Somewhere, lost in the shrouded realms of death, lies a land of endless night where long?forgotten horrors are revealed to those who travel through the mist.

There, in a crooked house lives a Crooked Man with a crooked grin. He raises crooked arms to a Crooked Tree at the edge of midnight and hears the whispers of the Old Ones…

The Crooked Moon is a 632-page folk horror compendium of setting, species, subclasses, backgrounds, feats, dark bargains, spells, monsters, and a self-titled adventure. Designed as a 5th edition-compatible supplement, The Crooked Moon is a blend of atmospheric worldbuilding and new rules to run and play a 5th Edition horror campaign.

The book, in many ways, is three separate full-length supplements combined into one massive book: a setting guide, a player’s guide, and a ready-to-run campaign that provides one-to-two years’ worth of play. Sectioned into three parts, players will run from (or play as) monsters in the land between life and death: Druskenvald.

Druskenvald features thirteen, distinct provinces that provided unique opportunities for original and thematic horror adventures. They include:

Ardengloom: A dark forest of long-forgotten tales filled with the bones of ancient feyfolk and new species like the gnarlborn.

Astramar: Celestial mysteries and the arcane arts can be found in the azure sky and lands of this magical province. This province includes some Grecian overtones.

Bubonia: A plague-ridden province, a nod to 14th century Europe during the Black Plague, filled with the plagueborn, sinister guilds, and mutant creatures.

Chernabos: Lawlessness and guile reign supreme in this provincial hellscape where the ashborn live amongst erupting volcanoes, earth-splitting quakes, and bold seekers of fortune.

Edwardia:: Edwardian gaslight fantasy is dimmed in the province of Edwardia where the Grey threatens all. An entity, an omnipresent fog, and a curse, the Grey pushes back against innovative inventions.

Enoch: The agrarian cycle of planting, harvesting, and dark rituals is dominant in Enoch, where fields are magically grown in the dark of night.

Kalero: Inspired by the Mexican holiday Dia de Muertos, life and death are celebrated in equal measure in a province filled with the relicborn and untold treasure.

Nerukhet: Deep below ground, labyrinthine caverns riddled with lightbearing geodes house the silkborn and the divine, gemstone-encrusted Bejeweled: sacred insects and oversized arachnids.

Olmarsh: A Lovecraftian province in the dark seas surrounding Druskenvald, the people of Olmarsh and the deepborn face nautical phantoms, eldritch horrors, and the abyss.

Pholsense: Inspired by the deadly European witch trials, Pholsense inquisitors demand its residents live and practice magic according to a law called the Silver Path.

Picco: Picco is a dark carnivale-themed province of chaotic, gleeful fun. Its locales are distinct, like Dinopolis and Captain Bone’s Lagoon, offering a customizable experience and a break from the horrors omnipresent throughout the other provinces. It also includes a nod to Curse of Strahd.

Syndramas: Eternal winter and endless battles are fought throughout the Drakkonite mine-filled necropolis of Syndramas. A trio of undead factions that includes the Rimeshade, Bloodboil, and Marrowfeast Legions are locked in an unceasing war.

Zulrogg: Humid, swampy jungles riddled with bogs, ancestral spirits, and spirit beasts are home to the trollish bogborn and their spirit priests.

Next, players are introduced to thirteen new playable species including the humanoid, harpy Azureborn, the doll-like construct Threadborn, and the undead Relicborn. Players can further flesh out their characters with 15 new subclasses and 13 new backgrounds as well as new feats, dark bargains, and spells. The subclasses are tied to the twelve, core classes and infuse straightforward classes with horror. For example, the Bard can specialize in the College of Whistles to “whistle” ghostly companions, while the Fighter can become a Barrow Guard and command the undead. The new subclasses and backgrounds infuse several horror tropes, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, into character creation for a creative and more well-rounded player character.

The book’s third and longest portion is The Crooked Moon adventure, which I’m not going to narrate in its entirety to avoid spoilers. It is a campaign that walks players from level one to level fourteen; it is filled with multiple characters, monsters, and locations that includes a broad range of horrific and supernatural elements.

Capped by over 145 pages of appendices, stats and write-ups are included for monsters, familiars, fabled heirlooms, cursed curios, paranormal potions, curses, music, tarot–and more!

A personal favorite is the Reveler of Stories, because that monster is not limited to one, unique form. The chaotic neutral Dingpot is cute in a mischievous way, and can be easily outfitted to other, similar yokai-themed creatures. Cursed objects like the Midwife Shears are thematic and flesh out urban legends that can be wielded by both new and existing species, while potions and tonics have useful purposes, like the Nightwatcher potion, as well as narrative hooks, like the Tincture of Mourning.

Based on the Edge of Midnight, a folk horror campaign produced by Legends of Avantris, the material in The Crooked Moon is dense, playable, and adaptable. A “must have” for players who want to plump the depths of folk horror and its tropes, The Crooked Moon is now available in the following formats:

* The Crooked Moon 5th Ed (2014) PDF
* The Crooked Moon 5th Edition (2024)
* The Crooked Moon Roll 20 VTT
* The Crooked Moon Hardcover

The Crooked Moon is a one-of-a-kind 5th edition supplement and Avantris Entertainment’s first product.


This post contains Amazon and DriveThruRPG affiliate links.

This review has been written by FlamesRising.com contributor Allie Brooks. A copy of The Crooked Moon was graciously provided by the publisher for review.

Tags | dark-fantasy, dungeons & dragons, horror, ttrpgs