Domains of Dread Worksheet

This resource is meant to be used in conjunction with the creation questions and guidelines in Chapter 2 of Van
Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft. As such, some of the lengthier descriptions will not be here. This is more intended to be opened
up/printed off and filled out alongside the book. Context for these questions can be found there. The lines are for those who
wish to print this off, simply remove them and type in their place your answers if you wish to.

Creating a Darklord Name: _____________________________________________________

Past Life
● Where was the Darklord before the Mists took them?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Who was the Darklord’s family?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How was the Darklord’s family oppressed, oppressive, or both?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What was the darklord’s childhood like?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Whom did the Darklord care about?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Who cared about the Darklord?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Who hurt the Darklord?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Whose respect or love did the Darklord crave?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What did the Darklord value?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Wicked Personality
● Ideal.
○ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
● Bond.
○ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
● Flaws.
○ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Developing a Darklord
● What was the first depraved act the Darklord chose to commit, and how did their ideal encourage them down this
path?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Was the Darklord rewarded or celebrated for their evil? Did that reaction encourage greater crimes? Were these
rewards earned or justified?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Did the Darklord repeat or escalate their wickedness to obtain something they selfishly desired?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Did the future Darklord realize that they were losing any hope of redemption, yet choose to commit other heinous
acts in keeping with their flaw?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What evil act was so atrocious that the future Darklord’s friends and family rejected them? Did the Darklord think
this was warranted or an unreasonable judgment? How did they react?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● When and how did these acts attract the attention of the Dark Powers?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How did the Dark Powers use these acts to craft the perfect prison domain for the Darklord?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Monstrous Transformation
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Creating a Domain Name: ________________________________________________________
Darklord’s Shadows
Choose three of the evil acts your Darklord committed. For each evil act, imagine the scene where it took place, and
then answer the following:

● What does the act sound like from a distance or to someone in the next room?
● How does the act, or its consequences, smell?
● What colors demand attention from the surroundings, decor, or aftermath?
● What shapes, symbols, or decorations stand out?
● What does the light or darkness hide or reveal?
● Are there any sudden or subtle movements one’s eyes are drawn to?
● Who is there?
● How are they breathing?
● What are they feeling or thinking? Is it about this scene or something else entirely?
● Are words spoken? Are they relevant to the scene or unrelated?
● Where does this take place?
● When the scene is over, what evidence remains?
● Before this unfortunate scene happens, what warnings were missed or foreshadowed?
○ Evil Act 1
■ _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
○ Evil Act 2
■ _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
○ Evil Act 3
■ _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Cultural Specifics
● What does the culture fear?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What does the culture consider taboo?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What is scarce, and how do inhabitants compensate for this scarcity?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Who or what does the culture inflict harm upon?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How does the culture treat outsiders?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What values does the culture hold that not everyone abides by?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How is the culture exaggerated, a parody, or otherwise unrealistic?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How does the culture prevent change?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What is the general attitude toward the Darklord?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Monsters
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Misty Borders
● What shapes, sounds, and smells appear within the Mists?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Do the Mists behave in some predictable way?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What stories do the domain’s people ascribe to the Mists? Do they ascribe a personality to them?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Where do the Mists appear besides the domain’s borders?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● How does a Darklord use the Mists to close their domain’s borders?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

The Domain’s Downfall

● Can the Darklord die permanently?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Under what circumstances might they return?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● What happens to their domain?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Does a new Darklord rise?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Does the domain permanently dissolve?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Can the adventurers escape the domain?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
● Do the adventurers return home or travel to another domain?
○ ______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Endless Torment
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Domain Overview
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Adventures
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Miscellaneous Notes
 This section is for any other miscellaneous notes, or to jot things down from skipped sections, such as Sinister
Reflections and Corrupt Beyond Redemption.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________