Creatures and adventures from deep and unknown places seep into Dungeons & Dragons with Cthulhu by Torchlight, a mind-rending expansion available exclusively on D&D Beyond. Developed by Chaosium, this product invites players to unravel cosmic horror mysteries in their D&D games.

Light a torch and follow along as we investigate how this expansion gives you the tools to pit a Wizard's wit against unknowable forces or have your Bard's charm curdle under the weight of unspeakable truths!

• New Character Options
• Dungeon Masters, Take the Plunge
• Monsters of the Mythos

What Lurks Beyond the Veil

Cthulhu by Torchlight  plunges your campaign into mystery, madness, and horror. It introduces new character options, monsters, and everything you need to run campaigns full of cosmic dread:

• 12 eldritch subclasses, including the Exalted Assembly of the Feline Court Warlock, Hungering Dark Sorcerer, Apocalypse Domain Cleric, Spell Scorned Barbarian, and more.
• Grim new origins, like the Mythos Investigator, and 5 Origin feats that reveal what your character survived—or unleashed.
• The Passion system, encouraging bold, reckless choices in pursuit of personal beliefs.
• Dreadful Insights, a mechanic for tracking corruption and obsession as you confront the mythos.
• Dozens of eldritch monsters, including iconic foes like Great Cthulhu and Dagon.
• Dungeon Master tools for designing mysteries, escalating tension, and drawing upon your players' dread.

New Character Options

To help players immerse themselves in the creeping dread of Cthulhu by Torchlight, this expansion introduces a full suite of new character options designed for mystery, horror, and hard-earned hope. Whether you're a cynic who outwitted an otherworldly horror or a zealot touched by truths beyond the veil, every new feature deepens your connection to the Mythos.

12 Subclasses

Play a Cleric of the Apocalypse Domain whose every prayer is a prophecy, or a Rogue Shadow Stalker who fights side by side with their sentient shadow. Become a Barbarian of the Spell Scorned Path, wielding powerful attacks against magic users and creatures from otherworldly beings. Or slip into the shadows as a Warrior of Cosmic Balance Monk, punching extraplanar horrors back to their rightful dimension.

Investigators, Not Just Heroes

Before you were a hero, you were a witness. The new Mythos Investigator background lets you play as someone who's survived an encounter with the Mythos and chosen to continue the fight against it. With it, you'll gain flexible skill and tool proficiencies—including with the new Fingerprint Kit—start with an Origin feat, and carry a past you can never quite forget.

Origin feats expand on your backstory, offering deeply narrative, horror-flavored options. Choose from:

• I Fought, I Lived: Fight the Mythos with steel, scars, and sheer defiance.
• I Hid from the Terror: Sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is survive.
• I Opened the Gate: Accidentally unleashed an eldritch force? At least you can read the signs now.
• I Pierced the Illusion: See through lies, glamour, and social niceties with keen senses.
• I Survived to Tell the Tale: You move like someone who knows how fast death can come.

Mythos Spells

The Mythos whispers secrets and offers terrible, intoxicating power. Cthulhu by Torchlight introduces a full grimoire of Mythos spells: mind-breaking magic that lets characters channel the unknowable in exchange for their sanity.

These spells are designed to reflect the inevitability and cruelty of cosmic forces. Each one drips with flavor, from the crushing pressure of Breath of the Deep to the unnerving mimicry of Body Warping of Gorgoroth.

Many of these spells are built to be terrifying and inescapable. They often don't invoke saving throws, forcing targets to break the caster's Concentration on the spell to end the effects.

As an optional rule, and to help balance the potency and corrupting cost of these spells, casters who draw too deeply on these powers must make a Wisdom saving throw each time they expend a spell slot to cast a Mythos spell. Fail, and their mind begins to be warped by the Mythos.

Dungeon Masters, Take the Plunge

Invoke the power of the deep and unknown places to send something stirring beneath your campaign. Cthulhu by Torchlight arms Dungeon Masters with the tools to craft creeping mysteries, tangled investigations, and apocalyptic rituals that must be stopped before it's too late.

You'll find advice on how to build Mythos adventures and how you can incorporate Skill Checks to immerse your players in a race to track a cult before they complete their final rite or uncover clues while the clock ticks down.

With the eldritch knowledge of this tome at your disposal, you'll learn to design adventures where the wrong question asked or a trip down a dark alley might be a hero's last act.

Monsters of the Mythos

If your players think they've seen it all, they haven't met the Great Cthulhu.

Cthulhu by Torchlight introduces a nightmarish bestiary of Mythos creatures—impossibly ancient or alien beings who defy logic, anatomy, and the very laws of reality. From crawling horrors made of maggots to entities from space made from color, each creature is full of lore and poses an existential threat.

The Return of Cthulhu

Face the High Priest of the Great Old Ones himself. Great Cthulhu towers over the battlefield as a CR 30 world-ending threat—complete with psychic devastation, the ability to resurrect itself, and an aura that shreds sanity. And he's not alone...

Mythos Titans and Behemoths

Creatures like Dagon, the Greater Crawling One, and Dimensional Shamblers are equipped with the Behemoth rules found in Cthulhu by Torchlight. With this mechanic, you can unleash single foes that challenge entire parties without needing minions.

These threats hit harder, last longer, and force your players to think outside the box.

Light Your Torch

Cthulhu by Torchlight is a toolkit for a more insidious and spooky kind of storytelling. One where your characters don't just confront evil in epic, climactic battles. Instead, they need to uncover its secrets and stop it before it spreads.

This tome of ancient and secret knowledge is available exclusively on D&D Beyond—and if you dare to pull back the curtain, the secrets are waiting.

But beware: once you know, you can't un-know.

Mike Bernier is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.