Lords of Darkness

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition

The first Lords of Darkness is a collection of ten short adventure scenarios set in the Forgotten Realms, each focusing on undead monsters such as skeletons, ghouls, wights, shadows, mummies, vampires, and ghosts. The book includes suggestions on role-playing undead and a section titled "A Mundane Guide to Wards vs. Undead, Spirits, and Other Entities. Although sold as a Forgotten Realms accessory, it is usable with any AD&D campaign. The adventures are designed to be easily inserted into an ongoing campaign and are mainly dungeon crawls.

Background information for each undead type is provided through short fiction pieces or monologues by knowledgeable non-player characters. New game rules clarify existing mechanics and offer alternatives to the level-draining effects of undead attacks. The book introduces optional Horror Checks, made when characters realize the horror of a monster, with long-term effects possible from failed checks. Another section discusses the effects of items like cold iron, garlic, salt, and mirrors against undead.

New spells for magic-users specializing in necromancy are also included. The book features a two-page introduction by Ed Greenwood, which explains that while set in the Forgotten Realms, it can be used in different fantasy campaign settings.

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition

The 2001 third-edition Dungeons & Dragons supplement Lords of Darkness, a 192-page work by Jason Carl and Sean K. Reynolds, profiles twenty-eight villainous groups and includes maps of evil strongholds. It introduces five prestige classes—Darkmask, Entropist, Spur Lord, Thayan Knight, and Zhentarim Skymage—alongside new spells, feats, and magic items. Monsters like the Daemonfey also appear. Mark Zug created the cover art, with interior illustrations by a team of artists.

Reception

The original Lords of Darkness won a Gamer's Choice award. In a review, the fictional segments showing undead in action were praised for being much more engaging than the typical dry writing found in many supplements. However, four of the adventures lack maps, which makes them less useful as ready-to-play scenarios, and two castle-based adventures would benefit greatly from at least simple floor plans. The quality of the adventures is inconsistent; while most are decent, a few are so sparse and underdeveloped that their inclusion seems questionable.

The zombie adventure is considered the weakest, partly because the characters face enemies that can easily overpower them. On the other hand, the mummies' tomb and the lich's lair are highlighted as excellent examples of dungeon design. The optional Horror Check rules are seen as a good idea for creating fear of the undead, but they are not well-developed enough to work effectively. The system does not integrate smoothly with AD&D rules, causing characters to become so debilitated they can no longer function, which goes against the game's spirit and feels more like the grim tone of Call of Cthulhu.

The accessory does provide a wealth of background on undead, new necromantic spells, and details on undead ecologies, and it offers a collection of short adventure settings. However, the missing maps and the underdeveloped adventures ultimately make it a useful but not essential product.