Darakhul Ghouls (Kobold Press) for Ravenloft?

[Havard]

Tim Baker mentioned this book in a WoW thread discussing undead PCs:

While I've yet to run a game with PC undead, Kobold Press released a sourcebook called Darakhul Ghouls, which was the first time I could really see such a thing working on a long-term basis without resorting to some sort of weird, all-undead party composition. If anyone wants to play a Forsaken or similar undead, I recommend checking it out.

Anyone know more about this book? Is it a later edition version of Ravenloft's Grim Harvest?

-Havard

[Tim Baker]

Darakhul Ghouls is a book for Kobold Press' Midgard Campaign Setting, but much of the content can be used for any setting with undead. It's primarily a book for PCs, offering lots of options for playing an undead character. However, since I'm not a Pathfinder GM, the real benefit came from the section of the book covering ways that traditionally evil undead could work with a party of non-evil, moral adventurers.

[Big Mac]

I went looking for the book, and had problems finding it. It seems that DMs Guild (and most other online stores) call it Advanced Races 2: Darakhul Ghouls (Pathfinder RPG), although that's not actually what it says on the cover. The cover picture makes it look like the book is called "Darkakhul".

Anyhoo, here is the blurb, from the DriveThru page for Advanced Races 2: Darakhul Ghouls (Pathfinder RPG):

Advanced Races 2: Darakhul Ghouls (Pathfinder RPG)
From Kobold Press



Can you master your hunger and adventure among the surface dwellers? Or will the monster within claim you?

In the lightless depths beneath the ground, an empire of devouring ambition grows and plots and dreams. They call themselves The People, but the rest of Midgard calls them the Lords Subterranean, the Ghoul Imperium, or simply the Empire of the Ghouls. Their cities lie out of sight. Their goals know no limits.

To them, if you are not a member of the People, you are food.

Advanced Races: Darakhul gives you everything you need to play as a darakhul, a greater ghoul of the dreaded Imperium. This 18-page sourcebook by award-winning designer Ben McFarland includes:

• 11 new darakhul racial traits, and 14 ghoulish feats including Eater of the Dead and Undead Rage
• 3 new archetypes: Quicksilver Alchemist, Imperial Hunter Ranger, and Necrophage Wizard
• 8 revolting magic items and equipment
• 6 new spells and incantations
• Survival tips for adventuring ghouls
• Haunting art by Guido Kuip, William McAusland, Chris McFann, Hugo Solis and Darren M. Calvert
• And much more!

Just remember, your fellow party members are not food! Yet…

Looking at this, I think the biggest challenge with using Darakul ghouls with Ravnloft is that they are tied into this Ghoul Imperium. You are not just getting the rules for playing ghouls - you are getting this organisation that backs up their existence. I'm not sure how much detail on the Empire of the Ghouls would fit into the 18 pages of this PDF (and I don't know if there is more detail in one of the Midgard books) but I'm thinking that you probably need to lift that entire concept and create a bespoke Ravenloft domain based around the Lords Subterranean.

I suppose that if you wanted to retain the Midgard tie-in within this book (instead of throwing it out and adding in local people that are like the ones in Bavaria) you could have an area of Midgard get sucked into the Mists of Ravenloft and become some sort of crossover between Ravenloft and Midgard.

And if you did go with "Midloft" or "Ravengard" or whatever you wanted to call a crossover, you could dip into whatever the Midgard canon said was above the area of the Ghoul Imperium and ramp up the horror aspect by adding in plenty of Ravenloft rules.

[Tim Baker]

The Ghoul Imperium isn't required to get a lot out of this book. And while some locations and factions within Midgard are mentioned, the ties aren't so strong that you can't easily cut them and use the rest of the content.

The first page and a half summarizes what a Darakhul ghoul is and provides stats for PC. The next two pages talk about role-playing a ghoul, and how to do so without having to be evil (this is my favorite part of the book). The following page and a half cover racial traits. While the mechanics are Pathfinder specific, there's great flavor here, and it's easy fodder to give players ideas for undead PCs, even if they're using a different system. Next, there are two and a half pages of feats and three pages of archetypes. The archetypes are another source of player inspiration when building a ghoul PC, regardless of system. Then, there are three and a half pages of magic items, spells, and incantations, which can be useful to both players and GMs. And finally, there's a bestiary page.

I hope this helps.

[Big Mac]

Thanks Tim.

<ot>I wonder how well the Darahul would work with Jakandor.</ot>

[Tim Baker]

I wonder how well the Darahul would work with Jakandor.

I'm not familiar with the setting. I would imagine that it would depend upon whether the Charonti control intelligent undead or not, and whether their creations ever break free of the necromancers' control. Darakhul are intelligent and have a will of their own.

[Big Mac]

Wolfgang Baur said he thought the book was a good fit for Ravenloft:

Well, I have a copy and I think it could work extremely well in Ravenloft as Strahd's servitors and favored ones. A whole darakhul aristocracy would be stronger than humans, not as bloodthirsty as vampire servants, and close to immortal.