Darkness Beyond Reason by Jackson Lewis (@HoneyBadger349), E.R.F. Jordan & Tessa Klaire (@MiscKlaire) This is a fascinating selection of creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky subclasses that showcase the altogether ooky imagination and originality of Lewis, covering everything from curses and carrion through disease, devils, ghosts, and ghouls to patrons drawn from historical murder and knowledge, forbidden and forgotten, and much more.

There's something for everyone here, whether they are playing bad or going full evil, though many have ways in which these dark archetypes can be interpreted and played, if not pure of heart, at least somewhat goodly, as well as providing abilities and inspiration for the villains in your game.

The Druids of Circle of the Joiner, receive information and corruption from the influence of other planes, through unsettling dreams and hallucinations, and truly stand out as one of the most imaginative and twisted concepts I've ever come across, taking existing lore and abilities, but splicing them together to produce something so much stranger through the granting of totally unique wildshapes combining existing creatures. This leads to so much more variety, as well as keeping wildshape fresh as other combinations can be experimented with through the template provided, rather than falling back on the same few critters per CR bracket that clearly stand out on terms of HP or damage output.

Credits

Writers: Jackson Lewis (@HoneyBadger349), E.R.F. Jordan & Tessa Klaire (@MiscKlaire)

Editor: KathLeen Harrington

Layout: Jane Hermiston

My affiliate link: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/329471/Darkness-Beyond-Reason?affiliate_id=1507682