Ravenloft: The Horrors Within has a whole host of new powers available… for a price. Here’s a look at five of our faves.
In Ravenloft, power can often be had for a price. The Dark Powers sometimes offer “gifts” to those who prove to be interesting. Or worthy. And in game terms, this means a bunch of new feats that you can use to represent having a Dark Gift from the Mists of Ravenloft.
These feats offer up new abilities (as you’ll see) but they come with a price. It’s up to you to decide if the price you pay is worth the boon you get. But here are five that are interesting enough to tempt even a cautious adventurer.
Second Skin
This Dark Gift gives you access to an alternate form. Though it doesn’t have to be a curse, like Lycanthropy. Instead, when you take Second Skin, you gain a single, free casting of the Alter Self spell. You can also always cast the spell with appropriate spell slots.
Using an Origin Feat to gain a second-level spell is a handy boon, especially since Alter Self can give you a swim speed and the ability to breathe underwater, you can change your appearance at will with a magic action, and can gain a natural weapon if need be. However, the price you pay is that sometimes you might involuntarily cast the spell (or be stunned for a round if you can’t cast it). But you get to decide what triggers that change.
Gathered Whispers
With this Dark Gift, you are haunted by whispering spirits that, sometimes, offer you helpful abilities. For instance, you can always cast the Message spell without needing material components, and you gain the Augury spell which you can cast once per long rest without a spell slot (and you can use spell slots to cast it normally).
You also gain the ability to use a Reaction to add your Proficiency Bonus to AC as the haunting spirits scream in the ears of whoever is attacking you. You can use that up to your Proficiency Bonus times per day. And all it costs in exchange is whenever you roll a natural 1, you have to make a Wisdom save or be Deafened and have Disadvantage on Attacks for a turn.
Living Shadow
As the name suggests, this Dark Gift makes your shadow have a life and will of its own. Most of the time it’s under your control, and you can use it to cast Mage Hand without components and whenever you make a melee attack (even if it’s a spell) you can increase your reach by 10 feet a few times per day.
However, whenever you roll a 1, you must make a Wisdom save or else you are incapacitated and your shadow takes control. It might make you move, attack at random, or lie down and do nothing.
Echoing Soul
This one is a surprisingly useful Dark Gift, depending on your campaign. As your soul echoes with experience from a past or alternate life, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice, and an additional language, which is fine. But the real kicker is you gain Expertise in a skill you have proficiency in, and you can change that Expertise after a long rest.
With this Dark Gift you can always have Expertise in what you need. Extremely useful for a character who wants to do stuff in the world – all it costs is whenever you roll a natural 1, you might get overwhelmed by your soul’s echoes, and you have to make a Con save or be Incapacitated and have your speed halved for a round.
Symbiotic Being
Symbiotic Being is a Dark Gift for those who want to get a little more eldritch with their horror. When you take this ability, a symbiotic being lives inside you, sharing its skills and experience with you. You gain proficiency in a list of skills and an extra language. But more importantly, you gain the ability to potentially turn failed saving throws into successes by spending one of your hit dice and adding it to a failed save.
The only cost is that if you roll a natural 1, your Symbiote takes control of you for 1d12 hours, during which you must try to follow its commands.
Would you risk any of these dark gifts?
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Source: Bell of Lost Souls
