The Heroes of Horror teaches us much about traveling in a world where evil has a real foot hold, (like where all magic is tainted and the undead have a kingdom of eternal night) and it informs us that there are a lot of things that should be used to set the tone of a world where evil is not only in existents but also has a fair chance of winning. The first thing is for the DM to be sure that none of the players have a low horror threshold, do you? Next is to make sure everyone is ready to play into the mood of “yes, the PCs are scare-able, even when the player might not be.” Third, the introduction of forms of fear, such as dread which builds over time, shock which is fleeting but can make you dazed, frightened no longer makes you useless in battle, and you can pick up phobias. Forth, taint should not be so lethal or generalized. Lastly, did you just say you want to bring someone back from the dead? Oh boy.

Taint

Since, the new fear affect will be a case by case issue, so let’s start with the formally overpowered taint. Taint is divided into two types: depravity and corruption. They are accumulated separately. Your “taint score” is equal to the average of your corruption and depravity rounded up. That is the good news now for the bad news; once you have reached a new level of taint (mild, moderate, severe, NPC) you have 24hrs to get rid of it or it becomes permanent, then only a miracle or wish can get rid of it. See Heroes of Horror pages 62-68 for details.

Taint thresholds

Con or Wis Score	No Taint	Mild Taint	Moderate Taint	Severe Taint	Dead/ Insane
1–4	0	1	2–5	6–13	14+
5–8	0	1–3	4–11	12–27	28+
9–12	0	1–5	6–17	18–41	42+
13–16	0	1–7	8–23	24–55	56+
17–20	0	1–9	10–29	30–69	70+
21–24	0	1–11	12–35	36–83	84+
25–28	0	1–13	14–41	42–97	98+
29–32	0	1–15	16–47	48–111	112+
33–36	0	1–17	18–53	54–125	126+
37–40	0	1–19	20–59	60–139	140+

Corruption erodes the body. Corruption is fought off with fortitude saves. If you ever gain more corruption than your constitution modifier, you must make a fortitude save (DC 15+ points of corruption you just acquired), if you fail you become nauseated for 1d4 rounds, if you succeed you become sickened for 1d4 rounds instead. If at any time you commit an evil act which gains you number of evil points (after the adjustment for your alignment) equal to greater than your constitution score you must make a fortitude save (DC 10+the number of evil point you just gained) or gain 1 point of corruption plus 1 additional point of corruption for every 10th point of evil you gained. Long term exposure to tainted items or areas will also cause corruption, but there is a fortitude save to resist depending on the site or item. Murder (the killing of a sentient being, excluding the undead and evil outsiders) on hollowed ground bestows a point of corruption, no saving throw. Murder of a helpless creature in a powerfully mystical or profane site grants a point of corruption, no saving throw. If you use a spell, spell like ability, or supernatural ability with a death affect or which deals constitution damage (this does not include affects such as raise dead used on a creature with only one HD), you must make fortitudes save at the same DC as the spell or ability or suffer a point of corruption. If you cast a spell with the evil descriptor you must make a fortitude save (DC 10+the level of the spell), if you fail you suffer 1 point of corruption.

Depravity affects wisdom and slowly drives the barer mad. Depravity is resisted with willpower saves; so witches, your spell casting will only affect your wisdom score from here on out. Likewise, depravity is fought with fortitude saves. If you ever gain more depravity than your wisdom modifier, you must make a willpower save (DC 15+ points of depravity you just acquired), if you fail you become dazed for 1d4 rounds, if you fail you become stunned for 1d4 rounds instead. If at any time you commit an evil act which gains you number of evil points (after the adjustment for your alignment) equal to greater than your constitution score you must make a willpower save (DC 10+the number of evil point you just gained) or gain 1 point of depravity plus 1 additional point of depravity for every 10th point of evil you gained. Violence can lead to depravity, every time you kill a sentient being you must make a will save (DC 9) or else take a point of depravity; cruelty to sentient creatures (DC 6) or animals (DC 3) can also cause depravity (one point for each hour of participation). Performing these same acts over hollowed ground can bestow corruption as well as depravity at the same DCs +2; as corruption theses save would be fortitude. Murdering innocents causes 2 point of depravity, (no saving throw), and unnecessary cruelty in slaying evil beings (DC 15), or killing evil creatures despite having other options for defeating them, causes 1 point of depravity, no saving throw, (Note that these act will also grant you evil points and often chaos points.) Stealing from a creature who is in desperate straights; such a widow, beggar, or street urchin will cause you a 2 points of depravity although a will save may DC 10+ 1 for each previous offence+1 for ever 1,000 gp of liquidated value of items you posses, in order to reduce this to 1 point of depravity, although mitigating factors may reduce the DC or even negate the depravity all together, such as stealing water for a man dying of thirst or stealing an evil artifact. If you cast an arcane spell you must make a willpower save DC 10+the level of the spell or gain one point of depravity, and if you cast a spell with the evil descriptor the DC of the willpower save increases to 20 + twice the level of the spell.

As you gain more and more taint the darkness consumes you. Each point of taint reduces your relative morality score by 5 points. This means that if you have 3 points of depravity and 4 points of corruption you and a morality score of 314, which is enough to be considered exalted, you will have a functional score 279 and will be denied the benefits of being exalted. If you have moderate corruption or depravity you no longer detect as good, or if you have severe corruption or depravity you detect as evil (morality score appears as evil 100 + 5 x your taint score) no matter what your actual or functional morality score maybe. A paladin or slayer with a taint score of moderate or a cleric of a good patron is considered in violation of their code and must atone.

Resurrections

How does renewed life become horrific? Well for starters, you can replace the sacrificed diamonds with a sacrificed a human is of the same age or younger, this is not universal replacement but a new option. Additionally, you are not guaranteed to come back right. When someone casts a raise dead or other similar spell, they must make a Spellcraft or Knowledge (religion) check. The DC is equal to 15 plus the number of days since they died (if using raise dead or reincarnate), or plus the number of decades (for resurrection or true resurrection). Unlike most skill checks a natural 1 is always a failure. If the caster fails something will go wrong from as little a thing as a personality quirk such as a fascination with death, to horrible nightmare, to taint, to even in the worse case scenario getting the wrong soul. See p. 79-80 of Heroes of Horror

Teleporting

How does moving about via become horrific? Well we change the chance of success

Teleport

Conjuration (Teleportation)

Level: Sor/Wiz 5, Travel 5

Components: V

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Range: Personal and touch

Target: You and touched objects or other touched willing creatures

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: None and Will negates (object)

Spell Resistance: No and Yes (object)

This spell instantly transports you to a designated destination, which may be as distant as 100 miles per caster level. Interplanar travel is not possible. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent (see below) per three caster levels. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be transported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you. As with all spells where the range is personal and the target is you, you need not make a saving throw, nor is spell resistance applicable to you. Only objects held or in use (attended) by another person receive saving throws and spell resistance.

You must have some clear idea of the location and layout of the destination. The clearer your mental image, the more likely the teleportation works. Areas of strong physical or magical energy may make teleportation more hazardous or even impossible.

To see how well the teleportation works, roll d% and consult the Teleport table. Refer to the following information for definitions of the terms on the table.

Familiarity: “Very familiar” is a place where you have been very often and where you feel at home. “Studied carefully” is a place you know well, either because you can currently see it, you’ve been there often, or you have used other means (such as scrying) to study the place for at least one hour. “Seen casually” is a place that you have seen more than once but with which you are not very familiar. “Viewed once” is a place that you have seen once, possibly using magic.

“False destination” is a place that does not truly exist or if you are teleporting to an otherwise familiar location that no longer exists as such or has been so completely altered as to no longer be familiar to you. When traveling to a false destination, roll 1d20+80 to obtain results on the table, rather than rolling d%, since there is no real destination for you to hope to arrive at or even be off target from.

On Target: You appear where you want to be.

Off Target: You appear safely a random distance away from the destination in a random direction. Distance off target is 1d10x1d10% of the distance that was to be traveled. The direction off target is determined randomly

Similar Area: You wind up in an area that’s visually or thematically similar to the target area.

Generally, you appear in the closest similar place within range. If no such area exists within the spell’s range, the spell simply fails instead.

Wrong Area: You wind up in an area that is wrong and often dangerous such as on the edge of a cliff or in the home of a beholder.

Mishap: You and anyone else teleporting with you have gotten “scrambled.” You each take 1d10 points of damage, and you reroll on the chart to see where you wind up. For these rerolls, roll 1d20 on the false destination range. Each time “Mishap” “Disaster” or “Catastrophe” comes up, the characters take more damage and must reroll.

Disaster: You and anyone else teleporting with you have taken dire injury. You each take 1 point of wound damage, and you reroll on the chart to see where you wind up. For these rerolls, roll 1d20 on the false destination range. Each time “Mishap” “Disaster” or “Catastrophe” comes up, the characters take more damage and must reroll.

Catastrophe: You and anyone else teleporting with you have gotten “scrambled.” You each take 1d4 points of wound damage, suffer serious and long lasting affects such as a body part which merges with the near by cave wall or your fellow teleporter’s leg or some other horrific problem such as blindness or partial paralysis , and you reroll on the chart to see where you wind up. For these rerolls, roll 1d20 on the false destination range. Each time “Mishap” “Disaster” or “Catastrophe” comes up, the characters take more damage and must reroll.

Familiarity	Catastrophe	Disaster	Mishap	Wrong Area	Similar Area	Off Target	On Target
Very familiar	—	—	—	01	02–05	06–10	11–100
Studied carefully	—	—	01	02–04	05–09	10–20	21–100
Seen casually	—	01–02	03–06	07–15	16–25	26–40	41–100
Viewed once	01	02–10	11–20	21–32	33–45	46–60	61–100
False destination (1d20)	01	02–04	05–09	10–14	15–20	—	—

Feats

These feats are for your new “Horrific” style of play. Note: some of them are changed a wee bit from their original nature.

Bane Magic [general]

You deal extra damage to creatures of a particular type, see p 119 H. o. H.

Prerequisite: ability to cast level two spells

Benefit: You choose a specific creature type. When you cast a spell that deals damage to a creature of your chosen creature type you deal an extra 2d6 of damage. Example, a humanoid (dwarf) bane lightning bolt cast by a ninth level caster would usually deal 9d6 points of electric damage, but if it hits a dwarf the spell deals 11d6 points of electric damage. This feat has on affects no spells that do not deal damage, nor can it be used to heal undead by casting a spell like inflict light wounds damage, but can add to the damage dealt to undead by spells such as cure light wounds. You can select any creature type below.

Special: you may select this feat multiple times, each time choosing a different creature type.

Designated Foe
Aberrations	Humanoids, dwarf	Humanoids, orc	Outsiders, fire
Animals	Humanoids, elf	Magical beasts	Outsiders, good
Constructs	Humanoids, gnoll	Monstrous humanoids	Outsiders, lawful
Dragons	Humanoids, gnome	Oozes	Outsiders, native
Elementals	Humanoids, goblinoid	Outsiders, air	Outsiders, water
Fey	Humanoids, halfling	Outsiders, chaotic	Plants
Giants	Humanoids, human	Outsiders, earth	Undead
Humanoids, aquatic	Humanoids, reptilian	Outsiders, evil	Vermin

-Greater Bane Magic [General]

Your intense hatred of your foe retards his ability to resist.

Prerequisite: ability to cast level three spells, Bane Magic with any creature type

Benefit: You choose a specific creature type for which you have the feat bane magic. You cast a spell that affects a creature of your chosen creature type, the DC of the spell increased by +2.

Special: you may select this feat multiple times, each time choosing a different creature type.

Fount of Life [general]

You deal extra damage to creatures of a particular type, see p 120 H. o. H.

Prerequisite: must be a living creature

Benefit: When you are struck by an attack which drains energy or bestows negative level, you receive an immediate saving throw at the same DC as normally given to resist the attack. If you succeed you negate the negative level but still suffer any other affects of the attack. If you fail, you still receive any saving throws you are normally entitled to.

-Fierce Vitality [general]

You deal extra damage to creatures of a particular type.

Prerequisite: must be a living creature, Fount of Life, any good alignment, constitution 13, and charisma 13

Benefit: When you are struck by an attack which deals ability drain, you receive an immediate saving throw at the same DC as normally given to resist the attack. If you succeed, the attack deals ability damage instead of ability drain. If the creature normally gains a benefit (such as temporary Hp or bonus levels), and if you make the DC of your Fierce Vitality saving throw or Fount of Life, the attacking creature must make a willpower saving throw (DC 10+1/2your HD + your constitution bonus if the attack drains levels, strength, dexterity, or constitution; 10+1/2your HD + your charisma bonus if the attack drains intelligence, wisdom, or charisma) or suffer an affect equal and opposite to the normal benefit (ie a vampire’s slam attack would cause him 5 points of damage instead of granting him 5 temporary hp). Regardless of whether or not you succeed on your Fierce Vitality saving throw, you still receive any saving throws you are normally entitled to.

Pure Soul [General]

Your faith and purity of spirit are greater than the evil within you. You are immune to taint.

Prerequisites: any good alignment, no taint.

Benefit: You do not gain taint.

Note: remember if you cease being good you lose the benefit of this feat until you meet the prerequisites again.

Daniel Malone © 2008