Dungeons & Dragons - A Guide to the Sorrowsworn

by Dave Allsop

Today I want to look at a monster who has a somewhat unique situation in D&D. The sorrowsworn of 4th edition bears almost no resemblance to the sorrowsworn presented in 5th edition. Why the change? I don't know.

• 4e Sorrowsworn: Twisted shadow angels that serve the Raven Queen.
• 5e Sorrowsworn: Shadowfell creatures who embody specific negative emotions.

Then we'll look at one of my favorite NPCs in D&D history - Vorkhesis, Exarch of Fate, and first of the sorrowsworn.

4e Monster Manual

Sorrowsworn are "...awful manifestations of the Shadowfell that feed on grief and are often tasked with slaying powerful mortals who have cheated death."

A few of them are agents of the Raven Queen, sent to claim the souls of those who have escaped her clutches. "These sorrowsworn torment their prey with whispers of impending doom or past failures, knowing instinctively what each victim holds dear or regrets."

A sorrowsworn's weapon turns to dust when the creature it is attacking dies.

Shadowraven Swarm: Shadowravens are epehemral black birds with razor-sharp talons. They pick at the bones of corpses left behind after great battles and foretell the arrival of their bleak masters with ominous caws and rustling wings.

Types of Sorrowsworn:

• Sorrowsworn Soulripper: Teleport and claw.
• Sorrowsworn Reaper: Wields "Sorrow's Scythe" which does psychic damage.
• Sorrowsworn Deathlord: Has an aura of Mournful whispers, wields a dark scythe.

Sorrowsworn are neither undead nor demonic. They are fragments of death incarnate, and are drawn to locations where others have died in great numbers, such as battlefields.

Many serve the Raven Queen and are tasked with slaying powerful mortals who have cheated death.

They reside in bleak lairs - thorny pits and dank caves. Keep grisly trophies and remains of past victims. Shadowravens watch over them.

They protect the Raven Queen from the plots of independent nightwalkers and death giants.

"Heroes among the shadar-kai, and others who serve the Raven Queen without fail, can ascend to the ranks of the sorrowsworn. Doing so is one way mighty shadar-kai can acquire immortality..."

E1 Death's Reach

In this adventure, the group ends up in the Raven Queen's throne room. It is guarded by sorrowsworn fleshrippers and sorrowsworn doomguards.

The sorrowsworn are described: "Gaunt black-clad creatures stand in a line at the bottom of the stairs, their faces embodiments of bereavement. One spreads its dark wings and says in a deathlike voice, "What needs the Raven Queen with mortal agents when she has the likes of us?"

New Types:

• Sorrowsworn Fleshrippers: Wear spiked gauntlets.
• Sorrowsworn Doomguard: Wield scythes, can teleport.

E2 Kingdom of the Ghouls

This adventure features Doresain, King of the Ghouls, who is an agent of Orcus that lurks in the Shadowfell.

Doresain enjoys corrupting those who serve the Raven Queen. He has a crypt full of the dessicated remains of sorrowsworn that have been stolen from the Shadowfell.

There was a legendary sorrowsworn fought a hydra at "Black Blood Falls." His sorrowsong blade ended up lodged in the hydra.

Sorrowsong Blade: "This blade sings a mournful dirge of fear and despair as it slices through the air. Wielded by the chosen of the sorrowsworn and charged with psychic energy. Does psychic damage in addition to slashing. Once per day, can push a target up to 25 feet and makes them vulnerable to psychic damage for a short time.

Sorrowsworn Dread Wraith: The sorrowsworn knight who fought the hydra fell in battle and was buried in an ancestral crypt. Doresain turned him into a wraith and bound it to his service. "Now insane, the sorrowsworn dread wraith haunts his crypt, his coterie of shadowravens still under his command."

The wraith has a description: "A ghostly creature, far taller than a human, appears near you. It wears fine armor and carries an ephemeral version of the weapon that was embedded in the hydra at Black Blood Falls. The creature's visage is gaunt and demonic, and its eyes are large, soulless orbs. The light near it grows dark, seemingly swallowed by the creature's insubstantial form."

E3 Prince of Undeath

In this adventure, Orcus tries to kill the Raven Queen. There are a few sorrowsworn mentioned in one encounter, nothing much.

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

by Cory Trego-Erdner

The artist did quite a bit of art for Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, which can be found at his artstation page here.

So! 5th edition rolls around and wow, the sorrowsworn are completely different!

These creatures embody the forms of suffering inherent in the Shadowfell.

They are emotion given form - manifestations of anger loneliness, despair and distress.

Types:

• The Angry: A two-headed creature with hook hands.
• The Lonely: Driven by a need for companionship, they use their harpoon arms to pull creatures close.
• The Lost: Manifestations of anxiety that try to embrace any creature they can reach.
• The Wretched: Travel in groups, drinking the life force of living creatures. 

Why the change? I poked around looking for videos and found this one. In it, D&D designer Adam Lee talks about the thinking that went into this. He doesn't explain why they decided to ditch the 4e version, but he does have some interesting things to say.

Adam Lee says that they either coalesce or they were people who were in The Shadowfell for so long that they slowly mutated.

What is the Shadowfell? It's a negative energy world. It is dark, filled with sorrow and sadness. What if, in the Shadowfell, what happens when hunger becomes an actual thing? The shadar-kai became a gloomy, morose people. When the Raven Queen fell, they fell with her. Whether she chose the Shadowfell or the Shadowfell chose her is up for debate.

Does the Shadowfell warp who you are? If you stay in a bad mood for too long, does it affect how you physically are? Taken to the extreme, you could turn into a sorrowsworn. The Shadowfell is a magical realm that has the potency to do that.

The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond

by Jesper Ejsing

This book details what some call the very first sorrowsworn: Vorkhesis. He is an exarch of the Raven Queen and the first of the sorrowsworn.

No Eyes, One Hand: Born without eyes, but has the ability to see far beyond himself and his surroundings. He has only one hand, in which he grips a black longspear.

I can't help but notice that he couldn't be more ready to wield the eye and hand of Vecna...

Keeper of Souls: When a powerful creature dies, the Raven Queen might choose to hold that person's soul in her realm, whether at the behest of another god or for her own reasons.

Vorkhesis guards these souls, and "...epic tier adventurers might need to fight him if they seek to rescue them."

Minions: If he is attacked, Vorkhesis utters a word that extinguishes the light in the Hall of Final fate, plunging it into utter darkness. Then he and his sorrowsworn attack.

King of Lonely: Vorkhesis knows the ultimate fate of every creature that has lived. He welcomes visitors and relishes the chance to share stories with them. He takes any chance to connect with the living and get a sense of what normal life is like.

He is sometimes referred to as the Son of the Raven Queen. Rumors persist that he is the son of Nerull.

Deathly Communion: Many pilgrims seek out Vorkhesis to speak to a long-dead relative. Vorkhesis can summon the spirit. Vorkhesis utters the words of the deceased in his own voice. 

Abilities and Traits:

• Immune to fear and gaze effects
• Aura of Bereavement: You have -2 to saving throws and any non-dying bloodied enemy that ends its turn in the aura must make a death saving throw.
• Boon: When an enemy within 100 feet dies, Vorkhesis gains 30 temporary hit points.
• Greatspear: Critical = target must make a death save. The spear returns to his hand if thrown.
• Vanishing Strike: On a critical, any ongoing damage that the target takes goes up by 10 and Vorkhesis becomes invisible.
• Alignment: Unaligned
• Can fly

Guardian of the Raven Queen: To enter the Raven Queen's home of Farad Exitis, you must pass three tests to prove your devotion to the Raven Queen. Each test echoes one part of her portfolio.

Each test is spelled out in great detail in the boxed set. I don't want to spoil it, so here's the basic gist of each one:

Test 1 - The Challenge of Doom: This challenge plays on the feeling of powerlessness that can come with the knowledge of one's inevitable death. Travelers must overcome their despondency and forge onward, just as the Raven Queen would have them live boldly.

Test 2 - The Challenge of Eternity: You must reflect upon eternity and its effects on the mortal body. You must conquer and accept the fleeting nature of mortal existence.

Test 3 - The Challenge of Destiny: One must learn to navigate the complexity of life and to reach their goal before the flame of life is snuffed out forever.

Passing the challenges means that you gain access to the heart of Farad Exitis and meet its lord - Vorkhesis, exarch of fate.

The Hall of Final Fate: "A great audience chamber lined with statues and friezes of ravens appears around you.

Heroes can request a boon, which might be passage into Zvomarana, a quest to earn the Raven Queen's favor, or the answer to any question that the characters might wish to ask.

Links

Sorrowsworn Tactics

More Types of Sorrowsworn

WebDM did a huge video on the sorrowsworn right here: