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

 

[Alzrius]

I'd be happy if they gave me stat blocks for the dread lords.

But naw.

Wait...they don't give stat blocks for the domain lords? Any of them?

 

[Bedrockgames]

Wait...they don't give stat blocks for the domain lords? Any of them?

The reason I heard was to deemphasize combat with them

 

[Parmandur]

Wait...they don't give stat blocks for the domain lords? Any of them?

Nope, not a single one. They have a big Bestiary, and the description of the NPCs refers to either the MM or that Bestiary as appropriate.

 

[Remathilis]

Wait...they don't give stat blocks for the domain lords? Any of them?

They guide you to potential MM stat blocks as options, but even then they are more guidelines than rules. It does have the added benefits of disassociating darklord from a particular set CR and/or allowing the DM some leeway in customizing them, since there isn't a canonical stat block that is agreed to.

It's odd, but I would say isn't not unusual since 5e has done similar before (Mordenkainen was an archmage in CoS). They do go over their unique darklord abilities (like Ivana being immune to poison) but they don't give them unique stat blocks.

 

[Parmandur]

They guide you to potential MM stat blocks as options, but even then they are more guidelines than rules. It does have the added benefits of disassociating darklord from a particular set CR and/or allowing the DM some leeway in customizing them, since there isn't a canonical stat block that is agreed to.

It's odd, but I would say isn't not unusual since 5e has done similar before (Mordenkainen was an archmage in CoS). They do go over their unique darklord abilities (like Ivana being immune to poison) but they don't give them unique stat blocks.

It's the standard for major NPCs in the Adventure books as a whole, really.

 

[Remathilis]

By the way, I've not yet heard a reason why old Dementieu is worth keeping over the new version yet.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Wait...they don't give stat blocks for the domain lords? Any of them?

Yep, deliberate design decision. They wanted to get away from the idea that the focus of a domain was to defeat the darklord.

This book is not a book of lore, it's a book to help players create their own content.

 

[Voadam]

By the way, I've not yet heard a reason why old Dementieu is worth keeping over the new version yet.

Isn't old Dementlieu where there is a puppet master mind control minion duel going on between the behind the scenes noble mesmerist darklord and the hidden crime lord psionic brain in a jar?

 

[Bedrockgames]

Yep, deliberate design decision. They wanted to get away from the idea that the focus of a domain was to defeat the darklord.

I often leaned away from defeating dark lords but they could just leave it to the GM and players to figure out. This sort of forces it to be non combat. Like I said, eventually someone tries to attack a darklord. This looks like a garbage heap to me

 

[eyeheartawk]

I often leaned away from defeating dark lords but they could just leave it to the GM and players to figure out. This sort of forces it to be non combat. Like I said, eventually someone tries to attack a darklord. This looks like a garbage heap to me

Agreed. Not stating Gods in an new Deities & Demigods makes sense. Not stating dark lords when a bunch of them are at a pretty reasonable power level is pretty lame. I don't think it's unreasonable for players to assume that they may very well have some sort of climactic battle with them. In that light, see xx monster block in MM and staple immunity to poison to it is really lame.