One of the cool things about Ravenloft: The Horrors Within is that it’s full of monsters that make for great villains, even at low levels.
There are 17 Darklords in the new Ravenloft book. And while they top out at the upper end of the CR spectrum, a surprising number are suitable for low level play. Probably because that’s where the majority of D&D is played. But that means that if you’re looking for a villain for your next campaign (or at least interesting mechanics to steal) you’ve got some great examples out there right now.
Ivana Boritsi
Ivana Boritsi is one of the twin Darklords of Borca. Described as the “Darklord of Poisonous Ambition” she is a toxic temptress, who weighs in at CR 5 and brings with her a number of evil plant abilities. She’d make a great capstone foe for any campaign or adventure that has to deal with nature, let alone one about a decadent, corrupt noble.
In combat, she fights with a toxic touch that, if it reduces a creature to 0 hit points, transforms them into a vine blight under her control. She can cast Charm Person as a Bonus Action and can teleport through plants. As Legendary Actions, she can create a wave of toxins that leave creatures Poisoned and reduce the damage they deal. And of course, she can make more attacks. A nice challenge for a low level party.
Saidra D’Honaire
Saidra D’Honaire is the Darklord of Dementlieu. She is secretly undead, but uses the magic of illusions to create a semblance of life and glamour and beauty and all the things she no longer has. She’s an incredible villain, though she pushes the upper limits of “low level” at CR 9. But just look at some of her abilities.
She knows whether she hears a lie, which is huge for roleplay purposes. It’s also thematic. And then of course in combat, she’s a beast, capable of attacking with necrotic bursts, draining the life of creatures and healing herself. But my favorite ability of hers is Truth or Die, a once per day ability where she asks a creature to identify itself and also casts Disintegrate at them, and if the target lies they make their save with Disadvantage.
Viktra Mordenheim
The Mad Scientist of La Mordia, Viktra Mordenheim is a great example of how a villain can be Intelligence-based without having to be a full fledged spellcaster. As you might imagine a mad scientist would, she uses a lot of lightning, including a gun that lets her shoot lightning at range. And a series of explosive devices that blow up in lightning bursts.
But she also has a syringe that injects creatures with special poison that might deal acid damage as it dissolves them from the inside out, or deal necrotic damage and prevent them from regaining hit points, or even alter its perceptions and mind. Plus she can redirect attacks to hit her allies instead, which is handy for someone who often has Constructs close to hand.
Wilfred Godefroy
Probably my favorite of the under CR 10 Darklords, Wilfred Godefroy is a ghost hunter. He doesn’t hunt ghosts. He is a ghost, who hunts. As a villain, he’s terrifying, wading into battle with an aura of ghostly servants that Charm any who come close to him. And for those who stay at range, he fires his potent hunting rifle at, which deals plenty of damage, but it also gives him the ability to fire a Fated Bullet that prevents creatures from regaining hit points for a turn.
He can also teleport with deathly damage at every step. And if you get charmed by his aura? You might well be hit by those trying to fight him.
Mother Lorinda
Finally, Mother Lorinda provides a great example of how you can make an evil hag even more of a powerful villain in your campaign. She has hag-like powers, sure, including spellcasting like Invisibility and Ray of Sickness and so on. But she can also mimic noises and sounds, can attack creatures with a burning brand, and can even teleport around as a Legendary Action, ensuring that nobody can ever really escape her wrath.
And that’s just a taste of the lower level Darklords. You can find even more potent foes in Ravenloft: The Horrors Within!
Please note that BoLS may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site.
Don’t Miss:
Source: Bell of Lost Souls
