Darklords is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991.
Contents
The supplement focuses on "sixteen different Darklords spread out over thirteen chapters".[1] The Darklords are:
- Ankhtepot, a mummy[1]
- Tristessa, a drow banshee[1]
- Bluebeard[1]
- Ebonbane, a living evil sword[1]
- The Three Hags[1]
- The Headless Horseman[1]
- The House of Lament, an evil living house[1]
- Von Kharkov, a panther who was polymorphed into a person and subsequently turned into a vampire[1]
- Merilee, a child vampire[1]
- Captain Alan Monette, a werebat pirate[1]
- The Phantom Lover, an incubus[1]
- Marquis Stezen d’Polarno, who drains the souls of victims[1]
- Tiyet, a mummy who doesn't appear as undead[1]
- Zolnik, a Loup de Noir werewolf[1]
According to Gene Alloway, the character and background of each Darklord is well-developed, with "appearance, background, current sketch, the domain of the particular Darklord, and a section on confronting the entity" as well as other details included.[2]
Publication history
RR1: Darklords is a 96-page Ravenloft accessory book published in 1991 for $10.95.[1][3] It was written by Andria Hayday "with some additional design by William W. Connors, Bruce Nesmith, and James Lowder".[3] The cover art featuring a "dagger-wielding lich" is by Tim Hildebrandt, while the interior artwork is by Stephen Fabian.[2] David C. Sutherland III created the maps with 3D infrastructure views.[2] In 2013, it was rereleased as a PDF on the DNDClassics website for $9.99.[1][4]
Reception
Gene Alloway reviewed Darklords in the May/June 1992 issue of White Wolf Magazine. He rated the sourcebook a 4 out of 5 overall, stating it as a "must for a Ravenloft campaign".[2] Alloway also stated that "It is a well-made and designed product, and one that has usefulness outside of Ravenloft and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons itself."[2]
The supplement was also reviewed in Windgeflüster #20 (November 1992).[4]
Alex Lucard, for DieHard GameFan, reviewed the PDF edition in 2013. On the various Darklords, Lucard stated, "I’m not happy with four of the sixteen, but that means there’s a 75% quality ratio here and that’s pretty darn good. As well, Darklords is a must own for anyone even casually interested in Ravenloft to see just how much depth and detail was put into even a C-level minor lord of the Dark Domain".[1] On the digital edition, he wrote, "this PDF rerelease is a bit pricey consider the physical copy was only a dollar more back in 1991, but D&D PDFs do tend to be a bit overpriced compared to their contemporaries. If you don’t already own a copy of Darklords, I would still strongly recommend the PDF version at this price as it’s very well done, but you might want to check Ebay for a physical copy first as you can undoubtedly get it cheaper".[1]
Kevin Kulp, game designer, highlighted that "a notable aspect of this book is that most of the darklords aren't particularly powerful, even by 2nd edition AD&D standards. [...] That makes this book useful as a low-level supplement, and significantly expands its utility. It's also a nice reminder that just because someone is evil and despicable, they aren't necessarily particularly tough or good at combat. They may have other abilities, assets, or assistance".[3]
