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

 

[JEB]

I'm not saying it's a new idea, just that it's something that is spelled out in the introduction to the new book.

"Is each domain unique or just one in a series of recurring nightmares? How many forms of Castle Ravenloft exist, have existed, and will yet reveal themselves in the Mists? What is truth among the Domains of Dread, and how long will that remain certain? The answers are for you to decide."

Well, that's neat, at least - canonizing the idea that there's no canon. Rather DC Comics of them, actually. Do they provide some examples of these alternate takes on the domains throughout the book?

(Of course, a cynic might suggest that's a vague attempt to deflect criticism from older fans about the rather extensive nature of the reboot... or an attempt to encourage continued digital sales of the old Ravenloft books despite most of the lore now being incompatible. But we should try not to be cynical.)

EDIT: Wait, I didn't read close enough. It's just a fancy way of saying "you can modify this material however you like." Not so meaningful then. Oh well.

 

[Voadam]

I got it as a birthday gift today so I immediately went to the monsters.

Still disappointed the Brain in a Jar can only charm person 3/day and compulsion once, but that's the same as in other 5e sources.

A lot of CR 8 monsters.

I like that the Loup Garou is a big CR 13. A big chunky CR werewolf.

If this is the one and done horror sourcebook I would have preferred a bunch more monsters too. The section is just too short to be the "go here for your horror monster collection" the way the ravenloft monster books were in 3e and 2e.

The greater star spawn is CR 21. I laughed that the lesser is CR 19.

Neat combining of the dullahan and headless horseman undead concepts.

Decent concise entries on domains, only skimmed a few though. The lesser ones have just a paragraph each.

Skimmed Falkovnia and Har Akir, it looks like Drakov is a straight gender flip retcon, not a continuation with a female descendant/successor. Har Akir is mostly the same, The village is still the population center (at 3,000), but the mummies are actively in charge and Ankhetop is now looking for a piece of his lost soul. Making it look like he is searching for an ultimate lost treasure could be a potentially cool twist reveal if players don't read the entry.

The paragraph on travel between domains says there are Vistani families, adventurers traveling, individuals going blindly into mists, and some talismans. It basically says significant trade and domain warfare are impossible. Don't think about most food supplies.

 

[JEB]

That's pretty good.

What edition is the carrion bug/stalker from? I don't remember it.

Carrion stalker originated in 2E's Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III. (I don't think 3E Ravenloft added too many new monsters... and they pretty much seem to have bypassed 3E Ravenloft as a source anyway.)

 

[Faolyn]

That's pretty good.

What edition is the carrion bug/stalker from? I don't remember it.

It was in MCIII for 2e, and Denizens of Dread for 3x.

 

[Zaukrie]

Imo this is one of the best toolbox books DnD has ever published for DMs outside various DMGs.....so many nuggets. I don't even know where I will start.....

 

[Savage Wombat]

I feel that Dementlieu is one of the best new domains I've seen, and if it weren't for the name reuse everyone would appreciate it more.

 

[Davies]

and they pretty much seem to have bypassed 3E Ravenloft as a source anyway.)

Not completely. Some of the stuff about Hazlik is clearly referencing what was established about him there.

 

[Micah Sweet]

That's been there since day one of the setting; the Dark Powers could change whatever they wanted, and duplication certainly isn't out of bounds for them. That's why complaints about changes to the setting seem so odd to me; if it suits them, the Dark Powers can change what they want about Darklords - gender, what they believe is their backstory, and so on. Or, just create a new, slightly different one while keeping the old. The same with Domains. The setting is super malleable, leaving little room for an iron-bound canon.

I've read through up to the start of the domain descriptions, and it's been a really fun an interesting read so far...

The problem was never that they needn't have a canon; it was they did have a more or less consistent canon for over 20 years, and then decided to radically change it. Forgotten Realms and Eberron are both much more consistent with previous versions, and I believe that if this had come out earlier in 5e's life cycle, it would have been more consistent as well.

 

[JEB]

Not completely. Some of the stuff about Hazlik is clearly referencing what was established about him there.

What I'd seen in previews seemed like it extrapolated more from late-2E Hazlik, but it would certainly be nice if the work the Kargatane did was acknowledged!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The problem was never that they needn't have a canon; it was they did have a more or less consistent canon for over 20 years, and then decided to radically change it. Forgotten Realms and Eberron are both much more consistent with previous versions, and I believe that if this had come out earlier in 5e's life cycle, it would have been more consistent as well.

Ravenloft should never have had a canon. It's inconsonant with the nightmare nature of the domain for there to be "canon". The actual complete change to Ravenloft is this:

Nightmare Logic: By the standards of what other worlds’ inhabitants consider true and sane, the Domains of Dread don’t make sense. The setting’s domains don’t neatly flow into one another, histories don’t record a collectively remembered past, fictions spawn terrible facts, and sheltered villagers remain stubbornly ignorant about the world beyond.