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

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

They didn't suck. That doesn't mean they couldn't be made better.

But they didn't make them better
They made something else. That MAY be better

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But they didn't make them better
They made something else. That MAY be better

Do you have the book?

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

Do you have the book?

Hell no
They've thoroughly convinced me it's not worth my time and they don't want my money

 

[Faolyn]

But they didn't make them better
They made something else. That MAY be better

You haven't read the book yet. Unless you somehow got them ahead of time.

Sometimes, the way to make something better is to reduce it to its basics and build up again.

Hell no
They've thoroughly convinced me it's not worth my time and they don't want my money

So in other words, you have no idea if it's better or not. So you should probably stop making judgments about it then.

 

[Malmuria]

I wonder how the "six cultures of play" framework could be applied to this debate. Because it seems like the idea of an "established" setting with an "official" metaplot fits very much within the "trad" style. This is something I remember as being (lonely) fun as a kid in the 2e days, when I would read a setting box set like it was a novel. Now, I'm more interested in OSR-style material that focuses on being useful and interesting at the table.

 

[darjr]

The Tome Show is going through the book now streaming live. Go ask your questions.

 

[Hatmatter]

That is just about the highest compliment one can pay another human being. I bet Mr Rogers was (or would have been, if he never actually played) a great D&D player, too.

He would have been the best!

 

[Demetrios1453]

He would have been the best!

He would have been a great DM. The Land of Make Believe isn't fundamentally too far off from DM's homebrew world...

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

You haven't read the book yet. Unless you somehow got them ahead of time.

Sometimes, the way to make something better is to reduce it to its basics and build up again.


So in other words, you have no idea if it's better or not. So you should probably stop making judgments about it then.

Have you? How can you defend if if you haven't read it?

And are you seriously saying I HAVE to pay $60 just to find out I don't like a book?
No, that's naughty word
If you watch trailers for a movie and they look terrible you don't really need to see the movie to know it's terrible. I didn't need to blow $20 and waste two hours to know the remake of TOTAL RECALL was garbage on the screen

I'm not going to spent three times as much for a book that is likely an equally bad remake. And one WizCo has thoroughly and completely convinced me isn't worth my time or energy

 

[Faolyn]

Have you? How can you defend if if you haven't read it?

Because I'm not expecting it to be exactly like the 2e/3x books, and because I'm willing to give it a chance because most of the changes so far have been positive ones (and the ones that aren't, I can ignore). In fact, most of the reason I'm even buying it is because it's so different--I don't need them to repeat the lore I already have.

And are you seriously saying I HAVE to pay $60 just to find out I don't like a book?

No, of course not. But a lot of the things you've been saying are pretty ridiculous--like claiming that they didn't need to change anything because you didn't see issues with some of the domains (remember, you listed several and I gave you reasons why they could stand to be altered).

I'm not going to spent three times as much for a book that is likely an equally bad remake. And one WizCo has thoroughly and completely convinced me isn't worth my time or energy

That's fine; nobody is saying you have to buy it. I just think that your reasons for it being bad are themselves pretty bad. Edit: there's a difference between saying "this isn't to my taste" and "this is objectively bad."