Shadow of the Demon Lord (SotDL) plays like D&D with ten levels, great house rules, and with every character multiclassing. Layered in are rules for corruption and insanity. The setting features a haunted, dying world being invaded by a demon lord, whose corrupting shadow brings a variety of different rule and story effects. A dying empire is the default end of the world and nineteen other choices are detailed.
Shadow of the Demon Lord is a 272 page fantasy horror full-color hardcover RPG also available in PDF. Warning: SotDL contains a small amount of disturbing content and NSFW art (female breasts and a naked baby being harmed).
The rules have a number of familiar options for PCs. Dwarves, goblins, humans, and orcs can be played but not elves which are in the monster section. Unique choices include changlings and clockworks (like warforged but with wind up keys they cannot reach). Each PC has professions which also function like skills.
After the first adventure, the PCs gain levels and start going through novice, expert, and master paths. Magician, priest, rogue, and warrior serve as a base and springboard to later paths like assassin, death dealer, gunslinger, and mage knight.
Spell lists include arcana, illusion, nature, and theurgy. Dark magic corrupts and includes curse, forbidden, and necromancy. Dark spells create vile effects. For example, desire’s end does damage and dazes as well as removing the reproductive organs of the victim who is successfully attacked.
SotDL is great for players and contains a lot of advice and support for the GM. However, there are so many options for the PCs and they can do so much that their power detracted from the horror elements. Combat mutated into simple dice rolls before combat and the mood and tension were hard to maintain.
Spells in SotDL can be like D&D: call lightning, fireball, and invisibility. But mixed in are a handful of disturbing spells with horrific costs. But the mix can be jarring. Why doesn’t the shadow of the demon lord corrupt all spells? If all the spells were dark the world would be marked as strongly horrific and truly cursed and dying.
Monsters are interesting and well designed. However, so many powerful creatures have fear game effects that rolling to see if the PCs become scared becomes overused at high levels. It had the strange effect of having the lower level PCs being frightened less often by monsters than the hardened veteran PCs. The mix of standard fantasy monsters and true horrors sometimes does not mesh well.
Shadow of the Demon Lord dips a toe in the water of the vile and disturbing while remaining on the shore of traditional dark fantasy gaming. It plays well at low levels and okay at high levels. The dark elements can be downplayed or dialed up depending on preference. For a change of pace from D&D or especially if more horror is desired, Shadow of the Demon Lord is a good choice.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
Shadow of the Demon Lord is a 272 page fantasy horror full-color hardcover RPG also available in PDF. Warning: SotDL contains a small amount of disturbing content and NSFW art (female breasts and a naked baby being harmed).
The rules have a number of familiar options for PCs. Dwarves, goblins, humans, and orcs can be played but not elves which are in the monster section. Unique choices include changlings and clockworks (like warforged but with wind up keys they cannot reach). Each PC has professions which also function like skills.
After the first adventure, the PCs gain levels and start going through novice, expert, and master paths. Magician, priest, rogue, and warrior serve as a base and springboard to later paths like assassin, death dealer, gunslinger, and mage knight.
Spell lists include arcana, illusion, nature, and theurgy. Dark magic corrupts and includes curse, forbidden, and necromancy. Dark spells create vile effects. For example, desire’s end does damage and dazes as well as removing the reproductive organs of the victim who is successfully attacked.
SotDL is great for players and contains a lot of advice and support for the GM. However, there are so many options for the PCs and they can do so much that their power detracted from the horror elements. Combat mutated into simple dice rolls before combat and the mood and tension were hard to maintain.
Spells in SotDL can be like D&D: call lightning, fireball, and invisibility. But mixed in are a handful of disturbing spells with horrific costs. But the mix can be jarring. Why doesn’t the shadow of the demon lord corrupt all spells? If all the spells were dark the world would be marked as strongly horrific and truly cursed and dying.
Monsters are interesting and well designed. However, so many powerful creatures have fear game effects that rolling to see if the PCs become scared becomes overused at high levels. It had the strange effect of having the lower level PCs being frightened less often by monsters than the hardened veteran PCs. The mix of standard fantasy monsters and true horrors sometimes does not mesh well.
Shadow of the Demon Lord dips a toe in the water of the vile and disturbing while remaining on the shore of traditional dark fantasy gaming. It plays well at low levels and okay at high levels. The dark elements can be downplayed or dialed up depending on preference. For a change of pace from D&D or especially if more horror is desired, Shadow of the Demon Lord is a good choice.
This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program. Please note that Charles is a participant in the OneBookShelf Affiliate Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to DriveThruRPG. We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
