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

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So most folks would look at that and think, they retconned Harkon Lukas into a Black man.

Did it ever say he was white?

 

[Kurotowa]

It's not perfect, but a beast barbarian with second skin is the closet to a balanced PC werewolf you're going to see.

Second Skin is a highly versatile little thing. It covers lesser were-shifters, it covers people with hidden supernatural sides like semi vampires or fae, it covers folks with a second identity in the vein of Jekyll & Hyde, and if you want to stretch things and get creative it can do you a D&D version of Ranma Saotome. That's some really good game design right there.

 

[TheSword]

So most folks would look at that and think, they retconned Harkon Lukas into a Black man.

However... wolfweres can have their human form look like whatever they want. So nope. Another not-necessarily retcon.

(Also, yay, he's still around!)

I think most folks wouldn’t give it a second thought. But it’s a good response to those that do.

 

[Parmandur]

I like the DCC funnel vibe of the Survivor rules. I could see starting a campaign that way, and upgrading any surviving Survivors into normal PCs afterwards.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I think most folks wouldn’t give it a second thought. But it’s a good response to those that do.

Don't even bother responding... it aint worth it.

 

[M.L. Martin]

So most folks would look at that and think, they retconned Harkon Lukas into a Black man.

However... wolfweres can have their human form look like whatever they want. So nope. Another not-necessarily retcon.

(Also, yay, he's still around!)

Ah, but ever since the original setting, it's been stated that while Harkon can choose race (presumably in D&D sense) and gender, his exact appearance in each form is fixed. RA1 Feast of Goblyns even has him resorting to a magical item to get around this.

Did it ever say he was white?

Well, there is this illustration:

View attachment 136636

 

[Urriak Uruk]

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Not sure I love the choice of words here (colonizing force) or that the moral seems to be "Don't take revenge against the colonizers who destroyed your home." The art is pretty cool though.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Ah, but ever since the original setting, it's been stated that while Harkon can choose race (presumably in D&D sense) and gender, his exact appearance in each form is fixed. RA1 Feast of Goblyns even has him resorting to a magical item to get around this.



Well, there is this illustration:

View attachment 136636

Harkon could always change his appearance. They generally had him looking like the image above, but even on Feast of Goblyns cover (unless the man is supposed to be Duke Gundar or something) he looks different: in that image he has straight brought hair and just looks like a different guy. Of all the lords to switch up appearance wise, he is one of the ones who makes the most in-game sense. Definitely all of the depictions I remember of him were white, but there is nothing that says he can't be whatever he wants. He can be any race or gender he wants. I think one thing people forget about wolf were lords (even if they understand it intellectually) is he is a wolf, not a man. So anytime he appears human, he is really just masquerading.

 

[Bedrockgames]

View attachment 136638

Not sure I love the choice of words here (colonizing force) or that the moral seems to be "Don't take revenge against the colonizers who destroyed your home." The art is pretty cool though.

Plenty of people have used good causes to justify and turn to evil. I think that kind of background can make sense for a dark lord (not that we know much about the colonizing force here). Revenge often starts out very justified and becomes increasingly irrational, punitive and cruel. It can also add some believability to begin with a motive that starts out noble