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.

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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]

I think Bedrock made a horrible choice to argue lit theory with two educators (former HS English teacher here).

I'm Science, so I have a lot of experience in tackling unhelpful preconceptions. I aint superteach though - my wife (junior English) is way better than I am.

 

[Remathilis]

With all due respect, I think I have been stating my case well.

Wasn't saying you weren't, merely that you chose to argue with two people who do have background in critical theory rather than two bumpkins who "learned" about it on YouTube, that's all. No sense of superiority intended.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Wasn't saying you weren't, merely that you chose to argue with two people who do have background in critical theory rather than two bumpkins who "learned" about it on YouTube, that's all. No sense of superiority intended.

...he says, condescendingly.

 

[Remathilis]

...he says, condescendingly.

I paid a lot of money to talk about books, I want to use it when I can!

 

[overgeeked]

I wonder who other than players has to be scared playing an horror rpg. But maybe i miss your point

You did miss my point. Like most media, the more you consume horror, the more aware of its tropes and patterns you become and the less it scares you. The intent of the piece might be to scare the audience, but, like humor, its depends on the viewer and what they find funny or scary. It’s the intent to scare or amuse that makes the piece horror or comedy, not the effect it has on the audience. Horror fans are notoriously hard to scare just as comedians are notoriously hard to make laugh. Focusing on the result is a fool’s errand. Focus on making the game scary in the ways you and your group will enjoy, don’t worry about getting the players at your table to jump in fright or scream out or run away.

 

[overgeeked]

The biggest danger for any reasonable person is to fall into the trap of assuming everyone else is a reasonable person.

The biggest danger for anyone is to fall into the trap of assuming they themselves are reasonable. Humans are rather famously incapable of reason.

 

[Faolyn]

In an attempt to steer the thread back, what're you most looking forward to seeing/reading in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft?

Y'know, I'm not sure. I may end up loving the new versions of the domains, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to like how the Core was broken up (I'd been thinking about doing something like that myself), but in the end, I'm almost certainly going to be using a pastiche of old and new information anyway.

 

[overgeeked]

I paid a lot of money to talk about books, I want to use it when I can!

I paid a lot of money to say this: shh.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Y'know, I'm not sure. I may end up loving the new versions of the domains, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to like how the Core was broken up (I'd been thinking about doing something like that myself), but in the end, I'm almost certainly going to be using a pastiche of old and new information anyway.

Something that is always interesting in Ravenloft is how different GMs handle this, especially with mapping when old and new are blended. Do you think you will work off the new maps, the old maps, or will you make new ones yourself to blend them?

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

About carrionettes as monsters some time I though about a story where the main characters were living toys, these were "good guys" but one day they awakened within action figure bodies (a smash-up of Micronauts, other Hasbro's franchise). And they have to discover there were their original bodies, and to protect an innocent child with strange powers.


Isn't Larissa Snowmane the main character from the novel "the dance of the dead"? I wonder about if the novels are canon.

In my G'Henna the dark lord Yagno Petrovna will be married with several wives and some concubines.

* Nothing about the domain "Rokushima"?

I agree the domains have to be designed to be scenary of different adventures and stories and not only an one-shot against the dark-lord.