Denizens of Darkness: Difference between revisions
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**Ravenloft and [[Monster]] Types | **Ravenloft and [[Monster]] Types | ||
*[[Akikage]] | *[[Akikage]] | ||
*[[The Arak|Arak]] (Shadow Fey) | |||
**[[Powrie]] (Redcap) | |||
**[[Shee]] | |||
**[[Sith]] | |||
**[[Teg]] | |||
*[[Arayashka]] (Snow Wraith) | |||
*[[Bakhna Rakhna]] | *[[Bakhna Rakhna]] | ||
*[[Baobhan Sith]] | *[[Baobhan Sith]] (Black Sprite) | ||
*[[Scarab Beetle|Beetle, Scarab]] | *[[Scarab Beetle|Beetle, Scarab]] | ||
*[[Boowray]] | *[[Boowray]] | ||
| Line 33: | Line 39: | ||
*Cat | *Cat | ||
**[[Midnight Cat]] | **[[Midnight Cat]] | ||
**[[ | **[[Plains Cat]] | ||
**[[Crypt Cat]] | |||
*[[Changeling]] (Kin) | |||
*[[Dhampir]] (Template) | *[[Dhampir]] (Template) | ||
*[[Dread Cloaker|Cloaker, Dread]] | *[[Dread Cloaker|Cloaker, Dread]] | ||
| Line 41: | Line 49: | ||
*[[Corpse Candle]] | *[[Corpse Candle]] | ||
*[[Dread Doppelganger|Doppelganger, Ravenloft]] | *[[Dread Doppelganger|Doppelganger, Ravenloft]] | ||
*[[Dread Elemental|Elemental, | *[[Dread Elemental|Elemental, Dread]] | ||
**[[Blood Elemental]] | **[[Blood Elemental]] | ||
**[[Grave Elemental]] | **[[Grave Elemental]] | ||
| Line 76: | Line 84: | ||
**[[Mastiff]] | **[[Mastiff]] | ||
**[[Phantom Hound]] | **[[Phantom Hound]] | ||
**[[ | **[[Carcass Hound]] | ||
*Human, [[Vistani]] | *Human, [[Vistani]] | ||
*[[Assassin Imp|Imp, Assassin]] | *[[Assassin Imp|Imp, Assassin]] | ||
| Line 108: | Line 116: | ||
*[[Moor Man]] | *[[Moor Man]] | ||
*[[Dread Nightmare|Nightmare, Dread]] | *[[Dread Nightmare|Nightmare, Dread]] | ||
[[category:Odem]] | *[[:category:Odem|Odem]] | ||
[[category:Paka]] | *[[:category:Paka|Paka]] | ||
*Plant, Dread | *Plant, Dread | ||
**[[Bloodrose]] | **[[Bloodrose]] | ||
| Line 115: | Line 123: | ||
**[[Crawling Ivy]] | **[[Crawling Ivy]] | ||
**[[Death's Head Tree]] | **[[Death's Head Tree]] | ||
*[[Doppelganger Plant|Plant, Doppelganger Plant]] | **[[Doppelganger Plant|Plant, Doppelganger Plant]] | ||
**[[Doppelganger Plant Podling|Doppelganger Plant Podling]] | **[[Doppelganger Plant Podling|Doppelganger Plant Podling]] | ||
**[[Fearweed]] | **[[Fearweed]] | ||
| Line 137: | Line 145: | ||
*[[Shadow Fiend]] | *[[Shadow Fiend]] | ||
*[[Scavyt]] | *[[Scavyt]] | ||
*Skeleton | *Skeleton (see also: [[Skeletal Bat]] under "Bat") | ||
*[[Pyroskeleton]] (Previously called "Giant Skeleton") | **[[Pyroskeleton]] (Previously called "Giant Skeleton") | ||
*[[Strahd's Skeletal Steed]] | **[[Strahd's Skeletal Steed]] | ||
*[[Skin Thief]] | *[[Skin Thief]] | ||
*[[Spirit Waif]] | *[[Spirit Waif]] | ||
| Line 149: | Line 157: | ||
*[[Valpurgeist]] | *[[Valpurgeist]] | ||
*Vampire variations | *Vampire variations | ||
**[[:category:Chiang- | **[[:category:Chiang-shi Vampire|Vampire, Chiang-Shi]] | ||
**[[Nosferatu|Vampire, Nosferatu]] | **[[Nosferatu|Vampire, Nosferatu]] | ||
*[[:Category:Vrykolaka Vampire|Vampire, | **[[:Category:Vrykolaka Vampire|Vampire, Vrykolaka]] | ||
**[[Vampire, Dwarf]] | **[[Dwarf Vampire|Vampire, Dwarf]] | ||
**[[Elf Vampire|Vampire, Elf]] | **[[Elf Vampire|Vampire, Elf]] | ||
**[[Gnome Vampire|Vampire, Gnome]] | **[[Gnome Vampire|Vampire, Gnome]] | ||
**[[Halfling Vampire|Vampire, Halfling]] | **[[Halfling Vampire|Vampire, Halfling]] | ||
*[[Vampyre]] | *[[Vampyre]] | ||
*[[Vorlog]] (Template) | *[[Vorlog]] (Template) | ||
| Line 165: | Line 172: | ||
**[[Greater Wolfwere|Wolfwere, Greater]] | **[[Greater Wolfwere|Wolfwere, Greater]] | ||
*[[Zombie Fog]] | *[[Zombie Fog]] | ||
**[[Fog Cadaver] | **[[Fog Cadaver]] | ||
*[[Zombie Lord]] (Template) | *[[Zombie Lord]] (Template) | ||
*Excerpt from [[Van Richten's Arsenal]] | *Excerpt from [[Van Richten's Arsenal]] | ||
Latest revision as of 12:19, 4 December 2022
 |
This section contains canon info from officially published sources |
3.0 Book of Ravenloft Monsters
Product Information
- Authors: Beth Bostic, Bernard E Cana, Jackie Cassada, Andrew Cermak, Leonard Dessert, Robert Fansworth, Christopher S Gurney, Carla Hollar, Jeffrey Kahrs, Brett King, Rucht Lilavivat, John W Mangrum (also credited as developer), Joe Masdon, Stewart MacWilliam, Tadd McDivitt, Nicky Rea, John Richardson, C. Bryant Strickland, Andrew Wyatt and Fred Yelk
- Type: Monster Manual
- Format: 180 pages, hardback
- Release date: April 2002
Contents
- Introduction: Presenting Gothic Fantasy
- How to Use this Book
- What You Won't Find
- Ravenloft and Monster Types
- Akikage
- Arak (Shadow Fey)
- Arayashka (Snow Wraith)
- Bakhna Rakhna
- Baobhan Sith (Black Sprite)
- Beetle, Scarab
- Boowray
- Assassin Bug, Giant
- Backwards Man
- Bastellus (Dream Stalker)
- Bat
- Bowlyn
- Broken One
- Carrion Stalker
- Carrionette
- Cat
- Changeling (Kin)
- Dhampir (Template)
- Cloaker, Dread
- Corpse Candle
- Doppelganger, Ravenloft
- Elemental, Dread
- Drownling
- Ermordenung (Template)
- Fenhound
- Figurine
- Fleas of Madness
- Furies
- Geist
- Ghoul Lord (Template)
- Goblyn
- Golem, Ravenloft
- Grave Ooze
- Grim
- Grim Reaper (Death Spirit)
- Head Hunter
- Hearth Fiend
- Hebi-No-Onna (Snake Woman)
- Hound, Dread
- Human, Vistani
- Imp, Assassin
- Impersonator
- Lebendtod (Template)
- Lycanthrope
- Jack Frost
- Jolly Roger
- Kizoku
- Leech Withbane
- Lebentod (Template)
- Living Tattoo
- Living Wall
- Lycanthrope
- Mist Ferryman
- Moor Man
- Nightmare, Dread
- Odem
- Paka
- Plant, Dread
- Nightmare, Dread
- Quevari
- Ravenkin
- Razorback
- Reaver
- Red Widow
- Remnant, Aquatic
- Rushlight
- Scarecrow, Dread
- Sea Spawn
- Shadow Asp
- Shadow Fiend
- Scavyt
- Skeleton (see also: Skeletal Bat under "Bat")
- Pyroskeleton (Previously called "Giant Skeleton")
- Strahd's Skeletal Steed
- Skin Thief
- Spirit Waif
- Subdweller
- Tenebris
- Tentacle Rat
- Troll, Dread
- Unicorn, Shadow
- Valpurgeist
- Vampire variations
- Vampyre
- Vorlog (Template)
- Sidebar: Vampire Companions
- Wight, Dread
- Wolfwere
- Zombie Fog
- Zombie Lord (Template)
- Excerpt from Van Richten's Arsenal
Author's Notes
John W Mangrum
Officially, I wrote up the marikith and the vampire strains. This is the one time my "shadow developer" work came to the fore and I received a developer's credit. This book was a near disaster in its initial draft, and I raced through it, rewriting just about every monster to some degree. A few just needed a few typos fixed; others had no combat sections, or used 2nd edition rules, or had little or absolutely no resemblance to the 2E creatures they were supposed to represent. I had to rewrite numerous monsters essentially from the ground up; the Kargatane used to this with the BoS netbooks as well, when it was necessary to save an author's good ideas from his lack of grammar (often arising from valiant but limited efforts to write in English as a second language; Ravenloft had a lot of Brazilian fans, as it happened).
By the end, my "redlines" left the DoDark soaked in gore, so to speak. I reckon my credit here is due to the stink I raised at the time. Heck, my changes would have been even more extensive if at the time I'd known they were actually going to be used. Oh, and I also laid out the basics talking points of the Introduction. Andrew Cermak
I did the Carrionette and the Zombie Lord. Incidentally, I ended up doing these specific monsters because I also did the write-ups for Maligno and Anton Misroi for SDR, two of many lords we wrote up for that book that ended up on the cutting room floor.
Rucht Lilavivat
As far as Denizens of Darkness goes, that was my introduction to writing for the Ravenloft line. I had written before, but primarily as a module writer for the RPGA. I was already familiar with the White Wolf company, having met many of their wonderful staff through the years.
All of the writers of the Denizens of Darkness book were given about five to six monsters to write-up. Most of these monsters were conversions. I was fortunate enough to be able to given an opportunity to create my own monster, so I did: the Backwards Man. As I recall, Joel was not a big fan of the Backwards Man at the time. ;) C’est la vie.
Creating monsters at that time was an interesting process. 3rd edition had just came out, so no one was 100 percent together with the rules. The guidelines for how to create a monster were still a little fuzzy in places. The constant question of, “how do you calculate the CR” plagued us. Fortunately, the 3.5 Monster Manual has made significant improvements towards monster creation. For example, in the back of your new 3.5 Monster Manual, it actually discusses how to arrive at a CR.
Nevertheless, we managed through the process and came out with a lot of neat monsters, in my opinion. Some of the most fun I had on the book was with the write up of the monster description for the artists involved. I think that my vision of the Bastellus was captured exactly in the book.
Brett King
On Denizens of Darkness, I was responsible for conversions of some of the 2nd Edition monsters to 3rd Edition, namely the Carrion Stalker, Changeling, Death's Head Tree, Figurine, Geist, Impersonator, and Reaver. I have to say working on the conversions was a bit of a challenge given how new D&D 3.0 was and how drastically different the monster rules were from the generally author-created rules for 2nd Edition. It was fun work, though.
