Welcome to the Shadows
"Matisse" by 000Fesbra000 (resized) is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there,
wondering, fearing, doubting,
dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"
This web site offers free fan resources for World of Darkness roleplaying games. Whether you're new or seasoned as a Storyteller or player, you can find something to inspire you here. This site has material for classic WoD games like Vampire: the Masquerade and 1st edition Chronicles of Darkness. Material can be used across game lines and editions with a little tweaking on your part. Should you have any comments or questions, feel free to send me an email.
What is the World of Darkness?
The World of Darkness is a horror game setting based on the real world, but with a sinister twist. It's populated by various kinds of supernatural creatures that scheme, fight, and die in wars they keep hidden from the rest of the world. Players portray these unsual beings as their player characters (PCs). Storytellers craft settings, story arcs, and nonplayer characters (NPCs) to interact with. STs also arbitrate the rules so things are fair for everyone. Published books provide guidance on how to fill roles and perform tasks, but how closely a group follows the rules is up to them. WoD games can be tailored to suit many tastes, set in any era, and run anywhere in the world. This is a major reason they've endured for over 20 years.
But the "World of Darkness" label doesn't refer to a single game line or system. It was first developed by White Wolf Publishing through flagship games like Vampire: the Masquerade from 1991 to 2004. It had its own rules and supernatural types, and was updated in three editions until it was brought to a close. The original setting and game lines became known as the "old" and eventually "classic" WoD. That's because the New World of Darkness emerged in 2004, with a greatly updated rules system and re-imagined creatures. NWoD was eventually taken over by Onyx Path Publishing and is now in its second edition. In recent years, it was rebranded "Chronicles of Darkness" because the old WoD game lines were resurrected, first with 20th anniversary editions, and then with Vampire: the Masquerade 5th edition.
Since I've been involved with the World of Darkness in one form or another since I was 16 years old, I might still refer to them as "old" and "new" WoD around this site. I hope you'll forgive me, but old habits die hard. At least now you know what all of the terms mean. I hope you find or make the World of Darkness that's right for you and game in it for many years to come!
Please note: This site is in the midst of a huge overhaul, so some pages will look and operate differently than others. It'll take a while to complete the conversion, but once it's done, everything will be more mobile-friendly and accessible. Thank you for your patience in the meantime!
Table of Contents |
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Learn about larger concerns when running chronicles. |
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Enjoy things you can use to develop PCs and NPCs. |
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Get ideas for vampires, chronicles, and villains. |
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Consider various ways to develop Kindred characters. |
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Check out the many fan-made powers in this archive. |
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Review official V:tM clans, along with some fan-made ones. |
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Explore vampire groups and ancient Kindred myths. |
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Learn about running Lost games for all kinds of fae. |
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Find options to enhance your fae characters. |
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Enjoy this archive of fan-made changeling powers. |
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Learn all about running C:tL in that era. |
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Peruse classic and newer WoD fan fiction. |
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Find samples and links to fonts used in the books. |
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Browse these free online resources. |
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Track recent changes to this site. |
Portions of this material are copyrights and trademarks of White Wolf Publishing AB, and are used with permission. All rights reserved. For more information, please visit http://www.white-wolf.com.
Resources are free for personal use; please do not offer them for sale or claim them as your own work.
Please do not repost material elsewhere; link to this site instead. Thank you, and happy gaming!