Editing Demiplane of Dread (section)

=Planar Traits=
The Demiplane of Dread's creators have molded the reality of this world into a new fashion, forcibly imposing the rules of [[Gothic Horror]] on the setting. There are many ways that this molding manifests, but some of the more overt include the following:
* [[Necromancer|Necromancy]] spells are empowered and rendered more dangerous; spells like Animate Dead will call up more creatures than the caster may be able to control, whilst spells that instantly kill their victims usually cause such victims to arise spontaneously as the [[undead]] - and often as ones quite pissed off at their killer. Certain non-necromancy, non-instant-kill spells even have a chance of doing this, such as Disintegrate turning a completely disintegrated victim into an incorporeal undead! Using any necromancy spell provokes a powers check unless it's purely defensive, doesn't affect undead, and doesn't manipulate life force; that list of "safe" spells is quite narrow.
* [[Diviner|Divination]] spells are pretty much worthless; spells that detect moral alignment invariably fail, spells aimed at detecting monstrous species either are unreliable (Detect Undead) or flatly won't work (using True Seeing to look for natural shapechangers), spells that revolve around mental contact risk driving you mad if you accidentally use them on certain inhuman creatures, and in general you can't trust the result of divination spells because the normal awareness of when such a spell has failed doesn't occur in the Demiplane of Dread. Oh, and Scrying type spells create a visible sensory apparatus that can alert your target that you're scrying on them, which can even serve as a conduit for things like gaze attacks. There's a practical reason for this; horrific things aren't quite as scary if you know their true nature too early, and so this element was put in to keep from having the DM tip their hands too soon and ruin the scare. 
* [[Conjurer|Conjuration]] allows entities from other planes to be summoned, but they won't be able to return home when the spell expires. Obviously, quite a few of them will be ''very'' upset with their summoner because of this. Even before they figure this out, the binding aspects of conjuration spells are weaker in the Demiplane of Dread, giving summoned creatures a chance to escape its bonds the moment it arrives.
* [[Abjurer|Abjuration]] spells that banish creatures to another plane do not work. Rather, they ''appear'' to work but just toss the target somewhere else within the demiplane.
* [[Illusionist|Illusion]] spells that manipulate shadows are 20% more powerful, but the caster risks losing control of it when the spell ends, releasing a free-willed [[shadow]].
* Spells that directly interfere with the fabric of a Domain, such as manipulating weather, can often attract the attention of the resident [[Darklord]], and who might be able to subvert or negate these same spells if they have related powers.
* The "Contact Other Plane" spell doesn't work like it should - instead, it gives you a telepathic two-way communication link with the local [[Darklord]].
* Curses are empowered, and even non-spellcasters can potentially lay deadly or deforming curses on people if their rage or grief is intense enough to catch the notice of the [[Dark Powers]].
* The [[Dark Powers]] are watching everybody and seem to enjoy turning people into monsters that reflect their own evil deeds. When a creature performs some evil act, which range from casting necromantic spells to premeditated murder, the Dark Powers [[Powers Check|might notice]] and start the process. The changes are subtle or even helpful at first, allowing the victim to more easily perform his evil acts, which lures the victim into more evil, gaining more attention and transformation, until he is completely transformed into a monster or even a [[darklord]] of his own domain.
* Intelligent undead, like vampires, can tell if their minds are being read and can choose which thoughts they will project. Depending on the circumstances, this may be a false image passing them off as human or an up-close look at the most evil parts of their minds meant to drive the would-be mind reader insane.
* 5th edition's overhaul of the lore drops most  of the above rules but adds some new ones.  If you die in the Demiplane of Dread your soul does not move into the afterlife and is trapped there until it is eventually reincarnated.  People who are resurrected after being dead for over 24 hour discover this and are traumatized by the experience.  Many other spells also change to become more sinister, such as the Find Familiar spell giving you an undead familiar, or the Find Path spell calling up a child's ghost to guide you, and other changes that make spells look creepy while still doing the same thing.

==Welcome to the Hotel California==
One of the most infamous traits of the Demiplane of Dread is that getting ''in'' is easy, but getting '''out''' is a whole 'nother story. After all, DMs don't want you running out on their games so easily.

Attempting to brute force the issue with magic? Won't work. In general, teleportation spells treat each domain within the demiplane as its own entirely unique plane; no teleportation spells of 5th level or lower can work across domain borders, and even 6th level or higher teleportation spells can't breach a closed domain or leave the demiplane entirely. Likewise, spells that function by shifting creatures into another plane, especially the [[Astral Plane]], don't work in the demiplane of dread - you can still cast "Banishment", but all it does is just boot the target to a random spot in the demiplane. The ''Gate'' spell can only be used to either create a one-way portal into the demiplane, or to create a portal to a different domain. ''Plane Shift'' can be used to either travel to any domain you've visited in the past, or just to randomly teleport you to somewhere else in the demiplane. ''Shadow Walk'' lets you travel to anywhere in the plane you wish, so long as you don't try and breach closed domain borders. And the ''Wish'' family of spells (Wish, Limited Wish and Miracle) all simply fail if you try to use them to get out.

So, how can you leave? 

Well, firstly, you can just enter the Mists and hope for the best. Your destination is up to the Dark Powers (read: the DM), so if you're lucky, the DM may show pity on you and let you go.

Secondly, defeating a [[Darklord]] may well cause the Mists to rise and take you back to where you belong, especially if this is supposed to be a [[Weekend in Hell]] game. This is the classic way to leave Ravenloft.

Thirdly, you can try and find a portal out of Ravenloft. These are incredibly rare, obviously, but do exist - "Domains of Dread", for example, states outright that such a portal can be found on the Isle of Lament, the inhospitable home of Lamordia's [[Darklord]]. Expect to go through hell and high water to find and/or activate the portal.

Fourthly, the 3.5 [[Ravenloft]] [[Dungeon Master's Guide]] offers a way out in the unique artifact called ''The Scroll of Return''. Said to have been written on the skin of a celestial who voluntarily sacrificed its life to allow for the item's creation, and given the creation mechanics "caster level 18, Wish, Plane Shift", this scroll allows the user to cast a fully functioning Plane Shift spell that ignores the demiplane's normal restrictions on teleportation magic, allowing the user and up to seven other souls to flee the demiplane to anywhere else in the multiverse. Using the scroll takes 10 minutes and consumes the scroll itself to open the portal that lets the party Plane Shift, but the scroll will reform itself somewhere else in the demiplane after being used. Naturally, expect finding this little beauty to be an adventure, if not a campaign, in and of itself. [[Darklord]]s can't use this item, though.

Finally, you can always hope to stumble across the door to the [[World Serpent Inn]], which materializes in a random domain each night. The Dark Powers always try to guard this door with local monsters and nastiness, but if you can open the door and step inside, you're free of the demiplane.