I am the wound, and yet the blade!

The slap, and yet the cheek that takes it!

The limb, and yet the wheel that breaks it,

The torturer, and he who's flayed!

- Charles Baudelaire, L'Heautontimoroumenos

Evil comes in many forms, but it's never so dangerous as when it's convenient. Evil can seduce us in ways that Good would never try. Good demands much - patience, compassion, self-sacrifice - and its rewards are often obscure. Evil seems to ask nothing but gladly offers anything we could desire; power, riches, even love. But the gifts of Evil are poisoned fruits, tainted by the very acts undertaken to claim them. Each gift we accept, each moral shortcut we take, leads us further from the light and one step closer to Evil's final reward: our destruction.

Unseen by mortals, the Dark Powers sit in judgement of all that occurs within their realm and silently watch countless other worlds as well. Whenever a mortal performs an evil act in Ravenloft, there's a chance the Dark Powers will respond, both rewarding and punishing the transgressor in a single stroke; this is resolved through a powers check. If a character continues down the path of corruption, the Dark Powers may eventually grant the transgressor their own domain.

Mortals may never know what the Dark Powers hope to achieve with their gifts. Perhaps the Dark Powers act as caring but overly harsh parents, cursing transgressors to frighten them back onto the path of righteousness, or perhaps the Dark Powers seek to inflame mortals' sins, alternately taunting and teasing the morally weak into bottomless spirals of doom.

Making the Powers Check

Whenever a player character willingly performs an evil act, the DM resolves the powers check by making a percentile roll. Mortals have no control over the whims of the Dark Powers; no magic or special ability can ever modify this dice roll.

Consult the below table to determine the chance of failure. If that number or less is rolled on a d%, the offending character fails the powers check and moves one stage down the path of corruption. If the roll is higher, the character succeeds. The act has fallen beneath the Dark Powers' concern - this time.

Depending on the character's motivations, the chance can raise or lower. If the evil act is performed for particularly vile reasons, the chance of failure may rise by as much as half. If the transgression was for altruistic purposes, such as casting a spell to save the lift of an ally, the chance of failure may be reduced by half.

Only truly despicable acts have a chance higher than 10%. Some deeds, however, are so monstrous that they can't help but attract the attention of the Dark Powers. Called Acts of Ultimate Darkness, anyone committing one automatically fails the accompanying powers check.

Powers checks aren't meant to slog the game down to a crawl every time someone swats a fly or coughs in the vague direction of an old woman. These are intended to enhance the game, to divert attention of a hoary host of potent unknowns to the actions of the characters.

Effects of Failure

No person is born evil. All player characters are assumed to begin the game with "clean" souls - they've never failed a powers check and the forces of corruption have no claim on their spirits. A hero can enter the game with their Innocence intact, if they wish to, or alternatively the player and DM may agree the character has already failed one or more powers checks. Perhaps such a character is struggling against some dark inner nature, or may be on a quest for redemption from the mistakes of their earlier years.

If the character fails the powers check, the Dark Powers respond with gifts of darkness - and the character moves one stage towards corruption. At each stage, the corrupted character gains an occult boon and an accompanying curse. These are usually tied together; a rogue who gains low-light vision might also suffer from light sensitivity, or a monk who gains a bonus to natural armor might grow a thick, scaly hide.

The Dark Powers tailor all their gifts and curses to the victim. As a rule, the gifts make it easier for a corrupted character to repeat their transgressions but harder to conceal their crimes.

In the initial stages of corruption, when redemption is still at hand, both the gifts and curses tend to be minor and easily concealed. In later stages, however, the trap starts to close. The curses gain strength, forcing the corrupted character to rely more heavily on her dark gifts - abilities that often require more powers checks to use.

The Path of Corruption

The path from Innocence to the final damnation of a darklord is distressingly short - a mere seven steps - and all too easy to traverse. The following are just suggestions and the DM ultimately has the say in what each stage will manifest.

Stage One: The Caress

The Dark powers reward a character's first touch of evil with a minor boon. They also gain an embarrassing curse. The corrupted character can usually conceal and physical deformities at this stage with little effort (gloves, tinted glasses, etc).

• +2 bonus to an ability score.
• +10 bonus to speed.
• +2 bonus to checks for one skill.
• +1 bonus to natural armor.
• Low-light vision or darkvision.
• Natural attack form dealing 1d3 damage.
• Spell-like or supernatural ability equal to a 1st-level spell 1/day or a cantrip 2/day.

Examples

• Path of the Ringleader: The character can cast charm person once per day, but whenever they do so, a strange spider skitters out from under their clothing.
• Path of the Brute: The character gains +2 Strength but their features grow subtly coarse and ugly.
• Path of the Coward: The character gains +10 to speed, but only when loping along on all fours.

Stage Two: The Enticement

Once the corrupted character demonstrates a willingness to return to their evil ways, the Dark Powers grant them greater assistance in their endeavors. They temper this, however, with a frustrating curse.

• +4 to an ability score (or +2 to two ability scores).
• +20 bonus to speed.
• +4 bonus to checks for one skill.
• +2 bonus to a saving throw.
• +2 bonus to natural armor.
• Low-light vision or darkvision.
• Natural attack form dealing 1d4 damage.
• Poisonous natural attack form.
• Free feat.
• Spell-like or supernatural ability equal to 2nd-level spell 1/day, 1st-level spell 2/day, or cantrip 3/day.

Examples

• Path of the Ringleader: The character develops a ravenous appetite for vermin. On any day they eat at least a handful of spiders, they gain venomous saliva; a successful bite attack deals an additional 1d4 poison damage.
• Path of the Brute: The character grows larger and more menacing. Their ability score bonuses become +4 Strength and +2 Dexterity, but they suffer a -2 Charisma penalty.
• Path of the Coward: The character gains a +4 bonus to Stealth checks whenever moving on all fours. They also grow thick pads on their hands and feet, making them resemble paws.

Stage Three: The Invitation

The corrupted character has continued in her evil ways, and any hope of redemption is quickly fading. The Dark Powers now offer a powerful boon but bestow a troublesome curse. A character this far along the path of corruption has difficulty turning back.

• +6 bonus to an ability score (or +2 to three ability scores).
• +30 bonus to speed.
• +6 bonus to checks for one skill.
• +3 bonus to a saving throw.
• +3 bonus to natural armor.
• Natural attack form dealing 1d6 damage.
• Spell-like or supernatural ability equal to 3rd-level spell 1/day, 2nd-level spell 2/day, 1st-level spell 3/day, or cantrip at will.

Examples

• Path of the Ringleader: The character can cast summon a spider swarm twice per day as a supernatural ability. The swarm spews out of the character's nose and throat, then crawls back inside their body when the spell ends. The swarm always starts centered on the character but they can move it with a bonus action. The character develops a ravenous appetite for rotting meat; if they don't eat at least 10 pounds of rotting meat per day, they suffer biting pains (and 1d4 Constitution damage) as the swarm begins to devour them from the inside out.
• Path of the Brute: The character's Strength bonus rises to +8 and they gain +2 COnstitution, but whenever they're angered, they automatically fly into a maddened rage (as the Horror effect). The character has also grown at least a foot in height.
• Path of the Coward: When running on all fours, the character's bonus to speed rises to +30 feet, and they gain a +4 bonus on Athletics checks to jump. However, they find fear grips them all the more often, and suffer a -2 penalty on all Wisdom saves.

Stage Four: The Embrace

The corrupted character's evil deeds mark them as a true villain. The Dark Powers respond with a major gift, but the accompanying dangerous curse can create serious mental or physical chances. The corrupted character can no longer live the normal life they started with.

• +8 bonus to an ability score (or +2 to four ability scores).
• +40 bonus to speed.
• +8 bonus to checks for one skill.
• +4 bonus to a saving throw.
• +4 bonus to natural armor.
• Natural attack form dealing 1d8 damage.
• Spell-like or supernatural ability equal to 4th-level spell 1/day, 3rd-level spell 2/day, 2nd-level spell 3/day, or 1st-level spell at will.

Examples

• Path of the Ringleader: The character can summon spider swarms up to four times a day. Additionally, twice per day, they can will their symbiotic minions to spew forth and spin a web. Vermin are visible rippling beneath the character's skin; they suffer a -4 penalty to Constitution and a -2 penalty to Charisma.
• Path of the Brute: The character is massive for their race, but appears distinctly degenerate. Ability score modifiers now total +12 Strength, +4 Dexterity, and +4 Constitution, with -4 Intelligence and -4 Charisma.
• Path of the Coward: The character becomes a werejackal but can only transform into jackal form when they fail a Fear save.

Stage Five: The Creature

By now, the corrupted character's evil has reshaped them into a creature of the night. For characters who've proceeded this far down the path of corruption, redemption often comes only in death. The Dark Powers bestow even greater gifts but strike the character with a lethal curse. The Dark Powers' curse never destroys the corrupted character, though they may wish it had. The character may be removed from the player's control, becoming a villainous NPC.

• +10 to an ability score (or +2 to five ability scores).
• +10 bonus to checks for one skill.
• +5 bonus to a saving throw.
• +5 bonus to natural armor.
• Natural attack form dealing 1d10 damage.
• Spell-like or supernatural ability equaling a 5th-level spell 1/day, 4th-level spell 2/day, 3rd-level spell 3/day, or a 2nd-level spell at will.
• Free class level.

Examples

• Path of the Ringleader: Once per day, the character can expel their vermin with the effects of an insect plague spell. The character is a walking hive for their minions; they grow cadaverous, their skin is diseased. Their ability score penalties become -6 Constitution and -8 Charisma. They must rely on their dark gifts to keep their henchmen obedient.
• Path of the Brute: The character's ability scores now total +14 Strength, +8 Dexterity, and +8 Constitution but -8 Intelligence, -4 Wisdom, and -4 Charisma. The character is a hulking, brutal creature resembling an ogre (size becomes Large).
• Path of the Coward: The character gains full control of their lycanthropic abilities. Any time they fail a Fear save, however, they transform automatically. To make matters worse, they suffer a -6 penalty on all Fear saves.

Stage Six: The Darklord

With their final act of evil, the corrupted character proves themselves beyond redemption and seals their fate. The Dark Powers grant the corrupted character their own domain - a prison, molded in their own image, from which they'll never escape. Most new darklords rule over small Islands of Terror or physical islands in one of the Core's seas. Hand-in-hand with the new domain comes the darklord's curse; the object of their most desperate desire is placed within their sight but forever just beyond their grasp. Darklords have wildly differing abilities and weaknesses; indeed, the Dark Powers seem to reward captivating personalities with greater power. A few poers known to be common to many darklords are as follows;

• Closing the Borders: Darklords are imprisoned within their domains but can force others to share their fate. Darklords can close the borders of their domains at will, creating supernatural barriers of great power. No mortal magic can pierce a closed domain border. In some domains, the Mists themselves rise up to close the borders - anyone who enters the Mists becomes disoriented and eventually finds themself wandering back into the domain. The manifestations of closed borders are often a reflection of the darklord's personality. A few darklords are unable to close their borders, as part of their curse.
• Turn Resistance: All undead darklords receive a bonus to saves against the Channel Divinity abilities of clerics. This bonus equals +1 or their Wisdom bonus, whichever is greater.
• Persistence: Some darklords cease to age when they receive their domains. For some, the aging process simply slows, while others continue to age normally.

Redemption

The road to damnation is swift but not certain. It's possible for a character to recoil from their evil deeds and, with time and toil, return to the light. If the character is truly penitent, the Dark Powers may subtly guide their fate to test that repentance. To escape the effects of a powers check, the corrupted character must encounter an event echoing the ones that resulted in the failed check. This time around, they must choose the righteous path. For example, if they failed a check for killing a group of helpless captives, they must do all they can to protect the lives of the next helpless captives they encounter.

It's no mean feat to scrub corruption out of the soul, however. The character must repeat the process a number of times equal to the chance of failure of the original powers check. If the character accomplishes this, they can attempt a new check at the same chance. If the character succeeds, the Dark Powers loosen their grip on the character's soul. The character retreats one stage from the path of corruption. A character can work their way back to "clean" but can never reclaim Innocence. Acts of Ultimate Darkness (where the failure chance was 100%) can never be redeemed.

It may even be possible for a darklord to redeem their blackened soul - but in all the known history of Ravenloft, not one ever has.