In a far-flung corner of the plane of Shadow drifts a hidden expanse of roiling mist and vague semi-reality. At this eerie edge of the multiverse lie the Domains of Dread, nightmare demiplanes that form the Dungeons & Dragons setting of Ravenloft.

Discover the mysteries of Ravenloft, then make your choice. Will you create your own Domains of Dread, settings to host endless terrifying adventures? Or will you join the ranks of haunted heroes who embrace macabre lineages, dual-edged Dark Gifts, haunted subclasses, and other forbidden powers?

The Mists of Ravenloft are rising. What mysteries will you discover among the Domains of Dread? What nightmares will you shape? And once you enter the Mists, will you ever escape?

Face Your Fears

This book introduces options for designing characters well-suited to horror adventures and encourages players to embrace their own role in creating tales of terror.

Monstrous Lineages

Whether the work of witchcraft, the blood of a curiously fanged ancestor, or an unnatural return from the grave, characters may be, or become, transformed by a lineage that alters them in fundamental ways. Special traits and abilities manifest shortly thereafter—a vampire's life-draining bite, a hag-like ability to beguile the senses, or the lingering presence of death in their touch.

Horror-Themed Subclasses

Bards of the College of Spirits channel powerful effects drawn from the long-forgotten tales of the spirits they summon. And warlocks who dare make a pact with an Undead Patron may be gifted the power to defy death itself.

Two background options are also included—the Haunted One with a harrowing past and the Investigator, driven by the need to hunt down even the most elusive clues.

Dark Gifts

Warlocks are not the only adventurers tempted by whispered promises and sinister bargains. During character creation or over the course of an adventure, characters may be granted Dark Gifts—mysterious powers that come at the cost of an insidious influence.

Unsettling Trinkets

A crumpled drawing of an old, imaginary friend, a ring of keys to forgotten locks, or a porcelain doll's head that always seems to be watching you—characters can also start their adventure with a curious trinket that may lead to dreadful revelations or be nothing more than grim keepsakes.