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no force or god will stand in their way.

they exist, andno mortal cancomprehend the roles they play in the grand design.

The unseen masters fill their realm with sights bothglorious and terrible. They create life and they kill innocents. They bathe the night sky in the light of a full moon, raising a chorus of baying wolves. They paint the rosy skies of dawn each morning, sending the minions of darkness scut- tling back to their tombs. They reward virtue, but allow evil to torment it. They reward evil, then torment it themselves. They silently observe he-

to offer, regardless of the d20 campaign or setting you prefer to play. It can be useful even if you just want to add a few elements of horror and dread to your adventures. These pages greatly expand on the Ravenloft Player’s Handbook’s guidelines for running tales of Gothic horror and adventure. Here you will find detailed advice on using pacing, Structure and mood to set your players on edge while maintaining a balanced and entertaining game. YOU will even find complete advancement tables for the NPC classes from the D&D Dungeon

Use this book as you will. Just remember: The The Realm of Dread is a grand tapestry, woven

from threads of mist, shadow and dream, but only Dark Powers are watching.

What Rre the Dark ters are the Dark Powers.

Ravenloft has existed as acam- paign setting for 13 years, and in that time many theories have been offered to explain the true nature of its faceless masters. Are the Dark Powers good or evil? Are they many or few - or perhaps just one? Is their world real or just a living

Now, let the truth be told. The Dark Powers are a mys-

In the game of Ravenloft, the ultimate master

: Elhat 1s Chis Book?

elcome to the Ravenloft Dungeon Master’s Guide. If you’re reading this, then you likely have already read many Ravenloft core sourcebooks and related

that you are already familiar with the core Dun- geons & Dragons rules, including the Player’s Handbook and the Dungeon Master’s Guide. So, what does this book have to offer on top of all that?

If you’re a Dungeon Master running aRavenloft campaign, this book was written with you in mind. The Ravenloft Player’s Handbook is designed as an introduction for both players and creative DMs, grounding players in the details of the setting and

k

\ In other words, the Dark Pow- ers are a creative device for the Dungeon Master. They’re what- ever you want them to be in your I

Ravenloft’s atmosphere, so some elements -such as the darklords’ identities - are cloaked in secrecy

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We begin with a brief introduction, featuring an overview of the darklords for all the domains

Chapter One: Techniques of Terror explores how to create a rich atmosphere of Gothic adven- ture worthy of Ravenloft. Here you will find simple tricks to set your players on edge, advice on using pacing to heighten tension and tips on how to use music, props and dramatic devices to enhance the feel of the game. Chapter One also addresses three different approaches to utilizing the Land of Mists in your game: the Native Campaign, the Weekend in Hell and time-honored Cannibalism.

Chapter Two: The World and Its Horrors delves into the Land of Mists. The core campaign setting offers an overview and the Ravenloft Gaz- etteers provide further details, but they cannot cover every comer of the Realm of Dread, nor every facet of the ever-expanding range of options pre- sented by the d20 rules. Thus, this chapter provides advice on creating memorably eerie locales for your adventures, as well as adapting the general guide- lines of the setting to whatever elements you introduce to your campaign, including new races and prestige classes.

Chapter Three: Structuring the Campaign addresses the practical aspects of running a Ravenloft campaign. Here you will find guidelines for running campaigns at all levels, including ad- venture styles that work best for your PCs’ levels, as well as the types of monsters that can provide a challenging, but still balanced game. You will also find ideas for rewards for PCs other than experi- ence points and treasure.

Chapter Four: Parting the Mists covers how to use the Vistani as a plot device to add additional layers of intrigue to your campaign, with a focus on their unequaled gifts of prophecy. Here you will find creative advice on predicting the future with- out railroading your players. We also present specific guidelines for using the Vistani’s tarokka cards and dikesha cubes, including how to substitute ordinary playing-card decks and six-sided dice for these

Chapter Six: Magic in Ravenloft expands on the guidelines for magic found in the Ravenloft Player’s Handbook. Here you will find many new magic items for your campaign, additional tips for creating cursed items and guidelines for using psionics in the Land of Mists.

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