I adore Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. And the biggest disappointment in Ravenloft: Horrors Within is that so much of the new book rehashes stuff we already got just five years ago. But if there's one thing that was missing from that book, it was the lack of bespoke stat blocks for its iconic Darklords. While I understood the philosophical idea of having, say, Viktra Mordenheim use a fairly low-CR humanoid NPC stat block like a Spy, the actual choice of stat block didn't really reflect the character - a Spy has middling Intelligence, whereas Mordenheim is meant to be an evil genius.
Thus, I'm happy to say that the Darklords featured in Horrors Within do have their own stat blocks, and while not all are going to be major threats on their own to high-level parties, that's fine. A confrontation with Ivana Boritsi or Ilya Desilinya in Borca makes perfect sense as a finale for tier 1 rather than tier 3.
Outside of the stat blocks, there's also good guidance for what happens if the party kills a Darklord before the climactic boss fight - Darklords always come back, but there's greater detail about how the mists claim the bodies of the Darklords when they're slain, and how you can flavor the clear implication that things aren't over yet.
I believe every Darklord is a legendary creature, and while clearly several of them are similar to existing monsters, they have their own unique abilities.
Of note, the line-up of featured Domains in Horrors Within is not the same as that in Van Richten's, so if you were hoping to get the Darklords of Richemulot, I'Cath, or Bluetspur, you're out of luck. However, we have new domains of Innsmouth, the Shadowlands, and Sithicus, each of which grant you their respective Darklords.
We'll go in order of their Domains, alphabetically.
Strahd von Zarovich:
The OG Darklord himself, Strahd looks fairly similar to how he's appeared in books like Curse of Strahd, and is not all too dissimilar to the Vampire stat block from the Monster Manual. He is a spellcaster, and unlike the Umbral Lord, there's a somewhat more classic Wizard selection of spells (including Fireball, which I think he's always had). CR 15 like previous versions, I think the spellcasting (he can include Fireball in his multiattack) is the main distinguishing feature from standard vamps.
Ivana Boritsi:
Now a legendary CR 5 Humanoid, Ivana has several poison- and plant-themed abilities. (I guess you could use her for Poison Ivy if you wanted to do a Batman campaign?)
Ivan Delisnya:
Like his cousin and co-Darklord, Ivan is also a CR 5 humanoid. He has various mechanical abilities, like a Deadly Contraption that can clamp onto a foe, or the ability to trap the area with caltrops.
Azalin Rex:
While story-wise he seems to have successfully escaped (though we get more details on it, and it's complicated) we do get a version of the Lich, who's CR 23. He's not too dissimilar from the Monster Manual Lich, but he can siphon spells with his Counterspell to use them himself.
Saidra D'Honaire:
A much more distinct statblock, which is CR 9, than the generic "Wraith with Disintegrate" from Van Richten's, Saidra now has two forms - her socialite, masked form and her serial-killer-in-the-streets form of the Red Death, though this is more of a cosmetic change that can mask her identity than something that changes her abilities. Her most interesting ability is Truth of Die (feels very Lies of P) in which she demands a character identify themselves and then casts Disintegrate on them. If the target lied about their identity, they get disadvantage on the save. And she has another feature that says she always knows if she hears a lie.
Vladeska Drakov:
The tyrannical dictator of Falkovnia, Drakov is a very martial Darklord, a CR 12 humanoid who uses a Pike and throws spears that can impale (restrain) targets. She can even call in an artillery strike, and is very much built to fight alongside soldiers (who she can also put in the way of attacks meant for her).
Ankhtepot:
The OG Mummy Lord, this guy is CR 17, can fly, and has a recharge ability that is basically a less powerful, touch-range Power Word Kill.
Hazlik:
The former Red Wizard, Hazlik is CR 14 and somewhat similar to an Archmage in stats, but can make Wild Magic surges with a bonus action, creating randomized effects.
Cthulhu:
Yes, the most famous of Lovecraft's monsters, Cthulhu is a CR 25 gargantuan aberration. Certainly the highest-CR Darklord, while tough in combat, he's also got some powerful remote abilities, able to cast Dream and then Geas through the dream with a very tough spells ave DC of 25.
Ramya Vasavadan:
One of two Death Knight Darklords, Ramya normally disguises herself to appear still alive, and struggles to retain control of her domain while her fiendish siblings contend with her. Similar in capabilities to a Death Knight, she's actually somewhat lower CR, at 15, and when her disguise drops, nearby creatures can be frightened by the true appearance, which appears if she drops below 80 HP or if she uses her Vengeful Fire (a recharge ability similar to a Hellfire Orb).
Harkon Lukas:
The faux-friendly traveling musician with a beast lurking beneath the surface, Harkon is a CR 14 Monstrosity that is similar in a lot of ways to a Loup-Garou (I mean, he is one, but slightly tougher) but with health regeneration (that the standard Loup-Garou lost) and performance abilities that can charm and deal psychic damage (his legendary actions have him kind of cycle between his humanoid and wolf form). (I don't know about you, but I feel like he makes for an amazing Southern Gothic villain.)
Viktra Mordenheim:
The mad scientist and amoral crafter of flesh golems, Mordenheim is a CR 7 humanoid. She has some abilities that buff nearby construct allies, and both a lightning attack and a set of syringes with various serums that she can inject people with.
Wilfred Godefroy:
The greatest ghost of Gryphon Hill, Godefroy is a CR 6 undead with your standard incorporeal undead stuff. He has an aura of ghostly spirits that can possess foes, and hunts down the living with his spectral hunting rifle.
Ebonbane:
An evil sword forged of the fragments of all the evils that the heroic paladin Kateri Shadowborn defeated, Ebonbane is both a small CR 13 construct as well as a sentient artifact weapon that can be wielded by those who survive the process of attuning to it. Ebonbane can only act on its own within its keep, but in addition to slashing out at foes, it can possess bodies of the dead to act as its wielder and devour the souls of those who attempt to wield it.
Lord Soth:
The OG Death Knight, Lord Soth may or may not actually be in Ravenloft - the one in Sithicus is either a copy or perhaps he travels between his domain and the world of Krynn each night. Anyway, Lord Soth is a CR 19 undead that is similar to a Death Knight, but a little tougher and has some extra magic, as well as a once-a-day emanation that can frighten and inflict psychic damage that might instant-kill creatures.
Mother Lorinda:
The delusional, mad green hag of Tepest is a CR 8 Fey that has some similar features to a Green Hag, but can also disguise herself into "Mother," the benevolent harvest deity of Tepest, in which she can cast Charm Person as a bonus action. This form drops if she's reduced to 50 HP, and when that happens, nearby creatures can become frightened and get disadvantage on saving throws while they are.
Chakuna:
The only Darklord that isn't evil, Chakuna reclaimed her home from the colonialist man-hunter Urik von Kharkov, but had to take on the mantle of Darklord to keep him out of power. She's a werepanther, a CR 11 monstrosity, who has various abilities to help her hunt down those who enter the Trial of Hearts, including a barbed spear that inflicts an ongoing wound.
Mist Wanderers:
There are also a few potential allies for parties to find, and have their own unique stat blocks. Given that these are more likely to be on the players' sides, they're not legendary creatures, but they do tend to have some interesting abilities.
Ez D'avenir:
Ez is a CR 8 humanoid with a mix of melee and magic abilities. She has a few bonus action options, which can bolster allies in various ways, or impose a curse once a day on a foe that can gvie them vulnerability to a damage type (and can move it around like Hex if the target dies). So, a very good ally to have!
Madam Eva:
The Vistana fortune-teller, Madam Eva is a CR 10 Humanoid with various magical abilities, including a very potent recharge ability that can deal a bunch of necrotic and psychic damage in a Fireball-sized sphere and frighten foes that fail the Wisdom save against it.
Rudolph Van Richten:
A CR 5 humanoid, Van Richten has a couple weapons that deal some bonus radiant damage, a recharge ability that can deal psychic damage and frighten foes in a cone, and some limited spellcasting ability.
Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove:
A CR 3 druidic apprentice of Van Richten's, she has some magical abilities including a recharge ability that can deal radiant damage and stun nearby Undead. However, she's also cursed by a werewolf, and if she drops to 0 HP, she becomes one, so be sure to keep her up!
Laurie Weathermay-Foxgrove:
Gennifer's sister and fellow apprentice to Van Richten, Laurie is also CR 3, and is more of a martial character, with weapons that deal a little extra radiant damage and a reaction to deflect attacks against her or her allies.
For all the complaints I had about the bestiary rehashing so many creatures, this a pretty fantastic selection of unique characters. I really like the idea of having brief quests (maybe going into a single small dungeon) with one or two of these allies - perhaps investigating a haunted house with the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins or defending a Vistani caravan from attackers with Madam Eva.
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