TEXT: 1
  
  Cliffha nger Abbey
  a gothic earth adventure
  “The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at 
  best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the 
  one ends, and where the other begins?
  - Edgar Allen Poe
  Cliffhanger Abbey is a short introductory adven-
  ture for Gothic Earth set in the bleak hinterlands of 
  Yorkshire, England.
  Cliffhanger Abbey is a brief adventure for group of 
  4-6 level one characters, and should take 1-2 hours 
  to complete.
  Prologue; Gothic Earth
  Part One;  A Terrible Storm
  Part Two: Sanctuary
  Part Three: Ending the Module
  Adventure Overview
  Adventurers traveling overland find themselves 
  caught in a sudden and unseasonable storm. Faced 
  with braving the horrors of the unseasonable storm, 
  Cliffhanger Abbey offers the only sanctuary within 
  reach. Unfortunately, the nuns who reside in the Ab-
  bey harbour dreadful secrets of the flesh, and  there is 
  every danger the characters might just become dinner 
  for someone who isn’t quite what she seems...
  2
  
  Cliffha nger Abbey
  prologue: 
  Gothic Earth
  Gothic Earth
  Gothic Earth is a world much like ours, isolated 
  from all other planes by a mysterious dark power. It 
  is not, strictly speaking, a domain of Ravenloft. Or, 
  at least, scholars in the topic differ on the matter. 
  All that matters is that Gothic Earth is a strange 
  mirror of our own, laced with dark monsters, evil 
  magic and frozen in a period of time that vaguely 
  reflects the 1890s. Characters are whisked away to 
  and from Gothic Earth just as they are to any other 
  domain of Ravenloft, often to a bitter and unsatisfy-
  ing end. 
  Magic in Gothic Earth
   Gothic Earth resides in its own plane, isolated from 
  all others. No spell, not even a Wish spell, allows 
  one to escape. Astral Projection, Teleport and all 
  similar spells cast with the intent of leaving Goth-
  ic Earth simply fail, as do all effects that banish 
  a creature to another plane of existence, which 
  instead spirit affected creatures to a random lo-
  cation on Gothic Earth for their duration. These 
  restrictions apply to magic items and artifacts. 
  Magic that allows transit to the Border Ethereal is 
  the exception to this rule. A creature that enters the 
  Border Ethereal from Gothic Earth is pulled back 
  into Gothic Earth upon leaving that plane. 
  Spells. Magic is strange in Gothic Earth. Spells of 
  fire and thunder are far less common than curs-
  es and augmentations. The world of Gothic Earth 
  shuns flashier displays of magic, tending instead 
  towards the subtle movements more easily dis-
  guised as coincidence or providence. Amended spell 
  lists for Spellcasting classes are provided in the 
  Appendices.  Creatures drawn into Gothic Earth 
  from other worlds find they are unable to remember 
  or prepare spells not on this list whilst on Gothic 
  Earth. Any such spell inscribed in spellbooks or 
  onto a scroll appears as gibberish whilst on Gothic 
  Earth.
  The Red Death
  Magic is wrong on Gothic Earth. Dreadfully wrong. 
  In the ancient past, something evil slipped through 
  the cracks in reality in unknown circumstances, 
  and began to poison the leylines of magic that criss 
  cross the earth. Unopposed for long years, it squats 
  like a hideous spider over the web of magic, and 
  taints every spell cast on the plane. Furthermore, 
  it hungers for the souls of magic users, seeking to 
  corrupt them and steal their delicious life essence 
  for itself. The shadow of the Red Death lies heavy 
  on Gothic Earth, and has caused the plane to take 
  on some unusual traits. See the Appendix for more 
  details.
  Adventure Background
  A crumbling place of worship, broken gothic arches 
  reaching into the sky, Cliffhanger Abbey stands 
  on a hilltop as a tempting place to rest for a weary 
  traveler. Indeed, as the rain sets in, and a thun-
  derstorm begins, it stands out as the only cover in 
  several miles of bleak moorland.
  Heavily damaged by neglect, the Abbey has always 
  been inhabited by the Sisters of Irrevocable Mercy, 
  whose numbers have dwindled as the damaged ab-
  bey failed to attract new sisters to take the place of 
  those that died to old age, hunger and disease. 
  Recent days
  A nun called Sister Grace was engaged in a pious 
  but ill advised hunger strike, and died from malnu-
  trition. Alas, this was not the end for her. She rose 
  again that night as a ghast, and sought to sate her 
  hunger on her sisters. Frantically, the nuns sought 
  a reprieve, and convinced the monster to spare 
  them, as they would bring it fresh food whenever 
  strangers came to rest at the abbey.
  This state of affairs has continued for some 
  months, with the nuns growing slowly more desper-
  ate to please ever more hungry Sister Grace. 
  Adventure Summary
  The adventures arrive at the abbey exhausted from 
  being hounded by unseen foes, and drenched by 
  the torrential rain. Accepting the nuns’ generous 
  hospitality, they are given rooms and allowed to 
  rest. As the night passes, strange events encourage 
  them to investigate the abbey, where they learn the 
  horrible truth about the nuns’ carnivorous habits. 
  The characters must flee the ghastly nuns, and 
  vanish into the rain, lest they become just another 
  last supper in the unholy litany of the Sisters. 
  Hooks
  There are many ways the adventurers might arrive 
  on Gothic Earth, either for a short or a longer stay. 
  •
  The adventurers are swept away unknowingly
  by a storm, mist or other freak weather con-
  dition into the arms of Gothic Earth. This is
  traditional for Ravenloft, and can be used to
  whisk the characters elsewhere at the end of
  the adventure if necessary.
  •
  The adventurers know of the abbey already,
  perhaps through word of mouth or a mutual
  acquaintance. This contact has been bribed or
  coerced by the nuns to draw innocent strangers
  to their lair.
  3
  
  Cliffha nger Abbey
  pa rt one
  a terrible storm
  The Adventure Begins
  The story begins on the night of a terrible storm, as 
  the characters struggle across a treacherous and 
  bleak moorland. 
  Wind tears at your clothes and rain lashes down 
  from above. Thunder booms over your heads, and 
  lightning illuminates the dusk to reveal feature-
  less moorland for miles around. The only shelter 
  of any kind for leagues is the small abbey visible 
  on a hilltop to the north. 
  The Storm
  The storm is malicious, and infused with the ma-
  levolence of Ravenloft. The characters start at the 
  bottom of a hill with 100 feet between them and the 
  abbey. 
  As you catch a glimpse of sanctuary, the storm 
  rages to new heights. “No,” it seems to say. “You 
  are mine, and I will have your corpses.” The storm 
  intensifies to deadly levels.
  Run the storm as a Complex Trap, as below. 
  Malevolent Storm
  Complex trap - (level 1-4, deadly threat)
  The dark powers wish to drive the characters into 
  the embrace of Cliffhanger Abbey, and the storm is 
  designed to do just that...or ensure their demise. 
  Initiative. The trap acts on initiative count 20 and 
  initiative count 10.
  Active Elements. The storm batters the party with 
  violent winds, and drenches them in freezing rain.
  Violent Winds. Winds batter the party. Each 
  creature must succeed on a DC12 Strength saving 
  throw or be knocked prone. Creatures with a flying 
  speed make this saving throw with disadvantage.
  Freezing Rain. The rain is cold as the grave, and 
  threatens to drain vitality. When Freezing Rain oc-
  curs, each creature must succeed on a DC10 Con-
  stitution saving throw or gain 1 level of exhaustion. 
  Dynamic Element. The threat of hypothermia be-
  comes more acute as time passes. 
  Freezing Rain. Each round, the DC to resist this 
  effect increases by 1.
  Constant Elements. The thunder drowns out cries 
  for help, and the mud is treacherous. 
  Thunder. The storm booms as if the characters 
  were at the heart of it. All characters are deafened 
  whilst the trap is in effect. 
  Mud. The hill is difficult terrain for creatures that 
  walk across it. Creatures cannot Dash across the 
  thick, churning mud. 
  Countermeasures. Defences against the cold can 
  help prevent characters from becoming exhausted. 
  Rainproof. Creatures that are resistant to cold au-
  tomatically pass saving throws caused by Freezing 
  Rain. 
  The Storm Rages
  The storm continues as the characters approach 
  the abbey, but as soon as the characters step into 
  shelter they are no longer affected by it. 
  4
  
  Cliffha nger Abbey
  pa rt two
  Sanctuary
  Cliffhanger Abbey
  The Abbey is a place of worship built to house the-
  sisters and store their articles of worship. 
  General Features
  Walls. The walls of the abbey are thick stone (with 
  a 5 foot section of wall having AC 17, 21 hit points 
  and a damage threshold of 10). 
  Windows. The abbey has frequent stained glass 
  windows depicting saints and their miracles. The 
  glass (AC13, 5 hit points) is easy to shatter. 
  Doors. Except where otherwise noted, doors in 
  Cliffhanger Abbey are made from steel banded wood 
  brittle from age (AC19, 12 hit points)
  Illumination. At night, Cliffhanger Abbey is com-
  pletely dark inside, lit only by candles carried by 
  the sisters on their rounds. 
  Approaching The Abbey
  The large wooden doors of the Abbey are sealed 
  against the storm. 
  Still intact despite the ruined state of the abbey, 
  these large double doors are banded in black 
  iron. From somewhere inside, faint piano mu-
  sic can be heard over the storm- echoes of the 
  haunting melody are muffled but undeniable.
  The doors can be broken down with a DC20 
  Strength check but otherwise can only be opened 
  with the use of a key or a DC10 Dexterity (Thieves’ 
  Tools) check. 
  Door Knocker. The door has a strange copper devil 
  face where the knocker should be. It is heavy, and 
  covered in verdigris. Using the knocker alerts the 
  nuns to the presence of visitors, and Sister Charity 
  rushes to open it a crack. 
  The door opens  a few inches, revealing a middle 
  aged, mousy woman in a habit looking nervously 
  up at you. She mouths something at you over the 
  thunder, then gestures for you to enter, stepping 
  aside to allow you to cross the threshold. 
  Sister Charity (LG commoner) is a giving soul, and 
  genuinely doesn’t want to see the strangers left to 
  the depredations of the storm. More importantly, 
  however, she would like more fresh meat to feed her 
  sister, in order to save her own skin. 
  Once the door is shut, and the characters can hear 
  each other again, the nun introduces herself.
  “My name is Sister Charity” the little nun gar-
  bles, “of the Sisters of Reasonable Doubt. Oh my 
  poor things, you are just soaked. You must let us 
  prepare you some rooms to stay in, we so seldom 
  have visitors nowadays.”
  The Sisters
  Sister Charity:  Friendly middle aged matron, 
  she is polite and  to characters. She fears Sister 
  Grace, and doesn’t want to anger her. She has no 
  compunction about sacrificing roadside travellers 
  to Sister Grace in order to save her own skin, but 
  secretly she hopes that it won’t come to that. She’s 
  affable, but keeps a cool distance as she still ob-
  serves her vows to refrain from physical contact 
  with others. 
  Sister Joy:  A sharp nosed and angular sister who 
  plays the piano. She often takes off her habit when 
  she’s alone, and hurriedly has to replace it when 
  people enter. She only knows one piece of music, a 
  requiem mass she plays over and over. She hates 
  what she’s become, and bears a significant bur-
  den of guilt for her part in luring travelers to their 
  doom. 
  Sister Grace: Sister Grace gave in to the Hunger 
  some months back. Sister Joy found her feasting on 
  the body of a peddler. Even suspecting that it was 
  already too late to save her, she could not find it in 
  herself to end Sister Grace’s torment. Instead, Sis-
  ter Joy and Sister Charity tried to redeem her, and 
  appeal to her better nature. The wily sister Grace 
  advanced on the poor women, and threatened to 
  tear them limb from limb unless they fetched her 
  meals to replace themselves with. The women suc-
  cumbed to Grace’s demands, and began to feed her 
  travelers when they stopped to rest at the abbey. 
  Grace has remained in her room to this day, feast-
  ing on corpses and rats. The foul acts have trans-
  formed her into a ghast, and she sometimes lies 
  still as the grave for days whilst waiting for more 
  pilgrims to arrive and seek shelter at Cliffhanger 
  Abbey
  Also living in the abbey are:
  Sister Humility, who is bad tempered and xeno-
  phobic.
  Sister Patience, who is excitable and friendly.
  Sister Vigil, who is is lazy and loves bad romance 
  fiction.
  5
  
  Area 1 - The Refectory
  This room is where the nuns take sustenance and 
  gather for meetings.
  This room is laid out with wooden tables and 
  encompasses most of the ground floor. Holy icons 
  are draped down the walls depicting martyrs and 
  their sufferings. Two nuns are hard at work scrub-
  bing the floors and cleaning the tables. 
  Sister Humility (LE thug) is scrubbing the floor, 
  and keeps a wary eye on strangers. She distrusts 
  outsiders as dangerous to the abbey. If they were to 
  find out what was going on, the strangers could en-
  danger the Abbey’s way of life. If given the chance, 
  she slips a vial of Midnight’s Tears poison into any 
  food or drink the characters accept from the nuns. 
  Sister Patience (LE thug) is a large and friend-
  ly woman who sees newcomers as something to 
  be celebrated. After all, new meat means a happy 
  Sister Grace, and a happy Sister Grace means a 
  reprieve for the rest of the Abbey. 
  This room is where the nuns take sustenance and 
  gather for meetings.
  Boxes are stacked up against the wall in this 
  vaulted storage room. More alcoves and the 
  bitter smell of incense in the air suggest that this 
  room was once another devotional area. Nowa-
  days it houses crates and barrels of spoiled food 
  (by the smell of it).
  Characters with keen hearing might detect the 
  sounds of rats in the walls, which the nuns (if 
  pressed) confess are something of a nuisance some-
  times. 
  Rats. Disturbing any of the boxes, or setting them 
  alight, causes a swarm of rats to come squeaking 
  out of the walls in a panic, attacking the first crea-
  ture they see in a frenzy.
  Perception - Do you hear squeaking? 
  Nature - This storeroom is a rat’s dream come true. 
  Quiet, full of food and nesting materials. 
  Poisoner’s Kit - I can’t smell any traditional rat 
  repellents. Are they even trying to keep rats away?
  1
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  Area 3 - Rest Area
  This is where the nuns suggest the characters sleep 
  for the night.
  Five inviting pallets are laid out in this circular 
  room around a central pillar, along with water, 
  clean clothes and a tray each of break and milk. A 
  spiral staircase against one wall leads up into the 
  dark.
  The characters are left here to their own devices, 
  and instructed that they should on no account 
  head up the stairs, as it is sacred ground and off 
  limits to visitors. Whichever nun delivers this rule 
  does so with an arch stare and a suspicious eye-
  brow before retreating. 
  Food and Drink. The milk is laced with a powerful 
  soporific. A character who drinks the milk must 
  succeed on a DC12 Constitution saving throw or 
  become Poisoned for the next 1d4 hours. The poi-
  son manifests as a deep seated fatigue and desire to 
  sleep. A character asleep under the influence of this 
  poison cannot be woken by noise or activity around 
  them, but can be woken by vigorous shaking before 
  this point. 
  Weapons. The nuns offer to take any wet gear the 
  characters possess and dry, clean or mend it. Any 
  gear taken in this way is immediately taken outside 
  and thrown away. 
  Investigation - The nuns had this chamber togeth-
  er awfully quickly for their ‘surprise visitors’. Either 
  they knew you were coming, or this happens a lot. 
  Survival - Your bedroll is covered in hairs that defi-
  nitely aren’t yours. 
  Area 5 - Sister Vigil’s Room
  Sister Vigil keeps an almost constant watch on this 
  room to make sure no-one disturbs Sister Grace. 
  She also lets Sister Grace know when her dinner is 
  ready. 
  A thin nun sits at a table in this large and dank 
  room, reading by candlelight. A huge crossbow 
  sits over her knee, and but she seems transfixed. 
  There is a faint smell of rot in the air. 
  The door to this area is kept closed and locked by 
  the nuns at all times. 
  Sister Vigil. A scrawny, haunted woman, Sister 
  Vigil (LE commoner) is terrified of Sister Grace, 
  and it shows. She reacts with horror to any intru-
  sion, insisting that stray characters return to their 
  beds at once. Sister Vigil is armed with a heavy 
  crossbow, with which she is proficient. She often 
  keeps it over her knee whilst she waits and watch-
  es. 
  Area 6 - Nun’s Rest Quarters
  These rooms are where most of the nuns come to 
  rest. The nuns change rooms each week as a devo-
  tional exercise to show their lack of commitment o 
  the physical, and thus the rooms are rather bleakly 
  impersonal. Each room has two beds, and spare 
  nun habits big enough to fit medium humanoids. 
  Area 7 - Sister Verity
  This room contains the mad nun Sister Verity. It is 
  kept locked at all times. 
  Curled up in a corner, in the dirt-stained wreck 
  of a habit, a woman lies weeping into her hands. 
  “Why lord,” she sobs. “Why would you make us do 
  this? What is the purpose? What is your design?” 
  She repeats this over and over like a psalm.
  Sister Verity (CN commoner) was once in charge of 
  providing victims to Sister Grace, but after a par-
  ticularly violent feeding something snapped in the 
  nun and she ceased to make any sense. Fearing 
  Sister Grace might make a meal of their unfortu-
  nate friend, the rest of the nuns closed up Verity 
  in her chamber and barred the door. They feed her 
  through scraps pushed under the door, and other-
  wise ignore her existence entirely lest Sister Grace 
  catch wind of easy prey. 
  Sister Verity shrieks if anyone shows their teeth to 
  her, and screams at the top of her lungs at animals 
  or familiars, 
  Insight - This poor woman is not in her right mind. 
  Something she witnessed has disturbed her greatly. 
  Medicine - It’s filthy in here...they can’t have 
  cleaned up after this woman in months, if ever.  
  7
  
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  Area 8 - Sister Grace’s Room
  This room is where the monstrous nun Sister Grace 
  lurks whilst waiting for her next meal 
  The lavish furnishings this room once enjoyed 
  have been overturned and smashed. Holes 
  gouged from the walls let wind and rain in from 
  outside, and the air is rank with the putrid scent 
  of decay. 
  Sister Grace, a ghast, stays here most of the time 
  until someone alerts her of food. She is ravenous, 
  but cunning, and sneaks upstairs to hide if she 
  hears or sees evidence of characters approaching 
  her room. She has kept two of her latest victims as 
  ghouls, who obey her unspoken commands instinc-
  tively. 
  Bodies. If caught unawares, the undead nuns pre-
  tend to be motionless rotting bodies until someone 
  comes close to them, or they are attacked. They 
  target characters displaying symbols of faith over 
  other targets. 
  Religion - This smell is awful. You’d better be care-
  ful near that body, it’s either dead, or worse.... 
  Survival - The dust here has been disturbed re-
  cently. If Sister Grace is dead, that raises a lot of 
  questions. 
  Investigation - The bed linens are disturbed, with 
  no dust settled. Someone was resting there very 
  recently, and it probably wasn’t the other nuns....
  a delicious meal
  If the characters rest in area 3, then Sister Grace 
  is alerted to their arrival by Sister Vigil. Shortly af-
  terwards, she and her ghouls creep down the stairs 
  and attack a sleeping party member, dragging them 
  upstairs to be devoured. If they are successful in 
  this endeavor, the bones are stashed under the bed 
  or thrown of a window. 
  WAKING SLEEPERS [XGTE]
  A creature that is naturally sleeping, as opposed 
  to being in a magically or chemically induced 
  sleep, wakes up if it takes any damage or if 
  someone else uses an action to shake or slap the 
  creature awake. A sudden loud noise — such as 
  yelling, thunder, or a ringing bell — also awakens 
  someone that is sleeping naturally.
  Whispers don’t disturb sleep, unless a sleeper’s 
  passive Wisdom (Perception) score is 20 or higher 
  and the whispers are within 10 feet of the sleeper. 
  Speech at a normal volume awakens a sleeper 
  if the environment is otherwise silent (no wind, 
  birdsong, crickets, street sounds, or the like) and 
  the sleeper has a passive Wisdom (Perception) 
  score of 15 or higher.
  8
  
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  Area 9 - Chapel
  This chapel has seen little use since the sisters de-
  scended into sin. 
  This wide room seems to have survived the worst 
  ravages of age. A statue of an angel adorns the 
  wall at the end of the room, reaching up as if 
  beseeching the heavens. Candles burn in recess-
  es along the wall. The tall stained glass windows 
  are hard to pick out in the near darkness, but the 
  occasional flash of lightning illuminates angels in 
  flight singing a silent paean to something unseen. 
  A robed figure in the corner is sitting at the piano, 
  readjusting her habit, and the music has stopped.
  This room has high vaulted ceilings some 100 feet 
  tall, and is filled with cloistered alcoves containing 
  candelabras or confessional booths. A statue on 
  a dais at the far end of the room is occasionally 
  illuminated by the flashes of lightning, revealing an 
  angel with his hands stretched out in front of him 
  as if begging. His wings have been removed, leaving 
  him with stumps. 
  Statue. The angelic statue in the chapel is actual-
  ly a gargoyle. It has been here for years, dormant.  
  The scent of blood near the statue causes it to 
  awaken, whereupon it begins looking for an oppor-
  tunity to attack. 
  Insight: That statue looks awfully distressed. It’s 
  almost as if he were begging for forgiveness. 
  Religion: You recall the myth of Saint Sanctimonia, 
  who tore the wings off an angel for blaspheming. 
  Survival: This room is very clean. Someone clearly 
  goes to a lot of effort to scrub it. 
  Performance: You recognise that tune from the 
  piano, it’s the melody to a very unpopular requiem 
  mass for the unquiet dead. 
  Sister Joy (LE commoner) isn’t pleased to be inter-
  rupted, and is as rude as she can manage without 
  saying anything likely to cause violence. She tries 
  to drive the characters back out into the storm by 
  suggesting that they aren’t welcome in a house 
  of worship, and that their sins are too great (she 
  doesn’t know this, but it’s worked before).
  Area 10 - Rooftop
  This roof is open to the storm. Creatures who enter 
  onto it are subjected to the Malevolent Storm com-
  plex trap from earlier in the module. 
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  Cliffha nger Abbey
  pa rt thr ee
  ending the module
  Find a point of high tension
  Play through the module, escalating to a point of 
  high tension. Suggestions are below.
  •  Discovering the nature of Sister Grace
  • Fleeing the murderous nuns, perhaps onto a roof-
  top for a battle in the rain
  • A villainous monologue from a nun
  • The pause before a killing blow from Sister Grace 
  or one of her ghouls
  Then, fade to black. 
  That’s right. You heard me. 
  You fade to black. 
  It’s Cliffhanger Abbey. It couldn’t end any other way.
  10
  
  Appendix 
  magic in 
  gothic earth
  I: Magic and the Red Death
  Magic is wrong on Gothic Earth. Dreadfully wrong. 
  In the ancient past, something evil slipped through 
  the cracks in reality in unknown circumstances, 
  and began to poison the leylines of magic that criss 
  cross the earth. Unopposed for long years, it squats 
  like a hideous spider over the web of magic, and 
  taints every spell cast on the plane. Furthermore, 
  it hungers for the souls of magic users, seeking to 
  corrupt them and steal their delicious life essence 
  for itself. The shadow of the Red Death lies heavy 
  on Gothic Earth, and has caused the plane to take 
  on some unusual traits as described below.
  Dark Powers Checks
  Consider using Honor in your Ravenloft campaign 
  as a way of determining the sway the Dark Powers 
  have over any character as a result of their ac-
  tions. Honor is a barometer for how tightly the dark 
  powers cling to any particular soul. If creating new 
  characters for a Ravenloft campaign, you may allow 
  characters to roll an extra ability score/spend some 
  of their points on increasing their starting Honor 
  score. See the Dungeon Master’s Guide, Chapter 9: 
  Dungeon Master’s Workshop for rules on Honor. 
  In Ravenloft, an Honor Saving throw is called a 
  Dark Powers check.  
   
  In Gothic Earth having a character make an Honor 
  saving throw when a character comes into direct 
  contact with magic, or uses it for their own ends. 
  Set the DC in accordance with how likely you think 
  the occurence is to have drawn the attention of the 
  Red Death.  
   
  On a failure, reduce that character’s current Honor 
  score by 1. If the character’s Honor score ever falls 
  below half of their Spellcasting Ability score, they 
  become an evil NPC under the Dungeon Master’s 
  Control and are removed from play. 
  parasitic siphon
  The Red Death draws magic to it through leylines, 
  disrupting magical spells as they are cast and mak-
  ing it harded for spellcasters to safely work their 
  magic. When a creature attempts to cast a spell of 
  1st level or higher, that creature must succeed on 
  a Spellcasting Ability check equal to 10+ the level 
  of the spell being cast. On a failed check, the spell 
  fails to cast and both the action and the spell slot 
  used to cast the spell are wasted. If a creature ever 
  rolls a 1 on this check, the spell backfires in a spec-
  tacular manner determined by the Dungeon Master.  
   
  As if this were not enough, the casting time of 
  every spell is increased to represent the difficulty of 
  working magic on gothic earth. The usual rules for 
  casting spells over several rounds apply. 
  Listed Casting Time
  Gothic Earth Casting Time
  Reaction
  Reaction
  1 bonus action
  1 action
  1 action
  2 actions
  1 minute
  10 minutes
  10 minutes
  1 hour
  1 hour
  8 hours
  8 hours
  24 hours
  24 hours
  24 hours
  Vile Supremacy
  In some places on Gothic Earth, where the influ-
  ence of monsters and magic lies most heavily, mor-
  tal magic gutters in the face of true evil. No regional 
  or lair effect can be dismissed or counteracted by 
  mortal magic. In addition, when a spell is resisted 
  by an evil creature’s Legendary Resistance trait, the 
  creature that cast the spell must immediately make 
  a Dark Powers check. 
  11
  
  Appendix 
  magic in 
  gothic earth
  II: amended spell lists
  Magic is strange in Gothic Earth. Spells of fire 
  and thunder are far less common than curses and 
  augmentations. The world of Gothic Earth shuns 
  flashier displays of magic, tending instead towards 
  the subtle movements more easily disguised as 
  coincidence or providence. Amended spell lists for 
  Spellcasting classes are provided below.  Creatures 
  drawn into Gothic Earth from other worlds find 
  they are unable to remember or prepare spells not 
  on this list whilst on Gothic Earth. Any such spell 
  inscribed in spellbooks or onto a scroll appears as 
  gibberish whilst on Gothic Earth. 
  Bard Spells
  Cantrips
  Blade Ward, Dancing Lights, Friends, Light, Mage 
  Hand, Mending, Message, Minor Illusion, Prestidigi-
  tation, True Strike, Vicious Mockery
  Level One
  Animal Friendship, Bane, Charm Person, Com-
  prehend Languages, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, 
  Disguise Self, Dissonant Whispers, Feather Fall, 
  Healing word, Heroism, Identify, Longstrider, Illuso-
  ry Script, Silent Image, Sleep, Speak With Animals, 
  Hideous Laughter, Unseen Servant
  Level Two 
  Animal Messenger, Blindness/Deafness, Calm 
  Emotions, Crown of Madness, Detect Thoughts, 
  Enhance Ability, Enthrall, Hold Person, Invisibil-
  ity, Knock, Lesser Restoration, Locate Animals or 
  Plants, Locate Object, Magic Mouth, Phantasmal 
  Force, Pyrotechnics, See Invisibility, Silence, Sky-
  write, Suggestion, Warding Wind, Zone of Truth
  Level Three 
  Bestow Curse, Catnap, Clairvoyance, Dispel Mag-
  ic, Enemies Abound, Fear, Feign Death, Hypnotic 
  Pattern, Major Image, Nondetection, Plant Growth, 
  Sending, Speak with Dead, Speak with Plants, 
  Tongues. 
   
  Level Four
  Charm Monster, Compulsion, Confusion, Dimen-
  sion Door, Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibili-
  ty, Hallucinatory Terrain, Locate Creature
  Level Five 
  Animate Objects, Awaken, Dominate Person, 
  Dream, Geas, Greater Restoration, Hold Monster, 
  Legend Lore, Mass Cure Wounds, Mislead, Modify 
  Memory, Planar Binding, Scrying, Seeming, Skill 
  Empowerment, Synaptic Static
  Level Six 
  Eyebite, Find the Path, Guards and Wards, Mass 
  Suggestion, Otto’s Irresistible Dance, Programmed 
  Illusion, True Seeing 
  Level Seven
  Etherealness, Forcecage, Mirage Arcane, Project 
  Image, Regenerate, Symbol, Teleport
  Level Eight 
  Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Glibness, Mind 
  Blank, Power Word Stun
  Level Nine 
  Foresight. Power Word Heal. Power Word Kill, Psy-
  chic Scream
  Cleric Spells
  Cantrips
  Guidance, Light, Mending, Resistance, Spare the 
  Dying, Thaumaturgy
  Level One
  Bane, Bless, Ceremony, Command, Cure Wounds, 
  Detect Evil & Good, Detect Magic, Detect Poison 
  and Disease, Healing Word, Protection from Evil 
  and Good, Purify Food & Drink, Sanctuary, Shield 
  of Faith
  Level Two 
  Aid, Augury, Blindness, Deafness, Calm Emotions, 
  Enhance Ability, Find traps, Gentle Repose, Hold 
  Person, Lesser Restoration, Locate Object, Prayer of 
  Healing, Protection from Poison, Silence, Warding 
  Bond
  Level Three 
  Animate Dead, Beacon of Hope. Bestow Curse, 
  Clairvoyance, Create Food and Water, Daylight, 
  Dispel Magic, Feign Death, Life Transference, Magic 
  Circle, Mass Healing Word, Protection from Energy, 
  Revivify, Speak with Dead, Tongues, Water Walk
   
  Level Four
  Banishment, Control Water, Death Ward, Divina-
  tion, Freedom of Movement, Locate Creature
  Level Five 
  Commune, Contagion, Dispel Evil & Good, Geas, 
  Greater Restoration, Hallow, Holy Weapon, Insect 
  Plague, Legend Lore, Mass Cure Wounds, Planar 
  Binding, Raise Dead, Scrying
  Level Six 
  Create Undead, Find the Path, Forbiddance, Harm, 
  Heal, Heroes’ Feast, Planar Ally, True Seeing, Word 
  of Recall 
  Level Seven
  Conjure Celestial, Divine Word, Etherealness, Re-
  generate, Resurrection
  Level Eight 
  Antimagic Field, Control Weather, Earthquake Holy 
  Aura
  Level Nine 
  Mass Heal, True Resurrection
  12
  
  Druid Spells
  Cantrips
  Control Flames, Druidcraft, Guidance, Gust, Infes-
  tation, Magic Stone, Mending, Mold Earth, Resis-
  tance, Shape Water, Shillelagh
  Level One
  Absorb Elements, Animal Friendship, Beast Bond 
  Charm Person, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Detect 
  Poison and Disease, Earth Tremor, Entangle, Fog 
  Cloud, Healing Word, Jump, Longstrider, Purify 
  Food and Drink, Snare, Speak with Animals
  Level Two 
  Animal Messenger, Beast Sense, Darkvision, Dust 
  Devil, Earthbind, Enhance Ability, Find Traps, Gust 
  of Wind, Hold Person, Lesser Restoration, Locate 
  Animals or Plants, Locate Object, Pass Without 
  Trace, Protection from Poison, Skywrite, Spike 
  Growth, Warding Wind
  Level Three 
  Call Lightning, Dispel Magic, Feign Death, Plant 
  Growth, Protection from Energy, Speak with Plants, 
  Water Breathing, Water Walk, Wind Wall
   
  Level Four
  Charm Monster, Confusion, Control Water, Domi-
  nate Beast, Elemental Bane, Freedom of Movement, 
  Giant Insect, Grasping Vine, Guardian of Nature, 
  Hallucinatory Terrain, Locate Creature
  Level Five 
  Anti-life Shell, Awaken, Commune with Nature, 
  Contagion, Control Winds, Geas, Greater Res-
  toration, Insect Plague, Maelstrom, Mass Cure 
  Wounds, Planar Binding, Reincarnate, Scrying, 
  Transmute Rock, Tree Stride, Wrath of Nature
  Level Six 
  Find the Path, Heal, Heroes’ Feast, Investiture of 
  Wind, Move Earth, Primordial Ward, Wall of Thorns 
  Level Seven
  Mirage Arcane, Regenerate, Whirlwind
  Level Eight 
  Antipathy/Sympathy, Control Weather, Earthquake, 
  Feeblemind
  Level Nine 
  Foresight, Shapechange, Storm of Vengeance
  Paladin Spells
  Level One
  Bless, Ceremony, Command, Compelled Duel, Cure 
  Wounds, Detect Evil and Good, Detect Magic, Detect 
  Poison and Disease, Divine Favor, Heroism, Protec-
  tion from Evil and Good, Purify Food and Drink, 
  Searing Smite, Shield of Faith, Thunderous Smite, 
  Wrathful Smite
  Level Two 
  Aid, Branding Smite, Lesser Restoration, Locate 
  Object, Magic Weapon, Protection from Poison, Zone 
  of Truth
  Level Three 
  Aura of Vitality, Blinding Smite, Crusader’s Mantle, 
  Daylight, Dispel Magic, Magic Circle
   
  Level Four
  Aura of Life, Aura Purity, Banishment, Death Ward, 
  Locate Creature, Staggering Smite
  Level Five 
  Banishing Smite, Circle of Power, Dispel Evil & 
  Good, Geas, Holy Weapon
  Ranger Spells
  Level One
  Absorb Elements, Alarm, Animal Friendship, Beast 
  Bond, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Detect Poison 
  and Disease, Ensnaring Strike, Hunter’s Mark, 
  Jump, Longstrider, Snare, Speak with Animals, 
  Zephyr Strike
  Level Two 
  Animal Messenger, Barkskin, Beast Sense, Darkvi-
  sion, Find Traps, Lesser Restoration, Locate Ani-
  mals or Plants, Locate Object, Pass Without Trace, 
  Protection from Poison, Silence, Spike Growth
  Level Three 
  Flame Arrows, Plant Growth, Protection from Ener-
  gy, Speak with Plants, Water Breathing, Water Walk
   
  Level Four
  Freedom of Movement, Grasping Vine, Locate Crea-
  ture
  Level Five 
  Commune with Nature, Steel Wind Strike, Swift 
  Quiver, Tree Stride
  Sorcerer Spells
  Cantrips
  Blade Ward, Control Flames, Dancing Lights, 
  Friends, Gust, Light, Mending, Message, Minor Illu-
  sion, Prestidigitation, Shape Water, True Strike
  Level One
  Absorb Elements, Catapult, Cause Fear, Charm 
  Person, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Dis-
  guise Self, Expeditious Retreat, False Life, Feather 
  Fall, Jump, Longstrider, Mage Armour, Protection 
  from Evil & Good, Silent Image, Sleep
  Level Two 
  Arcane Lock, Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Crown of 
  Madness, Darkvision, Detect Thoughts, Enhance 
  Ability, Hold Person, Invisibility, Knock, Locate Ob-
  ject, Magic Weapon, Phantasmal Force, See Invisi-
  bility, Spider Climb, Suggestion, Warding Wind
  Level Three 
  Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Clairvoyance, Coun-
  terspell, Dispel Magic, Enemies Abound, Erupting 
  Earth, Fear, Feign Death, Haste, Major Image, Pro-
  tection from Energy, Sending, Slow, Tongues, Water 
  Breathing
  13
  
  Level Four
  Banishment, Charm Monster, Confusion, Control 
  Water, Greater Invisibility, Locate Creature
  Level Five 
  Animate Objects, Control Winds, Dominate Person, 
  Hold Monster, Mislead, Seeming, Skill Empower-
  ment, Synaptic Static, Telekinesis
  Level Six 
  Eyebite, Mass Suggestion, Mental Prison, Otto’s 
  Irresistible Dance, Scatter, True Seeing 
  Level Seven
  Etherealness, Finger of Death, Power Word Pain, 
  Reverse Gravity, Whirlwind
  Level Eight 
  Antimagic Field, Control Weather, Demiplane, 
  Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Mind Blank, Power 
  Word Stun, Telepathy
  Level Nine 
  Foresight, Invulnerability, Power Word Kill, Psychic 
  Scream, Weird
  Warlock Spells
  Cantrips
  Blade Ward, Friends, Infestation, Mage Hand, Magic 
  Stone, Minor Illusion, Prestidigitation, True Strike
  Level One
  Cause Fear, Charm Person, Comprehend Languag-
  es, Expeditious Retreat, Hex, Illusory Script, Protec-
  tion from Evil and Good, Unseen Servant
  Level Two 
  Crown of Madness, Darkness, Earthbind, Enthrall, 
  Hold Person, Invisibility, Mind Spike, Ray of Enfee-
  blement, Shadow Blade, Spider Climb, Suggestion
  Level Three 
  Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Enemies Abound, Fear, 
  Hunger of Hadar, Hypnotic Pattern, Magic Circle, 
  Major Image, Tongues, Vampiric Touch
  Level Four
  Banishment, Charm Monster, Elemental Bane, 
  Hallucinatory Terrain, Shadow of Moil, Sickening 
  Radiance, Summon Greater Demon
  Level Five 
  Contact Other plane, Danse Macabre, Dream 
  Hold Monster, Infernal Calling, Scrying, Synaptic 
  Static
  Level Six 
  Eyebite, Flesh to Stone, Mass Suggestion, Mental 
  Prison, Scatter, Soul Cage, True Seeing
  Level Seven 
  Etherealness, Finger of Death, Forcecage, Power 
  Word Pain
  Level Eight 
  Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Glibness, Madden-
  ing Darkness, Power Word Stun
  Level Nine 
  Imprisonment, Power Word Kill, Psychic Scream
  Wizard Spells
  Cantrips
  Blade Ward, Control Flames, Dancing Lights, 
  Friends, Gust, Light, Mending, Message, Minor Illu-
  sion, Prestidigitation, Shape Water, True Strike
  Level One
  Absorb Elements, Alarm, Catapult, Cause Fear, 
  Charm Person,  Comprehend Languages, Detect 
  Magic, Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, False 
  Life, Feather Fall, Find Familiar, Identify, Illusory 
  Script, Jump, Longstrider, Mage Armour, Protec-
  tion from Evil & Good, Silent Image, Sleep, Snare, 
  Tasha’s Hideous Laughter, Unseen Servant
  Level Two 
  Arcane Lock, Blindness/Deafness, Blur, Crown of 
  Madness, Darkvision, Detect Thoughts, Dust Devil, 
  Earthbind, Hold Person, Invisibility, Knock, Locate 
  Object, Magic Mouth, Magic Weapon, Nystul’s Mag-
  ic Aura, Phantasmal Force, See Invisibility, Spider 
  Climb, Suggestion, Warding Wind
  Level Three 
  Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Catnap, Clairvoy-
  ance, Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Enemies Abound, 
  Erupting Earth, Fear, Feign Death, Haste, Magic 
  Circle, Major Image, Nondetection, Protection from 
  Energy, Sending, Slow, Tiny Servant, Tongues, Wa-
  ter Breathing
  Level Four
  Arcane Eye, Banishment, Charm Monster, Con-
  fusion, Control Water, Greater Invisibility, Locate 
  Creature, Faithful Hound, Private Sanctum
  Level Five 
  Animate Objects, Contact Other Plane, Control 
  Winds, Danse Macabre*, Dominate Person, Dream 
  Geas, Hold Monster, Infernal Calling*, Legend Lore, 
  Mislead, Modify Memory, Planar Binding, Telepathic 
  Bond, Scrying, Seeming, Skill Empowerment, Syn-
  aptic Static, Telekinesis, Wall of Force
  Level Six 
  Contingency, Create Homunculus, Create Undead, 
  Drawmij’s Instant Summons, Eyebite, Globe of 
  Invulnerability, Guards and Wards, Magic Jar, Mass 
  Suggestion, Mental Prison, Otto’s Irresistible Dance 
  Programmed Illusion, Scatter, Soul Cage, True See-
  ing
  Level Seven 
  Etherealness, Finger of Death, Mirage Arcane, 
  Power Word Pain, Project Image, Reverse Gravity, 
  Sequester, Simulacrum, Symbol, Whirlwind
  Level Eight 
  Antimagic Field, Sympathy, Clone, Control Weather, 
  Demiplane, Dominate Monster, Feeblemind, Mind 
  Blank, Power Word Stun, Telepathy
  Level Nine 
  Astral Projection, Foresight, Invulnerability, Power 
  Word Kill, Psychic Scream, Time Stop, Weird
  14
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Oliver Clegg/Oliver Clegg - Ravenloft Gothic Earth - Cliffhanger Abbey.pdf