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DESIGNERS ART DIRECTOR D&D JAMES WYATT, , C.A. SULEIMAN KARIN JAQUES

DEVELOPMENT TEAM COVER ARTIST MIKE DONAIS, STEPHEN SCHUBERT, ROB WATKINS INTERIOR ARTISTS DAARKEN, , RANDY GALLEGOS, EDITORS DES HANLEY, , JOHN D. RATELIFF, BLAISE SELBY ERIC POLAK, STEVE PRESCOTT, , DAN SCOTT EDITING MANAGER GRAPHIC DESIGNER DEE BARNETT DESIGN MANAGER CHRISTOPHER PERKINS CARTOGRAPHERS TODD GAMBLE, YASUYO DUNNETT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST ERIN DORRIES SENIOR ART DIRECTOR RPG IMAGE TECHNICIAN SVEN BOLEN DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D PRODUCTION MANAGERS JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS

Some information in this book is taken from or derived from these products: The Complete Book of Necromancers by Steve Kurtz; Domains of Dread by William W. Connors and Steve Miller; by Andy Collins, Jesse Decker, David Noonan, and Rich Redman; by James Wyatt; by ; : The Book of Undead by Andy Collins and Bruce R. Cordell; and Lords of Madness: The Book of Aberrations by Richard Baker, James Jacobs, and .

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by and and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by , Monte Cook, , Richard Baker, and . This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision.

This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www. wizards.com/d20.

U.S., CANADA, ASIA, PACIFIC, EUROPEAN HEADQUARTERS & LATIN AMERICA Hasbro UK Ltd Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Caswell Way P.O. Box 707 Newport, Gwent NP9 0YH Renton WA 98057-0707 GREAT BRITAIN (Questions?) 1-800-324-6496 620–88522720–001–EN Please keep this address for your records 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ISBN-10: 0-7869-3699-1 First Printing: October 2005 ISBN-13: 978-0-7869-3699-1

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , d20, d20 System, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, , Heroes of Horror, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.A. and other countries. All characters, character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed in the United States to the book trade by Holtzbrinck Publishing. Distributed in Canada to the book trade by Fenn Ltd. Distributed worldwide by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and regional distributors. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely Samplecoincidental. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. file Visit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd Contents Horror Environments ...... 68 Chain of Sorrow ...... 128 Tainted Locations ...... 68 Cloak of Hate ...... 128 Introduction ...... 4 Dread Effects ...... 68 Detect Taint ...... 128 What’s In This Book ...... 4 Haunting Presences ...... 69 Dream Sight ...... 128 Chapter 1: Dread Encounters ...... 5 Mortuary Terrain ...... 72 Dream Walk ...... 129 Stand-Alone Encounters ...... 6 Campaign Rules ...... 76 Dreaming Puppet ...... 129 Introducing Horror ...... 6 Alignment ...... 76 Familial Geas ...... 129 Setting the Stage ...... 6 Divination ...... 78 Fire in the Blood ...... 129 Creating Horror ...... 7 Death and Resurrection ...... 78 Harm, Greater ...... 130

Creepy Effects ...... 8 Violence and Taint ...... 80 Harm, Mass ...... 130 CONTENTS TABLE OF TABLE The Villain of a Horror Encounter ...... 10 Imprison Soul ...... 130 Chapter 5: Heroes and Antiheroes ...... 81 Villainous Traits ...... 12 Manifest Desire ...... 130 Sample Encounter: Classes ...... 82 Manifest Nightmare ...... 130 “To Grandmother’s House” ...... 13 Archivist ...... 82 Mantle of Pure Spite ...... 130 Sample Encounter: “Annalee’s Baby” ...... 15 Dread Necromancer ...... 84 Master’s Lament ...... 131 New Demigod: Cas ...... 19 Oath of Blood ...... 131 Prestige Classes ...... 88 Pact of Return ...... 131 Chapter 2: Dread Adventures ...... 21 Corrupt Avenger ...... 88 Plague of Undead ...... 131 Horror Adventures in Death Delver ...... 93 Pronouncement of Fate ...... 132 Nonhorror Campaigns ...... 21 Dread Witch ...... 98 Resist Taint ...... 132 Designing a Horror Adventure ...... 22 Fiend-Blooded ...... 102 Restful Slumber ...... 132 Mood ...... 22 Purifi er of the Hallowed Doctrine ...... 108 Rigor Mortis ...... 132 Setting ...... 24 Tainted Scholar ...... 113 Summon Undead I ...... 132 Plot and Story ...... 25 New Feats ...... 119 Summon Undead II ...... 132 Villains in a Horror Game ...... 27 Tainted Feats ...... 119 Summon Undead III ...... 132 Techniques of Terror ...... 33 Vile Feats ...... 119 Summon Undead IV ...... 133 Splitting the Party ...... 33 Feat Descriptions ...... 119 Summon Undead V ...... 133 Don’t Show Everything ...... 33 Archivist of Nature ...... 119 Vile Death ...... 133 Threaten Friends, Allies, Bane Magic ...... 119 and Loved Ones ...... 33 Magic Items and Artifacts ...... 133 Blood Calls to Blood ...... 120 The Evil Duplicate Ploy ...... 34 Rod of Sanctity ...... 133 Corrupt Arcana ...... 120 Finding the Achilles’ Heel ...... 34 Artifacts ...... 133 Corrupt Spell Focus ...... 120 Introducing New Elements Debilitating Spell ...... 120 Chapter 6: Creatures of the Night ...... 135 to the Campaign ...... 35 Debilitating Strike ...... 120 Sample Adventure: For Hate’s Sake ...... 35 Villains in Horror ...... 135 Deformity (Skin) ...... 121 Beyond Gothic ...... 135 Chapter 3: A Horror Campaign ...... 39 Deformity (Tall) ...... 121 The Vampire ...... 135 The Basics of Horror Gaming ...... 39 Deformity (Teeth) ...... 121 The Wolf-Man ...... 136 Setting ...... 40 Deformity (Tongue) ...... 121 Frankenstein’s Monster ...... 136 Plot in a Horror Campaign ...... 44 Disease Immunity ...... 121 The ...... 136 Villains ...... 46 Draconic Archivist ...... 122 Ghosts ...... 136 Unhappy Endings ...... 47 Dreamtelling ...... 122 Aberrations ...... 137 Sample Campaign: Nightwatch ...... 48 Eldritch Corruption ...... 122 Animals and Vermin ...... 137 Other Campaign Models ...... 51 Font of Life ...... 122 Dragons ...... 137 Dreams and Nightmares ...... 52 ...... 123 Fey ...... 138 Constructing Dreams ...... 52 Greater Corrupt Spell Focus ...... 123 Giants ...... 138 Dreams as Plot Devices ...... 53 Haunting Melody ...... 123 Humanoids ...... 138 Adventuring in Nightmare Realms . . . . .54 Improved Oneiromancy ...... 123 Monstrous Humanoids ...... 139 Dream Magic ...... 58 Lunatic Insight ...... 123 Outsiders ...... 139 Monsters of the Dreamscape ...... 58 Mad Faith ...... 123 Master of Knowledge ...... 123 New Monsters ...... 139 Chapter 4: Rules of Horror ...... 59 Oneiromancy ...... 123 Bane Wraith ...... 139 Dread ...... 59 Pure Soul ...... 124 Bloodrot ...... 140 Shock ...... 60 Spirit Sense ...... 124 Bog Imp ...... 142 Weariness ...... 60 Surge of Malevolence ...... 124 Boneleaf ...... 143 Illness and Despair ...... 60 Tainted Fury ...... 124 Corruption Eater ...... 144 Obsession ...... 60 Touch of Taint ...... 124 Elemental, Taint ...... 145 Fear ...... 61 Unnatural Will...... 124 Giant, Dusk ...... 147 Alternative Degrees of Fear ...... 61 Willing Deformity ...... 125 Golem, Cadaver ...... 149 Escalating Fear ...... 61 Gray Jester ...... 151 Phobias ...... 61 Dread Magic ...... 125 Bleak Ones ...... 151 The Taint of Evil ...... 62 Evil Spells and Taint ...... 125 SamplePhantasmal Slayerfile ...... 152 Effects of Taint ...... 63 Corrupt Spells ...... 125 Tainted Minion ...... 153 Physical Symptoms ...... 63 Spell Lists ...... 125 Tainted Raver ...... 154 Mental Symptoms ...... 65 Spell Descriptions ...... 127 Unholy Scion ...... 155 Taint and Alignment ...... 67 Bestow Wound ...... 127 Cleansing Taint ...... 67 Call Forth the Beast ...... 127 3 number of new spells, including corrupt spells that infl ict Introduction ability damage upon their caster and oneiromancy spells, Heroes of Horror is a rules supplement for the DUNGEONS & which allow the caster to manipulate the dreams of others. DRAGONS® Roleplaying Game. It’s a player resource that gives Finally, a brief section on artifacts and magic items describes players the tools they need to build characters with dark one useful item, the rod of sanctity, which might prove a secrets in their past, paralyzing phobias, or an irresistible lifesaver to PCs due to its ability to cleanse taint, and three urge to explore the forbidden side of magic. DMs can use this malign artifacts, including the sinister Acererak’s robe, which book as a toolbox to build a horror encounter, adventure, or enables its wearer to convert the living into the undead with campaign for the D&D game. simply a touch. Creatures of the Night (Chapter 6): This chapter is divided into two parts. The fi rst describes ways in which WHAT’S IN THIS BOOK to use traditional fantasy and horror monsters, such as Heroes of Horror contains information for DMs and players a vampires, giants, and dragons, in new and unsettling alike. The fi rst three chapters focus on advice for the Dungeon ways. The second part details thirteen new monsters and Master on incorporating horror elements into a campaign. templates suitable for horror adventures, from the taint The last three provide a variety of new mechanics to help elemental and the dusk giant to the tainted minion and the

INTRODUCTION bring those horrifi c visions to life. unholy scion. Dread Encounters (Chapter 1): Every horror campaign Adventure Sites: Heroes of Horror contains eleven starts with a single encounter. This chapter describes how maps depicting various environments in which a horror to make a D&D encounter horrific rather than simply encounter or horror adventure could occur. Most of these challenging. It also discusses suitable villains for such an maps, such as the lich’s shrine (page 49), have supporting encounter and provides two sample horror encounters, “To text that describes locations within the site. Two of the Grandmother’s House” and “Annalee’s Baby.” Finally, this maps, the vampire lord’s castle (page 32) and Shadow House chapter presents a new demigod whose infl uence can provoke (page 70), are stand-alone maps that a DM can use for any horror encounters: Cas, the demigod of spite. appropriate purpose. Dread Adventures (Chapter 2): Sometimes an entire adventure will revolve around a horror theme. This chapter TAINT describes moods, settings, and plots that make for horrifi c One of the principal new mechanics is a revision of the adventures, as well as discussing ways of creating villains taint system originally presented in Oriental Adventures who can dominate an entire horror adventure. Finally, after and updated in Unearthed Arcana. At its heart, the taint several techniques to make an adventure more frightening system is based on the idea that exposure to horrific for the PCs, it provides a sample short horror adventure, “For evil—even if that exposure is limited to fierce combat in Hate’s Sake.” an unceasing crusade against the forces of darkness—has A Horror Campaign (Chapter 3): An entire campaign a corrupting influence on even the purest of hearts. This devoted to horror requires special trust between the DM idea is a staple of fantastic horror literature and film. Some and players, since the PCs may not in fact end up saving heroes of horror will continue to struggle against that the day. This chapter describes ways to establish that trust, corruption until they take their dying breath, but others as well as describing settings, plots, and villains that work will eventually embrace the darkness, becoming sinister well in horror campaigns. Finally, after outlining a sample figures who resemble the monsters they hunt perhaps a campaign, “Nightwatch,” it provides rules for adventuring little too closely. This book is intended for both kinds of in dreamscapes and nightmare realms. characters, as suggested in the title of Chapter 5: Heroes Rules of Horror (Chapter 4): This chapter describes and Antiheroes. new ways to use the rules of D&D to evoke a sense of dread. A number of prestige classes, feats, and other elements rely It also presents a new rule set, the taint mechanic, to repre- on the taint system. Even so, if you choose not to incorporate sent ways in which exposure to evil eventually causes both the rules for taint into your game, there’s still plenty in this physical and moral decay, known respectively as corruption book for you. Both of the new standard classes work fi ne and depravity. Other new rules describe tainted locations, without the taint rules, and many of the feats, prestige classes, haunting presences (poltergeists), and mortuary terrain, as spells, and other mechanical elements do not rely on taint. well as alternative alignment rules more suited for horror Our aim has been to give you the tools you need to run or gaming. Finally, it discusses ways that divination magic and play in a D&D game that incorporates horror elements—how resurrection magic can be warped by the pervading horror you use those tools, as always, is up to you. of the setting. Heroes and Antiheroes (Chapter 5): This chapter pres- WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAY ents two new standard classes, the archivist and the dread Heroes of Horror makes use of the information in the three necromancer, as well as half a dozen new prestige classes, D&D core rulebooks—the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s from the fi end-blooded, who embraces the evil inherent in Guide, and Monster Manual. In addition, it revises and updates Sampleher ancestry, to the purifi er of the Hallowed Doctrine, who material originally presented infile Oriental Adventures, Unearthed strives to stop the spread of taint. This chapter also details Arcana, and Book of Vile Darkness. Though possession of any or more than thirty new feats, some of them powered by taint all of these supplements is not necessary, they can enhance and others useful in fi ghting tainted creatures, and a like your enjoyment of this book. 4 Illus. Polak Polak by by E. E.

ordek gripped his waraxe tightly, his jaw set and his hollow Why should you want to play a horror game? eye sockets gleaming with green light, as the vampire Well, why not? Chances are, if you’re playing D&D spawn circled to surround them. Mialee clenched her you’re already exploring a world full of dark sorcerers, evil dagger, pressing its point into her skin as she prepared cultists, monstrous undead, and bizarre monstrosities. to draw the blood she would need to fuel her next spell. The line between horror and fantasy is not always easy to They stood back to back, shielding Lidda’s stiffening body draw. Some of the authors whose work laid the founda- from the approaching monsters. tions of the D&D game—such as Fritz Leiber, Robert The spawn had them surrounded and began to close in hungrily. E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith—wrote tales that They took only a few steps, however, before they stopped in their could as easily be called horror as fantasy, and many of tracks, shuffl ing uneasily, some glancing back over their shoulders. the spells, characters, and monsters that appear in the Tordek snarled, “Come on, you beasts! I’m ready for you!” but core D&D rules are quite horrifi c. Mialee’s bony hand clutched his arm tightly. He wheeled to face A horror adventure or campaign is not, in the end, her, then turned his eyeless gaze to follow hers. all that different from a standard D&D game. Just like Silence spread through the gathered vampire spawn, and the more standard fantasy fare, a horror game is full of horde seemed to part like water as their master strode forward. terrible monsters, evil necromancers and malevolent His heavy armor clanked against the cold stone fl oor. sorcerers, nightmarish landscapes, and cunning “My old friends!” purred the vampire lord’s voice. At the sound, fi ends. What sets a horror game apart is its atmosphere, Tordek let his axe clatter to the ground. “The years have not been which presents all the horrifi c elements of a fantasy good to you, I’m afraid. But as you can see, I am in my very prime.” game in their worst possible light, emphasizing the The vampire stood close to the and the dwarf, towering head and dread they inspire. shoulders above them. He smiled, revealing -sharp fangs in Why emphasize this dark side of D&D’s heroic a threatening welcome. fantasy? Primarily because it’s fun. The continu- Tordek was struck speechless, but Mialee managed a gasp, her ing success of fi ction, movies, and TV shows that lips formingSample a name she had not spoken in years. make use of horror elements is testamentfile to the “Jozan?” fact that we like to be scared—at least, many of us do. If you’re reading this book, it’s a good bet that you fall into that category. 5 Horror lavishes attention on the dark side of fantasy— the work of J. R. R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings contains painting horrible monsters in bold strokes but also including a number of truly terrifying sequences, perhaps the most plenty of subtle shades of gray, particularly in the complex familiar of which are the ones featuring the ringwraiths, motivations of the heroes. The intent is not to glorify evil but some of the most frightful creatures ever to appear in to cast good in sharper relief, even if good is represented as fantasy fi ction. a tiny candle fl ickering weakly in a darkness that threatens The important thing to remember about the horror is the to overwhelm it. At its heart, a horror campaign is about real purpose that it serves in larger stories. In the ongoing saga of heroism—the kind of heroism that only appears when the the One Ring, the ringwraiths are a grim (and all too effective) forces of evil seem poised to triumph. reminder of what befalls men whose greed overtakes them. Tolkien was careful to make sure that every scene in which the ringwraiths make an appearance serves the greater purpose STAND-ALONE of reinforcing not only the danger of Frodo’s mission but the ENCOUNTERS crucial idea that Frodo is truly the only one who can do it. The single encounter, as opposed to a full adventure or longer Tolkien makes the ringwraiths as haunting and disturbing

DREAD campaign, is in many ways the perfect format for dread-based as he does, in both their appearance and their tragic origins, roleplaying—the Platonic ideal of horror in gaming, if you in order to make the reader appreciate the immensity of the CHAPTER 1 ENCOUNTERS will. The most common and readily accessible manifestation burden that has been placed on such a small pair of shoulders. of horror is the horror of the immediate and the unexpected. If getting to Mount Doom were a walk in the park, the fantasy While it’s certainly possible to cultivate and maintain dread story wouldn’t pack nearly the punch it does. The horrifi c over a long, drawn-out period (see Chapter 3), the nature of element adds emotional weight to the rest of the story. As the beast is such that only certain types of horror stories the reader watches a poor hobbit trying to outwit or outrun a work well with that approach. seemingly unbeatable foe, his own heart races in sympathetic In the single encounter, every dirty trick of the horror appreciation. And when he sees the poor hobbit succeed in repertoire is fair game. Just like in short horror fi ction, you outwitting the terrifying foes, he recognizes that fear itself should feel free to take off the kid gloves. For some, this is has been beaten. the source of appeal in running horror roleplaying games: This, then, is another good reason for introducing a horror the opportunity to throw players a curveball, pulling them encounter into an ongoing campaign. If the players are grow- from the ordinary world (or its fantasy equivalent) and scaring ing complacent or, worse yet, emotionally detached, then an the hell out of them in the process. unexpected horror sequence is a good way to shake up the Unraveling the normal world is a common theme in horror, game, like fl inging a cup of cold water in the players’ faces. A and especially so in an episodic format. Consider the many well-paced, moody, nail-biting encounter can go a long way anthologies of horror short stories available, or television toward energizing player characters, or even revitalizing a shows such as Night Gallery, Tales from the Darkside, and of group of players whose interest has waned. course The Twilight Zone. Many of these short-form horror stories begin with the establishment of a norm, introducing the reader or viewer to the world the protagonist ordinarily SETTING THE STAGE inhabits. Only once the familiar context is established does the A good scary encounter starts with the players, rather than dreadful force or idea intrude and begin to break it down. By the game. Horror is about provoking instinctive, visceral identifying with the protagonist’s ordinary world, the viewer reactions, so players need to be in a frame of mind conducive or reader shares the growing dread of a protagonist forced to to such reactions. Some gaming groups have a tendency to contend with the intrusion or, in some cases, the outright get a little giddy, particularly at the beginning of a session devastation of his or her formerly comfortable world. or toward the end of a session, when bloodstreams are racing A horror encounter is the D&D equivalent of this same with the effects of sugar, caffeine, and snack foods. It’s fair idea. The rest of the campaign before this intrusion of horror to say that even the most capable DM is going to have a hard is the context by which the players understand the world of time evoking horror when her players won’t stop giggling their characters. It is the background against which the hor- at each other, or quoting Monty Python, or making out-of- rifi c makes a startling, unexpected contrast. The effectiveness character puns. of a horror encounter dropped into a standard campaign For this reason, the use of metagame techniques is impor- comes down to how artfully the DM weaves the horror into tant for a horror encounter. Even if the DM is hesitant to the overall context. reveal the nature of the departure he has planned for the group, the benefi t of tipping his hand in this fashion often outweighs the drawbacks. Most players will cooperate with INTRODUCING HORROR a DM they trust, even if they don’t know precisely what he Why introduce a horror-based encounter into a game that has up his sleeve. And that cooperation is more than good has had not only a much different focus but a completely for horror, it’s essential. different tenor until this point? The degree to which a DM will go to set the mood is a Sample DMs might be inspired to work a horrifi c sequence into a variable thing, dependent uponfile the nature of your game, fantasy adventure game for a number of different reasons, the yourself, and your players. For some, a little mood music, most basic of which is the notion that all adventure stories such as the soundtrack of your favorite horror movie, might possess some element of horror. Consider what is generally be all that’s necessary. For others, the entire spectrum of 6 accepted as the primary source of infl uence for the game: sense come into play. Some DMs light incense and dim the

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