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]

I prefer the older version of Drakov, and I prefer my not-Victor Frankenstein to be male (for reasons tied to Mary Shelley's novel and its symbolism around masculine scientific hubris)

My wife, an Eng Lit graduate, favours this interpretation: “Frankenstein’s Postpartum Depression” by Micaela Walley.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Some years ago I read the interpretation was an allegory about the illegitimate child.

 

[Necrozius]

My wife, an Eng Lit graduate, favours this interpretation: “Frankenstein’s Postpartum Depression” by Micaela Walley.

Wow that is interesting! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hatmatter]

I'm a big believer that adaptations and reboots sometimes do a better job at refining material into a more perfect form. This isn't always true (sometimes they are way worse), but consider how many iterations of Batman there were before it hit on Tim Burton's films, or the later Nolan Dark Knight. The Nolan film is largely inspired by the Long Halloween (inspired, it's not a pure adaptation), and is possibly the greatest superhero film of all time. It took a lot of bad Batman films (and some good ones) to get to that point. I've read the Long Halloween, and I find the Dark Knight film a better piece of media than it's source material (it takes the best elements, and adds it's own great material).

So that, and the power of nostalgia and folks saying how great these old domains were, make me excited to see the 5E take on the material. It could be bad (Batman v. Superman was), but it looks pretty good to me.

Well said Urriak Uruk. Of course, Disgruntled Hobbit may be missing elements that he cherishes in this new book, and I feel for him...I wish everyone would get what they want in each new book. I mean, I love Spelljammer and DMed it in the 1990s and I am hoping that Wizards publishes a 5th edition Spelljammer book, but I hope that they are faithful to Spelljammer and do not do (as many here have suggested) and transplant Wildspace and the Phlogiston to the Astral Plane. I realize that some people here want to see Wizards do that in order to combine Spelljammer and Planescape, but to do me it would be a disappointment because I like Spelljammer set in space...that is the appeal for me. So, that kind of change in the original material would be disappointing. I am not sure I would be "disgruntled," but that's simply because I am already accustomed to life being disappointing.

But, you make a terrific point here, Urriak. Extending the comics analogy, it took decades for the Marvel writers and authors to produce the Ultimate line and then Kevin Feige and the MCU writers and directors and actors drew from that and the Marvel Universe to create adaptations that many regard as wonderful iterations...some even authoritative...on the big screen...all because of their working and reworking of the source material over the decades.

I really enjoy the thoughtfulness of the conversations here at Enworld. Thanks, Urriak!

 

[Remathilis]

I prefer the older version of Drakov, and I prefer my not-Victor Frankenstein to be male (for reasons tied to Mary Shelley's novel and its symbolism around masculine scientific hubris).

I want to narrow down on this (and don't think I'm picking on you, do what you want in your game).

Dr Mordenheim =/= Dr Frankenstein.

Or at least they shouldn't. Not on a 1:1 ratio. It's fine to be inspired by the father of all mad scientists, but the old Victor is almost a perfect match for the classic doctor, right down to same first name and rhyming last name. The story of Victor and Adam reads like a truncated version of Shelly's novel mixed with the Universal movie with the names changed slightly. (And honestly, they are so close that you could have just used Frankenstein, they're not under copyright).

I'm very happy that WotC is trying to move away from nameswapped classic monster movie plots as domains and opting to explore the genres in different ways. Vikta isn't a stand in for Victor Frankenstein, she's inspired by all manner of mad scientist movies. That's a far more interesting use of the domain than just replaying the end of Frankenstein as a domain.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Well said Urriak Uruk. Of course, Disgruntled Hobbit may be missing elements that he cherishes in this new book, and I feel for him...I wish everyone would get what they want in each new book. I mean, I love Spelljammer and DMed it in the 1990s and I am hoping that Wizards publishes a 5th edition Spelljammer book, but I hope that they are faithful to Spelljammer and do not do (as many here have suggested) and transplant Wildspace and the Phlogiston to the Astral Plane. I realize that some people here want to see Wizards do that in order to combine Spelljammer and Planescape, but to do me it would be a disappointment because I like Spelljammer set in space...that is the appeal for me. So, that kind of change in the original material would be disappointing. I am not sure I would be "disgruntled," but that's simply because I am already accustomed to life being disappointing.

But, you make a terrific point here, Urriak. Extending the comics analogy, it took decades for the Marvel writers and authors to produce the Ultimate line and then Kevin Feige and the MCU writers and directors and actors drew from that and the Marvel Universe to create adaptations that many regard as wonderful iterations...some even authoritative...on the big screen...all because of their working and reworking of the source material over the decades.

I really enjoy the thoughtfulness of the conversations here at Enworld. Thanks, Urriak!

This is so nice to read, thank you for the kind words!

 

[Hatmatter]

Does anyone know of an effective nasal spray for change allergies?

I don't know about nasal spray, but I have noticed that acclimation occurs after many circuits of Gaea around Sol.

 

[Hatmatter]

This is so nice to read, thank you for the kind words!

 

[Faolyn]

The exact same statement could be said about a brand new setting
Why didn't they just do that instead?
VAN PITCHEN'S GUIDE TO SHADOWCROFT
It would have done everything you wanted and not pissed off any Ravenloft fans

No matter what they did, they would have pissed someone off. If they had just continued with the lore from 2e/3x, it would piss off people, like me, who don't want to pay for stuff we already have. And it would piss off the people who feel targeted or insulted by the problematic parts.

If they had kept it as-is but just removed the problematic parts, it would have pissed off the people who didn't see those parts as problematic.

If they had created a "Van Picten's Guide to Shadowcroft," it would have pissed off the people who wanted actual Ravenloft, not a knockoff. And it would have pissed off the MtG players who be unhappy they did a knockoff and not Innestrad.

So... are you saying it's OK to piss those people off as long as you're not being pissed off?

I imagine the reason is because they just didn't care if they upset anyone. Anyone angry over the changed lore was irrelevant and they no longer wanted them in the hobby

Do you honestly think that WotC wants to get rid of paying customers? Seriously?

No, but apparently I can't judge it or have an opinion about it without
And every time I post my opinions and feels I'm told in no uncertain terms I am wrong and this book will be amazing because it has unstubtle homages to THE WICKER MAN and REANIMATOR rather then FRANKENSTEIN

First off, if it does have "unsubtle" homages (not that original Ravenloft had subtle homages) to more modern films and books... so what? Why not have these sort of references in the books? Ravenloft had always had them, just buried in the other materials instead of the main book (which is why they had doppleganger plants in the MC that appeared after omens like meteors).

Secondly... you know what, just tell me: what is your ideal new Ravenloft book? Then explain why everyone should buy that instead of what's coming out.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It seems to me another way to protect people from reality. Awful people live and prosper. It's life.
For me, an horror setting have to show injustice of life, even more than a fantasy setting do.

So, when people come over to your house to play a game for fun, your goal is to make sure they understand the full awful reality of life?

I'm sorry, but I just don't believe that -- for one thing, you would have been able to DM once before everyone bailed on you. This feels like an ill thought-out response to something you don't think you like in a book you don't own.