The Dreamers

“May the merciful gods, if indeed there be such, guard those hours when no power of the will, or drug that the cunning of man devises, can keep me from the chasm of sleep. Death is merciful, for there is no return therefrom, but with him who has come back out of the nethermost chambers of night, haggard and knowing, peace rests nevermore.”
   –H.P. Lovecraft, Hypnos

Every dream that has ever been dreamed or ever will be dreamed lies open before you—wondrous cities, horrific dangers, and the never-ending mystery of the Dreamlands. Every time you awake, the world seems drab and gray and rainy—leeched of colors. Even as your eyes open, you’re already planning your next return. For you, the world of dreams is your reality… but the same monstrous beings that threaten Earth may tear your adopted realm to pieces, unless you can stop them.

Venture into The Dreamlands with the newest expansion for Eldritch Horror! With previous sideboard expansions, such as Mountains of Madness and Under the Pyramids, you’ve visited ancient locations around the world, from the icy wastes of Antarctica to the ruins of Egypt. The Dreamlands, however, is the first sideboard to take you beyond the bounds of the material plane, into the changeable world of the Dreamlands! 

Within this expansion, you’ll find new investigators and Ancient Ones alike, supplemented by dozens of spells, assets, conditions, and mythos cards. Today, we’ll take a closer look at the investigators introduced in The Dreamlands and the unique talents they can offer you in this strange and uncanny place. 

Method within Madness

Before the seductive allure of the Dreamlands first began to suffuse the earth, William Yorick had dreamed of becoming an actor. Working as a gravedigger to make ends meet in the meantime, Yorick saw corpses every day, so when inhuman monstrous carcasses started turning up in Arkham, he took the bodies to Miskatonic University for study. Unfortunately for Yorick, this drew some unwanted attention, and fearing for his life, he took a grave-digging job in Sydney, far from Arkham and far from trouble—at least until new corpses started clawing their way up through loosely packed Australian soil.

As a gravedigger, William Yorick has a unique perspective on the nature of the Dreamlands—after all, what is sleep but a foretaste of death? His combination of classical training and blue-collar work experience can make William Yorick quite useful in your games of Eldritch Horror as a well-rounded investigator with no obvious weaknesses. He’s also a man who’s used to making do with whatever he can find. Whenever you defeat a monster with two or more toughness in combat, you can gain any non-Service asset from the reserve, such as the Enchanted Bow or a Hitman. Of course, if you don’t like the options available to you, you can use Yorick’s Action ability to cycle the reserve, discarding two cards and taking another action.

The world of dreams may be ethereal and strange, but that doesn’t mean there’s not work to do, even there. William Yorick showcases the Task unique assets included in this expansion by starting play with Bury Them Deep. This unique asset gives you a job to do, but it lets you determine when that task is complete. In this case, whenever a non-epic monster is defeated or discarded, you can spend a focus to place the monster on Bury Them Deep. Then, you may flip the card, if you’re ready to collect the rewards for your labor. Ultimately, you’ll need to decide how long you’ll wait before completing your Tasks. Obviously, the longer you wait, the greater the potential rewards, but this also risks your investigator being killed or driven insane before he can reap the fruits of his labor. 

Student of the Unknown

Ever since she first laid eyes upon a mysterious painting in her university library, Amanda Sharpe has been hearing voices in her head and seeing emerald cities deep beneath the ocean waves. Though Amanda took some time away from Miskatonic University, hoping that the visions would subside, her premonitions have been getting worse, not better, and hardly a day goes by that she does not suffer from her unusual affliction. Something terrible is coming—the sea is waking.  

More than perhaps any other investigator, Amanda Sharpe has plenty to gain from the Talent conditions that are also highlighted in The Dreamlands expansion. Unlike many condition cards, which represent the dire injuries or terrible circumstances that may befall your investigator, Talents offer a powerful benefit—though you must still pay the price if you choose to use your Talent!

For instance, Amanda Sharpe begins play with Quick Study. This condition gives you the ability to dramatically increase your number of Talents, helping you specialize your investigator to fill whatever role you choose on your team. This condition also slots in naturally with Amanda Sharpe’s abilities. As an Action, you can discard any number of Talents to improve one skill of your choice for each Talent discarded. And what’s more, if you would ever improve a skill, you may choose to gain a Talent condition instead. Whether you’re relying on being Composed or drawing on insights from the Visions that you see, Amanda Sharpe is one of the most customizable investigators in the game.

The Old Ones Are Stirring

The mystical portals to the Dreamlands have opened before your feet, giving you an entire new dimension to experience and explore. Similarly, the new investigators of The Dreamlands give you another way to walk through Eldritch Horror. Join us for our next preview for a look at the Dreamlands sideboard and the Ancient Ones that await within, and pre-order your copy of The Dreamlands at your local retailer today!