Doppelganger (Dungeons & Dragons) - Dread Doppelgangers

Dread Doppelgangers

A subspecies of Doppelganger can be found in the Demiplane of Dread, Ravenloft. These Dread Doppelgangers, like many creatures of Ravenloft, are a twisted rendition of the original. Dread doppelgangers are capable of mimicking with 100% efficiency, aided by a natural ability to probe minds (a feat only approached, amongst ordinary doppelgangers, by the Greater Doppelganger with its ability to assimilate memories from consumed brains) as well as generating natural illusions via their "Glamour" ability. But in the process, the dread doppelgangers have become sexless parasites, dependent on their ability to integrate with society to survive. While normal doppelgangers have their own culture and have no real need to mingle with humanoids, dread doppelgangers can only reproduce by mating with humanoids (usually doing so as males, as a "pregnant" dread doppelgänger cannot change forms until after giving birth) and have effectively lost their own culture.

Dread doppelgangers have one major accomplishment over ordinary doppelgangers in other campaign settings: their own country. The Ravenloft domain of Paridon is the birthplace of the dread doppelganger, and as such is crawling with the vile things. The Darklord of the domain, Sodo the Flickerflame, directs and organizes a vile ritual called the Blood Rite, which takes place once every thirteen years and is used by Sodo to give himself effective immortality. This ritual is conducted by a chosen dread doppelganger, and the Paridoners refer to the time when the killer stalks the streets as "The Bloody Jack Killings", because for many years Paridon thought the killings were the work of a madman. The truth behind the Bloody Jack Killings was made public after the events of the Shadow of the Knife adventure.