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Returning 29 results for 'dread setting'.
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Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Ravenloft Setting Models What domains compose the Ravenloft setting is up to you. The Domains of Dread have no definitive map or proscribed orientation for how they relate to one another. This allows
you to shape the setting however best serves your adventures. Consider the following setting models for how you might use the Domains of Dread or use your favorite elements from multiple domains
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
constructed on illusions and impossibilities. Should characters realize the surreality of the setting, those revelations only create a stronger sense of existential dread and suggest greater questions
setting. Most adventures won’t engage with these forces, but that doesn’t prevent characters and Darklords from seeking to learn about them, particularly as a means to escape the Domains of Dread
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Introduction Domains of Dread The Mists reach from the darkest shadows of the multiverse, condemning the wicked and the brave to endless nightmares as prisoners of the Domains of Dread. These grim
netherworlds compose the Ravenloft setting and are horrific backdrops for Dungeons & Dragons adventures steeped in fear. In these haunted realms, adventurers might oppose villainous Darklords, seek escape from the Mists, or experience any terrifying adventure you can imagine. Dustin Panzino
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Creating Domains of Dread Ravenloft is a place where your nightmares can run wild, where anything you can imagine in moments of dread or despair can come to frightful life among the Mists. The
setting as a whole is made up of countless isolated domains, each one a perfect expression of a particular flavor of the macabre. Creating your own domain allows you to blend legendary evils, unexpected
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
most wicked beings from across ages and worlds within inescapable, mist-shrouded domains. These are the Domains of Dread, the nightmare demiplanes that form the D&D setting of Ravenloft. Untold terrors
lurk within these lands, yet the collection of the Dark Powers is far from complete. This chapter provides information for the DM and explores the misty truths of the Domains of Dread, along with a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
The Doomed Domain Unlike domains that feature claustrophobic, tightly themed horror, Darkon provides a setting for a horror-tinged quest with the highest possible stakes. The specifics of such a
campaign involve the characters engaging with a handful of elements: fate, hope, allies, rivals, dread, and a campaign climax. Use this section to generate an outline for a campaign focused on the doom of an entire domain.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Secrets of Ravenloft Untold mysteries pervade the Domains of Dread, but these truths underpin the setting: 1: Ravenloft Is Malleable. The domains of Ravenloft are disconnected demiplanes. They don’t
the Dark Powers manipulate the Domains of Dread. Unknowable and omnipotent, the Dark Powers torment their captives for unfathomable reasons. 3: Domains Imprison Darklords. Each of Ravenloft’s
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Domain Details To reinforce the types of horror your adventures explore and give domains their own malicious personalities, consider these setting elements. Sylvain Sarrailh Those who enter the
and the personification of the domain’s terrors. Familiar Ground Every Domain of Dread takes inspiration from stories within its related genres. Embrace this. Including tropes from your favorite
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Setting the Adventure Use the following suggestions to help contextualize Shankhabhumi in a wider world: Through the Radiant Citadel. Characters traveling from the Radiant Citadel arrive just outside
between the continents of Khorvaire and Xen’drik. Alternatively, it could be a hidden nation in Xen’drik, east of Dread Lake. Forgotten Realms. Shankhabhumi might be found in the jungles south of the Shining Sea, near Chult, or as its own island west of Lantan.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Nightmare Logic By the standards of what other worlds’ inhabitants consider true and sane, the Domains of Dread don’t make sense. The setting’s domains don’t neatly flow into one another, histories
don’t record a collectively remembered past, fictions spawn terrible facts, and sheltered villagers remain stubbornly ignorant about the world beyond. Ravenloft is a setting designed to cultivate
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Journeys through the Radiant Citadel
Setting the Adventure Enchanted farmers attack Aunt Dellie on the streets of Promise Use the following suggestions to help contextualize Godsbreath in a wider world: Through the Radiant Citadel
distinctive agricultural bent to this rural dale. Ravenloft. All of Godsbreath could be a Domain of Dread. The Darklord of this domain might be a member of the family lost at Cradlelace Lake or the vengeful spirit of Culley.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
full of creatures that perfectly suit a storyline of supernatural horror. The most important element of such a campaign, though, isn’t covered by the rules. A dark-fantasy setting requires an
atmosphere of building dread, created through careful pacing and evocative description. Your players contribute too; they have to be willing to embrace the mood you’re trying to evoke. Whether you want to run
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
. The group enjoys the patronage of Yolande, the queen of Celene, and carries out missions on her behalf both in the Greyhawk setting (see chapter 5) and in the Feywild (see chapter 6). Prominent
setting, where an order of Wizards used him as a bootblack and scribe. He studied magic in secret until he amassed enough power to slaughter the order, and then he turned his efforts toward scribing
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Seven Secrets of Ravenloft Countless mysteries pervade the Domains of Dread, but these strange truths underpin the setting: Ez d’Avenir braves the Mists,
her path haunted by past
and future terrors
1. Ravenloft Is Not a World. The lands and characters of Ravenloft don’t share a planet. Rather, the Domains of Dread consist of innumerable demiplanes hidden amid the Plane of Shadow. Mysterious
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Ravenloft in Barovia—home of the notorious Strahd von Zarovich. In this mysterious setting, the land, the passage of time, the tides, and every other reliable truth can shift unpredictably. Rather than
being bound by proximity or politics, the lands of Ravenloft—also known as the Domains of Dread—are mist-bound islands drifting through the boundless gloom of the Shadowfell. Innumerable domains lie
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
create a new Domain of Dread and Darklord following the methods in chapter 4? Setting Mysteries The Domains of Dread function in unique ways, but if and how that matters is up to you. “Ravenloft
Setting Models” later in this chapter details ways to shape the setting to suit your adventures. Review that section and the following questions as you consider how the nature of the Domains of Dread might
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
Campaign Setting Just like an adventure’s setting (as described in chapter 4), a campaign setting is an essential part of a campaign’s premise, shaping the kinds of stories that unfold there. As the
DM, you have two options when choosing a campaign setting: Use a published campaign setting. Create your own campaign setting. Whether you create your own campaign setting or use a published one, the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
atmosphere of the adventure. Don’t consider fear a tactical disadvantage or something to be avoided. As part of playing a frightening game, you’re a participant in building and reinforcing a sense of dread
rules every time something frightening occurs, but your group might use them as a way to highlight individual fears and build an adventure’s overarching sense of dread. FROM THE MISTS OR BEYOND
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
book. With the House on Gryphon Hill, Barovia and Mordent paved the way for Ravenloft to become a vast and varied setting encompassing dozens of Domains of Dread.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Adventures in Darkon Darkon presents a dystopian fantasy setting perfect for exploring the darker sides of familiar magic and monsters. Creatures such as dragons and beholders that might be ill
night hag Styrix has created a device called the Rift Spanner that she plans to use to escape the Domains of Dread. She just needs to transform a few hundred innocents into larvae to power it.
3 A
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
be big or small, but each family is a gerontocracy, with the oldest member ruling the roost. This elder has most of the responsibility for enforcing traditions, settling disputes, setting the course
Domains of Dread, where creatures born in darkness dwell. This “gift” was thrust upon them by mysterious entities called the Dark Powers, as a boon for their kindness toward strangers. The Vistani
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Featured Domains The following sections explore some of the most notorious Domains of Dread. Each of these realms is a setting unto itself and might host adventures of your design. These featured
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Chapter 5: Adventure Environments Many D&D adventures revolve around a dungeon setting. Dungeons in D&D include great halls and tombs, subterranean monster lairs, labyrinths riddled with death traps
harrowing journey into the jungles of the Isle of Dread can be an exciting adventure in its own right. In the great outdoors, dragons wheel across the sky in search of prey, tribes of hobgoblins pour forth
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Curse of Strahd
went on to inspire the creation of a campaign setting of the same name in 1990: Ravenloft, home of the Domains of Dread.
Module I6: Ravenloft, written by Tracy and Laura Hickman, broke new ground by
adventure gives glimpses into that world. In time, cursed Barovia was torn from its home world by the Dark Powers and bound in mist as one of the Domains of Dread in the Shadowfell.
This book is
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
of Borcan high society, each family is expected to host at least two formal balls, banquets, or other extravagances annually. These events provide the setting for intrigues, politics, business
, the Dark Powers gathered them both into the Domains of Dread. Generally, though, Ivana and Ivan have little to do with one another. Their homes occupy opposite ends of the domain, and their interests
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Cultural Specifics As you develop your domain, consider the culture and how it emerges from this tragic setting. What might be most unsettling for the Darklord: if the culture is one with familiar
out. These details can fade into the background as your adventures focus on more exciting threats, or you can highlight the cosmic dread that declares, yes, this place doesn’t make sense at all, yet it
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
of true faith. Ultimately, any deity from the Player’s Handbook or any other setting might find followers among the Domains of Dread. By the same token, the Dark Powers breathe life into the beliefs
Life in the Domains of Dread The realities of the Domains of Dread seem strange or impossible to individuals from other worlds, but for those who live among the Mists, they’re facts of life. With no
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
. 10 Wants to resurrect past incarnations of Tatyana to battle Strahd. Roots of Evil As the first Domain of Dread, Barovia might serve an important role in the metaphysical underpinnings of the
setting. Some Darklords might have emerged from the Mists first in Barovia, encountered Strahd, and found their ways to their own domains later. Others might have a particular interest in Barovia and in
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
. One of the few actual islands on the plane is the Isle of Dread. The island is connected to the Material Plane by means of a regular storm that sweeps over the island. Travelers who know the strange
planar voyagers keep to the air, braving the powerful winds and driving snow to avoid setting foot on the great glacier.