In Dark Souls, whenever you have Humanity you run the risk of getting invaded, either by other players in a PVP situation or by scripted characters in a PVE scenario.

This is a tricky balance, as having Humanity makes you the best that you can be. The trade-off is that you become a target. Here’s more about how Humanity and invaders interact.

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Humanity

Humanity is both an item and a condition. You can find Humanity items throughout the game. Humanity as an item weighs nothing and takes an action to consume. After you consume the item, you gain the condition.

While you have the Humanity condition, you have advantage on most checks (for more detail, see the first article in this series, The Ground Rules) and you lose the condition whenever you drop to 0 hit points.

You can acquire Humanity in the following ways:

• Some creatures drop Humanity when they die. Each floor of Ebonwrath’s Delve has a table of random encounters and a table of rewards for killing an enemy. Humanity is most frequently found when looting killed beasts.
• Humanity can be found in limited quantities as treasure, in chests, or out in the open.
• Humanity can be bought in limited quantities from NPCs that offer to trade. Most NPCs must first be found and invited back to the gathering hub in order to trade with them.
• Humanity is always rewarded after surviving an encounter with an invader.

Invaders

Invaders are other humanoids eager to see you meet your demise. An invader only shows up when at least one PC has the Humanity condition, and it always shows up in near the same place, without a surprise round, and it prioritizes killing any PC with the Humanity condition.

While you are being invaded you cannot rest or teleport at a bonfire. If you die, you wait until the other PCs or the invader dies before you can resurrect at a bonfire.

A fight with an invader is always a deadly prospect but a lucrative one. Invaders fight to the death and employ cruel methods to win. When you kill an invader, every PC present gains a number of souls equal to the experience award for the invader’s CR as well as 1 Humanity for every PC that did not die during the encounter.

Prepare to face these invaders where they dwell.

Lupine Ravager Torphin. Torphin howls when he attacks, throwing himself into the fray. He is a wolf reaver dwarf (see Tome of Beasts 1) and launches his ambush when a PC with Humanity approaches the cavern entrance in the southern part of Giants Fall Ruins. He attacks alone.

Graveslayer Bardolf. Bardolf is a corrupted graveslayer dwarf (see Creature Codex) that attacks PCs with Humanity when they are already locked in combat with goblins or beasts on floor 1, Sorrow’s Hall.

Twin Lordlings, Eaenod and Doneae. These two knights work in harmony. They lie in wait on floor 2, Memorial’s Meander, waiting for when the PCs have spent themselves facing the floor’s other foes.

Cyneburg, Baron of Brass. Cyneburg employs some of the enigmatic Mechanist’s tools and magic as he hunts for Humanity. He is a gear mage (see Creature Codex) and is always accompanied by three clockwork soldiers (also see Creature Codex) on floor 3, The Flametouched Crypts.

Friygith, Cavalier of Night. This black knight commander (see Tome of Beasts 1) uses the long, narrow corridors of floor 4, Spikestone Nest to charge into her foes with breakneck abandon.

Siissilith, Princess of Venom. Sissilith is a half-green dragon veteran who lies in wait on floor 5, Eggshell Hollow. Like her breath, her weapons are poisoned to deal an extra 14 (4d6) poison damage with every hit.

Macabre Prince Koldric. Koldric waits on floor 6, Sunken Shrine Entrance where the breathstealer (see Tome of Beasts 3) readies to steal breath and humanity in equal measure.

Engleadni, Careless Prime of Grief. Herburgla resides on floor 7, Sunken Shrine Sanctum. The psychophant cultist (see Tome of Beasts 3) uses her powers of psyche to batter her foes into submission.

Scion of Void Wulmar and Black Anchorite Botild. This voidwracked mage and his void speaker apprentice (see both in Creature Codex) wait to ambush the PCs on floor 8, Lower Shrine Balcony where the essence of void is thickest.

Delirious Herald of the Sun Rimil. This first commander (see Tome of Beasts 3) once praised the sun but not seeks to only bring darkness upon his foes. Have Humanity on floor 9, Blighttown Slums to meet his steel.

Yric, Gravelord Missionary. This shadow fey poisoner (see Creature Codex) breaks the rules of honorable battle by hiding on floor 10, Drake’s Gilded Cage.

Infested Trio: Turold, Forwin, and Godelina. These three infested duelists (see Tome of Beasts 3) practice their cruel swordplay to Ebonwrath’s sinister delight on floor 11, The Ebon Lake of Wrath.

Optional Difficulty

If an invaders isn’t challenging enough for your group of soulless heroes, you can use counter and evade reactions as well as any appropriate weapon options. (Find more about weapon options in Tome of Heroes or Tales of the Valiant Alpha Release.) In addition, if the invader is outnumbered or outclassed, apply this legendary actions template, as needed:

Legendary Actions

The invader can take three legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The invader regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Attack. The invader makes one attack of its choice at the nearest target.

Move. The invader moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Humanity’s Shadow (Costs 2 Actions). The invader gains all the benefits of Humanity for 1 round. It can only do this once per long rest.

Invader’s Retort (Costs 2 Actions). The invader casts counterspell at 3rd level using its choice of Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma as the spellcasting ability.