A new preview on D&D Beyond shows off the rules for making your own Dread Domain in the upcoming Ravenloft: The Horrors Within.
Pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, folks. D&D Beyond has a new preview of the upcoming Ravenloft book. This time, it’s a look (more like a brief glimpse, really) at some of the DM tools provided to help you make your own Domain of Dread. Complete with tools for making your own Darklord.
Because what’s the fun of Ravenloft if you can’t put your own special, evil little guy within it? I’m curious to get a better look at the rules. Because villain design is an important part of D&D. It’s also some of the most fun a DM can have, and the current Monster Manual/DMG are a little lacking when it comes to guidelines for creating your own stat blocks. At any rate, let’s take a look at what the preview has to showcase.
Ravenloft Preview – Make Your Own Dread Domain, Starting With A Darklord
One thing that we know about Ravenloft is that at the heart of every Domain of Dread is a Darklord. And naturally that’s the first place to start when designing your own Domain. Where then, do you start with your own Darklord? The answer, with most things in Ravenloft, seems to be genre.
You might be thinking, isn’t the genre just horror? Well starting last edition – and continuing through this edition, the Ravenloft campaign book looks to be exploring the horror genre. In fact, the first step to getting your Darklord going is to pick their horror genre. Last edition, we had a few different options:
- Body horror
- Cosmic horror
- Dark fantasy
- Folk horror
- Ghost horror
- Gothic horror
They don’t mention specific horror genres in the preview. But I think it’s safe to assume that those are all still present. We know, for instance, that Cthulhu represents Cosmic Horror. Presumably Ankhtepot represents Dark Fantasy, though I’m curious to know if they provide any specific genre-centric tools/mechanics or if it’s just a breakdown.
After you pick your horror genre, it’s then up to you to figure out who they were before they became a Darklord. This is where you get to express your own creativity. A lot of the themes of the Darklords are some kind of betrayal. Strahd betrayed his brother and his brother’s wife. Lord Soth betrayed his spouse. Ankhtepot betrayed his pharaoh. Your mileage may vary, but betrayals is a great place to start.
Then you pick a flaw or obsession that takes their villainy into the realm of madness. Strahd’s desire for one particular soul. But it isn’t always a desire. It can be pride. It can be hubris (which is a kind of pride, sure), it could be just being creepy and eldritch, in the case of Cthulhu.
Then you figure out what the Darklord is actively doing and how the characters are going to experience this. Once you have your Darklord you can build a domain. And that seems to be based a lot on vibes.
Ravenloft Preview – Vibe Designing A Domain Of Dread
The preview reveals some advice from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, specifically to build the Domain around the Darklord. That is, the influence of the Darklord should be felt throughout the Domain. There’s a list of “Domain Elements” that the preview hints at, which includes things like
- Recurring symbols
- Weather and the sky
- What, if anything is scarce
- What are the sounds and scents
- How do the locals pretend everything is normal
For instance, in Barovia, the castle of Strahd is an oppressive blight on the landscape. But, your own Dread Domain might have, say, Junji Ito-style spirals appearing everywhere. Or holes that seem designed for one specific person.
Finally, the preview shows off some of the guidance the book gives for running adventures in your own Domain of Dread, which includes explaining how to make the Darklord be everpresent even if they’re not having a direct confrontation with the party. After all, fighting Strahd is just one aspect. The fact that he is the fear on the townsfolk’s lips, or the reason for the undead monsters is how you feel his presence long before you even see the vampire lord.
Similarly, the book has advice about letting “rumors, lies, and puzzle pieces” get that work done for you. Because it’s up to a Dread Domain to make the Darklord feel like they are everywhere. That they are bigger than a single encounter could possibly be.
To that end, player characters might uncover artifacts or find clues of the Darklord’s past that hint at a weakness. There’s a list of genre conventions, including horror principles, villain motivations, adventure hooks, and other suggestions in the Ravenloft book. But ultimately, this is the crux of designing your own Domain of Dread. How do you echo the themes of your Darklord in the environment and the adventures within? Curse of Strahd is basically four different segments or acts (including the Death House prologue), if you think about it, that culminate in the final confrontation. Similarly, exploring a Dread Domain should feel like unraveling a villain’s personality and mystery.
You can check out the preview for yourself, or pre-order Ravenloft: The Horrors Within at the link below!
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