Domains of Dread (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, Campaign Setting/2174) [Hardcover]

Steve Miller (Author), William W. Connors (Author), Steve Miller (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast (August 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786906723
• ISBN-13: 978-0786906727
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Romp on the Dark Side for Fans of Fantasy Horror, October 20, 2000

By 

Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine (Fairfax, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domains of Dread (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, Campaign Setting/2174) (Hardcover)

Domains of Dread takes TSR's popular gothic horror Ravenloft setting and gives it a new soul: an evil one, naturally. Imagine a city whose sewers materialized from another dimension, a heart-eating mummy who retains her beauty, or a lithe and limber Frankenstein's monster as lord over his own land, and you'll start to get an idea of the new and improved Ravenloft.

This expanded version of Ravenloft contains a much wider geography of the Demiplane of Dread, and for the first time includes the option for playing characters who are Ravenloft natives. Included is a chronology that sets all previous Ravenloft publications, whether novels, adventures, or accessories, into context as the history of the current campaign book. Earlier Ravenloft material is also tied in, item-by-item, to each description of a land, realm, island, or kingdom (called domains) and the lord of each region. Enough background is presented so that an inventive dungeon master can proceed from the material given, while those interested in the novels and available adventures may single out which products they may be interested in buying.

Domains introduces four new character classes (avenger, anchorite, gypsy, and arcanist) as well as one new race, the half-Vistani. All changes and effects pertaining to spells, items, and character traits in Ravenloft settings are included, along with special rules applying only to Ravenloft. New sections explain the rewritten fear, horror, and madness checks for characters. However, dungeon masters will find that some of the other Ravenloft products, particularly the Monstrous Compendiums, are necessary in order to use this campaign book.

The emphasis is, of course, on creepy: many of the characters and situations in Domains will be familiar from classical horror literature, with different names of course. Vampires and lycanthropes abound; Dr. Jekyll's spiritual brother is here; and Dr. Frankenstein, as Victor Mordenheim, seems to have acquired an unwanted empathic link with his creation. Other classic characters with a delicious horror twist appear here, such as a domain lord called "Pinocchio" who led his wooden brothers and sisters on a murderous rampage.

A "nice" romp on the dark side for fans of horror and things of the night.

--Sharon Daugherty for Skirmisher Online Gaming Magazine

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dreadfully Groovy, December 30, 1999

By 

Christopher (Long Island, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domains of Dread (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, Campaign Setting/2174) (Hardcover)

I have always been interested in the Ravenloft campaign settings, but never much felt like buying each individual module just to have a good view of the Core. I picked up this book a couple of days ago and have not put it down since. This is a must buy for any D&D people who want to run a Ravenloft game, or even just for DM's who need ideas to add a touch of horror to their own games.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Tool For a Gothic Horror Campaign, October 7, 1999

By 

Keith Ilja Duncan (Las Vegas, NV (in Okinawa, Japan)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Domains of Dread (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, Campaign Setting/2174) (Hardcover)

Though this book does restate a lot of what has already been set down in many boxed sets and modules, it is an invaluable guide, at the very least for condensation's sake. I'm a compendium person, myself, so I appreciate the value of an "all-in-one" source for the Demiplane of Dread. With an even half-experienced, half-talented DM, this, and some office supplies is all you need to run a long-lasting, fully enjoyable campaign. I strongly recommend purchasing one, along with some mechanical pencils, and a case of Jolt Cola. (Having had recent experience, this is the second best solution to a long evening of thunderstorms, power outages, and insomnia.)