Dungeons and Dragons fans can be a stubborn lot. We're handed a heroic fantasy system whose mechanics point to a specific genre of play, and we immediately try to bend the rules. We do our darndest to shoehorn in a genre like horror, whose conventions are totally at odds with how D&D plays. It shouldn't work.
Yet, against all logic, it does. Some of the best D&D modules in history lean heavily on horror. The Crooked Moon, a new set of sourcebooks from actual play stars Legends of Avantris, looks to continue this grim tradition. To celebrate their October release, Avantris Entertainment co-founder Derek Hudson gave me a whistlestop tour of The Crooked Moon, DMing a session for me that showcased its dark, dastardly offerings.
Welcome to Druskenvald
The Ghostlight Express charges forward, following its fated track through the expansive, eternal night we call Druskenvald. The locomotive might seem lively, but the souls that drift from carriage to carriage are anything but alive…
Like its spooky setting, The Crooked Moon sourcebooks are immense. Druskenvald is a fully fleshed-out location with a dedicated adventure that lasts for 13 levels. Haunted trains, werewolf-run sci-fi cityscapes, and lands entirely populated by creepy toys can all be found here.
Players have 13 new DnD races and backgrounds to choose from, plus 14 feats and 15 subclass options for the core DnD classes. The Crooked Moon also throws in 40 spells, hundreds of horrible curses, and a bestiary of bosses and monsters. That's more content than all the Friday the 13th movies combined.
Horror modules that take place in an unfamiliar setting can often be tough to personalize, so The Crooked Moon introduces a Fateweaving system to help players feel more connected to its vast world. This simple set of rules gives each character a pre-determined goal that will advance as The Crooked Moon campaign progresses.
Not content with producing two enormous DnD books, Avantris Entertainment has gone one step further with its immersion. The Crooked Moon has its own soundtrack produced by The Blasting Company, best known for its work on beloved folk horror cartoon Over the Garden Wall. Backers of the books' $4 million Kickstarter also have access to a custom tarot deck whose dazzling art helps weave Druskenvald's dark tales.
"Art and music are as much a part of storytelling as the written words", Derek Hudson tells me. Crafting a folk horror like The Crooked Moon meant making atmosphere a priority. "Folk horror thrives on atmosphere", Hudson explains. "A fiddle tune, a candle-lit illustration, a tarot spread. Those tools let players feel like they're inside the world, not just rolling dice in it."
"That's why we invested so heavily in art direction, music, and handouts", he says. "They turn Druskenvald into a lived-in place."
Breaking the Chain
Windows smash. Creeping tendrils crawl inside the carriage, and the harmless spirits transform. Twisted in agony, they sprout many teeth, and they reach for you, malice in their eyes…
The Crooked Moon pens a clear love letter to horror media, both within and beyond D&D. Art and text regularly pays homage to folk horror classics like The Wicker Man, The Witch, and Midsommar.
Plus, you can clearly see the influence of Curse of Strahd, D&D's iconic Gothic horror adventure. The Crooked Moon has adopted Strahd's tendency to decide story beats with a tarot deck, and its isolated setting has echoes of a dread domain about it. "Curse of Strahd, Ravenloft lore, and the dread domains are certainly near and dear to our hearts", Hudson says.
However, there's nothing scary about treading familiar ground. The Crooked Moon looks to evolve D&D's approach to horror. "Rather than reinvent Ravenloft, we looked at what made it great and layered on with the options and features that make folk-horror distinct", Hudson tells me.
The Crooked Moon establishes its own distinct subgenre of horror using something called the Folk Horror Chain. Developed by folk horror scholar Adam Scovell, it's a narrative structure that can be applied to most folk horror media - including D&D games.
"It has four beats", Hudson explains. "First, the landscape is like a character in the story, and we always start with this remote setting. That remote setting creates isolation, the second beat."
"That isolation leads to a twisted morality or a skewed belief system", he continues. "It's because of that clash between the outside world and that isolated, twisted morality that you have 'The Happening'. That doesn't have to be magical, but it is typically violent." "A classic example is The Wicker Man, but perhaps a funnier example is Hot Fuzz", Hudson adds.
"All of the chapters and the overarching plot of The Crooked Moon's main adventure follows this chain", he tells me. "Those chapters look like visiting a remote sanatorium, a small town being terrorized by a vampire, going into the woods and realizing that there are terrible fungal monsters."
Hudson also explains that this folk horror structure is key to making D&D's power fantasy mechanics feel more like horror. "You get all of these flavors, but because the pattern is so consistent, it becomes a very reliable way to deliver that horror."
The Dark Powers
The train comes to a sudden stop. You are thrust out into the thick woodland of Wicker Hollow. In a land where the sun never rises, you only have the crooked moon to guide you. It leers down with a disturbing grin on its crater-marked face…
Horror modules like Curse of Strahd and Rime of the Frostmaiden create dread by making players feel vulnerable. Usually, that means restricting the party's resources. Magic items, allies, or even safe places to rest are far and few between.
Thanks to the Folk Chain, The Crooked Moon can distinguish itself from other horror adventures by offering players plenty of power. Magic items, feats, and ability score increases are handed out liberally compared with most adventures of this ilk. "The Crooked Moon gives players plenty of toys to play with, that's for sure", Hudson says.
Despite this, he's confident that The Crooked Moon can still spook a player that buys into the horror. "Crafting those tools, and the adventure itself, we found that folk horror is still potent when power runs up against the unknown", he explains. "You might have a legendary weapon, but when the entire village turns against you in a midnight ritual or you have to make a meaningful sacrifice, that power feels fragile." We use atmosphere, moral pressure, and narrative consequences to keep Druskenvald dreadful even as characters level up."
The Crooked Moon will even grant you extraordinary extra powers - for a price. There's an entire chapter on Dark Bargains, pacts proposed by a mysterious higher power. "Each comes with a benefit, even if the cost can be heavy", Hudson explains. You might gain the power to cast Legend Lore for free, but a friend forgets ever meeting you each time you do. Similarly, you could gain the power to shrug off damage after failing a saving throw, but your next three saves have disadvantage.
"For players, these options exist to further emphasize their characters and the story", Hudson says. For a Game Master, dark bargains can be offered to heighten dramatic narrative moments such as a character death or to further connect characters to the world of Druskenvald. Either way, they are not meant to be made lightly and only ever meant to be taken with full player buy-in!"
Now that I've survived a trip through Druskenvald, I can see a lot of potential in this horror module. It reimagines how D&D does horror - all without restricting the heroic fantasy aspects of the system that people love. It distills some of that Avantris actual play magic with its immersive extras. Perhaps most importantly, it's a genuine love letter to horror that balances reverent nods and new ideas.
If you're looking to take a holiday from Ravenloft this Halloween, The Crooked Moon is worth a visit.
Have you played any of The Crooked Moon campaign? Tell us your stories in the Wargamer Discord. Or, if you want to build your own spooky character, here's all you need to know about DnD backgrounds.