1

Fighter 11

Introduction 3 Monk 11

Updated Rules for Ravenloft 4 Paladin 12

Fear, Horror and Madness 4 Ranger 13

Powers Checks 4 Rogue 13

Outcast Rolls 4 Sorcerer 14

Detection Powers 5 Warlock 14

Turn Undead 5 Wizard 15

Destroy Undead 5 Character Customization 17

Channel Divinity 5 Anchorite 17

Domain Lords 5 Arcanist 17

Closed Domain Borders 5 Avenger 17

Necromancy 6 Doctor 17

Magical Travel 6 Gypsy 17

Curses 6 Languages 18

Races 7 Feats 18

Caliban 7 Back to the Wall 18

Dragonborn 8 Courage 18

Drow 8 Firearms Expert 18

Half-Vistani 8 Jaded 18

Humans 8 Open Minded 18

Teiflings 9 Skills 19

Classes 10 Animal Handling 19

Barbarian 10 Deception 19

Bard 10 Hypnosis 19

Cleric 10 Equipment 20

Druid 11

2

th
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.
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 Edi-
tion rules and, of course, never even explored in
4th Edition.
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.
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.
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 re-
placement for previous products and it is ex-
pected that players own previous editions of
Ravenloft in order to fully utilize these rules up-
dates.
Credits
Based on the Ravenloft Setting created by:
Bruce Nesmith and Andria Hayday
Domains of Dread Setting written by:
William W. Connors and Steve Miller
Sword and Sorcery Edition written by:
Andrew Cermak, John W. Mangrum and
Andrew Wyatt
Fan Update written by
Ravenspyre
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 inte-
rior art within this guide from various other
RAVENLOFT sourcebooks and are all owned by
their respective owners and are used out of re-
spect 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.

Mandatory: These are fan made rules in an at-

tempt 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 re-
quired 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 prod-
ucts and insure that D&D will live on and con-
tinue to provide entertainment into the future!

3

The following are updated rules for Ravenloft
interpreted for 5th Edition D&D. This is an at-
tempt to cover 2nd and 3rd Editions to the best
of my interpretation. Uses of these rules are not
required.
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 Modi-
fier 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 ob-
viously stronger than the character then the DC
is increased by +2.
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.
Madness: Madness is the attempt to try
and convince oneself of the rationale of the im-
possible that has been seen, thus it is a Charis-
ma check. Madness checks depend on the situ-
ation they occurred in. If its the result of trying
4
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 hor-
ror save, should use a similar DC to the horror
save.
Bonuses to fear
and horror checks should
either be a +1 or +2 de-
pending 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 bo-
nus. Other things might
give you Advantage on
said rolls such as you
have faced a similar
threat before and tri-
umphed, or youve gained some knowledge on
how to defeat such threats.
Of course Disadvantage can happen on
said rolls to. If a character has faced a similar
threat and been defeated that may cause Dis-
advantage. 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.
Powers Checks remain unchanged in this sys-
tem 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 Ad-
vantage on said rolls.
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 encour-
aged to broaden their horizons on what is con-
sidered natural and unnatural, such as nonhu-
mans, familiars and other spells might be con-
sidered unnatural.
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 ap-
pear normal on such spells unless the lord wills
it otherwise.
The only exception to this rule is a very
powerful artifact. Such artifacts can go beyond
the powers of Ravenloft and reveal the true in-
tents 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.
The effect of this is half in
Ravenloft. When consult-
ing the chart on page 59 of the PHB always half
the value, thus becomes , 1 becomes , 2
becomes 1, etc.
5
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.
This of course is completely optional ef-
fect and is only something that would occur to
heighten the atmosphere for role-play purpos-
es. Ignore this rule if you feel its too much.
Normally domain lords are pretty much unstop-
pable forces. However, sometimes there is a
chance that a player can overcome their influ-
ence. 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 au-
tomatically.
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 oth-
erwise. Prying into the thoughts of
such an evil being requires a Mad-
ness check, at the very least.
In the case of special closed do-
main borders, such as Strahds Poi-
son Fog, any special protections or
other effects that would provide
immunity for the character are ig-
nored. 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-
not be ignored or altered magically or other-
wise.
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 them-
selves 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.
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 addi-
tional hit die.
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 piti-
ful state).
Any time that a necromantic spell is
cast, the character must make a Powers Check.
Magical travel in Ravenloft is much more lim-
ited than in other worlds. Attempting to use
spells that would normally allow the character
to leave the Demiplane, fail, and instead depos-
it 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
6
the DC of the spell that bestowed the curse.
With curses of vengeance, the DC = 8 + invok-
ers HD + charisma modifier + severity of the
curse.
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 attune-
ment. Thus if a weapon had 3 properties, for
instance, that would be a DC of 13.
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.
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.
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.

This section only includes Ravenloft races, clari-
fies 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 in-
creased by 2 and Constitution is in-
creased by 1.
Age: Same as humans.
Alignment: Having been born outcasts
and rejects, Caliban tends towards neu-
tral or chaotic alignments.
Size: Average sizes for humans.
Speed: Base walking speed of 30 feet.
Darkvision: Whether thanks to whatev-
er foul magics corrupted you or the fact
you were hidden away in darkness, you
have developed superior vision in dark
7
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 in-
stead. You cant use this feature again
until you finish a long rest.
Savage Attacks: When you score a criti-
cal 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 pen-
alty 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 lan-
guages 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 addi-
tion 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 fea-
tures, 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 wan-
der 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 in-
crease 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.
8
Survivors: You gain proficiency in Sur-
vival 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, of-
ten called lunatio. They are unable to
rest properly and cannot benefit from a
short or long rest during this time peri-
od. The physical toll taken on the char-
acters body is extreme and all saving
throws and skill checks are at a Disad-
vantage until they are capable of taking
a long rest.
Tribal Heritage: Choose a tribal herit-
age. 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 at-
tempting to read the symbol the Half-
Vistani 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 sym-
bol and completely gets its
meaning wrong.
Humans are the most repre-
sented race in Ravenloft with
very few exceptions (such as
Sithicus). As such, as most rac-
es 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.
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.
9
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 charac-
ters 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 bor-
der 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.

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 af-
fects of rage, a barbarian gains a +2 bo-
nus on all Fear, Horror and Madness
checks.
Mindless Rage: Barbarians are not im-
mune to Fear checks but still retain the
bonus from a normal rage. The barbari-
an 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 lo-
cated 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
disrepair due to lack of actual use as pews re-
main 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 imme-
diate feeling of disconnect or loss of presence
of their particular deity.
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 inter-
vention and twist the intervention, de-
pending 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 automatical-
ly fails as the Dark powers intervene di-
rectly.
(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 cler-
ic 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 success-
ful rolls.
Plant Domain: Plants performs normal-
ly except when in conflict of a domain
lords power or a closed domain border,
then the domain lord wins automatical-
ly 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 in-
stead 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.
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 ma-
levolence, but are never quite sure if they are
truly feeling this.
Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have
different functions.
Lands Stride: This will not allow a druid
to cross a closed domain border. In ad-
dition, 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 con-
trolled by domain lords do not have to
make a saving throw and can attack the
druid freely.
11
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 lycan-
thrope 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.
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 Mas-
ter 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.
Monks tend to be uncommon in most of
Ravenloft, and many just view them as another
form of cleric, despite there being obvious dif-
ferences. 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 dedi-
cated place of training on the island of
Rokushima Taiyoo.
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 as-
tral projection portion of this power au-
tomatically fails in Ravenloft.
(Way of the Open Palm) Tranquility:
Domain lords do not have to roll a save
and can attack a protected monk nor-
mally.
(Way of the Open Palm) Quivering
Palm: Crossing a domain border counts
as entering another plane for purposes
of the duration of this effect. Further-
more, domain lords are unaffected by
this effect.
(Way of Shadows) Shadow Step: A do-
main lord that controls the shadows can
prevent a monk from using those shad-
ows 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 im-
mediate 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 pala-
dins 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 pro-
tected 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 accu-
rately 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 natu-
rally give up secrets easily. When em-
ploying 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 de-
tails.
Aura of Courage: This is a +2 bonus on
Fear check rolls to the paladin and
those within 10 feet of the paladin in-
stead 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 charac-
ters 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 Faith-
less: See Turn Undead on page 5.
(Oath of the Ancients) Undying Senti-
nel: 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 Dis-
advantage on their rolls. See Turn Un-
dead on page 5 for other rules.
(Oath of Vengeance) Avenging Angel:
In Ravenloft, the twisted sense of hu-
mor of the Land twists this form into a
mockery, making it appear as a shad-
owy angel of death instead of one of
vengeance. Seeing such a transfor-
mation may cause Fear and/or Horror
checks in others.
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
13
to disorient them. Due to how beasts act in
Ravenloft, most rangers tend to be Hunters.
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 rang-
er 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 facul-
ties, but is always cowering or whim-
pering 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 com-
pelled 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 proba-
bly 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

the lands of Darkon, it is whispered that assas-
sins 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 clue-
less. There is a reason many tend to be guarded
when the gypsies are in town.
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 pow-
ers, but they do tend to float towards Hazlan or
Darkon for possible help in controlling their
powers, eventually.
Spells: Many spells in Ravenloft have
different functions.
14
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 hor-
ror check in response. Fearful folk may
attack or attempt to drive the draconic
sorcerer out.
Wild Magic Origin: While wild magic ef-
fects are uncontrollable, effects gener-
ated are still under the affects of any al-
tered magic rules that apply. Any effect
that would require a powers check, still
applies in these instances as well.
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.
In the lands near to the Shadow Rift, war-
locks 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 sur-
prise 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.
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.
Powers Check: You willingly truck with
dark forces, and as such the Dark Pow-
ers tend to notice you easier. Whenever
you advance in a level you make a Pow-
ers Check equal to 5% multiplied by
your level. Thus making it impossible to
avoid corruption completely.
 Horror Checks: Due to the fact that domain lord reads their mind normally,
warlocks tend to truck with things that if the save succeeds the warlock is still
no mortal was meant to deal with, war- unaware of why they needed to make
locks gain Advantage on any Horror the save.
check they make. (The Great Old One) Create Thrall: Cre-
(The Archfey) Fey Presence: Using this ating a thrall requires a Powers Check.
power to charm others into doing dan- Witch Sight: This does not allow you to
gerous or deadly things requires a Pow- detect creatures using their natural
ers Check. You cannot charm a domain shapeshifting abilities. Only spells of a
lord with this power. magical nature from items or magic can
(The Archfey) Misty Escape: You cannot be detected.
use this power to cross a closed domain
border.
(The Archfey) Beguiling Defenses: A
domain lord trying to charm you in-
vokes a saving throw instead. If you
succeed the charm fails instead of re-
bounding.
(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 Pow-
ers 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 Wizards are uncommon in the Land of the Mists
Ravenloft, following this path actually but have slowly been gaining popularity, espe-
starts to wear at the mind of a warlock cially in Hazlan with the recently opened school
as the unfathomable alien nature of and reports of smaller schools springing up in
their benefactor is slowly revealed. Darkon and Falkovnia. Most lands have few
Each level the warlock gains require a wizards in them though, so finding a teacher
Madness check from the warlock. can be exceptionally difficult, or expensive.
(The Great Old One) Thought Shield: Many tend to give wizards a wide berth given
Domain lords that can read the minds their reputation for employing dark curses on
of others can attempt to read the mind those that anger them. Its made even harder
of the warlock instead. The warlock when one considered that the land itself makes
makes a saving throw, though they certain darker magic much more powerful.
dont know why. If the warlock fails the

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 strong-
er, 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 necro-
mancy to teach such magic is difficult
indeed. Using necromancy in Ravenloft
always requires a Powers Check.

16
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 fol-
low similar religious ideals. This variant feature
of the Acolyte background allows the character
to use their faith as a bargaining chip for sup-
plies 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
This variant feature for the Sage background maintained, though it might not bring privilege
gives the character Advantage rolls when it con- with it in Ravenloft.
cerns lore, history, or even knowledge concern-
ing Ravenloft itself. As long as the information
and roll in question is knowledge about the This is a variant of the Outlander background.
Lands of the Mists, the character always re- The gypsies of Ravenloft have a tendency to
ceives Advantage on said rolls. glean information from the most bizarre of
places from basic tavern talk to just eavesdrop-
ping in on conversations from around the cor-
This variant of the Soldier background allows ner. As such, gypsy characters can make an In-
you to choose the class feature of Revenge. You telligence check (skills can be applied, if appli-
are seeking revenge on someone or something cable) to see if the gypsy might have knowledge
and are doggedly pursuing them. Whenever you of something. How much the gypsy might know
confront a subject that reminds you of your is left up to the DM.
nemesis, you gain Advantage on any roll related
to that enemy from attack, saving throws to
skill checks. You must describe what your nem-
esis 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

17

Balok: Spoken throughout the central core as it
has become a trade language, it is also the old-
est language in Ravenloft. It is guttural and not
very pleasant to the ears.
Darkonese: Spoken primarily in the domain of
Darkon, only of note due to how large that do-
main is. Many who pursue a magical profession
also tend to enjoy the language as it lends itself
well to magical formula.
Falkovnian: This is a complex sounding lan-
guage that is very hard to follow unless one
knows what to listen for as the consonants al-
ways sound to be mutating. This language is
rarely spoken outside of Falkovnia, which lends
itself well to the lord there.
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.
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 unu-
sual domain in that it has more elves in it than
humans.
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.
You are at your best when things are at their
worst.
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.
You gain a +2 bonus on Fear checks.
Thanks to your extensive practice with firearms,
you gain the following benefits:
You can reload firearms you are profi-
cient 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 at-
tack 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 expe-
rience.

Draconic: Dragons are rare in Ravenloft, to the You gain a +2 bonus on Horror checks.
point that most think they are purely legends,
but strangely enough the language of the drag-
You keep yourself adaptable to the situations
ons is still used by practitioners of magic. Most
helping to fortify your sanity.
scholars of Draconic tend to be found in Hazlan
and Darkon. You gain a +2 bonus on Madness
checks.

Feats are optional rules used to enhance and

expand upon characters. As stated in the PHB,

18
 dom check. Willing targets can voluntarily
Within Ravenloft, some of the core skills in the choose not to make their wisdom check.
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
This is a contested roll of deception ver- plant a suggestion as per the spell or aid the
sus the targets perception roll. If the player role recovery of a target who suffers from the ef-
plays rather well during the scenario even play- fects of a failed Madness check. If the character
ing off bad rolls, give them Advantage on said is proficient in medicine they gain advantage on
rolls and possibly Disadvantage to the target. their hypnosis checks.

Seduction: The art of seduction is an old one, This skill cannot be used without profi-
and in the Land of the Mists, a few well placed ciency.
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 scenar-
io well the DM can even give an Advantage roll
or other bonuses if they see fit.

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 un-
willing, you have to first succeed at a deception
check to disguise your intent.

A hypnosis check is opposed by the sub-

jects wisdom check. Loud or distracting sur-
roundings give Advantage to the targets wis-

19

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 eve-
rything from a Stone Age ecology up to one that
resembles a Renaissance. As such it is not un-
common to see someone using a primitive bow
and spear next to an armored soldier utilizing a
well crafted crossbow.
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 pis-
tols or muskets. Most firearms take one stand-
ard action to reload after use. Use the damage
presented from the 3rd edition rule book.
Bards and Rogues can opt to take pistol
instead of hand crossbow as a weapon profi-
ciency.
Sorcerers and Wizards can opt to take
musket instead of light crossbow as a weapon
proficiency.
is mad. Bandage gauze, medicines and other
such items can also be found.
Silvered Weapons: Getting a weapon silvered in
Ravenloft isnt an easy process. The require-
ments usually are in those domains that are
usually sophisticated enough and even then the
cost might actually be higher. Silvering a weap-
on can cost anywhere from the base of 100 gold
to as much as double the normal price, or more.
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.
Automatons also exists and are the
preview for the super rich as trinkets and toys
to be displayed for amusement, most of the
time.

Folk Hero, Sailor and Soldier back-

grounds can also choose either pistol or musket
as a proficiency.

Gunpowder and Bullets: Gunpowder can be

crafted as long as someone has the proper pro-
ficiency 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 gen-

erally be made in batches of 13 per day depend-
ing on the materials used. Doing so requires a
casting kit to be able to make them.

Doctors Kit: A doctors kit is usually several in-

struments 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

20
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