# The Crooked Moon
**The Crooked Moon** is a 632-page folk horror campaign setting and adventure for the fifth edition of [Dungeons & Dragons](https://www.edgepedia.org/dungeons-and-dragons), published by Avantris Entertainment, the company behind the actual play series Legends of Avantris. The book transports D&D play into Druskenvald, a supernatural land of eternal night, and supplies player options, game master tools, and a 350-page adventure that carries characters from level 1 to level 14, with endgame content reaching level 20.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Avantris Entertainment, creators of the Legends of Avantris actual play series[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) • [2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond) |
| Format | 632-page hardcover core book; also sold as a digital PDF and on D&D Beyond[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) • [2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond) |
| Player options | 15 folk horror subclasses for all core 5E classes, 13 Halloween-inspired species, 40 spells, and 13 familiars[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) |
| Adventure | 350-page campaign from levels 1 to 14, with post-game content to level 20, 85 monsters, and 11 multi-phase boss fights[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) |
| Signature mechanic | The Fateweaving system, which connects character backstories to the main campaign[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) |
| Crowdfunding | Avantris's first Kickstarter campaign, launched in 2023[3](https://updates.kickstarter.com/community-is-everything-the-story-behind-the-most-funded-tabletop-role-playing-game-in-crowdfunding-history/) |
| Recognition | Named among the best tabletop RPGs of 2025 by Game Informer's year-end list[4](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/) |
## Origin and crowdfunding
Avantris [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) grew out of Legends of Avantris, a D&D actual play series that has grown in popularity over the years in the manner of [Critical Role](https://www.edgepedia.org/critical-role)'s campaigns.[2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond) In 2023, as the team prepared to launch The Crooked Moon, its first crowdfunding campaign, it researched historical [Kickstarter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kickstarter) projects by TTRPG publishers it admired. The campaign, in the company's words, shattered expectations and changed their lives, and it led directly to a second project, the science fiction trilogy Neon Odyssey, which became the most funded tabletop roleplaying game in crowdfunding history.[3](https://updates.kickstarter.com/community-is-everything-the-story-behind-the-most-funded-tabletop-role-playing-game-in-crowdfunding-history/)
The book was released in October, and Avantris Entertainment co-founder Derek Hudson promoted it with guided demonstration sessions showcasing its horror offerings.[5](https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/legends-of-avantris-crooked-moon-interview) In June 2025 it arrived on D&D Beyond as two books, one tailored to players and the other to Dungeon Masters.[2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond)
## Setting and content
The book draws its tone from grim folklore, legendary horror films, and classic [Halloween](https://www.edgepedia.org/halloween) aesthetics.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) Reviewers have compared the effect to [The Wicker Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wicker-man) filtered through [Over the Garden Wall](https://www.edgepedia.org/over-the-garden-wall) and Midsommar, and noted that its isolated setting and tarot-driven story beats echo Curse of Strahd's dread domain.[7](https://totalapexentertainment.com/gaming/tabletop/the-crooked-moon-review/) • [5](https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/legends-of-avantris-crooked-moon-interview)
**Player options.** Instead of elves and dwarves, players choose from 13 Halloween-inspired species reborn in Druskenvald, such as the scarecrow-like Harvestborn, the werewolf-like Curseborn, and the ghoul-like Graveborn.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) • [4](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/) The 15 subclasses rework familiar archetypes for folk horror, including monks who spread plague with a touch, jester-style warlocks, and Frankenstein-esque barbarians.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) • [4](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/) The D&D Beyond player book is built around the 2024 rules: its species carry no ability scores, which sit in the background section instead.[2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond)
**Game master tools.** The core book contains 85 folkloric monsters, 156 random curses, 26 artifacts that grow in power as characters level up, and 11 multi-phase boss fights with special rules for minions and terrain.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) The Fateweaving system weaves the heroes' own histories directly into the unfolding story, connecting character backstories to the main campaign narrative.[6](https://www.dragonskeep.co.uk/games/the-crooked-moon) • [4](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/)
**The tarot.** The campaign adopts a tarot deck to determine changes in the story, in a manner compared to Curse of Strahd's card-based fortune telling. The book also includes a dice-based tarot for tables without cards, and prints the cards in the middle of the book for groups that want the visuals.[8](https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/reviews/the-crooked-moon-ttrpg-review/) • [5](https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/legends-of-avantris-crooked-moon-interview)
## Reception
[Game Informer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-informer)'s 2025 year-end list placed The Crooked Moon among the best tabletop RPG releases of the year, describing it as less a game in its own right than an expansion of fifth edition D&D into a unique setting and style of play, and praising its comprehensive approach to refreshing familiar fantasy archetypes.[4](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/) The Tabletop Gaming review judged that the campaign deserves a place among the older classics, observing that the book adds no special rules for horror or sanity, only the right material for running fear at a standard 5E table.[8](https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/reviews/the-crooked-moon-ttrpg-review/) GameDaily highlighted the handcrafted art, calling the book beautiful to look at in an era of AI-generated imagery.[2](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond)
The book also instructs tables to use shared safety tools, letting players flag discomfort so the game master can change topic, pause the scene, or fade to black.[9](https://d1vzi28wh99zvq.cloudfront.net/pdf_previews/523939-sample.pdf)
## Related releases
Avantris has expanded the line with accessories and digital integrations, including a GM screen, reference card decks, miniatures packs for bosses such as the Wicker Man and the Horned King, VTT integrations for Roll20, Foundry, and Alchemy, and a soundtrack by The Blasting Company.[1](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon) A Free RPG Day adventure, The Crooked House by Mikey Gilder and co., offers an entry point to the setting.[10](https://matthewjconstantine.com/2026/07/25/tabletop-rpg-review-five-free-rpg-day-books-2/) The company's follow-up campaign, Neon Odyssey, a 1,400+ page sci-fi trilogy, was written and published by the same team and became the most funded tabletop roleplaying game in crowdfunding history.[3](https://updates.kickstarter.com/community-is-everything-the-story-behind-the-most-funded-tabletop-role-playing-game-in-crowdfunding-history/)
## References
1. [The Crooked Moon – Avantris Entertainment](https://avantris.com/en-gb/collections/the-crooked-moon)
2. [New Horror-Themed Book Arrives To D&D Beyond – GameDaily](https://gamedaily.com/news/new-horror-themed-book-arrives-to-dd-beyond)
3. [Community Is Everything: The Story Behind the Most Funded Tabletop Role Playing Game in Crowdfunding History – Kickstarter](https://updates.kickstarter.com/community-is-everything-the-story-behind-the-most-funded-tabletop-role-playing-game-in-crowdfunding-history/)
4. [The Best Tabletop RPGs Of 2025 – Game Informer (via Warp Zone Gaming)](https://www.warpzonegaming.ca/the-best-tabletop-rpgs-of-2025/)
5. [We played The Crooked Moon with team Avantris – Wargamer](https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/legends-of-avantris-crooked-moon-interview)
6. [Games | The Crooked Moon | D&D 5.5e – Dragons Keep](https://www.dragonskeep.co.uk/games/the-crooked-moon)
7. [Why The Crooked Moon Is the Best Halloween D&D Campaign You Haven't Run Yet – Total Apex Entertainment](https://totalapexentertainment.com/gaming/tabletop/the-crooked-moon-review/)
8. [The Crooked Moon TTRPG Review – Tabletop Gaming](https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/reviews/the-crooked-moon-ttrpg-review/)
9. [The Crooked Moon (2024) sample PDF](https://d1vzi28wh99zvq.cloudfront.net/pdf_previews/523939-sample.pdf)
10. [Tabletop RPG Review: Five Free RPG Day Books – Matthew J. Constantine](https://matthewjconstantine.com/2026/07/25/tabletop-rpg-review-five-free-rpg-day-books-2/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Board, card, and puzzle games › Tabletop role-playing games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license