Dread Figures

The Realms of Terror sit alone among planes in its capacity to transform those once unremarkable, once good, and once keen into unrecognizable things twisted by what could have been. These creatures are Dread Figures—while not masters of their own domains, they have given themselves to the Mists of Death and been embraced in kind, thrust forward by mad and hungry compulsions. Dread Figures may be tragic and some even unwilling, but once they have found the cool embrace of the Mists, they will never, ever be let go.

Dread Figures in The Domains of Dread

Dread Figures, shorthand DF, are a separate class of playable characters angled toward monstrous, subversive, and antagonist play. While not every player antagonist must be a Dread Figure in The Domains of Dread, all DFs create roleplay through conflict generated by their applied template granting them novel mechanics, adjustments and more to help them remain threatening—and exciting—whenever encountered.

Playing a Dread Figure

A DF is applied for during that character’s creation or after an inciting incident during play, such as if that character would have been ordinarily closured. A prospective DF must have at least 60 days IRT of active play on The Domains of Dread so to be familiar with the server’s mechanics and Roleplay Expectations. They have their own application form available on the Discord. Special considerations and exemptions from regular characters are as follows:

1. When entering the game world for the first time or upon receipt of their applied template, a DF has 8 months or 243 days IRT before they are automatically closured. Extensions may be given by the Game Masters to allow an in-progress plot to gracefully conclude or for real life issues with availability.
2. Once the applied template is received, a DF will no longer gain hostile experience. Instead they will receive boosted storyline experience and weekly stipends IRT.
3. DFs begin play at the 9th level across domains—should the character have existed prior to receiving an applied template, they will be raised to the 9th level if lower. About a month and a half of active play IRT is expected to reach the 14th level.
4. DFs may be attacked with lethal damage at any time by other player characters without supervision—there is no opt out for being a DF is alone sufficient opt in.
5. DFs may not attack other player characters lethally without cause to do so, such as those characters hunting the DF after an initial skirmish. Should they attack others lethally, supervision is not required. Being downed by a DF equals being maimed for the victim the first time it happens—a DF is permitted to finish off player characters for whom they have already downed once even in future engagements.
6. Likewise a DF is permitted to be downed once and be maimed rather than killed or destroyed. Assuming their applied template has no mechanisms in place for automatic resurrection, their next downed state is lethal and the DF shall be closured.
7. A DF may always attack other player characters with nonlethal damage. Exceptions may be made for only real life inabilities to participate in the scene per the Game Rules.
8. A DF, as may other player characters, closure themselves at will and receive Mist Tokens.
9. Player characters kidnapped or detained by a DF are subject to the same rules as they would were the DF another player character, per the Character versus Character Rules. It is the DF’s responsibility to ensure sufficient roleplay is given to their prisoner and that clues are given to assist the search process for investigators.
10. DFs will not appear in the active player list by default. This may be toggled on or off in their bespoke menu, invoked with the !df chat command.

Template Families

The Accursed

Doomed One

Born from the desperate and the foolish, Doomed Ones are any humanoid in the Realms of Terror who have given themselves to the Mists in pursuit of ambition or another vice. Their dreadful compulsion grants them power related to these aspirations, but it is the curse they bear that will grow ever more debilitating and frustrating, hastening an inevitable descent into pure Corruption and madness.

Feytouched

Marked by native Fey, Feytouched gain fey enchantment in exchange for their humanoid mind and senses being slowly and irreversibly devoured by the chaotic, capricious whimsies of a true Fey in service to the Shadowed Sea.