Masque of the Red Death Player's Guide

Gothic Earth, first revealed in 1994 with the release of the Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales boxed set, allows D&D players to enter a dark vision of our own world in the 1890s. Now, this classic setting comes to 5th Edition with the release of the Masque of the Red Death Player's Guide!

Everything you need to create a Gothic Earth character or campaign waits within the pages of this tome, which explores the core themes of the setting and provides rules to implement them in the latest edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Discover a benighted mirror of Earth at the end of the 19th Century, where nations old and new arise beyond the reach of Europe’s fading empires. Railroads, firearms, electric power, and other wondrous inventions spread across the globe, while magic is a lost secret, tainted forever by an ancient evil.

Thousands of ago, an alien force invaded Gothic Earth: The Red Death. It manipulates and corrupts humankind, while its minions—vampires, werewolves, doppelgangers, and worse—thrive in the shadows. Now, this terrible entity’s carefully-woven plans come together. A few brave investigators risk their lives against the darkness… Will you be one of them?

These rules usher you into the tales of Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, and Bram Stoker. Here you will find tools to oppose the Red Death’s agents, from Jack the Ripper and Professor Moriarty to Mr. Hyde and Count Dracula himself. Join hidden cabals, rediscover forbidden lore and spells, and explore the most dangerous D&D campaign setting of all with the Masque of the Red Death Player's Guide.


Just as the original boxed set provided new classes, character options, and other rules that brought the world's most popular roleplaying game into this unique era, this 5E conversion presents a whole new way of playing D&D, including:

5 new classes—ranging from the highly observant, mystery-solving Sleuth to the unmatched combat expertise of the Soldier—designed for versatility and customization, allowing you to portray any Gothic Earth character concept you can imagine;

16 new archetypes, all usable with any Masque of the Red Death character class, including spellcasters such as the Adept, Medium, and Mystic, alongside fierce investigators like the Artifact Hunter, Gunslinger, Outrider, and Spy;

New rules for firearms, explosives, and other 19th Century gear, as well as expanded combat options that model everything from brutal urban firefights to subtle battles of will between rivals in high society;

A custom character sheet specially designed for making your own Gothic Earth heroes;

Updated versions of the classic Ravenloft rules for Fear, Horror, and the temptations of Dark Powers—as well as new rules for Resolve, the personal reserve of willpower you rely on to resist these influences and achieve heroic exploits;

A whole chapter on cabals, secret societies that preserve the secrets of magic in a world where spellcasting risks corruption, madness, and supernatural transformation;

A guide to 1890s London, the bustling center of both the British Empire and a dark web of supernatural conspiracies;

A separate file with a collection of printer-friendly pre-generated Masque of the Red Death characters, which includes all the rules players need in a quick-and-easy format, to allow play with minimal reference to the book itself at the table;

New feats, spells, backgrounds, and more...