D&D 5E Everything We Know About The Ravenloft Book

Here is a list of everything we know so far about the upcoming Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.

Art by Paul Scott Canavan​

• May 18th, 256 pages
• 30 domains (with 30 villainous darklords)
• Barovia (Strahd), Dementlieu (twisted fairly tales), Lamordia (flesh golem), Falkovnia (zombies), Kalakeri (Indian folklore, dark rainforests), Valachan (hunting PCs for sport), Lamordia (mad science)
• NPCs include Esmerelda de’Avenir, Weathermay-Foxgrove twins, traveling detective Alanik Ray.
• Large section on setting safe boundaries.
• Dark Gifts are character traits with a cost.
• College of Spirits (bard storytellers who manipulate spirits of folklore) and Undead Patron (warlock) subclasses.
• Dhampir, Reborn, and Hexblood lineages.
• Cultural consultants used.
• Fresh take on Vistani.
• 40 pages of monsters. Also nautical monsters in Sea of Sorrows.
• 20 page adventure called The House of Lament - haunted house, spirits, seances.

​

D&D 5E - Full Wraparound Cover Art For Ravenloft

We've seen the cover already, but here's a look at the full wraparound art by Anna Podedworna. https://www.enworld.org/threads/updated-with-cover-the-d-d-book-is-van-richtens-guide-to-ravenloft.678411/ https://www.enworld.org/threads/heres-the-ravenloft-alternate-cover.678414/...

www.enworld.org

D&D 5E - Here's the Ravenloft Alternate Cover!

As usual, there is an alternate hobby-store exclusive cover for the upcoming Ravenloft book. Here's a look at it! And here's the full wraparound art. https://www.enworld.org/threads/updated-with-cover-the-d-d-book-is-van-richtens-guide-to-ravenloft.678411/...

www.enworld.org

D&D 5E - [Updated with cover!] The D&D Book Is.... Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft!

Yesterday's hints that a new D&D book would be announced today have born fruit -- we now have a product description and a title! It's a Ravenloft setting book, with tools and new rules for horror-themed games, and new horror-themed character options. I'll update this post with a product image as...

www.enworld.org

 

[Remathilis]

Hazlik's most problematic element was the fact he was queercoded overtly. They can remove that and keep Hazlik more or less the same.

Edit: by remove, I mean not making that the cause of his villainy, not necessarily removing his nonbinary element.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Hazlik's most problematic element was the fact he was queercoded overtly. They can remove that and keep Hazlik more or less the same.

Edit: by remove, I mean not making that the cause of his villainy, not necessarily removing his nonbinary element.

This seems extreme to me. If you go down this road you also have to take characters like Dr. Pretorius out of Bride of Frankenstein and rework them as well

 

[Remathilis]

This seems extreme to me. If you go down this road you also have to take characters like Dr. Pretorius out of Bride of Frankenstein and rework them as well

Dude, he was given women's tattoos as a punishment for a minor offense, and was shunned because he was made to look feminine. His villainy stems from the fact he has non-masculine gender coding that is butting up on transphobia. At best, hes toxic masculinity plotting revenge against the people who called him a sissy or gay, at worst he's a trans-coded serial killer like Buffalo Bill or Norman Bates.

And non of that is relevant to a domain about a evil magocracy and magic gone crazy. Good riddance.

Relevant YouTube background start at 12:47.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Dude, he was given women's tattoos as a punishment for a minor offense, and was shunned because he was made to look feminine. His villainy stems from the fact he has non-masculine gender coding that is butting up on transphobia. At best, hes toxic masculinity plotting revenge against the people who called him a sissy or gay, at worst he's a trans-coded serial killer like Buffalo Bill or Norman Bates.

And non of that is relevant to a domain about a evil magocracy and magic gone crazy. Good riddance.

Relevant YouTube backgroun

My point is you are confusing content for message. It isn’t saying that it is good they shamed him that way of that he is bad for being feminine. If anything it’s a commentary on the culture he was in (which might be described in the terms you just used). I am sure plenty of people identified with him because of this part of his background (just like lots of people identified with dr Pretorius: who was a villain because he thumbed his nose at human morality but also captivating and interesting because of it). If anything this kind of character comes out of that tradition of queer cinemas. The point is to make interesting, compelling, tragic VILLAINS, not heroic characters. You are going to make them less interesting by trying to make them more laudable. To me this is taking a good idea: being compassionate, empathetic and nice and taking it to an extreme where things are always read in the least charitable light (and context is often overlooked).

 

[Azzy]

This seems extreme to me. If you go down this road you also have to take characters like Dr. Pretorius out of Bride of Frankenstein and rework them as well

I'll get right on, then.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I'll get right on, then.

My point was he is an iconic queer character (at least that is how many people read him); just chucking Dr. Pretorius because his character could be read uncharitably, or worse changing him to make him conform more to a moral code, misses the point of him, and turns him into something that is far less interesting than what he was originally. He is one of the greatest characters in horror cinema

 

[Azzy]

My point was he is an iconic queer character (at least that is how many people read him); just chucking Dr. Pretorius because his character could be read uncharitably, or worse changing him to make him conform more to a moral code, misses the point of him, and turns him into something that is far less interesting than what he was originally. He is one of the greatest characters in horror cinema

Unfortunately, your point is—at most—tangentially relevant to the discussion of Hazlik. The story and character are not similar, it has nothing to to with Ravenloft or WotC or what people think that WotC should do with Ravenloft. It's a non-sequiter.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Unfortunately, your point is—at most—tangentially relevant to the discussion of Hazlik. The story and character are not similar, it has nothing to to with Ravenloft or WotC or what people think that WotC should do with Ravenloft. It's a non-sequiter.

My point was that same critique could be applied (their villainy comes from similar sources arguably----but it is also the thing that makes them interesting). Or imagine a movie like Silence of the Lambs without Buffalo Bill, since that was brought up (or with a Buffalo Bill with a backstory that works around the issues raised). Buffalo Bill is one of the most memorable characters in horror movies (and the performance was outstanding). It isn't as interesting of a movie if you remove him. You are removing a very powerful aspect of the film. And in the case of Psycho that was based on a real killing by a real person (who used to wear human skin because he wanted to be a woman: specifically his mom most likely). You can read these things uncharitably. But they are horror. Whatever materials or things from real life they take and explore are going to be presented in strange, gruesome and alarming lights. Why should a queer character be any less interesting, alarming or shocking than other characters?

 

[Faolyn]

Hazlik's most problematic element was the fact he was queercoded overtly. They can remove that and keep Hazlik more or less the same.

Edit: by remove, I mean not making that the cause of his villainy, not necessarily removing his nonbinary element.

It does make me wonder if they're going to alter or remove his interest into bodyjumping into Eleni to prolong his life (or whatever the reason was stated to be; I can't remember). And what they're planning on doing with her, because she was an interesting character in her own right and I hope she isn't forgotten.

 

[Azzy]

My point was that same critique could be applied (their villainy comes from similar sources arguably----but it is also the thing that makes them interesting). Or imagine a movie like Silence of the Lambs without Buffalo Bill, since that was brought up (or with a Buffalo Bill with a backstory that works around the issues raised). Buffalo Bill is one of the most memorable characters in horror movies (and the performance was outstanding). It isn't as interesting of a movie if you remove him. You are removing a very powerful aspect of the film. And in the case of Psycho that was based on a real killing by a real person (who used to wear human skin because he wanted to be a woman: specifically his mom most likely). You can read these things uncharitably. But they are horror. Whatever materials or things from real life they take and explore are going to be presented in strange, gruesome and alarming lights. Why should a queer character be any less interesting, alarming or shocking than other characters?

No.