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Returning 35 results for 'far dark fantasy'.
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Dark fantasy is as much a genre of fantasy as it is a genre of horror. Generally, any tale featuring both supernatural elements and horror themes might be considered dark fantasy
, whether it’s a fantasy story steeped in horror elements or an otherwise realistic world that features a supernatural terror. Dark fantasy refers to fantasy worlds where grim themes, nihilistic plots, or
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
Dark Fantasy Vampires brood on the battlements of their accursed castles. Necromancers toil in dark dungeons to create horrid servants made of dead flesh. Devils corrupt the innocent, and werewolves
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
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Villains Villains occupy places of prominence or control in dark fantasy domains. This manifests as political control, military authority, or physical or magical might that allows them
to directly dominate others. Dark Fantasy Villains d10 Villain
1 A machine that believes it’s a resurrected tyrant and seeks to rebuild its empire in iron
2 The leader of a
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->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Adventure Sites Evil is entrenched and effective in dark fantasy domains, truths reflected by grandiose adventure locations. Their size and grandeur seem out of proportion with the
common structures of the domain and the magic that helped create them is clearly beyond the reach of mere mortals to create or destroy. Dark Fantasy Adventure Sites d8 Adventure Site
1 An
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
Dark Fantasy Monsters Any monster can find a place in a dark fantasy plot. D&D’s most iconic threats—such as dragons and beholders—are well suited to horror-tinged tales, as are any other
supernatural foes. Chapter 5 details how to make even the most familiar monsters into fear-worthy threats. Dark Fantasy Monsters Challenge Creature Source
1/8 Gremishka VGR
1/4 Goblin MM
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Fantasy Plots Adventures in dark fantasy domains involve unlikely or reluctant heroes (or rival villains) striking back against the evil at work in the land. This might involve taking on a world
-ruining conspiracy or the street-level depravity affecting a single slum. Dark Fantasy Plots d8 Plot
1 Track down a beholder-shaped flesh golem and learn why it’s targeting specific
Monsters
Curse of Strahd
","rollDamageType":"piercing"} piercing damage.The mad women and men known as Barovian witches forge pacts with Strahd and the Dark Powers of Ravenloft in exchange for magic and longevity. They prefer to live in
the shadows and can see in the dark. When traveling in the open, they use alter self spells to assume less conspicuous forms. They also use these spells to grow long, sharp claws with which they can
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
distant Sarlona are known as the Inspired. These noble families are said to be bound to celestial spirits that guide and empower them, but the truth is far darker. The Inspired are the mortal hosts of
the nightmare spirits of Dal Quor, and they carry out the foul agenda of the Dreaming Dark.
Any humanoid who can dream can volunteer to serve as a quori vessel. But the Inspired of Sarlona are humans
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
that guide and empower them, but the truth is far darker. The Inspired are the mortal hosts of the nightmare spirits of Dal Quor, and they carry out the foul agenda of the Dreaming Dark.
Any humanoid
are spread throughout Khorvaire as well. Beggars and generals, mayors and merchants might all be secret servants of the Dreaming Dark. Such Inspired have to willingly accept quori possession, but the
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
and empower them, but the truth is far darker. The Inspired are the mortal hosts of the nightmare spirits of Dal Quor, and they carry out the foul agenda of the Dreaming Dark.
Any humanoid who can dream
throughout Khorvaire as well. Beggars and generals, mayors and merchants might all be secret servants of the Dreaming Dark. Such Inspired have to willingly accept quori possession, but the Dreaming Dark
Monsters
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
Dark Devotion. The fanatic has advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.
Spellcasting. The fanatic is a 4th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC
to do so.
For all his political machinations, Kadroth is a visionary who has so far made the cult stronger through his actions and decisions. He spends hours behind his desk, staring into the burning
Monsters
Eberron: Rising from the Last War
. These noble families are said to be bound to celestial spirits that guide and empower them, but the truth is far darker. The Inspired are the mortal hosts of the nightmare spirits of Dal Quor, and
they carry out the foul agenda of the Dreaming Dark.
Any humanoid who can dream can volunteer to serve as a quori vessel. But the Inspired of Sarlona are humans bred to be such vessels. They have no
classes
Player’s Handbook
Unearth Forbidden Lore of Ineffable Beings
When you choose this subclass, you might bind yourself to an unspeakable being from the Far Realm or an elder god—a being such as Tharizdun, the
Chained God; Zargon, the Returner; Hadar, the Dark Hunger; or Great Cthulhu. Or you might invoke several entities without yoking yourself to one. The motives of these beings are incomprehensible, and the
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
hatch from eggs laid by female adults. Each egg is about the size of an adult human’s head and hatches within a month. Tiny kruthik hatchlings are harmless and rarely stray far from the nest. They
the dark and can detect vibrations in the earth around them. They take the scent of their own dead as a warning and avoid areas where many other kruthiks have died. Slaying a sufficient number of
Monsters
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
success.Disgorged from the Far Realm, Gaj are hideous hunters that prey on other life forms. They crawl on six insectile legs and attack with their mandibles. They ambush prey by burying themselves under sand or
silt and lying in wait, lurking in dark caves, or perching on natural stone ledges, where they blend in with their surroundings. Gaj have no language, but they have the magical ability to understand the
Monsters
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk
the attacker, it then makes one Slam attack against that attacker.An encephalon cluster pays no heed to an elder brain or its mind flayer progenitors. This grotesque creature shambles through dark
become a gorging menace that can overrun an entire mind flayer colony.
Encephalons
When an illithid colony lays its eggs dangerously close to a Far Realm rift, an egg sac has a chance to mutate into
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis.
As his power grew, he attracted disciples who also wished to defy life and death. He
threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich faced the lich in battle. Their bravery would have
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
delved into any eldritch secret that would prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis.
As his power grew, he attracted
cheat death and become undead horrors.
The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich
Monsters
The Book of Many Things
encounter.
Variant: Servants of Living Stars
Some stars in the sky are Elder Evils, alien beings of godlike power from the reality-defying Far Realm.
A living portent can be a fragment of these beings
Whisperer. A purple star whose guidance and minions seem to help for a time but whose influence inevitably leads to disaster.
Hadar, the Dark Hunger. A cinder-red dying star that siphons life from its
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis.
As his power grew, he attracted disciples who also wished to defy life and death. He shared his dread secrets with them and
raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd von Zarovich faced the lich in battle. Their bravery would have been for naught if Osybus’s
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
his own immortality. He forged pacts with any entity that would give him more power and delved into any eldritch secret that would prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped
of a shadowy tattoo, this boon allows the priests to steal souls as their master did and to cheat death and become undead horrors.
The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
give him more power and delved into any eldritch secret that would prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis.
As his power
as their master did and to cheat death and become undead horrors.
The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
immortality. He forged pacts with any entity that would give him more power and delved into any eldritch secret that would prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into
shadowy tattoo, this boon allows the priests to steal souls as their master did and to cheat death and become undead horrors.
The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. In
Monsters
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft
more power and delved into any eldritch secret that would prolong his life. He became a devotee of the Dark Powers and tapped into their immortal malice to fuel his apotheosis.
As his power grew, he
master did and to cheat death and become undead horrors.
The threat posed by Osybus and his disciples raised alarms far and wide. In response, the Ulmist Inquisition and the then-mortal Count Strahd
Monsters
Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse
feet of the hound must use all its movement on that turn to get as far from the hound as possible, must finish the move before taking an action, and must take the most direct route, even if hazards
weapons can strike true.
Yeth hounds can’t stand sunlight. A pack hunts at night and seeks to return to its dark den before dawn. If a yeth hound is exposed to natural sunlight, it fades away
Monsters
Ghosts of Saltmarsh
head retain their former shapes, but its legs have split into shadowy tentacles. The drowned master is tethered to a source of powerful magic that prevents it from traveling far. It commands other drowned ones, compelling them to serve as agents in its dark plots.Poison
Monsters
Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Volume 1
, built for a specific purpose. Some are fortresses, designed to keep wanderers from the material world away. Others are far more sinister, dark realms where evil dreams take root and become ghastly
Human
Legacy
This doesn't reflect the latest rules and lore.
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races
Basic Rules (2014)
powerful ethnic group in Kara-Tur, far to the east of Faerûn. They are yellowish-bronze in hue, with black hair and dark eyes. Shou surnames are usually presented before the given name.
Shou Names
traditions with origins far beyond the reach of any single human’s memory. They live fully in the present—making them well suited to the adventuring life—but also plan for the future
Criminal / Spy
Legacy
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Backgrounds
Basic Rules (2014)
You are an experienced criminal with a history of breaking the law. You have spent a lot of time among other criminals and still have contacts within the criminal underworld. You’re far closer
.
Skill Proficiencies: Deception, Stealth
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set, thieves’ tools
Equipment: A crowbar, a set of dark common clothes including a hood, and a pouch
races
“By the gods... and I thought that hooded figure in the back o’ the tavern was dark. It don’t get shadier than this.”
- Plens Donsu’us, Barista, Wizards of the Roast
pull themselves from this dark path before their essence is wiped clean. Known as ombrasks (OM-brask), these translucent creatures hail from a variety of heritages; from elf to dwarf, dragonborn to
classes
Xanathar's Guide to Everything
the influence of dark forces that drives them to evil. By setting the proper example, and working to heal the wounds of a deeply flawed world, you can set anyone on a righteous path.
Patience.
so far along the path of evil that you have no choice but to end their lives for the greater good. Any such action must be carefully weighed and the consequences fully understood, but once you have
Compendium
- Sources->Dungeons & Dragons->Dungeon Master’s Guide (2014)
, rogue, and barbarian characters tend to be far more common than wizards, clerics, or paladins. In such a pulp fantasy setting, those who wield magic often symbolize the decadence and corruption of
venture into the unexplored jungle in search of the fabled City of Golden Masks. A sword-and-sorcery campaign emulates some of the classic works of fantasy fiction, a tradition that goes back to the
Goliath
Legacy
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races
Elemental Evil Player's Companion
At the highest mountain peaks — far above the slopes where trees grow and where the air is thin and the frigid winds howl — dwell the reclusive goliaths. Few folk can claim to have seen a
skills.
This dedication to competition has a dark side. Goliaths are ferocious competitors, but above all else they are driven to outdo their past efforts. If a goliath slays a dragon, he or she might