TEXT: 1
  5th Edition Horror
  
  2
  Credits
  Author: Ismael Alvarez
  Editor: Troy Daniels
  Copy Editor: Lucus Palosaari
  Design: Rick Hershey
  Layout: Rick Hershey and Troy Daniels
  Fat Goblin Hoarde: Ben Dowell, Eric Hindley, Ismael Alvarez, J Gray, Jason Owen Black, Jeffrey Swank, 
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  Michael Ritter, Rodney Sloan, Taylor Hubler, Lucus Palosaari, Rick Hershey, and Troy Daniels
  Business Manager: Tristan Hershey
  Publisher: Rick Hershey of Fat Goblin Games
   
   5th Edition Horror© 2018 Fat Goblin Games
   
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  About Fat Goblin Games
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  5th Edition Horror
  
  3
  Introduction to 5th Edition Horror 
  4
  Chapter 01 - Horror Roleplaying 
  7
  Chapter 02 - Races of Horror 
  10
  Chapter 03 - Horror Classes 
  19
  Chapter 04 - Horror Backgrounds 
  42
  Chapter 05 - Skills & Feats 
  50
  Chapter 06 - Equipment 
  57
  Chapter 07 - Magic & Mysteries 
  62
  Chapter 08 - Horrific Hazards 
  73
  Chapter 09 - Fear & Madness 
  80
  Chapter 10 - Horror Adventures 
  90
  Chapter 11 - Monsters & Cults 
  95
  Table of Contents
  
  4
  It is a strange facet of the creative mind that seeks out the things that frighten it. We sometimes wish to give 
  a name to the little fears that crawl in the recesses of our thoughts, either to marginalize them or to explore 
  them in fullness to understand ourselves through the mirror of fright.
   
  Roleplaying games, being a very self-reflective pastime, is especially given to the study of horror and fear by 
  exploring odd topics like reanimation or body horror, as well as existential fears that defy succinct examples.
   
  The purpose of this book is not to guide you through the world of fear, but to provide a template through 
  which to view it. Whether you use the odd and horrible monsters within, consider the toolkits that set a tone for 
  the f ight against the darkness, or simply take inspiration from the dour tone of this book’s writing, you should 
  come away from it shaken and intrigued.
   
  While some of the ideas presented are not new, but the subject of fear predates archetypal storytelling and has 
  its roots deep within our collective memory. Even when we present you with time-honored fears, we intend to 
  do so by peeling back the skin of the subject matter to create something fresh and compelling.
   
  And while there are better mediums to inspire the notions of horror, primarily in f iction and f ilm, the 
  secondary purpose of this book is to facilitate those stories within this system, so that you as gamers can focus on 
  the scares and not on the rules, as it is imperative that the mood in a horror game not be broken.
   
  Remember that the feeling of horror cannot start with a shock, but must begin with a slow creep. The ten-
  sion should build subtly, punctuated by great tragedy, loss, or the inspiration of great fear. The better you can 
  build your setting, and the more you can allow your players to invest in their characters, the better the horror 
  will be when it happens.
   
  The most terrifying thing to happen to your character may not be death, or even insanity, but the wholesale 
  extinction or reshaping of all life in existence. And perhaps those events end in your death or insanity after you 
  have lost everything that you have ever held dear in a succession of unfathomable events.
   
  -Ismael Alvarez
  Introduction to 5th Edition Horror
  
  5
  This volume is broken down into chapters so as 
  to make it easier to navigate. As with most third-
  party publishers, we want to present options for 
  your game, not concrete rules that you must abide 
  by. With that in mind the chapters presented are:
   
  Ch. 1 - Horror Roleplaying
  Horror, as we already discussed, is not something you 
  just throw your players into. You must build it gradu-
  ally. How you build it depends on the type of horror 
  that you choose, and dear reader, there are many to 
  choose from. This chapter discusses the various types 
  of frightening roleplaying experiences there are, and 
  presents you with various options as to how to inte-
  grate them into your existing adventures.
   
  Ch. 2 - The Races of Horror
  Dwarves scare just as easily as humans do, yet why 
  stop there? Presented in this chapter are player 
  character races far beyond what you are used to. The 
  broken Caliban who lumbers through the streets in 
  search of wrongs to right? Perhaps the cold, barely liv-
  ing Graveborn looking for a reason to go on unliving. 
  Slinking through the alleys, is the dark and mysteri-
  ous Shadeling more to your liking? These unique races 
  await you in Races of Horror.
   
  Ch 3 - Classes of Horror
  Just as the races were sure to scare, the creepy 
  classes of horror await the unsuspecting player. 
  Not content with the natural order of things, the 
  Apothecary twists the scientific and the occult to 
  his liking, creating things that heal and harm as 
  only a mad scientist can do. Beyond this dabbler 
  are 12 archetypes blending classic concepts with 
  just enough of a twist of the macabre to make 
  them perfect for your horror campaign.
   
  Ch. 4 -  Character Backgrounds
  You may have found the perfect race and the perfect 
  class, but without a story to drive them, they are 
  empty shells. Fill them with these fascinating histo-
  ries before your character starts adventuring. Surely 
  their life before the adventure shaped them into the 
  person that now walks these mysterious trails? The 
  proper background allows you to flesh the character 
  out before their flesh is rendered of course…
   Ch. 5 - Skills and Feats
  Not everyone is the pious cleric flinging holy 
  might or the crazed wizard who blasts from afar. 
  Some adventurers must rely on their wits, cun-
  ning, natural talent, and learned skills, in order to 
  survive the terrible lands that they travel through. 
  With the Monster Lore skill, your class defines 
  the types of monsters you have knowledge of. 
  Feats like Bestial Girth, Evil Brand, Marked by 
  Darkness and more allow you to give your charac-
  ter the advantage they will need. Not that it will 
  do them any good.
   
  Ch. 6 - Horror Equipment
  The nine-foot tall, slime-covered helgoloth in front 
  of you is not nearly as intimidating when it is 
  twisting its stomach around 21 inches of silvered 
  steel you are holding. The right gear means the 
  difference between victory, defeat, or coming back 
  as one of the living dead you are so fond of killing.
   
  Ch. 7 - Magic and Mysteries
  Not even magic is unscathed in horror. The spells 
  that sometimes bring life to the lucky bring death 
  to many and trusted enchantments often turn into 
  the most diabolical of evils. This chapter looks 
  deep into the abyss of magical spells. Everything 
  from the hazardous Bone Storm raining femurs 
  from the sky to the classic Séance, giving you a 
  glimpse into the eyes of evil itself. If that was not 
  enough there are items which hold enchantments 
  as well. For weal or woe? Typically it depends on 
  who is wielding them… correct?
   Ch. 8 - GM’s Corner
  What’s life (or unlife) without challenges? These 
  twisted hazards are common and uncommon hor-
  ror tropes. Everything from terrible traps that will 
  bedevil your player characters, to twisted diseases 
  that eat away at far more than just flesh. Not con-
  tent to stop there we delve into Haunting environ-
  ments that will make players hearts thump in their 
  chest even as their beloved characters hearts stop.
  
  6
   Ch. 9 - Fear and Madness 
  Fear is such a central element to a horror game. Your 
  characters might be fighting against monsters and 
  horrors, but if the element of fear is absent, then 
  it is just another flavor of fantasy gaming. Hand 
  in hand with fear, madness plays an element in all 
  stories. The unknown, the incomprehensible, and the 
  unapproachable all claw at the mind, causing mental 
  harm. This can sometimes manifest as a madness. 
  This chapter seeks to expand on the two concepts as 
  they could pertain to your horror campaign.
   
  Ch. 10 - Designing a Horror 
  Adventure
  There are countless books, magazines, blogs and 
  more that will tell you how to design an adventure, 
  so we are not going to tread on those particular 
  paths in this volume. Instead, we are going to talk 
  about what makes a horror adventure “tick”. What 
  really makes a horror adventure a memorable, scary 
  event that will be talked about for years to come. 
  Are you up to the challenge? 
   
  Ch. 11 - Monsters and Cults
  What could possibly be more “horror” than mon-
  sters? Almost all of the great horror stories revolve 
  around some monstrous beast, be it a true mon-
  ster, or just a person who does monstrous things? 
  Presented herein are monsters for your perusal. 
  Some are merely annoying, while others are truly 
  horrific. Additionally, we are going to provide you 
  with templates that you can add to existing crea-
  tures that will certainly rank them up a notch on 
  the horror ladder.
  6
  
  7
   What is Horror?
  Simply put, horror here is meant as a feeling. 
  Fear is one of the most primal of emotions. To 
  be scared, worried, confused and disoriented, 
  shocked, and perhaps even excited. Fear chokes our 
  thoughts while we sleep, and are the specter that 
  hangs over us in our darkest times. Fear taints our 
  thoughts when we are alone, or uncertain of our 
  future or our surroundings. We run from it, hide 
  from it, distract ourselves from it, but most of all, 
  we wallow in it.
  The most human of behaviors is to indulge our 
  fears, whether it is to engage in stories around a 
  fire, read a musty book of macabre tales, or watch 
  violent theatrics meant to stimulate our hindbrains 
  into a simulated fright. Many animals are able to 
  ignore their fear in various ways, as humans some-
  times can, but no other animal seeks to be thrilled 
  as we do, to feel the stress of adrenaline and tense 
  muscles that come from the act of being afraid.
  So this is horror. The indulgence of fear. It is 
  the cloud of emotion that we chase to exercise the 
  act of being afraid. So it is natural that a game of 
  imaginative drama would be the fertile ground for 
  horror’s innate indulgences.
   
  How to Horror
  Horror roleplaying is a very distinct and singular 
  experience that is apart from many other aspects 
  of role-playing. While it can be adventurous, or 
  perhaps silly, horror seeks to tug at the strings of 
  fear within your mind in a way that most other 
  games cannot.
  There have been other very successful games 
  that do this exactly, either by leveraging the horror 
  of the unknown or the alien and set a mood for 
  games that can touch upon the primal emotions of 
  fear and anxiety.
  To this end, the most important element of the 
  horror game is a proper mindset. You cannot walk 
  into a game hoping to “win” or even succeed so 
  much as experience the narrative. Sit back, take in 
  the ambient details of the dark and drafty mansion 
  or the cold wet walls of an alien hallway. Through 
  this acceptance that you are a passenger to the 
  narrative more than a driver, you allow yourself to 
  feel the subtle cues, the creepy sensations, and the 
  thick anticipation that are the hallmarks of horror.
  But as distinct as the horror gaming genre is, 
  there is room for variation.
   
  Horror Adventure
  Some horrors can be fought, but that does not 
  make the victory any more attainable.
  For example, a zombie horror game can be about 
  fighting back the hordes as much as it is over-
  coming the horrid dregs of power-hungry living 
  humans that threaten the lives and wellbeing of 
  moral survivors. The goals can be within sight 
  or never-ending, depending on the length of the 
  campaign, or the nature of the story arc. There 
  might be an end in sight where a safe haven exists 
  for the survivors, or the reality could slowly set in 
  that every day is a hard fought battle for survival 
  that won’t end until all the survivors succumb to 
  some terrible fate.
  But the key to all of that is the story. As a 
  group, you might fight harder knowing that 
  there is a goal in place. As a group of individuals, 
  you may fragment as you realize that death is a 
  languid and patient threat, picking off your loved 
  ones, preying on your weaknesses, sticking to your 
  mind like a fine dust.
   Both of these experiences are valid for play, 
  and can fit into an “adventure”, but are two wholly 
  different paradigms of horror gaming. And though 
  there is hope in the former example, that hope 
  Chapter 01 - Horror Roleplaying
  
  8
  makes failure all the more painful, sowing despera-
  tion and despair with each loss.
   
  Horror Investigation
  Perhaps the most prominent of horror game types, 
  the investigation is about seeking what others re-
  fuse to unearth. To find the terror hidden by unseen 
  forces, and attempt to reveal it for better or worse. 
  Perhaps you are a group of investigators trying to 
  solve murders that take a supernatural turn, or you 
  are hired to explore ancient ruins for an invaluable 
  bauble that carries with it a deadly curse.
  Whatever the motivation, you dare where others 
  do not, and either suffer or succeed in big ways. 
  Some revelations cause you to succumb to mad-
  ness, while others end in deadly encounters with 
  savage creatures, or even more savage human cult-
  ists. In this style of play, it is all the more impor-
  tant to receive the narrative, as you are by nature 
  giving yourself into the unknown, sacrificing your 
  well-being for the human need for exploration at 
  all costs.
   
  War Horror
  Though war can be horror in and of itself, horror 
  within war can be a unique and interesting avenue 
  for horror games.
  That is to say, there is an interesting aspect 
  of fighting against the armies of darkness, wag-
  ing a war that is more existentially hinged on the 
  survival of the righteous against the triumph of 
  evil. Here horror comes from the despair at the 
  overwhelming forces, the underhanded tactics, and 
  tainted magics that only the forces of darkness are 
  able to wield.
   There is somewhat more hope in such games, 
  and the horror is somewhat muted against a 
  backdrop that highlights glory in battle over the 
  despair of impending doom, but there is room for 
  dread when the armies of darkness close in like a 
  vise, sapping the hope and glory of victory from 
  the heroes with little effort.
  Such games revel in the exploration for an 
  answer that is beyond merely combating the evil 
  armies, but instead searching for ancient clues 
  to solutions that may or may not hold back the 
  tides of darkness. The difference between a happy 
  ending and an uncertain one lies in the nature of 
  the solution, whether its side effects are arguably 
  worse than the problem, or if they serve as a cor-
  rupting force that causes the heroes to become the 
  darkness they were destined to defeat.
   
  Small Horror
  A protracted style of the game meant for shorter 
  campaigns, the small horror focuses on a small 
  group and an unknown force that harries and toys 
  with the victims. Whether this is a group of travel-
  ers being stalked by some evil being, or a remote 
  soiree run afoul of some mortal but cunning 
  murderer, these games focus on the little terrors 
  that can arouse selfish notions of self-preservation 
  at all cost.
  These games are usually meant to grant very lit-
  tle agency to the players in terms of how to “solve” 
  the problem of the evil that haunts the group, and 
  focuses instead on moment to moment survival 
  that builds and expands the tension of anticipated 
  fear, using metered beats to maximize the fear of 
  impending death. In this style of game, death is 
  far more likely, as some find the fun in trying to 
  be the last person standing, even if they are merely 
  the last victim.
   
  Horror Epic
  While most horror is based on small fears and im-
  mediate survival, some horror stories can be about 
  the struggle of the underdog against a great evil. 
  Similar to the horror adventure style, the horror 
  epic may represent a change of scope in which the 
  players struggle with an evil force of extraordinary 
  magnitude. Though the idea is that victory should 
  be possible, it should always come at great cost.
  When an epic campaign concludes, the result 
  should always be one that reflects loss, sacrifice, 
  and noble actions. The great evil’s defeat will be 
  measured in lives lost and the deep impact of emo-
  tions on any survivors.
  If this sounds like the aftermath of a war horror, 
  it is no coincidence. This style of play could be 
  
  9
  employed for a titanic struggle between two mortal 
  factions that evokes a horror of large-scale conflict 
  and mass killings. It can also reflect the sealing 
  or destruction of a great evil entity, like a vampire 
  lord or an alien super intelligence.
  Regardless of the source, this play style will play 
  heavily on psychological themes, and the play-
  ers must be invested enough to care about the 
  consequences of their actions. When and if the 
  players win, it may well be that some or all of the 
  character choose the hard option of laying their 
  lives down to complete the objective that saves 
  the world at large from the evil that threatens 
  existence. More than a few non-horror campaigns 
  have ended this way, and the noble actions that 
  emerged from such games are the thing of legend.
   
  The Role of Creatures and 
  Enemies in Horror
  Though most game styles will include creatures 
  that can be fought and defeated, most creatures are 
  at their best when they can creep in the shadows, 
  and threaten the margins of civilization. How do 
  you fight a creature that strikes at night and drags 
  innocents into the forest? Do you chase it into its 
  home and risk the dangers of that wait in its den?
  Similarly, humanoid antagonists are equally 
  scary when they are beyond the reach of the group. 
  They may reach the scene of a murder just minutes 
  late each time as a depraved killer taunts them 
  with its next “work of art”, or a sociopathic pillar 
  of the community hides behind his prestige as the 
  group attempts to tear down his reputation to stop 
  his sadistic rampage.
  Horror does not lend itself to a progression of 
  fights against the evils that claw from the darkness. 
  With each clear-cut fight, the mood of the horror 
  diminishes, as the tension is consumed by rote dice 
  rolls and simple combat. Each fight must be mean-
  ingful in some way, whether it is against a formless 
  mass of evil that threatens to crush the group against 
  a cavern wall before eating them, or a climactic 
  battle with a serial killer inside of a crumbling clock 
  tower. Additionally, these combats should come at a 
  great personal cost to the group, as each fight could 
  result in dire consequences, whether it be the loss 
  of a beloved ally, or losing favor with a group that 
  perceives the character’s actions as selfish or wrong.
   Monsters of all sorts must occupy a balanced 
  place within your games if you wish to convey a 
  proper mood of horror, each creature carefully 
  placed and introduced into the menagerie of 
  foul beings that slowly chip away at the group’s 
  resources or sanity before being laid low. Each 
  combat should have a component of woe sown 
  into its fabric, revealing a harvest of despair even 
  with the advent of victory over darkness. Horror is 
  overwhelmingly about loss, and that should be no 
  different in a game of horror.
  
  10
    In a contrast to most standard fantasy settings, 
  the premise of horror runs against the grain of 
  the fantasy genre. Some of the starkest differences 
  exist within the fantasy races inherent in most 
  fantasy settings. Some can be altered or adapted; 
  gnomes and elves can be expressed as alien and 
  strange, while humans and dwarves are the stolid 
  survivors of the daily terror that occupies their 
  reality. However, some races aren’t as adaptable, 
  and other gaps exist that can’t be filled with these 
  mainstay races.
   Here we hope to offer some alternatives and 
  options, both to replace and reinforce the blending 
  of horror and fantasy. Whether or not you choose 
  to switch around the roster of races within your 
  campaign is up to you, but please feel free to use 
  the many races provided to help customize your 
  horror campaign to your specifications.
   
  Caliban
  Caliban are unfortunate creatures that share less 
  with their parents than they do with the mon-
  strosities that stalk the night. Often born from a 
  normal pregnancy, Caliban are the result of a dark 
  corruption that suffuses the land. From the highest 
  aristocrat to the lowest peasant, the birth of a cali-
  ban is feared and reviled. Such children are often 
  exposed to die in the wilderness, but their cursed 
  birth often finds them struggling to make a living, 
  whether they succeed at thriving in the wilderness, 
  or they are helped by darker forces. There are sto-
  ries of caliban being raised in seclusion by nobles, 
  often with disastrous results.
   Despite these cautionary tales, Caliban are 
  uniquely suited to survive in the dark recesses of a 
  horrible landscape. They are hardy, thick-skinned 
  (at times literally), and are inured to otherwise 
  maddening realities of a dangerous world full 
  of monsters and doom. As adventurers, Caliban 
  actually prefer a life of travel and excitement, as 
  it prevents them from settling into an area where 
  their strange appearance and uncouth ways would 
  attract unruly mobs and worse.
  Chapter 02 - Races of Horror
  
  11
  Changeling
  Feared and misunderstood by nearly every non-
  changeling, these shapeshifting humanoids are 
  mistrusted for their natural ability to appear as 
  others. Naturally, they awaken insecurities about 
  identity, safety, and even accomplishment; what 
  good is it to live a good life if some creature could 
  kill you and take it for themselves? Changelings 
  are not by nature bad, but the paranoia that fuels 
  their discrimination is fierce and unyielding. That 
  a handful of unscrupulous changelings may act out 
  the fears of others is all the proof that others need 
  to condemn an entire race for the actions of a few.
   Though a changeling can appear as nearly any 
  medium-sized humanoid, their natural appearance 
  is that of a featureless humanoid, with pale skin 
  and a face nearly bereft of characteristics. Their 
  noses are short, their ears are small and flat against 
  their skulls, and their head shapes tend towards 
  smooth and ovoid. Their black eyes lack pupils, 
  adding to their alien countenance.
   The same ability that makes changelings reviled 
  among most societies also allows them to adapt 
  and thrive in secret, but it keeps the shapechang-
  ers similarly paranoid. Any changeling that is 
  found out is likely to be lynched without question 
  or delay. Even storied heroes who are found to be 
  changelings are often thought to be imposters. 
  Thus, a successful changeling is one that must 
  hold up the ruse of being anything but a change-
  ling. One must not forget that while horror can 
  be a slathering fanged monster, so too can it be a 
  disquieting meditation on the nature of identity 
  and acceptance.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Strength 
  score increases by 2, and your Constitu-
  tion score increases by 1.
  Age. Though disfigured, you are hearty and 
  relatively long-lived. Caliban lifespans are 
  the same as that of humans.
  Alignment. Having been born outcasts and 
  rejects, Caliban tends towards neutral or 
  chaotic alignments.
  Size. Caliban, though misshapen, are the same 
  rough size as humans. Your size is medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed of 30 feet.
  Darkvision. You see what others do not, or 
  should not. The darkness is your friend, for 
  in it you can hide from prying eyes. You 
  can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as 
  if it were bright light, and in darkness as if 
  it were dim light. You can’t discern colors, 
  only shades of grey.
  Menacing. You gain proficiency in the In-
  timidation skill.
  Relentless Endurance. When you are 
  reduced to 0 hit points but not killed out-
  right, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. 
  You can’t use this feature again until you 
  finish a long rest.
  Savage Attacks. When you score a critical hit 
  with a melee weapon attack, you can roll 
  one of the weapon’s damage dice one addi-
  tional time and add it to the extra damage 
  of the critical hit.
  Inspire Disgust. You are abhorred by nearly 
  any who lay eyes on you. When dealing with 
  humanoids that are not monstrous, you have 
  disadvantage on any charisma checks.
  Languages. You speak two common languages.
  11
  
  12
  that they have different needs and desires born 
  from an existence of unlife. In fact, that they are 
  generated from the remains of all the other races, 
  they retain some glimpses and memories of a 
  warm-blooded life.
   The graveborn race, once seen as a blight on the 
  land to be exterminated, is now a thriving society 
  unto itself, tolerated with contempt by those who 
  reluctantly concede to their talents and resourceful-
  ness. The graveborn resist the horrors that stalk the 
  land as ably and readily as any other race and have 
  sometimes even come to the aid of other races. This 
  does not mean that graveborn are universally ac-
  cepted, but it has stopped the genocidal plans that 
  other races once held for these sentient undead.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma 
  score increases by 2, and your Dexterity 
  score increases by 1.
  Age. Changelings reach adulthood at the age 
  of 16. Their fey heritage allows them to live 
  much longer than humans, up to 200 years.
  Alignment. Changelings can be of any 
  alignment, and have no tendencies based 
  solely on race, despite the biased percep-
  tion of others.
  Size. Changelings are limited to imitating 
  humanoids of a medium size and appear as 
  thin featureless humanoids in their natural 
  form. Your size is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 
  60 feet of you as if it were bright light, 
  and in darkness as if it were dim light. 
  You cannot discern color in darkness, only 
  shades of gray.
  Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving 
  throws against being charmed, and magic 
  can’t put you to sleep.
  Shapeshifter. As an action, you assume the 
  physical shape of any Medium humanoid 
  you have seen in the past. Your equipment 
  remains the same, and none of your ability 
  scores change. When disguised as a specific 
  person, you gain advantage on all checks 
  related to maintaining the ruse. Returning 
  to your natural form requires a bonus ac-
  tion. You automatically revert to your true 
  form if you are ever incapacitated for more 
  than a minute.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write 
  Common and another language of your 
  choice.
  Graveborn
  From strange shadows and dark recesses of the 
  world lurk the graveborn, a grim mockery of life 
  wound into a strange and somehow prevalent race 
  of undead creatures. It is said that they form entire 
  cities in the places that the living fear to visit, but 
  sometimes these dead creatures spill out into the 
  world, pressed on by curiosity and caprice.
   Though not alive in the usual sense, a graveborn 
  is given to the usual vicissitudes of life, excepting 
  
  13
  Ability Score Improvement. Your Constitution score improves by 2.
  Age. Graveborn live an indeterminate amount of time. Many are killed, and those who are long-lived 
  are very secretive. Graveborn can live at least 100 years, and they do not age appreciably.
  Alignment. Graveborn tend to retain the alignment they had in life, while others violently move towards 
  some extreme.
  Size. Your size is determined by your Humanoid Heritage (see below).
  Speed. Your base walking speed is determined by your Humanoid Heritage (see below).
  Type. You are of the humanoid (graveborn) type.
  Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet as though it were bright light and in darkness 
  or bright light as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness or bright light, only 
  shades of gray.
  Natural Weapons. Your body realigns itself to adjust to undeath and the hunger that racks your existence. 
  You gain a bite attack that deals 1d6 piercing damage.
  Humanoid Heritage. Graveborn gain traits from their normal race, retaining traces of their time as living 
  creatures. Choose one humanoid heritage from the table and apply the listed traits.
  Hunger for Flesh. You must consume a meal of raw meat each day or suffer the effects of starvation. If you 
  go 24 hours without such a meal, you gain one level of exhaustion (this is an exception to the graveborn’s 
  immunity). You cannot stave this off with half rations. While you have any levels of exhaustion, you can-
  not regain hit points or remove levels of exhaustion until you spend 1 hour consuming an amount of raw 
  meat equal to a Small creature (about 30 pounds).
  Sunlight Sensitivity. When you, the target of your attack, or anything you try to perceive is in direct 
  sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
  Undead Vitality. You are infused with the dark energy of undeath, which frees you from some frailties 
  that plague living creatures. You have resistance to necrotic damage and immunity to poison damage. 
  You are immune to exhaustion and to the charmed and poisoned conditions. If you die, you cannot 
  be returned to life by revivify, raise dead, or reincarnate; resurrection and true resurrection return you 
  to life as your original race. A create undead spell cast so that it targets only your corpse affects you 
  as a raise dead spell affects the corpse of a once-living creature. You don’t need to drink or breathe. 
  You don’t sleep the way living creatures do, but during long rests, you enter a dormant state resem-
  bling death; during that time, you have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write common and one language of your choice.
  HUMANOID HERITAGES
  Heritage      
  Ability Score 
  Increase 
  Size  
  Base Walking 
  Speed  
  Extra  
  Language
  Dwarf 
  Wisdom +1    
  Medium     
  25 feet (not slowed 
  by heavy armor)
  Dwarvish
  Elf    
  Dexterity +1   
  Medium  
  30 feet
  Elvish
  Gnome   
    Intelligence +1
  Small
  25 feet
  Gnomish
  Halflng
  Charisma +1   
  Small 
  25 feet  
  Halflng
  Human  
  Any (Not        
  Constitution) +1
  Medium
  30 feet
  Choose One
  Ravenfolk     
  Dexterity +1   
  Medium 30 feet  
  Choose one
  30 feet
  Choose One
  Tieflng
  Charisma +1   
  Medium
  30 feet
  Infernal
  
  14
  Ravenfolk
  Standing as a human would, these dark feathered 
  creatures straddle the natural and supernatural 
  worlds. The ravenfolk origin is shrouded in mystery, 
  yet when the tales of their origins are told there is 
  almost always a curse involved in the telling.
  Though some consider ravenfolk harbingers of 
  bad luck, they are actually very social creatures and 
  can be found among most large population centers, 
  usually as vagrants and purveyors of skullduggery. 
  Your ravenfolk character has certain characteristics 
  in common with all other ravenfolk.
  Shadeling
  Shadelings are born in the shadows, either literally, 
  figuratively, or metaphysically. Through heritage or 
  bad luck, their bodies and minds are at ease in the 
  dark. This does not render shadelings to be bad 
  people, but it does affect the company that they 
  keep. Secrets and silence are a shadeling’s bread 
  and water. Their teachers are the creatures of the 
  night, be they beast or monster.
   Shadelings blend in well with others who revel 
  in the night time and have a strong tendency to-
  wards occupations that others find indignant or il-
  legal. They may have a skewed ethical view but are 
  as likely to be good or bad, even if their viewpoint 
  of such concepts are strangely skewed.
   Shadelings are sometimes born as a result of some 
  misfortune related to dark shadow magic or creatures 
  of the shadows (for instance, a pregnant mother being 
  stricken by a shadow creature). Such births are highly 
  inauspicious, but even an inauspicious life is too fleet-
  ing and fragile to throw away lightly.
   Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity 
  score increases by 2 and your Charisma 
  score increases by 1.
  Age. Ravenfolk reach adulthood at 10 years 
  old and can live to be 110.
  Alignment. Ravenfolk tend toward chaos 
  thanks to their capriciousness and insa-
  tiable curiosity. Greed overwhelms some 
  ravenfolk, drawing them toward evil.
  Size. Ravenfolk are slight and shorter than 
  humans. They range from 4 feet to just shy 
  of 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Sudden Attack. You have advantage on at-
  tack rolls against a surprised creature.
  Mimicry. Ravenfolk can mimic any sound 
  they’ve heard. Make a Charisma (Decep-
  tion) check against the passive Wisdom 
  (Insight) of any listeners. Success indicates 
  they believe the sound you created was real.
  Trickster. You have proficiency in the Decep-
  tion and Stealth skills.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write 
  Common and one language of choice.
  14
  
  15
   A given shadeling is not antisocial by default, 
  and they actually rather enjoy adventure and dar-
  ing. What they may despise is the daytime activity, 
  but that can be fixed with thick cloaks and covered 
  wagons. Though you may technically belong to 
  another race, your traits are as follows:
  Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity 
  score increases by 2, and your Intelli-
  gence score increases by 1.
  Age. Shadelings mature at the same rate 
  humans do and reach adulthood at the age 
  of 20.
  Alignment. Shadelings tend away from any 
  lawful alignments but are otherwise likely 
  to be of any alignment.
  Size. Shadelings run the gamut of body types. 
  They range from 5 to 6 feet tall. Your size is 
  Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
  Darkvision. Naturally, you can see in dim 
  light within 60 feet of you as if it were 
  bright light, and in darkness as if it were 
  dim light. You cannot discern color in 
  darkness, only shades of gray.
  Dance of Shadows. When in darkness, dim 
  light, or a shadow large enough to cover 
  your body, you can cast the misty step spell. 
  You can use this ability a number of times 
  per day equal to your Charisma modifier 
  (minimum 1), and you regain all expended 
  uses when you finish a long rest. Charisma 
  is your spellcasting ability for this spell.
  Friend of Shadows. You have proficiency in 
  the Stealth skill.
  Stuart of Darkness. You learn the minor illu-
  sion cantrip, though it can only be used to 
  manipulate an area of dim light or darker. 
  At 3rd level, you gain the ability to cast 
  sanctuary once on a target that is in dim 
  light or darker and regain the ability to use 
  it after a long rest. At 5th level, you gain 
  the ability to cast darkness once with this 
  trait and can regain the ability to use it 
  after a long rest. Charisma is your spellcast-
  ing ability for these spells.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage 
  on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Percep-
  tion) checks that rely on sight when you, 
  the target of your attack, or whatever you 
  are trying to perceive is in bright sunlight.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write 
  Common and another language of your 
  choice.
  
  16
  Were-kin
  Where lycanthropy exists, the curse may linger. 
  Whether born to cursed lands or descended from 
  degenerate tribes of were-creatures, the were-kin are 
  blessed and cursed by virtue of their existence, fated 
  to live as creatures tainted with a bestial nature.
   These were-kin exhibit many unsubtle traits 
  that render them apart from family and society. 
  Though some may congregate in closed and para-
  noid communities, most eke out an existence on 
  the fringes of civilization as freaks and outcasts. At 
  times they find a home in communities of crea-
  tures that are more accepting, such as fey villages 
  or gnoll tribes, but even there they are met with 
  distrust and disdain. Some still find greater accep-
  tance within actual lycanthrope clans, but finding 
  those clans is often difficult.
   This dichotomy has led to many were-kin 
  simply seeking a life of open adventure, as many 
  travelers already enjoy the aspersions and suspicion 
  of civilized folk. As such, were-kin trackers and 
  guides are among the most trusted in circles that 
  have grown to see past the strange bestial folk and 
  recognize their abilities.
   The only other place that were-kin seem to fit 
  in is in the slums of a major city, where people 
  can often blend in, and the strange is grudgingly 
  accepted. Many criminal organizations actively 
  recruit were-kin for their toughness or agility, and 
  entire street gangs can sometimes be composed of 
  these cursed souls.
   Sometimes, the were-kin trait passes through 
  multiple generations in a family without manifest-
  ing its standard characteristics. For decades, the 
  curse may remain dormant as it passes from parent 
  to child. Sometimes, whether due to luck or dark 
  forces, a member of one of these quiescent families 
  manifests as a were-kin from birth.
   Though were-kin are mostly bestial and not 
  true shapechangers, they nevertheless have a 
  potential to unlock the abilities of a lycanthrope 
  through intent or accident, sometimes mastering 
  their bodies to better match their strange heritage.
   Were-kin lycanthropes have the following features:
   Note: Caliban, Changeling, Grave Born, Raven-
  folk, Shadelings and Wretched cannot be born as 
  were-kin. 
  16
  
  17
  Ability Score Increase. You gain an ability score increase based on the type of were-kin you are, 
  as well as your base race. See beast type table below, as well as the base race table below that.
  Age. A were-kin lives as long as its base race, though many die violent deaths long before reaching old age.
  Alignment. Were-kin are not inherently evil, but they have a difficult time relating to lawful align-
  ments.
  Size. Though you may have a bulk or svelt nature resembling your beast type, your size is the same as 
  your base race.
  Speed. Your base walking speed of 30 feet. This speed supersedes that of your base race.
  Darkvision. You see what others do not, or should not. The darkness is your friend, for in it you can 
  hide from prying eyes. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and 
  in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colors, only shades of grey.
  Inspire Disgust. You are abhorred by nearly any who lay eyes on you. When dealing with humanoids 
  that are not monstrous, you have disadvantage on any charisma checks.
  Bestial Empathy. You have affinity with animals of your beast type and gain advantage on all checks 
  made to influence animals of your beast type. At level 3, you also gain the ability to communicate 
  simple ideas to animals of your beast type.
  Immunity to Lycanthropy. You have enough were blood in you that you cannot contract any lycan-
  thropic curse. At 5th level, you also gain advantage on rolls to resist all curses.
  Shapechanger. You are considered a shapechanger in addition to your normal type.
  Languages. You speak two common languages.
   
  Beast
  Ability Score Bonus
  Bear
  +2 Strength, +1 Constitution
  Boar 
  +2 Constitution, +1 Strength
  Rat 
  +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence
  Tiger 
  +2 Intelligence, +1 Strength
  Wolf 
  +2 Dexterity, +1 Strength
   
  Natural lycanthropes have less exposure to their humanoid ancestors’ native cultures. As a result, they 
  only receive limited benefits from their base race as noted below.
    Humans: Increase one ability score not already increased by your Beast Type.
    Dwarves: You retain your Dwarven Resilience and Tool Proficiency traits.
    Elves: You retain your Keen Senses and Fey Ancestry traits.
    Gnomes: You retain your Gnome Cunning feature.
    Half-Elf: You gain one skill proficiency of your choice. Alternately, you can retain your Fey Ances-
  try and increase your Charisma score by 1.
    Half-Orc: You retain your Menacing and Relentless traits.
    Halflings: You retain your Brave and Lucky traits.
    Dragonborn: You retain your Draconic Heritage and Draconic Resistance traits.
    Tiefling: You retain your Hellish resistance and increase your Charisma attribute by 1.
   
  
  18
  Wretched
  Some undead are created by chance; dark energies 
  conspire with fate to wrest unfortunate souls into a 
  dreary unlife. Yet some undead are crafted by mor-
  tal hands. These unfortunates are usually imperfect 
  beasts, sewn together and given the spark of life by 
  either focused magics or strange science. The result 
  of these unholy efforts are known as wretched.
  Wretched are often “born” into either a life 
  of servitude or abandoned by their creators, set 
  loose on an existence both incomprehensible and 
  unforgiving. When terrors stalk the streets daily, 
  wretched may fit in, though they are rarely regard-
  ed with kindness or familiarity.
  Ability Score Increase. Your Strength 
  score increases by 1, and your Constitu-
  tion score increases by 2.
  Age. A wretched might have lived a variable 
  amount of time (not counting varied com-
  ponent limbs), but from the time of their 
  creation, they tend to survive for an average of 
  60 years, though could live indefinitely if they 
  were maintained by an expert in corpse science.
  Alignment. Wretched tend to mimic the 
  alignment they held in life, or neutral, given 
  the strange circumstances of their existence. 
  Non-neutral wretched can sometimes tend 
  to the extremes of their moral ranges.
  Size. The wretched are most often made 
  from plentiful humanoid corpses. Your 
  size is Medium.
  Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet.
  Living Construct. You occupy a place in the 
  natural order that is hazy at best. You are 
  immune to disease. You do not need to 
  eat or breathe, but you can ingest food 
  and drink to gain the benefits of doing 
  so. Instead of sleeping, you enter a state 
  of suspended animation for 4 hours each 
  day, looking dead and limp. You do not 
  dream in this state; you are fully aware of 
  your surrounding and notice approaching 
  enemies and other events as normal.
  Relentless Endurance. When you are reduced 
  to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you 
  can drop to 1 hit point instead. You can’t use 
  this feature again until you finish a long rest.
  Reviled. Wretched can never be proficient in 
  the skills of animal handling or persuasion.
  Unnatural Resilience. You have advantage 
  on saving throws against being poisoned, 
  charmed, and gaining levels of exhaus-
  tion. You also have resistance against 
  poison damage.
  Languish in Darkness. You are vulnerable to 
  radiant damage but are immune to necrotic 
  damage. As a reaction, you can heal hit 
  points equal to the necrotic damage caused 
  by any one attack. Healing in such a way 
  can only be done once per long rest.
  Languages. You can speak, read, and write 
  Common and one other language of your 
  creator’s choice.
  
  19
   New Class:                  
  The Apothecary
  The Apothecary is a curious result of the times, seen 
  by many a dabbler in arts both scientific and occult. 
  The strange science into with these alchemists delve 
  is at once beneficial and dangerous, representing a 
  frontier of exploration that stands to advance the 
  healing arts as well as more deadly ones.
  Hinging on ambient magic and the strange prop-
  erties of the world, apothecaries work a little magic 
  into their potions, whether they believe it or not, 
  and so the effects they produce are half-magic and 
  half-science, bound into various different forms 
  that distill this stray magic into a chemical form.
  But that doesn’t diminish the extreme discipline 
  and deadly art of the Apothecary; they are well 
  studied as wizards, learning and employing their 
  art to affect the world around them. Many are seen 
  as wandering healers, dispensing medicine to those 
  in need, while others still are considered danger-
  ously violent madmen waiting to dispense their 
  poisons and chemicals on any who cross their path. 
  Whatever the truth, people tend to see them as a 
  wild card in a world beset by horror; scientists able 
  to transcend the dangers that hide in the shadows, 
  whether for good or ill.
   
  Science in Application
  Apothecaries represent a strange new technology 
  that eludes even the most learned men of science. 
  Through the dangerous practice of alchemy, they 
  work on the edge of accepted science and suffer 
  from setbacks as equally as they bask in its success. 
  An Apothecary tends to wander, lest their eccen-
  tric nature and experimental runoff turn a commu-
  nity against the new science.
  While apothecaries are effectively walking 
  chemical factories, they often can only create 
  admixtures that last for short whiles. As such, 
  they are sought after by various factions for their 
  secrets and abilities. Men of the cloth can some-
  times replicate the miracles of an alchemical brew, 
  but the apothecary does so without the pretense 
  of divinity or moral guidelines. While this can 
  make them valuable allies and assets, the same 
  trait renders them less likely to cleave to an ethical 
  compass that might stay their hand from poten-
  tially dangerous chemical discoveries.
   
  Disciplined Alchemists
  Despite their reputation as unpredictable mad 
  scientists, alchemists are scientists first, organized 
  and predisposed to the methodology. Their failings 
  are not in being random but in the pursuit of science 
  above all else. Some eschew the safety of others and 
  themselves in search of answers and discoveries but 
  rarely do they ply their art without a logical ratio-
  nale. Those that are rendered mad are made so by 
  the ambient sanity draining horrors, and not by their 
  trade. In fact, some have noticed that apothecaries 
  are exceptionally stable, though personal prejudices 
  may outshine this distinction.
  In truth, the real danger of the apothecary is 
  that they are far too logical, and have a tendency 
  to view all situations in extreme abstract. A true 
  danger and perhaps special form of madness 
  unique to the apothecary is the logical extremes 
  with which they view the world. Steeped in the 
  science of reality, they may find no issue with 
  sacrificing one group for another based on a seem-
  ingly arbitrary judgment of their worth. While 
  the practice of the apothecary is relatively young, 
  at least one story has surfaced of stoic alchemists 
  matching the base deeds of the most power-hun-
  gry wizard in horror and scope.
   
  Chapter 03 - Horror Classes
  
  20
  Quick Build 
  You can make a pharmacist quickly by following 
  these suggestions. First, Wisdom should be your 
  highest ability score, unless you take the Surgical 
  specialization, in which case you will want your 
  Dexterity to be your highest ability score. Your 
  second highest ability score should be Intelligence, 
  Constitution, or Dexterity. Second, choose the 
  guild artisan background. Third choose the poison-
  ous censer and friend dart byproducts, along with 
  the following 1st-level philters to add to your guild 
  book: healing potion, and sleep.
   
  Class Features
  As a Pharmacist, you gain the following class features.
  Hit Points
  Hit Dice: 1d8 per Pharmacist level
  Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution 
  modifier
  Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your 
  Constitution modifier per Pharmacist level after 1st
  Proficiencies
  Armor: Light armor, shields
  Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbow
  Tools: Poisoner’s Kit, Medical Kit, Herbalism 
  Kit, Alchemy lab.
  Saving Throws: Constitution, Wisdom
  Skills: Choose two from Deception, Medicine, 
  Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Survival
  Equipment
  You start with the following equipment, in ad-
  dition to the equipment granted by your back-
  ground:
    (a) a crossbow, or a (b) a mace or (c) a dagger
    (a) studded leather armor, or (b) padded 
  leather armor and a shield
    (a) a scholar’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
    A manual
    An alchemy lab
  Philter Distillation
  Through careful arcane distillation, an Apoth-
  ecary can create various distinct philters that have 
  different delivery methods. As an apothecary, you 
  use materials similar to a wizard’s material com-
  ponent pouch to concoct philters for later use. To 
  maintain the various different chemical configura-
  tions necessary for your philters, you maintain a 
  manual containing the ingredients and measure-
  ments that create specific philters. These philters 
  use the same rules as spellcasting except when 
  noted. See Chapter 10 in the Player’s Handbook 
  for the general rules. Replace any usage of the 
  word “spell” with “philter”, “cantrip” with “byprod-
  uct”, and “spellcasting” with “employing a philter”, 
  save for the following differences.
  Philter can be created by using an alchemy lab. 
  Each philter can be made into one of four forms. 
  The apothecary’s philter list is annotated to show 
  the forms that each can take. For example, philters 
  that affect an area can only be made into smoke 
  bombs, and oils must be applied topically can only 
  be made into potions. Any philter effect requiring 
  concentration still requires concentration. Philters 
  for spells requiring somatic or verbal components 
  instead require “special admixture” and a “formula 
  reading” respectively, and these philters are in all 
  respects treated the same as the spells they mimic.
    Doses take the form of a glass vial that allows 
  a philter to be thrown, and to hit another 
  creature(s) within 5 feet of the target. Philters 
  for spells with a range further than touch can 
  be thrown. The maximum range for such a 
  philter is 100 feet.
    Drams must be swallowed, and require either 
  a willing or incapacitated target to be ingested. 
  Alternately, they may be poured on objects.
    Smoke Bombs encompass the area of a 
  given philter. Unless the philter effect causes 
  poor visibility, the smoke bomb does not 
  otherwise obscure anything, and merely 
  appears as a light mist or just an invisible 
  scent. Certain philter effects are delivered 
  by smoke bombs but are not dependent on 
  targets remaining inside of the smoke bomb 
  for the effect to persist.
  
  21
    Oils require blood contact and can coat a 
  weapon. An apothecary can prepare an oil and 
  coat a weapon as a bonus action. Certain oils 
  can be delivered by touch (as noted below) and 
  require only skin contact and can be delivered 
  subtly with a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) 
  check. Unless otherwise stated, a coating of 
  oil loses its potency 1 minute after coating a 
  weapon. Oil Philters with a range of touch can 
  only be placed on melee weapons. 
  Byproducts
  When combining numerous chemicals and un-
  guents, an apothecary has so much leftover material 
  that it creates chemical waste. An apothecary special-
  izes in using these castoff materials to fashion weak but 
  plentiful reagents and generally has a near unlimited 
  supply of these odd concoctions. At 1st level, you know 
  2 byproducts of your choice from the Pharmacist phil-
  ter list. You learn additional Pharmacist byproducts of 
  your choice at higher levels as shown in the “Byprod-
  ucts Known” column of the Pharmacist table. Byprod-
  ucts otherwise work in the same manner as cantrips.
  Manual
  At 1st level, you have a manual containing two 
  1st level philters of your choice. This book contains 
  all your known philters and must be referenced in 
  order to construct an item based on a philter.
   The Pharmacist table shows how many philter 
  slots you have to use your philters of 1st level and 
  higher. To use one of these philters you must 
  expend a slot of the philter’s level or higher. You 
  regain all expended philter slots when you finish 
  a long rest. Like spells, philters can be made and 
  used with a higher level philter slot than required 
  and can give an increased effect as per the same 
  spell effect.
   You prepare the list of pharmacist philters that 
  are available for you to use. You choose a number 
  of philters from your manual equal to your Wis-
  dom modifier + your Apothecary level (minimum 
  of 1 philter). The philter must be of a level for 
  which you have philter slots.
  Apothecary Class Features
  Level 
  Proficiency  
  Bonus    
  Features     
  Byproducts 
  Known
  1
  +2    
  Philter Distillation, Resistance
  2     
  2
  +2    
  Potion Brewing
  2
  3
  +2    
  Field of Specialty
  2     
  4
  +2    
  Ability Score Improvement
  3     
  5
  +3    
  Resistance Improvement
  3     
  6
  +3    
  Field Feature
  3     
  7
  +3    
  --
  3     
  8
  +3    
  Ability Score Improvement
  3     
  9
  +4    
  Resistance Improvement
  3     
  10
  +4    
  Field Feature
  4     
  11
  +4    
  --
  4     
  12
  +4    
  Ability Score Improvement
  4     
  13
  +5    
  Resistance Improvement
  4     
  14
  +5    
  Field Feature
  4     
  15
  +5    
  Paradoxical Reaction
  5     
  16
  +5    
  Ability Score Improvement
  5     
  17
  +6    
  Resistance Improvement
  5     
  18
  +6    
  --
  5     
  19
  +6    
  Ability Score Improvement, Resistance Improvement
  5
  20
  +6    
  Reckless Abandon
  5
  
  22
   You can change your list of prepared philters 
  when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of 
  philters requires time spent studying your manual 
  and memorizing the ratios, ingredients, and timing 
  you must make to create an item from the philter: 
  at least 1 minute per philter level for each philter 
  on your list.
   
  Philter Using Ability
  Wisdom is your “Philter using ability”, which is 
  the equivalent of a “spellcasting ability” for your 
  Philters. You are able to use your careful study and 
  experience to recreate various liquid distillations 
  of potent force. You use your Wisdom whenever 
  a philter refers to your “philter using ability”, or a 
  spell refers to your “spellcasting ability”. In addi-
  tion, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting 
  the saving throw DC for philters you can use, and 
  when making an attack roll with one.
   Philter save DC = 8 + your proficiency bo-
  nus + your Wisdom modifier
   Philter attack modifier = your proficiency 
  bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
  Learning Philters of 1st Level and 
  Higher
  Each time you gain an apothecary level, you can 
  add two philters of your choice to your manual. 
  Each of those philters must be of a level for which 
  you have philter slots, as shown on the Pharma-
  cist table. On your adventures, you might find 
  other philters or spells. You are able to convert any 
  found spell scroll to a philter if that spell is also 
  found on the apothecary’s philter list.
   
  Resistance
  At level 1, your studies as a pharmacist have 
  granted you resistance to poison damage. At level 
  5, you become immune to the poisoned condition. 
  At levels 9 and 13, you gain an additional resis-
  tance to a damage type; choose between Thunder, 
  Psychic, Radiant or Necrotic. At level 17, your 
  damage resistance to poison becomes immunity to 
  poison damage.
   Field of Specialty
  When you reach 3rd level, you choose a specializa-
  tion, shaping your usage of philters throughout 
  your career. You gain an additional feature at levels 
  6, 10, and 14. Some of the possible specializations 
  are the Chemist, the Forensic Specialist, and the 
  Internal Doctor.
  Preserve Dram
  When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to 
  preserve drams for philters that are designated as 
  drams that are on your philter list. These drams 
  have similar guidelines to those of scrolls and their 
  
  23
  value (see the Magic Items- Spell Scroll). To craft 
  a preserved dram, you must expend resources equal 
  to the dram’s level, as described in the following 
  table. You make 50 gp worth of progress each day. 
  Preserved drams for levels 6 through 9 cannot be 
  crafted through this ability, and usually require 
  specific formulae, rare components that are in 
  addition to those required by the spell, and are 
  usually prohibitively expensive in terms of the time 
  and resources needed. Preserved drams are always 
  treated as having the effect of the lowest spell slot 
  at which the philter can be created.
   
  Spell Level    
  Resources Expended
  1st   
  50 gp
  2nd  
  100 gp
  3rd   
  300 gp
  4th   
  600 gp
  5th   
  1000 gp
   
  Ability Score Improvement
  When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 
  16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score 
  of your choice by 2, or you can increase two abil-
  ity scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t 
  increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
   
  Paradoxical Reaction
  At level 15, you gain the ability to radically change 
  the effect of a philter, usually in a paradoxical way. 
  You can create a philter that has an opposite ef-
  fect. For example, a philter that normally confers a 
  specific condition can instead cure it. Some effects 
  have no clear opposite and may have a random 
  effect (as per the wand of wonder). Byproducts can-
  not be affected in this way. You can use this ability 
  as many times as your Wisdom ability score bonus, 
  and regain those uses after a long rest.
   Reckless Abandon
  At level 20, you can choose to use two or three 
  philters on yourself, or a willing or unconscious 
  target. If you do so, the target receives the effects 
  of the philters and must roll a D20. Consult the 
  following table for the result.
   
  1: The target receives the effects of a harm spell 
  in addition to all of the philter effects.
  2-5: One of the philters does not work (roll a d6 
  to determine it randomly)
  6-10: Roll on the wand of wonder table. The 
  target of the philters is considered the target 
  of the wand.
  11-15: The target receives the effects of an eyebite 
  (roll a d6 to determine which of the eyebite 
  effects afflicts the target).
  16-19: The target suffers no negative conse-
  quences.
  20: The target receives the benefits of a heal spell 
  in addition to all of the philter effects.
  Fields
  Field of Chemistry
  All Apothecaries are well versed in chemical 
  admixtures and effects, but only those specialized 
  in the field of Chemistry are able to delve into the 
  secrets and discoveries that separate dabblers from 
  visionaries. This field offers many advantages that 
  focus on the unknown combinations and undis-
  covered formulae that raise the Apothecary’s craft 
  to new heights.
   
  Common Philters. At 3rd level, you begin to 
  learn new methodologies that change your approach 
  to philter creation. You can employ the effects of 
  philters with the “common” tag without using up a 
  philter slot, but your efforts do not create a philter; 
  rather, you simply concoct the effects and deliver 
  them as a dram. This process adds 10 minutes to the 
  time it would normally take to employ the prepared 
  philter. Common philter effects cannot be altered 
  by any ability that changes the range or targets of 
  a philter. Common philters are always made at the 
  lowest required philter slot level.
     Chemical Combinations. At 6th level, your 
  specialization in the admixture of chemicals has 
  helped you realize new and interesting combina-
  tions. Once per day, you are able to create a spe-
  cialty philter that defies the normal rules; you can 
  make any philter into either an oil, a dose, a dram, 
  or a smoke bomb. Philters created in this way 
  work slightly differently, as follows. At 8th level, 
  you can create an additional specialty philter
  
  24
   
    A dram created in this way confers disad-
  vantage on saving throws to avoid its effects. 
  Some creatures can be fooled into drinking it, 
  though you could also deliver this dram to an 
  incapacitated foe.
    A dose created this way gains a range of 60 
  feet if the philter effect did not already have a 
  range greater than “self”. You must make a spell 
  attack roll even if the original effect does not 
  call for one; spell attacks made to grant allies a 
  beneficial effect are made with advantage.
    An oil created in this way works as normal 
  but can be integrated into an attack. This oil 
  can also be delivered by touch, requiring only 
  skin contact to work. Oils made through this 
  ability have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight 
  of Hand) checks made to subtly deliver the 
  philter’s effects. Applying such an oil in com-
  bat is considered an action.
    A smoke bomb created in this way grants a 
  spell a 10-foot radius effect. Spells with a du-
  ration greater than instantaneous now require 
  concentration if they did not already require 
  concentration.
   
    Potent Philters. At level 10, you can concentrate 
  your philters to deliver amazing effects. You can 
  choose an effect from the following list but must use 
  a philter slot at least one level higher than normal. 
  These changes can be applied when you employ a 
  philter’s effects. If a philter has an effect when used 
  with a higher philter slot, you combine that effect 
  with one of the following effects. Byproducts cannot 
  be affected by the potent philter ability.
   
    Extend Philter. A philter lasts twice as long 
  as normal.
    Quickened Philter. You can employ a philter 
  as a bonus action if that philter can normally 
  be employed in 1 action. You cannot apply this 
  effect to a philter that is also an oil.
    Subtle Philter. Philters with somatic or verbal 
  components no longer have them. By quickly 
  sprinkling the contents of a philter on a person, 
  you may subtly deliver the effect without them 
  realizing that you were responsible. Your GM may 
  require a Dexterity (Sleight of Hands) roll con-
  tested against the targets Wisdom (Perception).
  Preparing and Using Philters
  Apothecary Level
  1st
  2nd
  3rd
  4th
  5th
  6th
  7th
  8th
  9th
  1
  2
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  2
  3
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  3
  4
  2
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  4
  4
  3
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  5
  4
  3
  2
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  6
  4
  3
  3
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  7
  4
  3
  3
  1
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  8
  4
  3
  3
  2
  --
  --
  --
  --
  --
  9
  4
  3
  3
  3
  1
  --
  --
  --
  --
  10
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  --
  --
  --
  --
  11
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  --
  --
  --
  12
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  --
  --
  --
  13
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  --
  --
  14
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  --
  --
  15
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  1
  --
  16
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  1
  --
  17
  4
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  1
  1
  18
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  1
  1
  1
  1
  19
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  2
  1
  1
  1
  20
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  2
  2
  1
  1
  
  25
    Jagged Philter. This effect can only work on 
  doses. When delivered, a philter shatters and 
  deals an extra 1d6 piercing damage. This dam-
  age increases to 2d6 when you reach 5th level, 
  3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 11th level.
  Recombinant Chemistry. At level 14, you can 
  combine two philters into one, provided they are 
  of the same delivery type (e.g. two doses, two 
  smoke bombs). One of the philters must be of level 
  1 or 2, but the second philter can be of any level 
  philter that you can employ. This effect only uses 
  up a philter slot equal to the highest effect that is 
  employed; it does not use two separate slots. The 
  target or targets are affected by both philters at 
  once but can make multiple saves against disparate 
  negative effects. The combined philter is employed 
  using the longest “casting time” of either philter 
  but otherwise takes no longer to employ than nor-
  mal. You can use this ability once, and regain the 
  use of this ability after a long rest.
  Field of Forensics
  Some Apothecaries specialize in the field of 
  forensics, wanting to turn their craft to the ef-
  forts of quelling the murders and crimes that can 
  plague the disquiet of urban centers. While many 
  such specialists eke out a living through analysis 
  of criminal activity, others are self-styled trouble-
  shooters that relish in the challenge of fighting 
  crime with their wits and abilities.
   
  Analyze Scene. When you gain this field of 
  specialty at 3rd level, you can use your alchemy lab 
  to determine information relating to the scene of a 
  crime, particularly related to the death or injury of 
  others. By expending a 1st level philter slot as an 
  action, you gain advantage on Wisdom (Medicine), 
  Wisdom (Insight), or Intelligence (Investigation) 
  rolls. You can use this ability as often as you are 
  willing to expend philter slots. In addition, you can 
  spend 10 minutes using your alchemy lab to recre-
  ate the effects of the detect poison as per the spell.
   
  Bonus Proficiency. Also at 3rd level, you gain pro-
  ficiency in the Insight and Investigation skills.
   
  Forensic Mark. At 6th level, you gain the ability 
  to place a special alchemical mark on an opponent. 
  By expending a 1st level philter slot, you can use 
  a spell attack roll to throw a dose-like philter on a 
  creature. For the first 1d4 rounds of combat after a 
  creature is marked, you receive advantage on attacks 
  against that creature. Additionally, the mark cre-
  ates an aura on the creature that only you can sense 
  through a special alchemical lense meant for such 
  purposes. Removing the mark requires either an 
  alchemical solvent or a remove curse spell. You gain 
  advantage on Wisdom (Insight) and Intelligence 
  (Investigation) rolls to find and identify a marked 
  creature. This ability can be used once, and you re-
  gain the ability to do so after finishing a long rest.
   
  Embalmer. At 10th level, you gain the ability to 
  infuse your weapon strikes with poison. Once on 
  each of your turns when you hit a creature with a 
  weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an 
  extra 2d6 poison damage to the target. When you 
  reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 3d6.
   
  Forensic Expert. At 14th level, you can blend 
  your forensic abilities with your philters. You can 
  add your Forensic Mark ability to any 3rd level 
  or lower philter that targets one creature. You can 
  also use your Forensic Mark a total of three times 
  before needing to take a long rest. In addition, 
  your Analyze Scene ability now no longer requires 
  an expenditure of a philter slot.
   
  Field of Internal Medicine
  Some Apothecaries have seen the potential synergy 
  between alchemy and medicine and decided to put 
  them to the test. Alchemical medicine is at best an 
  untested field, but at worst a series of trial and er-
  ror experiments that can do more harm than good 
  to the test subjects. All the same, the dedication of 
  those in this field is admirable; many such Apoth-
  ecaries will test numerous medicines on themselves.
   
  Experimental Medicine. At 3rd level, you gain 
  the ability to experiment with various philter 
  effects. Whenever you grant a beneficial philter 
  ability to an ally, you can confer the effects of 
  the lesser restoration spell, but doing so grants the 
  
  26
  target a level of exhaustion. Levels of exhaustion 
  granted by this ability cannot be removed with 
  this ability. At 10th level, this ability can instead 
  act as a greater restoration spell. At 15th level, this 
  ability no longer confers a level of exhaustion on 
  its intended target.
   
  Questionable Dosage. At 6th level, you can 
  confer beneficial philters with alacrity. You can 
  combine two philters when employing them on an 
  ally. One philter must heal damage, and one philter 
  must grant a benefit with a duration (i.e. healing 
  word and enhance ability). You only expend a phil-
  ter slot for the highest level philter that is part of 
  the effect, and you can combine two philters effects 
  that require concentration. Combining philters in 
  this way confers a level of exhaustion on the target. 
  If you are the target of this special philter, your 
  exhaustion level is removed after 1d4 rounds.
   
  Internal Balance. At level 10, you are able to use 
  a creature’s own natural healing abilities to restore 
  their internal balance, curing your allies of wounds 
  or maladies. By expending 3 of your own hit dice 
  and a 1st level philter slot during a short rest, you 
  can maximize the amount of hit dice healing for 
  one ally when they spend their own hit dice to heal 
  themselves. You can also use an action and expend 
  a 2nd level philter slot to allow an ally to expend 
  5 of their own hit dice and heal a negative condi-
  tion on themselves. If the condition is the result 
  of a curse or powerful spell of 5th level or higher, 
  the ally must make a new saving throw, ending the 
  effect on a success. You can use this ability as often 
  as you can afford to do so, but you can only affect 
  an ally with one of these effects per short rest. You 
  cannot benefit from either of these effects.
   
  Critical Care. At 14th level, your ability to de-
  liver healing is maximized. Whenever you employ 
  a philter that requires a roll to deliver healing, you 
  instead use the highest number possible for each 
  dice. For example, if your philter would normally 
  heal 2d4 damage, it heals 8 instead. Addition-
  ally, any time you employ a philter that removes a 
  condition, it now removes an additional condition 
  as well. This applies to philters modified by your 
  Experimental Medicine ability.
    Apothecary Philters
  *Common Philters only apply to Chemist Apoth-
  ecaries
  **Spell found in this book
  Byproducts (0 LEVEL)
  Acid Splash (Dose)
  Bellow of the Grave (Dram)**
  Chill Touch (Dose)
  Guidance (Dram)
  Poison Spray (Dose)
  Produce Flame (Dram)
  Resistance (Dram)
  Spare the Dying (Dram)
  Vicious Mockery (Dose)
   
   1st LEVEL
  Charm Person (Oil, can be delivered by touch)
  Color Spray (Smoke Bomb)
  Command (Dose)
  Comprehend Languages (Dram) Common
  Cure Wounds (Dram)
  Detect Evil and Good (Dram)
  Detect Poison and Disease (Dram) Common
  Expeditious Retreat (Dram)
  False Life (Dram)
  Feather Fall (Dose)
  Fog Cloud (Smoke Bomb)
  Healing Word (Dose)
  Heroism (Dram)
  Hideous Laughter (Dose)
  Inflict Wounds (Dose, Oil)
  Jump (Dram)
  Purify Food and Drink (Dram) Common
  Ray of Sickness (dose)
  Sleep (Smoke Bomb)
   
  2nd LEVEL
  Aid (Dram)
  Augury (Dram) Common
  Barkskin (Dose)
  Blindness/Deafness (Dose, Oil)
  Darkvision (Dose)
  Enhance Ability (Dram, Dose)
  
  27
  Gentle Repose (Dram) Common
  Prayer of Healing (Dose)
  Protection from Poison (Dram, Dose)
  Ray of Enfeeblement (Dose)
  See Invisibility (Dram)
  Spider Climb (Dose) Common
  Suggestion (Dose, Oil- can be delivered by 
  touch)
  Zone of Truth (Dose, Smoke Bomb) Common
   
  3rd LEVEL
  Animate Dead (Dram)
  Deathly Form (Dram)**
  Fear (Dose, Smoke Bomb)
  Feign Death (Dram) Common
  Haste (Dram, Dose)
  Hypnotic Pattern (Smoke Bomb)
  Howl of the Beast (Dram)
  Mass Healing Word (Smoke Bomb)
  Protection From Energy (Dose)
  Revivify (Dram)
  Slow (Dose)
  Speak with Dead (Dram) Common
  Stinking cloud (Smoke Bomb)
  Tongues (Dram, Dose) Common
  Vampiric Touch (Oil)
  Water Breathing (Smoke Bomb) Common
   
  4th LEVEL
  Blight (Dose)
  Compulsion (Dose, Oil- can be delivered by 
  touch)
  Confusion (Smoke Bomb)
  Death Ward (Dram)
  Divination (Dram) Common
  Plague Touch (Oil)**
  Stoneskin (Dose)
   
   5th LEVEL
  Awaken (Dram) Common
  Cloudkill (Smoke Bomb)
  Commune (Dram) Common
  Contagion (Dose, Oil)
  Dominate Person (Dose)
  Dream (Dram) Common
  Greater Restoration (Dram)
  Mass Cure Wounds (Smoke Bomb)
  Modify Memory (Dose, Oil)
  Raise Dead (Dram)
   
  6th LEVEL
  Flesh to Stone (Dose, Oil)
  Harm (Dose)
  Heal (Dose)
  Hero’s Feast (Dram- created 12 drams)
  Mass Suggestion (Smoke Bomb)
  Mislead (Dram)
  True Seeing (Dram)
   
  7th LEVEL
  Delayed Blast Fireball (Dose)
  Finger of Death (Dose, Oil)
  Prismatic Spray (Smoke Bomb)
  Regenerate (Dram)
  Resurrection (Dram)
  Simulacrum (Special- Dram that is poured over 
  the material components)
   
  8th LEVEL
  Dominate Monster (Dose)
  Feeblemind (Dose)
  Glibness (Dram)
  Incendiary Cloud (Smoke Bomb)
  Mind Blank (Dram)
  Power Word Stun (Dose)
   
  9th LEVEL
  Foresight (Dram)
  Mass Heal (Smoke Bomb)
  Power Word Kill (Dose)
  True Resurrection (Dram)
   
  New Items
  Alchemy Lab (tool): An alchemy lab allows a 
  pharmacist to concoct drams, doses, smoke bombs 
  and oils. It is a small doctor’s bag full to the brim 
  with ingredients and small tools.
  
  28
   Archetypes of Horror
  Though many of the current archetypes are suit-
  able for play in horror games, the following arche-
  types have an element of corruption or darkness in 
  them, making them more suitable for players that 
  exist in worlds that are untouched by purity or 
  hope, but instead, are tainted with darkness.
  Primal Path:  
  Possessed Berserker
  While many barbarians are simply powerful 
  combatants that can focus their anger as a weapon, 
  there are those poor souls that are possessed by 
  strange forces that coerce them into anger and 
  conflict. Many of these possessed are prone to 
  forgetting their own monstrous acts, while some 
  are unlucky enough to be aware of these acts while 
  otherwise powerless to stop them. Sometimes it 
  is a magical compulsion, at other times it is a sen-
  tient entity that takes of these cursed individuals. 
  Whatever the source, the possessed berserker tends 
  to seek danger, either in hopes that their frenzy 
  finds a justified target, or perhaps that they meet 
  their match in battle, as well as their own end.
   
  Saving Throws. Some of your Possessed Ber-
  serker abilities will require a saving throw (either 
  from you or your opponents). The DC is calculated 
  as follows:
   Ability save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + 
  Constitution modifier.
   
  Possessed
  At level 3, you begin to lose control of your rages, 
  and can sometimes black out during a rage. When-
  ever you enter a rage, you can no longer elect to 
  end it early. In addition, you must choose a super-
  natural affliction that defines your ability to rage. 
  This decision does not change once you select it, 
  and will determine the abilities of your primal path.
     Possessing Entity. This entity, though mys-
  terious, represents an otherworldly force that 
  haunts you and influences your urges. Choose 
  from aberration, fiend, or undead. The first time 
  in a combat that you attempt to rage and are 
  in the presence of a creature of this type you 
  must make a Wisdom saving throw against your 
  ability save DC. On a failure, you cannot initiate 
  a rage for 1d4 rounds, after which you can rage 
  normally without the need for a saving throw.
    Supernatural Curse. A magical force is 
  the source of your rage, whether initiated 
  by a sentient malevolence or acquired from 
  
  29
  a lingering negative ambiance. If there are 
  no hostile combatants left during your rage, 
  you must make a Wisdom saving throw. On 
  a failure, you act as if affected by the spell 
  confusion. As per the spell, you can make a 
  new saving throw at the end of each of your 
  turns to end the effect.
    Unholy Lineage. Some aspect of your blood-
  line is tainted and causes your erratic behavior. 
  When you enter your rage, your appearance 
  changes to resemble some manner of monster. 
  Tales of your monstrous acts become a thing 
  of rumor and disdain, and you are greeted 
  with hostility and mistrust wherever you go. 
  Your lifestyle is automatically Wretched, and 
  you cannot pay to increase it. You are also at a 
  disadvantage on Charisma checks, except on 
  in respect to the Intimidate skill.
   
  Supernatural Will
  Also at level 3, your rage renders you more resis-
  tant to outside influences, thanks to the one already 
  coercing your emotions. During your rage, you 
  become immune to any possession attempts (such 
  as from the spell magic jar or the special ability of 
  a ghost). Additionally, you gain advantage on any 
  saving throws against effects that would impart the 
  following conditions; charmed, frightened, para-
  lyzed, stunned. At level 8, the listed conditions are 
  suspended for the duration of your rage, and you can 
  rage even if one of those conditions would prevent 
  you from doing so.
  Otherworldly Influence
  At level 6, you gain the ability to resist or ben-
  efit from your otherworldly powers as you start 
  to master your situation. You gain the following 
  feature based on the power of your rage.
    Possessing Entity. For the duration of 
  your rage, you gain advantage to attack the 
  creature type you have chosen at level 3. Ad-
  ditionally, you may now rage in the presence 
  of such creatures without the need to make a 
  saving throw.
    Supernatural Curse. Any time you would 
  gain the effect of confusion as a result of your 
  rage ending, you can choose one target upon 
  which to cast the spell bestow curse (cast as if 
  from a 3rd level slot). You may explicitly target 
  yourself with bestow curse. As long as you se-
  lect a target, you to ignore the confusion effect.
    Unholy Lineage. You can turn the opinions 
  of others into an advantage. As you begin 
  to master your rage, you can also shape the 
  opinion of others. You may either be seen 
  as a dark hero, beloved by the downtrodden, 
  or as a dangerous conqueror, to be feared 
  but also respected. In either case, you are no 
  longer required to keep a wretched lifestyle, 
  nor are you at a disadvantage on Charisma 
  checks. In addition, you gain advantage on 
  intimidate skill checks and may use Strength 
  in place of Charisma.
   
  Rage Manifest
  At level 10, you gain the ability to resist and con-
  trol the forces that exert their will upon you. You 
  may now voluntarily end your rage, and doing so 
  does not bestow any negative effects. In addition, 
  any time your rage would end early, or you expend 
  a use of your rage to cast suggestion spell, specifi-
  cally worded to attack a specific target or group. 
  Those that fail their saving throw and follow the 
  compulsion also gain the benefits of a barbar-
  ian’s rage, which ends when the suggestion ends 
  Similarly, the effect of suggestion ends if the rage 
  ends. A suggestion spell cast in such a way does not 
  have a material component and has a duration of 
  10 minutes or until it ends prematurely when the 
  target of the rage reaches 0 hit points.
   
  Chain the Master
  At level 14, you have finally overcome the influ-
  ence that once controlled your dark impulses. You 
  gain the following feature based on the type of 
  power behind your rage.
    Possessing Entity. You gain the ability to 
  summon creatures, assuming the role of 
  master over the creatures that treated you as 
  a puppet. When you rage, you also manifest a 
  creature of the type that you selected at level 
  3, of a CR between 1 and 3 (e.g. bearded devil, 
  gibbering mouther, wight). The summoned 
  creature also gains the benefits of a barbarian’s 
  rage. The creature disappears when your rage 
  ends. At level 18, the CR range becomes 3-5.
    Supernatural Curse. You no longer suffer 
  
  30
  from confusion as a result of your rage. In 
  addition, when your rage begins, you can cast 
  bestow curse (now using a 5th level slot) on one 
  creature. You can no longer cast bestow curse 
  when your rage ends.
    Unholy Lineage. You are considered a scion 
  among men, either because of your strange 
  lineage or despite it. You gain advantage on all 
  Charisma checks, and your lifestyle expenses 
  are automatically comfortable without having 
  to pay to maintain it. In addition, you gain a 
  frightful presence when you rage. When you 
  begin your rage, your monstrous appearance 
  causes all hostile creatures that can see or hear 
  you to make a Wisdom saving throw. On a 
  failure, they gain the frightened condition for 
  1d4 rounds.
   
  Bard Archetype: 
  College of Tragedy
  Many entertainers dwell in the realm of sorrow, 
  delivering dirges and sorrowful sonnets that clench 
  hearts even as they pull them. Some sing as harbin-
  gers of tragedy as morose spectators, or perhaps as 
  knowing participants in the march of doom.
  Bonus Proficiencies
  When you join the college of tragedy at level 3, 
  you gain proficiency in shields, and martial weap-
  ons, and the poisoner’s kit.
   
  Tragic Word
  At level 3, you gain the ability to cast doom upon 
  others with but a few words or notes. As a reac-
  tion, you can designate an enemy that has taken 
  damage, and deal extra damage to them. By 
  expending one of your uses of Bardic Inspiration 
  to roll your Bardic Inspiration dice, adding the 
  result as psychic damage. At level 8, you roll twice 
  as many Bardic Inspiration dice for the purposes 
  of this ability.
   
  Dirge of Woe
  At level 6, you can use your Countercharm to 
  frighten foes. If you use your Countercharm to 
  inspire fear, you and your allies gain advantage to 
  all Charisma (Intimidation) checks. In addition, 
  your allies are instead immune to the frightened 
  condition for the duration of the song (but gain no 
  benefit against charmed effects).
  Friend of Despair
  At level 14 you gain immunity to necrotic damage 
  and poison damage. Additionally, you may expend a 
  Bardic Inspiration when you target an enemy with a 
  spell or effect that would cause the frightened condi-
  tion. If you do so, that enemy has disadvantage on the 
  roll to resist the condition.
  Cleric Archetype: 
  Entropic Domain
  Priests can worship nearly anything, and broad 
  concepts hold as much power as singular pantheistic 
  deities. Among those concepts resides one that may 
  eclipse all others; the inevitable march of entropy. 
  The worship of doom and decay is perhaps older than 
  30
  
  31
  sentience, and the recognition of its inexorable might 
  is evident in every facet of life. Followers of these ab-
  stract forces can either worship a powerful intermedi-
  ary that represents entropy, or they can instead devote 
  themselves to it directly. Though some of the devout 
  are responsible worshippers, recognizing the natural 
  order and the place that entropy occupies, others view 
  themselves as nihilistic agents of the end times. In 
  either case, entropists are given wide berth.
  Level   
  Spells
  1st   
  bane, inflict wounds
  3rd   
  ray of enfeeblement, shatter
  5th   
  bestow curse, vampiric touch
  7th   
  blight, phantasmal killer
  9th   
  anti-life shell, cloudkill
  Bonus Proficiencies
  When you choose this domain, you gain proficien-
  cy in the Deception and Intimidation skills.
   
  Shared Loss
  At level 1, you also gain the ability to inflict sympa-
  thetic harm on creatures near you. When you cast 
  inflict wounds, you can choose to alter the spell to af-
  fect all creatures within 5 feet of you. At level 5, you 
  can instead choose to alter inflict wounds to affect a 
  10 foot square at a range of 60 feet. Once you use 
  this feature, you cannot use it again until you com-
  plete a long rest. When you alter the spell in such a 
  way, you take 1d8 necrotic damage. This damage can 
  be reduced or negated by resistance or immunity to 
  necrotic damage. At level 15, you can use this ability 
  again after finishing a short or long rest.
   
  Channel Divinity: Shroud of Death
  Starting at level 2, you can use your Channel Di-
  vinity to quicken the march of entropy by focusing 
  the energies of death. When a creature dies within 
  30 feet of you, you can use your Channel Divin-
  ity as a reaction to regain spell slots equal to the 
  creature’s Constitution modifier (minimum 1). At 
  level 2, you can regain only 1st level spell slots in 
  this way. At level 10, you can regain 1st or 2nd 
  level spell slots. You cannot regain more spell slots 
  in this way than your normal maximum.
  Entropic Force
  At level 6, your spells are touched with dark energy. 
  When you cast a spell that deals damage, you can 
  spend your bonus action to modify the spell to treat 
  any 1 on the damage dice as 2. When you modify 
  a spell in this way, all of the damage becomes ne-
  crotic instead of its normal type. If the spell already 
  dealt necrotic damage, you can instead treat any 
  1 or 2 on the damage dice as 3. Modifying a spell 
  uses up your reaction for the round, but does not 
  otherwise affect the casting time.
   
  Staring into the Void
  At level 8, you gain a resistance to necrotic dam-
  age. Additionally, once on each of your turns when 
  you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can 
  cause the attack to deal an additional 1d6 necrotic 
  damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, 
  the damage becomes 2d6.
   
  Disciple of Oblivion
  At level 17, you gain immunity to necrotic dam-
  age, as well as immunity to the frightened condi-
  tion. Creatures have disadvantage when resisting 
  your spells that deal necrotic damage or confer the 
  frightened condition.
   
  Druid Circle: Circle of 
  Primordial Might
  Just as there is beauty and tranquility in nature, 
  so too is there fury and strength. Druids are often 
  servants to both. Occasionally, a druid will steep 
  himself in the destructive forces that define nature 
  as unforgiving and deadly. Some aspects of nature 
  are corrupting, violent, and decidedly evil. The 
  Circle of Primordial Might is composed of these 
  druids. From elemental gods that demand timely 
  sacrifices to raw predatory hunger that drives wan-
  ton bloodshed, this circle is either a driving force 
  or a decisive servant to the demands that nature 
  imposes wantonly.
   
  
  32
  Primal Points
  At level 2, you gain a number of Primal Points 
  equal to your Druid level. These points are used to 
  power various abilities that you gain through the 
  Circle of Primordial MIght. You regain expended 
  points after finishing a long rest.
   
  Force of Nature
  At level 2, you begin to channel deadly primordial 
  forces. When you wild shape, you can spend 2 pri-
  mal points to add an elemental nature to the form 
  that you take, appearing like an elemental beast. 
  Use the following guidelines to alter the beast 
  form that you take.
   
  Air. You gain damage resistance to lightning or 
  thunder (you choose when you assume the form). 
  While in this form, you can use the dash or dis-
  engage action as a bonus action. At 8th level, your 
  beast form gains a fly speed of 40 feet, even if it 
  could not normally fly.
  Earth. You gain damage resistance to acid. Your 
  armor class cannot be lower than 14.
  Fire. You gain damage resistance to fire. Your 
  natural weapon attacks deal an additional 1d4 fire 
  damage. This damage increases to 1d6 at level 8.
  Water. You gain damage resistance to cold. You 
  have advantage on all Strength (Athletics) and Dex-
  terity (Acrobatics) checks and can squeeze through a 
  space as narrow as 1 inch without squeezing. At 4th 
  level, this ability also confers water breathing and a 
  swim speed of 40 feet, even if the form you chose 
  does not have those abilities.
  Elementalist
  When you reach level 6, you become better 
  versed in the destructive elemental forces. Add 
  to your spell list the following spells: acid arrow, 
  burning hands, fireball, lightning bolt, scorching ray. 
  While these spells are prepared, you can explicitly 
  cast these spells while in wild shape without hav-
  ing to supply material or somatic components, but 
  you must spend primal points equal to the spell’s 
  level each time you do so.
   Elemental Wild Shape
  At level 10, you can spend 5 primal points when 
  using Wild Shape to transform into an air el-
  emental, an earth elemental, a fire elemental, or 
  a water elemental. You cannot gain any benefits 
  from your Force of Nature ability when assuming 
  an elemental shape. At level 20, the cost for this 
  ability is reduced to 1 primal point.
   
  Nature’s Fury
  Starting at level 14, your destructive powers 
  grow to monstrous proportions. As an action, you 
  can spend 5 primal points to summon 3 sham-
  bling mounds. This summoning explicitly requires 
  your concentration. Each shambling mound 
  appears on an unoccupied space within 30 feet of 
  you and can act on your initiative on your next 
  turn. The shambling mounds remain for 1 hour 
  or until dispelled. If you should lose concentration 
  on this effect, the creatures go berserk and attack 
  everything in a random path of destruction. You 
  can willingly dispel these creatures at any time 
  as a bonus action by spending 1 primal point per 
  shambling mound you wish to dispel.
  
  33
   Fighter Archetype: 
  Undead Destroyer
  Men at arms fight whatever threatens their exis-
  tence, even if these threats take the form of undead 
  horrors. Some fight their entire lives to push the 
  risen dead back into the shadows, at times jumping 
  into the darkness to slay these enemies once and 
  for all. The Undead Destroyer does just that, and 
  revels in the fight against such creatures, relishing 
  in the extermination of the undead and has learned 
  secrets that aid in the fight against the tides of 
  these abominations, as well as any living allies that 
  the undead may command.
   
  Saving Throws. Some of your archetype abili-
  ties require your target make a saving throw to 
  resist the ability’s effects. The saving throw DC is 
  calculated as follows:
  Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus 
  + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice)
   
  Torch-wielder
  At 3rd level, you are considered proficient with a 
  torch. In your hands, it is a light finesse weapon that 
  deals 1d6 fire damage. At level 8, you can use your ex-
  pertise and 50 gold worth of materials to craft special 
  torches that burn brighter and deal 1d8 fire damage. 
  If you wield a magic weapon that deals fire damage, 
  you may increase that damage by an amount equal to 
  your proficiency bonus.
   
  Against the Countless Dead
  At 6th level, you gain the ability to fight with ef-
  ficiency against the throngs of undead. If you miss an 
  attack, you may use your reaction to attempt an attack 
  on another adjacent undead creature. At level 9, this 
  ability extends to all creature types.
   Howl of Death
  At level 10, your experience fighting the undead 
  has granted you a preternatural ability to strike 
  fear in others. As an action, you can attempt to in-
  timidate nearby enemies with a bestial howl. Each 
  creature within 10 feet of you must make a Wis-
  dom saving throw. Those that fail are frightened. 
  Undead that are immune to being frightened must 
  still make a saving throw but do so with advantage. 
  Once you have used this ability, you cannot use it 
  again until you have benefited from a long rest.
   
  Stillness in Death
  At level 15, you gain the ability to hinder the 
  movement of the undead. If you make an attack 
  on an undead creature with a piercing weapon, you 
  can attempt to pin the creature in place. If your 
  attack hits, the creature must make a saving throw, 
  becoming restrained on a failure. On its turn, the 
  creature can use an action to pull the weapon out, 
  taking 10 piercing damage in the process, and 
  lose the restrained condition, but their speed is 
  halved for 1d4 rounds. This ability does not work 
  against creatures that have a damage resistance or 
  immunity to piercing attacks. You cannot use the 
  weapon again until it has been pulled free and you 
  recover it. At the GM’s suggestion, the weapon 
  may be broken in the process of being pulled out.
   
  Scourge of the Undead
  At level 18, when you use your Second Wind, 
  you can choose to end one of the following ef-
  fects: poisoned, paralyzed, any one disease. You 
  can also activate your Second Wind even if you 
  are otherwise unable to take actions. Finally, you 
  gain resistance to any weapon damage caused by 
  undead creatures.
   
  Monastic Tradition: 
  Corrupt Contemplative
  A corrupt contemplative monk has either gone 
  mad by meditating on mind-bending horrors, or 
  who has come to a cold enlightenment that leads 
  to the end of all things. Such meditative warriors 
  are cold-hearted killers that smell of blood and 
  move with the grace of a predator. A death-centric 
  monk that eschews compassion for the purity of 
  thought and action.
  
  34
  Efficient Executioner
  At level 3, you gain the ability to deal death 
  swiftly, and fell opponents with as little movement 
  as possible. When you hit a creature with a weapon 
  attack, and their hit point total is less than your 
  potential maximum damage, your unarmed attack 
  deals maximum damage to that creature. At level 
  8, you can spend 2 ki points to deal maximum 
  damage on all attacks for 1 round, regardless of a 
  target’s hit point total. This ability does not affect 
  damage other than your unarmed attack, such as a 
  paladin smite or a rogue sneak attack.
   
  Thrill of the Kill
  At level 6, you gain the ability to revel in the 
  death of your enemies. When your attack causes a 
  creature to die, you can use a reaction to regain ki 
  points equal to that creature’s Constitution modifier 
  (minimum of 1). Once you use this feature, you can-
  not use it again until you finish a long rest.
  Inimical to Life
  When you reach level 11, your body becomes 
  a poison factory, and your very touch can wither 
  your opponents with a deadly venom. Once per 
  turn, your unarmed attacks deal an additional 1d6 
  poison damage. This poison damage cannot be 
  maximized by your Efficient Executioner ability. 
  At level 15, you can spend a ki point as a reaction 
  to make the poison linger, forcing a target that 
  takes poison damage to also make a Constitution 
  saving throw. On a failure, they gain the poisoned 
  condition for 1 hour.
   
  Touch of Death
  At 17th level, you gain the ability to set up lethal 
  vibrations in someone’s body. When you hit a 
  creature with an unarmed strike, you can spend 3 
  ki points to start these imperceptible vibrations, 
  which last for a number of days equal to your 
  monk level. The vibrations are harmless unless you 
  use your action to end them. To do so, you and 
  the target must be on the same plane of existence. 
  When you use this action, the creature must make 
  a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is re-
  duced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 
  necrotic damage.
  You can have only one creature under the effect of 
  a Touch of Death at a time. You can choose to end 
  the vibrations harmlessly without using an action. 
  This ability is otherwise identical to the Quiver-
  ing Palm technique for the Way of the Open Hand 
  monastic tradition.
   
  Paladin Oath: Oath of Light
  The lightbringer paladins take an oath to the light, 
  but they are not usually bound to a god of the sun. 
  Rather, they represent the light that holds back 
  the darkness, and each of those paladins embodies 
  the efforts to beat back the shadows that threaten 
  to swallow the world. The oath of light is one of 
  dedication to the cause of fighting and defending, 
  and while it is violent by nature, the tenets of this 
  oath are of love and purity. They forge themselves 
  into a weapon of light through the struggle with 
  darkness, both within the hearts of people and of 
  the unspeakable horrors that lurk within the edges 
  of sight and sanity.
   
  Tenets of Devotion
  Though slightly different for each paladin, these 
  basic truths underline the values and scruples of 
  lightbringers.
  Vigilance. Never rest in the face of adversity or 
  peril if lives are at stake. Always be ready for 
  the threat that looms.
  Tenacity. Work to uncover the evil in the world, 
  and stamp it out. That evil can take many 
  forms.
  Wisdom. Be the leader that tends the flocks. 
  Show the compassion that the world sorely 
  needs.
  Discretion. Do not fight overwhelming odds. 
  You save more lives by valuing your own.
  Illumination. Without the combined light of all 
  good folk, your own light is dim. Cultivate the 
  light in others so that you do not stand alone 
  against the terror.
   
  
  35
  Oath Spells
  3rd bless, sanctuary
  5th lesser restoration, warding bond
  9th beacon of hope, daylight
  13th death ward, freedom of movement
  17th dispel evil and good, hallow
   
  Channel Divinity
  When you take this oath at level 3, you gain the 
  following two Channel Divinity options.
   
    Consecrate Ground. You can use your Chan-
  nel Divinity ability to protect an area from the 
  depredations of evil. As a bonus action, you 
  can create a 10-foot radius aura around your-
  self that keeps fiends, aberrations, and undead 
  out. If a fiend or undead wishes to enter the 
  area or take an action against anyone within 
  the radius of protection, they must make a 
  saving throw against your paladin spell save 
  DC. On a failure, they are unable to enter the 
  aura or take an action against those within the 
  aura for 1 minute, and they lose their action or 
  movement for that round. Those who succeed 
  can ignore the effect. This aura extends to 30 
  feet when you reach 18th level as a paladin.
    Bless the Flock. Your bless spell now blesses 
  more people when you use your Channel 
  Divinity, doubling the amount that you can 
  normally affect (6+2 for each slot level above 
  1st). Each recipient after the 4th must be of 
  lower CR or level than your level.
   
  Aura of Light
  Starting at 7th level, you can use an action to shed 
  bright light to a radius of 15 feet, and dim light 
  to a radius of 15 feet beyond that. This light lasts 
  for 1 minute. Ranged attacks made against you or 
  any allies within the bright light radius are made 
  at disadvantage. Outsiders and undead that enter 
  the area of bright light for the first time in a turn 
  must make a Wisdom saving throw, taking 3d6 
  radiant damage on a failure, or half as much on a 
  success. At level 18, the radius and damage of this 
  effect is doubled.
   Rebuke Evil
  At level 15, your smite is filled with a holy terror 
  that drives evil back. Aberrations, fiends or undead 
  that are damaged by your Divine Smite must make 
  a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save 
  DC. On a failure, that creature is turned for 1 
  minute, or until it takes damage.
     A turned creature must spend its turns trying to 
  move as far away from you as it can, and it can’t will-
  ingly move to a space within 30 feet of you, it also can’t 
  take reactions. For its action, it can use only the Dash 
  action or try to escape from an effect that prevents it 
  from moving. If there’s nowhere to move, the creature 
  can use the Dodge action.
   
  Angelic Blessings
  At level 20, When you use your Channel Divin-
  ity to extend the effects of bless to more people, 
  you may also affect all recipients as per the spell 
  holy aura, disregarding the original radius of the 
  spell. This effect does not require concentration 
  and lasts for 1 minute.
    
  Ranger Archetype: 
  Stalker of Horrors
  You specialize in the tracking and hunting of the 
  terrible monsters that stalk the shadows. You excel 
  at tracking, stalking and slaying these, and many 
  know you to be the preeminent expert on the sub-
  ject of monsters and their weaknesses.
  Though you are looked up to by many as a 
  savior, you are likely to be distrusted by authori-
  ties that might see you as a threat to their power, 
  as well as by monsters who see you as a danger to 
  their vile machinations. You may make unexpected 
  enemies even as you save the innocent from the 
  depredations of evil.
   
  Macabre Specialist 
  When you choose this archetype at level 3, you 
  begin to specialize your efforts towards a specific 
  type of enemy. You gain a new favored enemy, and 
  that favored enemy must be from the following 
  list: aberration, fey, fiend, or undead. You forfeit 
  
  36
  your next favored enemy choice at level 6. You may 
  still select an additional favored enemy of any type 
  at level 14.
   
  Exploit Weakness
  Also at level 3, You can choose to exploit the 
  weakness of a particular monster. When you are 
  fighting a creature that you have never encoun-
  tered before, you can spend an action to study 
  it. You must then make a Wisdom check with a 
  DC equal to 8 + the monster’s CR rating. If the 
  monster is one of your favored enemies, you have 
  advantage on this roll. If you succeed on this 
  check, you gain insight into one of the creature’s 
  weaknesses. Whether or not the creature has a 
  weakness, your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d8 
  damage once per turn for the next minute. Once 
  you use this ability, you must finish a short or long 
  rest before you can use it again.
   
  Deny Advantage
  At level 7, you learn how to exploit the strengths 
  of a creature, denying it an otherwise mighty 
  advantage. You can expend a spell slot as a reaction 
  to deny a creature a legendary action, a lair action, 
  a bonus action, or a reaction. You can also expend 
  a spell slot to disrupt the casting of an innate spell. 
  If you do so, the creature must make a Wisdom 
  saving throw against your spell save DC, losing the 
  action or spell on a failure. Lost actions or spells 
  are expended as if they had been used successfully. 
  If you use a 3rd or 4th level slot, the creature has 
  disadvantage on the saving throw to resist losing 
  its spell or action.
   
  Dark Stalker
  When you reach level 11, you strike fear into the 
  hearts of the beasts that you hunt. When you use 
  your Exploit Weakness ability on a creature that 
  is a favored enemy, you now gain a preternatural 
  ability to track and follow it. You magically are 
  aware of the creature’s general direction and dis-
  tance in relation to you. In addition, if the creature 
  does not attempt to confront you, it is considered 
  frightened and must flee from you until you cease 
  following it, or it confronts you. Though this 
  ability does not function if a creature is on an-
  other plane (i.e. the ethereal plane), it does reveal 
  the creature’s location as soon as it returns to the 
  material plane. Once a creature is marked by this 
  ability, it lasts for 1 week or until you dismiss the 
  mark. While a creature is marked, you cannot use 
  your Exploit Weakness ability.
   
  Slayer of Horrors
  When you achieve 15th level, your ability to stalk 
  and slay horrors reaches a new nadir. You have 
  advantage on attacks against your favored enemies.
   
  
  37
  Rogue Archetype: Detective
  You have a knack for finding things that don’t 
  want to be found and getting involved in danger-
  ous situations. You are still alive, which attests 
  to your tenacity and skill, but you walk life on 
  a razor’s edge. There are things out there that 
  shouldn’t be known, and yet you intend to know 
  them. There may be many reasons you seek the 
  truth. Perhaps you are looking for something 
  missing within you, or someone important to you. 
  Whatever your motivation, it has honed your skills 
  as a detective.
   Know your Enemy
  Starting at 3rd level, you learn the true strike 
  cantrip.
   
  Powers of Observation
  Starting at 3rd level, you can use the bonus ac-
  tion granted by your Cunning Action to take the 
  Search action. In addition, if not already proficient 
  in Survival, you can add your proficiency bonus to 
  Wisdom (survival) checks to follow tracks.
   
  Study Opponent
  Starting at 9th level, you can observe your enemies 
  and learn about them through mannerisms and 
  revealing tells. You must be within 50 feet of an 
  enemy to be able to study them. For each minute 
  you spend watching the creature, you learn one the 
  following characteristics:
    An ability score
    A skill
    A saving throw
    Total class levels (if any)
    Rogue class levels (if any)
  Most information is vague, rather than a nu-
  merical score (good, average, impressive, etc). At 
  the DM’s discretion, you might discover other 
  information such as a special ability, vulnerability, 
  or personality trait such as an ideal or bond.
   
  Network of Contacts
  By 9th level, you gain a number of informants 
  and allies that can help you. They are restricted 
  to a general area comprising of up to two of the 
  following: a city, a rural area, a trade route, a group 
  of transients (such as a circus or a nomadic tribe). 
  When dealing in or around such an area or group, 
  you gain advantage on Intelligence (Investigation) 
  checks due to their ability to keep you informed.
     When near your contacts, you may live a poor 
  lifestyle without paying the daily lifestyle expens-
  es, or provide a squalid one for yourself and up to 
  3 companions. You may also find safe haven with a 
  contact who will keep you from danger for a short 
  amount of time (a few hours or a day at most).
   
  Words of Instruction
  At 13th level, you are adept at aiding allies from 
  afar, tutoring them with well-placed words. You 
  can use your Cunning Action to grant an ally ad-
  vantage on their next attack roll. This ability works 
  out to a range of 15 feet. If the targeted ally does 
  not make an attack by the end of their next turn, 
  the ability lapses until you use it again.
   
  Deconstruct Opponent
  At 17th level, you gain advantage on checks and 
  attacks against any enemy that you have studied 
  for at least 1 minute in the last 24 hours.
   
  37
  
  38
  Sorcerous Origins: 
  Aberrant Bloodline
  You are descendant from a foul creature, and its 
  blood wreaks havoc in your family tree. Those in 
  your House are rarely and seemingly at random 
  born hideous, and with terrifying powers, and as 
  such, generation after generation has committed 
  infanticide on the abominations. You are one such 
  monster, cursed at birth yet spared the knife by 
  your mother, free to live out your miserable span 
  of existence a freak divorced from society. Yet your 
  power grows, as fearsome as your aspect and as 
  dreadful as your glare.
   
  Aberration Blood
  People can either see or sense that you are stranger 
  than most. At 1st level, you either have an awful 
  appearance, or an unnerving presence that confers 
  advantage on Intimidation checks, and a disadvan-
  tage on Persuasion checks.
   In addition, your skin is rubbery or thick. Your 
  armor class increases by 1 when you are wearing 
  light or no armor. At 6th level, this bonus to armor 
  class increases to 2 under the same conditions.
   Finally, you gain darkvision, the ability to see in dim 
  light within 30 feet of you as if it were bright light, and 
  in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern 
  color in darkness, only shades of gray. If you already 
  have darkvision, your range increases by 30 feet.
   
  Alien Corpus
  At 1st level, you may automatically succeed on a 
  saving throw against effects that give the blinded, 
  poisoned, or paralyzed or any effect that would grant 
  levels of exhaustion. You must use this ability instead 
  of dice roll. You may use this ability once, and regain 
  its use after finishing a short or long rest.
   
  Non-Euclidian Limbs
  At 6th level, your arms elongate to a hideously 
  disproportionate length. In addition, you can bend 
  them in strange and unnatural ways. Your reach 
  increases by 5 feet. Your elongated arms also give 
  you advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks 
  made to climb.
  Mind of their Own
  At 6th level, you can spend 1 sorcery point and a 
  bonus action to make one melee attack with your 
  flailing arms. At level 11, you can make two at-
  tacks when you use this ability.
   
  Chaotic Mind
  At 14th level, your tainted form has altered the na-
  ture of your brain, making you resistant to psychic 
  attacks, and more capable of inflicting them upon 
  others. You gain resistance to psychic damage and 
  have advantage on effects that cause the charmed 
  and frightened conditions.
   Additionally, you can emit a mind blast in a 
  60-foot cone as an action. Choose a number of 
  sorcery points to expend, to a maximum of 6. Each 
  creature in the cone must succeed on an Intelli-
  gence saving throw. taking 1d8 psychic damage for 
  each sorcery point and gain a level of exhaustion 
  on a failure, or take half as much damage and do 
  not take a level of exhaustion on a success. You can 
  use this ability twice, and regain spent uses after 
  finishing a long rest.
   
  Becoming the Monster
  At 18th level, your type is aberration in addition to 
  your normal type. You can use your action to magi-
  cally assume the shape of an aberration of a CR of 4 or 
  lower that you have seen before. This ability otherwise 
  works as the shapechange spell. You can retain this shape 
  for up to 10 minutes in a day and can dismiss it at will 
  (this requires no action). Once you dismiss the ability, 
  or 10 minutes elapse, you cannot use this ability again 
  until you finish a long rest.
   
  
  39
  Warlock Pact: Undead Lord
  You have been tainted by an undead creature of 
  great power, whether it be a lich or a vampire or 
  something else unfathomable and unliving. What-
  ever this creature’s reason for granting you power, 
  they are distant and aloof, nudging you through 
  dark dreams and subtle whispers. Whether it 
  means you are free to do as you please or are con-
  trolled by their imperceptible machinations is un-
  known to you. What is certain is that your power 
  grows as your connection to a mortal life wanes.
   
  Expanded Spell List
  These spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
  Level
  Spells
  1st
  bane, false life
  2nd
  levitate, detect thoughts
  3rd
  animate dead, bestow curse
  4th
  dominate beast, phantasmal killer
  5th
  dominate person, telekinesis
   
  Spark of Death
  At 1st level, you have been touched with the pall 
  of death, and are marked by its cold hand. You no 
  longer have to eat, drink, or even breathe; however, 
  you do need to sleep. In addition, you gain advan-
  tage on rolls to resist gaining levels of exhaustion 
  or becoming paralyzed or poisoned.
   
  Superior Darkvision
  At 1st level, you can see in dim light within 60 feet 
  of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness 
  as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in 
  darkness, only shades of grey. If you already possess 
  darkvision, it extends to 120 feet.
   
  Shapechanger
  Starting at 6th level, you can shapechange (as per 
  the spell) into a Tiny bat or a Medium wolf. Once 
  you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you 
  complete a short or long rest.
   
  Deaden Mind
  Starting at 10th level, you have advantage on sav-
  ing throws against being charmed or frightened.
   
  Dark Apotheosis
  Starting at 14th level, you have resistance to cold, 
  necrotic, poison and psychic damage. You also gain 
  a vulnerability to radiant damage.
   
  
  40
  Arcane Tradition: Void Savant
  This arcane tradition is dedicated to the study of 
  things beyond the light of the stars. While some of 
  their abilities align with the Necromantic tradi-
  tion, many of them delve into the matters of sanity, 
  the bending of reality, and the bridging of time 
  and space to visit eldritch horrors upon the world.
   Alternately, this tradition may even be the only 
  hope for a world that has already known the touch 
  of chaos incarnate and is the study of how to lock 
  such things away.
   
  Student of Madness
  At level 2, you gain the ability to resist madness. 
  You gain resistance to psychic damage. In addition, 
  you ignore the effects written text or runes that 
  would cause insanity, and you gain advantage on 
  any other ability that can cause insanity.
   
  Touch of the Void
  Also at level 2, you begin to internalize the teach-
  ings of the space between the stars. Touch of the 
  Void is a special cantrip that is available only to 
  Void Savants, and those desperate enough to risk 
  their sanity by researching the forbidden spell. The 
  Touch of the Void cantrip functions as follow.
   
  Touch of the Void
  Necromancy Cantrip
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 60 feet.
  Components: S, M (a small glass container 
  devoid of air)
  Duration: 1 round
   You cast an invisible bolt that withers the victim. 
  Make a ranged spell attack against a creature. This 
  roll is made with advantage against creatures af-
  flicted with some form of madness. On a hit, the 
  target takes 1d8 psychic damage and is exposed to 
  madness. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points with 
  this spell are not killed; instead, they are incapaci-
  tated, have 1 hp, and are afflicted with a perma-
  nent madness. A creature can only receive one such 
  permanent madness from this spell.
  This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you 
  reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 
  17th level (4d8)
   
  Hedging out the Madness
  At level 6, you add the magic circle spell to your 
  spellbook, if it is not there already. You are able 
  to cause the spell to affect aberrations in addition 
  to the types outlined in the spell. In addition, you 
  can cast this spell once without needing to use a 
  spell slot and can do so again after a long rest. At 
  level 12, you can cast this spell without expending 
  material components.
   
  Understanding of Chaos
  At level 10, you begin to learn the forbidden secrets 
  that dance in the minds of creatures stranger than 
  you can fathom. You can telepathically communicate 
  with aberrations, undead, and fiends even if they 
  do not normally have a language. These creatures 
  have disadvantage when resisting your enchantment 
  spells, and can be charmed by your magic regardless 
  of their condition immunities. However, creatures 
  that are normally immune get advantage on any 
  relevant saving throws to avoid these conditions. 
  Also, these creatures are prone to seek you out in the 
  dream realm and whisper dark secrets to you. You 
  are at a disadvantage to resist any madness or sanity 
  effects originating from an aberration.
   
  Strange Aeons
  At level 14, you can risk the fabric of reality to 
  bring the madness of the void into being. By 
  performing a 1-minute ritual, you can gain one of 
  the following benefits, granted by powers unknow-
  able and unthinkable. You can have only one such 
  benefit at any one time.
     Form of Madness. For the next hour, you gain 
  the aberrant type in addition to your own. You 
  are immune to the charmed, frightened, para-
  lyzed and stunned conditions. Your strange new 
  body grants you a reach of 10 feet, a Strength 
  of 20, and 20 temporary hit points.
    Might of Madness. For the next hour, all of 
  your spell slots from levels 1-2 are instead 5th 
  level spell slots.
  
  41
    Touch of Madness. For the next hour, you are 
  considered protected as through by the symbol 
  spell, using the effect of the glyph of insanity. 
  The glyph activates when you are attacked, or 
  when you will it to trigger. You can exclude up 
  to 4 allies from the effect.
   When any of these effects lapse, you must make 
  a Wisdom saving throw against your own spell 
  save DC. If you fail, you must perform a sacrifice 
  of a sentient being to the Old Ones before the new 
  moon. This is a magical effect that compels you to 
  perform the sacrifice as per the geas spell, and can 
  only be avoided by a remove curse, greater restora-
  tion or wish spell cast by another creature. Immu-
  nity to the charmed condition or to enchantment 
  spells does not protect you from this compulsion.
   If you succeed at the saving throw you can avoid 
  the call of madness; you can benefit from this 
  ability again after you have finished a long rest. 
  Otherwise, you cannot benefit from this ability 
  again until you perform the sacrifice. At level 18, 
  the ritual necessary to gain these benefits can be 
  performed in one action.
   As important as a race or class, a character’s 
  background can speak volumes. In a horror set-
  ting, there are other circumstances that can define 
  a person, and here we hope to present ones that 
  are well suited for such a campaign. As always, 
  remember that backgrounds represent a rough 
  guideline and that the best background is the one 
  that best suits your character concept.
   
  41
  
  42
  Monster Hunter
  To hunt monsters, you must have a strong moral 
  compass and clearly understand that evil must be 
  pursued and eliminated. You often risk life and 
  limb to vanquish the plentiful threats that prey on 
  innocents. Your work is never done, but you won-
  der what there could be for you if there was.
   As an adventurer, you bring the fight to the mon-
  sters that threaten everything you love. You seek them 
  in their caves and lairs, hoping to drive terror into 
  them as they do to their prey. You may not necessarily 
  want to drag others on your personal crusade against 
  evil, but you gladly accompany them, as their goals 
  often match yours.
   Skill Proficiency. Arcana, Religion
  Languages. Two of your choice.
  Equipment. A monster-hunting kit, a vial of 
  holy water, a set of darkly colored clothing, and a 
  holy symbol.
   
  Feature: Trusted Savior
  As a monster hunter, you are often regarded well by 
  those who are helpless against the beasts that roam 
  the night. As such, many seek you out for help, but 
  give what they can in return. Among the common 
  people, you can live well, at the equivalent of poor 
  without having to expend any of your own resources.
   Many openly seek you for your ability to defeat 
  monsters, and you are often offered employment, 
  whether it is to rid the sewers of mutated rats, or 
  saving a noble’s son from hungry horrors. Complet-
  ing these tasks often provide you with the trust and 
  love of locals who have few other heroes to revere.
   
  Suggested Characteristics
  A monster hunter tends to be a strange and trou-
  bled individual. Whether their intentions are pure, 
  selfish, or darker still, their personalities tend to be 
  exceedingly peculiar. Loved by many, it is this hero 
  worship that both allows a monster hunter to con-
  tinue his strange behavior, as well as compounding 
  any personality quirks and flaws that are otherwise 
  left unchecked.
   
  D8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I am hunting a specific monster that 
  caused me great pain long ago.
  2
  I hunt monsters and any that suffer their 
  presence. Traitors are not safe from my 
  wrath!
  3
  My sleep is fleeting and unpredictable. 
  My waking hours are tainted with waking 
  dreams.
  4
  I am an ardent follower of a faith or be-
  lief and tie that practice into my hunting 
  practices.
  5
  My drive to hunt is fueled by my loved 
  ones. I want to make the world safe for 
  them.
  6
  I enjoy killing things, but only by killing 
  monsters am I venerated.
  7
  The darkness has a special appeal to me. 
  I wish to study the things I kill and learn 
  more.
  8
  Killing monsters is the only way I know 
  how to make myself feel anything.
  D6
  Ideals
  1
  Fury. Monsters must be hunted with ex-
  treme prejudice.(Any)
  2
  Charity. The people of this beleaguered 
  world need help. (Good)
  3
  Madness. Defeating evil is the only thing 
  that quiets the voices. (Chaotic)
  4
  Faith. I am driven by higher forces to do 
  my holy duty. (Lawful)
  Chapter 04 - Horror Backgrounds
  
  43
  The Investigator
   Though you hold no special title or position, you 
  are an inveterate seeker of truths. To this end, you 
  find yourself compelled to search in dangerous 
  locations, and are the first to broach understanding 
  or gather clandestine pieces of information. These 
  traits can bring you to intense danger, but they do 
  not hinder their quest for knowledge.
  You are likely to gather teams meant to explore 
  the unknown, pushing them into action despite any 
  of their natural misgivings. It is your bravado and 
  ingenuity that keeps your team anchored and united 
  against the darkness and its denizens. What you do 
  not anticipate, however, is that your search for the 
  truth may lead you to your own end, or worse.
  Skill Proficiency. Survival, Investigation
  Languages. Any Exotic
  Equipment. Investigator’s kit, traveling clothes, 
  three days rations.
   
  Feature: Trusted Source
  People may see you as a madman seeking informa-
  tion that no one wishes to unearth, but they realize 
  that you are likely to know more than most about 
  the horrors that rampage across the countryside. 
  You may, in fact, have a tidbit of information that 
  may help fell a marauding beast or cure an ob-
  scure disease, poison or curse. But more than that, 
  people see in you a hope against the helplessness 
  that plagues their daily existence. As the days grow 
  ever further towards the lip of oblivion, you will be 
  among the few trusted to help the beleaguered, as 
  long as they don’t happen to think that you propa-
  gated these terrible events.
   You are likely to be sought as a voice of reason and 
  are even given information on various perils. A noble 
  may trust you to keep his dark secrets, provided you 
  can help rid him of a supernatural problem. A group of 
  cloistered clerics may turn to you in their darkest hour 
  when their monastery is beset by some unimaginable 
  monster, and these people can become valuable allies 
  and informants as you continue to seek new and mind-
  numbing truths.
  5
  Revenge. I will not stop until the objects 
  of my scorn are destroyed. (Any)
  6
  Balance. The world is swaying into an 
  age of darkness unless I can stop it. (Any)
   
  D6
  Bonds
  1
  I owe my life to a mentor who has shown 
  me how to combat the dark.
  2
  I search for a cure for my sister’s disease, 
  brought about by evil forces.
  3
  My duty is to the helpless innocents.
  4
  The darkness has taken something from 
  me, and I plan to carve a repayment.
  5
  The encroaching darkness has taken from 
  me a special person that I wish to honor.
  6
  I hope to inspire others to fight. The dark-
  ness cannot be combated alone.
   
  D6
  Flaws
  1
  My social skills are lacking.
  2
  I suspect treachery everywhere.
  3
  I can speak endlessly about monster lore.
  4
  I have no need for coin unless it can help 
  me fight evil.
  5
  I’d rather kill monsters than help the 
  wounded or needy.
  6
  I am as remorseless as the things I hunt.
  
  44
   Alternate Feature: 
  Agent of the Crown
  You are investigating directly under the auspice of 
  some organizational sanction. You may or may not 
  share this information with everyone, but your ob-
  jectives are aligned with your benefactors. As such, 
  you have a more focused and supportive network 
  of contacts. While you may not garner sympa-
  thy or trust from others, you are backed by your 
  organization, and can regularly expect to receive 
  supplies and equipment as long as you are doing 
  your duty, as well as safe houses and assistance 
  from other agents that share your cause.
   If you are in a large population center, you can 
  make contact with a fellow agent within 1d12 hours, 
  and receive a tangible resupply within 3d12 hours.
   
  Suggested Characteristics
  As an investigator, you do things that others 
  wouldn’t do and know things that others wouldn’t 
  think to consider. There are many traits that may 
  exemplify an investigator, but normal would not be 
  prominent among them.
   
  D8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I can’t stop asking questions!
  2
  I have amazing powers of deduction, and I 
  leave no clue uninspected.
  3
  I require silence to do my work. I detest 
  noise.
  4
  My art is as important as my investigation, 
  and I often paint what I find.
  5
  The truth does not come to those who wait. 
  I must seek it regardless of the cost.
  6
  The darkness is my friend, and I feel 
  lonely without it.
  7
  I am only at ease when investigating. 
  Sitting still for too long is unsettling.
  8
  Investigation comes easy to me, and it 
  bores me, but I am too good at it to stop.
   
  D6
  Ideals
  1
  Duty. The work of investigation is too 
  important to abandon. (Lawful)
  2
  Revenge. Information is power, and it can 
  bring enemies to their knees.(Any)
  3
  Charity. The truth is beautiful. The darkness 
  can only be dispelled with light. (Good)
  4
  Anarchy. Oppressive forces cannot keep 
  the truth from surfacing. (Chaotic)
  5
  Creativity. The compulsion to learn about 
  the world is strong, and I cannot resist its 
  call. (Chaotic)
  6
  Tradition. Obligation supersedes many 
  things, including fear of the unknown. 
  (Lawful)
   
  D6
  Bonds
  1
  I have a fellow investigator with whom I 
  trade information. I seldom see them, but 
  our bond is deep.
  2
  My family does not like my work, but they 
  love me, and I, them.
  3
  My loyalty is to my kingdom, and my 
  fealty drives me to discover things to help 
  keep it safe.
  4
  I love my benefactor, and do everything 
  for them, even if they were not of a higher 
  station.
  5
  A lead is valuable, and I will chase it until 
  I can crack it, or discern it as false.
  6
  My memories will outlive my descendants 
  if I can live to complete them.
   
  D6
  Flaws
  1
  I dislike sleeping indoors.
  2
  I trust no one unless they have thorough-
  ly proven themselves.
  3
  I speak in a strange affectation, some-
  times peppering in odd phrases or exotic 
  languages.
  4
  I dress and live like a peasant. I would 
  never want to stand out.
  5
  I communicate through writing more of-
  ten than speech, and I often use ciphers.
  6
  For me, no topic or knowledge is off limits.
  
  45
  The Innocent
   The innocent is a rare creature in this world, as they 
  have not felt the growth of evil or cynicism in their 
  hearts. Hope still brims within them, and many 
  spend entire lifetimes struggling to bring it into the 
  life of others. Some may be loved ones or even com-
  plete strangers, but the intentions of the Innocent 
  are pure, and their efforts awe-inspiring.
   The innocent are unique in that they are largely 
  ignorant (or tolerant) of the terror and strife that 
  shackle the general populace. This trait does not 
  give them any special protection against the dep-
  redations of the creatures that lurk in the shadows, 
  nor does it protect them from the evils that exist in 
  the hearts of mortal beings, for that matter. It does 
  motivate them to work, as innocents tend to believe 
  that a difference can be made; in rare instances, 
  this belief can be realized by these otherwise naive 
  individuals.
   While innocents can sometimes be fooled into 
  dangerous situations, or are easy prey for the bound-
  less evils of this world, they are sometimes favored and 
  protected by other heroes and benefactors, though this 
  arrangement may be only marginally better than being 
  thrown to the proverbial wolves.
   Skill Proficiency. Insight, Persuasion
  Languages. One standard language of your choice.
  Equipment. Traveling clothes, a journal, 5 days 
  worth of rations, and a holy symbol or trinket.
   Feature: Witness of Fate.
  Though many awful forces in the world revel in 
  destroying innocence and purity, there are many 
  more that simply ignore such objects, their think-
  ing too alien or maligned to even recognize such 
  a concept. A corrupt noble may not notice your 
  presence as he flees from the scene of a murder, or 
  a twisted monster may move past you and attack 
  a target perceived as more dangerous. This cannot 
  protect you when a creature or person has reason to 
  specifically wish you harm, but you can often get by 
  when you are simply a bystander. Not only are you 
  safe from physical harm, but your non-threatening 
  nature also affords you a great many secrets.
   Suggested Characteristics
  The innocent are a curious lot and come from 
  many walks of life, but their unique viewpoint 
  makes them stand out in against the tides of 
  pessimism. That having been said, many of their 
  characteristics run counter to that of other more 
  weathered people.
   
  D8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I fight for justice, and I will 
  change the world!
  2
  Evil is just another 
  word for misunderstood.
  3
  What if you could make money by killing 
  these monsters? I could be rich!
  4
  The world needs a healer, and 
  I will take up the mantle.
  5
  I must see the world; the 
  danger is just a distraction.
  6
  I am on a pilgrimage, and the 
  road is my crucible.
  7
  Others must know what I know; they must 
  see what I see.
  8
  Purity is an ideal to which I must strive, 
  and I must be the example to others.
  D6
  Ideals
  1
  Charity. This world is dark enough 
  without compassion. We must help 
  everyone we can. (Good)
  2
  Faith. The only thing we have if the provi-
  dence of the higher power. We must vener-
  ate it at all cost. (Lawful)
  3
  Tradition. The past is a thing of beauty and 
  a strong beacon of hope. We must preserve 
  it. (Lawful)
  4
  Beauty. I wish to bring peace and purity 
  into this world, however, limited or fleet-
  ing it may be. (Good)
  5
  Friendship. I owe everything to 
  my friends, and gladly repay them 
  each and every day. (Any)
  6
  Against Evil. The shadows cannot swallow 
  the light. I will fight so that the light can 
  shine! (Good)
   
  
  46
  D6
  Bonds
  1
  My village is my family, and I work to 
  make their lives better.
  2
  I enjoy the company of like-minded 
  people, and I hope for their well-being.
  3
  The church is a cause worthy of dying for.
  4
  I will one day map out these dangerous 
  lands, and that will be my legacy.
  5
  I want to be recognized by those around 
  me as something more than a simpleton.
  6
   Eventually, people will stop 
  thinking that I am so innocent.
  D6
  Flaws
  1
  I will listen to anyone, 
  and consider all points.
  2
  I am curious to a fault.
  3
  I will help the innocent whenever I can, no 
  matter the danger to myself.
  4
  Books are my playground, and I seek them 
  out and read at every available moment.
  5
  I am a terminal daydreamer.
  6
  I observe obsessive religious                  
  taboos and bans.
  The Mad
  You have experienced the horrors of the world and 
  have come from the ordeal a little unhinged. You 
  tend to meddle with these unknown forces, even 
  pursuing them, drawn to their secrets. You tend to 
  be less afraid of the concepts of horror, and even 
  willing to stomach acts others might find deplorable. 
  Many feel a combination of pity and contempt for 
  you as you pass through this life with less cogni-
  zance of the horrors that pervade the world.
  You must select a permanent madness or work 
  with your GM to create a new permanent madness. 
  This trait defines your interaction with others, and 
  your ability to handle and cope with reality. You 
  may be required to observe certain personal taboos 
  to keep you sane enough to adventure, even if that 
  requirement rankles your associates. It is likely that 
  they abide it to avoid whatever consequences may 
  result from your bouts of insanity.
  Skill Proficiencies. Insight, Survival
  Tool Proficiencies. One type of artisan tools 
  (your choice).
  Languages. Any Exotic.
  Equipment. Crude charcoal writing tool, artisan 
  tools (matching proficiency), a trinket that wards 
  away bad feelings (roll on trinket table), a crude 
  improvised weapon, a set of tattered but functional 
  clothes, and a tin case holding 57 copper pieces 
  and a dried eyeball.
   
  Feature: Harmless Coot
  People very often take pity on you, given your 
  quixotic relationship with reality. This pity can 
  take many forms, but most of them involve being 
  ignored and patronized. This may or may not 
  please you, but ultimately it has saved you from 
  being questioned by constabularies, bothered by 
  thugs, and even bandit attacks. Unless you are em-
  broiled in a terrible circumstance, you are ignored 
  to your benefit by any authorities or strangers that 
  might otherwise accost or detain you. No prison 
  would keep you out of a desire not to handle your 
  mental state. You are considered so harmless that 
  most simply boot you on your way out. You may 
  even be pitied enough that you are given a few 
  coppers and a meal, in the hopes that it will pla-
  cate you enough to prolong your absence.
   You have a shack somewhere in a remote loca-
  tion that people rarely visit, and where even beasts 
  fear to tread. You are drawn to its natural energies 
  which seem to harmonize with your own, and none 
  other. This is a true safehouse for both your body 
  and mind, remote and quiet enough for you to 
  relate to the only person who really gets you.
   
  
  47
  Alternate Feature: 
  Wizened Codger
  You are considered a foremost expert in some 
  subject, very likely to do with the local surround-
  ings or some old local legends. You are sought out 
  with some reluctance by people wishing to learn 
  more about you and your information. You (and 
  only you) enjoy a modest lifestyle in whatever 
  settlement you reside. If you are in a new settle-
  ment that may wish to partake of your wisdom 
  (GM discretion), you instead enjoy a poor lifestyle 
  as you regale the locals with wild tales and your 
  unique personality.
   You may also trade information with others, 
  no matter where you are and have an easier time 
  finding those like you that are adept at gathering 
  information.
   It should be noted that you are still viewed with 
  a curious concern by those who deal with you, and 
  some may even take issue with your strange ways, 
  but your knowledge is appreciated enough to keep 
  you from being openly despised.
   
  Suggested Characteristics
  A man is afflicted by a pervading madness that 
  will color their personality and perspective. More-
  over, they are not loners but are often hedged into 
  the outskirts of a settlement, away from people 
  who may take offense at their antics. As such, their 
  madness often has time to ferment.
   
  D8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I only differentiate people by voice and 
  refrain from identifying someone until I 
  hear them speak.
  2
  Every stranger is a friend I haven’t met.   
  3
  I talk to myself as often as possible, stop-
  ping only if it is brought to my attention, 
  at which time I deny having talked to 
  myself at all.
  4
  Maintaining eye contact is an issue for me 
  (either too intense or none at all).
  5
  I invented a silly walk.
  6
  I like to talk myself through my mental 
  logic and invite others to take part.
  7
  I suffer from bouts of amnesia.
  8
  Delusion. I am a master tradesman.
   
  D6
  Ideal
  1
  Self. I abhor the things that try to change 
  who I am. (Any)
  2
  Knowledge. I have a secret, but I need to 
  share it with the right people. (Any)
  3
  Charity. I see the madness in others, and 
  I want to help them. (Good)
  4
  Tranquility. We must live at peace with 
  others when possible, so as not to foment 
  more pain. (Any)
  5
  Preservation. The monsters of the world 
  must be wiped out (and that includes 
  monsters in human form). (Any)
  6
  Change. Everyone else is crazy, and I need 
  to make them see the light. (Chaotic)
   
  D6
  Bond
  1
  I must recover the corpse of my mother.
  2
  A childhood friend misses me, and I need 
  to let them know that I’m ok.
  3
  I want to be normal again before I forget 
  what it’s like.
  4
  I used to be normal. Something did this 
  to me, and I want revenge!
  5
  Somewhere there exists the source of all 
  madness, and I will find it!
  6
  The meaning of life laps at the shores of 
  my mind. Somewhere I can find the miss-
  ing pieces.
   
  D6
  Flaw
  1
  I believe that someone close to me is an 
  imposter, replaced by some sinister force.
  2
  I relive a past life in times of extreme 
  stress, embodying my former self.
  3
  Certain bright colors elicit extreme emo-
  tional responses. This may be one or more 
  colors or one or more emotions related to 
  those colors.
  4
  I lack empathy.
  5
  I want a dangerous monster as a pet.
  6
  Night Terrors.
  
  48
  The Survivor
  You are a survivor. Your life has been altered by 
  the terror and hardships of the world, and you are 
  inexorably changed by the experience. Your sanity 
  may be diminished, but you are hardy and ready to 
  continue struggling for the next dawn. It is your 
  wisdom and knowledge that will see you through 
  another day, but that doesn’t necessarily endear you 
  to others. You may have a soft spot for those who 
  were once like you, less inured to the world and its 
  challenges, so you may occasionally find compas-
  sion for them. You do not, however, suffer fools.
  Skill Proficiencies: Perception, Survival
  Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools 
  (your choice)
  Languages: One of your choice
  Equipment: A simple weapon, a tent, a knife, 
  a set of traveler’s clothes, and two days worth of 
  rations.
  Feature: Not on My Watch!
  You are so paranoid that you regularly set simple 
  traps before you sleep. Anyone trying to sneak up 
  on you while you sleep does so at a disadvantage. 
  If they succeed, you can act during the surprise 
  round with disadvantage on all of your attack rolls. 
  Additionally, you are considered awake for half 
  of the 8 hours while you as asleep, as you have 
  trained yourself to rest with your eyes open, and at 
  times even while standing!
  This feature does not work if you are inebri-
  ated when you go to sleep, or if you have another 
  person sleeping next to you.
   
  Suggested Characteristics
  Survivors have experienced a great deal of emotional 
  trauma, which makes it difficult for them to form emo-
  tional attachments. They can be suspicious, possibly to 
  the point of paranoia. Some survivors have difficulty 
  thinking about the future, dwelling on the past and 
  their regrets. Other survivors plan for any contingency, 
  hoping to avoid future tragedies.
   
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I cannot betray my emotions until I am alone.
  2
  I am a realist, and the worst is something 
  to expect.
  3
  Be ready for life, because it certainly is 
  ready for you.
  4
  Laughter can unnerve your enemies. A 
  quick wit even more.
  5
  I don’t know how to turn off the instincts 
  of a warrior.
  6
  Logic is my god, and I worship him with 
  my words and actions.
  7
  Plans are my area of expertise.
  8
  Sadness and anger are the cups from which 
  I drink.
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  Aspiration. Only my efforts can mitigate 
  disaster. (Any)
  2
  Power. Control is the only comfort I know, 
  and the only guarantee of success. (Evil)
  3
  Vengeance. The best revenge is a well-laid 
  trap. (Evil)
  4
  Live and Let Live. Don’t bother me. Con-
  flict only attracts danger. (Neutral)
  5
  Anarchy. Rules and law have failed. Only 
  chaos can survive. (Chaotic)
  6
   Community. Only by watching each 
  other’s backs can we hope to fight back. 
  (Lawful)
  d6
  Bond
  1
  Those around me keep me calm. Solitude 
  is maddening.
  2
  I failed to help others once. Never again.
  3
  I’m running from something, and I don’t 
  like talking about it.
  4
  My mentor taught me everything I know.
  5
  My family is safe somewhere. I just need 
  to find the tools to make them safer.
  6
  Killing makes the world better if you kill 
  the right things.
   
  
  49
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I only myself and one other person, and 
  that person is dead.
  2
  Death fascinates me.
  3
  Strangers are trouble waiting to happen.
  4
  The trauma of my past causes me to have 
  flashbacks at bad times.
  5
  My life is unimportant if I can take my 
  enemies down with me.
  6
  People call me eccentric when I let them talk.
  
  50
  Magical spells and weapons, silvered bullets, 
  wooden stakes and more are not enough in a horror 
  campaign. Protagonists must possess the inherent 
  skills and abilities to take out the horrific foes that 
  assail them. These skills are often born of madness, 
  desperation, or even the occult. They can also be 
  born of mortal ingenuity, from those who tire of the 
  depredations of the evils that stalk the night. These 
  skills and talents are often focused toward decidedly 
  evil creatures, but more often than not, their use can 
  transcend the fight against evil horrors.
  New Skill: Monster Lore
  The shambling figure that is coming up the road 
  toward your party should be recognizable as a 
  ghoul to just about everyone in your party. The 
  current rules for 5th Edition, however, don’t take 
  into account the all-important knowledge skill of 
  monster identification.
  The core concept behind Monster Lore is that 
  each class knows a little about monsters that the 
  class deals with on a regular basis. As such, each 
  class can use their proficiency bonus when try-
  ing to identify and learn more about the creatures 
  that they encounter. In addition, as the character 
  gains power and experience, they should also gain 
  knowledge and insight regarding creatures that 
  they have faced before. We are exploring both of 
  these concepts in the Monster Lore derived skill.
   Derived Skills
  Below is a system for using a derived skill called 
  Monster Lore. First though, let’s discuss what a 
  derived skill is. This type of skill is one that comes 
  from existing skills but encompasses more than 
  just one of the focuses of that skill. Monster Lore 
  is more than just Investigation. It is more than 
  just Arcana. Based on the type of creature that you 
  are attempting to get information about, it could 
  be any of the five skill focuses that fall under the 
  Intelligence ability score.
   
  Table: Monster Lore Affinities
  Type
  Focus
  Affinity
  Aberrations
  Arcana
  Monk
  Beasts
  Nature
  Barbarian
  Celestials
  Religion
  None
  Constructs
  Investigation
  Bard
  Dragons
  Arcana
  Sorcerer
  Elementals
  Arcana
  Warlock
  Fey
  Nature
  Wizard
  Fiends
  Religion
  Paladin
  Giants
  History
  Fighter
  Humanoids
  History
  Rogue
  Monstrosities
  Investigation
  Ranger
  Oozes
  Investigation
  None
  Plants
  Nature
  Druid
  Undead
  Religion
  Cleric
   
  Affinity
  Every character class in 5th Edition has certain 
  natural tendencies that they lean toward when work-
  ing out their class skills. You could say it is as simple as 
  fighters fight, druids do forest stuff and the like. But if 
  you look at the classes closely each of them have an af-
  finity to do certain things. When creating the Monster 
  Lore rules, we carefully looked at each class and tried 
  to figure out how they would match up to our chart 
  in regards to what monsters they should specialize in. 
  Chapter 05 - Skills & Feats
  
  51
  Let’s take a look at each of our classes and see why they 
  have an affinity for certain monster types.
  Barbarian – Encountered frequently in the 
  wilds, beasts are the natural enemy of those 
  that roam the steppes, plains, and less trav-
  eled roads. The children of barbarian tribes 
  are brought up listening to the stories of these 
  creatures and how their legendary heroes 
  defeated them.
  Bard – Steeped in lore as part of their tradition, 
  young bards are often regaled with stories 
  regarding the strange and unusual creations of 
  arcane and divine casters. Golems, animated 
  items, and other constructs fit prominently 
  into these tales and so a fair bit of knowledge 
  is transferred in the telling.
  Cleric – Clerics of both weal and woe know un-
  dead creatures all too well. Those of weal seek 
  to drive them off and destroy these menaces to 
  their goodly communities while those of woe 
  control these powerful creatures to do their 
  bidding.
  Druid – Attuned in a spiritual way to the world 
  around them it is appropriate that druids have 
  an affinity for Nature and the natural creatures 
  that inhabit their territories.
  Fighter – Brought out to fight the largest of hu-
  manoid monsters, fighters (especially dwarves) 
  have an affinity for taking down the biggest of 
  bullies, the giants.
  Monk – Finding weaknesses in their enemies is 
  one of the specialties of these fearsome hand-
  to-hand warriors. Despite aberrations some-
  times-unique physiology it is only a matter of 
  time before the monk will find their weakness.
  Paladin – Whereas their clerical partners un-
  derstand undead, paladins have a particular 
  knowledge of the most evil of creatures, fiends. 
  Their affinity runs as deep as their hatred for 
  these foul creatures from the nether regions.
  Ranger – Rangers are attuned to their environ-
  ment and when foul monstrosities stalk the 
  land, the rangers will no doubt be stalking 
  them. Their affinity for these creatures comes 
  from experience just as much as folklore.
  Rogue – When the rogue goes looking for that 
  perfect place to strike, it helps to know that 
  no matter the size or shape, a humanoid is 
  a humanoid and just about all of them have 
  hearts, lungs, and other soft parts usually in 
  the same places.
  Sorcerer – The special link that many sorcerers 
  share with dragons gives these mages a special 
  affinity for the scaled giants; knowing their 
  strengths, weaknesses, and lore.
  Warlock – In tune with the primal forces that 
  shape the universe, warlocks understand the 
  ties that bind elementals not only to this 
  plane but to their very existence as an almost 
  instinctive feeling.
  Wizard – Fey and their natural affinity for 
  magic have always fascinated those who study 
  the arcane arts. Many of them dream of one 
  day being able to cast spells with the ease and 
  grace of these unusual and secretive creatures.
  Monster Lore Rules
  The standard DC for any Monster Lore check is 
  12. INT is the primary ability score for Monster 
  Lore so any bonus to the characters INT score will 
  reduce this base number.
   All creature types line up to a focus on an 
  Intelligence skill as outlined below. This becomes 
  important as certain class features allow for profi-
  ciency bonuses to be doubled when working with 
  certain aspects/focuses of an ability score.
   
  The Difficulty Class of 12 is modified by Chal-
  lenge Rating and Class affinity as follows: 
    Monster Challenge Rating– The creature’s 
  challenge rating is a measure of its power and 
  in this case, its notoriety. As such, add the chal-
  lenge rating to the base DC for the Monster 
  
  52
  Lore check. The eight-legged basilisk has a 
  challenge rating of 3, so the base DC to know 
  information about the creature would be 15.
    Class Affinity – Each class has a certain af-
  finity for a monster type. This affinity is based 
  on how often the class would normally have 
  contact and or interact with that particular 
  creature type. For example, clerics would have 
  more contact and deal with undead than any 
  other class, therefore they have an affinity 
  with that monster type. If the character class 
  has an affinity, then they can add their pro-
  ficiency bonus to their Monster Lore check. 
  In the case of our basilisk, rangers are often 
  called out to deal with unnatural monstrosities 
  and so a ranger would gain their Proficiency 
  Bonus when trying to remember information 
  about the deadly beast.
   
  Once you have a Difficulty Class, the player will 
  roll. Based on how well that roll went they can 
  gain information about the creature. For every two 
  points above the minimum roll required, the player 
  gains a bit more information about the creature as 
  outlined in the Monster Lore Information Table.
   
  MONSTER LORE INFORMATION
  Roll
  Information Given
  +0
  Name, Type, Challenge Level*
  +2
  History **
  +4
  Special Ability/Defense
  +6
  Weakness/Vulnerability
  +8
  Additional information of the 
  Game Master’s choice
  *Challenge Level – This is a gauge that weighs 
  how powerful the creature is versus how powerful 
  the character is. The scale ranges from Poor, Weak, 
  Balanced, Dangerous, Overpowered. For instance, a 
  4th level cleric who correctly identifies a deva would 
  also be told that they were a celestial and that the 
  challenge would be Overpowered.
   ** History – This gives you, the Game Master, 
  some leeway in regards to what you want to tell the 
  players. You can give them a bit of interesting lore 
  regarding the creature or possibly a story that might 
  give them a hint as to how to defeat it.
   
  Working Example
  Let’s take a look at some examples and see how 
  they would work in your game.
   Our ranger is 6th level and has an Intelligence 
  score of 14 (+2 bonus). Her base DC for Monster 
  Lore is 10 (base 12 - 2 for Intelligence bonus). If 
  she encounters a monster with the monstrosity 
  descriptor, then she gains a +3 proficiency bonus 
  due to a class affinity for that particular creature 
  type, reducing the DC to a 7.
   Farmers have been complaining about their livestock 
  turning to statues and our ranger is charged to inves-
  tigate. Through careful tracking, she finally finds the 
  horrible beast, a basilisk (monstrosity) roaming through 
  the woods. Wanting to know more about the creature 
  before she dives headfirst into battle the player asks for 
  a Monster Lore check and rolls a 15. Let’s see what 
  that 15 gets her.
   The ranger’s DC for monstrosities is a 7 and the 
  roll is 8 above it. She would gain the following 
  information about the
  beast from the Game Master:
   
    0 - Basilisk, Monstrosity, Challenge 3
  +2 – Basilisks are eight-legged beasts normally 
  encountered in subterranean lairs. The beasts 
  act as guardians for treasure troves although 
  they are terribly difficult to control.
  +4 – Their gaze will turn you to stone. If you 
  avert your eyes you have a chance of avoiding 
  this fate, however, it is not certain.
  +6 – Fortunately basilisks are not known for 
  their intelligence and they can be tricked into 
  attacking their own reflections with their 
  deadly gaze.
  
  53
   Feats
  Many acquired and innate talents can spell the dif-
  ference between success and failure. These potent 
  traits can help someone survive, or to fight against 
  the endless horrors. The feats presented here are 
  geared towards horror campaigns but can be easily 
  adapted or used without modification in nearly any 
  other campaign setting. As always, these feats, and 
  the use of feats in your game are entirely optional.
  Artisan
  Prerequisite: Proficiency in a set of Artisan’s Tools
  You have mastered the artistry of your chosen 
  trade and receive the following benefits:
    Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
    You pay only ¼ of the material costs for crafting 
  rather than 1/2, and make 10 gp worth of prog-
  ress with each day of crafting rather than 5 gp.
    If you are in a population center where your 
  work is appreciated, you either benefit from 
  the poor lifestyle for free or pay half as much 
  for a better lifestyle expense not including 
  aristocratic.
   
  Brave
  Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+
  You are fearless and profoundly strong of heart. 
  You gain the following benefits:
    Gain advantage on saving throws to avoid 
  becoming frightened.
    Gain advantage on contests in which the 
  Intimidation skill is being used against you.
    You can use your action to ignore a magi-
  cal fear for a number of rounds equal to your 
  proficiency bonus. You can use this once and 
  regain the ability to do so after finishing a 
  long rest.
  Corrupt Spell
  Prerequisite: Any evil alignment.
  Your spells are infused with evil energies. When 
  you gain this feat, you may alter your spells that 
  deal damage so that the type becomes necrotic. 
  If you use this ability to alter a spell that deals 
  necrotic damage, it is considered to be cast at 
  one spell slot higher than the slot you actually 
  used (maximum of 9th level). You can alter two 
  spells in this way and must finish a short or 
  long rest to regain these uses. You can explicitly 
  use this ability to alter innate spells as well as 
  spells gained from being a spellcaster.
   
  Devil’s Eye
  Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+
  You have either drilled a hole in her forehead 
  trying to add a third eye or have supernatu-
  rally scarred one of your regular eyes. You gain 
  the following benefits.
    As a bonus action, you may activate your 
  vision so that you may see invisible creatures 
  for up to 1 minute. You must finish a short or 
  long rest before you can use this ability again.
    You can choose to have advantage on an 
  initiative roll. If you do so at the start of a 
  surprise round, you may act as normal during 
  that round. You must finish a long rest before 
  you can use this ability again.
   
  Expert Camouflage
  Prerequisite: Proficiency in Stealth.
  You have learned techniques to enhance your 
  stealth abilities. gaining the following benefits:
    You double your proficiency bonus in Dexter-
  ity (Stealth) checks. This does not stack with 
  other similar effects.
    In a natural environment, you can spend 10 
  minutes gathering natural materials to pre-
  pare camouflage, giving you advantage on all 
  Dexterity (Stealth) checks while in camouflage 
  within that environment. Doing this also masks 
  your scent, imposing disadvantage on Wis-
  dom (Perception) checks to perceive you. This 
  benefit lasts for 5 hours, or until you remove it. 
  At the discretion of your GM, you may have 
  disadvantage on Charisma checks while you are 
  covered in your natural camouflage.
    When you are hidden from a creature that you 
  miss with a ranged weapon attack, making 
  that attack does not reveal your position.
  
  54
  Friend Of The Dead
  Through some predilection or twist of fate, you 
  have found yourself amidst the walking dead, 
  and they accept you as your own. You gain the 
  following benefits:
    Undead creatures are indifferent towards you 
  unless they are magically compelled to be hostile.
    Choose one of the following conditions: 
  charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned. You 
  have advantage on saves to avoid that condition.
    You have resistance to necrotic damage.
   
  Gambling
  Prerequisite: Proficiency with a gaming set.
  You have the ability to locate games of chance 
  in any reasonably populated area. You are also 
  practiced in the art of gambling and calcula-
  tion of odds. You gain the following benefits:
    Increase your Charisma score by 1, to a maxi-
  mum of 20.
    You double your proficiency bonus in gam-
  ing set checks, as well as any Intelligence or 
  Wisdom checks related to gambling. This does 
  not stack with other similar effects.
    You can spend a day of downtime gambling. 
  Pick either 2d10 and 1d20, and roll both. If 
  the one you picked is higher, you gain the dif-
  ference in gold pieces. If the one you picked is 
  lower, you lose half that amount in gold pieces. 
  If you don’t have enough to pay, you have a 
  debt hanging over your head and may have to 
  answer to the criminal element. As this is not 
  strictly a gaming set check, you cannot gain 
  advantage or apply the above benefits, nor do 
  you add your proficiency bonus to this check.
   
  Grotesque
  Prerequisite: Charisma of 8 or lower
  Because of intentional self-mutilation, you have 
  a hideous face, granting the following bonuses 
  (and penalties):
    Charisma (Persuasion) checks you make have 
  disadvantage unless your face is hidden or 
  obscured.
    You become proficient with the Intimida-
  tion skill. If you are already proficient in the 
  Intimidation skill, you can distort your face 
  and doubles your proficiency bonus as long as 
  you are in bright light.
    Any penalty to your Charisma is instead a 
  bonus when making Charisma (Intimidation) 
  checks. Your penalty is considered 0 when 
  making Charisma (Deception) checks.
    As an action, you may attempt to cause a tar-
  get to become afraid of you. They must make 
  a Wisdom saving throw, with the DC equal to 
  (8+ proficiency bonus + your Charisma score 
  penalty). If they fail, they become frightened. 
  You can do this once, and regain the ability to 
  do so after finishing a long rest.
   
  Insect Inured
  Prerequisite: Cha 13+
  Insects regard you better than they would nor-
  mally. You gain the following benefits:
    Insects refuse to attack you unless magically 
  compelled; compelled creatures have disad-
  vantage when attacking you.
    Swarms will avoid sharing a space with you 
  unless there is no other space to occupy.
    You may attempt to influence insects using a 
  Charisma check, in a manner similar to the 
  Animal Handling skill. You add your profi-
  ciency bonus to all such checks.
  Lore of the Monster Hunter
  Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+, Proficiency in the 
  Survival skill
  When you gain this feat, choose one of the fol-
  lowing creature types to be your chosen prey:
    aberrations, constructs, fey, fiends, monstrosi-
  ties, or undead.
    You are skilled at hunting creatures of the 
  night, and gain the following benefits:
    While using Wisdom (Survival) to track a crea-
  ture, you treat d20 rolls of 9 or lower as a 10.
    When you roll damage for your attacks 
  against your chosen prey, you can treat any 1 
  on a damage die as a 2.
    You can make an Intelligence check to recall 
  information about a creature you might have 
  researched, such as a weaknesses, special power, 
  method of hunting, preferred prey, etc. The DM 
  determines the DC of the check based on how 
  common the monster is and if you have en-
  countered similar creatures. Once you have used 
  this feature, you must spend one downtime day 
  researching monsters before you can use it again.
  
  55
  Marked By Darkness
  Through some dark pact, you can twist probabil-
  ity to your whim. On your turn as an action, 
  you may impart a luck curse on an target that 
  you can see within 30 feet. That opponent is 
  considered to fail the next attack roll or ability 
  check that they make. If they have advantage 
  on the roll, they instead roll normally, and may 
  potentially succeed. You may do this three 
  times, and regain spent uses after finishing 
  long rest. No target may be affected by this 
  curse more than once in a 24 hour period.
   
  Master of Beasts
  Prerequisite: Proficiency in Animal Handling
  You have an affinity with beasts and can gather 
  them together whether they are docile or not. 
  You gain the following benefits:
    Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a 
  maximum of 20.
    You double your proficiency bonus in Wisdom 
  (Animal Handling) checks. This does not 
  stack with other similar effects.
    The ability to gain a friendly beast of CR ½ or 
  lower for every 3 days spent doing so during 
  downtime. You may gather as many creatures 
  at once equal to your Wisdom score bonus. 
  You may not sell these animals, as they only 
  listen to your commands.
    Advantage on all Wisdom checks pertaining 
  to an individual animal under your care.
  Work with your DM to establish what breeds of 
  animals are available in your campaign setting.
   
  Master Thief
  Prerequisite: Proficiency in Sleight of Hand
  You are practiced in the art of freeing yourself 
  from all non-magical bindings, and receive the 
  following benefits:
    Increase your Dexterity score by 1, to a maxi-
  mum of 20.
    You double your proficiency bonus in Dexter-
  ity (Sleight of Hand) checks. This does not 
  stack with other similar effects.
    Using Thieves’ Tools on locks you cannot see 
  does not incur disadvantage as long
    as you can touch them with both hands.
    You can use your reaction to make a Charisma 
  (Deception) check if you get caught sneaking, 
  stealing, or otherwise performing acts of lar-
  ceny. Witnesses must roll a Wisdom (Insight) 
  check opposing your check. If you win, they are 
  fooled by your explanation and let you get away. 
  If you win the contest by 5 points or more, you 
  can even return to your larcenous activity.
   
  Poison Immunity
  Prerequisites: Constitution or Dexterity 13+
  After prolonged exposure to various toxins, you 
  are rendered resistant to poisons. You gain the 
  following benefits.
    You are resistant to poison damage.
    You have advantage on any saving throws to 
  avoid gaining the poisoned condition.
    You cannot accidentally poison yourself when 
  handling and applying poisons.
   
  Rally the Faithful
  Prerequisite: Proficiency in Religion, good or neu-
  tral alignment.
  Whenever an ally dies within 60 feet of you, you 
  can spend your reaction to inspire up to 6 allies 
  within 30 feet of you (including yourself). This 
  announcement inspires the affected creatures 
  to avenge their fallen comrade. As a reaction, 
  every affected creature is allowed to spend hit 
  dice to heal as if they had taken a short rest. 
  Also, each ally removes one deleterious condi-
  tion or 1 level of exhaustion, at their choice.
   
  Talons
  Prerequisite: Strength 13+
  Because of intentional self-mutilation or some 
  other supernatural event, the character has de-
  formed arms and hands ending in sharp claws, 
  which impart the following benefits:
     You gain a +1 bonus to AC if you are not 
  holding anything in either hand.
    You hands are considered weapons with the 
  light and finesse qualities, and deal 1d6 slash-
  ing damage.
    When you use an attack action with a light 
  weapon, you can use your bonus action to at-
  tack with a claw attack as long as you have one 
  hand free.
  At your GM’s discretion, you may or may not be 
  able to retract your claws. 
   
  
  56
  Touched By Horror
  Prerequisite: Wisdom 13+
  You have been affected by the horrors that lurk 
  in the darkness. You are stronger for it, but you 
  also bear the trauma of darkness that stains 
  your dreams with terror. You gain the follow-
  ing benefits and penalties.
    Increase your Wisdom score by 1, to a maxi-
  mum of 20.
    You have advantage on rolls to resist being 
  charmed, frightened, or paralyzed.
    You can take a Dash or Dodge action as a 
  bonus action if you are within 10 feet of a 
  monstrosity, aberration or undead.
  Underdog
  You are at your best when things are at their 
  worst. You become stronger when the odds are 
  against you, and when your allies need you the 
  most. You gain the following benefits if you 
  are either within 5 feet of two or more oppo-
  nents, or your hit points are below half.
    Add your proficiency score bonus to damage 
  once per turn when you are outnumbered.
    Increase your armor class by 1, to a maximum 
  of 20.
    You must only succeed twice on death saving 
  throws to become stabilized.
   
   
  
  57
  The horror genre is interesting in that it pits you 
  against the forces of evil, often either requiring 
  unique items to win the day or forcing victims to 
  make use of anything as a weapon. The following 
  section details the use of improvised weapons, as 
  well as some equipment that may fit well in a hor-
  ror campaign.
   
  Tools as Weapons
  A trope of many horror stories is that the characters 
  (both protagonists and antagonists) often rely on 
  improvised weaponry to defend themselves or wreak 
  mayhem. The list below can help you to adjudicate the 
  use of such tools as weapons. Unless noted otherwise, 
  the items below are not suited for long-term use, and 
  are prone to breakage, potentially as a result of one or 
  more rolls of a natural 1 when using the tool in combat. 
  Some especially well-made tools may be the exception 
  and can be used without fear of breakage.
   
  TOOLS AS WEAPONS
  Tool 
  Weapon Equivalent
  Barrel Lid  
  Improvised Shield
  Broken Bottle
  Dagger
  Crowbar   
  Mace, light
  Hatchet    
  Handaxe
  Hoe 
  Quarterstaff
  Carving Knife  
  Dagger
  Chain  
  Club
  Machete   
  Scimitar
  Pitchfork   
  Trident
  Poker, Fireplace   
  Shortspear
  Saw 
  Sickle
  Shovel
  Quarterstaff
  Skillet
  Club
  Sledge Mallet
  Mace, heavy
   
  Weapon Notes: Some tools require slight 
  variations to their rules when being used as 
  weapons.
  Barrel Lid. A barrel lid can be used as an 
  improvised shield in a pinch, granting +1 to 
  Armor Class, but breaks one minute after be-
  ing used to deflect attacks.
  Cleaver. Treat as hand axe without the thrown 
  property.
  Machete. Treat as a scimitar. This item is made 
  sturdy, and not prone to breakage.
  Meat Hook. Treat as a short sword that deals 
  piercing damage. Special: You can initiate a 
  grapple on the same turn that you attack with 
  this weapon, but the weapon cannot be used 
  as long as the grapple is maintained.
  Garrote. This tool can be used to initiate a 
  grapple and deals damage as a club.
  Skillet. This tool is especially tough and is 
  not prone to breakage. Also, there is a 10% 
  chance per skillet that it is constructed from 
  pure iron. Such a skillet is able to bypass the 
  damage resistance of fey creatures even if the 
  creature’s resistance is normally bypassed by 
  other materials.
   
  Horror Equipment Packs
   
  HORROR EQUIPMENT PACKS
  Kit  
  Price
  Apothecary Kit    
  65 gp
  Cultist’s Kit 
  13 gp
  Fortune Teller’s Kit
  48 gp
  Ghost Hunter’s Kit
  85 gp
  Grave Digger’s Kit
  35 gp
  Impoverished Agitant Kit
  5 gp
  Monster Hunter Kit
  13 gp
  Preacher’s Pack
  19 gp
  Seance Kit
  9 gp
  Chapter 06 - Equipment
  
  58
  Soldier’s Kit
  63 gp
  Survival Kit
  58 gp
  Vampire Hunter Kit
  62 gp 
  Werewolf Hunter’s Kit
  313 gp
   
  Apothecary kit (65 gp, 42 lbs). An Apothecary’s 
  kit holds all the strange but necessary components 
  and tools needed to work their bizarre craft. This 
  kit contains an alchemy lab, a backpack, a bedroll, 
  a belt pouch, ink, an ink pen, ﬂasks (2), a mess kit, 
  a tinderbox, torches (2), trail rations (5 days), and 
  a waterskin.
   
  Cultist kit (13 gp, 20 lbs). A strange necessity 
  among various cultures, this kit provides all the 
  necessities for preparing and carrying out a sacri-
  fice. The only things this kit does not provide are 
  strange and explicit reagents or religious require-
  ments for sacrifices, such as expensive components 
  or foci. As such, it contains one athame (or knife 
  of choice), a bowl for collecting various ﬂuids, 
  common incense, candles, rope, a small altar or 
  statue of relevant significance, and appropriate 
  clothing (usually robes).
   
  Fortune Teller’s Kit (48 gp, 88 lbs*). This pack 
  contains the bare essentials for a fortune-teller to 
  ply their trade at home or abroad. This kit contains 
  a backpack, a bedroll, 10 candles, a cart*, quality 
  fortune-teller’s deck, ink, an ink pen, a hooded lan-
  tern, a small mirror, three traveler’s outfit, one enter-
  tainer’s outfit, an iron pot, a pouch belt, a tinderbox, 
  2 days of trail rations, 50 ft of rope, an empty sack, a 
  tent, and a waterskin.
  *The weight of the cart is not included.
   
   Ghost Hunter’s Kit (85 gp, 14 lbs). This sturdy 
  satchel is the quintessential toolkit for detecting 
  ghosts and sending them to their final slumber. This 
  kit includes 10 candles, three ﬂasks of holy water, a 
  crowbar, a shovel, and holy symbol.
   Gravedigger’s Kit (35 gp, 28 lbs). This kit 
  provides all the tools necessary to seal a coffin 
  or other burial container and ensure that it stays 
  closed. It includes 20 feet of chain, a good lock, 
  1 dose of glue, a shovel, 10 nails, and a leather-
  bound copy of the Book of the Lore: Undead*.
   
  58
  
  59
  Impoverished Agitant Kit (5 gp, 11 lbs). Not 
  so much a kit as a grouping of items that a peasant 
  might have in the event of a riot. Some leaders may 
  potentially keep caches of these items in case they 
  want to incite riots or help keep districts defended 
  from various danger. Items include an improvised 
  weapon, an improvised shield (see barrel lid above), a 
  small pouch of feathers, five flasks of oil, 2 torches, tar.
   
  Monster Hunter Pack (13 gp, 13 lbs). Some mer-
  cenaries fancy themselves monster hunters. While 
  this line of work has many cowards and charlatans, 
  many merchants sell such kits to monster hunters 
  both genuine and otherwise. Such items include a 
  book of lore (for a specific creature type), 10 cloves 
  of garlic, a flask of oil, a hammer, 5 iron spikes, rope, 
  2 pounds of salt, a tinderbox, a pouch of wolfsbane 
  petals*, and 5 wooden stakes. Though the effective-
  ness of this pack may be questionable, the sale of 
  this pack is lucrative and ubiquitous.
   
  Preacher Kit (19 gp, 25 lbs). This pack contains 
  everything that a traveling preacher may need to 
  tend his various flocks and spread the good word. 
  Items include a backpack, a blanket, 10 candles, a 
  censer, a container of incense, a lock box, preach-
  er’s clothing, 2 days of rations, tinderbox, and a 
  waterskin. Given the dangerous nature of travel, a 
  preacher may opt to request equipment that helps 
  in the defense against various monsters.
   
  Seance Kit (9 gp, 9 lbs). This stained mahogany 
  box contains tools that aid in contacting super-
  natural beings either as part of an act or a genuine 
  ritual. This kit includes 10 candles, 10 candle-
  sticks, one entertainer’s outfit, a planchette set*, 
  one tarot deck, 10 sticks of incense*.
   
  Soldier’s Kit (17 gp, 63 lbs). Essential for a 
  marching soldier, this kit contains everything 
  needed to maintain a baseline of operational readi-
  ness in the battlefield. Included in the kit are a 
  backpack, a bedroll, a compass, a hatchet, an iron 
  pot, a large spade, a woolen mantle*, 2 days of 
  trail rations, 50 ft of rope, an empty sack, a tent, a 
  tinderbox, a waterskin, and a whetstone.
   Survival Kit (10 gp, 58 lbs). Some people 
  wish to live away from the decadent cities and the 
  dangers of a crowded metropolis. These people try 
  their luck in the wilderness and sometimes excel 
  at avoiding the dangers that lurk in the shadows 
  away from civilization. These items are typical of 
  a survival kit: A backpack, a bedroll, a mess kit, 10 
  days of rations, 50 feet of hempen rope, 10 torches, 
  and a waterskin.
   
  Vampire Hunter’s Kit (62 gp, 10 lbs). This 
  small, latched wooden case contains numerous 
  tools and devices used in hunting and slaying vam-
  pires. It contains 10 cloves of garlic, ten wooden 
  stakes, a hammer, a silvered mirror, 2 vials of holy 
  water, and a holy symbol.
  Werecreature Hunter’s Kit (313 gp, 28 lbs). This 
  leathery sack has numerous items that are vital in 
  dealing with a were-creature infestation. It contains 
  one silvered hatchet, one silvered hunting trap, 
  a silvered dagger, and 10 wolfsbane petals. Were 
  creatures have disadvantage on saving throws and 
  ability checks related to the silvered hunting trap.
  
  60
   New Items
  NEW ITEMS
  Item 
  Price
  Weight
  Book of Lore
  10 gp  
  2 lbs
  Door
  variable    
  variable
  Fortune Teller’s 
  Deck 
  2 gp
  —
  Furniture   
  variable    
  variable
  Incense    
  1 sp 
  —
  Neck Guard 
  10 gp  
  2 lbs
  Plaguemask 
  15 gp  
  1 lb
  Plaguemask 
  herbs  
  2 sp 
  2 lbs
  Planchette Set 
  1 gp
  1 lb
  Skull Mask  
  5 gp 
  1 lb
  Wooden Stake 
  1 cp
  ¼ lb
  Woolen Mantle    
  1 gp 
  5 lbs
  Wolfsbane 
  Petals  
  1 sp 
  —
   
  Book of Lore (10 gp, 2 lbs). This book details 
  a specific kind of creature (fiend, undead, etc). 
  However, it is usually sought after by cultists, min-
  ions, and other unsavory creatures. Owning this 
  book can grant knowledge about a specific subject. 
  Depending on the thoroughness of the book’s 
  contents, the price for such a tome can be much 
  higher, as would be the risk of owning it.
   
  Door (variable). This portal into a given loca-
  tion serves to promote privacy and safety. Forcing 
  open a common locked door is a DC 13 Strength 
  check. A door is an object with the following sta-
  tistics (AC 13, 15 hp, damage threshold of 4).
   
  Fortune Teller’s Deck (2 gp, —). Use arcana or 
  proficiency in fortune teller deck.
   
  Furniture (variable). This item, likely made 
  from wood, is a perfect object for wedging against 
  a door. Forcing a door open that is braced with 
  furniture is a DC 16 Strength check, often re-
  quiring the destruction of the door to gain entry. 
  Furniture can often be used as one or multiple 
  improvised weapons and is an object with the fol-
  lowing statistics (AC 11, 8 hp).
   
  Incense (1 sp, —). Coming in various forms, a 
  bit of incense can both help sooth anxieties or put 
  one in the frame of mind for a religious ceremony. 
  Incense comes in bundles of 10 sticks for 1 silver 
  piece, or in small pouches to be used in censers.
   
  Neck Guard (10 gp, 2 lbs). Made from hardened 
  leather reinforced with a band of metal, this collar 
  protects the wearer against vampire bites when 
  worn around the throat. It provides a +1 armor bo-
  nus to AC against vampire bites or similar attacks 
  that specifically target the wearer’s throat. Unlike 
  most armor bonuses, the neck guard’s +1 bonus 
  stacks with the armor bonus of light or medium 
  armor, but it provides no additional bonus when 
  worn with heavy armor.
   
  Plague mask (15 gp 2 lbs). City healers often use 
  plague masks when battling outbreaks of disease, but 
  others may also find them useful when breathing the 
  foul air of plague or dealing with the rotted air of 
  an aberration cave. A plague mask is a close-fitting 
  leather hood fitted with a long, conical “nose,” mak-
  ing the wearer look like raven or crow. The wearer 
  sees through large eyeholes covered in thick red 
  glass. The plague mask is stuffed with aromatic and 
  medicinal herbs, which shield the wearer from con-
  taminated vapors and foul smells. These fresh herbs 
  must be replaced each day.
  A plague mask provides the wearer with ad-
  vantage to Constitution saving throws to resist 
  inhaled diseases and poisons, as well as effects 
  caused by foul odors (such as a ghast’s stench). The 
  wearer suffers disadvantage to passive Perception 
  checks related to smells and sight.
   
  Planchette Set (1 gp, 1 lb). This strange board 
  is constructed with alleged symbols that call upon 
  the voices of the dead. There is much debate 
  among scholars as to the authenticity of a given 
  planchette set, but it can be agreed that the major-
  ity of such sets are mere replicas. What a genuine 
  
  61
  planchette set would look like and how it would 
  work are so far undocumented. The listed price for 
  this set assumes a planchette set that is not func-
  tional for anything other than entertainment.
   
  Skull Mask (10 gp, 1 lb). Similar to a skull hel-
  met, the skull has part of the cheekbones and the 
  jawbone removed and part of the cranium scraped 
  away so that the skull can fit over the wearer’s face. 
  A wearer can look either through the skull’s own 
  eyeholes or a set perforated into the bone. There 
  are often motifs and designs adorning the skull 
  mask, granting it an even more terrible appear-
  ance. When wearing a skull mask, you can make a 
  Charisma (Intimidation) check as a bonus action 
  during the first round of combat.
   
  WoodenStake (1 cp, 1/4 lb). This weapon 
  deals 1 damage, but against vampires, it deals 1d8 
  damage when the heart is targeted. Against an 
  incapacitated or grappled vampire, the stake can 
  paralyze the vampire until it is removed (see Vam-
  pire and Vampire Spawn).
   
  Woolen Mantle (1 gp, 5 lbs). This is a thick 
  cloak meant to be worn in harsh weather. It can be 
  standard issue to help soldiers keep warm and dry, 
  but in practice, it is worn more often by officers, 
  as well as adventurers and travelers. This mantle is 
  meant to protect gear from getting wet and can be 
  very handy for anyone carrying gunpowder.
   
  Wolfsbane Petals (1 sp, —). These petals are 
  thought to have some property that wards against 
  werewolves. Though this property can be created with 
  alchemy, many superstitious people keep wolfsbane 
  petals in hopes of preventing a werewolf encounter.
   
   
   
   
   
  Magic is as much a tool for good as a means of 
  evil. Some settings make magic ultimately be only 
  from evil sources, potentially causing magic us-
  ers to constantly question their own abilities and 
  actions. Other settings make magic into danger-
  ous and destructive forces, no matter the purpose 
  behind its use.
  Whatever the case, magic tends to have a fairly 
  solid place in stories of horror. Sometimes it is 
  the only salvation of the innocent, or perhaps the 
  cause of oppressive evil. The spells and magic 
  items in this chapter serve either to work for set-
  tings in which the players are heroes and saviors, 
  or the evil and the damned.
  
  62
   Spells
  The following spells are intended for horror 
  campaigns, and can alternatingly serve as plot ele-
  ments, as weapons of the enemy, or as protection 
  from evil, depending on the spell. It is ultimately 
  up to the GM and players how they wish to use 
  these horror-themed spells.
   Bellow of the Grave
  Necromancy cantrip
  Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 30 feet
  Components: V, M (grave dirt)
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You bellow with a craven voice that haunts your 
  enemies. Choose one creature within range. 
  That creature must succeed on a Constitution 
  saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage. If 
  they fail their saving throw by 5 or more, they 
  are frightened until the end of their next turn.
  This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you 
  reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 
  17th level (4d8).
   
  Bone Storm
  3rd-level conjuration
  Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Self (30-foot cone)
  Components: S, M (bone shards)
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You blow on a small pile of bone shards in your 
  hand, which then summons a much larger, 
  deadlier storm of bone shards that spread out 
  in a 30-foot cone. All creatures caught in the 
  storm must make a Dexterity saving throw, 
  taking 6d10 necrotic damage on a failed save, 
  or half as much on a successful one. Crea-
  tures that fail their saving throws also gain a 
  level of exhaustion from having bone shards 
  embedded in their skin. Removing the shards 
  requires an action and a Wisdom (Medicine) 
  check with a DC equal to your spell save DC. 
  Otherwise, the condition is removed with a 
  long rest, as normal.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell 
  using a spell slot of 4th level or higher, the 
  damage increases by 1d6 for each slot level 
  above 3rd. 
   
  Deathly Form
  3rd-level transmutation
  Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: self
  Components: V, S, M (cured bone)
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
  You transform yourself into a shambling undead. 
  When this spell is cast, your type changes to 
  undead, and you no longer have to eat, sleep, 
  or breathe. Any exhaustion levels you have 
  gained are removed but resume once this spell 
  has lapsed. Additionally, you are immune to 
  poison damage and the poisoned condition.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell 
  using a slot of 4th level or higher, you can 
  augment your new form with new abilities. If 
  you use a 4th level slot, you become immune 
  to the frightened condition. If you use a 5th 
  level slot, you also become immune to the 
  charmed condition and gain resistance to ne-
  crotic damage. If you use a 6th level slot, you 
  also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. 
  If you use a 7th level slot or higher, you no 
  longer have to concentrate on the spell, and 
  it lasts up to an hour or until dispelled. All 
  benefits are cumulative as you cast the spell at 
  higher levels.
   
  Chapter 07 - Magic & Mysteries
  
  63
  Dim the Moon
  2nd-level enchantment
  Classes: Bard, Druid, Ranger
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 30 feet
  Components: V, S, M (a silver trinket worth 1 SP)
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  A slight glow of moonlight emanates from you, 
  then vanishes. You choose one lycanthrope to 
  transform, causing it to revert to its true form 
  if it fails a Charisma saving throw. Once re-
  verted, the lycanthrope must make a Charisma 
  saving throw any time it wishes to change 
  forms for the duration of the spell, wasting the 
  action and staying in its true form on a failure. 
  The spell ends if the lycanthrope makes a sav-
  ing throw and successfully changes shape, or if 
  it resists the spell initially.
  If the target of this spell is a willing target, the 
  spell’s duration is 1 hour and prevents involun-
  tary transformations for those suffering from 
  the curse of lycanthropy. When cast in this way, 
  the silver trinket is consumed in the casting.
   
  Hands of the Dead
  1st-level conjuration
  Classes: Cleric, Druid, Warlock
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 50 feet
  Components: V, S, M (a severed finger or claw)
  Duration: 1 minute
  You raise your hands in supplication to dark 
  forces, creating a number of hands that reach 
  up from the ground to grapple an opponent. 
  You choose a 5-foot square from which the 
  hands erupt. Any creature of medium size or 
  smaller must make a Dexterity saving throw 
  or be grappled. The creature must make an 
  escape check at the end of each of their turns 
  using your spell save DC to escape. The spell 
  does not end once they save, and any character 
  entering or re-entering the square, or ending 
  their turn in the square must make the same 
  saving throw or become grappled. Other char-
  acters entering the square are affected as well 
  if they end their turn in that square.
  At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell 
  using a slot of 3rd level or higher, you can 
  increase the number of targets (and by exten-
  sion, squared) affected for every two levels 
  beyond 1st (two targets at level 3, three targets 
  at level 5, etc). Large creatures can be affected 
  by this spell if they occupy at least two squares 
  affected by this spell.
   
  Howl of the Beast
  3rd-level enchantment
  Classes: Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Self (50 ft. radius)
  Components: V, S
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  You unleash a horrible, keening wail that 
  scythes through your opponents’ souls and 
  leaves them unable to effectively defend 
  themselves. Enemies must make a Wisdom 
  saving throw, becoming frightened of you on 
  a failure. While frightened, your foes cannot 
  move any closer to you and are compelled to 
  move at least 50 feet from you. They are free 
  to attack you with spells and ranged weap-
  ons, though they have disadvantage to do so. 
  Affected enemies must make a new saving 
  throw at the end of their turns, ending the 
  effect on a success. If you willingly approach 
  an affected creature, they are not compelled 
  to leave the spell’s radius but are free to stay 
  and attack you at range, or even with melee 
  attacks if you are adjacent to the enemy.
   
  Hunter’s Senses
  2nd-level transmutation
  Classes: Druid, Ranger
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Self
  Components: V, S, M (a bit of glass)
  Duration: 1 hour
  This spell grants you supernatural senses. How-
  ever, you must decide what kind of benefit 
  to gain, choosing between sight, hearing, or 
  smell. You can only benefit from one of these 
  supernatural abilities at any given time. While 
  the spell is in effect, you have advantage on 
  any Perception and passive Perception checks 
  that apply to the specific bolstered sense. In 
  certain circumstances, you are able to use your 
  senses to perform supernatural feats, such 
  as sighting enemy movement a mile away, 
  
  64
  tracking by scent, or hearing a distinct sound 
  within a crowded city.
   
  Nature’s Fury
  3rd-level transmutation
  Classes: Druid, Ranger
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S, M (cured meat)
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
  To cast this spell, you consume the cured meat 
  and recite a sacred word that rings deep 
  within you and the target of this spell. You 
  then touch the target, imbuing them with the 
  power of nature, augmenting their muscles. 
  You can also target yourself. As long as this 
  spell is in effect, the target’s natural attacks 
  count as magical and silvered and deal an ad-
  ditional 1d4 damage of the same type as the 
  attack. This spell can affect you or any creature 
  has a natural attack, and can specifically aug-
  ment an unarmed strike.
   
  Plague Touch
  4th-level conjuration
  Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: Touch
  Components: V, S, M (a rat tail)
  Duration: Instantaneous
  You rub your finger on a diseased rat’s tail before 
  touching the exposed skin of your intended 
  victim. Those exposed to this spell must make 
  a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, they 
  gain a disease of your choice (see “Adventur-
  ing: Diseases” in the SRD). The disease can 
  be cured by the usual means but is especially 
  virulent. For 1 hour after the victim contracts 
  the disease, any creature that is within 5 feet 
  of the victim must make the same Constitu-
  tion saving throw or become infected by the 
  same disease. Secondary victims are not extra 
  virulent and transmit the disease through the 
  normal means.
   Waters of Truth
  1st-level divination
  Classes: Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock
  Casting Time: 1 action
  Range: 60 feet
  Components: S, V, M (a body of water)
  Duration: Instantaneous
   This spell transforms still and pure water into a 
  reflective surface that reveals illusions, ethereal 
  creatures, invisible creatures, and shapechang-
  ers. Water must be a minimum of 5 ft across. To 
  make use of this spell, you must be able to see 
  the reflection of the creature or effect from the 
  reflection off of the surface of the water, requir-
  ing a Wisdom (Perception) check with a DC 
  determined by your GM (typically DC 12).
   
   Rituals of Horror
  The following spells, though part of the spells 
  presented in this book, are specifically meant to be 
  used as rituals and can be learned and (mis)used by 
  even those with no magical ability.
   These occult spells represent dangerous magic 
  that reaches out to affect the supernatural. Wheth-
  er they ward against it, summon its presence, or 
  beg its unseen favor, these spells interact somehow 
  with dark forces beyond the grasp of most mortals.
   
  New Rule: Non-Ritual Casters
   Non-Ritualist. There are many tomes and even 
  oral histories that teach hedge magic to the un-
  initiated. Anyone may attempt to meddle in the 
  mystic arts, and even wild talents have mastery 
  over magic, but the untrained do not have the 
  discipline or knowledge of arcane formulas that 
  prevent catastrophic consequences.
   The following spells have special rules for al-
  lowing the casting of a ritual spell without any 
  special ritual knowledge. These may be the results 
  of a sorcerer’s apprentice misremembering their 
  master’s teachings, or a foolish adventurer at-
  tempting to recreate a ritual through an ancient 
  tome that has a page or two missing. Whatever the 
  cause, the only requirement is that the non-ritual 
  caster has some access to the ritual’s instructions, 
  whether they be complete and correct, or not.
   A non-ritual caster will always perform a 
  ritual that is grossly flawed, and often it can be so 
  detrimental that the benefits rarely outweigh the 
  
  65
  drawbacks. Consider this as a guideline for any 
  ritual to be cast by a non-ritual caster, and really 
  anyone foolish enough to meddle with something 
  that they barely understand.
   For any other ritual, consider potential nega-
  tive consequence to the spell being cast, either by 
  creating an imperfect result, or even creating some 
  random but negative magical surge that affects the 
  caster in some way. When in doubt, consult this 
  random table.
   
  RANDOM MISFORTUNE TABLE
  Roll a d12
  1-2 
  The spell has no effect, and any mate-
  rial components are consumed regard-
  less of whether the spell would have 
  consumed them.
  3-4 
  The spell works as written for non-ritual 
  casters, but you have angered the pow-
  ers that govern mystic secrets. You have 
  disadvantage on all rolls to save against 
  or resist magical effects for 24 hours.
  5-6 
  The spell works as written for non-
  ritual casters, but it affects a random 
  target or allows the original target to 
  pick a new target. In the case of a non-
  targeted spell, the spell instead back-
  fires and explodes for 1d8 force damage 
  per level of the spell, affecting a 10-foot 
  radius centered on the caster.
  7-8 
  The spell has no effect, and the spell 
  creates an anti-magic field (as per the 
  spell) that lasts for 1 month from the 
  time of casting, centered on the spot 
  where the ritual was completed.
  9-10 
  The spell summons a storm of mystic 
  energy. The area encompassing a 100 ft 
  radius centered on the ritual becomes 
  difficult terrain due to tumultuous 
  winds and unstable magical energy. All 
  creatures within the storm are subject 
  to force damage once per round (1d6) 
  until they can leave the immediate area.
  11 
  The spell has no effect, and you sum-
  mon a random outsider. (GM’s choice)
  12 
  The spell goes wildly out of con-
  trol, and works too well! Your GM is 
  encouraged to create a proper though 
  catastrophic consequence, such as the 
  summoning of dozens of overzealous 
  unseen servants, for instance.
   
  Note: You may also elect to have flawed rituals 
  available to learn for those spellcasters capable of 
  doing so. Someone practiced at ritual magic can tell 
  that a ritual is flawed, whereas an amateur would 
  not. In the case of an incomplete ritual being cast by 
  someone capable of ritual magic, make sure that you 
  flatly state that not only is there a danger of the spell 
  going wrong, but hints of what the consequences 
  may be. The reason a non-ritual caster gets no such 
  warning is that they have no way of knowing when 
  they are stumbling into disaster.
  65
  
  66
   Ritual Mishaps as Curses 
   Consider any of the mishaps either from this 
  table or from the miscasting of a ritual for a curse 
  effect, whether to add to a cursed item, a result of 
  divine intervention or a bestow curse spell.
   The effects of each miscast spell are meant to be 
  interesting and perhaps the fodder for adventur-
  ing, rather than debilitating and show-stopping. 
  Curses should similarly be interesting, and a 
  motivation for more adventure, rather than an ob-
  stacle to be dealt with before more fun can be had. 
  Remember that your players should have enough 
  warning before dealing with a flawed ritual to de-
  cide if they want to cast it, so that they may accept 
  the consequences.
   
  Ritual Spells 
  Exorcism
  2nd-level abjuration (ritual)
  Caster: Cleric
  Casting Time: 1 hour
  Range: 10 feet
  Components: V, S, M (a holy symbol, scripture 
  in any media, such as cuneiform or book)
  Duration: Instantaneous
   Notable disturbances destroy small objects 
  around you as you attempt to force an un-
  wanted spirit from a possessed individual. 
  As long as you maintain concentration for 
  the entire hour, you can perform an opposed 
  Wisdom or Charisma check against the 
  possessing entity (you may choose which). 
  If you succeed, you drive the spirit out at the 
  culmination of the spell’s casting.
  Non-ritual Caster: A layman may cast this 
  ritual spell if he is taught by the clergy, though 
  it would be foolhardy to attempt such a task 
  without significant assistance. Non-ritualists 
  that cast this ritual and fail the contest are at 
  risk of being possessed and have disadvantage 
  to checks against any such attempts. Whether 
  the attempt successful or not, the non-ritualist 
  also gains 1d4 levels of exhaustion.
   
  Magic Seal
  2nd-level abjuration (ritual)
  Caster: Bard, Cleric, Wizard
  Casting time: 1 action
  Range: 10 feet
  Components: V, S, M (chalk containing pow-
  dered silver, worth 50 gold, which the spell 
  consumes, and a container, which is effectively 
  consumed by the spell)
  Duration: Until the container is broken
  After defeating an enemy of a certain type 
  (including celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, or 
  undead), you may imprison their essence with-
  in a container. You must have drawn a mystic 
  symbol upon the container beforehand, and 
  you may only cast this spell on a creature that 
  is somehow subdued (knocked out, incapaci-
  tated, or dead). Sleeping targets are not subject 
  to this spell.
  No matter what state the target is in, it must make 
  a Charisma saving throw to resist. If it fails, 
  it becomes trapped within the receptacle, and 
  cannot escape unless an outside force breaks 
  the container, or they break it from the inside.
  A trapped creature may make an attempt to 
  break its prison at every new moon. At this 
  time, the ritual must be cast again, allowing 
  the trapped creature a new saving throw to 
  escape. If the ritual is not cast, the creature 
  automatically breaks free. If this ritual is per-
  formed at every new moon for one year, the 
  seal becomes permanent unless broken from 
  the outside.
  Non-ritual Caster: A non-ritual caster may at-
  tempt to cast this spell, but the magical prison 
  is rendered imperfect. The trapped creature 
  has advantage on its saving throw to escape 
  the prison once it has been trapped. More-
  over, it forges a link with the caster while it is 
  imprisoned, and it can attempt to reason with, 
  corrupt, or even cast enchantment spells at the 
  caster once each day at sunset. An evil creature 
  is likely to use this time to thoroughly cor-
  rupt its warden before instructing them to set 
  the creature free. This link is broken once the 
  demon is freed, slain, or properly imprisoned.
   
  
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   Ritual of the Harvest
  3rd-level divination (ritual)
  Caster: Druid
  Casting Time: 1 or 2 hours (see text)
  Range: Special (see text)
  Components: V, S, M (a sacrifice worth at least 
  100 gold, typically crops or livestock, which 
  the spell consumes)
  Duration: Instantaneous
  By communing with the spirits of nature, the 
  ritual caster may perform this two-hour ritual 
  in the form of a raucous feast, culminating in 
  the sacrifice and ritual destruction of crops, 
  livestock, or even a well-made effigy. If the 
  casting is uninterrupted, the forces of nature 
  take notice, and the surrounding area out to a 
  10-mile radius is blessed with a slight boon to 
  the next harvest, typically increasing yields by 
  5-10%. A given area may not benefit from this 
  boon more than once a year.
  Alternately, the caster may instead meditate for 
  1 hour, after which the caster is considered to 
  have an advantage on any Wisdom (Survival) 
  and Intelligence (Nature) skill checks, and 
  provides enough sustenance for them and any 
  companions. These benefits last for 24 hours.
  Non-ritual Caster: Unscrupulous ritualists and 
  spirits may even seek to replace the normal 
  sacrifice with that of a sentient being, espe-
  cially if the being happens to be from a rival 
  faction. While this is normally unnecessary, 
  non-ritualists that cast this ritual must use a 
  sentient sacrifice. If you are an amateur and 
  are disrupted during the ritual, nature re-
  sponds angrily through a local manifestation. 
  This takes the form of an angry elemental, or 
  even natural disasters ranging from droughts 
  to volcanic eruptions.
   
  Séance
  1st-level conjuration (ritual)
  Caster: Bard, Warlock
  Casting Time: 10 minutes
  Range: Self
  Components: V, S, M (a crystal ball, tarot deck 
  or séance board worth at least 10 gp)
  Duration: Concentration
  Through the use of special divining tools, you 
  summon the attention of something oth-
  erworldly and often incorporeal. This may 
  manifest as a number of physical disturbances, 
  such as objects being knocked over, or the 
  temperature in the immediate area dropping. 
  This is followed by an eerie quiet as the being 
  turns its attention to the séance participants.
  A called entity (typically a ghost) must make a 
  Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, and the entity 
  is compelled to answer any questions honestly 
  for as long as the ritual caster concentrates. 
  Once concentration on this spell is broken, the 
  entity stays and acts freely until banished, or it 
  may return to its original location at any time. 
  It is up to the GM to decide if the summoned 
  entity is friendly or hostile. The spell caster 
  may banish the ghost as an action.
  Non-ritual Caster: If you are an amateur with 
  proficiency with occultist tools, you may 
  attempt to cast this spell with no special train-
  ing or instruction. You must make a Charisma 
  check with a DC of 15. If you fail, a random 
  entity of the GM’s choice is summoned. An 
  unsuccessful summon can act like beacons for 
  rogue entities asking for or even demanding 
  help from the assembled group.
   
   Magic Items
  Monster hunting is arduous, and even the best of the 
  best need tools to fight them. While some make due 
  with mortal instruments, others seek artifacts to stem 
  the tide of darkness. In this section, we examine a 
  number of magical items that are either meant to aug-
  ment the hunt for monsters or to act as an aid to evil.
  Armor of the Smiling Tyrant
  Armor (heavy), uncommon
  This armor has details and craftsmanship that 
  please the eyes. When wearing this armor, you 
  have advantage on Intimidation and Decep-
  tion checks. You also have disadvantage on 
  Persuasion checks made against those that do 
  not fear or respect you.
   
  Axe of Perdition
  Weapon (Axe), very rare (requires attunement)
  This smooth black hand axe appears to be made 
  of a solid piece of ebony wood, even includ-
  ing the axe head. You gain a +1 to attack and 
  
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  damage rolls with this weapon. In addition, 
  any creature hit by this weapon must make 
  a DC 12 Strength saving throw, they are 
  knocked prone on a failure, or prone and 
  stunned for 1d4 rounds if they fail by 5 or 
  more. You can use a bonus action to summon 
  the axe back to your hand.
   Bag of Rats
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  This bag appears to be made from rat fur and is 
  uncomfortably itchy to the touch. Once per 
  day, you can reach into the bag and cause a 
  swarm of rats to emerge in a space within 10 
  feet of you. As a bonus action, you can direct 
  the swarm to use its movement, but you cannot 
  control its action; the swarm attacks anything 
  that is in its space, including you. After 1 min-
  ute, the swarm returns to the bag, and can’t be 
  summoned again until the next stroke of mid-
  night. If the swarm is defeated or otherwise 
  lost, the bag does not function again until you 
  fill it with cheese worth 1 gp.
   
  Blade of Efficient Murder
  Weapon (short sword), rare 
  (requires attunement)
  This handsome blade has a crimson red handle, 
  with has marbled red stains along the blade. 
  You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls with 
  this weapon. You also deal an additional 5 
  slashing damage when you attack a target and 
  no other living creatures are within 30 feet.
   
  Blood Gem
  Wondrous item, rare
  The blood gem is a sparkling ruby that one 
  might appraise to be worth 1000 gold or 
  more. When it comes into your possession, it 
  cannot be sold or traded, and other creatures 
  view it as a worthless rock.
  Curse. You cannot be rid of this stone, and at-
  tempts to leave it or throw it away are futile; 
  it always reappears on your person. Any time 
  you come into contact with coins or gems, 
  you begin to weep blood for 1d4 minutes. The 
  curse ends if you are subject to a remove curse 
  spell, or if you forsake your worldly posses-
  sions and live a life of austerity for a year and 
  a day. In either case, the ruby crumbles to dust, 
  perhaps reforming in some other location.
  Claws of the Predator
  Weapon (claw), rare (requires attunement)
  This twin set of claws are grasped so that three 
  blades jut from your hands. The claws other-
  wise function as a pair of short swords that 
  give you +1 to attack and damage rolls. If 
  both claws strike the same target during your 
  turn, the target must make a DC 13 Wisdom 
  saving throw. On a success, there is no effect, 
  but on a failure, the target is frightened for 
  1 round, or 1d4 rounds if they fail the saving 
  throw by 5 or more. This ability does not have 
  to be activated but expends a charge. Claws 
  have 3 charges that reset at sunset.
   
  Cloak of the Slasher
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  This billowing cloak moves almost as if on its 
  own, and trails behind you like an extension 
  of your being. While wearing this cloak, your 
  stealth checks are made with advantage. If you 
  are in dim light, you can hide as an action, 
  even if being observed.
   Curse. Once you draw a weapon, you cannot 
  willingly drop it until you slay a creature. If 
  you hold a weapon while wearing this cloak 
  during a sunset, you must also make a DC 
  13 Charisma saving throw. If you fail, you are 
  considered charmed and are compelled to find 
  and slay an innocent living creature. The next 
  morning you awake and have murky memories 
  of the event. You cannot remove this cloak 
  until you are subject to a remove curse spell.
   
  Consecration Salts
  Wondrous item, very rare
  These salts are said to be made from the bodies 
  of ancient holy men. None know for sure, but 
  they are certainly of a holy origin. When spread 
  around the site of a haunting or the grave of 
  an unruly ghostly entity, the haunt or entity 
  are rendered nullified for a year and a day. If 
  the site is disturbed or subject to a gruesome 
  act (murder, dark ritual, etc), then the activity 
  resumes. If the site is not disturbed for a year 
  and a day, the activity is dispelled entirely.
   
  Crown of Corruption
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  This crown appears to be made of sharp obsidian 
  
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  and is adorned with precious gems that range 
  from blue to purple. Even just laying eyes 
  on it compels people to wear it or seek the 
  power that it represents. It has passed hands 
  from one kingdom to the next, coveted as a 
  spoil of war for ages untold. When worn, the 
  crown increases your Charisma to 20 if it is 
  not already 20 or higher. It also allows you to 
  expend a charge to cast either the domination 
  or suggestion spell. The crown has two charges 
  that recharge at midnight.
  Curse. Once per week, the crown takes a wicked 
  idea from your head and makes it real, as per a 
  wish. The crown will make anything manifest, 
  short of ending your life, though you are free 
  to fulfill that wish yourself.
   
  Dagger of the Death Cult
  Weapon (dagger), rare (requires attunement)
  This dagger appears made from shards of bone 
  melded together by unnatural means, with a 
  small femur for a handle. You gain a +1 bonus 
  to attack and damage rolls made with this 
  weapon. If you attack a restrained creature 
  with this dagger, you deal maximum dam-
  age. If you attack an incapacitated creature 
  with this dagger, the creature takes maximum 
  damage and must make a DC 15 Constitu-
  tion saving throw. On a failure, the creature 
  immediately loses all hit points and begins 
  making death saving throws. If you deal dam-
  age to a creature that is making death saving 
  throws and use this dagger, they immediately 
  die and their soul is stored in the dagger. Only 
  one such soul can reside in the dagger, and a 
  special ritual must be performed to remove 
  the soul for more unsavory purposes.
   
  Demonic Idol
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
   This item attracts the attention of fiends, un-
  dead, and evil fey. This idol can be used in a 
  special sacrificial ritual that takes 1 hour and 
  requires the death of an innocent. At the end 
  of the ritual, if the ritual is performed correct-
  ly, and summons a horned devil that is loyal 
  to you. If the ritual is improperly performed or 
  interrupted during the hour, 1d12 lemures are 
  summoned that attack everyone in sight for 
  1d12 minutes.
  Curse. The item gives you glimpses of the 
  hellscape that torture your waking moments. 
  With each long rest, there is a 1-50% chance 
  that you gain no benefit from the long rest 
  and instead gain a level of exhaustion. If you 
  roll 51-100%, then you can rest normally and 
  even remove an exhaustion level as normal. 
  If you die while you own this idol, your soul 
  is claimed by the Nine Hells. You cannot rid 
  yourself of the curse until a remove curse is 
  cast upon you, at which time you must unat-
  tune from the idol.
   
  Ghost Ward Lantern
  Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement)
  This lantern glows even when not lit, appearing 
  luminescent and captivating. When lit, the 
  lantern can ward off incorporeal undead, who 
  can’t approach within 50 feet of the lantern 
  unless they make a DC 12 Charisma saving 
  throw. The lamp burns holy water rather than 
  oil. 1 flask of holy water lasts for 10 minutes. 
  Lighting the lantern takes an action. Incorpo-
  real undead within the radius when the lantern 
  is lit must make a Charisma saving throw or 
  be frightened for 1d4 rounds and be unable to 
  enter the radius of the lantern.
   
  Gladiator’s Blood Gloves
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  This pair of cestus is perpetually coated in dried 
  blood that cannot be washed off. With them, 
  you add your strength bonus twice to unarmed 
  attacks. You can grapple a creature one size 
  larger, or two creatures of the appropriate size 
  by gripping them with each glove, and you 
  can also initiate a grapple as a bonus action.
   
  Gravegood Weapon
  Weapon (any), uncommon (requires attunement)
  When a righteous warrior dies and becomes a 
  zombie, the warrior’s indignation can manifest 
  through their weapon. Such a weapon gains 
  magical properties. You gain a +1 bonus to at-
  tack and damage rolls made with this weapon, 
  but only against undead. Such weapons are 
  known to exist when heroes are slain in rituals 
  dedicated to fiends or when transmuted by fey, 
  working against the respective creature types.
  
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  Grave Robber’s Shovel
  Wondrous item, uncommon
  The shaft of this shovel is black and the blade a 
  dark grey steel. This shovel can magically ex-
  hume a corpse without disturbing the grave or 
  coffin. The shovel can do so once and regains 
  the ability to do so at midnight.
   
  Heelstrike Arrow
  Weapon (arrow), uncommon
  This thin arrow is made entirely from a light steel. 
  When you attack with this arrow, you gain a 
  +1 to attack and damage rolls. If you strike a 
  creature with this arrow, it must make a DC 
  14 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, its 
  walking speeds are halved for 3d4 rounds. The 
  arrow is destroyed when it strikes a creature, 
  but not when it misses its intended target.
   
  Idol of the Pernicious Cat God
  Wondrous item, legendary
  This idol looks like an ornately detailed minia-
  ture statue of a black cat wearing gleaming 
  jewelry. When you attune to this idol, you 
  gain wondrous catlike powers. You gain a 
  climb speed of 40 feet, darkvision out to 60 
  feet (or 120 if you already possessed darkvi-
  sion), and advantage on Dexterity checks and 
  saving throws.
  Curse. You cannot willingly be parted from this 
  idol unless you are the subject of a remove curse 
  spell. After every long rest, you must make a 
  DC 10 Charisma saving throw. If you ever 
  fail this saving throw, your soul is bound into 
  the idol, and your body is inhabited by a cat 
  spirit. The cat spirit sows mischief in your 
  name, acting like a licentious criminal. Each 
  midnight thereafter, you must make a DC 14 
  Charisma saving throw to return to your body. 
  Once you have returned, you are not subject 
  to the idol’s curse for a month, after which 
  the idol attempts to replace you with the same 
  mischievous spirit, which seems to delight 
  in ruining your life and reputation. When 
  you fail your third such saving throw, you are 
  instead permanently charmed to behave as the 
  cat spirit does, and the idol can be transferred 
  to a new victim.
   
  Holy Fire
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  This flame is imparted by a divine source and 
  can be transferred to others by holy ritual. It 
  imparts its beneficiary with the ability to speak 
  and understand any language. It can also be 
  expended to expel a curse, a possession, disease, 
  or mutation. Once used in such a way, the flame 
  flickers out forever.
   
  Longsword of Piety
  Weapon (longsword), rare (requires attunement)
  Said to be a relic from a defunct religious order, 
  this sword shines with a soft blue glow out to 
  10 feet, and grants you a +1 bonus to attack 
  and damage rolls. In addition, the sword has 1 
  charge. At any time while you are wielding the 
  sword, you can expend a charge to automati-
  cally succeed on one saving throw. The sword 
  regains one charge after being bathed in holy 
  water in the sunlight. This sword functions only 
  as a normal longsword in the hands of any-
  one with an evil alignment and falls out of its 
  wielder’s hands if the wielder seeks to harm an 
  innocent, even if by magical compulsion.
   
  Observant Statue
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
  A statue that can be made from nearly any 
  substance, and shaped to appear as nearly any 
  humanoid shape. This statue, once attuned, 
  can be activated to “observe” its surround-
  ings when a certain condition is met, such as 
  when an intruder enters without whispering 
  a passcode, or when a certain type of creature 
  (such as an aberration or fiend) approaches 
  within 100 feet. If such a condition is met, 
  you are magically alerted, and can later touch 
  the statue to “see” what it has seen for up to 
  10 minutes from the point when the statue 
  was triggered, though you cannot hear any 
  sounds of the event.
   
  Robe of Shadows
  Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
  You can slip into the shadows and become invis-
  ible as a bonus action. You can plane shift into 
  the shadowfell once per day. You can use your 
  bonus action to snuff out spells that create light 
  
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  as long as they are of 3rd level or below, or are 
  cast with a 3rd level slot or below.
   
  Sword of Pursuit
  Weapon (any sword), rare (requires attunement)
  This gleaming sword has inlaid runes that undu-
  late in the light. You gain a +1 bonus to attack 
  and damage rolls with this weapon. This sword 
  has 3 charges. Whenever you deal damage to 
  a creature with this weapon, you can spend a 
  charge to designate the creature as your track-
  ing target. Attempts to track that creature have 
  advantage until the next dawn, at which time 
  you can spend another charge to continue at-
  tempting to track that creature. You also know 
  the direction (but not distance) of your query. 
  This sword regains spent charges at dawn un-
  less you are actively in pursuit of a creature.
   Teeth of the Dead
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
   Once per day, this set of teeth can be inserted 
  into the mouth of a corpse, and allow it to 
  speak. A corpse that has been dead for more 
  than a year only speaks its last thoughts, 
  while a younger corpse can converse with 
  varying ability about the knowledge it had 
  in life. The teeth can be used once and must 
  be cleaned with a paste made from cremated 
  ashes before they can function again.
   
  Undertaker’s Oil
  Wondrous item, uncommon
  When full, the flask containing this oil seems 
  transparent and immaterial, though it is not. 
  When poured on a weapon, the weapon 
  similarly appears translucent and can deal 
  damage to undead as if it were a magic 
  weapon. The flask can coat one weapon or 10 
  pieces of ammunition, and once poured will 
  function for 5 minutes.
   
  Werefang
  Wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement)
  This pendant is created from the tooth or teeth 
  of a were-creature. It will not function during 
  the day, but at night you can call upon it to 
  transform you into the same kind of were-
  creature to which the tooth belonged. This ef-
  fect is otherwise treated as a shapechange spell, 
  lasting 2 minutes. After the first minute, you 
  must make a Charisma saving throw at the 
  start of each round to avoid going berserk, us-
  ing every action to attack the nearest creature. 
  This effect can be dispelled prematurely by 
  magic or if you drop to 0 hit points, but will 
  otherwise last for the full 2 minutes.
   
  The Wishing Doll
  Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
  This doll looks devilishly detailed and beautifully 
  crafted. Close inspection shows that the doll 
  moves ever so slightly, usually shifting its gaze 
  in an unsettling way. This item automatically 
  attunes to anyone that possesses it for more 
  than a day. Once attuned, your casual wishes 
  are granted, usually in the worst possible way. If 
  the item is discovered to have magical proper-
  ties, it can be used to make conscious wishes, 
  and similarly makes them result in catastrophe.
  When making a conscious wish, you can make 
  a DC 20 Intelligence check. On a failure, the 
  wish goes completely awry, resulting in may-
  hem that outweighs any benefit of the wish.
  On a success, you can make a good wish that 
  undoes any harm done by any previous harm 
  done by the doll (often for wishing the doll 
  never existed), or gain a random magical boon 
  (your GM can pick a boon from the effects of 
  a deck of many things from the following list: 
  the fates, knight, throne, vizier). Whenever a 
  good wish is made, the doll vanishes forever 
  regardless of the wish.
   
  Wolfsbane Amulet
  Wondrous item, common
  This amulet takes the form of a bit of fur kept in 
  a tiny vial. When worn, you have advantage 
  to resist the curse of lycanthropy and gain +1 
  to your armor class against lycanthropes. The 
  small vial can be broken against a lycanthrope, 
  requiring them to make a DC 13 Wisdom 
  saving throw. On a success, the lycanthrope is 
  frightened for 1 round. On a failure, they are 
  frightened for one minute.
   
  Wolfsbane Vial
  Wondrous item, common
  This simple potion is made for emergency situ-
  
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  ations. Many apothecaries and sages have at 
  least one vial on hand. Drinking this potion 
  can stave off a lycanthropy curse for one night.
   
  Zombie Beacon
  Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
  This strange monolith is small enough to be 
  moved by cart and horse. Those who come 
  across it feel a strange draw to own the mono-
  lith. If someone claims the monolith, they 
  can attune to it by keeping it near them for 3 
  days. On the sunset of the third day, all dead 
  creatures within 100 miles rise as zombies 
  and begin to move towards the monolith.
  Curse. If attuned for more than 1 day, you must 
  make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at 
  the end of that day, and each month thereafter. 
  On a failure, you become a zombie marshall, 
  and the beacon is destroyed. The beacon cannot 
  be unattuned or separated from you unless you 
  are subject to a remove curse. The beacon can 
  be destroyed otherwise by impaling a zombie 
  marshall against it and reciting a holy scripture.
   
  Zombie Powder
  Wondrous item, uncommon
  When spread on a corpse that has been dead for 
  no more than 24 hours, it becomes a docile 
  zombie servant under your control. The zom-
  bie exists for a tenday. If the Zombie comes 
  into contact with fresh human blood at any 
  point, it goes berserk in the same manner as a 
  flesh golem.
   
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  Just as dangerous as the creatures that are born of 
  the night are the less tangible horrors that threaten 
  the safety and sanity of the innocent. These hazards 
  can come in the form of disease, poisons, or even 
  haunts called upon by the ethereal forces of darkness.
  The following are some hazards that are espe-
  cially prevalent in horror games. Some are expand-
  ed versions of current horrors, such as new poisons, 
  and supernatural diseases. The haunt section 
  provides a new system of supernatural hazards that 
  can cause mayhem and distress to your players as 
  they traverse haunted places and sites of atrocities.
   
  Poisons
   Basilisk Breath (Inhaled). This poison must 
  be harvested from a special gland in the neck of a 
  Basilisk. A creature subjected to this poison must 
  succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, 
  or become restrained. It must repeat the saving 
  throw at the end of the next round. On a failure, it 
  becomes petrified for 1d4 days. On a success, the 
  creature is no longer restrained and the effect ends.
  Cost: 750 gp
  Bebelith Poison (Injury). This poison must 
  be harvested from recently slain bebelith and is 
  extremely hard to preserve. Proving the efficacy of 
  this poison to potential buyers is even harder. A 
  creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a 
  DC 18 Constitution saving throw or take 36 (8d8) 
  poison damage and gains the poisoned condition. 
  The creature must repeat the saving throw at the 
  end of every minute. With each successive failure, 
  the poisoned condition persists, and the target 
  takes an additional 13 (3d8) poison damage. After 
  two successful saves, the poison ends.
  Cost: 1,500 gp
  Burning Angel Feather Fumes (Inhaled). 
  This poison is harvested from both good and evil 
  outsiders, as demon fat is required to make the 
  feathers burn. A creature subjected to this poison 
  must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a failure, the creature takes 14 (4d6) 
  poison damage. Additionally, the creature becomes 
  hideous and has disadvantage on any charisma 
  ability checks for 1d4 days. On a success, the crea-
  ture suffers no damage, and the disfigurement lasts 
  only 1d4 minutes.
  Cost: 300 gp
  Chapter 08 - Horrific Hazards
  POISONS
  Item
  Type
  Price per Dose
  Basilisk Breath
  Inhaled
  750 gp
  Bebelith Poison
  Injury
  1,500 gp
  Burning Angel Feather
  Fumes
  Inhaled 300 gp
  Devil’s Eye
  Injury
  400 gp
  Giant Centipede Poison
  Injury
  275 gp
  Giant Scorpion Poison
  Injury
  375 gp
  Giant Spider Venom
  Injury
  250 gp
  Lifebane
  Ingested
  600 gp
  Sasson Juice
  Contact
  700 gp
  Vilestar
  Contact
  800 gp
  
  74
  Devil’s Eye(Injury). This poison must be har-
  vested from an evil outsider; it need not come from 
  a devil, specifically. A creature subject to this poi-
  son must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving 
  throw or lose all damage resistances and immuni-
  ties for 1d4 rounds. The creature must repeat the 
  saving throw at the end of every round, ending the 
  poison on a save.
  Cost: 400 gp
  Giant Centipede Poison (Injury). This poison 
  must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated gi-
  ant centipede. A creature subjected to this poison 
  must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a failure, the creature takes 10 (3d6) 
  poison damage. If the poison damage reduces 
  the creature to 0 hit points, the creature is stable 
  but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit 
  points, and is paralyzed while poisoned in this way.
  Cost: 275 gp
  Giant Scorpion Poison (Injury). This poison 
  must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated 
  giant scorpion. A creature subjected to this poison 
  must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving 
  throw or take 22 (4d10) poison damage, or half as 
  much on a successful save.
  Cost: 375 gp
  Giant Spider Venom. (Injury). This poison 
  must be harvested from a dead or incapacitated gi-
  ant spider. A creature subjected to this poison must 
  succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or 
  become poisoned, and gain one level of exhaustion. 
  The creature must repeat the saving throw at the 
  end of every round, suffering another exhaustion 
  level on a failure. On a success, the poison ends, 
  and the creature recovers any accumulated exhaus-
  tion levels at the rate of 1 per minute.
  Cost: Cost: 250 gp
  Lifebane (Ingested). A creature subjected to 
  this poison must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution 
  saving throw, or take 27 (6d8) poison damage, as 
  well as losing an equal amount from their hit point 
  maximum. The creature must repeat this saving 
  throw at the end of each round, taking 9 (2d8) 
  damage on each successive failure, as well as reduc-
  ing their hit point maximum by an equal amount. 
  After two successful saves, the poison ends.
  Cost: 600 gp
  Sasson Juice (Contact). A creature subjected to 
  this poison must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution 
  saving throw or take 18 (4d8) poison damage and 
  become paralyzed for 1 minute. On a success, the 
  creature takes half damage and has disadvantage on 
  any physical ability checks or attack rolls for 1 round.
  Cost: 700 gp
  Vilestar (Contact). A creature subjected to this 
  poison must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution 
  saving throw, or have their Strength reduced to 3 
  for 24 hours. Additionally, the creature gains an 
  exhaustion level for every turn that it performs an 
  action during combat. The creature must repeat 
  the saving throw at the end of every hour, ending 
  the effect on a successful save.
  Cost: 800 gp
   
  A note about price: Even though it would seem 
  that poisonous creatures may become a gold mine 
  from harvesting their poisons, remember that these 
  poisons often must be processed for preservation 
  or efficacy. Doing so generally costs time for craft-
  ing, and requires that half the cost of each dose 
  be spent towards this preparation. Additionally, 
  selling poisons is usually frowned upon, hazardous, 
  and can attract unwanted attention just as with 
  magical items. Access to a guild that deals with 
  poisons can generally facilitate such transactions.
  
  75
   Diseases
  With less magical healing, disease is a very real 
  danger to the inhabitants of the Mists. Mundane 
  diseases claim many lives, and magical disease are 
  even more terrifying.
   
  Ashen Inflammation
  This disease is a mounting fever that eventually con-
  sumes its victims in fire. Those coming into contact 
  with infected individuals, or the ash of the immolat-
  ed victims must make a DC 13 Constitution saving 
  throw or become infected. Creatures that do not 
  breath receive advantage on this saving throw.
   The first symptoms of the disease appear in 1d4 
  + 1 hours, as the infected begin to develop a heavy 
  fever and rash. The infected creature suffers 1 level 
  of exhaustion; while the infected creature has at least 
  1 level of exhaustion they are also vulnerable to cold 
  damage. At the end of each long rest, the infected 
  creature must make a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a failure, they take 2 (1d4) fire damage for 
  each level of exhaustion they possess and gain an-
  other level of exhaustion. On a success, they take no 
  damage and lose a level of exhaustion. If the creature 
  reaches level 6 of exhaustion, they burst into bright 
  flame and then become a pile of loose ash. All crea-
  tures within 10 feet of the dying creature must make 
  a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 27 (5d10) 
  fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage 
  on a successful one. Once the infected creature loses 
  all levels of exhaustion, the disease ends.
    
  Rosen Doom
  The disease known as rosen doom is identified by 
  the haunting reddish hue that affected corpses take 
  on. The blood of the deceased victims also remains 
  a strange reddish color even decades after their 
  death, partially preserving corpses, and retaining 
  the virulence of the disease for just as long.
   This disease is primarily spread through contact 
  with infected blood, although any bodily fluid can 
  transfer the disease. A creature that makes contact 
  with such a fluid must make a DC 16 Constitution 
  saving throw, becoming infected on a failure.
   Symptoms develop within 1d4 days. Infected 
  creatures suffer 1 level of exhaustion. While ex-
  hausted, the creature coughs blood and develops 
  weeping sores across their body. At the end of each 
  long rest, the creature must make a DC 16 Consti-
  tution saving throw, taking 11 (2d6) necrotic dam-
  age on a failure and gaining 1 level of exhaustion.
  On a successful save, the DC of the saving 
  throw is reduced by 1d4+1. When the saving 
  throw DC becomes 0, the disease ends.
   
  Calcification Virus
  This virus slowly turns the victim’s bodily fluids 
  into a solid calcified substance. Sufferers typically 
  suffocate on their own blood well before their 
  blood completely calcifies. As the body decom-
  poses, fluids calcify as well, until the body turns 
  into bones and dust.
   The dust carries the disease and can become 
  infectious if breathed in or ingested. Creatures 
  exposed to the disease must make a DC 14 Con-
  stitution saving throw or become infected.
   Within a day, the victim begins to feel pain and 
  fatigue. After 3 days, the creature begins to develop 
  rough patches over the skin that feel hard and thick. 
  At this stage, the creature has disadvantage on 
  Constitution checks (but not saving throw). After 8 
  days, the creatures become blind and develops stiff 
  joints, gaining disadvantage on Dexterity checks, 
  as well as reducing their movement speed by half. 
  After 18 days the infected creature must make a DC 
  12 Constitution saving throw every hour or begin 
  to suffocate. There is no cure for the crystal virus. 
  Creatures suffering from the disease remain infected 
  until the disease is cured with magic or they die. 
  Curiously, if an infected creature has their shape 
  changed, they may attempt another save to end the 
  disease when they return to their original form.
   
  Marrow Ooze Infection
  Though not technically a disease, the marrow ooze 
  parasite nonetheless infects its victims with its 
  presence. A marrow ooze enters the body through a 
  wound or exposed orifice (potentially the mouth or 
  ears) while the victim is sleeping, and begins to con-
  sume the host’s marrow. The victim can make a DC 
  13 Constitution saving throw to resist the infection. 
  On a success, the marrow ooze escapes avoiding 
  being destroyed by the host’s immune system. On a 
  failure, the host is infected but actually feels bet-
  ter than ever. Infected creatures begin to look more 
  
  76
  attractive, and are healed of any bone deformities, 
  bone conditions, or diseases of the blood.
   Each day thereafter, an infected creature must 
  make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a 
  failure, the host reduces their hit point maximum 
  by 10, to a minimum of 1. Once the host has 
  reached this minimum, the marrow ooze splits 
  and horrifically transforms the host’s limbs into 
  new marrow oozes in a process that resembles the 
  melting of a piece of wax. The host is left without 
  limbs, but their hit point maximum is restored. 
  These victims are at increased risk of developing a 
  traumatic insanity.
   A host that succeeds at two saving throws (they 
  need not be consecutive) can expel the creature, 
  though the expulsion process is painful and dif-
  ficult. Once the expulsion process begins, the host 
  begins to bleed from every orifice and loses body 
  fluids through violent and frequent body emis-
  sions. This process reduces deals 2d6 piercing and 
  2d6 poison damage unless the host receives proper 
  medical care (requiring a DC 15 Wisdom (Medi-
  cine) check). If a victim should die due to this 
  violent process, their insides are liquefied, and 1d2 
  marrow oozes emerge from the body.
   
  Marblewife Syndrome
  Though some legends tell of master crafters creat-
  ing lovers out of stone, this disease was named for 
  such a fable. The disease turns its victims to stone 
  and can be contracted by a not yet petrified victim, 
  as well as during “spore” seasons in which the pet-
  rified victim gives off a fungal-like shedding that 
  can further affect other creatures. These seasonal 
  spores complicate attempts to unpetrify victims, 
  which often leads to the destruction or entomb-
  ment of victims that might otherwise be cured.
   After physical contact with an infected creature, 
  a victim must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution 
  saving throw or become infected. If an infected 
  statue is sporing, a creature that comes within 
  20 feet of the statue must make the same saving 
  throw. Sporing statues are covered with a flaky 
  substance that resembles dried paint.
   A victim begins to lose points from their Dexter-
  ity score at the rate of 2d4 per 24 hour period. If this 
  results in a Dexterity score of 1 or less, the victim be-
  comes petrified. Any means of unpetrifying the victim 
  will also remove the disease, and infected individuals 
  also can benefit from either any means that remove 
  disease or that remove the petrified condition, both of 
  which cure the infected.
   There are dreaded tales of entire cities succumb-
  ing to this disease, drawing in the curious and 
  the greedy, only to add to the grim menagerie of 
  lifelike statues.
   
  Terror Plague
  Called by some the “rabid fear”, this disease at-
  tacks the mind and is spread through bodily fluids, 
  most commonly by sweat. Victims begin to see 
  hallucinations of their darkest fears, often attack-
  ing others and spreading infection in an addled 
  attempt to fight off the visions of terror.
   A victim exposed to the body fluids of an infected must 
  make a DC 12 Constitution save or become infected. 
  Onset happens during the first evening of infection, and 
  symptoms manifest as visions of dangerous and deadly 
  creatures or hazards, or often the subject of the victim’s 
  phobias or self-doubts. Once these visions begin, the 
  victim sweats profusely, to the point that they drip with 
  sweat. Infected creatures are unable to sleep or rest, and 
  gain no benefits from a short or long rest other than stav-
  ing off exhaustion. Prolonged infection might result in 
  long-term madness (see madness rules).
   One cure for this disease is to gouge one’s eyes 
  out. Though not a popular cure, it can be a neces-
  sary one to stave off madness and sleep depriva-
  tion. This does not so much cure the disease as it 
  prevents the symptoms, and the victim can still 
  transmit the disease to others (though they do 
  not suffer from the heavy sweat that the visions 
  induce). The only other non-magical cure must 
  be procured from the blood of a hag and requires 
  a DC 20 Wisdom (Medicine) check to properly 
  distill into a working cure. Whatever the connec-
  tion between hags and this disease may be, it only 
  serves to make each all the more terrifying.
   
  Telepathitis
  A strange and unusual condition, telepathitis is 
  transmitted by mental contact with an infected 
  creature, or more rarely through physical contact 
  with brain tissue. Such contact requires a DC 13 
  Constitution save if physical contact is made, or 
  a DC 11 Wisdom save if mental contact is made. 
  Failure results in infection.
  
  77
   A creature so infected can begin to read 
  thoughts, but does so erratically, gleaning surface 
  thoughts from any nearby creatures. Through men-
  tal strain, an infected creature can hone the ability 
  and listen to specific thoughts, as per the spell 
  detect thoughts. They can only use this ability once 
  and regain the ability to do so after each long rest.
   However, this and other mental stressors cause the 
  disease to worsen, and they begin to deteriorate. An 
  infected victim gains an exhaustion level each time they 
  strain to use their ability to detect thoughts and gain 
  an additional exhaustion level if they read the thoughts 
  of a creature with an intelligence score of 18 or higher. 
  The infected creature also gains a level of exhaustion if 
  they are around a crowd of 10 or more for more than 
  a minute. With each level of exhaustion gained, the 
  infected suffers from a headache of increasing intensity.
   When the infected creature reaches 6 levels of 
  exhaustion, their head explodes and they die. This 
  can only be prevented by prolonged sensory depri-
  vation and rest. The infected creature cannot have 
  any levels of exhaustion nor be exposed to any 
  thoughts for a minimum of 3 days. If such condi-
  tions are met, they are no longer infected.
   Curiously, creatures that resemble brains are 
  susceptible to this disease, which displays more as 
  a wasting cancerous condition. Intellect devourers, 
  grell, and brain consuming creatures are likely vec-
  tors for this disease, which sometimes mercifully 
  thins their populations.
   
  Shadowed Typhus
  This magical illness infects a victim’s shadow, 
  causing the victim to slowly become a dark shade.
   This diseases may be contracted if an infected 
  creature stands in your shadow, or by lurking in 
  the same shadow as an infected creature. Creatures 
  of the outsider and aberration type are immune to 
  the effects of the disease, but may still carry and 
  transmit the disease to others.
   Symptoms develop the sunset after contraction. 
  At that time, the victim begins feeling weak, and 
  their shadow appears darker than usual. The victim 
  begins to fear any light and feels pain and anguish 
  if exposed to sunlight (this exposure does not 
  cause any physical harm). The creature must make 
  a DC 15 Constitution check to willingly step into 
  any bright light.
   If allowed to linger in the shadows, the disease 
  worsens, and the infected creature begins to look 
  as though they are in the shadows even when in 
  the light. After three days without exposure to any 
  bright light, the creature begins a transformation 
  into shadow that takes place from sunset to dawn 
  after the third day of prolonged darkness. The 
  infected creature becomes a shadow that is able 
  to create other shadows through disease rather 
  than by its strength drain ability (which otherwise 
  remains unchanged).
   The only cure for this disease is prolonged ex-
  posure to sunlight (1 uninterrupted hour), radiant 
  damage (equal to half of maximum hit points), 
  or a lesser restoration. Spells and abilities that 
  remove curses or diseases will also end this disease.
   
  Risen Sickness
  Among all disease, few are as feared as risen sick-
  ness. Fabled to have toppled empires, this sickness 
  creates undead with staggering efficiency, and at 
  the least ensures a culture of fear and paranoia. 
  Even the rumor of risen sickness is enough to rally 
  mobs to stamp it out, and kings have been known 
  to wipe out entire communities as a safety mea-
  sure, whether it was merited or not.
   What is not certain is how the disease starts, 
  but when it does, corpses begin to rise and hunger 
  for flesh. This disease often spreads to long-dead 
  corpses who have no resistance to the disease 
  whatsoever, and swell the ranks of the risen.
   Walking corpses are considered zombies, replac-
  ing their slam attack with a bite attack that im-
  parts the infection(+3 to hit, 5 ft reach, one target, 
  1d4+1 piercing damage). These corpses infect their 
  victims with a disease that kills and raises even 
  more walking corpses. An individual exposed to 
  a bite must make a DC 17 Constitution saving 
  throw. Failure means the victim is infected. After 
  every hour of infection, the infected creature loses 
  2d6 hit points from their maximum. If this maxi-
  mum reaches zero, the infected creature dies and 
  rises as a zombie within 1 minute of death.
   There is no simple cure for this disease outside 
  of magic, though there are special herbs that can 
  remove the infection before death. An infected 
  victim that is cured is also restored to their normal 
  hit point maximum. There are rumors of random 
  individuals that are naturally immune to the disease, 
  
  78
  though such tales also say that the immune are car-
  riers, and unwittingly help the spread of the disease.
   
  Haunts
   Though the world of horror fantasy certainly 
  has ghosts and other ephemeral horrors, they are 
  not the same as the supernatural activity that can 
  encompass a “haunt”.
  A haunt is a ghostly resonance that can affect 
  a creature that triggers it. Such haunts are very 
  likely to occur in places of death and psychic 
  distress, such as torture chambers, mass grave-
  yards, and battlefields. The nature of each haunt is 
  unique and can cause a milieu of terrible effects, 
  from a scare all the way to death.
   
  Building a Haunt
   The following tables can assist in the guidelines 
  for creating a given haunt. Each contributing factor 
  can affect the haunt’s final CR, and determine the 
  difficulty and/or deadliness of encountering one.
   Most haunts have three basic elements that 
  might affect its difficulty: The passive perception 
  needed to detect and avoid it, its effect, and how 
  hard it is to overcome the effect.
   There are also elements of a haunt that do not 
  affect its CR, such as its trigger, and location. The 
  base CR of a haunt is 0 before modifications. If a 
  haunt is still 0 or less after all modifications, it’s 
  effective CR is 1/2.
   Although each haunt has a CR, the GM can 
  determine whether a group has successfully over-
  come a haunt, whether that means surviving the 
  haunt or destroying it.
   Haunt Construction
  Haunt Factor
  CR Adjustment
  7-9
  -1
  10-12
  +0
  13-14
  +1
  15-18
  +2
  20+
  +3
  Passive Perception to detect
  DC of effect
  Below 10
  -1
  10
  +0
  11-12
  +1
  13-15
  +2
  16-18
  +3
  19-22
  +4
  Average Damage Dealt
  0-10
  +0
  11-21
  +1
  22-30
  +2
  30-45
  +3
  46+
  +4
  60+
  +5
  75+
  +6
  Add +1 to the CR adjustment for every additional 
  15 points of damage
   
  Condition
  Exhaustion, poisoned, deafened
  +1
  Blinded, frightened, restrained
  +2
  Charmed, paralyzed, stunned, suffocation
  +3
  Death, petrification
  +4
   
  Maximum number of creatures affected
  1
  -1
  2-3
  +0
  4+
  +1
   
  78
  
  79
  Sample Haunts
   Spectral Knife                                  CR ½
  Location: Roadside where the highwaymen 
  murdered the newlywed couple.
  Passive perception to notice: 9
  Trigger: Any one creature that approaches 
  within 100 feet of the site at night.
  Effect: A young couple once attempted to 
  travel to a neighboring town to consult a 
  sage regarding the bride’s sudden illness. 
  The highwaymen sought to take the money 
  that the couple had for the sage’s fee. The 
  highwaymen killed the couple and took the 
  money, and were never brought to justice. The 
  husband’s survival knife drew the blood of 
  one of the thugs, and still haunts the site. As 
  it is a prominent legend in the town, there is 
  a sign on the highway that warns people not 
  to approach the road at night. Anyone that 
  ignores the warning and approaches the site 
  is attacked by a spectral knife. An afflicted 
  creature must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving 
  throw or take 5 (1d10) psychic damage. The 
  haunt stops after the first attack but is reset 
  once each hour, on the hour until sunrise.
  Destroying the animated knife: The haunt can 
  be ended if the brigands are brought to justice. 
  Barring that, sprinkling the blood of a mur-
  derer on the site will also end the haunt.
   
  Chilling Darkness 
                  CR 4
  Location: Wine Cellar
  Passive perception to notice: 14
  Trigger: Three or more creatures present
  Effect: When triggered, the corks from all the 
  wine bottles appear to come out, and the 
  contents of the bottles spill out into a chilly 
  darkness that envelops the immediate area. 
  All creatures currently in the wine cellar must 
  make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw, tak-
  ing 14 (3d10) cold damage on a failure, or half 
  as much on a success. This darkness foils the 
  darkvision of living things. Those who wish to 
  exit must make a DC 13 Dexterity check to 
  avoid falling prone for each round of move-
  ment they make, but if no danger is present, 
  there is nothing inherently dangerous about 
  the darkness, as the cold damage only occurs 
  once. The darkness persists for 10 minutes, 
  after which it dissipates, the wine bottles ap-
  pear unopened, and the haunt can begin anew 
  if the trigger conditions are met.
  Destroying the Chilling Darkness: A house 
  servant was once brought to this room and 
  brutally murdered for attempting to steal 
  wine. Speaking a prayer of rest for the soul of 
  the house servant can quell the haunt, even if 
  it is in progress. A DC 14 Intelligence (Reli-
  gion) check might be appropriate to know of 
  an appropriate prayer.
  The Painting                                         CR 9
  Location: Hallway leading to the east wing of 
  the mansion.
  Passive Perception to notice: 18
  Trigger: Being adjacent to the painting.
  Effect: An ominous painting hangs in the 
  hallway, depicting the former master of the 
  mansion. When seen from the corner of the 
  eye, the master appears craven and ghoulish. 
  Anyone that nears the painting must make 
  a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become 
  charmed and compelled to attack the near-
  est living creature for up to 5 rounds. If there 
  are no living creatures to attack, the afflicted 
  victim must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving 
  throw or become wracked with nightmarish 
  visions and is dealt 27 (5d10) psychic damage. 
  Those that succeed at the saving throw only 
  take half damage. Only one such creature can 
  be afflicted in this way. The haunt can be trig-
  gered only once per night.
  Destroying the painting: The painting itself can 
  be destroyed, but it merely reappears at the 
  next stroke of midnight. To unravel the haunt, 
  one must draw a circle of salt on the floor near 
  the painting, and perform an esoteric rite of 
  exorcism. This rite can be performed with a 
  DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana) check.
   
  
  80
  Insanity plays a strong part in the elements of 
  horror, as fear is a cloying presence that can un-
  hinge the mind. The madness that takes hold can 
  be a signpost of horror, as the protagonists meet 
  twisted minds that have been broken by inhuman 
  creatures, as well as mortal born cruelties like war 
  and terror.
  Here we give codified rules on how sanity (and 
  the lack thereof ) can play a role in your game, and 
  how you can inject the substance of sanity into your 
  game, creating a mood of fear and uncertainty.
    Different madness rules (use HP as madness, 
  and dying gains you a permanent insanity)
    Psychic damage types now deal Sanity damage.
    Permanent Insanity can only be removed 
  through extensive downtime activities or 
  divine intervention
    Insanity can serve as a mechanical disadvan-
  tage against certain creatures.
    As a GM, you can elect to let a player survive 
  “death”, but gain an insanity specific to the 
  cause of death.
    Insanity can be a source of inspiration, may 
  work well with backgrounds for RP purposes.
   MADNESS
  In a typical campaign, characters aren’t driven 
  mad by the horrors they face and the carnage they 
  inflict day after day, but sometimes the stress of 
  being an adventurer can be too much to bear. If 
  your campaign has a strong horror theme, you 
  might want to use madness as a way to reinforce 
  that theme, emphasizing the extraordinarily hor-
  rific nature of the threats the adventurers face.
   
  Chapter 09 - Fear & Madness
  GOING MAD
  Various magical effects can inflict madness on 
  an otherwise stable mind. Certain spells, such as 
  contact other plane and symbol, can cause insanity, 
  and you can use the madness rules here instead of 
  the spell effects in the SRD. Diseases, poisons, and 
  planar effects such as psychic wind or the howling 
  winds of Pandemonium can all inflict madness. 
  Some artifacts can also break the psyche of a char-
  acter who uses or becomes attuned to them.
   Resisting a madness-inducing effect usually 
  requires a Wisdom or Charisma saving throw.
   
  MADNESS EFFECTS
  Madness can be short-term, long-term, or in-
  definite. Most relatively mundane effects impose 
  short-term madness, which lasts for just a few 
  minutes. More horrific effects or cumulative ef-
  fects can result in long-term or indefinite madness.
   A character afflicted with short-term mad-
  ness is subjected to an effect from the Short-Term 
  Madness table for ldl0 minutes.
   A character afflicted with long-term madness is 
  subjected to an effect from the Long-Term Mad-
  ness table for ldl0 x 10 hours.
   A character afflicted with indefinite madness 
  gains a new character flaw from the Indefinite 
  Madness table that lasts until cured.
   
  SHORT-TERM MADNESS
  dl00
  Effect (lasts ldl0 minutes)
  01-20
  The character retreats into his or her 
  mind and becomes paralyzed. The 
  effect ends if the character takes any 
  damage.
  
  81
  21-30
  The character becomes incapacitated 
  and spends the duration screaming, 
  laughing, or weeping.
  31 - 40
  The character becomes frightened 
  and must use his or her action and 
  movement each round to flee from 
  the source of the fear.
  41 - 50
  The character begins babbling and is 
  incapable of normal speech or spell-
  casting.
  51 - 60
  The character must use his or her ac-
  tion each round to attack the nearest 
  creature.
  61-70
  The character experiences vivid hal-
  lucinations and has disadvantage on 
  ability checks.
  71 - 75
  The character does whatever anyone 
  tells him or her to do that isn’t obvi-
  ously self-destructive.
  76- 80
  The character experiences an over-
  powering urge to eat something 
  strange such as dirt, slime, or offal.
  81-90
  The character is stunned.
  91-100
  The character falls unconscious.
   
  LONG-TERM MADNESS
  Dl00
  Effect (lasts ldl0 x 10 hours)
  01-10
  The character feels compelled to re-
  peat a specific activity over and over, 
  such as washing hands, touching 
  things, praying, or counting coins.
  11-20
  The character experiences vivid hal-
  lucinations and has disadvantage on 
  ability checks.
  21-30
  The character suffers extreme para-
  noia. The character has disadvantage 
  on Wisdom and Charisma checks.
  31-40
  The character regards something 
  (usually the source of madness) with 
  intense revulsion as if affected by the 
  antipathy effect of the antipathy/sym-
  pathy spell.
  41-45
  The character experiences a power-
  ful delusion. Choose a potion. The 
  character imagines that he or she is 
  under its effects.
  46-55
  The character becomes attached to a 
  “lucky charm,” such as a person or an 
  object, and has disadvantage on attack 
  rolls, ability checks, and saving throws 
  while more than 30 feet from it.
  56-65
  The character is blinded (25%) or 
  deafened (75%).
  66-75
  The character experiences uncontrol-
  lable tremors or tics, which impose 
  disadvantage on attack rolls, abil-
  ity checks, and saving throws that 
  involve Strength or Dexterity.
  76-85
  The character suffers from par-
  tial amnesia. The character knows 
  who he or she is and retains racial 
  traits and class features, but doesn’t 
  recognize other people or remember 
  anything that happened before the 
  madness took effect.
  81
  
  82
  86-90
  Whenever the character takes dam-
  age, he or she must succeed on a 
  DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be 
  affected as though he or she failed 
  a saving throw against the confusion 
  spell. The confusion effect lasts for 1 
  minute.
  91 -95
  The character loses the ability to 
  speak.
  96-100
  The character falls unconscious. No 
  amount of jostling or damage can 
  wake the character.
   
  INDEFINITE MADNESS
  dl00 
  Flaw (lasts until cured)
  01-15
  “Being drunk keeps me sane.”
  16-25
  “I keep whatever I find .”
  26-30
  “I try to become more like someone 
  else I know adopting his or her style of 
  dress, mannerisms, and name.”
  31-35
  “I must bend the truth, exaggerate, or 
  outright lie to be interesting to other 
  people.”
  36-45
  “Achieving my goal is the only thing of 
  interest to me, and I’ll ignore every-
  thing else to pursue it.”
  46-50
  “I find it hard to care about anything 
  that goes on around me .”
  51-55
  “I don ‘t like the way people judge me 
  all the time.”
  56-70
  “I am the smartest, wisest, strongest, 
  fastest, and the most beautiful person 
  I know.”
  71 -80
  “I am convinced that powerful enemies 
  are hunting me, and their agents are 
  everywhere I go. I am sure they’re 
  watching me all the time.”
  81-85
  “There’s only one person I can trust. 
  And only I can see this special friend .”
  86-95
  “I can’t take anything seriously. The 
  more serious the situation, the funnier 
  I find it.”
  96-100
  “I’ve discovered that I really like killing 
  people.”
   
  CURING MADNESS
  A calm emotions spell can suppress the effects of 
  madness, while a lesser restoration spell can rid a 
  character of a short-term or long-term madness. 
  Depending on the source of the madness, remove 
  curse or dispel evil might also prove effective. A 
  greater restoration spell or more powerful magic is 
  required to rid a character of indefinite madness.
   
  Optional Madness  
  System Modifications
  This system is an addendum to the normal mad-
  ness system and adds both complexity and options 
  to your game. You can use some or all of this sys-
  tem, and the list of insanities is handy for use even 
  if you ignore the system rules within.
   
  MADNESS EVENTS
  DC   
  Event
  DC 8
  Surprised to find a mangled animal 
  carcass.
  DC 11
  Surprised to find a human body part.
  DC 13
  Surprised to find a human corpse, 
  finding a stream flowing with blood.
  DC 14
  Finding a mangled human corpse, 
  awakening trapped in a coffin, seeing 
  a ghoul.
  DC 15
  Witnessing a friend’s violent death, 
  meeting someone you know to be 
  dead.
  DC 16
  Experiencing extreme pain, seeing a 
  corpse rise from its grave.
  DC 20
  Seeing an evil deity, being the only 
  survivor of a large-scale massacre.
   
  New Category- 
  Permanent Insanity
  A character who gains any level of insanity gains 
  1 point of madness. That point of madness must be 
  removed through some kind of therapy or magic. 
  Someone who gains 6 madness points becomes per-
  manently insane. You can adjust this number up and 
  
  83
  down as you like depending on the nature and gritti-
  ness of the campaign. A permanently insane character 
  becomes an NPC under the control of the GM. A 
  character who has gone permanently insane can never 
  be normal again. He is forever lost in his own world 
  and from the reality of the environment that sur-
  rounds him. The character may be a ravening lunatic 
  or outwardly indistinguishable from a normal person; 
  however, the character has fallen into a deep, internal 
  corruption by searching forbidden knowledge.
   A GM may use Table 1-5: Random Indefinite 
  Insanity to outline the disorder a permanently 
  insane character suffers.
  Expanded Madness Tables
  These tables can offer some alternatives
   
  INDEFINITE MADNESS
  The following disorders are examples of perma-
  nent insanities that might afflict a character. Con-
  sider them as types of indefinite madness that are 
  available in place of the offered tables. They may also 
  represent a deeper permanent madness, though such 
  choices are left to the GM as they decide how to run 
  the character as an NPC. 
  SHORT-TERM MADNESS
  D100
  Effect (lasts 1d10 minutes)
  01-20
  Character faints (can be awakened by 
  vigorous action taking 1 round; 
  thereafter, the character is shaken 
  until the duration expires).
  21-30
  Character has a screaming fit.
  31-40
  Character flees in panic.
  41-50
  Character shows physical hysterics or 
  emotional outburst (i.e. laughing, 
  crying, and so forth).
  51-55
  Character babbles in incoherent 
  speech or in a torrent of coherent 
  speech.
  56-60
  Character gripped by intense phobia, 
  maybe cementing him to the spot.
  61-65
  Character becomes homicidal, dealing 
  harm to the nearest person as 
  proficiently as possible.
  66-70
  Character has hallucinations 
  or delusions.
  71-75
  Characters say or do whatever those 
  nearby say or do.
  76-80
  Character is gripped with a strange or 
  deviant eating desire (dirt, slime, hu-
  man flesh, and so on).
  81-90
  Character falls into a stupor (assumes 
  fetal position or oblivious to sur-
  rounding events).
  91-100
  Character become catatonic (can 
  stand but no willpower or inter-
  est; may be led or forced to perform 
  simple actions).
   
  LONG-TERM MADNESS
  D100
  Effect (lasts 1d10x10 hours)
  01-10
  Character performs compulsive rituals 
  (constantly washing hands, praying, 
  never stepping on cracks, and so on).
  11-20
  Character has hallucinations and delu-
  sions (at the discretion of the GM).
  21-30
  Character becomes paranoid.
  31-40
  Character gripped with a severe pho-
  bia (refuses to approach the object of 
  phobia except on a successful Wisdom 
  save [DC 18]).
  41-45
  Character has aberrant desires and 
  obsessions (either with people or 
  objects).
  46-55
  Character develops an attachment to 
  a “lucky charm” and cannot function 
  without it (treat as poisoned).
  56-65
  Character develops psychosomatic 
  blindness, deafness, or the loss of the 
  use of a limb or limbs.
  66-75
  Character has uncontrollable tics or 
  tremors (disadvantage on physical 
  ability checks).
  76-85
  Characters have amnesia  (Disadvan-
  tage on Intelligence based checks that 
  involve memory or gained knowledge).
  
  84
  86-90
  Character has bouts of reactive psy-
  chosis (delusions, hallucinations, and 
  so on).
  91-95
  Character loses the ability to commu-
  nicate via speech or writing.
  96-100
  Character becomes catatonic (can stand 
  but no willpower or interest; may be led 
  or forced to perform simple actions).
   
  ANXIETY DISORDERS
   Anxiety disorders generally develop from a variety 
  of risk factors including personality, genetics, and life 
  events that burden the character. When this anxiety 
  builds over a prolonged period of time (especially 
  when combating frightful creatures), the character 
  may begin to develop an anxiety disorder.
   Generalized Anxiety Disorders: The character suf-
  fers from a variety of physical and emotional symptoms 
  that can be grouped into certain categories. Motor 
  Tension: The character suffers from jitteriness, aches, 
  twitches, and so on. All attack rolls, saving throws, and 
  ability checks involving Strength, Dexterity, or Consti-
  tution have disadvantage.
   Automatic Hyperactivity: The character suffers 
  from immense sweating, a racing heart, dizziness, 
  clammy hands, and so on. All saving throws and 
  ability checks have disadvantage.
   Expectations of Doom: Anxieties culminate 
  into a fear and an anticipation of misfortune. All 
  attack rolls and ability checks have disadvantage.
   Vigilance: The character suffers from distrac-
  tions, inability to focus, insomnia, and so on. All
  saving throws and checks involving Intelligence, 
  Wisdom or Charisma have disadvantage.
   Agoraphobia: The character has a fear of open 
  places. The character becomes very nervous out-
  side familiar surroundings and must make a DC 
  15 Wisdom save in order to leave home or engage 
  socially. The character may also develop a related 
  phobia, such as uranophobia (fear of the sky), 
  baraphobia (fear of the loss of gravity), or xeno-
  phobia (fear of strangers).
   Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: This malady 
  develops into two forms: obsessive thoughts or com-
  pulsive actions. Some characters may exhibit both.
  Obsessions: The character cannot help think-
  ing about an idea, image, or impulse incessantly, 
  often involving violence and self-doubt. Obsessive 
  impulses pose dangerous situations when coupled 
  with auditory hallucinations. There might be 
  “voices” urging the character to take a dangerous 
  or aggressive course of action.
  Compulsions: The character insists on perform-
  ing ritual actions, such as locking and unlocking 
  doors, before entering or leaving their apartment. 
  The need to perform these actions are so great, 
  a character may ignore their survival in order to 
  perform these actions. Performing a ritualistic 
  compulsion lasts 1d10 rounds.
   Phobia or Mania: A character afflicted by a 
  phobia or a mania persistently fears a particular 
  object or situation.
  Phobia: A DC 15 Wisdom saving throw is re-
  quired for a character to be able to force themselves 
  into (or remain within) the presence of the object 
  of their phobia. On a success, the character has dis-
  advantage on attack rolls and ability checks relating 
  to the object. On a failure, the character is fright-
  ened and must flee from the object of the phobia.
  Philia: Philias are rarer than phobias. A character 
  affected by a philia is inordinately fond of a particu-
  lar stimulus and takes great pains to be with or near 
  it. For example, a character with Hematophobia has 
  a fear of blood while a character with Hematophilia 
  has an unhealthy attraction to the act of bleeding. 
  Resisting the impulse to indulge their mania or 
  philia is a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw.
   
  Dissociative Disorders
   A character who becomes dissociative suffers 
  from a lack of connection to thoughts, memo-
  ries, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. Certain 
  ordeals are so horrifying for the character that it 
  becomes too terrible to remember.
   Dissociative Amnesia: This is the inability to 
  recall important personal information by trying to 
  avoid unpleasant memories or events. The charac-
  ter must make a DC 20 Intelligence check to recall 
  such details or the cause of amnesia. This check 
  can be tried once per day after benefiting from 
  
  85
  a long rest. At the GM’s discretion, this may or 
  may not affect a Wizard’s ability to memorize and 
  prepare spells, but it is more likely than not that a 
  wizard is not denied their spellcasting just as they 
  retain their ability to perform other skills or tasks 
  with no problem.
  Dissociative Fugue: The character flees from 
  home or work and cannot recall their past. Char-
  acters may assume a new identity. Dissociative 
  Identity Disorder: This is the infamous multiple 
  personality disorder that has provoked the produc-
  tion of many films and books. Each personality a 
  character harbors has a distinct name, behavior, 
  and possibly, even gender. The player needs to keep 
  track of each of the character’s different person-
  alities (each character has the same ability scores 
  and games statistics, but different goals, outlooks, 
  attitudes and so on).
   
  Impulse Control Disorders
  These disorders include compulsive gambling, 
  pathological lying, kleptomania, and pyromania.
   
  MOOD DISORDERS
  These affect the character’s outlook and attitude to 
  the point where it impinges on their abilities.
   
  Depression: This disorder may include symp-
  toms of weight gain or loss, too much or too little 
  sleep, persistent feelings of guilt or worthlessness 
  and can lead to hallucinations, delusions, stupor, 
  or thought of suicide. The character will continue 
  to accrue levels of exhaustion while suffering from 
  depression until they reach 5 levels. These levels 
  cannot be removed by normal or magical means 
  until the underlying issues have been addressed. 
  The character only dies from exhaustion if they 
  have received 6 levels of exhaustion that are from a 
  source outside of this mental illness.
   Mania: The character possesses a constant 
  euphoric or irritable mood. This includes talk-
  ativeness, great delusional self-esteem, no need 
  for sleep, easily distracted, and so on. A character 
  rolls a d20 at the start of their turn. On a natural 
  1, they lose focus and take a random action that 
  does not involve attacking or helping allies, such as 
  picking flowers or dancing a jig.
   Bipolar Mood Disorder: The character changes 
  between the two mood states staying in one mood 
  for weeks at a time or rapidly switching from one 
  to another without notice.
   
  Personality Disorders
  These disorders cause an unpleasant behav-
  ior, making it difficult for characters to interact 
  with others. The character has disadvantage all 
  Charisma-based checks. Especially bad checks can 
  sometimes lead to creating hostile relationships 
  with NPCs.
   
  Psychospecies Disorders
  Characters with this disorder might believe they 
  are a different type of creature: animal, undead, 
  aquatic, and so on.
   
  Schizophrenia Disorders
  Characters suffering from this disorder suffer a 
  break from reality. Symptoms include hallucina-
  tions, delusions, and cognitive impairment. Char-
  acters with this impairment have disadvantage 
  to pierce illusions or avoid the effects of illusion 
  school spells.
   
  Sleep Disorders
  Insomnia and narcolepsy are two of many types 
  of sleeping disorders. These disorders cause a dis-
  turbance in the character’s daily activities. Charac-
  ters performing demanding tasks such as engaging 
  in combat or casting a spell may, when stressed, 
  need to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw 
  to stay awake and not put themselves in a danger-
  ous situation.
   
  Somatoform Disorders
  These disorders are diagnosed when a character suf-
  fers from physical symptoms without actual physical 
  injury or disease. Somatization Disorder: The char-
  acter suffers from a physical ailment or disease-like 
  effect. Symptoms can include dizziness or impotence 
  to blindness and intense pain. The character does 
  
  86
  not believe that their symptoms represent a specific 
  disease. Treat as poisoned.
   
  Conversion Disorder: The character has dys-
  functions that suggest a physical disorder, though 
  involuntary, the symptoms actually provide a way 
  for the character to avoid some undesirable experi-
  ence. Treat as poisoned.
   
  SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS
  Characters with a substance abuse disorder find 
  comfort in using a particular drug. This includes 
  alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, hallucinogens, 
  marijuana, and so on. Characters should feel a 
  daily personal struggle and Wisdom saving throws 
  might be used to resist or succumb to such crav-
  ings. When sober, the character must make a 
  Constitution saving throw after benefiting from a 
  long rest. On a failure, the character is poisoned. If 
  the character fails by 5 or more, they are intensely 
  physically ill and do not gain the benefits of the 
  long rest. This saving throw must be made until 
  the character is free from the disorder or they 
  indulge in the substance.
   
  PERSONALITY DISORDERS
  Here is a list of potential personality disorders 
  that might otherwise not seem like insanities, but 
  could be spun that way, especially if they become 
  severe or overriding personality traits.
    Antisocial Reckless behavior, habitual liar, 
  and so on.
    Avoidant Low self-esteem or socially with-
  drawn.
    Borderline Impulsive or unable to control.
    Compulsive Perfectionist, authoritarian, or 
  indecisive.
    Dependent Lacks self-confidence or subordi-
  nate.
    Histrionic Craves attention and excitement.
    Narcissistic Craves attention and admiration.
    Passive-Aggressive
    Stubborn and deliberately inefficient.
    Paranoid Jealous, humorless, or secretive.
   REMOVING INSANITY 
  WITHOUT MAGIC
  While the onset of insanity might be a slow 
  crawl into crippling madness, some games can 
  deal with the slow mental healing process. In such 
  cases, insanity can still exact a heavy toll, but he 
  slowly reversible through hard work.
   
  STORY REWARDS
  The GM may reward players by removing an in-
  sanity should they foil a great horror or other evil 
  enterprise. This may even coincide with gaining a 
  level or completing a campaign arc.
   
  MENTAL THERAPY
  To give useful mental therapy, a therapist must 
  have the Medicine skill. Intensive treatment can 
  remove insanities from the troubled character. 
  Receiving treatment that is a downtime activity. 
  A typical insanity can be cured after 100 days of 
  treatment. This number can be modified depend-
  ing on the needs of the campaign, as well as the 
  intensity of the insanity. If a character is suffering 
  from an especially long bout of temporary insanity, 
  mental therapy can potentially reduce or remove 
  the temporary insanity, as outlined below.
   
  MEDICINE SKILL
  Immediate Care: When someone suffers an 
  episode of temporary insanity, a therapist can 
  bring them out of it by making a DC 12 Wisdom 
  (Medicine) check. Doing so takes roughly 10 min-
  utes of effort.
   
  Short Term Care: A therapist can also use 
  immediate care to stabilize a character suffering 
  from a bout of symptoms related to their indefinite 
  insanity. On a successful DC 14 Wisdom (Medi-
  cine) check the character can suppress the effects 
  of the indefinite insanity for up to 4d6 hours. This 
  treatment generally takes an hour of effort and 
  counts towards one day of mental therapy towards 
  permanently removing the insanity.
  
  87
   Long-Term Care: Providing long-term care 
  means treating a mentally disturbed person for 
  a day or more in a place away from stress and 
  distractions. A therapist must spend 3 hours per 
  day doing nothing but talking to the patient. If 
  the therapist makes a DC 16 Wisdom (Medicine) 
  check at the end of this time, the patient makes 
  two days worth of progress towards removing a 
  specific insanity, or one day’s worth of progress 
  towards removing two insanities. If the therapist 
  fails by 5 or less, the patient still received the ben-
  efits of short-term care. A therapist can tend up to 
  six patients at a time; each patient beyond the first 
  adds 3 hours to the total time per day that must 
  be devoted to therapy. The check must be made 
  each day for each patient. A roll of 1 forces the 
  therapist to make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw 
  against madness.
   
  NPCS & SANITY
  While most insanities can be cured by player agen-
  cy, curing mental impairments for non-player char-
  acters may be a different process, and take a different 
  kind of investment of player character resources.
  While treatment of temporary insanity on an 
  NPC can end with a moment of consultation and 
  a quick Medicine check, treatment of permanent 
  insanity is pointless since a character can never 
  recover regardless of the therapist or facility.
   After 1d6 months, if undisturbed by further 
  trauma and with an agreement with the Game 
  Master, an indefinitely insane nonplayer character 
  finds enough mental balance to reenter the world. 
  There are three kinds of care that may help the 
  character remove an insanity during this recovery 
  period. The type of care a character receives are 
  based on the resources expended towards care.
  PRIVATE CARE
  This involves the character finding care at home 
  or in some friendly environment (i.e. a church or 
  the home of a wealthy relative or friend) where 
  constant vigilance and nursing are available. It is 
  a place where personal care is undistracted by the 
  needs of competing patients.
   If mental therapy or alchemical medications are 
  available, roll d% for each game month that one 
  or the other is used. A result of 01-50 is a suc-
  cess: remove an indefinite insanity. On the result 
  of 51-100, the healer fumbles the diagnosis or the 
  character rejects the alchemical treatments. He or 
  she makes no progress is made that month.
   Benefiting from this treatment is considered to 
  be a wealthy lifestyle, and either the character or a 
  benefactor must pay the daily associated costs. It 
  should be noted that despite the lifestyle costs, a 
  character may or may not benefit from the normal 
  bonuses associated with this lifestyle.
  INSTITUTIONALIZATION
  Commitment to a good insane asylum is the 
  next best alternative. Therapy using the Medi-
  cine skill is usually the only treatment available, 
  however, primitive institutions might undermine 
  progress towards treatment.
   Roll d% for each game month a character is 
  in the care of an institution. A result of 01-40 is 
  a success: remove one indefinite insanity. On the 
  result of 41-100, the NPC rebels against the envi-
  ronment, and no progress can be made that month. 
  An especially bad asylum is likely to cause more 
  insanity, eventually leading to permanent insanity.
  Benefiting from institutionalization is consid-
  ered a squalid lifestyle, which might be paid by a 
  friend or relative, though often is paid for by some 
  function of the city or kingdom that maintains the 
  institution. In some cases, the institution keeps 
  patients in wretched conditions and gains money 
  from some exploitative aspect of the asylum’s 
  operational procedure, such as selling the hair of 
  patients to wig makers.
   
  WANDERING AND HOMELESS
   If the two previous cares are not available, an 
  insane NPC may end up homeless, babbling inco-
  herently as he or she struggles for survival. Such 
  a character makes no progress unless he or she is 
  able to join a group of the homeless and find at 
  least one friend among them. To find a friend after 
  joining such a group the NPC can make a DC 15 
  Charisma (Persuasion) check once per month. If a 
  friend appears, the affected character removes an 
  indefinite insanity after 6 months, as long as they 
  are not exposed to stress within that time.
  
  88
   For each game month during which an insane 
  NPC lives as a derelict, roll d%. On a result of 
  01- 99, the character survives. On a result of 100, 
  the NPC dies as the result of disease, exposure, or 
  violence, or is rendered permanently insane.
   
  FANTASY SETTINGS AND 
  INSANITY
   In a traditional fantasy campaign based on a 
  medieval setting–or prior–adequate treatment for 
  those suffering from mental illness looks bleak. 
  They are essentially two venues a character has 
  available in getting treatment: go to a monastery 
  or wander.
  A monastery is a refuge away from the world 
  and is a place where a character can peacefully 
  collect their thoughts. Some monasteries dedicated 
  themselves wholly to this cause. In order to enter 
  into a monastery, one must give the Abbot all of 
  his or her possessions. This is used to support the 
  monastery and the new addition.
  Use the same rules for Institutionalization. A 
  monastery is less likely to abuse its patients, and will 
  generally not charge for their services, and are more 
  disposed to show compassion to their patients.
   
  Alchemical Treatments in a Fantasy 
  Setting
  In a fantasy game, the Game Master should de-
  cide whether rare herbs and alchemical substances 
  can provide the same benefits that modern psychi-
  atric drugs can deliver. Therefore, a Game Master 
  needs only decide how easily he wants characters 
  to overcome insanity effects. Once the desired tone 
  of the campaign is known, the Game Master can 
  determine whether alchemical treatment is avail-
  able. You may decide that this variant assumes that 
  skilled alchemists can create substances that offer 
  the same benefits that psychiatric drugs can pro-
  vide. However, you may feel that, like real-world 
  history, very few alchemists bothered brewing 
  poultices for curing the mentally ill, but instead 
  tried to create a formula of turning lead into gold 
  for their rich patrons.
   As long as a character can afford the correct 
  herbs and alchemical substances and is able to 
  ingest them, the symptoms of indefinite insanity 
  can be ignored.
   Ingesting these alchemical substances and 
  drugs does not make a character immune or even 
  particularly resistant to future insanity. A DC 25 
  Intelligence (Alchemist’s supplies) check is needed 
  to accurately prepare the correct herbs and sub-
  stances and administer the correct dosage.
   Long-term alchemical treatment can remove in-
  definite insanities, just as the use of the Medicine skill 
  can. Each day that the medication is taken is treated 
  as a day of downtime towards removing the insanity.
   Receiving the benefits of alchemical treatment 
  are expensive, and can cost anywhere from 10-
  100 gold per daily dosage. A character can benefit 
  from both treatments with the Medicine skill and 
  alchemical treatment.
   
  Removing Insanity with Magic
  The way insanity and magic healing interact can 
  greatly affect the feel of your game. At one extreme, 
  the GM can rule that magic can easily cure insanity, in 
  which case insanity becomes little more than a special-
  ized condition like frightened or poisoned. In such a 
  case, characters can usually restore themselves with a 
  day or two of rest and spellcasting.
  At the other extreme, the campaign might be 
  structured so that magical healing can do little or 
  nothing to remove insanity, and even powerful di-
  vine spellcasters capable of curing the most deadly 
  physical malady shy away from those encounters 
  that might inflict mental trauma. The spells that 
  can potentially remove indefinite insanity are 
  discussed below.
  The Game Master should feel free to choose 
  which of these spell effects are present in the 
  game, but once established, these effects should 
  not be changed in mid-campaign.
  Keep in mind that these rules are in place of the 
  rules in the SRD regarding the effect of magic on 
  insanity, but mostly coincide with the way that 
  those rules work.
   
  
  89
  Calm Emotions: This spell cannot directly 
  remove an insanity, but it can temporarily mitigate 
  the effects of temporary or indefinite insanity. 
  While the spell is in effect, the targets act calmly 
  and ignore behavior changes caused by temporary 
  or indefinite insanity. This spell has no effect on 
  those suffering from permanent insanity.
   
  Heal: In addition to its normal effects, heal 
  removes all forms of temporary insanity. You may 
  choose to allow this spell to remove one indefinite 
  insanity per casting, in addition to its other effects. 
  This also applies to the mass heal spell.
   
  Mind Blank: While the spell is in effect, the 
  subject automatically succeeds at all saving throws 
  against madness.
   
  Miracle: This spell can remove 
  all insanities. Miracle even heals 
  permanent insanity. This effect 
  should be viable even in a campaign 
  where magic does not normally affect 
  insanities.
   
  Restoration, Greater: If the caster chooses, 
  greater restoration can remove all short-term and 
  long-term insanities, one indefinite insanity, or 
  permanent insanity, rather than the normal effects 
  of the spell.
   
  Restoration, Lesser: If the caster chooses, 
  lesser restoration can remove all-short term 
  insanity or long-term insanity instead of its 
  normal effects.
   
  Wish: see Miracle.
   
  Removing Magical Healing
  As a function of your campaign, you may not 
  want for spells to remove madness. Though they 
  are powerful resources, they are nonetheless easily 
  acquired by most adventurer groups, eventually 
  trivializing insanity in general for the adventurers 
  and their allies.
   
  You should consider instead allowing for spells 
  to be effective in a slow and protracted process of 
  removing insanity, with daily castings over many 
  days (a perfect downtime activity) to remove a 
  given madness, with deeper madnesses requiring 
  longer amounts of time. This way the madness can 
  still be cured but represents a deep commitment 
  from a healer or spellcaster that could potentially 
  be a source of madness itself.
  If you remove magical healing, make sure that 
  there are other avenues that will help mitigate or 
  remove insanity, as it could quickly cripple your 
  players in long-term campaigns.
  
  90
   When designing a horror adventure, the loca-
  tions and backdrops are key. You won’t get far if 
  your campaigns take place in sunny meadows or 
  well-kept metropolis. The following suggestions 
  will help you not only achieve the mood but also 
  find great locations for your games.
  Bear in mind that these are all suggestions, and 
  can be implemented partially, in whole, or not at 
  all. Horror is something that is best when per-
  sonalized. If you can use these design elements to 
  scare your players, please do. If not, you may have 
  the key to creating a horror campaign that your 
  players won’t forget.
   Horror Based  
  Adventure Goals
  The most important question for you is what 
  you wish to accomplish with a horror campaign. 
  Do you wish to use horror as a backdrop to high-
  light the heroism of your party, or do you wish 
  to truly evoke the gritty dread of horror that will 
  ultimately lead to failure and despair despite the 
  party’s best efforts?
   These questions are of enormous importance 
  as you plan and modify your campaign. Though 
  5th edition fantasy is intrinsically geared towards 
  heroism, big challenges, and big rewards, it can be 
  subtly modified to fit other paradigms.
  If you want to play a default horror based  cam-
  paign, it doesn’t mean that you have to negate any 
  dread or fear that your players might otherwise 
  experience. It does mean that you will have to 
  work harder at evoking those feelings if your group 
  is empowered and expecting of glory and victory as 
  a default assumption.
  Consider that a group of powerful adventurers 
  may not have anything to truly fear. They may be 
  anxious or concerned about a big red dragon, but the 
  monsters that prey upon frightened commoners are 
  not going to scare your group of jaded explorers.
   In this case, you will have to play up a few fac-
  tors. First, you have to tap into a fear that they 
  cannot fight. Lead them into the scene of a hor-
  rific crime or event, and highlight the small details 
  that evoke the sense of mystery and sadness that 
  come with it. The deed is done, and they likely 
  cannot do anything to change it. This can show-
  case that evil can and will win out in places that 
  the heroes cannot reach, and that they may be a 
  bulwark against the darkness, but they cannot be 
  everywhere at once.
  Second, you have to tap into existential fears. 
  They might be able to fight back a demon, but 
  in doing so the ensuing damage to the fabric of 
  reality might cause small and horrible changes, 
  such as the birth of children with demonic essence, 
  or a famine that will starve and kill thousands. 
  If every victory comes at a price, the players will 
  soon understand the bleakness of the world, and 
  perhaps it will encourage them to find solutions to 
  the problems they unknowingly wrought.
  But the ultimate point is that you cannot let 
  evil always (or even often) have a face that can be 
  punched. When evil is a populace that cannot be 
  swayed away from wrongdoing or an invasion that 
  cannot be stemmed, then the group will really un-
  derstand the struggle for hope and the slow death 
  of optimism.
  And if you are instead evoking total dread with-
  out so much as a prospect for triumph, then your 
  job is easier, as long as your group understands 
  the base assumption; doom is inevitable, and their 
  struggle is only to see who survives the longest.
  But bear in mind the disclaimer that comes with 
  horror design. It is easy to be gross, gauche, or 
  even rude in your presentation of horror. The hor-
  ror genre is given to a schlock element that favors 
  shock value over true fright, and can sometimes 
  Chapter 10 - Horror Adventures
  
  91
  step on the boundary of good taste. I implore you 
  to know your table and stay away from provocative 
  themes when you can, or at the least treating such 
  themes with maturity and dignity.
  Horror Treasure
  Treasure in most games is simple. It can be 
  composed of valuables or magic items. However, 
  in a horror campaign, the paradigm will naturally 
  shift. Is food scarce? A source of food may be as 
  valued as a treasure trove, or more so if gold can’t 
  even buy you food. Is the population diminishing? 
  Lives may be valuable, either illicitly or otherwise, 
  as humanoids face potential extinction.
   While magic items may be a good reward, you 
  must be careful not to give something that may ne-
  gate a story element. An item that links to another 
  plane may either present refuge for your group and 
  their loved ones, entirely removing any desire to 
  stay in a domain of dread. An item that somehow 
  solves a supply shortage will diminish the woe felt 
  by the group and their allies. And yet some magic 
  items can be perfect for such a campaign. Even an 
  item that merely produces light is a treasure for a 
  group that must venture into an oppressive dark 
  realm, while an item that can produce fire may 
  save lives in a deep and foreboding winter.
   You as the GM are the final arbiter of what is 
  or is not appropriate in your campaign, though a 
  horror based campaign will require more thought 
  and deliberate effort into the choosing of treasure. 
  These choices will surely be of importance to the 
  mood and theme of your game and are not to be 
  taken lightly.
   Horror Campaign Events
  Certain events can either be the kick off of a 
  good horror game, or pivotal to its story. Consider 
  the following events as suggestions for your horror 
  campaign. Use and change them as you like, giving 
  them your personal touch when applying them to 
  your game.
    A demon lord or army is summoned.
    A star falls with varying catastrophic effects 
  (widespread destruction, the introduction of a 
  strange new creature, radiation, space disease, etc).
    A god dies or disappears.
    An angel is falls in disgrace to evil.
    The followers of a religion are the target of 
  ethnic cleansing.
    The worship of a god is perverted.
    The prayers of the righteous are ignored.
    A plague outbreak threatens lives everywhere.
    A mass suicide or animal death event cause panic.
    An oracle dies, leaving a mysterious and omi-
  nous prophecy of doom.
    An unscheduled eclipse causes concern among 
  scholars and the clergy.
   
   An entire town or city becomes abandoned, 
  and no one knows why.
    A prominent figure or leader is assassinated, 
  throwing an entire region into chaos and war.
    A natural itself is in upheaval, perhaps as an 
  active and thinking force.
    Some force constructs and intends to use a 
  weapon of mass destruction.
    A well-known star or other celestial body 
  disappears from the sky.
    Ominous trumpets are heard over an entire 
  continent.
    The dead rise from their graves with malicious 
  intent.
    The world is dying, the sun is being snuffed 
  out, or some other event seems to indicate 
  that the end of all life is near.
    No new children are being conceived, and 
  people grow old and desperate as the end of 
  civilization approaches as a result.
    A change in the seasons has rendered the land 
  unbearable. Either eternal winter, eternal sum-
  mer, or ceaseless rain has caused a prolonged 
  catastrophe.
  
  92
   Soft Places: Where the 
  Material Plane Blurs
  When darkness spreads across the land, it tends 
  to touch across the planes and reach to those 
  places that exemplify evil and destruction. This is 
  not merely an analogy, but a real blending of the 
  planes. In some places where the sun fails to reach, 
  the shadow plane can take over and start to influ-
  ence the region. Other locations or events can be 
  tied to realms of evil, such as the sites of violent 
  warfare linking to the plane of Gehenna.
  The inclusion of such a portal or node in your 
  campaign can vary greatly depending on your 
  desire to bring the denizens or geography of the 
  plane into your world. It may be a simple portal 
  that allows only the weakest of evil denizens to 
  enter, or it may merely be a warping in reality that 
  slowly twists flora and fauna into approximate 
  aspects of the plane’s themes. A dark forest may 
  start producing shadow wolves, or a cursed desert 
  may spawn forth imps and devil scorpions, while a 
  giant canyon may be the staging ground for a full-
  on planar invasion!
   Such planar incursions may be the fuel for your 
  campaign, as the themes of dread are directly tied 
  to the existential threats that come from such an 
  invasion. Players may have to petition scholars and 
  planar beings for assistance in ending the threat 
  and closing the gates to the evil planes forever. 
  They may even be required to travel to the strange 
  realms themselves, to deal with its native denizens, 
  and close the gate by some means from the other 
  side, potentially with them in it.
   The following are a few suggestions for various 
  planar incursions, and how they might work in 
  your campaign.
   
  The Elemental Planes. Though not innately 
  evil themselves, the elemental planes can both be 
  inimical to life on the material plane, as well as 
  bring genuine evil into the world by various means. 
  Some elemental creatures are actually evil, while 
  evil non-elemental creatures may make its home 
  in the elemental plane. A link to the plane of fire 
  might cause regional droughts, while a link to the 
  plane of water may cause intense storms that can 
  destroy regions. It is also said that the plane of air 
  has links to alien realms that would drive mortals 
  mad. Though the planes of earth are relatively 
  benign by comparison, a link to this plane may act 
  as a trap for mortals who are likely to get lost in 
  the labyrinthine tunnels within.
   
  The Ethereal Plane. Though the Ethereal Plane 
  is not inherently evil, there are things that live 
  within it that either uses it as a staging ground 
  for nefarious purposes or live there as a matter of 
  course. Given that many dangerous demiplanes 
  are adjacent to the ethereal plane, it can act as a 
  conduit of evil incursions from such planes.
   
  The Evil Planes. As a catchall, there are many 
  evil planes that are terrifying in their own right, 
  whether they go by the name of Hell, the Abyss, 
  Abaddon, or any other number of torturous 
  dimensions where pain and suffering are a mat-
  ter of course. Though the planes themselves may 
  have traits that are innately dangerous, the bigger 
  danger comes from the denizens of such places 
  92
  
  93
  entering the material plane in search of victims. 
  Even the least of these creatures can wreak havoc 
  on a small community or district.
   The Lawful Planes. Though the lawful planes 
  seem like they are relatively harmless, the strict 
  adherence to law and pattern are likely to cause 
  dangerous changes, both by altering traits of the 
  linked area and for any lawful creatures that might 
  seek to personally assert these patterns. A small 
  populace might find themselves enslaved to a 
  mechanical overlord bent on turning the landscape 
  into a metallic region of law and order, or even as 
  workers in a giant clockwork machine that has no 
  discernable purpose.
   
  The Realms of Madness. For the relatively 
  fragile mind of mortals, there are many planes that 
  would drive their small minds mad. Whether the 
  formless morass of the infinite Plane of Chaos or 
  the incomprehensible realms that house dead gods 
  and stranger things, the composite planar reality 
  contains things that are better left unknown. If any 
  such planar location touched the material plane, it 
  would likely result in mental and physical suffering 
  that even a demon could not fathom.
   
  The Shadow Plane. The shadow plane is a 
  natural source of dread and danger, containing 
  creatures that are either antagonistic towards life, 
  represent some aspect of death, or both. The land 
  of shadows contain many of the monsters that 
  god-fearing peasants speak of in whispers, and in-
  cursions by this plane can usually result in deadly 
  wastelands devoid of life, hope, and even color.
   
  Blurred Zones
  Though you may have an idea of the realm you 
  want to blend into your campaign’s reality, here are 
  some ideas for the focal points for such incursions.
   
  Cult Headquarters. Cathedrals and castles 
  that belong to cultists are a prime area of planar 
  incursion. Cults are given to activity that seeks to 
  pierce the planes, or at least call upon planar pow-
  ers. Sometimes their pleas fall on deaf ears. More 
  often, their call is heard, and dangerous beings 
  answer with terrible howls and unnatural agendas.
   
  Haunted Area. Many planar blurs can occur 
  in places that have been the sight of mass deaths. 
  Some may be as quaint as a mansion or graveyard, 
  while warzones and charnel houses represent more 
  dangerous locations. Depending on the severity 
  and scope of the location, the planar incursion 
  could be full blown in scope or activity. Some war 
  zones can create restless undead in mass numbers, 
  while charnel houses may create a portal into a 
  realm of death and dread.
   
  Mountain Top. Many religions give much cre-
  dence to the idea that a mountaintop is a place of 
  spiritual purity. Some even speak of it as a doorway 
  93
  
  94
  into another world, untouched by the fragile hand 
  of man. Whatever the truth, the highest peaks are 
  often shrouded in clouded mystery, appearing for 
  all purposes like an alien landscape and atmo-
  sphere. The caves and peaks of these mountains 
  could perhaps be the location of some strange 
  realm, whether it be a godly and divine place or 
  bizarre dimension of terror.
   
  Subterranean. The underground is likewise a 
  place that fascinates and frightens the supersti-
  tious. Surface-bound mortals are rarely suited for 
  life underground, and mapping such places would 
  pose a colossal task. Though some fantasy races 
  are at home in the underground, even these groups 
  do so with the knowledge that they cannot protect 
  from every threat that comes from further below. 
  Some worlds have caverns that extend for miles 
  below the surface. In these deep recesses, there are 
  planar links and ancient prisons that could loose 
  unimaginable horrors.
  The Gothic City:                  
  New Urban Location
  To round out the ideas above, the gothic city is 
  a perfect representation of various goals and ideas 
  that persist within the horror genre. It is ripe for 
  both catastrophic events, small terrors, and every-
  thing in between. It can be the staging ground for 
  your campaign, as a bastion of civilization against 
  the barren and uninhabitable wastelands, or the 
  den of evil the
   The gothic city is a staple of fantasy horror. It is 
  large enough to get lost in, or ignored, and certainly 
  large enough to get killed in. Though the word goth-
  ic would imply a style of architecture, era, or culture, 
  here it implies a place of foreboding darkness.
   The gothic city is one where things are dreary, 
  the buildings themselves are oppressive, and evil 
  can lurk unabated within the plentiful shadows 
  and alleys that permeate the ill-constructed city. 
  Any city can be gothic, whether it be Victorian or 
  Pre-historic, as long as the city is large enough to 
  welcome the pall of darkness and evil.
   Such a city need not have a tyrant or evil de-
  mocracy in charge, though it certainly could have 
  one as well. What is important is that the common 
  people feel oppressed, whether it is by the climate, 
  the political landscape, disease, or some other 
  overwhelming force that diminishes the hope of 
  the commoner.
   The gothic city is a perfect place for cultists and 
  evil beings to infest, often thriving on the mem-
  bership and sacrifice of the downtrodden, whose 
  sudden absence is unlikely to arouse suspicion 
  from any authority. Certain insidious cults can 
  even infiltrate governments, effectively being in 
  charge of an entire city so as to better oppress the 
  masses and promote their chosen patron.
   Other features of a gothic city can include legal or 
  illegal death matches, dangerous neighborhoods with 
  varying levels of daily violence, and curses or effects 
  that can damn entire swaths of the population.
   These cities are usually damned in some way or 
  another, and not easily fixed through the intervention 
  of a player group. Whether the infection of a cult or 
  demonic incursion is removed from a gothic city, it 
  often invites a new evil to take the place of the old. 
  You should not set out to crush the will of players 
  hoping to improve a gothic city or the life of its citi-
  zens, but you should remind them that the city is that 
  way for one or more reasons that define the city.
   Making a gothic city into a normal one is likely to 
  be the focus of an entire campaign, or perhaps most 
  of one, and requires the concerted effort of many 
  well-intentioned people. Some divine intervention 
  wouldn’t hurt either.
  
  95
  Chapter 11 - Monsters & Cults
  Monsters
  Although monsters are ubiquitous in most fan-
  tasy adventure games, creatures of horror must be 
  unique to even the horrors that exist in a fantasy 
  game. An ogre might be scary or intimidating 
  because they are bigger and stronger than you, but 
  a shadow that stalks your dreams is far scarier. It 
  is always the silent threats that scare us the most; 
  the things we cannot see coming, and that we fear 
  as we gaze into the darkness. Our hind brains urge 
  us to fear these unknown elements, wincing at the 
  suggestion of their imminent existence. We know 
  too well in our deepest thoughts that such crea-
  tures could, and perhaps do exist.
   
  Monsters of this ilk must then be the best of 
  predators, and stalk the innocent, attacking only 
  when our demise is assured. But they do not 
  always strike physically, for we fear for the whole-
  ness of our minds and souls just as we do for our 
  health and physical wellbeing. The creatures herein 
  represent these dark fears, the strangest and most 
  profound dangers that the mind can conceive.
  A Treatise on Villainy
  Many would posit that the true star of a given 
  campaign is the villain. Truly, they are the foil 
  and mirror against which the PCs compare 
  themselves. If heroes are defined by their vil-
  lains, then it is up to you as a GM to make the 
  villain as memorable and interesting as possible.
  While not all villains must be evil (or even 
  think like humans do), a villain must oppose 
  the heroes, or seek something that is counter 
  to their hopes and goals.  What makes a good 
  villain is that they are not simply seeking to 
  accomplish their goals, but they are multifaceted 
  creatures that are setting plans into motion and 
  may have complicated reasons for wanting what 
  they want.
   Even when an unfathomable creature may be 
  the greatest threat to your campaign world, 
  consider the motivations of the lieutenants that 
  seek to unchain that creature, and what their 
  motivations might be. The head cultist may be 
  the mouthpiece for the creature in a manner 
  of speaking, and express need for a villain with 
  depth, with the unfathomable creature merely 
  being a means to an end for the cultist.
  
  96
   Aspect of DeAth
  This gaunt figure wears a thick robe that reveals only bony 
  hands and a skeletal face. The figure wavers like a mirage 
  when directly observed.
  Often mistaken for a grim reaper, or an actual avatar 
  of death, this apparition is in fact a spirit empowered 
  by death on a grand scale. Graveyards, abandoned 
  battlefields, and charnel houses are all likely locations 
  for an aspect of death. This creature has no particular 
  duty or purpose related to the shepherding of the 
  dead, but such a spirit can often become interested in 
  a strong motivation related to its location. An aspect of 
  death that occupies a ghost town may be obsessed with 
  slaying the bandits that killed the townsfolk, or one that 
  occupies a graveyard may simply absorb the myriad 
  motivations of the unfulfilled people that now rest there. 
  At least one aspect of death became a champion of slain 
  animals, killing butchers and ranchers. Though these 
  grim creatures can often be murderous and relentless, 
  they are limited by their location; an aspect of death 
  can only manifest at night, and returns to its location at 
  dawn, no matter how far it has strayed.
   
  Aspect of DeAth
  Medium fiend, unaligned
  Armour Class 18
  Hit Points 209 (22d8 +110)
  Speed 0ft.,  fly 50 ft. (hover)
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  16 (+3)
  26 (+8)
  21 (+5)
  11 (+0)
  16 (+3)
  6 (-2)
  Saving Throws Int +5
  Skills Insight +8, Intimidation + 8, Investigation +5
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing 
  from non magical attacks
  Damage Immunities cold, fire, lightning, necrotic
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, 
  grappled, paralyzed, prone, restrained
  Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 11
  Languages understands all languages, but only uses 
  gestures
  Challenge 15 (13,000 xp)
  Ethereal. The aspect exits on the Ethereal Plane but can 
  interact with creatures or objects on the Material Plane. 
  It can see 90 ft. into the Material Plane.
  Fervor of the Dead. The aspect of death will manifest 
  every night at sunset, and begin to pursue its goals. If 
  it is reduced to 0 hit points, it disappears until the next 
  sunset. It cannot be permanently defeated unless it is 
  first defeated at its location, and its location is either 
  consecrated or defaced by powerful magic.
  Incorporeal Movement. The aspect can move through 
  other creatures and objects as if they were difficult 
  terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn 
  inside an object.
  Invisibility. The aspect is invisible.
  Motivated. When pursuing its special goals, the aspect 
  has advantage on ability checks and attack rolls related 
  to completing its goal. Some aspects have a very specific 
  goal, and dissipate when their goal is accomplished. 
  Others have goals that simply can’t be achieved, and 
  linger on until they are decisively dispelled.
   
  Actions
  Multiattack. The aspect makes two claw attacks.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 10 (2d6+3)
  slashing damage and 27 (6d8) necrotic damage. 
  If the target has any levels of exhaustion, they 
  must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving 
  throw or gain another level of exhaustion.
  Frightening Gaze (Recharge 4-6). The aspect glares 
  at one creature it can see within 10 feet of it. The 
  target must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving 
  throw or become frightened for 1 minute. The 
  frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on 
  a success. If a target succeeds on a saving throw 
  or the effect ends, the target is immune to the 
  aspect’s gaze for the next 24 hours.
  Breath of the Grave (Recharge 5-6). The aspect 
  breathes out in a 30 foot cone, and every living 
  creature caught within it must make a DC 18 
  Constitution saving throw or gain a level of 
  exhaustion. Creatures that already have a level of 
  exhaustion are unaffected by this ability.
   
  LegenDAry Actions
  The aspect of death can take 3 legendary actions, 
  choosing from the options below. Only 
  one legendary action option can be 
  used at a time, and only at the end 
  of another creature’s turn. The 
  aspect regains spent legendary 
  actions at the start of its turn.
   
  Claw. The aspect makes a 
  claw attack.
  Death Stare. The aspect 
  glares at a target that is 
  not adjacent to it. That 
  creature must make a 
  Wisdom saving throw or 
  be restrained until the end 
  of its next turn.
  Move. The aspect moves 
  half of its speed
  
  97
  BegruDgeD souL
   A transparent and disfigured corpse looms menacingly, its 
  visage twisting as if to mock or frighten any onlookers.
  Though little is known about begrudged soul, many 
  rumors abound of their origin. Some say they are 
  ghosts of powerful and influential people that refused 
  to fade into obscurity. Others say that they form from 
  a coagulation of lesser ghosts when the stars are right. 
  Whatever the truth, the begrudged soul is a dangerous 
  and potent entity that seems less impeded than lesser 
  ghosts. It can drain the life out of its victims, and even 
  take corporeal form if it slays its victim.
   
  BegruDgeD souL
  Medium undead, any alignment
  Armour Class 11
  Hit Points 88 (16d8 +16)
  Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  7 (-2)
  14 (+2)
  12 (+1)
  11 (+0)
  14 (+2)
  17 (+3)
  Saving Throws Wis +6
  Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder
  Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from
  nonmagical attacks
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned, prone, restrained
  Senses darkvision 90 ft., passive Perception 12
  Languages any languages it knew in life
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Ethereal Sight. The soul can see 90 feet into the 
  Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material
  Plane, and vice versa.
  Form of the Deceased. As an action, the soul can 
  coalesce into the form of a once living creature that has 
  died in the area (within 1000 feet) in the last 24 hours. 
  The soul can never take the same form twice. The soul 
  gains a corporeal form with 40 temporary hit points. 
  The soul can revert to its normal form as a bonus action, 
  or reverts automatically once it no longer has temporary 
  hit points. The soul can do this once, and regains the 
  ability to do so at the stroke of midnight.
  Incorporeal Movement. The soul can move through 
  other creatures and objects as if they
  were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it 
  ends its turn inside an object.
  Actions
  Aging Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 36 (8d8) necrotic
  Damage. Creatures reduced to 0 hit points by this 
  attack are immediately considered to have one 
  death saving throw failure.
  Haunt. The soul can use its otherworldly might to 
  frighten non-undead creatures within 30 feet. 
  Affected creatures must make a DC 16 Wisdom 
  saving throw or become frightened for 1d4 turns. 
  If a creature’s saving throw is successful, the 
  creature is immune to the soul’s haunt for the 
  next 24 hours.
  
  98
  Boneseeker
  You see before you a strange mass of flesh and bone that 
  seems to undulate with patches of hair, and disparate 
  humanoid facial features.
   
  The disgusting creature known as the boneseeker 
  seems to be a walking amalgamation of limbs and tissue, 
  with many grasping arms. The mass of roiling flesh 
  seeks out marrow on which to feed, preying on lone 
  victims when it can, or active ones when its hunger 
  drives it into a frenzy. When ready to drain victims, the 
  boneseeker opens one of its many hidden mouths to 
  reveal rows full of hooked teeth and a proboscis that it 
  uses to drain marrow and blood. Creatures that die in 
  such a way sometimes are added, whole or in part, to 
  the boneseeker’s mass.
   
  Boneseeker
  Medium undead, unaligned
  Armour Class 12
  Hit Points 52 (8d8 +16)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  13 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  3 (-4)
  6 (-2)
  4 (-3)
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, lightning, necrotic
  Damage Immunities poisoned
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, poisoned, prone
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 8
  Languages —
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Undead Nature. A boneless doesn’t require air, food, 
  drink, or sleep.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The boneseeker makes two attacks 
  with its claws. If the boneseeker is grappling 
  a creature, it must use drain in place of a 
  pseudopod attack or release the grapple. A 
  boneseeker can make two drain attacks if it 
  begins its turn grappling a creature.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d6+2) bludgeoning 
  damage. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) 
  if it is Medium or smaller sized creature and the 
  boneseeker doesn't have two creatures grappled.
  Drain. One creature grappled by the boneseeker 
  takes 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage. If this attack 
  reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target 
  begins dying as normally, and is at risk of 
  becoming a boneseeker, unless the target is 
  either revived or its remains are burnt before the 
  next sunset.reduces the target to 0 hit points, 
  the target begins dying as normally, and is at 
  risk of becoming a boneseeker, unless the target 
  is either revived or its remains burnt before the 
  next sunset.
  
  99
  corpse creeper
  A fleshy head crawls about on spider-like boney 
  appendages.
  The corpse creeper is a strange parasite that inhabits 
  the darkest caves and dungeons, often threatening to 
  consume entire ecosystems. When not actively stalking 
  for prey, they tend to lay dormant in half-eaten corpses, 
  a tactic that is equally for protection as it is for ambush. 
  Though the corpse creeper is a frighteningly effective 
  invading species, it also has various predators that root 
  them out and eat them, not the least among them being 
  oozes that are surprisingly adapted to devouring the 
  disgusting parasite.
   
  corpse creeper
  Tiny aberration, unaligned
  Armour Class 15 (natural)
  Hit Points 28 (8d4 +8)
  Speed 20 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  8 (-1)
  11 (+0)
  13 (+1)
  3 (-4)
  14 (+2)
  4 (-3)
  Damage Immunities poisoned
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive 
  Perception 12
  Challenge 1 (200 xp)
  Actions
  Multiattack. The corpse creeper makes two 
  appendage attacks
  Appendage. Melee Weapon Attack : +3 to hit, 
  reach 15 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. 
  Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage and the target is 
  grappled (escape DC 11).  The corpse creeper can 
  only grapple one target.
  Incubation. The corpse creeper uses an action to 
  injects is larvae, dealing 1 piercing damage to a 
  creature that it is grappling. For one next minute, 
  the larvae can be extracted with a DC 14 Wisdom 
  (Medicine) check. After that minute, magical 
  remedies such as lesser restoration or remove 
  disease are required to remove it. The larvae 
  reach maturity within 1d6 days, at which time it 
  bursts from its host, dealing 28  (8d6) necrotic 
  damage in the process. For each day’s worth of 
  incubation, the target gains a level of exhaustion 
  that can’t be removed until the infestation is 
  cured. If the infestation kills the host, a total of 
  three corpse creepers are created.
  
  100
  corpse oAk
  This large oak tree is ash grey, and appears to have a 
  number of corpses hanging from ropey vines. The bodies 
  appear to sway rhythmically.
  The creature known as the corpse oak comes from a 
  relatively unknowable origin, though many have guessed 
  its nature. Whether through the ambient corruption 
  of the land, or an intentional curse wrought by evil 
  forces, the corpse oak always starts as a normal tree, 
  and becomes an insidious murdering monstrosity. The 
  fact that it harvests corpses for its grisly fruit makes 
  it all the more dangerous and frightening. Tales tell of 
  entire corpse oak orchards that were once thriving 
  communities, but if anyone has ever seen such a sight 
  and lived, they dare not speak of it.
   
  corpse oAk
  Huge plant, neutral evil
  Armour Class 16 (natural armour)
  Hit Points 187 (22d12 +44)
  Speed 0 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  4 (-3)
  15 (+2)
  4 (-3)
  11 (+0)
  8 (-1)
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, lightning, piercing, 
  poison
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  frightened, paralyzed, prone, stunned
  Senses tremorsense 200 ft., passive Perception 10
  Languages -
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Corpse Harvester. The corpse oak has many rotting 
  humanoid bodies hanging from its branches. Each tree 
  harvests and keeps approximately 7 corpses, though 
  some larger specimens may hold more.
  Dark Harvest. The corpse oak has advantage when 
  attacking a creature that is adjacent to a wandering 
  body.
  Wandering Body. Though the corpse oak is stationary, it 
  can release its corpses, as many as 3 per turn as a bonus 
  action. Each corpse uses the statistics of a zombie.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The corpse oak can make three attacks 
  with its branches, or it can hurl two rocks.
  Branch. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 15 
  ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) bludgeoning or 
  slashing damage. If the corpse oak reduces a 
  living humanoid target to 0 hit points with this 
  attack, it may use its bonus action to drag it up 
  to be hung on a branch. If the corpse is left up 
  on the tree for 24 hours, the corpse becomes 
  part of the corpse oak’s wandering bodies.
  Rock. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, range 
  30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8+4)
  bludgeoning damage.
  
  101
  corpse reAver
   This creature appears to be an emaciated humanoid corpse 
  laden with a heap of skulls upon its shoulders. Its fingers 
  end in claws as long as daggers.
  Wizards and warlocks are often trucking with forces 
  beyond their power, and the  corpse reaver is one such 
  unfortunate byproduct. Crafted by debased cabal of 
  necromancers, the first corpse reaver was an attempt at 
  creating a loyal undead champion; a tireless servitor that 
  could serve as a stalwart tomb guardian, a relentless 
  hunter, or even provide the muscle necessary to guard 
  frail spellcasters. The cabal succeeded in crafting an 
  impressive creature capable of great feats of savagery. 
  The failure came in the creature’s ability to follow 
  directions. A glimmer of chaos remained within the 
  “mind” of the first corpse reaver, and it quietly waited 
  and plotted, eventually murdering every member of 
  the cabal under the auspice of a misunderstood order. 
  Eventually, the undead champion received a dark 
  inspiration, and began to seek out other necromancers, 
  tempting them with the dark secrets of the construction 
  of other corpse reavers, each time adding to its dark 
  army of potent undead warriors.
   
  corpse reAver
  Medium undead, chaotic evil
  Armour Class 15 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 136  (16d8+64)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  20 (+5)
  12 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  13 (+1)
  11 (+0)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Deception + 5, Insight +3,  Intimidation +5, 
  Perception +3, Stealth +7
  Damage Resistances necrotic
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  poisoned
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages Common
  Challenge 6 (2,300 xp)
  Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the corpse reaver 
  fails a saving throw, it can choose to
  succeed instead.
  Lone Killer. The corpse reaver deals an extra 3 (1d6) 
  damage of the appropriate type with each of its weapon 
  attacks whenever it is not adjacent to an ally.
  Magic Resistance. The corpse reaver has advantage on 
  saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  Turning Defiance. The corpse reaver and any ghouls 
  or ghasts within 30 feet of it have advantage on saving 
  throws against effects that turn undead.
   
  Actions
  Multiattack. The corpse reaver makes two attacks: 
  one with its bite and one with its claw.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) slashing damage. 
   
  LegenDAry Actions
  The corpse reaver can take 2 legendary actions, 
  choosing from the options below. Only one
  legendary action option can be used at a time and only 
  at the end of another creature’s turn. The corpse reaver 
  regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
   
  Deception. The corpse reaver may attempt a 
  Charisma (Deception) contest with another 
  target’s Wisdom (Insight). If it wins, its next 
  attack has advantage.
  Reposition. The corpse reaver moves up to half 
  its speed. This movement does not provoke 
  opportunity attacks.
  101
  
  102
  DArk foLk
   A tall and dark figure cuts an intimidating silhouette 
  against the background. The odd humanoid stares at 
  you through impossibly black eyes and moves with a 
  disturbing gait.
   
  Creatures that hail from dark places, the dark folk 
  are either creatures native to some dark realm, or are 
  humanoids that have been irrevocably tainted by its 
  influence. Whatever the truth may be, these humanoids 
  skulk and plot, as they can only trust themselves and the 
  shadows. Though not every dark one is evil or sneaky, 
  the suspicion that most cast upon this race of people 
  fosters a deep mutual distrust between dark folk and 
  nearly all other races. So far this has not prevented the 
  other races from seeking their assistance, given the dark 
  folk and their penchant for skullduggery.
   
  A typical dark folk has a range of skin tones, usually 
  coal grey or pitch black, but sometimes stark white or 
  even jaundiced colored. What is relatively consistent 
  is their pitch black eyes that resemble a pair of inky 
  black voids. Though not every member of this race is 
  thin, many are. Some dark folk are considerably tall, 
  corpulent, or muscular, depending on the strange 
  anatomical variances within their race. Despite this 
  variance, nearly all dark folk are unsettling to those of 
  other races.
   
  DArk creeper
  Small humanoid (dark one), neutral
  Armor Class 16 (rag armor)
  Hit Points 22 (4d6 + 8)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  11 (+0)
  16 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  9 (-1)
  10 (+0)
  8 (-1)
  Skills Stealth +7
  Senses darkvision 120 ft. (14 sq.), passive Perception 10
  Languages Common
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Death Throes. When reduced to 0 hit points, the dark 
  one explodes in a burst of blinding light. Each creature 
  within 10 feet of the dark one must succeed on a DC 
  12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 round. 
  Creatures that are already blinded or that don’t rely on 
  sight to see are unaffected.
   
  Innate Spellcasting. The dark one’s innate spellcasting 
  ability is Charisma (spell save DC 9). The dark one can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no material 
  components:
  At will: darkness, detect magic
   
  Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The dark one deals an extra 
  7 (2d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon 
  attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when 
  the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the dark one 
  that isn’t incapacitated and the dark one doesn’t have 
  disadvantage on the attack roll.
   
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the dark one 
  has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
   
  Actions
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 
  5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage.
  
  103
  DArk stALker
  Small humanoid (dark one), neutral
  Armor Class 16 (rag armor)
  Hit Points 43 (8d6 + 16)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  11 (+0)
  17 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  14 (+2)
  12 (+1)
  14 (+2)
  Skills Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +7
  Senses darkvision 120 ft. (14 sq.), passive Perception 11
  Languages Common
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Death Throes. When reduced to 0 hit points, the dark 
  one explodes in a burst of blinding light. Each creature 
  within 10 feet of the dark one must succeed on a DC 
  12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 round. 
  Creatures that are already blinded or that don’t rely on 
  sight to see are unaffected.
  Innate Spellcasting. The dark one’s innate spellcasting 
  ability is Charisma (spell save DC 12). The dark one can 
  innately cast the following spells, requiring no material 
  components:
  At will: darkness, detect magic
  1/day: invisibility
  Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The dark one deals an extra 
  10 (3d6) damage when it hits a target with a weapon 
  attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when 
  the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the dark one 
  that isn’t incapacitated and the dark one doesn’t have 
  disadvantage on the attack roll.
  Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the dark one 
  has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on sight.
   
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dark one makes two melee 
  attacks.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.
   
  Bonus Actions
  Shadow Step. When in an area of dim light or 
  darkness, the dark one can use a bonus action to 
  teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it 
  can see that is also in dim light or darkness.
  103
  
  104
  DoLL
   This small children’s doll appears to be animate, and 
  makes a stilted and unnerving movements.
  A doll, looking like a miniature person as it does, can 
  inspire both fear and joy in a person, depending on their 
  state of mind. Dolls can be unsettling to many onlookers, 
  especially when they look more human than toy. Some 
  are even receptacles of strange energies, knitting 
  together a personality from stray fragments.
   
  Some dolls are murderous, seeking some revenge 
  or pleasure from the act of murder. These dolls, while 
  not especially strong, are fierce and relentless. Other 
  dolls protect, having received love and warmth from 
  their owners. However, even those dolls that protect 
  may have no compunctions about murdering those who 
  threaten the doll’s ward.
   
  Regardless of the kind of doll, most people will 
  react to a living doll with fear and loathing, attempting 
  to run from or destroy any such doll they come into 
  contact with. The exception, perhaps, are the dolls that 
  somehow contain the fragmented souls of loved ones. 
  These dolls are perhaps kept and cared for in the best 
  case, or sealed away in the worst. There are tales of 
  these living dolls having the capacity for companionship, 
  but many more are the stories of murderous toys 
  haunting some forgotten schoolhouse or attic.
   
  DoLL
  Tiny construct, neutral
  Armour Class 14
  Hit Points 62 (14d4+28)
  Speed 20 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  13 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  12 (+1)
  13 (+1)
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned, stunned
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11
  Languages Common
  Challenge 1 (200 xp)
  Immutable Form. The doll is immune to any spell or 
  effect that would alter its form.
  Magic Weapons. The doll’s weapon attacks are magical.
  Spring Limbs. The doll’s long jump is up to 20 feet and its 
  high jump is up to 10 feet, with or without a running start.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The doll makes two knife attacks.
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to 
  hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 
  6 (1d4+4) bludgeoning damage.
   
  ALternAte DoLL ABiLities
  The doll occupies different places within the 
  themes of horror. Whether as a voodoo curse holding 
  a real person’s soul, or as a remorseless construct 
  created for revenge, the doll can be many of these 
  things. The following abilities can be added to the doll 
  without significantly altering its combat efficiency.
   
  Soul Doll: The Soul Doll contains a real soul, 
  and has the personality and mental attribute 
  of the creature that now inhabits it. When 
  reduced to 0 hit points, the soul within is 
  destroyed, but the doll remains unharmed as 
  a receptacle for a new soul. Implanting such 
  a soul would require a ritual that can either 
  be performed by a willing subject, or inflicted 
  upon an unwilling one.
   
  Murder Doll: The murder doll is merely a 
  mindless automaton that carries out savage 
  attacks on its enemies, or the enemies of 
  its creator. The murder doll is immune 
  to psychic damage, and to the charmed 
  condition. They make regular use of exotic 
  poison on their knives. Though they don’t 
  think or feel like a living being, some murder 
  dolls are programmed to emote a glee or 
  savage joy in murdering, unnerving their 
  victims all the more.
   
  Beloved Doll: Similar to the soul doll, the 
  beloved doll is not created intentionally, but 
  can come into being through supernatural 
  circumstance. Often a beloved doll comes 
  to life as the result of  a death or emotional 
  ordeal. These dolls think and feel, and may 
  mirror the emotions or memories of beings 
  that imprinted on them (if any), but they are 
  sentient beings in their own right. Enclaves of 
  such creatures may band together and occupy 
  mansions or ghost towns. Beloved dolls have 
  a charisma of 16, and gain the following trait:
  Innate Spellcasting. The doll’s spellcasting 
  ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13). The 
  doll can innately cast the following spells, 
  requiring no material components:
  3/day each: minor illusion
  1/day each: feather fall, unseen servant
  
  105
  Dragons, Corpse
  Engineered by a race foolish or vile enough to 
  disregard the consequences, corpse dragons are genetic 
  atrocities. The ostensible goal of the experiment was 
  to create dragons that were tied to humanoid biology. 
  Whether this was to create a slave race or as a mad 
  whim is not clear. What is certain is that these creatures, 
  while still dragons, are abominations that hate nearly all 
  life. Most corpse dragons are content to spread death 
  and pain to every living being, though a few are lucid 
  enough to also advance an agenda that is not directly 
  tied to torture and murder.
  Although the dragons are relative equals in terms of 
  ability and destructive power, the soul dragons appear to 
  have a higher ranking within the pecking order of corpse 
  dragons. Rumors tell of a soul dragon king that secretly 
  controls all corpse dragons, and is biding his time before 
  ordering a draconic cataclysm at the hands of these 
  malformed creatures, though there appears to be no 
  such evidence of a soul dragon king, let alone of any 
  conspiracy involving the theoretical monarch.
  BLooD DrAgon
  The unfortunate creature has the appearance of a 
  coagulated crimson ooze in the shape of a dragon, though 
  its wings appear to be the only appendage that is not 
  actively weeping blood.
  Of the engineered dragons, the blood dragon is among 
  one of the more successful attempts, and one of the 
  only dragons to remain relatively sane into adulthood.  
  That said, the blood dragon is tainted with a sadistic 
  streak that causes it to scheme and plan the suffering of 
  anything within its moist grasp.
  The blood dragon is primarily composed of blood, and 
  as such is poison to most things around it. It naturally 
  attracts creatures that feed off of its blood, and it can 
  give freely to hundreds of smaller blood suckers without 
  ill effect. This odd distinction means that a blood dragon 
  will commonly ally to undead that feast on blood, as well 
  as any living creature that similarly is sustained on blood 
  (such as stirges and giant leeches).
  Blood dragons are amongst the most social of 
  dragons, though they tend to associate only with non-
  draconic creatures. They hate other dragons, and they 
  especially hate other corpse dragons. This attitude has 
  led many blood dragons to act against their interest 
  to derail another dragon, even if it means a delay or 
  diversion from death and destruction.
  young BLooD DrAgon
  Large dragon, chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 15
  Hit Points: 153 (18d10+54)
  Speed: 40 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 80 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  17 (+3)
  20 (+5)
  17 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  13 (-1)
  12 (+1)
  Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +2, Cha +4
  Skills Deception + 4, Intimidate +4, Perception +2
  Damage Vulnerability necrotic, radiant
  Condition Immunities prone, paralyzed, restrained, 
  stunned
  Senses Darkvision 200 ft., tremorsense 40 ft., passive 
  Perception 12
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Amphibious. The dragon can breath air and water
  Blood Affinity. The dragon has such control over its 
  blood that it can make its blood deal acid, fire, or poison. 
  The dragon also gains damage resistance to that damage 
  type. This ability lasts indefinitely until the dragon 
  spends a bonus action to change it.
  Caustic Secretions. The dragon’s blood is inimical to 
  living creatures. Any creature that touches the dragon’s 
  blood, either by attacking or being attacked with a 
  natural attack, is exposed to the dragon’s blood, taking 
  4d6 damage, depending on the dragon’s affinity.
  Liquid Form. The dragon can enter a hostile creature’s 
  space and stop there. It can move through a space as 
  narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks; one 
  with its bite and two with its claws.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit. Reach 10 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 16 (2d10+ 5) piercing damage, 
  plus disease.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit. Reach 5 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 12 (2d6+ 5) slashing damage, 
  plus disease.
  Spray of Blood (recharge 5-6). The dragon 
  vomits a spray of its blood in a 30-foot cone. 
  Each creature in the area must make a DC 14 
  Constitution saving throw, taking 35 (10d6) 
  damage on a failure, or half as much on a 
  success. The damage type is based on the 
  dragon’s blood affinity. If a creature fails 
  this saving throw by 5 or more, they are also 
  considered poisoned for 1 minute.
  
  106
  Bone DrAgon
  This skeleton at first appears like the animated bones 
  of a dragon, but its eyes and tongue reveal that the 
  imposing creature is very much alive, and has a thick bony 
  exoskeleton.
  Among the most sane of the corpse dragons, the bone 
  dragon tends to be cold and calculating. This is not to 
  say that bone dragons are reasonable or even safe to 
  be around, but by comparison they tend to kill more 
  discerningly than their brethren. This is helped by their 
  bony exoskeleton and peculiar anatomy.
  Their bodies are composed primarily of bones, with 
  living soft tissues and organs kept inside of marrow 
  sacks that are in turn covered in bone casings. As a 
  result, they are the resistant to most conventional 
  means of harm, though as a result they are susceptible 
  to unconventional hazards.
  The least fluid of the strange genetic dragons, the bone 
  dragons are perhaps the most grounded and devoted 
  to typical draconic pursuits, after the blood dragons. 
  They both gather hoards, seek the servitude of minions, 
  and terrorize all within their dominion to assert their 
  dominance. The bone dragon seems more able to relate to 
  non dragons, if only in pursuit of exploiting non dragons.
  The largest difference is the bone dragon’s obsession 
  with transdragonism, as they see their bony form as a 
  strong but unsuitable vessel for their greatness. Some 
  ironically transcend to lichdom, while others seek to 
  find forms that are more majestic or utile. Whatever 
  the case, most bone dragons appear to see their natural 
  form as flawed.
  young Bone DrAgon
  Large dragon, chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 16
  Hit Points: 157 (15d10+75)
  Speed: 50 ft., fly 20 ft., climb 50 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  23 (+6)
  12 (+1)
  20 (+5)
  15 (+2)
  18 (+4)
  10 (0)
  Saving Throws Con +8, Cha +3
  Skills History +5, Intimidate +6, Insight +6 Perception +7
  Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, poison; 
  bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical 
  attacks.
  Damage Vulnerability necrotic, radiant, thunder
  Condition Immunities petrified, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned, stunned
  Senses Darkvision 200 ft., tremorsense 80 ft., passive 
  Perception 12
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Calcified Carapace. The bone dragon is immune to any 
  effects that would alter their size or shape.
  High Bone Density. The bone dragon is especially tough 
  and solid, and gains advantage on any Strength contests 
  and saving throws.
  Thick Head. The bond dragon’s superior skull thickness 
  makes it difficult to afflict its mind. Until it is at half its 
  maximum hit points (in this case, 47 hit points or lower), 
  it has advantage against effects that impart the charmed 
  or frightened condition.
  Weak Wings. The bone dragon’s wings contain some 
  of the only visible soft tissue, spreading out along its 
  wing bones. Because of its density, the bone dragon can 
  only fly in short sprints, cannot hover, and is more often 
  able to simply glide than gain significant altitude. The 
  dragon is thus unable to make hasty retreats, and relies 
  on its extreme toughness and swift land speed to simply 
  maraud across the countryside with relative impunity.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks; one 
  with its bite and two with its claws.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit. Reach 10 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 16 (2d10+ 5) piercing damage.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit. Reach 5 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 12 (2d6+ 5) slashing damage.
  Bone Shards (recharge 5-6). The dragon exhales 
  a cone of bone shavings that cut and suffocate 
  those in its path. Victims caught in the cone 
  must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, 
  taking 40 (9d8) piercing damage on a failure, 
  or half of that on a success. Those who fail this 
  saving throw also inhale bone shards, and have 
  disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks 
  as they suffer from coughing fits. If they use 
  their action, they can make another Constitution 
  saving throw to remove the effect.
  
  107
  skin DrAgon
  Though the creature has the form of a dragon, it has a 
  thick and saggy skin like that hangs off of it like a putrid 
  robe. Hair and scabs festoon the dragon’s skin in an 
  unsettling display.
  Perhaps the most grotesque of the corpse dragons, 
  the skin dragon appears like a draconic skeleton draped 
  with an ill fitting costume made of fat human flesh. What 
  is worse is that the roiling mass of skin tissues does 
  not seem anchored in any way to musculature or bone, 
  and seems to float free along the dragon’s personage. 
  This can result in distressing sights, especially as the 
  dragon seems to have tufts of hair and other anatomical 
  anomalies  that seem to have no purpose than to make 
  the dragon look like the failed genetic experiment it is.
  Worse yet, the dragon appears to feel no pain, and 
  is constantly beset with oozing wounds and sores that 
  seem to bother the creature not at all. Those who brave 
  a look into such wounds might see soft dragon scales 
  beneath the creature’s grotesque outer layer. This would 
  suggest that flaying a skin dragon may be doing it a 
  favor, but none yet have taken on such an odious task.
  In contrast, the skin dragon would appear to be 
  the least sane, and perhaps also the least ambitious 
  of the corpse dragons. It tends to find ruined palaces 
  and temples, and occupies them in an attempt to feel 
  relevant and important. Even the other corpse dragons 
  pity this sad creature, as it is an insult to all of dragon 
  kind in its stupidity and lack of motivation.
  Though a very select few skin dragons have been 
  known to befriend smaller creatures, many more merely 
  become psychotic stalkers, content to bring living things 
  to their lair to “play and dine”. Few survive such play 
  sessions, and those that do rarely forget the experience.
  young skin DrAgon
  Large dragon, chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points: 138 (12d10+72)
  Speed: 40 ft., swim 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  22 (+6)
  15 (+2)
  22 (+6)
  5 (-3)
  8 (-1)
  5 (-3)
  Saving Throws Con +9, Wis +2
  Damage Resistances poison, bludgeoning, piercing and 
  slashing from nonmagical attacks.
  Damage Vulnerability necrotic, radiant
  Condition Immunities paralyzed, stunned
  Senses Darkvision 200 ft., passive Perception 9
  Languages Draconic
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Loose Skin. A skin dragon has a loose layer of thick 
  skin that hangs off of it like a fleshy robe, and acts as a 
  protection against many harms.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon makes three slam attacks.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit. Reach 10 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 15 (2d8+ 6) bludgeoning damage, 
  and the target must make a DC 13 Strength or 
  Dexterity saving throw or become grappled. The 
  dragon does not contest this grapple, and the 
  target must make a Strength or Dexterity saving 
  throw with the same DC at the end of each of 
  their turns. Creatures are dealt 9 (2d8) poison 
  damage when they start their turn grappled by 
  the dragon. The skin dragon can grapple a total 
  of four small creatures, two medium creatures, 
  or one large creature at once.
  reActions
  Pustules. The dragon can use its reaction to focus 
  on a diseased patch of skin, and cause it to spew 
  caustic juice on a creature within 10 feet.  That 
  creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving 
  throw. On a failure, they are considered blind 
  until the end of their next turn. On a success, the 
  creature has disadvantage on attack rolls until 
  the start of their next turn.
  107
  
  108
  souL DrAgon
  This ghostly dragon seems to pulse with glowing light 
  where its heart would be. The apparition is so bright and 
  strong that it appears to burn at whatever it touches.
  Among the corpse dragons, the soul dragon is the 
  most ruthless, angry, and perhaps dangerous. Rumors 
  say that it was made to resemble the human soul, or 
  that it is even fused with such a soul. The soul dragon 
  cares not, for whatever its origin, it is inherently mad, 
  and thoroughly aggressive and ready to spread pain 
  and madness.
  Though not invulnerable, the soul dragon can often 
  rampage with impunity, but many soul dragons choose 
  not to. Instead, they seek to goad others into doing 
  their bidding, and arrive to strike only when necessary 
  or to maximize the mayhem they seek to sow. Soul 
  dragons adhere to a strict heirarchy, and tend to seek 
  out other corpse dragons to bully into service. Despite 
  this adherence to heirarchy, soul dragons rarely play 
  well together.
  Legend says that there exists a soul dragon progenitor 
  who is a so called king among corpse dragons. The soul 
  dragon king, if he exists, could represent a catastrophic 
  danger to all living things. It is reasonable to assume 
  that whatever race that dared to carry out the horrible 
  genetic experiments on dragonkind was likely brought to 
  ruin by the machinations of such a king.
  young souL DrAgon
  Large dragon, chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 15
  Hit Points: 91 (14d10+14)
  Speed: 0 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover)
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  11 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  13 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  15 (+2)
  22 (+6)
  Saving Throws Con +5, Wis +5, Cha +9
  Skills Deception + 9, Intimidate +9, Perception +5
  Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; 
  bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical 
  attacks
  Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
  Damage Vulnerability radiant
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, 
  petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned
  Senses darkvision 200 ft., passive Perception 15
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Incorporeal Movement. The dragon can move through 
  other creatures and objects as if they were difficult 
  terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn 
  inside an object.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon makes three draining bite 
  attacks.
  Draining Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit. 
  Reach 10 ft., one target.  Hit: 17 (3d8+ 4) piercing 
  damage.
  Wither (recharge 6). The dragon chooses a 
  point within 100 feet, and creates a 20 foot 
  radius where motes of light float languidly. 
  Those caught in this radius must make a DC 15 
  Constitution saving throw, or gain one level of 
  exhaustion. For every level gained by an enemy, 
  the soul dragon regains 9 (2d8) hit points.
  
  109
  phLegmAtic DrAgon
  A large and vaguely dragon shaped ooze drips brackish 
  liquids that pool beneath it, punctuated only by teeth, 
  claws, and diseased eyes.
  Phlegmatic Dragons are considered a failed attempt at 
  engineering dragons, resulting in a disgusting malformed 
  approximation of dragon that is equal parts disease and 
  mythical beast. The resulting creature lacks the dignity 
  usually afforded to dragons, thanks to their nightmarish 
  bodies that constantly drip with fluids.
  Once the sad prisoners of whatever force created 
  them, phlegmatic dragons continue to multiply by 
  budding like a fungus. Phlegmatic  hatchlings grow 
  anywhere that corpses congregated, sometimes 
  materializing from beneath graveyard or battlefields in 
  a grim mockery of birth. Since their advent, phlegmatic 
  dragons have multiplied in great numbers, but must 
  remain underground where they can fester freely.
  Sadly, the minds of these mockeries are also diseased. 
  Most wish simply to cause as much harm to any living 
  thing in a vain attempt rail against their tragic fate. 
  Phlegmatic Dragons have a great fear of fire, as well as 
  the sun, as both diminishes their personal power. Old 
  wives tales say that they sometimes lurk above ground 
  on stormy days and at night, boldly in search of mayhem 
  to cause.
  young phLegmAtic DrAgon
  Large dragon, chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 16
  Hit Points: 120 (16d10+32)
  Speed: 20 ft., fly 40 ft., swim 80 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  17 (+3)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  8 (-1)
  13 (+1)
  10 (0)
  Saving Throws Dex +5, Con +6, Wis +4, Cha +3
  Skills Deception + 3, Intimidate +6, Perception +4, 
  Survival +4
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing
  Damage Immunities poison
  Damage Vulnerability fire, radiant
  Condition Immunities poisoned
  Senses darkvision 200 ft., tremorsense 40 ft., passive 
  Perception 14
  Languages Common, Draconic
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Amphibious. The dragon can breath air and water
  Ooze. The dragon counts as an ooze as well as a dragon
  Plague Bearer. The dragon may contract any disease, 
  and gets no saving throw, but also does not suffer the 
  effects of the disease. Any water in which it swims, up to 
  the size of a small lake, becomes polluted with disease. It 
  takes polluted roughly 1d10 hours for the water to purify 
  itself if it is running, or 1d10 days if the water is still. 
  Exposure to sunlight reduces this time by a factor of 
  10. If the dragon carries other diseases, it may transmit 
  them as well through claw, bite, or breath attacks, in 
  addition to its default disease. All such diseases use the 
  saving throw DC of the dragon’s disease ability, and 
  diseases must be resisted separately by those affected.
  Sun Averse. The dragon is at disadvantage to attack 
  rolls and saving throws in the sunlight. Any targets of its 
  disease abilities are at advantage to resist the effects of 
  the disease if they are in the sunlight.
  Involuntary Emission. If the dragon rolls a 6 to 
  recharge its breath weapon, it unleashes an involuntary 
  emission in addition to recharging its breath weapon. 
  This emission targets a single creature within 10 ft 
  who is affected as though it was caught in the dragon’s 
  breath attack.
  Actions
  Multiattack. The dragon makes three attacks; one 
  with its bite and two with its claws.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit. Reach 10 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 14 (2d10+ 3) piercing damage, 
  plus disease.
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit. Reach 5 ft., 
  one target.  Hit: 10 (2d6+ 3) slashing damage, 
  plus disease.
  Disease.  Targets afflicted by the one of 
  the dragon’s diseases must make a DC 15 
  Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 
  the duration of the disease. Every 24 hours that 
  elapse, the target must repeat the saving throw, 
  reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) on 
  a failure. The disease is cured on a save. The 
  target dies if the disease reduces its hit point 
  maximum to 0. Exposure to the sun for at least 
  1 hour a day grants any targets an advantage on 
  the next saving throws to resist the disease. This 
  disease causes a wet cough in the victim, and 
  can be spread to others by exposure to these 
  coughs, using the same saving throw DC as the 
  initial disease.
  Diseased Breath (recharge 3-6). The dragon 
  coughs and sneezes loudly, expelling various 
  fluids in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the 
  area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving 
  throw, taking 42 (12d6) poison damage and 
  exposure to disease (see above) on a failed save, 
  or half as much and no disease exposure on a 
  successful save.
   
  
  110
  Lesser Lich
   This corpse appears dressed in fine robes, jewelry, and 
  arcane symbols. A dim glow seems to emanate from its 
  otherwise empty head.
  This pitiable creature was unfortunate enough to 
  find only half of the necessary rituals and instructions 
  for becoming a lich. Though they are immortal, they 
  are only middlingly powerful as a result. A lesser lich 
  is consumed with the goal of becoming “complete”, 
  killing and dealing with any force that it can, desperate 
  to achieve its potential. Somewhat more reckless and 
  dangerous than a normal lich, in the short term, a 
  lesser lich is far more likely to engage in combat, make 
  mistakes, engage in wholesale slaughter, and have its 
  phylactery destroyed. Do not mistake this creature as a 
  joke; those who go from this lesser state to the greater 
  one are cold, calculating, and remember every slight.
   
  Lesser Lich
  Medium undead, any evil
  Armour Class 15 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 85 (13d8 +27)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  11(+0)
  15 (+2)
  14 (+2)
  20 (+5)
  14 (+2)
  15 (+2)
  Saving Throws Con +7, Int +10, Wis +7
  Skills Arcana+15, History+10, Insight +7, Perception+7, 
  Religion+10
  Damage Resistances cold, lightning, necrotic
  Damage Immunities poison, bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing from nonmagical attacks
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, 
  paralyzed, poisoned
  Senses truesight 60’, passive Perception 17
  Languages Common plus four other languages
  Challenge 13 (10,000 xp)
  Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the lich fails a saving 
  throw, it can choose to succeed
  instead.
  Rejuvenation. A destroyed lich gains a new body in 
  10d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming 
  active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the 
  phylactery.
  Spellcasting. The lich is a 15th-level spellcaster. It’s 
  spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18, 
  +10 to hit with spell attacks). The lich has the following 
  wizard spells prepared:
  Cantrips (at will): mage hand,  ray of frost, minor 
  illusion
  1st lvl (4 slots): detect magic, magic missile, 
  shield, thunderwave
  2nd lvl (3 slots): detect thoughts, invisibility, 
  mirror image
  3rd lvl (3 slots): counterspell, dispel magic, 
  fireball, stinking cloud
  4th lvl (3 slots): confusion, dimension door, 
  stoneskin
  5th lvl (2 slots): cloudkill, conjure elemental, 
  scrying
  6th lvl (1 slot): disintegrate, chain lighting
  7th lvl (1 slot): delayed blast fireball, finger of 
  death
  8th lvl (1 slot): dominate monster
  Turn resistance. The lich has advantage to saving 
  throws against being turned.
   
  Actions
  Paralyzing Touch. Melee spell attack : +10 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit : 10 (3d6) necrotic 
  damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 
  Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 
  minute. The target can repeat the saving throw 
  at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect 
  on itself on a success.
   
  LegenDAry Actions
  The lich can take 1 legendary action from the 
  options below. The action can be used at the end 
  of another creature’s turn. It regains its spent 
  legendary action at the start of her turn.
   
  Cantrip. The lich casts a cantrip
  Move. The lich moves up to half of its speed.
  
  111
   LoneLy Deceiver
   A young man stares at you with questioning eyes. He 
  seems to want you to approach closer.
  An oddity among the myriad of creatures that stalk 
  their prey, the lonely deceiver is one of the few horrors 
  that attempts to engage its victims on an emotional level 
  before leading them to their doom. What we don’t quite 
  understand is why it acts in such a way. The deceiver 
  acts like a social predator, seeking out the lonely or the 
  secluded victim in the hours of darkness. Once it is alone 
  with its victim, it actually listens and cajoles conversation 
  from its prey, leading some to speculate that the deceiver 
  feeds on some aspect of social interaction. However, 
  the deceiver does not stop there; once the conversation 
  reaches its end, the deceiver transforms into a monster 
  and begins sucking the life force from its victim. If 
  interrupted, the deceiver fights like a rabid beast to 
  escape, skulking quickly into the night.
   
  The deceiver’s natural shape is that of a hulking 
  brute with black oily skin. When it attacks its prey and 
  attempts to consume its soul, it opens its large gaping 
  and fanged mouth and reveals a cold and inky void.
   
  LoneLy Deceiver
  Medium Shapechanger, neutral evil
  Armour Class 15 (natural armor) in monster form, 12 in 
  human form
  Hit Points 82 (11d8 +33)
  Speed 30 ft. climb 30’ (monster form)
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  14 (+2)
  16 (+3)
  11 (+0)
  13 (+1)
  18 (+4)
  Skills Deception+5, Persuasion+5, Stealth+4
  Damage Resistances poison
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
  Languages Common
  Challenge 3 (700 xp)
  Cursed. A lonely deceiver is cursed to live as it does, as 
  a shapeshifting monster that feeds on the innocent. If it 
  is subject to a remove curse spell, there is a 50% chance 
  that it will drop dead.
  Lifeforce. A lonely deceiver thrives on the life force 
  of others, and can be satiated if it receives temporary 
  hit points. When the deceiver is benefiting from 
  temporary hit points, it can spend an action to restore 
  hit point damage on a 1 for 1 basis, up to 10 points per 
  action spent; this also serves to feed the beast, as it 
  must consume at least 20 hit points worth of life force 
  energy per week to live. A creature able to grant it daily 
  temporary hit points can sometimes parley with the 
  beast, and keep it as a minion. A lonely deceiver prefers 
  real life force energy to mystically contrived life force, 
  and so it will seek to slake its thirst even during its 
  service to its benefactor.
  Shapechanger. The deceiver can use her action to 
  polymorph into a large monster or back into the human 
  form (an attractive humanoid of medium size). Its 
  statistics, other than iits size and armor class, are the 
  same in each form. Any equipment she is wearing or 
  carrying isn’t transformed. The lonely deceiver reverts to 
  its monster form if she dies. A lonely deceiver typically 
  changes to its monster form before draining its victim, 
  apparently a necessity for the creature’s feeding habits.
   
  Actions
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 17 (3d8+4) piercing damage and 
  the target is grappled (Escape DC 15). The lonely 
  deceiver can only grapple one creature at a time.
  Lifedrain. The lonely deceiver attempts to drain 
  the life force from a creature. The deceiver 
  targets an adjacent creature, which then must 
  make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or 
  reduce its hit point maximum by 11 (2d10). 
  Creatures that are surprised grappled by the 
  deceiver have disadvantage on this saving. 
  Creatures reduced to 0 hit points in this way 
  are cursed to rise at the next sunset as a 
  lonely deceiver. This curse can be cured with 
  a combination of remove curse and a spell to 
  return a creature to life., such 
  as raise dead. Otherwise, 
  killing the lonely deceiver 
  only damns its former soul 
  into an eternity of torment, 
  barring it from resurrection 
  attempts.
  111
  
  112
  mArrow ooze
   A pile of rotting organs, skin, hair, and protruding bones 
  jiggles like a rotting coagulated corpse stew.
  The sentient marrow ooze is a terrifying faceless foe 
  that is insidiously cunning, despite being an ooze. The 
  marrow ooze works insidiously by attempting to enter 
  a humanoid body through a wound or opening, usually 
  when the creature is sleeping. The ooze then begins to 
  infest the long bones of the host’s body, consuming the 
  host’s marrow until it is nearly all gone. This process 
  would normally be painful and debilitating, but the ooze 
  naturally secretes pain killers and endorphins that keep 
  the host happy and largely unaware (or unconcerned) 
  with the apparent infection.
   
  The marrow ooze appears to have a latent psychic 
  ability, and uses it to improve its host body, searching 
  the host’s mind for its ideal appearance. The marrow 
  ooze has a unique ability to reshape faces and other 
  bone structures within the body with minimal pain 
  and discomfort. Hosts benefit from a more attractive 
  face, and even the healing of any bone deformities or 
  conditions. This has led more than a few unscrupulous 
  groups to selling or employing these oozes as a beauty 
  or medical product, usually (but not always) with 
  some manner of cure to remove the inherent danger 
  of a marrow ooze infection. The success rate of these 
  schemes is usually not worth the risk (see Marrow Ooze 
  infection in the Hazards chapter).
   
  The most insidious part of a marrow ooze infection is 
  its reproduction cycle. When a marrow ooze has finished 
  consuming the marrow within a victim, it undergoes 
  a strange mitosis, producing as many offspring as the 
  host body has limbs. The limbs are then consumed 
  and transformed into new marrow oozes, leaving the 
  host victim bereft of extremities. Though this process 
  is rarely fatal, it is especially traumatizing. Some large 
  cities have entire wings of their mental institutions 
  devoted to the limbless victims of this strange creature.
   
  sentient mArrow ooze
  Small ooze, unaligned
  Armour Class 9
  Hit Points 44 (8d4+24)
  Speed 20 ft., climb 10 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  13(+1)
  9 (-1)
  16 (+3)
  3 (-4)
  6 (-2)
  1 (-5)
  Skills Stealth+3
  Damage Resistances acid, piercing, slashing
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, prone 
  Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 8
  Languages —
  Challenge 2 (450 xp)
  Amorphous. The ooze can move through a space as 
  narrow a half inch, and as thin as a cut without squeezing.
  Camouflage. The marrow ooze is good at hiding, and 
  can usually adhere itself to flat surfaces, hiding in pots, 
  on the inside of a shield, or inside the clothes or armor 
  of a soldier by entering the space of that object, whether 
  it is worn or held. Any creature attacking the ooze must 
  then attack the object in question. If the ooze is hiding on 
  a creature’s body, attackers can attempt to hit it, but do 
  so with disadvantage, potentially harming the creature 
  in question. If the attack misses, use the higher of the 
  two rolls and apply that attack to the creature that ooze 
  is hiding on, dealing damage as normal. The ooze cannot 
  hide on a creature that does not wear clothes or armor.
   
  Actions
  Pseudopod. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4 + 1) slashing damage.
  Infect. The ooze spends its action attempting to 
  enter a creature’s body through an opening, 
  such as a mouth or wound. If the creature is not 
  incapacitated, it can make a DC 10 Dexterity 
  saving throw to remove the ooze, forcing the 
  ooze into an adjacent space. If saving throw fails, 
  or the victim is incapacitated, the ooze enters, 
  and the creature makes a DC 13 Constitution 
  saving throw, becoming infected on a failure (see 
  Marrow Ooze Infection in the Hazard chapter).
  
  113
  sensAte fienD
  A large mass of flesh brandishes roughly a dozen thick 
  fanged tentacles that lash and snap menacingly.
  The sensate fiend is a creature from the darkest 
  depths of some blasted plane of evil. Where exactly 
  it comes from is unknown. Those that know of the 
  creature can only say that it takes humanoid forms, 
  ejecting a single tentacle from such unnerving locations 
  as palms, mouths, or even eye sockets. Sensate fiends 
  control living beings through these slimey limbs, 
  connecting to spinal columns with its hooked tentacles. 
  In doing so, the sensate fiend enjoys living among 
  his victims, slowly creating addicted minions, and 
  consuming the nervous systems of those that are of no 
  further use to the fiend.
   
  When cornered, the sensate fiend can shed its 
  disguise and reveal itself as a horrid mass of clawed 
  tentacles, attempting to lash out at as many targets as 
  it can. When desperate, the creature will also shed the 
  pretense for manipulation, choosing to smash skulls and 
  connect its tentacles directly to the ruined hind brains of 
  its victims.
   
  sensAte fienD
  Large fiend (demon), chaotic evil
  Armor Class: 18
  Hit Points: 187 (22d10+66)
  Speed: 30 ft.Swim 60 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  22 (+6)
  16 (+3)
  17 (+3)
  18 (+4)
  18 (+4)
  20 (+5)
  Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +8, Wis +9, Cha +10
  Skills Deception + 10, Intimidate +10, Perception +9, 
  Survival +9
  Damage Resistances cold, fire; bludgeoning, Piercing or 
  Slashing from nonmagical attacks.
  Damage Immunities lightning
  Damage Vulnerability psychic
  Condition Immunities poisoned, charmed
  Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft, passive 
  Perception 19
  Languages Abyssal, telepathy (tentacle)
  Challenge 13 (10,000 xp)
  Amorphous. When not disguised, the sensate fiend 
  can move through a space as narrow as 4 inches wide 
  without squeezing.
  Superior Disguise. The sensate fiend can secrete a skin 
  and even clothes to match any creature it can observe, 
  or just take a generic but convincing disguise to appear 
  as any medium sized creature, contracting its skin into 
  the worn skin. This disguise is purely cosmetic, and 
  the sensate fiend retains all of its statistics, though the 
  sensate fiend can actually appear as non-humanoid 
  creatures such as beasts and aberrations, as long as 
  that creature is of medium size. The disguise is ruptured 
  if the sensate fiend has taken more than 50 points of 
  damage below its maximum hit point amount.
  Superior Manipulation. The sensate fiend can control 
  up to three creatures at once, coordinating their attacks 
  along with its own, as long as it maintains a tether (see 
  below). If a remains tethered for two successive days, 
  the creature is considered addicted and charmed, and 
  will subconsciously seek to be near to the sensate 
  fiend, at least until the creature realizes the fiend’s true 
  identity as an amorphous horror. This addiction only 
  lasts as long as the fiend maintains a single disguise.
  
  114
  Actions
  Multiattack. The Sensate Fiend makes three 
  attacks; one with its bite and two with its 
  tentacles. If it is in a humanoid guise, it can make 
  three attacks with a melee weapon, or two with 
  a ranged weapon.
  Bite. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit. 
  Reach 10 ft., one target.  Hit: 17 (2d10+ 6) piercing 
  damage, and the target must make a successful 
  DC Charisma saving throw, becoming charmed 
  by the sensate fiend on a failure until the tether is 
  broken. Severing the tentacle requires an attack. 
  The tentacle has 13 AC and 8 hit points, and the 
  same damage resistances and immunities of the 
  sensate fiend. The sensate fiend can have up to 
  four tethers at any one time.
  Tentacles. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to 
  hit. Reach 5 ft., or Range 50 ft., one target.  Hit: 
  18 (2d12+ 6) bludgeoning damage.
  Hindbrain Bite. The sensate fiend can make a 
  bite attack against a dying creature at 0 hp, 
  either breaking through the back of the skull, or 
  otherwise tearing through the target’s tissues 
  to reach the hindbrain with its tongue to form 
  a tether. If successful, the fiend can directly 
  control the creature for three turns. This effect 
  otherwise works as per the dominate person 
  spell. The victim is not allowed a saving throw 
  against this control. If the victim remains 
  tethered by the end of the third turn, it dies, and 
  the sensate fiend regains 20 hit points. An effect 
  that would sever the tongue or restore hit points 
  to the victim ends the control early, and causes 
  the sensate fiend to be stunned until the end of 
  its next turn.
  Teleport. The sensate fiend magically teleports, 
  along with any equipment or disguise it is 
  wearing or carrying, up to 120 feet to an 
  unoccupied space it can see. Teleporting while 
  tethered frees any tethered creatures from the 
  fiend’s control.
  LegenDAry Actions
  The sensate fiend can take 3 legendary actions, 
  choosing from among the creatures it has 
  charmed. Those creatures do not act on their 
  own initiative, but can be prompted to move and 
  attack when the sensate fiend uses its legendary 
  actions. Only one legendary action can be 
  taken at a time, and only at the end of another 
  creature’s turn. The sensate fiend regains spent 
  legendary actions at the start of its turn. The 
  sensate fiend can spend 2 actions to make one 
  of its charmed allies to cast a spell, if the ally is 
  able to cast spells.
  114
  
  115
  Skeletons
  BArrow skeLeton
  This skeletal moves with a predator’s grace, belied only by 
  the creaking of its rusty armor.
  A barrow skeleton is created through a special ritual 
  meant to create a tomb guardian, and is more capable 
  than most servile undead. Barrow skeletons are usually 
  meant to be intimidating, and are garnished with heavy 
  and sometimes impractical armor to add bulk to their 
  appearance. They work well in groups of undead, bashing 
  their grave robbers to the floor, allowing the other undead 
  to creep up to the prone victims more easily.
   
  Barrow skeletons are unintelligent, driven only by 
  the orders given to them by their masters. From time 
  to time, a lone ancient barrow skeleton can grow slight 
  personalities and even speak on their own. With the 
  passing of centuries, single barrow skeletons have been 
  known to abandon their posts and wander the land. In 
  this sojourn the barrow skeleton goes from stalwart 
  defender to curious pilgrim.
   
  This pilgrimage rarely lasts long, however, as few 
  are willing to humor the hulking guardian. Some stories 
  tell of an enclave of these erstwhile creatures in some 
  dark cave, learning from each other, and gleaning some 
  semblance of sapience.
   
  BArrow skeLeton
  Medium Undead, unaligned
  Armour Class 15 (breastplate)
  Hit Points  90 (12d8 +36)
  Speed 40 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  19 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  17 (+3)
  3 (-4)
  5 (-3)
  5 (-3)
  Skills Perception+1
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning, thundering
  Damage Immunities necrotic, poison, psychic
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, charmed, frightened, 
  paralyzed, poisoned
  Senses blindsight 60 ft, passive Perception 11
  Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
  Magical Resistance. The skeleton has advantage on 
  saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  Necrotic Champion. Whenever the skeleton would take 
  necrotic damage, it instead gains that many temporary 
  hit points for 24 hours, to a maximum of 30 temporary 
  hit points.
   
  Actions
  Multiattack. The barrow skeleton makes two 
  attacks with its glaive.
  Glaive. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 
  ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4)
  slashing damage and the target must make a DC 13 
  Strength saving throw with or fall prone.
  Piercing Laugh (Recharge 5-6). As a bonus action, 
  the barrow skeleton laughs menacingly, causing 
  fear in all who hear it. When the skeleton uses 
  this ability, creatures within 30 feet must make a 
  Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the 
  start of their next turn.
   
  Skeleton Templates
  Burning skeLeton tempLAte
  Created from the bones of murder victims, burning 
  skeletons are consumed by an unending blue flame 
  that reflects their hopeless rage. The skeleton keeps its 
  statistics, except as follows.
  Challenge. A skeleton with this 
  template has its challenge rating 
  increased by 1 (or to the next 
  fractional challenge rating), unless 
  its challenge rating is 9 or higher, 
  in which case the CR remains the 
  same. If you apply this template 
  to a creature with a higher CR, 
  you may consider raising the fire 
  damage.
  Resistances. The skeleton gains a 
  damage immunity to fire damage, but 
  also gains a damage vulnerability to 
  cold damage.
  Fiery Body. A creature that touches the 
  burning skeleton take 3 (1d6) fire 
  damage.  If the burning skeleton 
  can make a melee weapon 
  attack, it also adds 3 (1d6) 
  damage do that attack.
  115
  
  116
  Burning minotAur skeLeton
  Large undead, lawful evil
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 67 (9d10 + 18)
  Speed 40 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  11 (+0)
  15 (+2)
  6 (-2)
  8 (-1)
  5 (-3)
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning, cold
  Damage Immunities fire, poison
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
  Languages understands Abyssal but can’t speak
  Challenge 3 (700 XP)
  Charge. If the skeleton moves at least 10 feet straight 
  toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on 
  the same turn, the target takes an extra 9 (2d8) piercing 
  damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a 
  DC 14 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet 
  away and knocked prone.
   
  Actions
  Scythe. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 17 (2d12 + 4) slashing damage and 
  3 (1d6) fire damage.
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage and 
  3 (1d6) fire damage.
  pLAgueD skeLeton
  These disgusting skeletons are either created 
  supernaturally through the mass deaths by cause of 
  plague, or purposefully by a necromancer that wishes to 
  spread disease. The skeleton keeps its statistics except 
  as follows.
   
  Challenge. A plagued skeletons challenge rating is 
  increased by 1 (or to the next fractional challenge 
  rating) unless its challenge rating is already 9 or 
  higher, in which case its challenge rating remains 
  the same. If you apply this template to creatures 
  with higher level CR, you might consider raising 
  the DC of the Bone Much ability.
  Bone Muck. A creature that takes damage from a 
  plague skeleton’s weapon attack must make a 
  DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, 
  the creatures becomes diseased, and gains 
  the poisoned condition. Every 24 hours that 
  elapse, the infected creature must make a DC 12 
  Constitution saving throw, ending the disease 
  on a success. On a failure, its maximum hit 
  point total is reduced by 5. If the creature’s hit 
  point maximum reaches 0, it dies. Creatures 
  slain in this way have a 5% chance of rising at 
  the next sunset as another plagued skeleton, 
  and automatically become a plagued skeleton 
  if targeted with the animate dead spell. The 
  reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts 
  until the disease is cured.
   
  pLAgueD wArhorse skeLeton
  Large undead, lawful evil
  Armor Class 13 (barding scraps)
  Hit Points 22 (3d10 + 6)
  Speed 60 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  18 (+4)
  12 (+1)
  15 (+2)
  2 (-4)
  8 (-1)
  5 (-3)
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning
  Damage Immunities poison
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9
  Languages —
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
   Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage, and the 
  target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. 
  On a failure, the creatures becomes diseased, and gains 
  the poisoned condition. Every 24 hours that elapse, the 
  infected creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving 
  throw, ending the disease on a success. On a failure, its 
  maximum hit point total is reduced by 5. If the creature’s 
  hit point maximum reaches 0, it dies. Creatures slain in 
  this way have a 5% chance of rising at the next sunset as 
  another plagued skeleton, and automatically become a 
  plagued skeleton if targeted with the animate dead spell. 
  The reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts 
  until the disease is cured.
  116
  
  117
  vArgouiLLe
   A demonic head flies through the sky upon glistening red 
  bat wings. Its eyes glow with unnatural light, suggesting 
  a monstrous hunger.
  The vargouille only vaguely resembles a head, having 
  wings for ears and tentacles for hair, and glowing green 
  eyes. Though they originate from the lower planes, 
  they find their way into other realms, both due to 
  summoning and their dreadful means of reproduction. 
  Many rightfully fear the kiss of the vargouille, and 
  tales are spun of entire regions plagued by the flying 
  abominations. The mere suggestion of a vargouille is 
  enough to cause an entire peasant village to tremble in 
  fear in the relative safety of their homes.
   
  vArgouiLLe
  Tiny fiend, neutral evil
  Armour Class 13
  Hit Points 45 (10d4+20)
  Speed fly 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  6(-2)
  16 (+3)
  15 (+2)
  6 (-2)
  13 (+1)
  8 (-1)
  Skills Intimidate+3, Perception+ 3, Stealth+5
  Senses darkvision 200 ft., passive Perception 13
  Languages —
  Challenge 1 (200 xp)
  Light Sensitivity. While in 
  bright light, the vargouille 
  has disadvantage on 
  attack rolls, as well as on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on sight.
   
  Actions
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack:+5 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) 
  piercing damage. The target must make 
  a DC 11 constitution saving throw against 
  poison, or the victim’s hit point maximum is 
  reduced by the amount of damage taken. A 
  lesser restoration spell or remove curse spell 
  neutralizes the poison and allows the wound 
  to heal.
  Shriek (recharges after a short rest). The 
  vargouille can unleash a blood-curdling shriek 
  as an action. Living creatures other than 
  Vargouilles within 60’ of the Vargouille must 
  make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become 
  frightened for 1 minute. If the target fails the 
  saving throw by 5 or more, the target is also 
  paralyzed for the same duration and susceptible 
  to the Vargouille’s kiss. A frightened or paralyzed 
  creature may repeat the saving throw at the 
  end of its turn to break the effect. A target that 
  succeeds on the saving throw is immune to the 
  shriek of Vargouilles for a day.
  Kiss. The vargouille can use its action to kiss an 
  incapacitated target. The target must succeed 
  at a constitution check with DC 14 or contact a 
  terrible, fatal condition. Within 1d6 hours of the 
  onset of the disease, the target’s hair fall off and 
  terrible migraines plague the victim, conferring 
  the poisoned condition. In another 1d6 hours, 
  the victim’s ear start to lengthen, teeth become 
  elongated and the features become distorted. He or 
  she becomes incapacitated and his or her mental 
  ability scores are halved. After a final 1d6 hours, 
  the transformation is complete; the victim’s head 
  flies off as a vargouille with no memories of its 
  past and the body dies. Exposure to sunlight (or the 
  daylight spell) stops the transformation but doesn’t 
  reverse it, and it resumes once the target is out 
  of the light. To cure the condition, remove disease 
  must be cast on the victim, immediately alleviating 
  the symptoms.
   
  
  118
  zomBie mArshALL
   This well armored corpse appears animate and alacritous, 
  as it seems to move with a calculated purpose.
  The zombie marshall manifests from especially strong 
  sentient creatures. Though much of their personality is 
  lost in the transformation, their strength of will creates 
  in them a leader for the otherwise uncoordinated zombie 
  hordes. Zombie marshalls can direct and manage a 
  throng of zombies in ways that even evil spellcasters 
  cannot, and turn a crowd of fumbling undead into a 
  dangerously organized force of hungry flesh eaters.
   
  While the zombie marshall can be created by 
  necromancers from the corpses of heroes and scions of 
  the world, they can also manifest spontaneously when 
  such scions suffer an unholy end at the hands of dark 
  forces. In either case, the zombie marshall is especially 
  willful and hard to control, though they sometimes 
  serve as lieutenants in dark armies. When untethered, 
  a zombie marshall desires nothing more than to spread 
  death and suffering to every living thing it can lay its 
  rotting eyes on.
   
  A zombie marshall is often accompanied by 2d4 zombie 
  followers, but accomplished marshalls may have more, 
  especially if they are a lieutenant in an undead army.
  Undead Nature. A zombie doesn’t require air, food, 
  drink, or sleep.
   
  Zombie Marshall’s Lair
  A zombie marshall makes its lair in old battlefields, 
  the graveyards of giant beasts, and ghost towns that 
  have succumbed to disease. Sometimes this is simply 
  as a result of the marshall having died on that spot, but 
  more often than not the marshall migrates to that spot 
  with its retinue of undead followers. In the rare case that 
  the marshall is beholden to some greater power, they 
  sometimes make their lairs in the castles and dungeons 
  that serve as the home to their overlords. In these 
  instances, the marshalls take great pains to festoon their 
  own lairs with corpses and bones, ensuring that any who 
  dare enter are haunted by the grim decor.
  The area around a zombie marshall’s lair becomes 
  fallow out to approximately 1 mile. This area fails to 
  grow anything more than scrub, though some large 
  and scraggly looking trees may sprout from the 
  ground. If death does not already pervade the area, 
  many sick animals seek this place to die, creating a 
  grim boneyard within 10d10 months, though if the 
  zombie marshall is slain, the area returns to normal in 
  a similar amount of time.
   
  LAir Actions
  On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the 
  zombie marshall takes a lair action to cause one of the 
  following effects:
  ● Bones in a 20-foot-radius within 90 feet of the 
  zombie marshall become partially animated, 
  grasping at nearby creatures. Any creature in 
  the area must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving 
  throw or become grappled (escape DC 12).
  ● A foul aura fills a 20-foot-radius sphere centered 
  on a point the zombie marshall chooses within 
  50 feet of it. The aura spreads around corners 
  and remains until the marshall dismisses it as an 
  action, uses this lair action again, or dies. The 
  aura appears as a strange bodiless shadow that 
  covers the area. Any creature in the aura when it 
  appears must make a DC 14 Constitution saving 
  throw, taking 4 (1d8) necrotic damage on a 
  failure, or half damage on a success. Any undead 
  healed of 1 hit point of damage if they end their 
  turn within the sphere.
   
  zomBie mArshALL
  Medium undead, chaotic evil
  Armour Class 16 (natural armour)
  Hit Points 112 (15d8 +45)
  Speed 30 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  16 (+3)
  8 (-1)
  16 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  10 (+0)
  18 (+4)
  Saving Throws Wis +3
  Damage Immunities poison, necrotic; bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
  Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
  Senses darkvision 60ft, passive perception 11
  Languages Common
  Challenge 8 (3,900 xp)
  Innate Spellcasting. The zombie marshall’s spellcasting 
  ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 11). The zombie marshall 
  can innately cast the following spells, requiring no 
  material components:
  3/day: animate dead
   
  Legendary Resistance (1/Day). If the zombie marshall 
  fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
  Bolster the Dead. Undead creatures within 100 ft of the 
  zombie marshall have their speed increased to 30 ft. if 
  their speed was lower than 30.
  Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the zombie 
  marshall to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution 
  saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless 
  the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, 
  the zombie marshall drops to 1 hit point instead.
  
  119
   Actions
  Multiattack. The zombie marshall makes three 
  slam attacks.
  Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning
  damage.
   
  LegenDAry Actions
  The zombie marshall can take 2 legendary actions, 
  choosing from the options below. Only one legendary 
  action option can be used at a time and only at the end 
  of another creature’s turn. The zombie marshall regains 
  spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
   
  Slam Attack. The zombie marshall makes a slam 
  attack
  Coordinated Assault. The zombie marshall gives a 
  command to up to two zombies within 30 feet, 
  and each zombies attacks one target, if able.
  
  120
   Horror Templates
   Some of the most profound horrors are com-
  mitted by men and women of various seemingly 
  civilized races. Monsters may lack the morality to 
  restrain their dark urges, but sentient bipeds enjoy 
  a creativity that can be put to use in the most 
  fiendish of ways. That having been said, there are 
  few people that are simply defined by their roles as 
  serial killers, criminal masterminds, or possessed 
  slashers; Rather, these are things that are additive.
   
  As such, these traits are better served as tem-
  plates, applied to the NPCs already present in the 
  5th edition ruleset. Not only does it vary the kind 
  of murderers and psychopaths you can employ, 
  it also helps scale the encounters that you use 
  against your players. A serial killer that is a com-
  moner may be a threat at low levels, but one that 
  is a knight or even a gladiator could potentially 
  frighten a group of players at mid level play.
   
  The following templates give guidelines for how 
  to adjust and modify the statistics of existing NPC 
  statistics to fit the theme and challenge appropri-
  ate for your game.
   Mastermind
  A mastermind is an insidious agent that can be 
  anywhere, and be anything. Though they usually 
  do not put themselves in harm’s way, they real-
  ize that there is an important necessity in getting 
  your hands dirty, whether to put a knife in the 
  right back or be a corpse at the right place and 
  time. The mastermind likes to be a part of the ac-
  tion, and better yet, to observe and test their wits 
  against other intellects, whether to sharpen them-
  selves on the dull rock of a lesser mind or to find 
  the rare equal so that they can have a true battle of 
  minds! A mastermind gains the following abilities.
   
  Ability Score Increase. The NPC’s Intelligence 
  score is increased to 18 if it is not already 18. 
  The NPC also gains proficiency in every Intel-
  ligence skill.
   
  Challenge. The challenge rating for this NPC 
  is increased by 1 (or to the next fractional 
  challenge rating) unless its challenge rating is 
  already 6 or higher, in which case its challenge 
  rating stays the same.
   
  Perfect Affect. A true mastermind can imperson-
  ate nearly any character. To any observer, they 
  are what they say they are; a bar employee, a 
  gawky teenager, or even an able blacksmith. 
  Any character suspicious of the mastermind 
  must make a DC 20 Intelligence (Investiga-
  tion) or Wisdom (Insight) check to gain 
  any understanding of the mastermind’s ruse. 
  Anyone who happens to pierce the deception 
  gains the mastermind’s respect and ire.
   
  Feign Death. Any time the mastermind takes 
  any damage, they can appear to be dead. 
  Intense medical examination will render 
  the character’s heart stopped, pulse stopped, 
  and skin clammy. This ability fools medical 
  examination unless the result of the Wisdom 
  (Medicine) check equals or exceeds 20. How-
  ever, it is very likely that a mastermind will 
  employ a means of death or a backup plan that 
  will make such an examination unlikely.
   
  The “Difficulty” of CR Increases
  CR increases are largely subjective and can 
  take some tempering and testing. While the 
  following abilities may change the threat level 
  of an NPC, it may not. When adding an ability 
  that raises the CR of a given NPC, consider 
  increasing their hit points by about 20-40 points 
  per CR point added. One of the most promi-
  nent mathematical facts of this game’s edition 
  is that monsters and NPCs have to be tough to 
  survive more than a few rounds of a fight, and 
  the increase in CR without also increasing hit 
  points does nothing to address this. It may take 
  some time to grow into this mindset, but once 
  you go through many combats, you will start to 
  learn how to adjust hit points for the group’s 
  opponents, perhaps even on the fly! 
  
  121
  Paralyzing Intellect. When the mastermind 
  reveals themselves, whether by choice or 
  otherwise, they can use an action to unleash 
  a diatribe of intellectually charges speech 
  upon the mastermind’s audience. This could 
  be a treatise on the deceptions they have been 
  carrying out, a list of imminent and pertinent 
  dangers to the audience members or their 
  loved ones, or simply some nonsense jargon 
  meant only to confound. Living creatures 
  with Intelligence scores of 5 or higher must 
  make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or be 
  stunned for 1d4 rounds. If a stunned creature 
  takes damage at this time, it has the stunned 
  condition removed and can act normally.
   
  Stunning Action. Any time the mastermind 
  enters combat, they are considered to have 
  surprise on their opponents. Any movement 
  during this round does not provoke op-
  portunity attacks from any creatures able to 
  make them.
   
  Quick Escape. The mastermind can take a 
  bonus action to take the Disengage, Dash, or 
  Hide action.
   
   
  GM note: This is a great template to apply 
  to virtually any NPC. It can make a commoner 
  become a brutally intelligent pauper revolution-
  ary or a veteran into a vicious disgruntled para-
  military leader. Take special care when applying 
  this template to an assassin, as the combination is 
  amazingly effective; you may even increase the CR 
  of the encounter by 2 or 3. You may potentially 
  want to avoid using this template for the assassin 
  unless you want to create an especially deadly and 
  intelligent opponent.
   
  To that point, this template is less about mak-
  ing an effective combatant and more about making 
  a character that can be anywhere can shrug off 
  attempts to kill or detain them and will attempt 
  to match wits with the characters at every turn. 
  While they are apt to use minions to foil the 
  characters, they are not especially good at direct-
  ing said minions and are likely to either co-opt 
  capable NPCs to do their dirty work or simply 
  use disposable henchmen to slow or hinder their 
  enemies, with no thought or concern for anyone 
  but themselves.
  While killing or defeating a mastermind is 
  certainly not impossible, a player group is likely 
  to wonder if their enemy could potentially return 
  from any kind of incarceration or even death. All 
  the same, a high level party is not likely to be as 
  concerned with a mastermind, as their powerful 
  abilities are more likely to
  
  122
   Serial Killer
  Ubiquitous and iconic, the serial killer is a figure 
  that captures the imagination, tugging at the fears 
  and curiosity of society. What drives them? How 
  do you stop them? While in truth these answers 
  are both grim and mundane, the fictional serial 
  killer is a distinct character in the horror genre.
   The serial killer runs the gamut between greasy 
  loner to dapper genius, but the more common 
  thread is a pathological desire to kill. This desire 
  often sharpens their ability to do so quickly, as 
  well as to stage a crime scene to either divert or 
  confound investigators. Some serial killers seem to 
  possess a preternatural ability to take damage and 
  survive nearly any amount of punishment. Some 
  serial killers have also made pacts or are imbued 
  with special powers that render them durable and 
  hard to deal with.
   
  Note: This template is meant to apply to both 
  a normal but deranged killer, but also with some 
  kind of supernatural slasher. Sometimes the two 
  concepts can coincide, but options for both kinds 
  of serial killer are provided.
   
  A serial killer gains some or all of the following 
  abilities. Some of these abilities come with ad-
  ditional choices that are made when the NPC 
  is created.
   
  Challenge. The serial killer can have a number of 
  optional abilities that may or may not affect 
  their final challenge rating. Each ability will 
  say if it will affect the challenge rating and if 
  so, by how much. As you build the NPC, you 
  choose what options to include.
   
  Brutal Attack. When the serial killer attacks 
  another victim, and there are no other crea-
  tures within 30 feet, the serial killer deals an 
  additional 10 (3d6) damage with any weapon, 
  unarmed, or natural attack. The damage is 
  either of the type caused by the weapon, or 
  necrotic if it is an unarmed or natural attack. 
  This ability increases the CR of the serial 
  killer by 1 (or to the next fractional level).
  Distraction. The serial killer can misdirect 
  attempts to locate him, either by casting suspi-
  cion on others, or literally causing a visual 
  distraction when being chased. Attempts to 
  chase, track, investigate, locate or otherwise 
  apprehend the serial killer are made with 
  disadvantage. If the serial killer’s current hit 
  point total is half of its maximum or less, they 
  lose the benefits of this ability. This ability 
  increases the CR of the serial killer by 1.
   
  Keen Intellect. A subtle serial killer can outsmart 
  their pursuers and weave webs with which to 
  capture victims. Increase the serial killer’s In-
  telligence score to a minimum of 16, or +2 if it 
  is 16 or higher. In addition, the serial killer has 
  advantage on any Intelligence or Charisma 
  checks to deceive investigation, lure victims, 
  or to conceal their activities. The serial killer 
  also gains proficiency with two Intelligence or 
  Charisma skills. This change does not increase 
  the CR of the serial killer.
   
  Quick. The serial killer’s movement speeds are 
  increased by 10 feet. This does not affect the 
  CR of the serial killer.
   
  Unkillable, Greater. The serial killer gains resis-
  tance to all weapon damage. When they are 
  reduced to 0 hit points, they are automatically 
  dead. If their body is not completely de-
  stroyed, they enter a torpor and return to life 
  with half of their hit point total within 1d4 
  hours. If restrained by mundane means, the 
  serial killer can escape its bonds automatically 
  within 1d4 hours. This ability cannot be added 
  to a spellcasting NPC.
  This ability increases the NPC’s CR by 2. If the 
  creature has a fractional CR or lower, this abil-
  ity instead raises their CR to 2. If the creature 
  has a CR of 6 or higher, their CR is increased 
  by 1. You can award half experience each time 
  the serial killer is reduced to 0 hit points, or 
  full experience if the serial killer is somehow 
  dealt with permanently.
  The unkillable ability is always paired with some 
  achievable means to deal with the serial killer, 
  such as a ritual, condition, or substance that 
  will quash their amazing ability to survive 
  death. The serial killer cannot have this ability 
  and Unkillable, Lesser.
  
  123
  Unkillable, Lesser (3/day). The serial killer is 
  tough to kill. Whenever the serial killer is 
  reduced to 0 hit points, there is a 50% chance 
  of them instead staying at 1 hit points if they 
  succeed. On a failure, they are reduced to 0 hit 
  points as normal. This ability does not change 
  the serial killer’s CR. The serial killer cannot 
  have this ability and Unkillable, Greater.
   
  Curse Bearer
   Some evils are not people or bad intentions. 
  Some evils are accidents twisted by a cruel god of 
  fate. Some evils are people who are too selfish or 
  stupid to seek help or accept their lot in life. Some 
  evils are the doom that cursed individuals bring to 
  their unlucky comrades.
  The curse bearer can take many shapes and 
  forms. Whether a hapless pawn manipulated by an 
  evil master or an unfortunate fool that triggered 
  some dark magic, the curse bearer has doomed 
  themselves through some awful turn of events.
  The nature of the curse is variable but is always 
  disastrous and far reaching. This template is as 
  varied as curses themselves. The following curses 
  are some examples of the terrible portends that 
  follow the bearer of curses.
   
  Challenge. The curse bearer can have a number 
  of optional abilities that may or may not affect 
  their final challenge rating. Each ability will 
  say if it will affect the challenge rating and if 
  so, by how much. As you build the NPC, you 
  choose what options to include.
   
  Conditional Curse. This curse is insidious, as 
  it can potentially be spread easily by those 
  willing to do so. These conditional curses are 
  usually bound to some seemingly superstitious 
  activity that directly imparting a curse to oth-
  ers. The worst of these curses forces the curse 
  bearer to curse many more people to remove it 
  from themselves.
  As an example, the “Jeweled Eye of the Name-
  less Lord” is a gem that curses its bearer to 
  stare into the eyes of three other individuals 
  to spread the curse. Only then can the curses 
  bearer be free of the gem and the curse, but 
  the curse renews when another greedy soul 
  seeks out the cursed gem.
  Anyone bearing the gem cannot benefit from a 
  long rest and must make a DC 15 Constitu-
  tion saving throw at the end of each night. 
  Once obtained, the jewel cannot be discarded 
  as long as the bearer is cursed. On a failure, 
  they gain a level of exhaustion, as they experi-
  ence intense headaches and eye pain. If the 
  cursed creature gains enough exhaustion levels 
  to die, they do not die, but instead, have their 
  eyes turned into gems. The experience is pain-
  ful, but their exhaustion levels are completely 
  removed once the gems are extracted from 
  their eye sockets. Gems made from eyes disap-
  pear in 1d4 days, reappearing in the tomb of 
  the Nameless Lord.
  The bearer of the gem can remove this curse by 
  making a gaze attack (see below). Knowledge 
  of this gaze attack may coincide with the 
  gem’s legend, but the curse bearer may even 
  accidentally confer the curse. If the bearer 
  can curse three individuals, the curse is lifted 
  for the gem bearer, and they can discard the 
  gem. Those cursed by this gaze are doomed 
  unless the gem is returned to the Temple of 
  the Nameless Lord, in which case the curse 
  is lifted for any and all afflicted individu-
  als. Once the curse has run its course, only a 
  greater restoration or regeneration spell can 
  restore the victim’s eyes.
  The curse bearer gains the following gaze attack 
  and increases their CR by 1. Fractional CRs 
  are increased to 1.
   
  Curse of the Jewel. When a creature that can see 
  the curse bearer’s eyes starts its turn within 30 
  feet of the curse bearer, the curse bearer can 
  force it to make a DC 12 Constitution saving 
  throw if the curse bearer isn’t incapacitated and 
  can see the creature. The creature is cursed on a 
  failure. That night, the creature cannot benefit 
  from a long rest and must make a DC 15 Con-
  stitution saving throw, or gain a level of exhaus-
  tion. If the creature gains levels of exhaustion 
  that would result in death, they instead have 
  their eyes painfully turned into gems. Once the 
  gems are removed, the creature has their levels 
  of exhaustion completely removed.
   
  
  124
  Cursed by Darkness. The curse bearer has been 
  targeted by dark forces, whether by jealous 
  mortal hexes or other worldly agents. Curses 
  of this nature tend to be more focused in 
  scope and can spread slight mayhem. The 
  petty creatures that hand out such curses often 
  delight in spying on their victim and seeing 
  what tragedies befall them and their kin.
  While some curses target descendents, most of 
  these curses are more immediate. Some ex-
  amples include having skin that is poisonous 
  to the touch, being unable to gain or main-
  tain weight or even being the bearer of an 
  unidentifiable disease. Such curse bearers are 
  often the source of some deleterious condition 
  and bring harm to those immediately around 
  them. Some go on unwittingly spreading the 
  terrible condition. Dark forces are fond of 
  cursing simple creatures like animals that can 
  happily spread the effects of the curse without 
  a second thought.
  Typical effects imparted by this curse are the 
  blinded, deafened, exhaustion, poisoned, 
  and even petrified conditions. If the effect is 
  permanent, the creature’s CR is increased by 
  2, or increased by two fractional levels. If it is 
  temporary, the creature’s CR is increased by 
  1. In either case, the minimum CR for the 
  creature is 1.
   
  Cursed by the Fates. The curse bearer is doomed 
  to die. Those that attempt to defy this reality 
  can bring pain and suffering to those around 
  them.
  Within 1000 feet of the curse bearer, any ability 
  checks or attack rolls that result in a natural 1 
  cause some sort of terrible accident. This could 
  be as a direct result of the action that called 
  for the dice roll, or simply an incidental but 
  dangerous event. The swing of a sword may 
  sever a rope that drops a weight on an inno-
  cent bystander, or the opening of a book could 
  cause a deadly earthquake.
  Many of those cursed by the fates are driven to 
  seclusion; the cursed either live in isolated ig-
  nominy or die a dramatic death that is worthy 
  of epics and tragedies. Such cursed are most 
  dangerous when they put others in danger by 
  refusing to isolate themselves.
  A curse bearer with this curse has their CR 
  increased by 2, to a minimum of 3. Such crea-
  tures represent an inherent danger to everyone 
  near them.
   
  Cursed by the Gods. The curse bearer has an-
  gered the gods, and their wrath spares no by-
  standers. Such curse bearers often bear a mark 
  signifying divine disfavor, such as bleeding 
  sigil, or having a dead animal affixed to their 
  person. Whatever the case, the cursed is easily 
  identifiable. Wherever the curse bearer goes, 
  great disasters follow. The curse bearer is likely 
  to herald great catastrophes such as earth-
  quakes, tsunamis, or even the awakening of 
  great and terrible creatures like the Terrasque. 
  This trait is meant as a plot element and does 
  not significantly alter the creature’s ability.
   
  Cursed by Magic. Some curses are merely magi-
  cal constructs, either meant to keep the foolish 
  uninitiated from tainting magic with their 
  unworthy hands, or as mean spirited lessons in 
  humility imparted by cruel magicians.
  Such curses are more limited in scope, and often 
  only affect the victim, though the wrong curse 
  on the right person could lead to bedlam. 
  Some curses can manifest as mood swings, 
  possessions, or even body swaps. Though 
  potentially troublesome, such curses do not 
  change the curse bearer’s CR.
   
  Secret Cultist
   Secret societies accept those from all walks of 
  life, often being happy to include people who can 
  do their dirty work. Just like any organization, 
  there is a wide hierarchy that insinuates a cult’s in-
  fluence throughout all walks of life. The influence 
  of the cultist stems from a strong support network 
  and an ironclad code of silence.
  Some cults are relatively benign, seeking what 
  many groups do in gathering resources and influ-
  ence. Others seek nothing less than the annihila-
  tion of all life. Whatever their ultimate goals, a cult 
  tends to pursuit its goals with ruthless efficiency.
  Perhaps the most insidious thing about a cult is 
  its secrecy. Many of its victims have absolutely no 
  idea that they are being spun into a web of deceit 
  and doom until the cult descends upon them. In 
  
  125
  a terrifying display of unity and avarice, these 
  societies are hard to stop, and harder to eliminate, 
  each member is fanatical enough to carry forth the 
  goals, whether they have support or not.
  The secret cultist gains some of the following 
  abilities, as determined when the NPC is created:
   
  Challenge. The secret cultist’s strength lies in a 
  robust support system, and their inability to 
  betray their cause. As such, their CR does not 
  increase as they are not in themselves a greater 
  threat, but can call upon great resources and 
  other members, and the increased challenge is 
  reflected in the cult’s strength in numbers.
   
  Cult Leader. A cult leader has a charismatic 
  power over your followers. At any one time, 
  they have no less than a dozen charmed NPCs 
  in their service. They can be from nearly any 
  NPC type, as appropriate. When the cult 
  leader is killed, roll a percentile dice. On a 
  result of 1-50%, the charmed cultists sink into 
  a murderous frenzy and attack those respon-
  sible. On a result of 51-100, the cultists sink 
  into a wailing despair and take no actions.
   
  Friends in High Places. The infrastructure of a 
  cult is diverse. A cultist can whisper in the 
  right ear and call down the wrath of local 
  law enforcement, judiciary, or even nobility. 
  Though this rarely results in outright violence, 
  some desperate high ranking cultists can even 
  call down on pet assassins to deal with curious 
  party members. When a cultist is murdered, 
  the cult seeks revenge whether or not their 
  secret was revealed, and will sometimes seek 
  an eye for an eye.
   
  Iron Will. A cultist has been conditioned never 
  to reveal a cult’s secrets, let alone speak its 
  name to outsiders. If an effect would coerce 
  the cultist to reveal anything about the cult, 
  they have advantage on checks and saving 
  throws to avoid doing so. Those attempting 
  to coerce the cultist have disadvantage on any 
  checks meant to do so. This ability ceases to 
  function if the cultist is charmed
   
  Programmed. A cultist that has been pro-
  grammed is obsessed with some aspect of the 
  cult. They are immune to the charmed condi-
  tion, as they are already charmed by the leader 
  or the cause, and they have advantage to resist 
  the frightened condition. They cannot ignore 
  any command by their cult leader, no matter 
  how dangerous it may be.
   
  Reinforcements. A mid-ranking cultist can call 
  upon their associates to deal with problems. 
  As an action, the cultist can call in other 
  members. Use the following groupings as a 
  guideline:
     1 veteran, 3 thugs
     5 cultists
    2 guards, 3 scouts
     1 cult fanatic, 3 guards
   
  125
  
  126
  Imposter
   One of the most horrifying nightmares faced by 
  people is the possibility that their loved ones have 
  been replaced. This nightmare can manifest in a 
  variety of terrible ways. Some imposters are killed 
  and worn as suits, as is the case with the intel-
  lect devourer and its feeding habits. Others are 
  cloned, created whole, while the original person is 
  captured or dead. Others are merely impersonated 
  by mundane or supernatural means. Whatever the 
  method, the disturbing thought of a loved one be-
  ing a doppelganger is enough to strike terror into 
  the hearts of any man or woman.
  An imposter gains some of the following abili-
  ties, as determined when the NPC is created:
   
  Challenge. An imposter rarely has abilities that 
  make them 
   
  Picture Perfect. The imposter is a perfect visual 
  copy of the creature they are impersonating. 
  Nothing is out of place, including birthmarks 
  and other physical attributes. Any attempt to 
  discern that the creature is a fake based only 
  on visual evidence has disadvantage.
   
  Emotionless Doll. The creature cannot emulate 
  emotions or does so in a way that is inappro-
  priate. It may or may not be blatantly obvious 
  that the creature is an imposter. Attempts to 
  discern that the creature is a fake based on 
  social or emotional evidence have advantage. 
  However, the imposter is also immune to the 
  charmed and frightened conditions.
   
  Skinwearer. The imposter is somehow inhabit-
  ing the body of the person, rather than just 
  imitating it. The creature cannot be damaged 
  without damaging the host. Treat the creature 
  as a disease, which is expelled if the diseases 
  are somehow cured, or an expert surgery is 
  performed, requiring a DC 18 Wisdom (Medi-
  cine) check. Some creatures kill the host before 
  inhabiting it, so curing the disease effectively 
  releases the corpse from the skinwearer’s con-
  trol. The skinwearer can be anything from a tiny 
  slug to a small sized humanoid that wears the 
  body like a shell. In either case, the creature has 
  10 hit points and 10 AC, 10 for all of its ability 
  scores, can move 15 feet per round, and no way 
  to attack on its own.
   
  Clone. The imposter is a grown or created copy 
  of the impersonated person or creature. The 
  creature is such a perfect copy that they regis-
  ter as the original through magical detections 
  such as locate person. The clone may or may 
  not have some or all memories of the origi-
  nal, up to the point of creation. Many clones 
  are “born” with various defects, either being 
  unable to grow, heal, or change, while others 
  still are innately drawn to kill and replace the 
  creature from which they were copied.
   
  Vague Memories. Whatever the type of impos-
  ter, this ability allows it to have some vague 
  memories of the creature it is impersonating. 
  These memories can help it to avoid be-
  ing discovered and can negate penalties that 
  would make it easier for others to discover 
  the imposter’s nature. The memories are not 
  perfect and can render the imposter confused 
  or addled while they try to conjure memories.
   
  Shapechanger. Imposters with this ability can 
  actively copy any creature with which they 
  come into contact. This ability is extremely 
  dangerous and allows the imposter to hide 
  and infiltrate more easily. Creatures with this 
  Impersonating the PCs
  The imposter villain has the unique ability 
  to be able to copy nearly any creature, includ-
  ing the player characters. In this case, you could 
  simply take a player’s character sheet, copy 
  it, and apply the relevant abilities. This could 
  even work for lower level versions of your PCs, 
  especially if there are many imposters with the 
  face of one or more of your player characters. 
  This could make for an interesting encounter or 
  combat, especially if each of the players has to 
  fight their double. This could prove to be tricky, 
  but subtle antagonism by these duplicates could 
  be an unnerving way to promote horror in your 
  campaign, especially if press the players to slay 
  numerous duplicates of themselves.
  
  127
  ability increase their challenge rating by 1, to a 
  minimum of 1 for a fractional CR. This ability 
  otherwise acts as the alter shape spell, but with 
  no duration or concentration.
   
  Evil Twin. Through some strange magic or 
  dimensional anomaly, the imposter is actually 
  the same person it is impersonating, but with 
  an alternate personality. This could be an op-
  posite alignment, a dangerous mental illness, 
  or even a dangerous curse (see curse bearer 
  above). Evil twins are thinking breathing be-
  ings, and not mere copies, and often are just as 
  impressive or ingenious as their originals.
   
   Doom Bringer
  The doombringer is either a nihilist that would 
  see the world undone, or a tyrant bent on us-
  ing death and terror to rule as much as they can 
  grasp. Whether through promises to dark powers, 
  or some personal ability, the doombringer can tap 
  into thanatotic powers that help them to see their 
  plans to vile fruition. The doombringer gains some 
  of the following abilities*.
   
  Touch of Doom. The doombringer is adept at 
  linking to dark energies and unweave the tap-
  estry of reality. Any time that the doombring-
  er rolls necrotic damage, they add 1 additional 
  necrotic damage per dice rolled.
   
  Undying. The doombringer is effectively undead 
  through their connection to the forces of entro-
  py. When killed, they rise again within 3 nights, 
  and can only be stopped by a potent magical 
  force, such as a great evil ritual gone wrong, or 
  some extremely deadly spell or effects, like a 
  river of lava or the disintegrate spell.
   
  Doom’s Herald. The doombringer is a 4th level 
  spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma, 
  and its Charisma score becomes 16. Its spell 
  save DC is 14, and it has +6 to hit with spell 
  attacks. The doom bringer has the following 
  spells prepared.
   
  Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, 
  poison spray
  1st level (4 slots): bane, disguise self, false life, 
  inflict wounds
  2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, hold per-
  son, locate object, ray of enfeeblement
   
  In addition to these spells, the doombringer has 
  a minimum CR of 5 or increases its CR by 3 
  if it is already a higher CR (adjust the statis-
  tics accordingly for proficiency bonus). The 
  doombringer also has a minimum of 50 hit 
  points, or more if it already possessed more.
   
  Avatar of Doom. The doombringer is a 12th level 
  spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma, 
  
  128
  and its Charisma score becomes 16. Its spell 
  save DC is 14, and it has +6 to hit with spell 
  attacks. The doom bringer has the following 
  spells prepared.
   
  Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, poi-
  son spray, minor illusion
  1st level (4 slots): bane, disguise self, false life, 
  inflict wounds, ray of sickness
  2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, hold per-
  son, locate object, shatter
  3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, bestow curse, 
  dispel magic
  4th level (3 slots): blight, confusion, locate 
  creature
  5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, dream, insect 
  plague
  6th level (2 slots): create undead, disintegrate
   
  In addition to these spells, the doombringer has 
  a minimum CR of 10 or increases its CR by 3 if 
  it is already a higher CR (adjust the statistics ac-
  cordingly for proficiency bonus). The doombringer 
  also has a minimum of 100 hit points, or more if it 
  already possessed more.
   An avatar of doom can also cast a special ritual 
  that can bring great calamities to the world. It is 
  up to you, the GM, to discover what great doom 
  they can conjure, and up to your PCs to stop the 
  avatar of doom from succeeding.
   *The doombringer cannot gain more than 
  one spellcasting ability from this category. These 
  abilities cannot be applied to an NPC that already 
  possesses spellcasting.
   
  Demon-friend
  There are many who would cavort with the 
  forces of evil, either as short-term partnerships or 
  even on a long-lasting contractual basis. No matter 
  the length, associating with evil will leave mortals 
  changed both inside and out. Demon-friends can 
  often trade their skin and soul for power, or merely 
  profess their admiration for the evil outsiders by 
  pledging fealty. These demon-friends can be will-
  ing slaves or canny partners, depending on how 
  able they are, and all but the wisest and clever are 
  likely to forfeit their soul when the deal is done, 
  no matter how large or small the gain.
  A demon friend gains some or all of the follow-
  ing abilities.
   
  Challenge. The demon friend can gain various 
  abilities that increase their challenge rating. 
  Each ability describes the way in which its 
  challenge rating is increased, if at all.
   
  Demon Affinity. Demon friends can sometimes 
  benefit from their connection to the dark ties 
  to evil forces. A demon friend cannot be will-
  ingly attacked by a fiend. If a fiend is magi-
  cally compelled to attack the demon friend, 
  whether through summoning or charmed 
  condition, those attacks are made with disad-
  vantage. Additionally, the demon friend has 
  advantage on saving throws from spells and 
  abilities originating from fiends. Most demon 
  friends must fulfill a condition to maintain 
  this protection, often requiring dark acts being 
  committed in the name of some dark lord.
   
  Summoner. A consummate ally of the dark, the 
  demon friend can summon the forces of evil 
  either on a whim or through ritual and effort. 
  The demon friend can summon a single fiend-
  ish ally of an equal CR or lower. This ability 
  increases the demon friend’s CR by 1, to a 
  minimum of 1, and any CR adjustments count 
  for the purposes of this ability.
   
  Hellfire. The demon friend can summon gouts of 
  fire. They know the fire bolt cantrip. Charisma 
  is their spellcasting ability for this spell. The 
  demon friend’s CR is increased to 1 if it was a 
  fractional CR.
   
  Blood Bound. Those people who are bound to evil 
  by blood are inexorably linked to them. A de-
  mon friend with this trait is counted as a fiend 
  for all purposes, as well as their normal type. 
  This does not affect the demon friend’s CR.
   
  Damned. Something about a dark and evil 
  energy is so insinuated in the demon friend 
  that their death is a violent and dangerous 
  event. When the demon friend reaches 0 hit 
  
  129
  points, their soul is immediately shunted into 
  some dark plane. This event is accompanied by 
  a violent pandemonium. Though the sensa-
  tion of this pandemonium can vary, it always 
  has the same rough effect. All creatures within 
  50 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw, 
  taking 1d6 psychic damage per CR of the 
  demon friend on a failure, or half as much on 
  a success. This ability increases the CR of the 
  demon friend by 1, to a minimum of 1. The 
  new CR is used to calculate the damage at the 
  time of the demon friend’s death. This creature 
  cannot regenerate or return from this damna-
  tion unless they are saved with a wish spell.
   
  Demon Loved. Through some dint of fate, the 
  demon friend is considered especially coveted 
  by fiends. Fiends treat the demon friend favor-
  ably, but may jealously guard this relationship. 
  A demon loved with this trait is likely to be 
  traveling with a retinue of other demons that 
  worship or protect the creature. A demon 
  friend with this trait is also subject to strange 
  rituals that encompass dark prophecies and may 
  be protected as the subject of a future sacrifice 
  that will advance some fiendish agenda.
  This trait does not increase the demon friend’s 
  CR other than by grouping the demon friend 
  with other demons with their own CR ratings.
   
   Sample Villain
   Here is an example of an NPC modified using 
  the various templates above. In this case, I took the 
  base of the berserker NPC from the SRD and ap-
  plied abilities from the secret cultist, demon friend, 
  and serial killer template groups to create a brutish 
  cult enforcer. You may note that I increased his 
  hit point maximum, gave him an extra attack, and 
  changed his Charisma score (to reflect his mon-
  strous personality). Such tweaks are part of the fun 
  of crafting an NPC.
  Zerod is the witless but capable killer that en-
  forces the cult doctrine. Having been inducted into 
  the cult from an orphanage, he knows only than 
  the brutality and nihilism that the cult espouses 
  and the marginal favor that the cult leader grants 
  him for a job well done. The emotional scraps 
  he gets as rewards for murdering have left him a 
  remorseless and efficient assassin. Zerod can barely 
  behave like a human being in normal society, but 
  his cult connections mean that he can live a quiet 
  life of prayer to an evil god when he isn’t carrying 
  out the dark whims of his masters.
   
  zeroD, cuLt enforcer
  Medium humanoid (human), chaotic evil
  Armour Class 13 (hide armor)
  Hit Points 133 (18d8 +54)
  Speed 30 ft.
  Str
  Dex
  Con
   Int
  Wis
  Cha
  6 (+3)
  12 (+1)
  17 (+3)
  9 (-1)
  11 (+0)
  4 (-3)
  Senses passive perception 10
  Languages Common
  Challenge 5 (1,800 xp)
  Brutal Attack. When the Zerod attacks another victim, 
  and there are no other creatures within 30 feet, he 
  deals an additional 10 (3d6) damage with any weapon, 
  unarmed, or natural attack. The damage is either of 
  the type caused by the weapon, or necrotic if it is an 
  unarmed or natural attack.
   
  Damned. When the Zerod reached 0 hit points, his soul 
  is immediately shunted into some dark plane. This event 
  is accompanied by a violent pandemonium of illusory fire 
  and devilish shrieking. All creatures within 50 feet must 
  make a Wisdom saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) psychic 
  damage on a failure, or half as much on a success.
   
  Distraction. Zerod can misdirect attempts to locate him, 
  either by casting suspicion on others, or literally causing 
  a visual distraction when being chased. Attempts to 
  chase, track, investigate, locate or otherwise apprehend 
  him are made with disadvantage. If Zerod’s current hit 
  point total is half of its maximum or less, he loses the 
  benefits of this ability.
   
  Programmed. Zerod cannot be charmed or frightened. 
  He must follow all orders from the cult leader or high 
  ranking demons.
   
  Reckless. At the start of its turn, Zerod can gain 
  advantage on all melee attack rolls during that turn, but 
  attack rolls against Zerod have advantage until the start 
  of its next turn.
   
  Actions
  Multiattack. Zerod makes two short sword attacks.
  Shortsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage 
  and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution 
  saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) poison damage on a 
  failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
   
  
  130
  Other Villains
   Though the above templates are a great way 
  to express villains through the current offering of 
  NPCs, you don’t necessarily have to even alter the 
  NPCs by very much to have a memorable villain. 
  The following ideas can express villains with no 
  rules modifications.
    Betrayer: This NPC is a long time friend or 
  trusted ally of the group, and turns out to be a 
  betrayer! This type of villain is largely situ-
  ational and conditional, but easy to run and 
  fun to use on your players.
     Black Guard: Though this is a well-known 
  category of villain for fantasy games, it is easy 
  enough to use NPCs (particularly the knight) 
  and add a template to represent their area of 
  villainy, such as a secret cultist. The acts of evil 
  are what define a blackguard the most!
     Possessed: These characters are less evil and 
  more manipulated by outside forces. There are a 
  number of options available, such as the cursed, 
  or demon-friend templates that have options 
  that might reflect a possessed character.
     Disease: Similar to the curse bearer, disease is 
  a potent obstacle. While disease can some-
  times be the work of a sentient being, it is 
  often just a microbial threat with no central 
  source to defeat. Disease can render people 
  into living bio-weapons, or frenetic violent 
  monsters. A disease is easily implemented into 
  NPC stat blocks.
  130
  
  131
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   15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the 
  Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards 
  of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, 
  Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, 
  Robert J.
  Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Town-
  shend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave 
  Arneson.
   A Shoggoth. Nottsuo - nottsuo.deviantart This file is li-
  censed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported 
  license.
  5th Edition Horror. © 2018, Fat Goblin Games; Author: 
  Ismael Alvarez
  
  132
  5th Edition Horror
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/Fat Goblin Games/5th Edition Horror.pdf