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

 

[eyeheartawk]

Yo, I'm a really big Spelljammer fan but I think that riding ships through the Phlogiston is stupid, and I hate how that was the focus of the setting. But still, big Spelljammer fan.

In all seriousness though, it's pretty wild to say that because the setting was designed to be a gothic horror setting the designers trying to limit other types of horror as some sort of anti-multi horror type gatekeeping is pretty wild. Like, that's a foundational element of the thing.

 

[Remathilis]

Yo, I'm a really big Spelljammer fan but I think that riding ships through the Phlogiston is stupid, and I hate how that was the focus of the setting. But still, big Spelljammer fan.

In all seriousness though, it's pretty wild to say that because the setting was designed to be a gothic horror setting the designers trying to limit other types of horror as some sort of anti-multi horror type gatekeeping is pretty wild. Like, that's a foundational element of the thing.

Considering how many people want to merge spelljammer with Planescape and have the ships sail the astral to other planes, I think your analogy isn't saying what you want it to say.

 

[Bedrockgames]

No, you're actually going one worse and accusing some of being critics who are posing as fans, like it's some insidious plot to infiltrate the fandom.

No, I am saying if you didn’t even like foundational things like the classic horror premise, maybe your not that big a fan of the 90s line.

 

[Remathilis]

No, I am saying if you didn’t even like foundational things like the classic horror premise, maybe your not that big a fan of the 90s line.

One can like chocolate ice cream and still wish for neopolitan.

 

[darjr]

Out if curiosity, how is that?

I’d have to find it. I thought it was also mentioned in the studio blog, but now I read it it doesn’t explicitly say that. So I’ll at least modify that and say it’s possible the producer pitched it.

 

[Bedrockgames]

One can like chocolate ice cream and still wish for neopolitan.

But that’s like liking tacos, yet complaining about a Mexican restaurant because they don’t also serve veal Parmesan. And here I am not even sure how liked the classic horror was by this poster. People can like all kinds of things, but if you dislike the classic horror premise, didn’t like the setting etc; to me that isn’t what a fan was. Doesn’t make you bad. I knew plenty of gamers who were intrigued by Ravenloft but disliked the execution. Totally legitimate opinion. I just wouldn’t call them fans. Ravenloft wasn’t multigenre horror: the whole point of the setting was classic gothic

also Neapolitan Ice cream is delicious but ‘it didn’t have enough vanilla or strawberry’ isn’t a valid criticism of chocolate ice cream.

 

[Remathilis]

But that’s like liking tacos, yet complaining about a Mexican restaurant because they don’t also serve veal Parmesan. And here I am not even sure how liked the classic horror was by this poster. People can like all kinds of things, but if you dislike the classic horror premise, didn’t like the setting etc; to me that isn’t what a fan was. Doesn’t make you bad. I knew plenty of gamers who were intrigued by Ravenloft but disliked the execution. Totally legitimate opinion. I just wouldn’t call them fans. Ravenloft wasn’t multigenre horror: the whole point of the setting was classic gothic

also Neapolitan Ice cream is delicious but ‘it didn’t have enough vanilla or strawberry’ isn’t a valid criticism of chocolate ice cream.

What part of gothic horror was Bluetspur again?

 

[Parmandur]

I’d have to find it. I thought it was also mentioned in the studio blog, but now I read it it doesn’t explicitly say that. So I’ll at least modify that and say it’s possible the producer pitched it.

I'll believe that's out there somewhere, they've done a lot of interview blurbs.

 

[overgeeked]

EDIT: You're right mods. I was wrong. I'm sorry, badrock.

 

[darjr]

Not yet. But we do have at least as many voices on this forum liking the new stuff as hating.

And eventually we will have sales figures. Which I expect to be massive.

We have sales figures already. Granted it’s preorder sales .... but then again it’s freaking fantastic preorder sales.