reaches.

15

Chapter One

This cabal, the Ebon Fold, used enchanted daggers A few arcane sages have even speculated that the
to steal the souls of unwitting victims, then planar cycle that started with the creation of
smuggled the accumulated life force to its master, Barovia may have ended its period of expansion
Azalin, still pursuing his dreams of escape. The and that the future will bring nothing but continual
Grim Harvest would claim hundreds of lives decay.
before its conclusion.
The Land of Mists is not yet doomed,
750-755: The Fall of Kings however. Not all omens point toward destruction.
Van Richten's legacy has not been forgotten, and
After a decade of experimentation, Azalin not all kings are equally slain. Shortly after
completed a magical artifact that would empower Azalin's apparent demise, Vlad Drakov invaded
him with the energy of thousands of stolen souls, Darkon for the first time in decades. The undead
allowing him to finally burst free from the Realm still rose to defeat his armies, and legends
of Dread. At the stroke of midnight on the night of emerged to claim that Azalin was not truly gone.
the winter solstice in the year 750, during a reli- As the years passed, more and more Darkonians
gious ceremony called the Requiem, Azalin received irregular visions of their fallen leader as
activated the artifact in the heart of Darkon's he struggled to return from beyond. Death also
largest city. seemed to sense Azalin's presence and dispatched
undead minions to stop the wizard's return — to
A wave of negative energy burst from the no avail.
artifact and expanded across all of Darkon. Every
living creature within a mile of II Aluk was in- Late in the summer of this year, Azalin trium-
stantly slain and animated into undeath, and a phantly returned to the world. He now claims that
spiritual shroud settled over the kingdom. Azalin his attempt to stop the Requiem — supposedly an
vanished and was presumed slain. His throne re- invasion of the dead into the world of the living —
mained empty for years as local nobles squabbled physically trapped him in the Gray Realm, the
for control, and a spectral entity claiming to be land of the dead, until he could find his way home.
Death itself laid claim to II Aluk. Azalin has returned to find his kingdom in
shambles and has publicly sworn to restore
Azalin was not the only public figure to fall. Darkon to its former glory.
The aged Rudolph van Richten had already van-
ished without a trace in the spring of 750, after 755: The Present
enjoying eight years of peaceful retirement. In the
autumn of 752, a mass of living, shrieking These are uncertain times for the Realm of
shadows smashed into the keep of Sithicus's ruler, Dread. A growing sentiment among its people
destroying him. The knight's seneschal, a brutal holds that the world is steadily creeping toward
dwarf named Azrael, quickly seized control of his some inexorable fate, but no one knows what that
master's holdings. Lastly, in recent months, fate will be. Doom prophets speak of the Time of
mystics and seers have even claimed that a remote Unparalleled Darkness, predicted to arrive in a
cluster, a land said to have been locked in endless scant twenty years, but clerics of the Morninglord
warfare, had been utterly destroyed by forces proclaim that the long night that fell on Barovia in
unknown. 351 will finally reach a glorious dawn.

As each crown fell, the fear of the populace One thing is certain. Whether Ravenloft's fate
grew. More and more people gave credence to
doomsayers and the prophecy of the coming lies in darkness or light, it will be mortals — be
Ultimate Darkness.
they heroes or villains — who choose its destiny.

16

The World of Ravenloft

Timeline of Events

1 The ancestors of Strahd von Zarovich found 625 Valachan takes shape.
the Nation of Barovia. 630 The Sea of Sorrows appears.
635 Souragne is formed. Graben appears.
320 The Tergs invade Barovia, conquering the von 646 Avonleigh appears in the Phantasmal Forest.
Zarovich ancestral lands. 650 The Faith of the Overseer is founded in

321 Strahd von Zarovich leads the armies of Darkon.
658 The Wildlands takes shape.
Barovia in battle against the Tergs. 666 Yakov Dilisnya scribes the First Boole of

347 Strahd drives the last of the Terg warlords Ezra-
from Barovia, claiming the throne as his 670 Sri Raji is formed.
reward. 682 Nova Vaasa appears.
683 Lamordia is formed.
351 The wedding of Sergei von Zarovich and 684 Borca appears.
Tatyana turns into a massacre through Strahd's 688 The Crimson Death, a lethal plague, spreads
murderous rampage and the treachery of Leo
Dilisnya. Barovia becomes a domain. across Darkon.
689 Vlad Drakov enters Ravenloft in Darkon.
398 Strahd hunts down the traitorous Leo Dilisnya
and condemns him to eternal torment. 690 Falkovnia appears.

400 Strahd encounters Tatyana's first 691 Tepest takes shape,
reincarnation.
694 Richemulot appears.
470 The Vistani appear in Ravenloft. Their leader, 698 Markovia is formed. Camille Boritsi poisons

Madame Eva, forges an alliance with Count most of her family.
699 Felix Wachter pens the Second Book of Ezra.
Strahd.
700 Drakov invades Darkon and is repelled.
475 Earliest records of the Cult of the
Morninglord. 702 G'Henna appears.

528 Powerful heroes assault Castle Ravenloft and 704 Drakov invades Darkon again and is repelled.
are killed. 706 Dr. Rudolph van Richten vows to battle the

542 Azalin enters Ravenloft, forming an uneasy forces of evil.
alliance with Strahd. 707 Dementlieu appears.
708 Arkandale appears.
547 Forlorn is drawn into the Mists. 709 Joan Secousse pens the Third Book of Ezra.
711 Camille Boritsi is murdered; her daughter
551 The domains of Har'Akir and Paridon appear.
Ivana inherits control of Borca. Drakov
564 Sebua is formed. invades Darkon a third time and is repelled.
713 A shadowy crime lord known only as "the
575 Araak appears. Brain" surfaces in Port-a-Lucine.
714 Hazlan takes shape.
579 Mordent enters Ravenloft. Darkon appears. 715 Dorvinia appears.
720 Sithicus joins the Core.
581 Illithids spawn the domain of Bluetspur. 722 Drakov invades Darkon once more and is
586 "Bloody Jack" strikes Paridon for the first repelled.
728 Saragoss is formed.
time. 729 Othmar Bolshnik assumes the title of Prince of
588 Keening appears. All surface life in Arak is Nova Vaasa. Bakholis is killed by one of his
captives, Gabrielle Aderre. A peasant uprising
scoured away. topples his regime.
730 Verbrek takes shape.
590 Pharazia is formed.
731 Vorostokov is formed.
593 Gundarak is formed. 734 Prince Othmar refuses to relinquish his title.

600 Vechor appears.

603 Invidia takes shape under the rule of Bakholis.
607 Sanguinia is formed.

611 Shadowborn Manor enters Ravenloft.

613 Kartakass appears.

615 Nidala is formed.

620 Timor appears.

17

Chapter One

735 The Vistani seer Hyskosa records his Dire 747 Malocchio Aderre, born to Gabrielle Aderre
Prophecy predicting the Grand Conjunction. 748 and a mysterious father, is revealed to be a
Van Richten publishes the first of his texts, the 749 Dukkar and seizes control of Invidia.
Guide to Vampires. 750 Avonleigh,Nidala, and Shadowborn Manor
form the Shadowlands cluster.
736 The first verse of Hyskosa's Hexad comes to 751
pass. Duke Gundar, the lord of Gundarak, falls A Lamordian colony on Markovia vanishes
victim to clever heroes and a traitorous 752 without a trace.
servant. 753
754 The Grim Harvest begins as Azalin sends
737 The second verse of Hyskosa's Hexad comes 755 the Ebon Fold into surrounding lands to
to pass. collect souls for a massive magical experi-
ment. Sanguinia joins with Vorostokov to
738 Odiare enters Ravenloft. The third verse of form the Frozen Reaches cluster.
Hyskosa's Hexad comes to pass.
Dr. Rudolph van Richten vanishes. Gennifer
739 The fourth verse of Hyskosa's Hexad comes to and Laurie Weathermay-Foxgrove vow to
pass. continue his work. A massive burst of nega
tive energy now known as the Requiem
740 The Grand Conjunction rocks the Land of transforms II Aluk into a city of the undead.
Mists to its foundations, reshaping the Azalin is thought destroyed. The Mists re
domains. veal the Nocturnal Sea.

740 Rokushima Taiyoo appears. Saragoss, Sri Teodorus Raines pens the Fourth Book of
Raji, and the Wildlands join together to form Ezra. Drakov invades Darkon once again,
the Verdurous Lands. Tepestanis organize an but the dead still rise to repel his forces. A
inquisition against the fey in response to the prince of the shadow fey attempts to reopen
formation of the Shadow Rift. a portal to the Plane of Shadow, nearly
freeing a monstrous entity of immense
741 Hazlik builds the village of Ramulai to house power.
a school of wizardry. Gennifer Weathermay
Foxgrove is mauled by a wolf. Her uncle Azrael usurps control of Sithicus after his
George shoulders the blame and leaves former master disappears in the Hour of
Mordent. Screaming Shadows.

742 Dr. van Richten publishes the Guide to the The Weathermay-Foxgrove sisters print new
Vistani and retires. "Bloody Jack" resurfaces editions of the Van Richten Guides. The
in Paridon for his thirteenth killing spree. former servants of Azalin begin to receive
visions instructing them to aid in his return.
743 The popular bard Harkon Lukas is elected
Meistersinger of Skald. Thought destroyed in Gregor Zolnik kills his wife and mother in a
the Grand Conjunction, Markovia is mad rage. His sisters disappear.
rediscovered in the Sea of Sorrows.
Heroes restore Azalin to power, foiling a
744 Paridon and Timor merge to form the traitorous attempt to enslave his spirit.
Zherisia cluster. "Bloody Jack" expected to strike Paridon
again.
745 The demon Malistroi attempts to conquer

G'Henna with a fiendish army.

746 Har'Akir, Pharazia, and Sebua join together to

form the Amber Wastes cluster.

18

The World of Ravenloft

The Geography of Mists Most of Ravenloft's common inhabitants
know nothing of other worlds; many even have
earchers after horror haunt strange, far trouble comprehending outlanders' tales of their
places. For them are the catacombs of distant homelands. Lacking outside references,
Ptolemais and the carven mausolea of the Ravenloft's folk see nothing unusual about the
nightmare countries. They climb to the Misty Border or other eerie features of their little
moonlit towers of ruined Rhine castles world. In many ways, the Land of Mists behaves
and falter down black, cobwebbed steps beneath just like the true worlds of the Material Plane: the
the scat' tered stones of forgotten cities in Asia. sun and moon turn in regular cycles, just as the
The haunted wood and the desolate mountain are years cycle through expected seasons. The
their shrines, and they linger around the sinister domains of a given cluster all typically share the
monoliths on uninhabited islands. same night sky and general climate.

—H. P. Lovecraft, "The Picture in the House" This section provides a brief overview of the
Ravenloft's inhabitants often call their world the best-known regions of the Land of Mists; chapter
"Land of Mists," and for good reason: Ravenloft 4 offers greatly expanded detail.
has an unknown size and shape. Although
Ravenloft's breadth cannot be measured, it forms a The Core
relatively small world — what some might call
intimate, others claustrophobic. As new domains The Core is the largest and oldest cluster in the
appear or old ones fade into the Mists, the Realm Land of Mists. It currently holds at least thirty
of Dread expands and contracts, like the chest of a domains, though more may be hidden among the
sleeping beast. The central continent, the Core, is scattered islands of the Core's two seas. Just as
the largest congregation of known domains in the Barovia lies at the center of the Core, the Core is
whole of the realm. No one truly knows how many traditionally held to lie at the heart of the Realm of
domains lie within the Mists; theoretically, the Dread, though the presence of the Mists makes
total is limitless. More than one hundred domains this impossible to verify. The Core is a vast,
have been recorded since the creation of Barovia, rolling landscape divided by the Balinok mountain
but the number of existing domains frequently range and bookended by stormy seas.
fluctuates. Note that a domain may be as small as
a single room in a forlorn house. Some domains The northern Core is dominated by the king-
have vanished entirely — often amid rumors of dom of Darkon, which fills nearly a third of the
their destruction — only to emerge from the Mists Core's total landmass. Darkon is unusual in that
unscathed years later. arcane magic is generally trusted, and nonhumans
— such as elves and dwarves — are relatively
The Mists can also reshape the geography common. Nonhumans are extremely rare in most
within domains. This may occur slowly and domains and are seldom welcome. In fact, two of
subtly, as with the "Mist-led" phenomenon or the Darkon's neighbors, Falkovnia and Tepest, are
gradual revelation of the Nocturnal Sea, but both particularly hostile toward nonhumans,
unusual events can also trigger sudden and though for vastly different reasons. Falkovnian
startling changes, such as those that occurred in soldiers imprison nonhumans, treating them as
the Scourge of Arak or the Grand Conjunction. chattel, while the clerics of Tepest are in their
second decade of an inquisition against the fey.
Scattered legends of the Realm of Dread have The Core's most infamous landmark, the bottom-
less Shadow Rift, separates these two domains.
filtered into other worlds. These tales often depict
In the northwestern Core, shipping on the Sea
Ravenloft as a living hell, a realm of unremitting
of Sorrows and treaties forged to defend against
horror and misery, a place where heroes go to die.
Falkovnian aggression have both led to the free
These legends are woefully inaccurate. Ravenloft
trade of goods and ideas. From stormy Lamordia
is filled with natural beauty, both in its vistas and
and cosmopolitan Dementlieu, down through
its people. Although its inhabitants are often slow
sleepy Mordent and decadent Borca and
to offer their trust, many folk are kind and gentle.
Richemulot, these lands are regaled as having
Ravenloft's horrors lurk just out of sight, and with
entered an age of enlightenment.
simple caution many folk can live their entire life

without ever encountering these supernatural men-

aces. Of course, heroes who look for trouble soon

find it.

19

Chapter One

The new inventions being produced here, from In the Shadowlands, the holy protector of the
moveable type to primitive steam engines, may domain of Nidala ruthlessly prunes evil thoughts
one day reshape life throughout the Core. from her populace, hoping to stop the slow en-
croachment of the Phantasmal Forest, a
To the south, the lands west of the Balinoks nightmarish morass that hides monstrous foes.
remain thickly forested. Rustic folk here often
face quiet derision from their northern neighbors. Nature holds the Verdurous Lands in a jealous
These are lands thick with superstition and grip. The Rajian people must continually fend off
mistrust. Woodsmen in Verbrek warn of disease and hostile wildlife while trying to
monstrous wolves, while fearful villagers in appease the cult of Kali. Elsewhere, sailors
Barovia shutter their win-dows and hide when the endlessly struggle to free their ships from the
sun dips below the horizon. Supported by clinging seaweed of the Saragoss Sea. In these
Falkovnian coffers, the despot controlling Invidia sweltering tropics, the jungle itself is often
has initiated a pogrom against the Vistani, and his mankind's worst enemy.
raids into neighboring domains have raised the
specter of war. The southwestern Core is also Zherisia is the smallest of the known clusters.
notable for Kartakass, home to a richly musical At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than
culture, and Sithicus, a politically unstable realm a fog-shrouded city in the Mists where folk live in
of reclusive elves. mounting fear of faceless killers. Beneath the city,
strange tunnels lead down into a realm of alien
On the far side of the Balinoks, the grasslands horrors.
of the southeastern Core are divided between
Nova Vaasa and Hazlan, both home to byzantine Islands of Terror
governments, rampant crime, and the methodical
oppression of the poor. Nova Vaasa's aristocrats This book includes a sampling of five Islands
vie for control of the throne, while the wizard who of Terror; others are almost sure to exist, hidden
rules Hazlan has recently founded the Core's larg- by the Mists.
est school of arcane magic.
Bluetspur is a scorched and lightless realm
The Sea of Sorrows stretches out to the west where nothing human can survive. Monstrous,
of the Core, mirrored by the Nocturnal Sea to the slithering creatures possessed of an alien intelli-
east. These seas seem to defy navigation, and gence are said to lurk beneath its blasted surface,
sudden storms have bested many good ships, but where they conduct eldritch experiments and con-
captains who brave these waters can make a tidy spire against the stars.
fortune supplying the small, rugged settlements on
the islands that dot both seas. G'Henna is an arid land consumed by religious
zealotry. Torn from the Core during the Grand
Clusters Conjunction, its starving populace spirals into
despair as it slowly succumbs to a creeping fear
More than a dozen domains have coalesced to that its bestial god will never appear to relieve its
form new clusters in the years since the Grand suffering.
Conjunction. Only time will tell whether any of
these clusters will ever reach the size and power of Like Zherisia, Odiare is nothing more than a
the Core. Five clusters are currently known to small city surrounded by the Mists. Here, growing
exist. children struggle to support themselves and offer
prayers against the day when the creature that
The Amber Wastes are a harsh desert realm massacred their parents returns to claim them.
where ancient gods and divine curses still protect
sandworm temples and the elaborate tombs of the Rokushima Taiyoo, a beautiful archipelago
ancient dead. surrounded by a placid sea, is a land of ancient
codes of honor, delicate philosophies, and exotic
The Frozen Reaches suffer from a winter that art — which are all being crushed by the conflict
between the four ruthless and conniving shujin
has not lifted in a generation. Although this cluster lords who seek to rule it.

may nearly equal the Core in size, its population is Lastly, the folk of Souragne offer praise to the

just a tiny fraction of that of the Core. The rugged spirits of the swampland and pray that when they

folk in these lands must contend with both the die the Lord of the Dead will not come to force

merciless elements and unnatural things that do their bodies to toil in the fields until the flesh

not feel the arctic cold. drops from their bones.

20

The World of Ravenloft

Cultural Levels Cultural Levels are intended to be a starting
point for creating atmosphere, not a rigorously
The Land of Mists is home to dozens of accurate depiction of Earth's past. The Dark Pow-
distinct cultures, forming a patchwork of widely ers sculpt their domains from the romantic dreams
varying levels of technological advancement. Just and chilling nightmares of countless worlds and
as Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula jour- often warp the cultures they draw from to suit
neys from a modern Victorian London to a their tastes.
Transylvania still chained by medieval fears, those
who travel through the Realm of Dread can Note: The abbreviation B.C. in the following
wander between lands of enlightenment and section indicates real world, Before Christ dates,
domains that progress does not touch. not the Barovian Calendar, and is included for
reference.
As reflections of their darklord, the cultures
found in each domain often resemble those of the CL 0: Savage
darklord's homeland. Domains created for native
evildoers expand the range of Ravenloft's native Savage domains remain untamed wilderness
cultures and languages. Domains created for out- completely untouched by civilization. No technol-
landers are often grim reflections of cultures found ogy can be found in these lands, and the only law
in distant worlds and may thus be unusually primi- in effect is survival of the fittest. Savage domains
tive or may draw new forms of knowledge into the imply a lack of sentient creatures and are
Land of Mists. extremely rare in Ravenloft.

In Ravenloft, these disparate degrees of tech- CL 1: Stone Age
(10,000 B.C. – 5ooo B.C.)
nological and cultural progress are expressed as
Stone Age domains represent the most primi-
Cultural Levels (CL). Cultural Levels determine
tive lands that can still claim to possess true
the availability of given types of equipment or
societies. Stone Age peoples have not yet learned
learning (see "Equipment" in chapter 2), and the
to work metal; weapons and tools are crafted from
DM can use them as a guideline when adding
wood, bone, or stone, such as flint and obsidian.
detail to Ravenloft's societies.

21

Chapter One

Daggers, clubs, slings, and spears are the most As people learn to weave cloth, including cotton
common weapons, with the short bow and silk, padded armor also appears.
representing the most advanced weaponry to be
found. Stone Age peoples tan hides to create Bronze Age societies possess pictographic
clothing and can create leather armor. written languages and often keep important
records on clay tablets or scrolls made of crude
Stone Age life is dictated by the daily forms of paper or inscribe them in stone. Growing
demands of survival. Societies usually exist as seasons are recorded each year, leading to the
small, seminomadic tribes, usually able to support creation of early calendars. Other new discoveries
no more than a score of people. These tribes hunt include fixed measurements and often
game or gather edible plants for food, though sophisticated knowledge of mathematics,
some may possess domesticated animals or architecture, astronomy, and herbal medicine. New
limited agricultural skills. The ability to make fire inventions include the potter's wheel, pulleys,
is considered invaluable. levers, and the plow and may include the wheel.
Gems and works of art crafted from precious
Stone Age settlements usually take the form of metals become prized symbols of wealth and
natural caves or collections of hide tents. Lush power, but most trade still relies on barter.
lands may boast small villages built from adobe
bricks. Stone Age communities trade exclusively Organized religion appears and quickly domi-
through barter; an adventurer's coins or gems nates society. Bronze Age rulers are often clerics,
would be valued only for their decorative worth. viewed as the direct emissaries of the gods. Sages
unlock sorcerers' arcane powers to become the
The Stone Age mind is ruled by superstition; first wizards, and spellcasters learn to enchant
every natural event is given a mystical explana- magic items.
tion. Stone Age peoples have not yet developed
any concept of science or written language, nor Bronze Age peoples can build stone structures
have they mastered the arts of magic. Divine
spellcasters are typically adepts or druids, while for their cities and temples. The size of these
arcane magic is found only in the natural talents of
sorcerers. structures often seems to be limited only by the

The goblins that roam the wilds of Ravenloft available workforce, and large communities may

can be considered a Stone Age society. Although construct massive monuments capable of

these creatures often wield metal weapons, very outlasting their builders by millennia. These

few understand metallurgy. Goblins typically steal architects may also protect their glorious temples

their metal weapons and tools from the isolated and tombs with secret doors and cunning traps,

farmsteads they prey on. including hidden pits, swinging blades, and

deadfalls. Ironically, Bronze Age societies have

yet to invent the lock and key.

Stone Weapons Bronze Weapons
Stone weapons have a hardness of 8 and Bronze is a soft metal. Bronze weapons have
only half as many hit points as their metal a hardness of 9, and piercing and slashing
counterparts. (See Tables 8-12 and 8-13 in the weapons suffer a -1 penalty to damage rolls.
Player's Handbook.) Piercing and slashing
stone weapons suffer a -1 penalty to attack and CL 3: Iron Age (2500 B.C. - 1 B.C.)
damage rolls.
As society continues to advance, metalworkers
CL 2: Bronze Age eventually learn to forge iron, a metal more
(5000 B.C. – 2500 B.C.) durable than bronze and capable of holding a finer
edge. Armed with more reliable materials, Iron
With advances in agriculture, the land can Age domains create new armaments, including the
now support large, permanent communities, in breastplate, the tower shield, and siege engines
turn allowing true civilization to take root. Bronze such as the catapult. Their armies now employ
Age societies are defined by the discovery of met- advanced military tactics.
alworking. Bronze weapons and tools begin to
replace their crude stone or wood equivalents.
Studded leather becomes the most advanced armor
available.

22

The World of Ravenloft

With the Iron Age, early civilization comes Large farms, kept fertile through crop rotation,
into full bloom. Government has started to distin- can now supply grain to mechanical mills, sustain-
guish itself from the mandates of the gods. Laws ing large populations. In these communities
are codified, and societies may even experiment artisans jealously guard the secret of creating
with new forms of rule. Ships can now weather porcelain, and tea is often drunk for its medicinal
limited ocean travel, and trade becomes more qualities.
common. Metal coins make their first appearance,
as do simple locks. Warfare also advances, most notably with the
invention of the crossbow and sturdy new forms of
Written language has been refined from com- armor, including banded mail, scale mail, and
plex hieroglyphics to a simple alphabet, spreading splint mail. Magic also advances as arcane
literacy and prompting revolutionary advances in spellcasters refine their theories of the elemental
the realms of knowledge. Libraries are built, and planes.
writers spread epic tales of adventure or debate
philosophical truths. Artisans develop CL 6: Early Medieval
glassmaking. Medicine becomes standardized, (800 A.D. - 1200 A.D.)
often based on the theory of four "humours"
regulating health. The sundial and the hourglass Early medieval architecture is marked by the
allow for more accurate measurement of time. appearance of the pointed Gothic arch, an im-
provement over the curved arches in use since the
Iron Age communities are noteworthy for late Iron Age. Early medieval domains are marked
their ability to reshape the surrounding terrain to by the construction of motte-and-bailey castles,
meet their needs. Iron Age science can create fortified towers, and large cathedrals decorated
water screws, canals, sewers, and aqueducts to with masterful stained-glass windows.
irrigate fields or supply running water to the
palaces of the elite, and windmills are built to The first merchant guilds appear in larger
draw power from the sky itself. communities; a few may even go so far as to offer
insurance plans against losses caused by fire or
CL 4: Classical (1 A.D. - 500 A.D.) plague. Healers begin to explore surgical tech-
niques of treatment, and bards form colleges to
Classical societies represent the apex of early organize their traditions. Travelers discover the
civilization; some have even begun to slide into magnetic compass, and ships gain the stern rudder.
decadence. Classical domains are primarily Water clocks keep accurate track of time, and
marked by advances in scientific knowledge, warriors use chain mail and the lance.
philosophy, and theology. Mathematicians refine
algebra and geometry, and spellcasters lay the CL 7: Medieval
foundations of alchemy. With the invention of (1200 A.D. - 1400 A.D.)
paper, durable bound books start to replace scrolls,
though these books must still be scribed by hand. The medieval era can be considered the "de-
High-quality roads promote increased travel, and fault" Cultural Level presented in the Player's
the invention of the stirrup and trousers aids Handbook. The era is also notable for the appear-
horsemen, creating the first true cavalry. ance of ornate Gothic cathedrals and castles, the
structures that would one day lend the Gothic
CL 5: Dark Age genre its name. The longbow now dominates war-
(500 A.D. - 800 A.D.) fare, matched by mounted knights protected by
half-plate armor and heavy barding.
Dark Age societies often form in the wake of
Doctors establish the first medical schools,
the slow collapse of a classical culture. The era
and surgeons dissect bodies to further their knowl-
even takes its name from the widespread belief
edge . Block printing can free scribes from the
that the "light" of civilization has been
chore of copying every book by hand, but
extinguished. Despite their backward reputation,
engraving the wooden blocks for printing remains
Dark Age domains still produce many scientific
a laborious process. Advances in glassblowing and
advances. Monastic orders form, dedicated to the
the study of optics create eyeglasses and mirrors
preservation of knowledge or contemplation of the
and put glass panes in the windows of every
soul. The invention of the astrolabe and advances
manor. The first huge mechanical clocks appear in
in shipbuilding produce the first reliable ocean
cities, and the invention of the spinning wheel
travel.
sparks new textile industries.

23

Chapter One

CL 8: Chivalric The current century has also seen the appearance
(1400 A.D. – 1550 A.D.) of the first crude steam engines. Even the most
jaded denizens of Renaissance domains marvel at
Chivalric domains are marked by the first the handful of paddleboats that now chug along
appearance of gunpowder, though weapons using Ravenloft's rivers.
powder are usually restricted to large, crude bom-
bards. Warriors can now wield bastard swords and Note: A character who wears heavy
fit themselves out in full plate, but the tradition of armor in CL 9 communities adds a +1 cir-
the armored knight is coming to an end, overshad- cumstance modifier to her Outcast Rating
owed by the spreading use of muskets and lighter (see "Outcast Ratings" on pg. 30.)
weapons such as the sabre.
Lexicon
Engineers refine mechanical clocks, making
them small enough to appear in the homes of the ancient dead: Also called "ancients"; a
wealthy. Doctors now understand medicine well broader term for the undead creatures often called
enough to order quarantines to control plagues, mummies.
while governments start to keep careful records of
births, marriages, and deaths within their domain. bloodline: A chain of lycanthropic infection
Some wealthy, populous lands even experiment stemming from a single natural lycanthrope.
with limited postal services.
caliban: A human warped in the womb by
CL 9: Renaissance unnatural magic.
(1550 A.D. - 1700 A.D.)
cleric domain: A clarification to the term
Renaissance domains represent the most ad- "domain" from the Player's Handbook to avoid
vanced cultures to be found within the Land of confusion with Ravenloft's domains.
Mists, though it seems likely that future centuries
will bring further eras of discovery. Firearms and cluster: A patchwork collection of two or
fencing now dominate warfare, and heavy more domains in a single Mist-bound region.
weapons and armor are considered antiquated. The
inhabitants of these domains typically view Core, the: The largest and oldest cluster in
anyone seen wearing heavy armor as a backward Ravenloft, loosely resembling a microcosmic,
brute obviously looking for a fight. Castles have Gothic Europe.
also fallen out of favor, and those built in earlier
eras are often renovated into more comfortable Cultural Level (CL): A rough measurement
palaces. of a community's technological level. Affects
equipment and skill availability.
The invention of the moveable type printing
press creates an immediate revolution in the darklord: The evil master — and ultimate
realms of art and knowledge. Jaded intellectuals prisoner — of a domain. A descriptive term, it is
meet in salons, and theater witnesses the first not used by characters in the setting.
ballets and operas. Early newspapers may even
appear in a few wealthy communities — typically Dark Powers: The faceless, godlike forces
in the form of double-sided handbills. Caravels that shape the Realm of Dread. A descriptive term;
now ply the seas, spreading trade and hunting their true nature and intentions remain a mystery.
whales for their oil and blubber. Travelers can
now ride on coach lines that make regular trips domain: A pocket dimension created to im-
between large towns. prison and torment a singular evil creature, its
darklord. Domains often resemble Material Plane
Renaissance domains often feature such dizzy- locations and may contain sizeable populations.

ing scientific advances that their inhabitants domain border: Darklords can close the bor-
ders of their domain, preventing escape. No mortal
believe that science is slowly and inexorably magic can overcome a closed domain border.

replacing magic in the world. Clockworks are now Dukkar: A legendary foe of the Vistani, said
to be a male Vistana gifted with the Sight and
sophisticated enough to fit in a noble's pocket, and fated to bring destruction to his people.

metal ore can be purified in blast furnaces. ethereal resonance: The landscape of the
Near Ethereal, shaped by the echoes of emotion-
Cumbersome machines can now knit wool or add ally charged events.

figures, while further discoveries in optics produce Fear save: A Will save vs. fear effects.

the microscope and the principles of the camera

obscura.

24

The World of Ravenloft

fiend: Any powerful, evil outsider. Ravenloft: A descriptive term for the setting. To
characters within the Land of Mists, Ravenloft is
giogoto: The Vistani term for half-Vistani. Both just a castle in Barovia.
singular and plural.
recovery check: A Will save made to recover
giorgio: The Vistani term for non-Vistani. Both from horror or madness effects. Failing the check
singular and plural. incurs no further penalties.

Grand Conjunction, the: An arcane term for a Requiem, the: A catastrophic event in 750 in
cataclysmic event in 740 that nearly destroyed and which an expanding wave of negative energy slew
permanently reshaped the Land of Mists. It was I1 Aluk. Darkon's king was thought killed in the
foreseen by the Vistani seer Hyskosa. Within the blast but has recently reemerged.
setting this event is more commonly known as the
Great Upheaval. Scourge of Arak: A massive sandstorm in 588
that wiped out all surface life in the region now
Grim Harvest, the: A murderous conspiracy known as the Mountains of Misery in Darkon.
forged to collect souls to power a grand and terrible
magical experiment. Lasting from 748-750, it cul- sinkhole of evil: A spiritually unclean area that
minated in the Requiem. applies penalties to Will saves and turning attempts.
The effect of powerful ethereal resonance spawned
Horror save: A Will save vs. horror effects. by acts of evil.

Hour of Screaming Shadows, the: A terrifying Vistani: A mysterious, gypsylike people who
night in the autumn of 752 when a mass of living roam the Land of Mists. They are feared and
shadows smashed into Nedragaard Keep in Sithicus, respected for their evil eye and power over the
apparently killing the black knight who ruled it. Mists. Vistani is plural; the singular form is Vistana.

Innocence: The total absence of evil in a mortal
spirit. Evil creatures are both drawn to and
threatened by Innocence, like moths to a flame.

insane: Any creature suffering from a madness
effect.

Island of Terror: A single domain, surrounded
on all sides by the Mists.

Madness save: A Will save vs. madness effects.
Mists, the: As the Misty Border, these banks of
unnatural fog separate clusters and Islands of Terror.
The Mists can also appear at any place or time
within Ravenloft. They are presumed to be the
agents of the Dark Powers and can twist time and
space.

Mistway: A relatively reliable travel route
through the Mists.

Outcast Rating (OR): Amodifier to social
skills, reflecting the xenophobia of Ravenloft's
denizens.

outlander: Anyone who comes from "beyond
the Mists," perhaps even from another world.

Near Ethereal, the: The borderland between
Ravenloft and the Ethereal Plane.

powers check: A percentile roll to determine
whether the Dark Powers respond to evil acts.

rank: A measure of the power of ghosts,

ethereal resonance, and the ancient dead. Not to be

confused with skill ranks.

25





Chapter Two

II that is necessary for the triumph of Races
evil is that good men do nothing. —
Edmund Burke (1770) Ravenloft is a y misfortune is that I still resemble a man
world caught between light and too much."
darkness. It is home to foul horrors and lurking
nightmares, but even in the Realm of Dread, this evil —Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
does not stand unopposed. Some people who Although humans make up the vast
encounter the creatures of the night fall beneath their majority of Ravenloft's population, all of
claws, becoming victims. Others succumb to the the civilized races can be found in one form or
myriad lures of evil and join the ranks of the another. All racial traits perform as listed in the
damned. But some souls possess the virtue and the Player's Handbook. A new race for player charac-
willpower to face the forces of darkness and emerge ters, the half-Vistani, can be found at the end of
victorious. These few souls are the heroes of the this section.
Land of Mists. If the player characters persevere,
they can save lives, redeem souls, send villains to Homelands: Noteworthy cultural centers for
their doom, and, perhaps, leave the world better than the race.
they found it. The path is treacherous, though;
heroes who lack wits or wisdom may merely rush to Recommended Feats: Nonhuman races are
their graves, and those seduced by corruption may often known for specific traits, such as the
face a fate far less pleasant than death. dwarven zeal for metalwork. Members of the
listed race often have one or more of these feats.
Adventurers of every race and class can be These are merely suggestions, however, not
found in Ravenloft, though all must live by the Dark restrictions.
Powers' rules. If the Dark Powers find a special
ability particularly distasteful — or intriguing — Base OR: Racial modifier to the character's
characters may find its effects subtly twisted. These Outcast Rating; see sidebar.
changes apply to all creatures in the Realm of Dread,
whether they are lifelong residents or have just Starting Languages
recently emerged from the Mists. The following
sections provide all the guidelines needed to reshape The Dread Domains are home to widely
characters for a Ravenloft campaign. differing and often isolated cultures. Thus, no
Common language has arisen. Characters can
First, "Races" reintroduces humans and the substitute any domain language for Common to
nonhuman races, explaining their roles in Ravenloft represent their native tongue and can take domain
society. languages as bonus languages. Chapter 4 lists each
domain with its native tongues. A few languages
Next, "Classes" details how the Mists affect have risen to prominence in the Realm of Dread
each of the Player's Handbook adventuring classes and are thus particularly useful. Each language has
and suggests roles they often fill in Ravenloft its own alphabet.
campaigns.
Balok: The oldest language of Ravenloft,
"Skills" takes a new look at a few familiar skills Balok spread from its native Barovia throughout
and adds the skill of Hypnosis. the Balinoks and the southwestern Core. Balok is
marked by guttural consonants and thick vowels
The section that follows, "Feats," offers several and is not overly pleasant to the ear. However,
new abilities for characters to choose from. Heroes many of the centrally located domains where
in Ravenloft may be able to contact the spirit realm, Balok is spoken contain trade routes, so it has
walk unnoticed among the living dead, or recall come into use as a trade tongue by some
knowledge from past lives. merchants and innkeepers.

Next, "Faiths" presents a sampling of Darkonese: This complex and highly struc-
Ravenloft's most influential religions, including two tured language has not spread far beyond the
new cleric domains. borders of Darkon. However, the sheer size of that
kingdom ensures that Darkonese remains
"Equipment" provides new gear available to the significant. Many nonhumans, such as elves and
dwarves, are natives of Darkon and mix
heroes — and their foes. Darkonese with their racial tongues, and many
wizards note that the highly precise definitions of
Lastly, "Final Thoughts" offers a few Darkonese words lend themselves well to magical
writings.
considerations toward shaping a hero's persona.

28

The Player Characters

Mordentish: This language is divided into Humans

two distinct dialects with markedly different vo- Humans are the standard by which all other
races must be measured. They form such a vast
cabularies. "High" Mordentish is preferred by the majority of Ravenloft's population that many hu-
mans know the nonhuman races only through
upper classes, while speaking the "Low" dialect rumor or legend. Humans fill every niche in
society and represent a wide spectrum of cultures
marks one as a commoner. Scholars posit that this and ethnic groups. Traits common among the
human folk of specific domains can be found in
linguistic cleft may have arisen from an imperfect chapter 4. Some sages have pondered why humans
are so prevalent in the Land of Mists. Are the Dark
melding of two separate, now-forgotten languages. Powers drawn to some inherent spark in the
human spirit that other races lack? If so, it may be
The result is a highly flexible language that has this: every human holds the potential to perform
great good or to commit great evil and can choose
spread throughout the northwestern Core. Due to which path to follow. Humans are the masters of

its association with the culturally advanced do- their own nature; it is both
their greatest strength and
mains of the northwest, Mordentish is widely their most fatal flaw.

considered the language of literature. Homelands: Human
communities can be
Vaasi: This language, most recognizable for found in every settled

its harmonious vowels, is strongly associated with domain. That is, as far
as settled domains go
the cultures of the southeastern Core. By church — even Sithicus has
tiny human
law, for example, all religious rites of the Church communities.
Some domains
of the Lawgiver must be have no
"civilized" human
recited in Vassi; all texts must settlements,
though human
use its script. A patois spoken encampments or
nomadic elements
in Kartakass, mixing Vaasi may exist.

with the Sithican dialect of Recommended
Feats: Any. See
Elven, is considered chapter 4 for
traits common to
highly poetic and is the folk of each
domain.
much favored by bards
Base
and minstrels. Outcast Rating:
0
Draconic:

While few have seen

the wily wyrms in the

Realm of Dread, their

language is still

the preferred

tongue of magic.

A few scholars

suspect that the

origins of

Ravenloft lie in

some other world,

and when that world

introduced the arcane

arts to Ravenloft, it

recorded them in the

dragon's language.

Regardless, Draconic

is not a spoken Nonhuman
Races
language in

Ravenloft; it is merely

the wizards' conceit to Despite the

keep their secrets speculation

from curious eyes. above, humans

are far from the only

race to possess free

will.

29

Chapter Two

Outcast Ratings

Most of Ravenloft's folk live and die within a score of miles from their birthplace and can spend
their entire lives without ever knowingly encountering the supernatural. When combined with cultures
rich in suspicion and superstition, the result is xenophobia. This is expressed as an Outcast Rating (OR),
which may modifiy the Difficulty Classes of social skill checks performed by any character who appears
unnatural or out of place.

A character's Outcast Rating can be modified by her race, social standing, physical deformities, or
even the gear she carries. As a character's OR rises, NPC reactions toward her turn from standoffish to
fearful.

OR applies as a circumstance penalty to Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Perform checks,
but it applies as a bonus to Intimidate checks. OR modifiers never apply when dealing with friends or
allies, such as other PCs, or others who share the source of your OR modifiers, such as other members of
your own race.

Example: Elves have a base Outcast Rating of 3. If they interact with nonelves, they suffer a -3
penalty to Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Perform checks but enjoy a +3 bonus to Intimidate
checks.

Outcast Rating reflects only first reactions; it is possible to improve one's standing. For each good
deed a character performs (stopping a crime, defeating a monster preying on the community, helping a
farmer harvest crops, and so on), that individual dispels some of the surrounding community's fear; her
OR drops in that community by 1 point, to a minimum of 0.

Some domains may impose their own OR modifiers; see chapter 4 for more details.

It is true that nonhumans possess undeniable,
inborn traits, such as dwarven industriousness or
halfling curiosity. A few sages — all human of
course — claim that Ravenloft's inhuman
creatures, from elves to gnomes to vampires to
lycanthropes, are all merely facets of the human
soul, placed in the world by nameless gods to
reflect against humanity's light. Most nonhu-mans
scoff at this, for their cultural traits are not
ironclad. Nonhumans may have tendencies, but
like any other mortal, they are responsible for their
own fates.

With the exception of a very few domains,
such as Darkon and Sithicus, nonhumans face a
cold reception when they roam in the lands of
men. In some lands, nonhumans are simply
considered unnatural — freaks of nature to be
pitied or ridiculed. In other lands, humans may
react with deeply rooted, superstitious fear.
Nonhumans who visit a few domains, such as
Falkovnia and Tepest, may even be risking their
lives.

Calibans

Orcs are unknown in Ravenloft, even as crea-
tures of legend. For this reason, no half-ores are
native to the Land of Mists. However, creatures do
exist that fill the half-ore's role: calibans.

30

The Player Characters

Thankfully rare, Calibans are twisted humans They respect dedication in all forms — to hard
exposed to curses or foul magic while still in the work, to their clan, and to codes of honor. A dwarf
womb. The birth of a caliban in a community is holds nothing so precious as her family and
often seen as a sure sign of the presence of nothing so beautiful as finely worked steel.
witchcraft — specifically, the corrupting aura of a Dwarves have little time for frivolity. Their music
hag. consists entirely of dirges for their ancestors or
anthems of clan tradition. Other races often view
Calibans are physically powerful but dwarves as dour and humorless creatures but
misshapen humanoids. No two Calibans look retain high praise for dwarven craftsmanship.
alike, but common deformities include twisted
backs or limbs, asymmetrical features, bristly skin, Dwarves claim a spiritual kinship with the
or tusklike teeth. Calibans are widely considered earth itself. Some humans have distorted this,
brutish, savage creatures; their name is a believing that dwarves are actually elemental spir-
corruption of "cannibal," stemming from their its. Many human folktales speak of dwarves who
most infamous reputed habit. In truth, many require a diet of gold and gems or who turn to
Calibans are simple-minded, petty brutes, but this stone if touched by sunlight.
is often the product of their upbringing. Rejected
as monsters, most calibans spend their lives hidden Homelands: The center of dwarven culture is
in dank cellars or flee civilization to roam the the town of Tempe Falls in Darkon, though nearby
wilds. In truth, a Caliban's heart can be as pure and Corvia also hosts a sizeable dwarven population.
noble as that of any human. Smaller dwarven communities have also spread
south along the Balinoks and to other mountainous
Use the racial characteristics of the Player's regions, such as the Sleeping Beast of Lamordia.
Handbook half-ore when creating a caliban player In recent years, dwarven explorers have also been
character. making inroads into the forsaken region of the
Mountains of Misery once known as Arak. There
Homelands: As creatures of unnatural origin, they have been laboring to reopen the abandoned
calibans can hail from any populated domain. mines and a long-neglected trade route that once
Most are born in lands where magic is relatively connected Tempe Falls to Liara in Nova Vaasa.
common, such as Darkon, Hazlan, and Tepest.
Recommended Feats: Back to the Wall,
Recommended Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Courage, Craft Magic Arms and Armor,
Great Fortitude, Jaded, Lunatic, Run, Skill Focus
(Intimidate, Wilderness Lore), Voice Endurance, Great Fortitude, Iron
of Wrath. Will, Jaded, Skill Focus (Craft
[armorsmithing, blacksmithing,
Base Outcast Rating: 5 stonemasonry,
weaponsmithing]). Base
Dwarves Outcast Modifier: 3

Dwarves are a stout race, Elves
built as solidly as the moun-
tains they call home. Their Two seemingly
skin, typically a light tan or unrelated elven so-
dark umber tone, is coarse cieties exist in
and often streaked with Ravenloft. The elves
ore dust or soot, as of Darkon tend to
dwarves take pride in have dark hair and
displaying the ef- eyes of green, violet,
forts of their labors. or gray. Elves from
Hair and eye color, the domain of
ranges from rust red Sithicus all share the
to browns to black; dwarven traits of silvery hair
hair often turns silver or slate and amber eyes.
gray by adulthood. Dwarves
prefer the same somber, earthen
tones in their clothing, often
adorned with precious metals.

The dwarven mindset cen-
ters on the forge and family.

31

Chapter Two

Both groups share the elven traits of pointed In some locales, tales circulate of
ears, vulpine features, and lithe builds. elves who served as advisers to
Elves prefer to dress in light, fine entire human dynasties.
fabrics like silk or satin. Recommended Feats:
Sithican elves prefer Alertness, Ethereal Empathy,
drab colors, but the Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus
fashion of Darkonian (Wilderness Lore), Track, any
elves is set by season: metamagic or item creation
pastel greens and blues are feat.
worn in the summer, Base Outcast Rating: 3
followed by yellows,
oranges, and reds as the Gnomes
trees turn color in the
autumn. During the Gnomes are spindly human-
winter months, the oids with tanned skin and
Darkonian elves restrict wizened faces. They have fair
themselves to black, white, or hair and large, sparkling blue
gray tones, to be replaced by an eyes. Most humans find gnomes
explosion of colors with the coming less threatening than other
of spring. nonhumans simply due to their
small size, but humans remain
The "fair folk" are children of wary of gnomes' reputed inborn
nature, respected by some humans magical powers and eccentric
but quietly feared by others. They personalities. Gnomes prefer to
measure their lives in centuries and wear comfortable clothes in
lack the sense of urgency that
seems to drive humans. In times bright, primary colors,
of need, elves can react as decorated with gem-encrusted
quickly as any other race, but jewelry that would be gaudy
they see nothing wrong with by anyone else's standards.
dedicating months or years
to perfecting a sonnet, observing Gnomes possess intense
beauty, or engaging in the pursuit of intellectual curiosity. They
pleasure. Humans often call elves hedonistic and are fascinated by intricate
claim that they have only a bystander's details, be they riddles or the fine cogs of a
understanding of death. In fact, in some lands, pocket watch. Gnomes enjoy nothing so much as
elves are commonly thought — however solving a difficult puzzle — building patterns out
erroneously — to be fey creatures, immortal of chaos. Gnomes often work as alchemists, gem
nature spirits merely aping the human form. More cutters, engineers, or clockmakers. Many gnomes
than one unfortunate elf has had her immortality also possess a wicked, morbid sense of humor.
tested by the inquisitors of Tepest. Gnomes often pass the time by telling macabre
tales laced with irony, and they enjoy playing
Homelands: Darkon's Mistlands contain three practical jokes, particularly on anyone they
primarily elven communities—Neblus, Nevuchar consider too dour. Gnomish practical jokes are
Springs, and Sidnar — where elves mingle freely usually remarkably elaborate but are virtually
with other races. On the far side of the Core, never intended to cause the recipient any true
Sithicus stands as the only domain with a harm.
primarily nonhuman population. Legends speak of Homelands: The largest primarily gnomish
still more elven cities hidden from human eyes by settlement in Ravenloft is the town of Mayvin in
powerful elven magic or the Mists. Darkon. Demand for gnomish skills has also
drawn small communities — very rarely more
Elves occasionally settle in human lands, than one hundred strong — to Valachan and
where they can become respected scholars. Hazlan. The largest gnomish population outside
Darkon — still no more than 150 gnomes, all told
— exists in Nova Vaasa, where it has become
fashionable for nobles to have a gnomish jester in
their courts.

32

The Player Characters

Half-elves find it difficult to maintain long-term
relationships. Forced into the life of an outsider —
though not reviled like Calibans — half-elves
often pride themselves on their iconoclastic nature.
Many pour their alienation and anguish into
artistic pursuits, becoming musicians or wandering
bards. A few even reject their given names,
adopting dramatic titles like the Wind Haunter or
the Deathseeker.

Homelands: Like Calibans, half-elves are
creatures of unusual birth. A half-elf may be born
to a wandering elf in any domain but most hail
from the regions surrounding the elven lands of
eastern Darkon or Sithicus.

Recommended Feats: Alertness, Iron Will,
Jaded, Redhead, Run, Track, Skill Focus (Diplo-
macy, Disguise, Perform).

Base Outcast Rating: 1

Rumor has it that most of these jesters also serve
as court spies, aided by their magical talents and
small size.

Recommended Feats: Alertness, Craft Wand,
Craft Wondrous Item, Dodge, Open Mind, Scribe
Scroll, Skill Focus (Bluff, Craft [alchemy,
clockmaking, gunsmithing, locksmithing]).

Base Outcast Rating: 2

Half-Elves (fey-Born)

Half-elves are the product of rare love affairs
between elves and humans. Although half-elves
inherit most traits from their human parent, they
often retain faint elven traits: pointed ears, angular
features, and green or violet eyes. Half-elves have
no communities of their own and tend to adopt the
prevailing human fashions of their homeland.

Although half-elves are at risk in a few
domains, such as Falkovnia and Tepest, they do
not face the same level of animosity many other
nonhumans do in human lands. Half-elves are
generally pitied by both humans and elves; some
even consider half-elves mildly cursed by their
heritage. It is said that half-elves are doomed to
outlive their human loved ones and to grow old
and die before the eyes of their elven kin.

33

Chapter Two

Halflings Unlike the constantly drifting Vistani, however,
halflings tend to take root in a given area for a few
Halflings are tiny humanoids, easily mistaken years, experiencing all it has to offer before
at first glance for human children. Halflings do moving on. Any settlement in Ravenloft of
possess a childlike curiosity about the world sufficient size may boast a halfling community,
around them, which often expresses itself as though these may be ghettos.
wanderlust. Halflings prefer simple, comfortable
garb and avoid ostentation. Halfling hair and eye Some halflings have settled down to form
color is usually dark brown. permanent communities. The largest of these are
both in Darkon. Halflings in the city of Rivalis
Halflings are lucky enough to avoid most of raise goats, produce cheese and take pride in their
the animosity that other nonhumans face. With flower gardens. The town of Delagia supports
their small size and lack of supernatural powers, itself through fishing and is actually built atop
halflings present humans with little to fear. Hu- Lake Korst, its buildings resembling beaver dams.
mans respect halflings' courage and general good
nature — sometimes to a fault. Humans often treat Tales are told of a village of halflings hidden
halflings with good-intentioned condescension, somewhere in the forests of Sithicus. These
believing that all halflings are as innocent and halflings were hideously tortured by the black
harmless as the young children they resemble. knight who previously ruled that land, however.
Some human bards claim that halflings were cre- They are now said to be insane, feral creatures.
ated when a powerful hag tried to purify a human
as an experiment, driving all the evil from his Recommended Feats: Courage, Dodge, Mo-
body. The experiment was a success, but the bility, Open Mind, Skill Focus (Diplomacy,
victim was reduced to half his former size, the Tumble), Weapon Finesse.
"evil half vanishing to none-knows-where.
Halflings pay this legend very little mind. Base Outcast Rating: 1

Homelands: Most halflings are nomadic, New Race: Half-Vistani
wandering in clans from one domain to another.
Half-Vistani (or giogoto, in the Vistani
patterna [see below]) are the result of a union
between a Vistana and a giorgio (any non-Vistani
human). Unlike the other special races of
Ravenloft, half-Vistani are entirely human.
However, the traits they inherit from their Vistani
blood separate them from normal men.

Love affairs between giorgio and the Vistani
are often torrid and brief. The cultural rift cuts
deeply, so precious few giogoto ever grow up
knowing both of their parents. Most often, the
Vistana parent moves on in the night, abandoning
the child to the giorgio. Rarely, a giogoto child is
raised by the tribe of its Vistana parent. In either
case, the child may be cared for but is never truly
accepted. The giogoto's giorgio family may fear
that the child will develop the peculiar talents of
her Vistani kin, and since the giogoto is not fully
"of the blood," she finds herself unable to share
entire worlds of Vistani experiences.

A player creating a giogoto character should
also refer to "The Vistani" in chapter 5 for addi-
tional details.

Personality: Broken homes are the giogoto's
birthright. Many spend their lives haunted by their
youth; a rejected child often matures into a sullen
and withdrawn adult.

34

The Player Characters

It is no small matter to straddle the cultural rift of Land of Mists, so a giogoto may be born in any

their birth, so most giogoto choose to adopt one domain. The ruthless oppression of Vistani in

culture over the other. They either adhere to the Invidia makes native half-Vistani rare in that

customs of their homeland or wrap themselves in domain, while giogoto are slightly more common in

the Vistani mystique. Regardless of the heritage neighboring Barovia. No permanent half-Vistani

they favor, half-Vistani tend to be passionate and communities exist anywhere in Ravenloft.

pessimistic individuals. Religion: Giogoto raised by giorgio typically

Physical Description: Half-Vistani resemble adopt the prevalent faith of their homeland.

their Vistani parents, often inheriting their angular Giogoto raised by the Vistani are seldom religious;

and aquiline features, eyes and hair of deep brown the Vistani worship no gods and have many

or black, and dusky or olive complexions. Of legends of their cruel mistreatment at the hands of

course, giogoto often exhibit traits of their giorgio godlike beings in the distant past. Some Vistani,

heritage as well. A giogoto can conceal her Vistani particularly those of the Vatraska tribe, treat fate,

heritage, fooling giorgio with a successful the Mists, and the forces of nature with a respect

Disguise check (considered minor details only). that approaches reverence, however.

Such tricks fail against true Vistani, however, who Language: Giogoto have no

can identify those who are "of language of their own, instead

the blood" with but a glance. learning the domain languages of

Relations: Giogoto are their homeland. Giogoto who

caught between two worlds; embrace their Vistani heritage

giorgio treat them like often also learn pattema, the

Vistani, and the Vistani treat Vistani's spoken language, and

them like giorgio. A tralaks, the Vistani system of

giogoto's outlook toward trail symbols.

nonhumans usually Names: Giogoto raised

mirrors that of his by giorgio are often given

homeland. It is not names drawn from their

uncommon, however, homeland's cultures.

for half-Vistani to be Giogoto raised by the

more accepting toward Vistani are named in

other "unwelcome" the Vistani tradition,

creatures, such as and it is not unheard

Calibans and half- of for a half-Vistani

elves. raised by a giorgio to

Alignment: In be named after her

many ways, the wayward Vistana parent.

giorgio life mimics Vistani Male

that of half-elves. Names: Bela, Grigori,

Many half-Vistani losif, Karol, Ludovic,

spend their lives Nicu, Pyotr, Simione,

alienated from society Stefan, Vasile.

and often grow to Vistani Female Names:

distrust authority. Ana, Eliza, Isabela, Lela,

Giogoto ethical Natasha, Papusza, Rozalina,

alignment tends Sofya, Ursula, Yvonne.

toward chaos, but Adventurers: Many

they are no more giogoto become wanderers,

inherently good or seeking happiness in foreign

evil than any other lands. Many fall in with other

humans. outcasts and eccentrics during

Homelands: The their aimless travels.

Vistani endlessly

wander throughout the

35

Chapter Two

Half-Vistani Racial Traits Equaar: +2 racial bonus on Handle Animal
and Ride checks. Favored Class: Ranger.
• +2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma: Giogoto retain
traces of their Vistana parent's powerful sixth sense, Kamii: +2 racial bonus on any metal-based
but as outcasts, they lack the Vistani's fierce ethnic Craft checks (e.g., blacksmithing) With a success-
pride. ful Appraise check, Kamii can identify metals and
determine where any metal item originated. Fa-
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, half- vored Class: Rogue.
Vistani have no special bonuses or penalties due to
their size. Naiat: +2 racial bonus on Perform checks.
Naiat have a base Outcast Rating of 0. Favored
• Half-Vistani base speed is 30 feet. Class: Bard.

• +2 racial bonus on Wilderness Lore checks. A Vatmska: +2 racial bonus on Heal and Profes-
giogoto inherits her Vistana parent's affinity for sion (herbalism) checks. Favored Class: Cleric.
nature. Provided fuel and some means of igniting a
spark, half-Vistani can always light a fire as a Zarovan: Racial bonus of (Idl0-ld4) to initia-
standard action, even under adverse conditions tive. Roll at the start of each encounter. Favored
(pouring rain, gusting winds, and so on). When Class: Sorcerer.
wilderness survival depends on being able to start a
fire, the half-Vistani racial bonus to Wilderness Classes
Lore checks rises to +4.
nd I have slain a vampire shape that sucked a
• Diluted Blood: For all special abilities and black king white,
effects, half-Vistani are considered human, though
they do not gain the extra feat or skill points And 1 have roamed through grisly hills
standard humans receive. Only pureblooded Vistani where dead men walked at night.
can use special spells or magic items with racially And I have seen heads fall like fruit in a slaver's
specific Vistani powers. barracoon,
And I have seen winged demons fly all naked in
• Moon Madness: A giogoto suffers from the the moon.
lunatio during the full moon each month, her mind
clouded by restlessness and anxiety. She cannot —Robert E. Howard, "Solomon Kane's Home-
prepare spells or heal naturally during this period. coming"
On each of the three nights of the full moon, she
must succeed at a Will save (DC 15) or run wild The heroes of Ravenloft come in many forms.
under the night sky. Some heroes, like barbarians and fighters, are well
suited for battling physical foes. Spellcasters, like
• Base Outcast Rating: 2. A giogoto who hides clerics and sorcerers, wield their numerous talents
her Vistani heritage can reduce her base OR to 0 against more spiritual threats. Some heroes, such as
with a successful Disguise check (see above). bards and rogues, can be invaluable during investi-
gations or exploration.
• Automatic Languages: Any domain language.
Bonus languages: Any domain language, pattema All class features altered by the Mists are listed
(including tralaks). Half-Vistani often leam the below. Any class features not listed function nor-
tongues of their Vistana and giorgio parents. mally in Ravenloft.

• Recommended Feats: Alertness, Ethereal Barbarian
Empathy, Lunatic, Track, Voice of Wrath.
Villages huddle in the frozen wastes of
• Tribal Heritage: A giogoto character must
select a tribe from the following list at the time of Vorostokov. Nomads wander the burning sands of
creation, reflecting the branch of her Vistani an-
cestry. (Further information on Vistani tasques can the Amber Wastes. Tiny homesteads struggle to
be found in chapter 5.) This tribe determines
additional benefits and favored class. beat back the cyclopean forests of Verbrek. Life for

Canjar: +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft checks. the people of these communities is a daily struggle
This bonus rises to +4 when attempting to learn new
spells. Favored Class: Wizard. against unforgiving terrain. Their clans need hunters,

Corvara: +2 racial bonus on Open Lock and warriors, and protectors — and the most powerful
Sense Motive checks. Favored Class: Rogue.
of these is the barbarian. Lone barbarians can also be

found in other lands, where they live as solitary

hermits or mountain men and avoid the noise of

civilization.

36

The Player Characters

Among the monstrous races, barbarians are Bard
believed to be relatively common among
lycanthropes and the larger goblinoids. Bards tend to hail from more civilized lands,
where travel is easiest and audiences are most
Barbarians respect physical prowess above all receptive. Bards in Ravenloft may take the form of
else; they eschew the practiced combat techniques traveling storytellers who offer news of distant
and "dirty tricks" of the fighter, seeking to win lands, often in highly embellished form, for a hot
their battles through sheer force. Any education a meal and a few coins. In some cases, bards are
barbarian receives comes from folktales heard at tortured performers whose talent is barely distin-
an elder's knee, so most barbarians are intensely guishable from their madness. These bards
superstitious. The Voros of Vorostokov, for maintain their fragile grip on sanity by channeling
example, believe that written words inherently their feverish imaginations into their art — and
contain evil magics. into the forces of magic. Bards are also commonly
associated with Vistani entertainers — particularly
The folk of more "enlightened" cultures view those of the Boem tasque — who entrance
barbarians as uncouth at best or drunken audiences with their swirling dances and the
berserkers at worst. Tales are whispered of frenzied music of their violins.
unsuspecting travelers who fell afoul of inbred
barbarian clans who would sell the pelts of Many bards, regardless of birthplace, aspire to
anything they could catch. study at the famed bardic colleges of Kartakass.
For a bard, little in life yields more prestige than
Barbarians usually adventure to test their to be admitted to the Harmonic Hall or to perform
might, to gain power, or to protect their lands and in Harmonia's amphitheater.
family.
Bards are restless creatures who wander from
Altered Class Features one audience to the next. As such, their calling
often appeals to those who lack communal ties,
• Barbarian Rage: This operates as stated in the such as half-elves or giogoto.
Player's Handbook. However, barbarians enjoy an
additional +4 bonus to Fear, Horror, and Madness
checks while enraged. Barbarians not currently in
the throes of rage when one of these checks arises
do not gain the +4 bonus.

37

Chapter Two

As entertainers, bards are often adept in the fine Altered Class Features
arts of diplomacy and can be invaluable in gaining
the trust of local villagers in strange lands. Most • Spells: Some spells function differently in
bards consider themselves observers of the world Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3.
and seekers of new experiences and sensations.
• Spontaneous Casting: If they want, evil
Altered Class Features clerics of nonevil deities can opt to channel spell
energy into cure spells in the same manner as
• Spells: Some spells function differently in neutral clerics of neutral gods. This choice still
Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3. determines whether the cleric turns or commands
undead.
• Bardic Knowledge: Reliable information
seldom travels far in Ravenloft's insular realms, • Turn or Rebuke Undead: See sidebar.
hampering the quality of knowledge a bard picks
up in her travels. A bard must apply a +10 circum- Turning and Rebuking Undead
stance penalty to the DC of all bardic knowledge
checks concerning domains she has never visited. The connection undead have to the
This penalty drops 1 point for each month that a Negative Energy Plane is strengthened in
bard spends in that domain, until the penalty drops Ravenloft. All undead add +1 to their Turn
to nothing. When creating a bard PC, consider the Resistance. If an undead has no listed Turn
character to be already completely familiar with a Resistance, then consider it to have +1 Turn
number of domains equal to her bard level. (For Resistance. This modifier stacks with those
example, a 1 st-level bard would not suffer a imposed by a sinkhole of evil (see "Altered
penalty to bardic knowledge checks about her Magic" in chapter 3).
home domain.)
All undead darklords automatically add a
Tales of Death and Madness bonus to their Turn Resistance equal to +1 or
their Wisdom modifier (if positive), whichever
At the DM's discretion, an evil bard can is greater.
perform so chillingly (such as singing a dirge,
enacting a play of foul murder, or telling a tale In other worlds, if a cleric or paladin has
about one man's descent into corruption) that twice as many levels as the undead have Hit
he frightens his audience. If the bard succeeds Dice, she would normally destroy any undead
by 10 or more on his Perform check, members that she would ordinarily turn. In Ravenloft,
of; the audience are required to make a Fear turned undead are destroyed only if prevented
check (see chapter 3). from fleeing from the source of turning by the
best and fastest means available to them as
Cleric their next action.

Clerics bear the sacred responsibility of carry- Example: A 9th-level cleric successfully
ing the divine message of their patron deity to his turns a 4 HD wight. On its next action, the
mortal followers. Of course, in Ravenloft, this turned wight must use a double move to flee as
message is as likely to be the Lawgiver's ceaseless far as it can from the cleric. If the wight is
demands of obedience or Zhakata's ravenous cru- unable to flee from the cleric — whether
elty as it is to be the words of hope offered by magically bound, hemmed in by other foes, or
deities like Ezra or the Morninglord. Clerics in simply cornered — it is destroyed.
Ravenloft may be the shepherds of their
congregations, adventuring to remove the faithful Druid
from danger, or they may be itinerant priests,
preaching the word of their god in the earnest hope Druids are the pagan practitioners of a truly
of converting new followers to their faith. Then ancient religion who revere and draw power not
again, they might be depraved cultists, secretly from any deities, but from nature itself. According
carrying out the obscene mandates of their foul to tradition, the first druids entered Ravenloft with
patron. the domain of Forlorn, but they spread to many
other lands in the centuries that followed.
Additional information on the religions of
Ravenloft can be found in the Faiths section,
starting on page 49.

38

The Player Characters

Druids are the guardians of the untamed wilds. These animals often shadow their druidic masters
Most druids are secretive about their faith and from a distance, fearfully spying on them from a
avoid civilized lands, for good reason: not only do distance. If an animal companion leaves the
druids find the cities of mankind unsettling, they influencing darklord's domain, its behavior returns
often face hostility from ignorant locals. Most folk to normal. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3 for
in Ravenloft know of the druids only through the more details. Druid companions are not dread
filter of folklore, and they often confuse druidic companions.
magic with witchcraft, a feared and poorly
understood form of magic said to be the plaything • Woodland Stride: This ability does not
of hags. To avoid danger, many druids pass allow the druid to cross closed domain borders.
themselves off as clerics of "modern" gods when
passing through settled lands. Druids strive to • Trackless Step: While the druid leaves no
preserve the purity and balance of nature. Many physical trail, she still leaves her scent that can be
claim that the Lands of Mists are out of balance, followed by beasts (and even intelligent monsters)
tainted — or even overrun — by seeping, with keen senses of smell.
unnatural evil. Most druids adventure to eliminate
these sinkholes of evil, restoring the natural • Venom Immunity: This ability does not
balance and fearsome beauty of their beloved protect against the effects of closed domain bor-
wilderness. ders.

Altered Class Features Fighter

• Animal Companion: Animal companions Fighters are "everyman" heroes: men and
women, lacking in any supernatural gifts, who
may fall under the influence of powerful domain prefer to face their obstacles head on. Fighters can
be found in every settled domain and can fill any
lords. A druid's companions do not forget their niche requiring martial skill and physical prowess.
They serve as armored knights in Darkon, Nova
friendship, however, and will not attack the druid Vaasa, and the Shadowlands, and toil as soldiers in
Falkovnia's armies, but their ranks may also
or her companions even if a darklord directly include anything from a constable or a bodyguard
to a thuggish bandit, or even just a peasant with
commands them to do so. Animal companions in long practice in defending her livestock from
cunning wolves.
these situations often flee to resolve their conflict-

ing loyalties.

39

Chapter Two

Fighters tend to adventure for clear-cut, "mun- Altered Class Features
dane" reasons. Like anyone else, they seek to
better their stations in life and secure their • Diamond Body: This ability does not pro-
happiness. A fighter might adventure to seek fame tect against the effects of closed domain borders.
and fortune, to pursue justice or vengeance, or she
may simply follow her own moral imperatives. • Abundant Step: This ability does not allow
Fighters are often invaluable when battling the monk to cross closed domain borders.
physical threats, but without magical aid, they can
find themselves all but helpless against some • Empty Body: This ability allows access
unnatural foes. only to the Near Ethereal. See "Altered Magic" in
chapter 3 for more on ethereal effects.
Altered Class Features
• Perfect Self: If the monk has a good or evil
• Bonus Feats: Fighters add Back to the Wall, moral alignment, she develops a reality wrinkle
Courage, Dead Man Walking, and Jaded to their with an initial radius of 1,000 feet per level. If the
list of possible bonus feats. monk fails any power checks, consider them failed
power rituals; each failed check adds 1d4 corrup-
Monk tion points to the monk's total and halves the
wrinkle's radius. See "Fiends" in chapter 5 for
In some ways, monks have much in common more details.
with clerics. They primarily concern themselves
with matters of the spirit. Unlike clerics, however, Paladin
monks place little faith in higher powers. A monk
turns her eyes inward, seeking to use strict disci- No one in Ravenloft simply decides to become
pline, intense meditation, and focusing exercises to a paladin. They are extremely rare, the chosen
perfectly purify her spirit (or ki) and, through it, ones of divine forces, selected for their spiritual
her flesh. Monasteries dedicated to this pursuit are purity. These divine forces imbue paladins with
nestled in the exotic realms of Rokushima Taiyoo holy powers, appointing them to champion the
and Sri Raji. In the latter domain, the monks meek and deliver justice to the forces of darkness.
(called fakirs in the Rajian tongue) test their inner Paladins tend to see Good and Evil as living,
strength by inflicting sometimes-grotesque physi- elemental forces that should be easily divided into
cal punishments on themselves, such as piercing black and white. Of course, true paladins
their flesh with iron skewers and hooks. The monk understand the difference between the pure,
tradition also exists in the lonesome city of unremitting evil of a vampire and the misguided
Paridon, where the local adherents have melded it wrongs of a drunken bully, and they react
with occult lodge traditions to create the appropriately. Paladins blinded by hubris quickly
"theological philosophy" they call the Divinity of become servants of the Dark Powers.
Mankind.
The divine forces that grant a paladin her
Tales also exist of lone monks who wander special abilities are as faceless as the Dark Powers
other domains. Rather than joining monasteries, themselves — in fact, they may well be the Dark
these monks often learn under a single master and Powers. Evidence exists, however, that paladins
pass on their teachings to a single apprentice. are an aberration in the grand tapestry the Dark
Powers have woven for themselves. Paladins
Monks are keenly aware that they live in a posses extensive, powerful gifts in their personal
world brimming with carnal and spiritual tempta- life-quest against the forces of evil, but in many
tion. Those who choose to adventure do so to set ways the deck seems stacked against them. The
themselves against these honeyed barbs, knowing Dark Powers may seek to destroy paladins in their
that inner strength means nothing if it is never realm, or it may be that the Dark Powers are
tested. Some monks are selfish, purifying their enraptured with the potential paladins hold, and
spirits in the pursuit of power, but other monks they simply provide them with fitting challenges.
wander to help steer those souls who lack the
enlightenment to protect themselves from corrup- Paladins native to Ravenloft usually ascribe
tion. their divine powers to the prevailing deities of
their homeland. They almost never adventure
simply for the pursuit of lucre or personal gain:
they seek out and battle evil because they know it
is the right thing to do.

40

The Player Characters

It is the rare paladin indeed who dies of old age in • Divine Grace: The paladin's noble spirit
Ravenloft; many become fatalistic as they proceed bleeds out into the world around her, subcon-
through life, knowing that the examples they leave sciously placing virtuous minds at ease and
after their deaths will be as important as the sinister minds on edge. The paladin can apply her
actions they took in life. divine grace bonus when attempting to improve
the reactions of good NPCs (effectively allowing
Altered Class Features her to count her Charisma bonus twice). However,
this modifier counts as a penalty when attempting
• Detect Evil: No mortal magic can detect to improve the reactions of evil NPCs (effectively
moral alignment in the Realm of Dread. In negating the paladin's Charisma bonus). Note also
Ravenloft, this ability usually duplicates the that the divine grace bonus applies to all Fear,
effects of the spell detect chaos. In two cases, Horror, and Madness saves.
however, the paladin's spiritual purity allows her
to come close to defying the edicts of the Dark • Divine Health: This protection is not invio-
Powers. First, a paladin can use this ability to late in Ravenloft. Darklords and curses are
detect Innocents (see "Powers Checks" in chapter powerful in the Realm of Dread. As such, the
3). At the extreme opposite of the moral spectrum, paladin is not immune to diseases spawned by
a paladin can also use this ability to sense the true these sources.
nature of evil outsiders.

41

Chapter Two

• Aura of Courage: Although the Ravenloft Although this disruption is negligible when com-
paladin remains immune to magical fear, she is not pared to that caused by a good outsider, darklords
immune to "natural" Fear saves, which are the can sense the presence of a paladin in their do-
product of her own sense of survival. (In a sense, mains as they would sense a festering wound on
playing a PC immune to fear in a horror campaign their own body. With a successful Scry check (DC
is simply missing out on the point.) Instead, the = 25 - the paladin's level), a darklord can detect
paladin receives the Courage feat for free at 2nd the approximate location of a paladin within her
level. domain within a one-mile radius ("in that town" or
"in the woods west of this keep"). With an extraor-
• Turn Undead: See sidebar on page 38. dinary success, the darklord narrows the
• Spells: Some spells function differently in approximate location down to a 100-foot radius.
Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3. The darklord automatically retries the Scry check
• Special Mount: A paladin's special mount is once per 24 hours. It is rumored that in the past,
a dread companion. See the "Dread Companions" darklords could automatically sense paladins in
sidebar. their domains, but if these rumors were true, how
• Disruption: As a paladin's divine powers would any of the holy warriors survive past their
grow in strength, they begin to disrupt the very formative years?
planar fabric of the evil-tainted world around her.

Dread Companions

Some classes can call upon the world for a steadfast animal companion, and the world will respond.
In Ravenloft, it falls to the Dark Powers to heed this call. Their response is the dread companion.

The Dread Companion is a template that should be added to any familiar or paladin's mount
summoned within Ravenloft. A dread companion uses all of the base creature's statistics and special
abilities except as noted here. The creature's type changes to magical beast (if it is not one already).

Dread companions share their master's ethical alignment, but their moral alignment is always evil.
Do not be mistaken; they are not mindlessly malicious, nor are they dedicated to their master's destruction.
Indeed, they are utterly loyal to their masters — to a fault.

Dread companions share an empathic link with their masters. Through this link, they are privy to all
of their master's innermost thoughts and desires. Their masters may understand why some wishes are best
left unspoken, but dread companions utterly lack a conscience. They cannot grasp why their master's
desires should be repressed, no matter how dark or selfish. If the master desires an object, the companion
may try to steal it; if a rival causes its master harm of any kind, the companion may seek revenge. The
dread companion of a scrupulous master knows that its master does not want to acknowledge her
unspoken desires, and may act in secret. In psychological terms, when a character calls for a familiar or
paladin's mount in Ravenloft, she receives her own id in flesh and blood.

When the master is at low levels, a dread companion has a rather dull mind (see the respective
sidebars in the Player's Handbook). As the master gains power, however, the intellect of her dread
companion follows suit. The dread familiar of a neophyte wizard may just seem mischievous; at higher
levels, that same dread familiar is capable of crafting devious and cunning plots.

When a dread companion is faced with a situation that would call for a Fear, Horror, or Madness
check, it does so independently of its master. Indeed, some of the most stalwart dread companions are
inured to the terrors that send their masters fleeing. Note also that a dread companion to a good or neutral
character has different modifiers to these checks, due to its own inherently evil alignment. Special cohorts
(see the Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 45) are treated the same way.

Familiars and other companions brought in from other realms (that is, not native to the Ravenloft
world) do not become dread companions. They retain their original alignments and other traits.

42

The Player Characters

Ranger Altered Class Features

Like the barbarian and druid, rangers are most • Spells: Some spells function differently in
at home in the wilderness. Unlike those classes, Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3.
rangers are often welcome in civilized lands, par-
ticularly rustic communities where the wilds press Rogue
close. Like druids, rangers strive to maintain an
uneasy balance between nature and civilization. Like fighters, rogues are an "everyman" hero,
Where the druid protects nature from the intru- lacking any supernatural gifts. Where the fighter
sions of mankind, however, rangers often guard prefers confrontation, however, the rogue prefers
humans from nature's savagery. In untamed lands to solve problems through intellect and guile. A
like Vorostokov, they may hunt game to provide rogue knows that there's no point in battling a
for their clans or scout out new territory. Rangers chamber full of zombies if you can find the secret
in settled lands are usually employed as game passage that bypasses them. With their extensive
wardens for noble estates. In Sithicus, elven expertise in skills and their impressive bag of
rangers patrol the deep forests astride monstrous tricks, rogues can be invaluable when creeping
stag beetles, hunting evil creatures and through ancient tombs or interacting with
discouraging foreign visitors. Most folk consider suspicious NPCs. Rogues are commonly
rangers somewhat rustic, but their skills are associated with thieves and tricksters, but they can
generally respected. just as easily be explorers, investigators, or even a
mere — if sharp-witted — townsperson.
Rangers are master trackers and scouts. Rang-
ers usually adventure to eliminate dangerous Rogues often adventure in the name of per-
beasts and other menaces from their chosen sonal gains; they like to know "what's in it for
territories. Some patrol the wilds to protect or them”.
provide for their homelands. Others, particularly
lycanthropes, prey on humanity, becoming more
dangerous than any beast.

43

Chapter Two

The rewards a rogue fights for may be wealth or their need for forethought, often result in wizards
political power, but a rogue is just as likely to developing at least mildly obsessive and control-
adventure to ensure the safety of a loved one or to ling personalities. Some wizards grow drunk on
gain the satisfaction of a mystery solved. their own power or are corrupted by the evil forces
inherent in their spells and begin to think they are
Altered Class Features the sole arbiters of their fate.

• As the Player's Handbook rogue. Wizards are respected or even admired in
some domains, such as Darkon and Hazlan, but
Sorcerer often conceal their arcane powers in less accepting
lands. Wizards can be found in nearly any domain,
Sorcerers are born with inherent magical pow- however, often lurking in remote towers or
ers. Depending on one's point of view, this may be secretly using magic to further their goals in other
a fantastic gift or a wretched curse. As a rule, the arenas.
denizens of Ravenloft are highly suspicious of any
beings with inherent magical powers, viewing Adventuring wizards know that the study of
them as both more and less than human. Common arcane magic is a great temptation but that the
folktales, however misguided, claim that sorcerers rewards are just as great. Although wizards lack
are changelings left by the fey, or reviled practitio- the physical prowess of many other adventurers,
ners of witchcraft, or even that they gain their their spells can harm creatures of the night that
powers through trafficking with fiends. Sorcerers laugh at the mightiest swing of a fighter's sword.
are known to be common among Vistani women; Wizards often adventure to learn new arcane
the spell lists of Vistani seers are almost secrets and add to their power.
exclusively drawn from the schools of divination
and enchantment. Male Vistani who exhibit Altered Class Features
sorcerous powers are killed at once, lest they grow
to become Dukkars. • Spells: Some spells function differently in
Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3.
No sorcerer asks to be born with magic in her
blood, but adventurers who continue to advance in • Familiar: A wizard's familiar is a dread
the class have chosen to further develop their companion. See the "Dread Companions" sidebar
talents. Even so, sorcerers are wise to reveal their for more details.
magical gifts only to those they trust.
Skills
As supernatural anomalies themselves, sorcer-
ers are often fascinated by other strange he wicked are always surprised to find
phenomena. Sorcerers frequently adventure to that the good can be clever.
explore the world's unnatural mysteries, seeking to
unravel the riddle of their own existence. —Marquis de Vauvenargues,
Reflexions et Maximes
Altered Class Features Skills are a vital tool to individualize your
character beyond the skeleton of race and class.
• Spells: Some spells function differently in An occult scholar might use Knowledge skills to
Ravenloft. See "Altered Magic" in chapter 3. become an expert on arcane topics and monster
lore. An investigator might specialize in Gather
• Familiar: A sorcerer's familiar is a dread Information and Sense Motive, perhaps even
companion. See the "Dread Companions" sidebar learning a few of the roguish skills used by the
for more details. criminals she pursues. An "everyman" hero, thrust
into horrific proceedings through no will of her
Wizard own, might have high ranks in Profession or Craft
skills, or she might focus on skills like Hide and
What a sorcerer gains through reluctant birth- Move Silently, hoping stealth will keep her alive. .
right, wizards must earn through years of toil.
Wizards can call on arcane magic to bend reality Learning Skills
to their will — they can change one creature into
another, animate the dead to serve them, or sum- Ravenloft is a land of isolation and eerie se-
mon eldritch forces to smite their foes. They crets. In some cases, a skill may be the prized
command all this without even the veneer of possession of a tiny cabal of scholars, or a skill
spiritual guidance divine spellcasters receive. End- common in one domain may be totally unknown
less years of study and research, combined with in another.

44

The Player Characters

When a hero learns a new skill, the player what she wants to hear; it does not include the
should explain how the character was able to gain ability to actually peer into the future. This skill is
access to that skill. For example, a merchant who most commonly the tool of charlatans, false
has seldom stepped outside the bustling markets of prophets, and Vistani seers who decide not to tax
Martira Bay is probably skilled in Appraise, Bluff, their Sight.
Diplomacy, and Sense Motive, but she is unlikely
to know the first thing about Wilderness Lore. On The DM should apply a circumstance modifier
the other hand, a nomad from the Amber Wastes is based on how far-fetched or specific the prediction
likely quite skilled in desert survival techniques is. A vague, common prediction ("You will meet a
but would be hard pressed to demonstrate where dark stranger") might carry no modifier to the DC,
she might have learned to Swim. At the DM's while the modifier for an outrageous or easily
discretion, Knowledge or Craft skills may require refuted prediction might rise to +10 or even +20.
training under a teacher. The use of arcane props like a crystal ball or a
tarokka deck gives a +2 circumstance bonus to the
Requiring players to justify their hero's skill Bluff check.
choices can thus keep some skills appropriately
rare and can be used to enrich a PC's background. Seduction: Most commonly associated with
Chapter 4 includes the skills most appropriate to the act of physical seduction, this skill can also
each domain. include a carnival barker delivering a spiel to draw
patrons into her tent or a crime boss trying to lure
Revisited Skills a constable onto her payroll. Seduction is the art of
manipulating a target by sensing her desires and
Some skills have new uses or special restric- promising to deliver on them. With a successful
tions in the Land of Mists. Seduction check, you can convince a target to
perform a small service for you — perhaps follow-
Alchemy ing you to a secluded locale or paying a few coins.

You can create gunpowder with a successful The DM should apply a circumstance modifier
Alchemy check (DC 15). It costs 5 sp to prepare 1 based on how well the promise matches the
ounce of gunpowder. You can save time by target's desires, how demanding the requested
creating multiple ounces in a single batch, but if service is, and whether the seducer can deliver on
you fail the Alchemy check by 5 or more, you the promise. An impoverished family man may be
accidentally ignite the entire batch. This inflicts 1 resistant to physical enticement but willing to
point of fire damage per ounce to everything accept a few coins, for example. Likewise, a randy
within 5 feet. Those caught within the blast radius sailor may respond well to attentions of a lady, but
can make a Reflex save (DC 20) to take half he might balk if asked to follow her into an acrid-
damage. smelling, web-choked cellar. Use the example
circumstances listed in the Player's Handbook as a
Animal Empathy guideline.

If you attempt to improve the attitude of an Seduction cannot rob a target of her free will.
animal under the influence of a darklord, the If an NPC attempts to seduce a PC, the PC is not
animal adds the darklord's Charisma bonus to the charmed. Instead, the DM should present the NPC
DC of your check. (See "Enchantment" in chapter and her offer in an enticing light. If a seduction
3 for more details.) check fails, the target realizes the seducer is at-
tempting to manipulate him — but in the right
Bluff circumstances, he may still find the offer
appealing.
Heroes in Ravenloft campaigns may investi-
gate suspicious strangers, unravel mysteries, or Craft
infiltrate secret societies, all involving a great deal
of social interaction. Bluff can be used in a variety Craft includes two new specializations:
of situations; two new uses are presented here. clockmaking and gunsmithing. Clockmaking is the
Both fortune-telling and seduction rely on your skill used to create mechanical clockworks,
ability to judge the desires of the target. If you first ranging from ponderous clock towers to delicate
succeed at a Sense Motive check (DC 20), you pocket watches. Gunsmithing is used to craft gun-
gain a +2 insight bonus to your Bluff check. powder weapons and bullets.

Telling Fortunes: This is the skill of inventing
plausible fortunes from thin air. It is the art of
picking up clues about a target and telling her

45

Chapter Two

If you have 5 or more ranks in clockmaking, you
enjoy a +2 synergy bonus to gunsmithing checks
when building or repairing wheel-lock weapons.
The clockmaking skill is uncommon in domains
below CL 7 (Medieval); gunsmithing first appears
at CL 8 (Chivalric). If you fail a craft check by 5
or more points when crafting a bomb (see
"Equipment"), the bomb explodes.

Knowledge

Several new fields of study may be of interest
to Ravenloft characters.

Monster Lore: Monster lore encompasses sev-
eral different skills; the character must select a
specific type of monster to study. Thus, a
character might learn aberration, beast, construct,
dragon, elemental, fey, giant, humanoid, magical
beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, outsider,
shapechanger, undead, or vermin lore. (Animal
and plant lore are already included in the
Knowledge [nature] skill.) These skills can be
used to evaluate a character's knowledge of the
habits or weaknesses of the chosen creature type.

Ravenloft: This is a specialized form of
Knowledge (planar). It represents an
understanding of the planar fabric of the Realm of
Dread, including the Mists, the nature of domains,
closed borders, darklords, and so on. This is an
extremely rare skill, known only by a handful of
arcane scholars, most of whom are darklords.

Lore Skills: Lore skills mix academic study
with a broad overview of legend and superstition.
Characters can attempt to use lore skills untrained
(an Intelligence check, which the DM should roll)
by relying on their knowledge of common
folklore. However, folklore is often misleading. If
a character trained in lore fails the skill check, she
realizes that she simply does not know the needed
information. If an untrained character fails the
check, the DM should provide a skewed (or even
dangerously unreliable) version of the desired
information.

New Skill

The following is a class skill for monks,
sorcerers, and wizards.

Hypnosis (Cha; Trained Only)

You have studied the hidden workings of the
human mind and can unlock its secrets.

Check: You can use hypnosis to induce a
deep, calming trance in your subject. The effects
of a hypnotic trance are identical to those created
by the hypnotism spell.

46

The Player Characters

Unlike the spell, however, the skill allows you to Cold One [General]
hypnotize only one target at a time, who does not
receive the -2 penalty to her Will save. Each You are cold and clammy to the touch.
attempt to use hypnosis requires 1 hour. If the Prerequisite: You must have lost at least one
target is unwilling, you must first succeed at a level to an energy drain attack.
Bluff check to disguise your intent. Benefit: Mindless undead (those without In-
telligence scores) ignore you unless you attack
A Hypnosis check is opposed by the target's them first. Intelligent undead must succeed at a
Will save. Loud or distracting surroundings grant a Wisdom check at DC 13 to realize that you are not
+2 circumstance modifier to the target's Will save. undead. Due to your slowed metabolism, if you
Willing targets can voluntarily choose not to make are ever dying (reduced to -1 to -9 hit points), you
their saving throw. lose hit points at the rate of only 1 point every two
rounds. When recovering from damage via natural
Once the target is hypnotized, you can either healing, you recover only 1/2 hit point per charac-
plant a suggestion (as per the hypnotism spell) or
aid the recovery of a target who suffers from the ter level per day of rest (round down, with 1
effects of a failed Madness save. The latter option
is detailed under "Recovering from Madness" in hp/day as the minimum). This is an extraordinary
chapter 3.
quality.
Retry: Generally, you cannot retry a Hypnosis
check against an unwilling target; the target be- Courage [General]
comes too suspicious to cooperate. If attempting to
hypnotize a willing target, you may retry freely. You are particularly fearless in the face of
Retries are a vital component in the process of
helping targets recover from Madness effects, in danger.
fact.
Benefit: You get a +4 bonus to all Fear saves.
Feats
Dead Man Walking [General]
hen he was angry, one of his eyes
became so terrible, that no person could After a brush with the horrors of the night, you
bear to behold it; and the wretch upon
whom it was fixed instantly fell accept that you are living on borrowed time.
backward, and sometimes expired. —William
Beckford, Vathek Gothic tales often feature Prerequisite: You must have survived an en-
characters whose strange abilities link them —
perhaps unwillingly — to supernatural forces but counter that turned against you (failed a Horror
allow them to prevail. Some of these new feats are
listed with roleplaying prerequisites, such as the save or been reduced to -1 hit points or lower).
death required by Haunted. You can still take
these feats at 1st level by incorporating the event Benefit: Upon making a successful Fear or
into your character's background. Horror save, you receive a +2 bonus to all saving
throws and skill checks for the duration of the
Back to the Wall [General] encounter due to the icy calm with which you face
mortal danger. The recognition that everyone dies
You are at your best when your situation is at sometime can be a source of strength.
its worst. The minions of evil may overwhelm
you, but the gods be damned if you don't take a Ethereal Empathy [General]
few of them down with you.
You have the psychic ability to sense the
Prerequisite: Base attack bonus +2.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls emotions imbued within ethereal resonance. (See
and Armor Class when you are at one quarter or
less of your maximum hit points. "Sinkholes of Evil" in chapter 3 and "Ghosts" in

chapter 5 for more on resonance.)

Prerequisite: Wis 13+.

Benefit: You can sense the emotional content

of ethereal resonance within a 30-foot radius with

a successful Wisdom check. DC is determined by

the rank of the resonance.

Rank: 1 2 3 4 5

DC: 20 15 10 5 0

Sensing resonance is a partial action and can

be retried each round. If you achieve an extraordi-

nary success, you can see into the Near Ethereal

for one round — a visual flash of the resonating

scene. However, you can see only resonance, not

ethereal creatures, borne ethereal scenes may

require Horror saves.

47

Chapter Two

Ghostsight [General] Jaded [General]

You can see creatures in the Near Ethereal. Like an experienced investigator or a veteran
Since ghosts make up the majority of creatures in of the Dead Man's Campaign, you have been
Ravenloft's Near Ethereal, folklore views this as hardened against the horrors of the world by cruel
the ability to see the dead. experience.

Prerequisite: You must have had a brush with Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to all Horror
death (been reduced to —1 hit points or lower, or saves.
slain and then brought back to life).
Lunatic [General]
Benefit: You can see creatures that are ethe-
real as if they were normally visible. Unlike the Your mind and body are tied to the cycles of
see invisible spell, this capacity does not reveal the moon, making you more energetic and excit-
illusions or allow you to see invisible or astral able as the moon waxes. This effect may be the
creatures. Your ability to see ethereal creatures is result of subtle madness or a diluted supernatural
limited only by your own visual range. You are heritage, such as Vistani blood.
vulnerable to gaze attacks from ethereal creatures.
You have no special ability to hear or physically Prerequisite: Chaotic alignment.
affect ethereal creatures. This is a supernatural Benefit: You have a +1 bonus to all attack
ability. rolls, Fortitude and Reflex saves, and Charisma-
modified skill checks whenever the moon is
Special: You are strangely attuned to the gibbous (more than half full). This bonus rises to
Ethereal Plane. Ethereal creatures can see you +2 during the three-night period of the full moon.
unusually clearly and must succeed at a Spot During the three-night period of the new moon,
check at DC 15 to realize that you are not actually you suffer a -2 penalty to these rolls instead. The
in the Near Ethereal as well. These creatures may modifiers are reversed for Will saves: +2 during
even be drawn to you out of curiosity, desperation, the new moon, -1 during the gibbous moon, and -2
or malice. during the full moon. This is an extraordinary
quality.
Haunted [General]
Open Mind [General]
The spirit of a friend, ally, or loved one has
returned from the grave to watch over you as a An adaptable mind keeps your sanity resilient.
geist. Benefit: You enjoy a +4 bonus to all Madness
saves.
Prerequisite: For the obvious reason, some-
one close to you must have died. Redhead [General]

Benefit: Your guardian spirit normally re- According to the folklore of some domains,
mains in the Near Ethereal. Those who can see people bom with red hair have been marked by the
ethereal creatures may spot the geist lurking near fey.
you, but it is otherwise invisible and intangible.
The geist acts as a second pair of eyes and ears Prerequisite: Wis 11+.
when it manifests, allowing you a second roll on Benefit: Choose one 1st-level or two 0-level
Search, Spot, and Listen checks. The geist can also druid spells. The spell (or orisons) must be chosen
inform you of events that take place in your when the feat is taken and cannot be changed later.
presence while you are asleep or unconscious, or it You can cast this spell (or each orison) once a day,
can simply offer companionship. as a druid equal to your character level. Like a
druid, you must select a time of day when you
Special: The geist communicates through regain the spell, but you do not need to spend time
phantasms; it cannot affect physical objects. You preparing it. This is a spell-like ability.
can ask the geist to manifest whenever you are Special: You may take this feat only at the
alone. The geist immediately vanishes if another beginning of the game. You don't need to take this
intelligent, living creature enters the scene. You feat to have red hair, but you do need to be born a
can summon the geist as often as you want, but redhead to take this feat.
each time it manifests, it inflicts 1 point of tempo-
rary Charisma damage as it unconsciously draws Reincarnated [General]
strength from your will to live.
You have vague, dreamlike memories of a
former life. You even possess skills you've never
knowingly learned.

48

The Player Characters

Benefit: Choose a nonrestricted skill you do The Land of Mists is home to numerous reli-
not have as a class skill. That skill is always gions, ranging from widespread, organized
considered a class skill for you. Your spirit was churches that build towering cathedrals to honor
reborn because it is emotionally linked to a their faith to skulking, nocturnal cults that perform
creature that has lingered in this world. If you ever their sacrifices in hidden catacombs. This section
encounter your "soul mate," it will instinctually presents a sampling of particularly notable or
recognize you, and you gain a +2 bonus to all notorious religions in the Dread Domains. Player
Charisma-based skill checks when interacting with character clerics can choose any of these faiths,
it. though in some cases this worship — as with the
predatory Wolf God — may call the character's
Special: You may take this feat only at the depiction as a hero into question. Major Religions
beginning of the game.
The gods of Ravenloft do not form a single,
Voice of (Wrath [General] continuous pantheon. Rather, they are divided into
numerous, henotheistic religions. The followers of
The unseen forces of vengeance heed your a given religion usually recognize the existence of
commands. other deities but often dismiss them as inferior.

Benefit: You gain a +4 bonus to all curse The Akiri Pantheon
checks. (See "Curses" in chapter 3.)
The Amber Wastes are still beholden to the
The Leadership Feat glories of a pantheon of ancient gods. In Pharazia,
the angelic despot Diamabel
As alignment is inherently inscrutable in seeks to forge a religion in his
the world of Ravenloft, the Leadership feat own name and punishes wor-
becomes a bit quirky. ship of the old gods with
death. But Diamabel can no
Leadership does not allow a character to more erase the memory of the
determine the alignment of his cohorts, at least gods than the biting desert
in the traditional interpretation of the sands can erase their ancient
alignment model. Additionally, certain fol- shrines. Worship secretly
lowers may have hidden problems of their own continues in Pharazia, and the
— a paladin's loyal page might truly be a desert nomads and denizens of
werewolf, or a minstrel companion might be in Har'Akir still openly revere the
the thrall of a vampire lord. As followers may old gods — and fear their
be only one alignment step away from the wrath.
character they follow (according to the Dun-
geon Master's Guide, p. 46), some Three gods of the Akiri are
modification of this is necessary for the Realm particularly significant. Ra, the
of Dread. In Ravenloft, this alignment step sun disc, is held to be father
applies only to the ethical axis. A character of and king of the gods; mortal
neutral ethics may have practically anyone as a kings cannot rule without his
follower, while a lawful character attracts only blessing. Clerics of Ra often
lawful or neutral characters (albeit of any serve as community leaders
moral bent), and chaotic characters may attract and viziers. Osiris, who was
only fel-low chaotic types and neutral slain by his brother but
h restored from death, is now
lord of the afterworld just as
Faiths Ra rules the living realm.
Osiris also controls the reju-
h! could — but it cannot be — ye are lost venating power of the desert
in wonder — let me at last do justice on springs. Clerics of Osiris pre-
myself! To heap shame on my own head is pare corpses and guard the
all the satisfaction I have left to offer to sanctity of death.
offended Heaven. My story has drawn down these
judgments: let my confession atone — but ah! what
can atone for usurpation, and a murdered child!"
—Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto

49