Thursday, October 27, 2022

Strahd Loves, Man Kills Issue 7

Still catching up on my reviews of Strahd Loves, Man Kills by Dolorous Exhumation Press. As usual, it's a zine packed full of useful horror content for your Ravenloft and other 5e games.

Lurid Locations presents and expanded and overhaul of Invidia. This version draws from The Monk from Mathew Lewis, as well as Anne Radcliffe's The Italian. Finally the Metroidvania video game Blasphemous provides some inspiration. This new take on Ividia is filled with passion and religion. Borrowing heavily from the gothic portrayal of Catholicism, it's a land of intrigue. Given my love of nunsploitaion, this one sounds great.

Cryptic Alliances explores the Church of the Holy Blood, the dominant faith of Invidia. There is a small group of holy saints for the religion presented.

Portraits of the Damned presents three new npc's. Anjelica Navarre is a fallen deva and strict zealot of the Church of the Holy Blood. The Hood Minister is a larva mage that poses as a humble holy man of the Church of the Holy Blood that is seen as a hero to the common man. Finally Father Raspaldo is a religious zealot that believe to truly know redemption you must first debase yourself with sin.

Baleful Backgrounds gives us one new background. The Apothecary (inspired by a character from Oliver Potzch's The Hangman's Daughter) is an herbalist.

Seeds of Evil presents three adventure hooks. Viva la Revolution! is based on The Gods Are Thirsty. The Bereaved  is inspired by Jules Verne's The Castle of Transylvania  and is a tale of love and loss. Finally the Piper and the Rat King has several sources of inspiration and is ultimately a new take on the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Midnight Horrors gives a few templates that turn man into the real monster. The Emordenung are poison touched individuals from the domain of Borca. There are also three templates that let you turn anything into an undead horror.

Forged In Shadow presents two new Ravenloft magic items. Sorrow's Pale Saber is a blade that once belonged to a hunter of lycanthropes. The synaptic blade damages psyches.

Tragic Heroes focuses on violent visionary character concepts. The chrononaut is a warforged clockwork soul sorcerer from the future that wants to prevent some dire event. The decapitator is an orc rune knight fighter that seeks to take the heads of the giants that have decimated their tribe. The draconic aspirant is a kobold draconic bloodline sorcerer that wishes to be a true dragon. The Green Hand Revelator is a lizardfolk circle of land druid from Har' Akir that seeks to rid the world of undead.  The Sidereal Vessel is a hobgoblin way of astral self monk that channels a great warrior of the past. The wrathbringer is a firbolg swarm ranger that brings the wrath of nature on those that seek to despoil it.

Random Ruin presents a table of art based adventure hooks for Ghastria.

Forbidden Tomes lists inspiration from horror subgenres, such as disaster horror, occult detective stories, pyschological horror, and slasher horror.

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