Vick's Hangout

About This Build
This step-by-step breakdown traces the mechanical and narrative design behind Zareth Kael, my reinterpretation of The Darkness comic character in Dungeons & Dragons 5e. As someone who grew up reading The Darkness from the 1990s onward, this project is more than just a character — it’s a tribute to one of my favorite antiheroes.

I wanted to explore how Jackie Estacado’s cursed, sentient power could be expressed through official 5e mechanics, while leaning into my current interest in flawed, complex protagonists. This build is designed for a homebrew game I may run someday — dark, thematic, and soaked in psychic tension.

Design Note
Zareth Kael is a personal homage to one of my all-time favorite characters — The Darkness, from the Top Cow comic series. I read the entire run, starting from the original 1990s issues, and the idea of a reluctant antihero bound to an ancient, living force of shadow left a deep mark on me.

Now, as I explore the themes of corruption, power, and identity through heroic characters in a custom 5E game (one I may run someday), I wanted to reimagine The Darkness not just as a cursed weapon, but as a primordial force — a whispering hunger that protects as much as it consumes.