1

Fighter

11

Introduction

Monk

11

Updated Rules for Ravenloft

Paladin

12

Fear, Horror and Madness

Ranger

13

Powers Checks

Rogue

13

Outcast Rolls

Sorcerer

14

Detection Powers

Warlock

14

Turn Undead

Wizard

15

Destroy Undead

Character Customization

17

Channel Divinity

Anchorite

17

Domain Lords

Arcanist

17

Closed Domain Borders

Avenger

17

Necromancy

Doctor

17

Magical Travel

Gypsy

17

Curses

Languages

18

Feats

18

Races
Caliban

Back to the Wall

18

Dragonborn

Courage

18

Drow

Firearms Expert

18

Half-Vistani

Jaded

18

Humans

Open Minded

18

Teiflings

Skills

19

10

Animal Handling

19

Barbarian

10

Deception

19

Bard

10

Hypnosis

19

Cleric

10

Druid

11

Classes

Equipment

20

Credits
Welcome to the 5 Edition Players Guide for
the Ravenloft Campaign Setting. These are fan
created in the spirit and ideal of the setting as
an aid to help bring Ravenloft games forward.

Based on the Ravenloft Setting created by:

The overall intent of this update is a

desire to return Ravenloft back to its core ideals;
a feeling that I believe was lost with the 3rd Edition rules and, of course, never even explored in
4th Edition.

William W. Connors and Steve Miller

th

Bruce Nesmith and Andria Hayday

Domains of Dread Setting written by:

Sword and Sorcery Edition written by:

Andrew Cermak, John W. Mangrum and
Andrew Wyatt

This is a labor of love and an ongoing

process so I hope that what I create is useful to
fans and DMs of Ravenloft from all over.

Fan Update written by

Ravenspyre

What to Expect;
Updated Rules: This file contains information
and data that hopefully updates all present and
past Ravenloft games to the current setting of
5th Edition D&D.

Legalese
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, RAVENLOFT, the
RAVENLOFT logo, D&D, PLAYERS HANDBOOK,
DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE, and MONSTER
MANUAL are trademarks of Wizards of the
Coast. Cover art from the CASTLE RAVENLOFT
Board Game. Back art from RAVENLOFT: Van
Richtens Guide to Werebeasts. Additional interior art within this guide from various other
RAVENLOFT sourcebooks and are all owned by
their respective owners and are used out of respect in this guide for their work they put in.
This is a fan created rules update and as such I
claim no ownership of said products, only a love
for the setting itself.

Modular: The attempt is to make this feel as

close to the Ravenloft setting rules as possible,
but DMs should in no way feel obligated to use
these rules, as this will be drawing from all eras
of Ravenloft.

What not to Expect;

Replacement: This is not intended to be a replacement for previous products and it is expected that players own previous editions of
Ravenloft in order to fully utilize these rules updates.
Mandatory: These are fan made rules in an attempt to bring the spirit and feel of the
Ravenloft setting forward into the 5th Edition of
D&D, and in no way should anyone feel required to use them.
Excuse for Piracy: These rules are not intended
for players to not buy any products from WotC,
and not a legal excuse for piracy. Buy the products and insure that D&D will live on and continue to provide entertainment into the future!

to contact an alien mind, the DC = 8 + HD +

Wisdom modifier. Madness checks that are the
result of a spell use the saving throw value of
the spell. A Madness check that is the result of a
total catastrophe such as a particularly bad horror save, should use a similar DC to the horror
save.

The following are updated rules for Ravenloft

interpreted for 5th Edition D&D. This is an attempt to cover 2nd and 3rd Editions to the best
of my interpretation. Uses of these rules are not
required.

Bonuses to fear
and horror checks should
either be a +1 or +2 depending on the situation.
For instance if you have a
weapon that can hurt a
particular enemy you
gain a +1 bonus or if a
loved one is in danger
you might gain a +2 bonus. Other things might
give you Advantage on
said rolls such as you
have faced a similar
threat before and triumphed, or youve gained some knowledge on
how to defeat such threats.

Fear, horror and madness

checks now correspond
to an Ability check.
Fear: Fear is the
mind collecting itself
from a quick shock thus it
is a Wisdom check. Fear
saves have a DC = 8 +
creatures Charisma Modifier or just a flat DC of 10
for a scene. If its a never
before seen encounter or
creature then the DC is
increased by +2. If the
character is alone the DC is increased by +1. If a
character has lost half or more of their HP then
the DC is increased by +1. If the creature is obviously stronger than the character then the DC
is increased by +2.

Of course Disadvantage can happen on

said rolls to. If a character has faced a similar
threat and been defeated that may cause Disadvantage. And if a friend or ally turns out to be
the cause of the check then that may cause a
Disadvantage to the roll as well.

Horror: Horror is the attempt of trying

to process the true threat of a scene, thus it is
an Intelligence check. Horror is harder to gauge
for and not as simple to create a flat DC. In
short this is left up to best judgment of the DM,
but a safe bet is a base of 8 for something like
seeing a decaying body. The more gruesome or
unexpected the scene might be, the harder it
should become. Witnessing a malign paradigm
shift, such as discovering your fianc is the
blood thirsty werewolf you have been hunting
all along, should easily be considered a +10 to
the DC number.

Powers Checks remain unchanged in this system still relying on a percentile roll. The only
exceptions are specific to classes in these cases.
In White Wolfs rules for 3rd Edition D&D, races
had an outcast rating that would determine
penalties or bonuses on specific social rolls. In
these updated rules, Outcast Rating is now a
Disadvantage on social rolls. In the case of rolls
used to Intimidate or Frighten others gain Advantage on said rolls.

Madness: Madness is the attempt to try

and convince oneself of the rationale of the impossible that has been seen, thus it is a Charisma check. Madness checks depend on the situation they occurred in. If its the result of trying

This rule can be completely ignored for

more RP focused groups.

Spells, abilities and items that grant a player the

ability to detect other beings, such as detect evil
and good do not reveal what the beings are.
Instead, the player gets a sense of something is
either natural or unnatural. DMs are encouraged to broaden their horizons on what is considered natural and unnatural, such as nonhumans, familiars and other spells might be considered unnatural.

The presence of the divine is felt less in

Ravenloft than in other worlds. While a majority
of channeled divine effects mechanically will
appear unaffected, the Dark Powers have a
sense of humor. They tend to warp the actual
appearance of said effects to differing things,
such as a war priest who channels the divine
might start having blood drip from them or a
tempest priest might have mists forming
around them as they channel their abilities.

Undead receive a bonus in that they get

a Wisdom save. Self-willed undead are further
protected from mental invasion and if they
make their save they can reveal whatever the
creature wishes. Domain lords are completely
immune to being detected and will always appear normal on such spells unless the lord wills
it otherwise.

This of course is completely optional effect and is only something that would occur to
heighten the atmosphere for role-play purposes. Ignore this rule if you feel its too much.
Normally domain lords are pretty much unstoppable forces. However, sometimes there is a
chance that a player can overcome their influence. In these cases, domain lords always have
Advantage. In instances where a domain lord is
the master of whatever the contest concerns,
such as a domain lord that can control all the
wolves in his domain, the domain lord wins automatically.

The only exception to this rule is a very

powerful artifact. Such artifacts can go beyond
the powers of Ravenloft and reveal the true intents and nature of such beings, but artifacts
are exceptionally rare in the Land of the Mists.
Undead gain a +2 bonus
on their saving throw in
Ravenloft. Intelligent and
self-willed undead that
fail their save are not
compelled to flee but are
unable to approach a
cleric or paladin with a
presented holy symbol.
Turn the Unholy and Turn
the Faithless are similarly
affected.

Domain lords also know

when someone is trying to pry into
their minds. As a result any save
required is automatically passed
unless the domain lord wills it otherwise. Prying into the thoughts of
such an evil being requires a Madness check, at the very least.
In the case of special closed domain borders, such as Strahds Poison Fog, any special protections or
other effects that would provide
immunity for the character are ignored. These are special effects that go beyond
any protection the player characters might have
and thus those protections do not apply. Thus
poison still affects those immune to it, darkness
still affects those able to see in darkness, and
extreme heat or other weather conditions can-

The effect of this is half in

Ravenloft. When consulting the chart on page 59 of the PHB always half
the value, thus becomes , 1 becomes , 2
becomes 1, etc.

not be ignored or altered magically or otherwise.

the DC of the spell that bestowed the curse.

With curses of vengeance, the DC = 8 + invokers HD + charisma modifier + severity of the
curse.

Furthermore, any attempt to try and

cross a closed domain border with magic or
special class abilities automatically fail. The
character attempting to do so will find themselves deposited back in the domain they just
left. Only with the permission of a domain lord
can one hope to cross a closed domain border.

Cursed magical items require the cursed

user to make a Wisdom save with a DC = 10 + 1
per property of the item to break the attunement. Thus if a weapon had 3 properties, for
instance, that would be a DC of 13.

The only exception to this rule is again,

powerful artifacts. But artifacts of such power
are exceptionally rare in Ravenloft.
Necromancy is much more powerful in
Ravenloft than in other worlds. When casting a
necromantic spell, it is treated as if you used a
spell slot 1 level higher than you actually did. In
addition to this the undead created gain 1 additional hit die.

Sinkholes of evil still exist. Whenever a

player is near a minor sinkhole of evil, the
creatures gain a +1 bonus to their saving
throw when Turn Undead is employed. A
major sinkhole of evil increases this bonus
to saving throws versus Turn Undead to a
+2.

However, necromancers have to be

wary. When the undead are first created they
get a Wisdom saving throw. If they succeed,
they are not under the control of the caster and
are free to attack whomever they wish (usually
the caster for bringing them back in such a pitiful state).

When a domain lord is in close

proximity, they grant a cumulative +1
bonus as well to any saving throw when
Turn Undead is employed. This means
that if a domain lord is nearby on a major
sinkhole of evil, any saving throw made
would have a +3 bonus to Turn Undead.

Any time that a necromantic spell is

cast, the character must make a Powers Check.

In addition to this, the modifiers

of a sinkhole of evil also affect Fear and
Horror checks. Thus if characters were in
the depths of Castle Ravenloft, any check
required would gain an automatic +2 to
the DC.

Magical travel in Ravenloft is much more limited than in other worlds. Attempting to use
spells that would normally allow the character
to leave the Demiplane, fail, and instead deposit the character randomly in another location
within Ravenloft.
Curses are powerful in Ravenloft, much more so
than other worlds. Removal of such curses can
only be accomplished through the clause in the
wording of said curse. Spells like remove curse
can provide temporary relief but require the
afflicted to make a Wisdom saving throw versus

This section only includes Ravenloft races, clarifies what races are not native to Ravenloft, and
provides rules for handling truly bizarre races
from the PHB and beyond.

Orcs are unheard of in Ravenloft and thus there

are no natural born half-orcs. Caliban take their
place instead, misshapen humans that were
exposed to foul, corruptive magic while still in
their mothers womb. Average features tend to
be hump backs, tusk like teeth and tough hide
bodies, abnormal facial features, etc.

Ability Score Increase: Strength is increased by 2 and Constitution is increased by 1.

Age: Same as humans.
Alignment: Having been born outcasts
and rejects, Caliban tends towards neutral or chaotic alignments.
Size: Average sizes for humans.
Speed: Base walking speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Whether thanks to whatever foul magics corrupted you or the fact
you were hidden away in darkness, you
have developed superior vision in dark

and dim conditions. You can see in dim

light within 60 feet of you as if it were
bright light, and in darkness as if it were
dim light. You cant discern colors, only
shades of grey.
Menacing: You gain proficiency in the
Intimidation skill.
Relentless Endurance: When you are
reduced to 0 hit points but not killed
outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. You cant use this feature again
until you finish a long rest.
Savage Attacks: When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you
can roll one of the weapons damage
dice one additional time and add it to
the extra damage of the critical hit.
True Outcast: Your standing with others
never improves because of your cursed
appearance. You always have a -2 penalty on social rolls in addition to Outcast
rules, and others tend to look on you
with pity, disgust or both. This is a +2 in
the case of rolls used to intimidate or
cause fear in others.
Languages: You speak two of the languages of the Core.


There are no native Dragonborn in Ravenloft.
All Dragonborn are outsiders of the Land of the
Mists. Due to their incredibly alien appearance,
they suffer a -3 penalty with all social rolls in
addition to normal Outcast rules, or a +3 bonus
when trying to intimidate or frighten. DMs can
also opt to encourage Fear checks upon first
seeing a Dragonborn if they are revealed or take
no actions to disguise themselves.

Drow are unheard of in Ravenloft and any Drow

in Ravenloft are always outsiders. Due to them
looking more like some dark fey creature, they
receive a -1 penalty on their social rolls in addition to Outcast rules. This becomes a +1 bonus
on rolls intended to intimidate or cause fear, of
course.

Called giomorgo, or giamarga if they have an

elven parent, are a troubled lot. Welcomed in
neither their Vistani families nor their human or
elven ones, they are a race between worlds,
much like half-elves. They resemble their
Vistani parents, with angular or aquiline features, dark brown to raven black hair and dusky
or olive complexions and only slightly pointed
ears if they are from elven stock. Like their
Vistani parents, the Half-Vistani tends to wander the countryside, never staying in the same
place twice. This wanderlust
has given them some added
benefits as well.

Ability Score Increase:

Wisdom is increase by
2 and Charisma is increase by 1.
Age: Same as humans.
Alignment: Half-Vistani
tends towards chaotic
alignments due to their
carefree nature.
Size: Average sizes for
humans.
Speed: Base walking
speed of 30 feet.

Survivors: You gain proficiency in Survival skill.

Moon Madness: During the night of
and the night preceding and following
the full moon, the Half-Vistanis mind is
clouded by restlessness and anxiety, often called lunatio. They are unable to
rest properly and cannot benefit from a
short or long rest during this time period. The physical toll taken on the characters body is extreme and all saving
throws and skill checks are at a Disadvantage until they are capable of taking
a long rest.
Tribal Heritage: Choose a tribal heritage. It imparts one additional perk.
Canjar: Arcane Proficiency
Corvara: Sleight of Hand Proficiency
Equaar: Animal Handling Proficiency
Kamii: Advantage when using skills that
deal with metals or metallurgy.
Naiat: Performance Proficiency
Vatraska: Medicine Proficiency
Zarovan: Advantage on initiative rolls.
Languages: They can learn one of any
language of the core plus the Half
Vistani is familiar with Tralaks (a series
of glyphs used by Vistani). When attempting to read the symbol the HalfVistani makes an Intelligence check. On
a successful check, the DM rolls a d20.
On a 2 to 20 the Half-Vistani
correctly identifies the glyph.
On a roll of a 1, however, the
Half-Vistani misreads the symbol and completely gets its
meaning wrong.
Humans are the most represented race in Ravenloft with
very few exceptions (such as
Sithicus). As such, as most races tend to be human, humans
also dont react as negatively
to them.

Socially Accepted: Humans tend to be

more accepted with the denizens of
Ravenloft, thus they do not naturally
suffer Disadvantage on rolls as outcasts
unless they make their foreign nature
apparent or dealing with nonhumans.

It should not be unusual to say that the

more unusual the race the less likely they
are to receive any response at all in
Ravenloft. DMs should be ready to place
penalties on social rolls if not inspire Fear
checks from NPCs that see player characters that come from strange and unusual
races, such as Outsiders.
In those cases where even at a
glance such characters could not pass as
human or one of the core four races, then
the social roll should automatically have
a -1 penalty. This penalty should go up
the harder it would be for such a race to
pass themselves off as a core race to a
maximum of -3. This becomes a bonus on
rolls made to intimidate or cause fear.
Types of responses that DMs
might even consider could very well border on running the player out of town to
lynch mobs that think that the character
will bring bad luck to even wanting to
sacrifice them to appease some evil spirit.
Life as a nonhuman is very rough indeed,
and for a fantastical nonhuman can be
downright deadly.

Teiflings are extremely rare in Ravenloft, but

there are a few. Due to the tales often told, the
folk of Ravenloft take Teiflings as the devils they
resemble. Whenever a Teiflings nature is first
discovered, Fear and/or Horror checks may be
called for. Teiflings will never gain the trust of
the superstitious Ravenloft folk and thus will
always be outcasts, having a base -3 penalty on
social rolls, or +3 on intimidation and fear rolls.
Furthermore, any reaction on a failed social roll
will always be hostile to outright lethal. Most
naturally born Teiflings never even get a chance
at life, hence why they are so rare.

disrepair due to lack of actual use as pews remain empty except during the most special of
circumstances. Most clerics from Ravenloft tend
to be theologians or anchorites more than pious
men devoted to earning converts. Clerics, that
come from other worlds, note an almost immediate feeling of disconnect or loss of presence
of their particular deity.

What follows are rule changes to the specific

classes that can be found within the PHB. This
will not give full details on any classes and it is
expected that a copy of the 5th Edition PHB be
owned in order to receive the full benefit of
these class changes.

Barbarians are uncommon in the Core of

Ravenloft as nomadic tribes tend to be small
and spread out. However in the less civilized
domains, sparsely populated tribes can be
found. Many barbarians tend to hail from the
land of Vorostokov with a few scattered tribes
in the densely forested region of Verbrek.

Barbarian Rage: While under the affects of rage, a barbarian gains a +2 bonus on all Fear, Horror and Madness
checks.
Mindless Rage: Barbarians are not immune to Fear checks but still retain the
bonus from a normal rage. The barbarian still has to roll a saving throw if the
charm is from a domain lord or closed
domain border.

The largest contingent of bards in Ravenloft

tends to hail from Kartakass, with a few notable
colleges coming from Nova Vaasa, Falkovnia,
and Mordent. Most, regardless of origin, aspire
to perform at the renowned Harmonia Hall located within Kartakass, and as such most of the
colleges tend to be of lore. Falkovnia is the only
domain with a prominent college of valor, due
to the campaigns of conquest attempted every
several years.

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.

Finding a truly devoted cleric in Ravenloft is not

an easy task as the presence of the divine is
weaker than in other worlds. Temples and
churches lay in dilapidated states or in complete

10

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Divine Intervention: Receiving Divine
Intervention is not a guarantee in the
Demiplane of Dread at level 20, and still
must be rolled. The Dark Powers may
also intervene on any attempted intervention and twist the intervention, depending on what is done. This type of
interference is left up to the DM. Any
attempt to summon for intervention
from against a domain lord automatically fails as the Dark powers intervene directly.
(Knowledge) Channel Divinity: Read
Thoughts: Domain lords always know if
you are attempting to read their
thoughts and as per earlier rules can
decide if you succeed or fail. A domain
lord that allows a cleric to read their
thoughts requires a Madness check
from the cleric. Any suggestions that
can result in death or cause the being to
make a Powers Check requires the cleric to actually make the Powers Check
instead.
(Knowledge) Visions of the Past:
Ravenloft does not reveal its secrets
easily; as such clerics using this power
are always at Disadvantage with their
rolls. Scenes of gruesome acts or items
apart of gruesome acts may require a
Horror check from the cleric on successful rolls.
Plant Domain: Plants performs normally except when in conflict of a domain
lords power or a closed domain border,
then the domain lord wins automatically or the border remains unaffected.

Tempest Domain: Mostly unchanged,

except as noted, and unless it conflicts
directly with a domain lords power or a
closed domain border then a domain
lord automatically wins or the border
remains unaffected.
Trickery Domain: Largely unaffected,
except the illusions created by invoke
duplicity and improved duplicity have a
chance to create actual shadows instead of illusions. On a roll on 1 on a
d20, one of the illusions becomes a
shadow instead and may attack the
cleric or others. It will often wait for an
opportune moment.

Fighters are everywhere within the Land of the

Mists. From men-at-arms, to guardsmen, to
mercenaries they are readily available, though
training can be sporadic at best. Falkovnia and
Nova Vaasa tend to produce the best trained
fighters in Ravenloft. Of the paths, Battle Master tends to be the most often pursued with
very few actually choosing the path of the
Champion. Eldritch Knights are extremely rare,
though those that do exist tend to come from
Hazlan or Darkon in the Core, with a few of the
gypsies learning the path of the Eldritch Knight
as well.

Druids, like barbarians, are uncommon in the

core lands of Ravenloft, and druids from other
lands tend to note that ones from Ravenloft
tend to be more morose in their nature. The
ones that appear typically come from Verbrek,
Forlorn (very rarely) and Souragne. Those from
the swamp lands of Souragne tend to look and
smell more like a swamp hermit. Druids from
other lands tend to note that the land itself
seems to emit an indescribable feeling of malevolence, but are never quite sure if they are
truly feeling this.

Circle of the Moon: In Ravenloft, the

user chooses an animal type (i.e. wolf,
bear, etc). As the druid levels up they
gain the features of that animal type
but slowly start resembling a lycanthrope of that type (such as a werewolf
or werebear). People witnessing a druid
use this power may require a Fear
and/or Horror check and this power
may get superstitious folks hunting the
druid.

Monks tend to be uncommon in most of

Ravenloft, and many just view them as another
form of cleric, despite there being obvious differences. A few monastic orders of monks exist
throughout the Core of Ravenloft and a few of
the Islands; however most of the orders tend to
lean towards the Way of Shadows. The Way of
the Open Palm and Four Elements tends to be
rarer with either only supposedly having a dedicated place of training on the island of
Rokushima Taiyoo.

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Lands Stride: This will not allow a druid
to cross a closed domain border. In addition, domain lords that control the
plants of their domain are treated as
magical, unless the domain lord wills it,
for purposes of effects of this power.
Natures Ward: Druids are not immune
to effects from domain lords and closed
domain borders. Charms, fear effects,
poisons and diseases can still affect the
druid, though they get a saving throw in
those cases.
Natures Sanctuary: Creatures controlled by domain lords do not have to
make a saving throw and can attack the
druid freely.

11

Stillness of Mind: This power does not

automatically end a fear effect from a
failed Fear check. Instead it allows the
monk to make a new Fear check.
Purity of Body: Domain lords are still
able to inflict disease and poison on
monks as well as the effects of closed
domain borders.

Timeless Body: The aging effects

caused by domain lords or from closed
domain borders will still age a monk
normally.
Empty Body: Attempting to use the astral projection portion of this power automatically fails in Ravenloft.
(Way of the Open Palm) Tranquility:
Domain lords do not have to roll a save
and can attack a protected monk normally.
(Way of the Open Palm) Quivering
Palm: Crossing a domain border counts
as entering another plane for purposes
of the duration of this effect. Furthermore, domain lords are unaffected by
this effect.
(Way of Shadows) Shadow Step: A domain lord that controls the shadows can
prevent a monk from using those shadows with this power. This cannot be
used to cross a closed domain border.

Paladins are exceptionally rare in Ravenloft.

There are many reasons for this, least of all
which the very presence of a paladin causes
disruption to the land itself, like salt on a gaping
wound. Most paladins tend to be outsiders of
Ravenloft, and like clerics, note almost an immediate disconnect from the presence of the
divine. The few paladins in Ravenloft that exist
are usually due to some crusade or oath sworn
for vengeance and as such most Ravenloft paladins tend to follow the Oath of Vengeance.

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Disruptive Presence: The Land reacts to
the presence of a paladin. As a result
domain lords always know that there is
a paladin in their domain. They only get
a faint glimmer thus the paladin is protected early on, but as the paladin gains
levels the domain lord gets a stronger
sensation where they are.
Starting at level 11, the paladin
is powerful enough that the domain

12

lord knows where the paladin is within

10 miles of their actual location. Every
level the paladin gains reduces the
range by 1 mile increasing the accuracy,
with a domain lord being able to accurately locate a level 20 paladin within 1
mile of their location.
If the paladin is brandishing a
holy avenger weapon or some powerful
holy artifact (such as the holy symbol of
ravenkind) then a domain lord knows
where the paladin is within 100 yards of
their location, regardless of level. This is
why few paladins naturally exist to old
age within Ravenloft.
Divine Sense: Ravenloft does not naturally give up secrets easily. When employing this power, the paladin only
gets a sense if something is natural or
unnatural. Undead receive saves with
Advantage from this effect and domain
lords are completely immune able to
determine their status as they see fit
and how the DM decides it should be.
Divine Health: Diseases inflicted by a
domain lord or a closed domain border
take effect normally on a paladin.
Aura of Protection: The bonus from this
is reduced by the presence of a Sinkhole
of Evil or a domain lord. See Sinkholes
of Evil sidebar on page 9 for more details.
Aura of Courage: This is a +2 bonus on
Fear check rolls to the paladin and
those within 10 feet of the paladin instead of making them immune to fear.
Cleansing Touch: Attempting to remove
an effect from a domain lord only
grants the target a new saving throw at
a chance to end the effect. Attempting
to remove a curse follows the normal
rules for removing curses found on
page 6.
(Oath of Devotion) Turn the Unholy:
See Turn Undead on page 5.
(Oath of Devotion) Aura of Devotion:
Effects from domain lords or closed

domain borders still affect the characters normally.

(Oath of the Ancients) Natures Wrath:
Domain lords with power over plants
can ignore the restraint completely.
Other domain lords might have other
methods for easily getting out, such as a
mist form.
(Oath of the Ancients) Turn the Faithless: See Turn Undead on page 5.
(Oath of the Ancients) Undying Sentinel: Attacks from domain lords or
closed domain borders that age the
paladin will affect them normally.
(Oath of the Ancients) Elder Champion:
Using this power may cause Fear and/or
Horror in those around them due to
their superstitious nature in Ravenloft.
The forms appearance is usually twisted
or menacing as well, such as choosing a
tree like appearance the paladin might
assume a form more closely resembling
a dead mans tree or look more savage
if choosing an animal.
(Oath of Vengeance) Abjure Enemy:
Undead and demons do not have Disadvantage on their rolls. See Turn Undead on page 5 for other rules.
(Oath of Vengeance) Avenging Angel:
In Ravenloft, the twisted sense of humor of the Land twists this form into a
mockery, making it appear as a shadowy angel of death instead of one of
vengeance. Seeing such a transformation may cause Fear and/or Horror
checks in others.

to disorient them. Due to how beasts act in

Ravenloft, most rangers tend to be Hunters.

Rangers tend to be wanderers, more at home in

the wooded areas of Ravenloft. Uncommon by
most standards they are definitely more visible
than druids and barbarians. Attunement to the
land gives them a natural sense, though rangers
from other realms take note that the land has a
dark mystery to it, and an almost unwillingness
to divulge its secrets. Some rangers from other
realms even claim that the land purposely tries

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Primeval Awareness: Ravenloft does
not divulge its secrets easily. As with
other sensing powers, any information
the ranger might glean would be given
as whether it is natural or unnatural.
See page 5 for further details.
Lands Stride: This will not allow a ranger to cross a closed domain border. In
addition, domain lords that control the
plants of their domain are treated as
magical, unless the domain lord wills it,
for purposes of effects of this power.
(Beast Master) Rangers Companion: A
rangers companion that is of a type
that a domain lord can control must
make a Wisdom saving throw (TN =
8+Proficiency+Wisdom of the lord)
when entering the domain with the
ranger. If the saving throw succeeds the
companion is in full control of its faculties, but is always cowering or whimpering and pacing as if uneasy while
remaining in the domain, urging its
master to leave. A new check is made
for every day the ranger remains in the
domain. If confronted by the domain
lord the companion will flee outright. If
the saving throw fails, the companion is
now under the control of the domain
lord, and will attack the ranger if compelled to. The companion is forever lost
at this point, even if the ranger leaves
the domain. Attempting to bond with a
beast a domain lord has control over
automatically fails.

Rogues are everywhere within Ravenloft probably even more so than any other class. Street
urchins, to conmen, to even wandering gypsies
might have some skill with the larcenist arts. Of
the archetypes, thief tends to be the most
common one that one will run into though in

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Warlocks are a strange lot in the Land of the

Mists; seekers of knowledge and/or power they
willingly truck with dark powers directly. They
often, foolishly, refer to themselves as arcanists
as if such a title would change what they would
do trying to disguise their dark practices as
nothing more than scholarly curiosity.

the lands of Darkon, it is whispered that assassins abound in the employ of the Kargatane.
Wandering gypsies and Vistani especially tend
to favor the arcane trickster, using illusions and
trickery to wow spectators and fool the clueless. There is a reason many tend to be guarded
when the gypsies are in town.

In the lands near to the Shadow Rift, warlocks tend to make pacts with the Archfey but
the further they get from such lands the more
likely one is to run into focus on the Fiend or
the Great Old One. It should come as no surprise then that when a warlock uses their magic
that they tend to be in danger of falling to the
Dark Powers more than most other classes as
well.

Sorcery is often looked at negatively in the Land

of the Mists as some sort of curse or ill omen. A
child that has magical ability without use of
some sort of implement is using witchcraft and
typically get ran out of town or killed all the
same. Of the two types, Wild Magic is the most
common as Draconic Bloodlines tend to be rare,
though it is rumored that Hazlan and Darkon
both host a few draconic bloodlines. Sorcerers
do not have a favored land they come from as
anyone has a chance to be born with such powers, but they do tend to float towards Hazlan or
Darkon for possible help in controlling their
powers, eventually.

Draconic Origin: Using powers that

cause outward appearance changes, as
parts of this origin often include, may
require others to roll a fear and/or horror check in response. Fearful folk may
attack or attempt to drive the draconic
sorcerer out.
Wild Magic Origin: While wild magic effects are uncontrollable, effects generated are still under the affects of any altered magic rules that apply. Any effect
that would require a powers check, still
applies in these instances as well.

Becoming a warlock is a secret endeavor

and usually the result of despair or a witless
dark pact with some entity in the search for
greater knowledge or power. There are no
teachings or schools for a warlock; this is a lone
endeavor on a road of personal damnation.

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.

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Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Powers Check: You willingly truck with
dark forces, and as such the Dark Powers tend to notice you easier. Whenever
you advance in a level you make a Powers Check equal to 5% multiplied by
your level. Thus making it impossible to
avoid corruption completely.

Horror Checks: Due to the fact that

warlocks tend to truck with things that
no mortal was meant to deal with, warlocks gain Advantage on any Horror
check they make.
(The Archfey) Fey Presence: Using this
power to charm others into doing dangerous or deadly things requires a Powers Check. You cannot charm a domain
lord with this power.
(The Archfey) Misty Escape: You cannot
use this power to cross a closed domain
border.
(The Archfey) Beguiling Defenses: A
domain lord trying to charm you invokes a saving throw instead. If you
succeed the charm fails instead of rebounding.
(The Archfey) Dark Delirium: Using this
power invokes a Powers Check.
(The Fiend) Dark Ones Own Luck: The
bonus from this is actually increased,
within the Land of the Mists, to a d12.
However invoking this requires a Powers Check.
(The Fiend) Hurl Through Hell: This
power instead buffets the target with
images of the lower planes, burning
them deep into the recesses of their
mind. The damage still occurs, and if
the target survives they are required to
make a Fear, Horror and Madness
check. Invoking this power causes a
Powers Check.
Path of the Great Old One: In
Ravenloft, following this path actually
starts to wear at the mind of a warlock
as the unfathomable alien nature of
their benefactor is slowly revealed.
Each level the warlock gains require a
Madness check from the warlock.
(The Great Old One) Thought Shield:
Domain lords that can read the minds
of others can attempt to read the mind
of the warlock instead. The warlock
makes a saving throw, though they
dont know why. If the warlock fails the

domain lord reads their mind normally,

if the save succeeds the warlock is still
unaware of why they needed to make
the save.
(The Great Old One) Create Thrall: Creating a thrall requires a Powers Check.
Witch Sight: This does not allow you to
detect creatures using their natural
shapeshifting abilities. Only spells of a
magical nature from items or magic can
be detected.

Wizards are uncommon in the Land of the Mists

but have slowly been gaining popularity, especially in Hazlan with the recently opened school
and reports of smaller schools springing up in
Darkon and Falkovnia. Most lands have few
wizards in them though, so finding a teacher
can be exceptionally difficult, or expensive.
Many tend to give wizards a wide berth given
their reputation for employing dark curses on
those that anger them. Its made even harder
when one considered that the land itself makes
certain darker magic much more powerful.

15

Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have

different functions.
Benign Transposition: You cannot use
this power to cross a closed Domain
border.
Divination: There are no masters of
Divination in Ravenloft as Divination
magic is highly unreliable. As a result
the Divination school cannot be chosen
for mastery, though many still teach the
spells they find in that school.
Necromancy: As one finds out in
Ravenloft, necromancy is much stronger, but it also carries with it a terrible
price. Necromancy is not normally
taught leaving most who seek out such
dark magic to pursue their own courses
and trials. Finding a master of necromancy to teach such magic is difficult
indeed. Using necromancy in Ravenloft
always requires a Powers Check.

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Like any other campaign setting, characters

made in Ravenloft have several choices to help
flesh out their characters. Most of these choices
can be found in the PHB but some new ones are
added within the Land of the Mists as well.

Backgrounds in Ravenloft have their place and

the many that can be found in the PHB still
serve greatly as a common source of inspiration
for backgrounds within the Land of the Mists.
The untrustworthy folk are hard to sway within
the misty confines of Ravenloft. However, those
strongly devoted can persuade them if they follow similar religious ideals. This variant feature
of the Acolyte background allows the character
to use their faith as a bargaining chip for supplies or shelter in Ravenloft with someone,
though people may still ask for compensation.

two skills of proficiency become hypnosis and

medicine. Your tool proficiency is a doctors kit
(see page 20). The feature of position is still
maintained, though it might not bring privilege
with it in Ravenloft.

This variant feature for the Sage background

gives the character Advantage rolls when it concerns lore, history, or even knowledge concerning Ravenloft itself. As long as the information
and roll in question is knowledge about the
Lands of the Mists, the character always receives Advantage on said rolls.

This is a variant of the Outlander background.

The gypsies of Ravenloft have a tendency to
glean information from the most bizarre of
places from basic tavern talk to just eavesdropping in on conversations from around the corner. As such, gypsy characters can make an Intelligence check (skills can be applied, if applicable) to see if the gypsy might have knowledge
of something. How much the gypsy might know
is left up to the DM.

This variant of the Soldier background allows

you to choose the class feature of Revenge. You
are seeking revenge on someone or something
and are doggedly pursuing them. Whenever you
confront a subject that reminds you of your
nemesis, you gain Advantage on any roll related
to that enemy from attack, saving throws to
skill checks. You must describe what your nemesis is like when choosing this variant.
Nobles in Ravenloft often are not much higher
than the common vagrant. However a few do
stick out from time to time. This variant for the
Noble background changes a few facets. The

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Balok: Spoken throughout the central core as it

has become a trade language, it is also the oldest language in Ravenloft. It is guttural and not
very pleasant to the ears.

whenever a character gains ability points, the

player can opt to gain a feat instead. These are
optional and should be discussed with the DM if
they are allowed. For some obvious reasons not
all of the feats from 3rd edition Ravenloft would
be viable in 5th edition.

Darkonese: Spoken primarily in the domain of

Darkon, only of note due to how large that domain is. Many who pursue a magical profession
also tend to enjoy the language as it lends itself
well to magical formula.

You are at your best when things are at their

worst.

Falkovnian: This is a complex sounding language that is very hard to follow unless one
knows what to listen for as the consonants always sound to be mutating. This language is
rarely spoken outside of Falkovnia, which lends
itself well to the lord there.

Gain +2 to Attack and AC when you are

at one quarter or less of your HP.

You are oddly fearless in the face of danger, or

foolish.

Mordentish: A very common tongue spoken

throughout the core it comes in two varieties;
high and low. Common from other realms will
probably sound the closest to Mordentish,
though there will probably be differences.

You gain a +2 bonus on Fear checks.

Thanks to your extensive practice with firearms,

you gain the following benefits:

Vaasi: A very harmonious sounding language, it

is a requirement to be used in the Church of the
Lawgiver. Bards tend to mix this with the
Sithican elf dialect to create a highly poetic
sounding language.

Sithican: An interesting dialect of elvish that is

not spoken by any other elves in the Land of the
Mists is a very lyrical, harmonic sounding
tongue, which inspires many of the bards of
Kartakass to employ its use. Sithicus is an unusual domain in that it has more elves in it than
humans.

You can reload firearms you are proficient with as a free action.
Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature
doesnt impose Disadvantage on ranged
attack rolls.
When you use the Attack action and attack with a one handed weapon, you
can use a bonus action to attack with a
loaded pistol you are holding.

You have been hardened to the horrors that

exist within the Land of the Mists by cruel experience.

Draconic: Dragons are rare in Ravenloft, to the

point that most think they are purely legends,
but strangely enough the language of the dragons is still used by practitioners of magic. Most
scholars of Draconic tend to be found in Hazlan
and Darkon.

You gain a +2 bonus on Horror checks.

You keep yourself adaptable to the situations

helping to fortify your sanity.

Feats are optional rules used to enhance and

expand upon characters. As stated in the PHB,

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You gain a +2 bonus on Madness

checks.

dom check. Willing targets can voluntarily

choose not to make their wisdom check.

Within Ravenloft, some of the core skills in the

PHB might have some altered or new uses.
Any attempt to try and change or improve the
attitude of an animal that is currently under the
influence of a domain lord, automatically fails.
Deception ability tends to be all encompassing
but in Ravenloft it is useful in a few extra trades
that are often dealt with within the Land of the
Mists.
Telling Fortunes: This is the ability to invent
plausible fortunes from thin air. It is the art of
picking up on subtle clues from the person you
are talking to and telling them what they want
to hear; it does not actually allow someone to
peer into the future.

Once the target is hypnotized you can

plant a suggestion as per the spell or aid the
recovery of a target who suffers from the effects of a failed Madness check. If the character
is proficient in medicine they gain advantage on
their hypnosis checks.

This is a contested roll of deception versus the targets perception roll. If the player role
plays rather well during the scenario even playing off bad rolls, give them Advantage on said
rolls and possibly Disadvantage to the target.

This skill cannot be used without profi-

Seduction: The art of seduction is an old one,

and in the Land of the Mists, a few well placed
compliments, words, and even small gifts can
gain lots of information. This is a contested roll
of deception against a wisdom check from the
target. Again, if the player role plays the scenario well the DM can even give an Advantage roll
or other bonuses if they see fit.

ciency.

Hypnosis is the ability to induce a deep, calming

trance in your subject. You can only attempt to
hypnotize one target at a time with this skill,
and it requires a peaceful situation and at least
1 hour of work per check. If the subject is unwilling, you have to first succeed at a deception
check to disguise your intent.
A hypnosis check is opposed by the subjects wisdom check. Loud or distracting surroundings give Advantage to the targets wis-

19

is mad. Bandage gauze, medicines and other

such items can also be found.

Ravenloft is a land that crosses many different

periods of time, sometimes within the span of a
domain border. As such it is possible to see everything from a Stone Age ecology up to one that
resembles a Renaissance. As such it is not uncommon to see someone using a primitive bow
and spear next to an armored soldier utilizing a
well crafted crossbow.

Silvered Weapons: Getting a weapon silvered in

Ravenloft isnt an easy process. The requirements usually are in those domains that are
usually sophisticated enough and even then the
cost might actually be higher. Silvering a weapon can cost anywhere from the base of 100 gold
to as much as double the normal price, or more.

Firearms in Ravenloft: Firearms are an exotic

weapon and thus are their own category. When
players attempt to gain proficiency with said
weapons they have to choose whether it is pistols or muskets. Most firearms take one standard action to reload after use. Use the damage
presented from the 3rd edition rule book.

Other Items: Other knick knacks that can be

found within Ravenloft, such as pocket watches,
clocks, straight razors, and the like follow their
normal rules one would find in the Ravenloft
book.
The Parthian Rapier is also present and
follows all standard rules, as they apply, from
the Ravenloft book, except the critical hit rules.

Bards and Rogues can opt to take pistol

instead of hand crossbow as a weapon proficiency.

Automatons also exists and are the

preview for the super rich as trinkets and toys
to be displayed for amusement, most of the
time.

Sorcerers and Wizards can opt to take

musket instead of light crossbow as a weapon
proficiency.
Folk Hero, Sailor and Soldier backgrounds can also choose either pistol or musket
as a proficiency.
Gunpowder and Bullets: Gunpowder can be
crafted as long as someone has the proper proficiency to do so. Using the standard rules of 5
gold piece of material crafted per day, it would
take 7 days for a player to be able to create two
pounds of usable gunpowder (enough to fill a
horn) or 50 days to fill a keg.
Bullets for rifles and muskets can generally be made in batches of 13 per day depending on the materials used. Doing so requires a
casting kit to be able to make them.
Doctors Kit: A doctors kit is usually several instruments such as surgical scalpels, mask,
gloves, stethoscope, small rubber hammer,
bone saw, and several other implements that
would lead some to believe that the individual

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