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Returning 28 results for 'dread stories'.
Other Suggestions:
dread scores
druid stories
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
worlds to claim innocents, villains, or whole lands, dragging them back to become the newest prisoners of Ravenloft. Inhabitants of the Domains of Dread know of the Mists and ascribe sinister stories
within their territories. The Mists slip through the Domains of Dread, rising to claim unwitting travelers or releasing terrors upon unsuspecting villagers. Most infamously, the Mists slither into other
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Genres of Horror This section describes several horror subgenres, elements common to certain types of horror stories you can use to inspire your own Darklords and Domains of Dread. These sections
provide suggestions for creating monsters; villains; torments for Darklords; settings; adventure sites; and plots evocative of horror stories, films, and games rooted in these genres, along with tables
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
in this section to inspire your campaign. Campaign Characters Characters exploring the Mists are the protagonists of horror stories. Chapter 1 provides advice for players creating such characters
, but you should also consider the following questions: Character Origins. Do the characters originate from the Domains of Dread, or were they abducted from somewhere else? Context for Surreality. Do the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
us to discover our own imperfection. Our quest for the divine leads us to believe we, ourselves, are gods. These are the themes that haunt stories of Gothic horror. Consider the following genre
tropes when creating your gothic horror domain: Gothic stories include intense, even exaggerated, emotions. Romances, rivalries, and life-changing events are common in these adventures. Atmosphere and a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Other Horror Genres In addition to the aforementioned terrors, consider exploring any of the following horror genres when creating adventures in the Domains of Dread. Beyond these, there are dozens
of other types of horror tales you can explore. Consider investigating the hallmarks of any of those frightful categories, or look into the genres of your own favorite scary films and stories
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Survivors Terror doesn’t come just for the brave and prepared—often quite the opposite. Some of the most harrowing horror stories involve the least likely heroes, individuals who find their simple
the dread inherent to having limited resources and facing impending doom without forcing players to risk their favorite characters.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
nature of the Domains of Dread. Feature tours of multiple domains while controlling where the Mists lead. Explore stories focused on the nature of the Mists and escaping the Domains of Dread. Make
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
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
horror stories reinforces expectations about the domain and provides a shorthand to help players understand a location. The Domains of Dread are intentionally filled with gothic castles, haunted manors
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
unwittingly into the dread domains. Those who live in these domains ascribe all sorts of sinister stories to the Mists—any supernatural happening, inexplicable disappearance, or malicious force can be
Undead haunt this bleak plane, as do other creatures that thrive in the gloom, including cloakers and darkmantles. Julian Kok The Shadowfell is a realm of death, despair, and dread Shadow Crossings Shadow
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Lineages In the Land of the Mists, power and dread lie in the simple question “What happened to me?” The following lineages are races that characters might gain through remarkable events. These
unfold during adventures that lead your character to replacing their race with this new lineage. Work with your DM to establish if you’re amenable to such a development and how such stories unfold. WHAT
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
uncertainty, mystery, paranoia, and dread in defiance of logic or common sense. In Ravenloft, tales like the
treasure-haunting Bagman
come to terrifying life The characters in your Ravenloft adventures
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
the Mists The inhabitants of the Domains of Dread ascribe sinister stories to the Mists but accept the Mists as a natural part of their homeland. Those who travel between domains refer to their world
following roles: Dark Clutches. The Mists serve the Dark Powers. They might steal residents of other worlds or entire locations from elsewhere in the multiverse and trap them in the Domains of Dread
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
horror stories. While it’s true that most residents of the Domains of Dread never leave their home domains and wisely don’t fixate on what lies beyond the Mists, some daring souls do. Many such
Travelers in the Mists Adventures in the Domains of Dread often indulge in a single domain’s distinctly frightful themes. But if you plan to run whole campaigns set in the Land of the Mists, creating
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Using This Book This book explores the Domains of Dread, the mysterious expanses of the Shadowfell that serve as backdrops for excitement and terror. It guides players and Dungeon Masters through the
process of creating characters, domains, and stories ripe for chilling D&D adventures. Chapter 1 details how players can create characters primed for fright-filled adventures. It presents options for
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Using an Overarching Story This section presents a couple of examples of overarching stories which have, over the years, fueled many classic D&D campaigns. The adventurers’ goal in the first example
Nine Dread Princes reside, with each of these dungeons stocked with enough monsters and hazards to advance the adventurers two or three levels. The adventurers spend their whole careers fighting the
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
this rare service only to group members and their allies. Keeper ravens as a means of correspondence is detailed in “Life in the Domains of Dread” earlier in this chapter. Keeper Adventures The Keeper
Adventures table offers ideas for strange events that can touch off stories involving the Keepers of the Feather. Keeper Adventures d6 Adventure Hook
1 Keepers invite the characters to a
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Vistani Known throughout the Land of the Mists, Vistani (singular: Vistana) are a people with a unique understanding of the Domains of Dread and the hidden paths between them. Following itinerant
stories and songs, detailing lessons learned from generations of travelers, warnings specific to visited domains, and traditional magic. Spellcasters aren’t uncommon among Vistani bands, with many
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal
evil. These are only a few of the tales that have spread across the Sword Coast from the furthest reaches of Faerûn and beyond. The minor details change with the telling. The dread tomb of Acererak
the tale. The seeds of those stories now rest in your hand. D&D’s deadliest dungeons are now part of your arsenal of adventures. Enjoy, and remember to keep a few spare character sheets handy.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Themes: Reliable guides, stories from various lands, travel between domains
Known throughout the Land of the Mists, Vistani (singular: Vistana) have a unique understanding of the Domains of Dread
characters who employ dangerous magic to be threats. Priests of Osybus Goal: Release Strahd von Zarovich
Adventure Themes: Cult rituals, necromancy, secrets of the Domains of Dread
The Priests of
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Candlekeep Mysteries
spells reveal nothing about the Princess of the Shadow Glass, who has magically hidden her history under other names. If the characters learn the names “Nintra Siotta” or “Lady of Dread Omens” later in
the adventure and use those names in their inquiries, such magic returns the hoped-for results.
The legend lore spell returns an especially cryptic result for the princess: “Glass omens, dread
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
mysteries or tragedies led them to adventure. The abandoned estates of Mordent also make fine places to use the rules for Haunted Bastions, detailed in chapter 3. Ghosts of Mordent Ghost stories often
. Van Richten’s Herbalist Shop Rudolph van Richten (see chapter 5) is the foremost scholar of monsters and strange occurrences in the Domains of Dread. He lives and works from the Mordentshire herbalist
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
. Foreboding. Atmosphere and a sense of dread are key. Locations are often decrepit or foreboding. High Emotions. Gothic stories include intense, exaggerated emotions. Romances, rivalries, and life
-changing events are common. Sacrifice. Sacrifices feature prominently in gothic stories. Give characters heart-wrenching choices. Unassuming, Unrepentant Villains. Gothic villains are unrepentantly evil
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
Dark Fantasy Ivan Shavrin The dark fantasy genre features fantasy worlds where grim themes, nihilistic plots, or horrifying elements inform their stories. Any tale featuring both supernatural
elements and horror themes might constitute dark fantasy, whether it’s a fantasy story steeped in dread or an otherwise realistic world that features a supernatural terror. Examples include The Dark Tower
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide
informed and inspired by the cultures, myths, legends, and fantasies of any culture: an epic fantasy campaign could draw on French romances or Chinese wuxia stories, a mythic fantasy campaign could be based
threatens the world. And the stories of these campaigns often include an element of romance: tragic affairs between star-crossed lovers, passion that transcends even death, and chaste adoration between
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Vecna: Eve of Ruin
, the first layer of Pandemonium. Neither Alustriel nor Tasha had previously met Kas, but the stories about his and Vecna’s hatred for each other are well known, as is Kas’s hunger for power
, Alustriel suggests the characters use the Chime of Exile to return Kas to Tovag, his Domain of Dread. Alustriel notes that the characters need to significantly weaken Kas before the magic item will work on
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
, is where heroes begin to explore the wonders of the D&D multiverse and its many planes of existence. Ravenloft Heroes are drawn into the gloomy Domains of Dread—cursed realms ruled by evil lords—and
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse->Sigil and the Outlands
in touch with the organization’s covert leader, a powerful githyanki warlord named Zetch’r’r who has yet to visit the enclave. The dread Lich-Queen Vlaakith, ruler of the githyanki, has issued a
encounters and stories in the gate-town. Xaos Adventures d4 Adventure Hook 1 A team of four quadrones recruits the party on a rescue mission into the Cube. 2 Lazethon, a githzerai uniter (see Morte’s
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Tales from the Yawning Portal->a4
of the D&D game.
Schick related in the 2013 compilation Dungeons of Dread that he wrote the adventure as a way of persuading Gary Gygax to hire him as a game designer.
THE LEGEND OF KERAPTIS
. Seeing this, the populace did not put up much resistance to paying the wizard's heavy taxes and tithes, especially when stories were circulated of what happened to those who balked. Any nobles who