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Returning 35 results for 'dark settings rangers'.
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Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Settings Sinister individuals leave their marks upon dark fantasy domains, whether as oppressive architecture, unavoidable propaganda, or scars upon an exploited environment
. Alternatively, the setting might exhibit the effects of a disaster—perhaps an event that gave rise to brutal powers. Such scars appear both upon the setting and upon its inhabitants. Dark Fantasy Settings d8
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
, Greyhawk, Dragonlance, and Mystara don’t stray very far from those assumptions. Settings such as Dark Sun, Eberron, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, and Planescape venture further away from that baseline. As you create your own world, it’s up to you to decide where on the spectrum you want your world to fall.
The Big Picture This book, the Player’s Handbook, and the Monster Manual present the default assumptions for how the worlds of D&D work. Among the established settings of D&D, the Forgotten Realms
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Rangers Montolio held out his arm, and the great owl promptly hopped onto it, carefully finding its footing on the man’s heavy leather sleeve.
“You have seen the drow?” Montolio asked.
The owl
talkative owl, the ranger had monitored the drow for several days, curious as to why a dark elf had wandered into the valley. At first, Montolio had assumed that the drow was somehow connected to Graul
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
desperate or reluctant heroes resisting evil. Even in the grimmest settings, desperation and hope fan the flames of resistance. Adventure Hooks Plots in dark fantasy adventures range from street-level
distills souls into a powerful wish-granting elixir. 10 An expanding labyrinth has just swallowed another neighborhood. Adventure Settings Evil is entrenched in dark fantasy domains, reflected by
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
have been published as official settings for the D&D game. The legends of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, Mystara, and Eberron settings are woven together in the fabric of the
villains. Some races have unusual traits in different worlds. The halflings of the Dark Sun setting, for example, are jungle-dwelling cannibals, and the elves are desert nomads. Some worlds feature races
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Basic Rules (2014)
have been published as official settings for the D&D game. The legends of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Dark Sun, Mystara, and Eberron settings are woven together in the fabric of the
villains. Some races have unusual traits in different worlds. The halflings of the Dark Sun setting, for example, are jungle-dwelling cannibals, and the elves are desert nomads. Some worlds feature races
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Torments For Darklords in dark fantasy settings, power is at the root of their suffering. Perhaps their rise to dominance led them to sacrifice what mattered to them most, or they
secretly seek to be rid of their might but fear being without it. Dark Fantasy Torments d8 Torment
1 The Darklord’s regime is fraught with spies and saboteurs, increasing the Darklord’s paranoia
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
similar to settings that appear in your Darklord’s past, or take inspiration from the Settings tables in the “Genres of Horror” section later in this chapter. Combine Locations and Visceral Details
creations of the Dark Powers and the domain is the only reality they know, but what logical and psychological leaps might an outsider need to make to sleep at night?
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Body Horror Adventure Sites Body horror is exceptionally unnerving in juxtaposition with mundane settings, particularly in places where the characters are isolated from help, treatment, or
cavernous gut of a dead, multi-eyed behemoth
4 An inn in the valley, its insides dark and smoke-drowned
5 An asylum, abandoned save for vermin
6 A cave system, slick and comprised
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
roots of the game. Here you’ll find a dark, gritty world of evil sorcerers and decadent cities, where the protagonists are motivated more by greed and self-interest than by altruistic virtue. Fighter
civilization, and wizards are the classic villains of these settings. Magic items are therefore rare and often dangerous. Certain Dungeons & Dragons novels follow in the footsteps of classic sword-and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
watch over good folk in any forest, not matter how dark or cruel. When children are lost in the woods, people beseech Mielikki to protect them until they are found. Mielikki is the goddess of the forest
attract. She is the patron of rangers in the same way that Milil is the patron of bards, but even rangers rarely pray to her directly. They instead pray to Gwaeron Windstrom, who they believe will
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Player's Handbook (2014)
abandoned. The best-known worlds in the multiverse are the ones that have been published as official campaign settings for the D&D game over the years — Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Dragonlance, the Forgotten
Realms, Mystara, Birthright, Dark Sun, and Eberron, among others. Each of these worlds boasts its own cast of heroic adventurers and scheming villains, its own ancient ruins and forgotten artifacts, its
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
your needs, which has the added benefit of challenging your players’ expectations. The D&D Settings table describes several established campaign settings. D&D Settings Setting Description Dark Sun
material about the campaign setting, other than what you create for yourself. Whether you create a setting from scratch or borrow elements from established settings, the result needs to resonate with
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide
Malar The Beastlord, the Black-Blooded One Malar epitomizes the dark side of nature, the world that is red in tooth and claw. His faithful believe the hunt is the center point between life and death
devotees who are druids and rangers of particularly savage inclination, and many barbarians take Malar as a patron for his ferocity and cruelty. His priests use claw bracers, impressive gauntlets bedecked with stylized claws that jut out from the ends of the fists, as ceremonial weapons.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
-seeking arrows will never find lack of use. Rangers like to work alone, but it is convenient when others are around to draw the arrows to themselves.
— Môrgæn
Control of the Market The notion of
are their own thriving ecosystem. As a ranger who spends part of your time in urban settings, you quickly learn to seek out the companionship of some of the many beasts that inhabit those settings
compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Legends of Greyhawk: Secrets of the Free City
receive a flash of absolute blackness and hear a chorus of mad whispers in place of the expected result. Nature’s Omens. Druids and Rangers might bristle with a fleeting sense that something is amiss
warning being spread by birdsong and passed through the mycelium below: Drift now, into the dark that is waiting
Whispers will echo and bend
Breath will fade, and stillness is spreading
When
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
or endeavoring to mount a rescue themselves. Alternatively, adventures might have an investigative feel, requiring the heroes to uncover the dark secret that lies beneath the mundane. Adventure Hooks
infestation uses the townsfolk as incubators for giant insects. 10 Something is stealing the tongues of the city guards. Adventure Settings Body horror can occur anywhere, from mundane settings to
compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Legends of Greyhawk: Secrets of the Free City
receive a flash of absolute blackness and hear a chorus of mad whispers in place of the expected result. Nature’s Omens. Druids and Rangers might bristle with a fleeting sense that something is amiss
warning being spread by birdsong and passed through the mycelium below: Drift now, into the dark that is waiting
Whispers will echo and bend
Breath will fade, and stillness is spreading
When
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Powers Control All. Sinister entities known as the Dark Powers manipulate the Domains of Dread and all who dwell within. Immortal, unknowable, and omnipotent, the Dark Powers revel in sowing
serve as the prisons of Darklords, villainous beings trapped and tormented by the Dark Powers. The specifics of each domain exist to ironically twist its Darklord’s desires, capturing them and their
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
reserved or unassuming until they reveal their true nature. Any intriguing figure with a dark secret can serve as a gothic horror villain. Villain Identities Gothic villains are most effective when
dilapidated mansion; those who visit are never seen again. 10 As the result of abhorrent experiments, blood-drained creatures roam the streets. Adventure Settings Gothic horror settings have an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
chapter 2. Not all domains need to be elaborately detailed settings. As the domains in this section demonstrate, creating a simple concept for a Darklord and the horrors surrounding them can be a
Ravenloft table to randomly determine where the Dark Powers have guided the party. Domains marked with an asterisk are described earlier in this chapter. Domains of Ravenloft d100 Domain
01–04
compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Legends of Greyhawk: Secrets of the Free City
receive a flash of absolute blackness and hear a chorus of mad whispers in place of the expected result. Nature’s Omens. Druids and Rangers might bristle with a fleeting sense that something is amiss
warning being spread by birdsong and passed through the mycelium below: Drift now, into the dark that is waiting
Whispers will echo and bend
Breath will fade, and stillness is spreading
When
Orc
Legacy
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Species
Volo's Guide to Monsters
who serve Yurtrus and Shargaas. Some are sent forth into the cities dominated by humans, on dark missions. Beware them.
— Elminster
Search, Destroy, Repeat
When a tribe is on the move, orc
rangers might be familiar with many of these symbols, enabling them to keep their charges from inadvertently stumbling into a tribe’s territory.
Colors of Conquest
Three colors have special meaning
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
so the order’s members can profit from selling their services. Some D&D settings have more magic in them than others. On Athas, the harsh world of the Dark Sun setting, arcane magic is a hated
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
trepidation, but a Gloom Stalker ventures boldly into the darkness, seeking to ambush threats before they can reach the broader world. Such rangers are often found in the Underdark, but they will go any
place where evil lurks in the shadows. So you sneak around in the dark? You know most everything but humans can see in the dark, right? We all see you. Tiptoeing doesn’t turn you invisible.
Gloom
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Lost Mine of Phandelver
D&D settings are somewhere between those two extremes: worlds of medieval high fantasy with knights and castles, as well as elven cities, dwarven mines, and fearsome monsters. The world of the
. Rogues prowl the dark alleyways of teeming cities such as Neverwinter and Baldur’s Gate. Clerics in the service of gods wield mace and spell, questing against the terrifying powers that threaten the land
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Monster Manual (2014)
dungeon, images of dark cells with iron bars and shackles spring to mind. In the D&D game, the word “dungeon” takes on a broader meaning to include any enclosed, monster-infested location. Most dungeons
vast, sunless sea that’s home to aboleths and kuo-toa The Wilderness Not all monsters lurk underground. Many of them inhabit deserts, mountains, swamps, canyons, forests, and other natural settings
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
they all call home—or do they have firsthand experience with multiple domains or other settings? Characters’ Significance. Why are the characters special? Why did the Dark Powers, a Darklord, or
broadly accepted reality? Stories and Secrets. Are tales of other domains or settings treated as facts, lore known only to a few, legends, or nonsense? Is that true for all places beyond a domain’s borders
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ghosts of Saltmarsh
, the characters learn about the dark fate of the hermitage and its people. More important, they come to understand that after the drowned ones have finished hunting the last residents of Firewatch
ADVENTURE
Here are suggestions for where you can place this adventure in particular campaign settings.
Eberron. Built by Aundair during the Last War, the fort on Firewatch Island once guarded the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
featuring familiar horror settings with a twist to make them more appropriate to D&D or to enhance their terror. For example, characters escaping an alien laboratory in Bluetspur might be stalked by an
. Each domain is a complete setting that the Mists might isolate from all other lands. Locations within a domain are often isolated by dark, monster-haunted wildernesses. Even settlements and sanctuaries
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Acquisitions Incorporated
fit for an Acquisitions Incorporated campaign, with its frequent forays into urban settings and its focus on treasure procurement and business considerations. But the primal power wielded by druids
leaves your fellow adventurers queasy.
3 Your wild shape forms all wear an identical ceremonial bracelet on one limb, decorated with teeth.
4 A dark patch on your body is recognizable as
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Xanathar's Guide to Everything
courts and other settings of power. Speak up! It’s really hard to hear you over the screaming. Nope. It’s no use. I’ll have to stop the screaming. Disintegrations all around, then.
College of
capture another one with it until you finish a short or long rest. Shadow Lore At 14th level, you gain the ability to weave dark magic into your words and tap into a creature’s deepest fears. As an
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
quash stereotypes. Don’t use cliché accents, especially to represent marginalized people. Matter-of-factly provide opportunities for everyone to be exceptional. Magical settings bear no resemblance to
investment into their characters. Don’t impose rules on characters that might make players not want to play them anymore. For example, characters might gain any of the lineages and Dark Gifts from
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
closer to their goal. Rangers who have encountered halflings or lived among them know of this effect, and they learn to trust their other senses and their instincts rather than relying on sight. A typical
likely to be coveted by evil wizards or to become the object of wrath for some dark force. The only enemies that a halfling village must watch for on an ongoing basis are roving bands of orcs or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Princes of the Apocalypse
clear of Rundreth Manor and the Dark Lady who dwells there. Harpers also watch the ruined Halls of the Hunting Axe. The Order of the Gauntlet This faction is primarily a military organization made up
widespread group of wilderness survivalists preserves the natural order while rooting out unnatural threats. Many of the Enclave’s members are barbarians, druids, and rangers. Some wander the untamed