https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/572154/the-return-of-the-black-rose

Greetings! The mega-adventure/campaign “The Return of the Black Rose” is included in the DM's Guild Halloween Sale—reduced from $15.99 to $11.03.

I took one look at the Relentless Slasher statblock from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within—what with it using a knife and being unable to speak and the artwork showing a masked dude—and immediately went, "This is totally Michael Myers." I instantly got the idea for a slasher horror one-shot, which I played for my table last Saturday.

I made the following changes to the aforementioned statblock:

- Changed the creature type from Fiend to Humanoid

- Changed the alignment from Neutral Evil to Chaotic Evil

- Added Darklord Restoration

- Gave him an extra Legendary Action and Legendary Resistance in his Domain of Dread (same as what other Darklords get)

If I were to make one additional change, I'd probably give him Proficiency (or even Expertise) in Stealth and Perception like Ravenloft's other resident slasher horror Darklord, Chakuna, but he didn't have that for the one-shot.

For his domain effects, I borrowed a couple from Chakuna and gave Myers Advantage on Wisdom checks and having creatures other than him need to subtract 1d8 from ability checks they make when they try to hide. The third I took from Lord Soth and made it so that, when the borders of his domain are closed, the surrounding Mists are filled with flames (just regular fire, though, and I swapped out the Necrotic damage of said flames for more Fire damage).

The lore I came up with is this: at the end of Halloween (2018), before he could burn to death in Laurie Strode's basement, the Mists claimed Michael and dropped him into a recreation of Haddonfield. The ironic torture he suffers is that the people he hunts appear to him as Laurie Strode (a.k.a. "the one that got away") until he actually kills them, at which point the illusion fades and Michael is left with disappointment. The real Laurie Strode is back on Earth, forever out of his knife's reach.

Halloween fans will probably notice that, because of when I had the Mists pull Myers into Ravenloft, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends straight up don't happen. Because fuck the latter in particular.

The Mists provide him with a steady supply of victims, but Halloween night is when they actually pull adventurers into Michael's domain of Haddonfield for him to hunt. Thus, we get the premise of the one-shot I ran.

TL;DR is that a Level 5 party of five random strangers got dropped into a spooky house, all separated at first. Of course, as soon as Michael attacked one of them and the player's character screamed, everybody pretty much converged on one location, and it just became a brawl. Nobody actually died, but I came really close to downing one player (who only stayed conscious thanks to his Necrotic Resistance as a Dhampir), and I took off half the Barbarian's health in one hit because he didn't have his Rage up. If the Cleric hadn't put a curse on Michael to give him Disadvantage on his attack rolls, things could've ended a lot bloodier.

Said Cleric was actually the one that got the final hit on Michael. Guess who his new obsession is going to be once he revives? 😈

Part of me wishes I was able to get at least one kill, but my table and I still had fun, so it's still a win in my book.

Has anybody else turned classic horror villains into Darklords or thought about it? Which ones would be the best candidates?

The Headless Horseman is more than just an undead rider with a flaming pumpkin for a head. He's a vengeful spirit bound to the mortal world by an ancient curse, with his steed, armored body, and spectral jack-o'-lantern forming a single, inseparable entity.

Legends tell of a fallen soldier, executioner, or knight who was beheaded for his crimes and returned under a cursed harvest moon. Some believe his spirit is connected to Samhain, when the boundary between the living and the dead grows thin enough for restless spirits to cross.

Wherever he rides, crops rot, animals panic, and the air fills with the smell of smoke and freshly dug earth. And simply defeating him isn't enough. Unless a specific funerary ritual is performed, the Horseman eventually rises again to continue his hunt.

Mechanically, the Headless Horseman is a CR 14 undead built around mobility, relentless pursuit, and devastating attacks. His Fiery Greataxe deals slashing and fire damage, with additional necrotic damage against frightened enemies, while Laughing Skull allows him to hurl his flaming pumpkin head at enemies, unleashing a fiery explosion that deals 10d6 fire damage.

His Ghostride ability lets him pass through solid objects, while his legendary actions allow him to charge across the battlefield, stun enemies with Glare of Embers, or mark a target with Harvest Mark, making that creature especially vulnerable to his attacks.

I've also included four optional traits to customize the encounter, from leaving burning hoofprints behind to relentlessly tracking creatures that try to escape him.

The Headless Horseman is from Undead & Undead: The Ultimate Undead Handbook, available for 5E and the 2024 Edition on DriveThruRPG!

The manual includes 90+ undead statblocks, each with optional traits and variants, alongside an undead lair system, 50+ magic items, customizable templates, necromantic rituals, campaign tools, and VTT resources. It's designed to give DMs plenty of options for building undead encounters, from minor restless spirits to powerful necromantic horrors.

My Kickstarter for 300+ Mythological Items for 5E and 2024 is also live now! The campaign includes a physical hardcover, as well as printed editions of my previous manuals.

You can find more of my creatures, magic items, and manuals on DriveThruRPG, my Linktree, or right here on r/JonnyDM!

Castle Ravenloft was a project I originally undertook back in 2017 and slowly whittled away at over the course of several months; this 'rebirth' of the location was built from the ground up: entirely new textures, floor styles, painting methods, and lighting.

The Castle remains my most memorable location to date due in part both to the process of mapping such an enormous, interconnected layout, as well as to having ran it at my own table. I'm so glad to be able to release a new version of it that gives a vision more appropriately memorable as well.

If you're interested, I've got the whole set of the Castle up on DMsGuild right now--but you can also get a look at the full resolution view of the compiled main floor here for free!

I am happy to report, after much blood, sweat and tears... the 2nd Floor is done. I say done, but as we all know, projects like this are never done. Keened eyed observers may even be able to count how many windows are missing (will have them in hand by the 1st of November).

If you wanna see the first floor, you can see that here:

First_Floor_of_Castle_Ravenloft_is_Done!!

If you wanna know where to download the STLs for this castle you find them here:

MMF - Axolote Gaming - Castle of the Vampire Lord

If you wanna know where the Castle will be next, you can see that here:

Kublacon Fall Nov 13th - 16th, 2026

Hope you enjoy!!

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for the answers!😁

Just opened a Ravenloft Treasure Pack blind bag and got this cool bag but I'm curious what the symbol refers to. My first thought was the druids of Barovia but I'm intrigued if there is a definite solid answer. Couldn't find anything online.🤷‍♂️

Having read VRGtR as well as the ideas on Fear & Horror in the DMG, I feel that a true Ravenloft campaign would be lacking in the old-school (i.e. 2e Domains of Dread) applications of Fear, Horror, and Madness if the current 5e rules were used for these as written.

So, I am working to make my own. I am copying my FIRST PASS on these below, and I am open to ideas.

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Fear, Horror, Madness

• These are SPECIAL SAVING THROWS. So, things like Bless, Resistance, some Paladin auras, and similar abilities apply. Guidance does not.
• All PCs are proficient in one of these saves.
  • The proficiency is determined by your primary class. If you multiclass, your primary class is the HIGHER class. ^{(Of note, I am considering making this based on BACKGROUND.})
  • When your character gains 6^th level, you GAIN THE “Jack of all Trades” in one of these, based on class. ^{(If the primary proficiency is based on background, this ability would be based on class.})
• Fear saves use Intelligence; Horror saves use Wisdom, and Madness saves use Charisma.
• If you take the Resilient feat, you may select one of these in place of a standard saving throw, increasing the relevant score. You are still limited to taking Resilient once.
• It is important to note that the Paladin’s Aura of Courage does not apply to Fear saves. It applies to all other saves that cause the frightened condition. ^{(I made this choice as he Fear is originating from an internal source as opposed to external sources where the aura would apply.})

Effects of Fear, Horror, and Madness

• Failing these saves can cause any of the following effects (GM’s discretion and situation dependent)
  • Various standard D&D conditions (Confused, Frightened, Paralyzed, Prone, and Stunned are the most common)
  • Disadvantage on ability checks for a non-disclosed period of time
  • Loss of Hit Dice
    • "I'm sure it's temporary. Don't worry: 'All will be well'."
  • Monster Inspiration
    • Only for use in the relevant combat(s)
• Stress
  • This functions similarly to exhaustion.
  • Calm Emotions suppresses the effects of Stress for the spell’s duration.
  • Once per long rest, Lesser Restoration can reduce stress by one level.
• Temporary, short-term, and long-term madnesses.

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That's pretty much it. I have a list of what would be primary and secondary for each class, but I'd love to hear comments on that before I share mine.