Inferno

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Inferno is a setting for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition by the Italian gaming company Acheron Books. Advertised as "the world's first ever Dantesque Campaign Setting", Inferno is a setting that attempts to take Hell as described in La Divine Commedia, the epic poem trilogy by Dante Alighieri, and convert it into an adventuring setting whilst still remaining as close to the original lore as possible, as opposed to just diving into the pop-culture version of Hell you might see in the likes of Baator.

In a campaign of Inferno, players take on the role of Lost Ones; living souls somehow displaced from their mortal bodies and fallen into Hell, where their prominent sins are catalyzed by the dark energies of that dreary netherrealm, forcing them to assume an Archetype that indicates their ruling sin and which part of the Inferno they will be damned to upon their death. The goal of the Lost Ones is to cling to their precious Hope whilst traveling into the deepest depths of Hell, where they will find the only gateway to escape back to the world of the living; should they lose all Hope, then their soul is lost and they will be trapped in Hell like any other sinner for all eternity.

Having succeeded in publishing it, Acheron Books has announced their plans for a spiritual successor called Apocalisse, which will take place on Earth in the throes of the Biblical Apocalypyse.

Splatbooks

Inferno will consist of two splatbooks; Dante's Guide to Hell, which is the basic Player's Handbook of the setting and covers the Lost One race and the basic Archetypes, and Virgilio's Lost Tales, a combination Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide which also has optional player content hidden inside of it.

Hope

The spiritual element that keeps a Lost One or other metaphysical being from being trapped in Hell is Hope. Hence the infamous call to "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here". Mechanically, Hope is a new resource for characters to manage.

A character begins play in a game of Inferno with 33 Hope Points. Certain interactions may grant a player new Hope Points, either in a specific amount, or in the form of either a Spark of Hope (1d4 Hope) or a Glimpse of Hope (1d6 Hope).

Players who die in Inferno are revived at the rare Divine Flames, celestial pyres that literally embody Hope, at a cost of 1 Hope Point. They can also sacrifice Hope by Embracing their Sin (spending 2 Hope to get a bonus based on their Archetype), or by giving it to others, voluntarily losing 1 Spark or Glimpse worth of Hope to grant another willing soul an amount of Hope equal to half the roll.

Why is Hope valuable? Well, it keeps you from being snared fully in Hell. If you lose all your Hope, you need to make a Despair save; roll a d20, and if you roll equal to half your character level (rounded down) or higher, then you pass and regain 1 Spark of Hope. You can only resist Despair 3 times; if you fail your Despair save, or are called to make a 4th Despair save, then your character completely loses the last dregs of their spiritual protection and is immediately sucked away to take theiro place as one of the damned, doomed to suffer in Hell for all eternity.

Races

The default race in a game of Inferno is the Lost One, the displaced, sin-warped soul of a living being. Neither alive nor dead, Lost Ones have a chance to redeem their sins and escape Hell, but not the certainty of doing so.

Virgilio's Other Tales offers three alternative races to the Lost One in the form of the Indifferent Angel, the Malebranche and the Noble Soul. Because these Hope-imbued spawn of the pit are a very different breed to the Lost Ones, they don't use Archetypes in the conventional sense, but rather they function as both race and class in a single package, with a set of specific racial traits followed by level-based class traits. Like Archetypes, each pit-spawn has Emblems that embody their spiritual aspect, empowering these as they level up.

The Indifferent Angel, also known as the Angel of the Indifferent Choir, represents a fallen angel from the ranks of those who chose not to pick sides during the great war in Heaven, and thus were cast down to Antinferno to suffer. Though they still appear as towering, majestic humanoids of great beauty and bearing white-feathered wings, their features are forever shrouded by immovable veils, their wings pierced with bracelets, rings and chains that make them useless, and their forms covered in mud and crawling insects. Their emblems are the Veil of Indifference, their Haunting Insects, and the Shield of Indifference. They can spend 2 points of Hope to regain all of their spent Indifference Dice, a resource they use to power various racial-class abilities.

The Malebranche is a low-ranked devil normally assigned to drudgery, such as the tormenting of the damned. But, every so often, one manages to embrace the Divine Hope and seek redemption. They appear as winged devils with curving horns, bat-like wings, and skin like smoked glass; black and dull at a distance, but translucent enough to reveal their muscles and golden bones up close. Their Emblems are their Golden Skeleton, their Weapons of Damnation and their Wings of Sin. They can spend 2 Hope points to recover all spent Damnation Dice, a resource they use to power various racial-class abilities.

The Noble Soul represents the elite of Purgatory; the spirits of heroes, warlords, poets, philosophers and other virtuous beings condemned to never reach heaven for being pagans or heathens, now waiting for Judgement Day and hoping to be accepted into God's grace.. They resemble living statues; men and women with marble-white skin, like an ancient effigy come to life, and with cracks in their flesh revealing hints of their golden bones beneath. Their ancient wisdom and eons spent in Hell grant them the power to wield magic, and they can spend 2 Hope Points to cast any 1st level or higher spell without spending a spell slot. Their Emblems are their Golden Skeleton, their very appearance of being a living Stone Effigy, and their Ancient Relics.

Archetypes

Taking the place of classes, Archetypes represent the specific governing sin that defines a Lost One's soul. Those Archetypes available in Dante's Guide to Hell consist of the the Beast, Jester, Vicar, Pagan, Tyrant, Serpent, Illuminatus, Slave, Saint, Exiled, Heresiarch and False Prophet. Obviously, multiclassing is forbidden in a traditional game of Inferno.

Each Archetype embodies a specific sin, and is thus destined to end up in a particular region of Hell should the Lost Soul die or lose all Hope.

• The Beast (Barbarian); Wrath; The Fifth Circle
• The Jester (Bard); Violence Against Oneself; Second Round of the Seventh Circle
• The Vicar (Cleric); Hypocrisy; Sixth Bolgia of the Eight Circle
• The Pagan (Druid); Unbaptized; First Circle
• The Tyrant (Fighter): Violence Towards Others; First Round of the Seventh Circle
• The Serpent (Rogue); Theft; Seventh Bolgia of the Eighth Circle
• The Illuminatus (Wizard); Greed; Fourth Circle
• The Slave (Monk); Sloth; Antinferno
• The Saint (Paladin); Violence Towards God; Third Round of the Seventh Circle
• The Exile (Ranger); Betrrayal of One's Country; Second Region of the Ninth Circle
• The Heresiarch (Sorcerer); Heresy; Sixth Circle
• The False Prophet (Warlock); Schism; Ninth Bolgia of the Eighth Circle

Mechanically, an Archetype works like taking a Class plus a specific Subclass, with the added bonus that each class comes with three Emblems; these are physical manifestations of the sinful aspects of the Archetype's soul, the metaphysical trappings of their cosmic identity made manifest. Essentially, they're three magic items or supernatural boons you start with and you can't ever give away, sell, lose or have stolen. As an Archetype levels up, they also empower their emblems by infusing them with greater levels of corruption and sin, like so:

• 5th level. One of the three emblems becomes Tormented.
• 9th level. A second emblem becomes Tormented, then a Tormented emblem becomes Burned.
• 13th level. A third emblem becomes Tormented, then a Tormented emblem becomes Burned, then a Burned emblem becomes Damned.
• 17th level. A Tormented emblem becomes Burned, then one of the two Burned emblems becomes Damned.

The Beast

Embodying the sin of incontinence and damned to the Styxian marshes on the Fifth Circle, the Beast is physically marked by a body covered in a perpetual slick of mud and slime, an oversized weapon and a gilded beast skull strapped over their own head.

Their Emblems are the Brutal Weapon they wield, the Mud that adorns their bodies, and their dark blessing of Unchecked Might.

The subclass features granted by the Path of the Beast make you a killing machine. Your Rages are made more potent by Ira Accecante at 3rd level, at the cost of always having to move towards the nearest thing and try to kill it. 6th level gives you the power of Unbridled Fury, which lets you make a fresh attack whenever you slay a foe or deal a critical hit. Relentless Counterstrike at 10th level means even approaching you risks an opportunity attack. Finally, at 14th level, a Beast can invoke the power of Unlimited Rage to survive a fatal strike and keep fighting without limits once per day.

A Beast can Embrace the Sin by spending 2 Hope in order to gain a bonus action - this stacks with any bonus action they may gain from another source.

The Jester

Devotees of selfish pleasures and rejecters of the need to help others, Jesters are damned to be pursued by hellhounds through the twisted Forest of Suicides on the Second Round of the Seventh Circle. Trapped forever in a mockingly grinning mask and jangling bells, Jesters embody the sin of folly.

The Emblems of a Jester are its leering Mask and discordantly jangling Jester Bells, as well as the Touch of Madness that taints the very air around them.

Bards who follow the College of Jest bring discordance, strife and madness into the minds of those who dare to oppose them. They can evoke an Aura of Chaos from 3rd level, sacrificing their own ability to concentrate to ruin the efforts of their foes, and likewise use a Reflection of Pain to savage the minds of those who dare to strike a blow against them. From 6th level, their hideous laughter is empowered by a Hideous Echo, and from 14th level, none can touch a Jester without suffering a wound in kind, an ability dubbed Do You Wanna Know How I Got These Scars?

When a Jester uses Embracing the Sin, they can sacrifice 2 Hope to regain all expended uses of Bardic Inspiration.

The Vicar

Hypocrisy sees a soul damned to the Sixth Bolgia of the Eighth Circle under the archetype of the Vicar, a proud and haughty clergyman (or clergywoman) quite literally burdened by the cloak of hypocrisy and wielding only a pale echo of the Divine Flame.

The Emblems of a Vicar are, of course, the Cloak of Hypocrisy, the Torch of Vanity, and its ability to speak a Holy Word.

Clerics who follow the Vicar Domain embrace hypocrisy, falseness, vanity and pride, wielding devotion as a weapon whilst shunning it themselves. From 1st level they can both wield the Light of the Lord and become Personified Dogma. From 2nd level, they can use a powerful Sermon to ensnare the minds of others, which is empowered when they master the Universal Word at 6th level. They gain Divine Power at 8th level, which even strengthens their Torch of Vanity, and can speak Fervent Words from 17th level to take the most advantage of those who have listened to their Sermon.

When a Vicar Embraces their Sin, they can spend 2 Hope points to deflect the damage they would take from a melee attack to any creature that isn't the original attack.

The Pagan

Marked by bestial features on an otherwise human frame, reminiscent of so many pagan spirits and deities, the Pagan is an individual who served a false, lying deity in their life, rather than heeding the word of the One True God. Whether they embraced the followings of a cult, a philosophy, scientific rationalism or agnosticism, though the Pagan lived a virtuous life, their refusal to accept the wisdom of Bible sees them condemned to the eternal restlessness of Limbo upon their deaths.

Whilst Pagans sport a variety of bestial features, their Emblems are rooted in the items they carry; a Mythic Amphora filled with spirits and monsters born of their false beliefs; a Crosier, or pastoral staff, the symbol of the false cult, and a Silvered Robe that embodies the virtues of their life, despite their fateful misbelief, and shields them from the fiends of Hell.

Druids on the Circle of the Pagan embrace nature's savagery. As well as being imbued with the power of the Guardian Shape, which allows them to become a hellish Dark Forest Panther, a Minotaur, a Fury or a Medusa, their powers revolve around the ability to freely slip from man to raging beast. First comes the blessing of the Wild Reaction at 2nd level, followed by the Strength of the Infernal Guardian at 6th level. From 10th level, the blows of their beast forms can be imbued with the strength of a frightful Retribution, whilst from 14th level, they can shrug off a mortal blow by invoking the Fury of the Wild Shape.

When a Pagan Embraces their Sin, they can use Wild Shape without expending a usage by spending 2 Hope.

The Tyrant

Whether on a grand scale or a small, the Tyrant maintained their authority through fear and violence. Condemned to the boiling blood river that is the First Round of the Seventh Circle, the blood they shed in life - literal or metaphorical - drips from their eyes and drenches their hands.

The Emblems of the Tyrant are the Crowned Skull that symbolizes the fleeting nature of earthly power, violence and subjugation; the gore-soaked Blood-Red Cloak, and the Tyrant's Burden, a massive, oversized sword or other hewing weapon.

Fighters following the path of the Tyrant embrace gratuitous violence, sudden aggression, and bloodthirsty reactions. Notably, by embracing the fact that Blood Calls Blood, they can draw strength from the gore shed by their Burden and use it to gain increasingly versatile strength.

Tyrants can use Embracing the Sin to spend 2 Hope in order to gain a bonus action, which can only be used to attack with their Burden.

The Serpent

Thieves and swindlers, imposters and robbers of all kind are destined to suffer amongst the serpents of the Seventh Bolgia of the Eighth Circle, until they are transformed into ferocious reptiles to torment their kindred in turn. Lost Ones under this Archetype are blindfolded by irremovable veils, bandages or other coverings, but are guided by two golden serpents that coil around their wrists like bangles.

The Emblems of the Serpent are the aforementioned Golden Asps, which will bite ferociously to defend their host, and the ability to invoke the power of a Hypnotic Gaze and a Slithering Form.

Rogues who follow the path of the Serpent embrace their Golden Asps as weapons to wield against their victims, and also learn to go beyond the symbolism of theft to its very foundation by stealing life itself from their prey.

When a Serpent Embraces their Sin by spending 2 Hope, their Golden Asps become more potently toxic; a Serpent can Embrace their Sin with the first attack of their turn to cause any creature which takes Poison damage from the Serpent's attacks to be Poisoned until the end of the Serpent's next turn.

The Illuminatus

Whilst those who stole and robbed become Serpents, those whose avarice was directed towards more ephemeral subjects become the Illuminati upon entry to Hell; condemned to the Fourth Circle, the unearthly lore they wield is contrasted by forms withered and wizened through indifference to the flesh and by trappings of lavish gemstones which will become the great weights that will torment the Illuminatus in death.

The Emblems of an Illuminatus are their Unrecognizable face, their Clenched Fists that are molded around a staff and a book, and the Gems of Knowledge strewn across their forms.

Wizards who wield the School of the Illuminati pursue knowledge at all costs, even casting aside the true light of the Lord to embrace their greed for ever-greater arcane might. First adorning themselves with the Robe of Greed that shields them and the Gems of Knowledge that fuel their destructive might, they learn to be masters of Versatile Preparation. Their hunger for magic becomes an Unquenchable Thirst that allows them to devour spells used against them to fuel their own magic, and those who survive long enough become masters of the Canny Defense.

When an Illuminatus Embraces their Sin, they can spend 2 Hope to cast a spell without having to expend a spell slot.

The Slave

Whilst most sins are committed by action, those who are damned to the Border Land at the Gates of Hell instead sinned through inaction. Weighed down by chains and tormented by hellish insect swarms, they are those who stood back and watched as others suffered, those too fearful or slothful to take sides when it mattered most.

The Emblems of the Slave are the Chains they carry and wield as weapons, the Haunting Insects that infest their flesh, and even the sheer Sloth that damned them.

Monks on the Way of the Salve embrace a path defined by cowardice, sloth and noncommitment, wrapping their arms in heavy chains and learning to use these as deadly weapons.

When a Slave Embraces their Sin, they spend 2 Hope to heal 2d8 + (twice level in Monk) hit points and gain Resistance to all damage for a turn, at the cost of being incapacitated until the end of their next turn.

The Saint

Great is the One True God's hatred for those who preach of acting in His name whilst in truth mocking his precepts. The self-righteous, the bloodthirsty zealots, the hypocritically virtuous; all who broke the Law of the Lord whilst pretending to enforce it shall be condemned to the Third Round of the Seventh Circle, to burn forever in a sandy waste scorched by raining fire.

The Emblems of the Saint are the Shield and Banner they carry, the Silver Halo that mocks their virtue signalling, and the Veiled Gaze.

Paladins who swear the Oath of the Saint vow to uphold the tenets of Faith, Hope, and Charity, despite their failings, and learn to use their holiness to keep the dark forces of Hell at bay without resorting to violence.

Normally, a Saint's Banner grants the effect of a Bless spell, until it is used as a weapon - then, it must be purified through an hour-long ritual before it will extend its holy magic once more. By Embracing their Sin and spending 2 Hope, the Saint can instantly purify their Banner after using it to spill blood.

The Exile

Betrayal is amongst the greatest of all sins. Whether their betrayal was literal or symbolic, those who break faith are condemned to an eternity in the frozen river Antenora in the Second Zone of the Ninth Circle.

The Emblems of the Exile are their forever Frozen' flesh, the Empty Lantern they bear at their side, and the gilded Bone Weapons they carry to defend themselves.

A Ranger on the Path of the Exile learns to draw upon the freezing magical powers of Antenora, allowing them to surround themselves in deadly clouds of frigid mist.

When an Exile Embraces their Sin, they can spend 2 Hope to entrap a creature they have struck in thick bonds of ice.

The Heresiarch

Whether they actively spread blasphemy or were merely its foolish believers, heretics all suffer the same fate; to burn forever in the graves of Dite, the city on the Sixth Circle.

The Heresiarch's Emblems are the Heretical Symbol that they can never cast aside, the Burned Skin that marks their future fate, and the etheral Flames that dance forever around their bodies.

Sorcerers of the Heresiarch origin wield the ravenous fires of Hell, cutting them off from other elemental powers, but allowing them to burn down whatever or whoever stands in their way.

A Heresiarch can Embrace their Sin by spending 2 hope to maximize the fire damage they are dealing.

The False Prophet

Those who sow discord or instigate conflicts and schisms, whether spiritual or secular, are condemned as the Schismatics, and sentenced to be forever ripped and torn by the devils of the Ninth Bolgia of the Eighth Circle upon their death.

The Emblems of the False Prophet are the Golden Skull they wear and the Arma d'Ossidiana (obsidian longsword) and Scepter they wield.

Warlocks following the path of the False Prophet are both master manipulators, easily able to bend others to their will, and skilled warriors.

When a False Prophet casts a spell that grants its target a saving throw, they can Embrace their Sin by spending 2 Hope to impose Disadvantage on the target's first save.

Crossovers?

There is some discussion to the idea of integrating Inferno into different settings, such as having it be tied to a more "conventional" Dungeons & Dragons world. However, not a lot of time is spent talking about this in Dante's Guide to Hell, and there are some obvious issues, namely the existence of the Pagan Archetype, which doesn't make sense in an inherently polytheistic cosmology as opposed to the monotheistic, Christian-inspired setting of the Inferno.