Character Creation - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

Character Creation. The Mists of Ravenloft drift across worlds, sowing fear and abducting unsuspecting souls. These forces don't claim individuals at random, though. The fear of innocents, the turmoil of the corruptible, the resolve of the truly heroic-the Dark Powers savor these traits. Whether for a night or an eternity, Ravenloft seeks heroes of all sorts and pits them against their greatest nightmares. This chapter explores how to create a character prepared to face the horrors of Ravenloft, while also forging ties to the haunted pedigrees and grim fates common to the Domains of Dread. This chapter offers you, the player, the following tools and choices: Haunted Heroes Explore your role in creating a tale of terror and how you might design a character that contributes to frightful adventures. Lineages Consider an origin that ties you to a grim progenitor or inexplicable experience. Lineages can serve as your character's race or overshadow your previous race. Dark Gifts Determine whether the Dark Powers of Ravenloft have exerted their influence upon you, granting you a double-edged supernatural gift. Subclass Options Consider choosing the College of Spirits bard or the Undead patron warlock subclasses to give voice to ageless forces. Backgrounds Choose a fateful cast to your origins with optional features for any background. The haunted one and investigator backgrounds also explore how mystery might drive your character. Horror Trinkets Learn what Horror Trinket inspires or haunts your adventures. Monster hunters Gennifer and Laurie Weathermay- Foxgrove corner the werewolf Natalia Vhorishkova Haunted Heroes Ravenloft encourages you and your group to safely explore the thrill of all manner of ghost stories, mysteries, and other tales of terror. While chapter 4 guides DMs in how to craft atmospheric adventures, the spookiest scenarios will fall flat if you and the other players aren't prepared to engage with some degree of suspense. By the same token, the DM can...