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

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The book says it could be years or even longer before the Darklord comes back to life.

But anyway, Ravenloft is a place for small victories. If the werewolf queen isn't a Darklord, then yes, she can be killed. If she is... then you may have given that town years or even an entire generation in which to recover from her predation.

Or not; you could say a new monster moves in right away. It is a horror setting, after all.

It's definitely the kind of a setting where you'd expect an Animal Farm or Game of Thrones situation: You thought the old lord was bad, whoo boy, just wait until you hear about the new lord!

 

[Charlaquin]

I like that it leaves room for multiple endings. The “default” or “neutral” ending where you beat the dark lord and escape the domain but the post-credits stinger implies they come back eventually, the “good” ending where against all odds you find a way to defeat the dark lord for good, and the “bad” ending where you defeat the dark lord, but the dark powers decide to make you the new dark lord. For bonus points, maybe you can make an NPC the new dark lord instead.

 

[JEB]

I often find the "but this means my players can't CHANGE anything" argument for Ravenloft to be a weird one.

First off, sure they can if you as the DM decide they can.

Second off, most of those elements - Strahd always comes back in a few months, etc, are there because WotC wants certain elements canonically to remain in place with a eye towards re-visiting them in future official products. Those elements don't have to be canon for you and your campaigns.

Third off, 99% of the time, the ONLY way your players would even know that what they did will be undone is if you feel compelled to tell them so for some reason. Like if your players kill Strahd and escape Barovia in Curse of Strahd, from their perspective that's a big win. There is ZERO need for you to inform them "Oh, he came back three months later and everything re-set" and certainly their characters have no way of knowing that. So it's a case of complaining about something you were perfectly at liberty to just not mention (the adventure certainly doesn't call for you to mention it).

Sure, the first two are obvious. You can always ignore what the book says in your home campaign. I'm just talking about the official, default 5E Ravenloft.

The third, I'm not thinking of a campaign where your heroes go from domain to domain as wandering heroes, and never look back. (I'm guessing that's the default assumption?) Having a messenger follow them later on, just to whisper "you failed" in their ear, would be kind of a jerk move...

Instead, I'm thinking of one where the heroes make return trips to places they previously freed, or even choose a place they saved as their new home or base. In that situation, you can always go with options 1 or 2... but if you're following what the book says, that darklord is going to come back from the dead eventually, no matter what your players do to prevent it. That revolution against the oppressive regime will eventually collapse, or degenerate into the same tyranny it deposed. Because the Domains of Dread insist on some version of their status quo. That's obvious bait for future adventures, of course, and very in-genre, but it's still very pessimistic.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The third, I'm not thinking of a campaign where your heroes go from domain to domain as wandering heroes, and never look back. (I'm guessing that's the default assumption?) Having a messenger follow them later on, just to whisper "you failed" in their ear, would be kind of a jerk move...

I can't think of a better way to make a group really hate a darklord, though ...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Perhaps summary of it (with spoiler tags of course)?

Not a summery, but I do have a few more thoughts. Not plot spoilers, but I'll blank it anyway, just in case.

It is designed to level characters from 1st to 3rd quickly, then throw some quite deadly stuff at them. However, it is possible to trigger the deadly stuff early, which could well lead to TPK (although the DM could bale them out with NPC support). If I where using this, I would treat it as a 3rd level adventure and ignore the suggested levelling. In term of length, I would guess my group would take 2-3 sessions to complete it.

By usual WotC standards its quite high in magic item loot for a low level adventure.

 

[Voadam]

I didn't see any Shadow Rift stuff. Did I miss it?

Has anyone made a list of old domains that are not in here?

 

[Remathilis]

I didn't see any Shadow Rift stuff. Did I miss it?

Has anyone made a list of old domains that are not in here?

Without having the book (it's on the way!) I believe the Shadow Rift is partially mixed into Tempest and Verbrek is missing, though I've heard the Timothy's are still somewhere (anyone confirm?) The rest of the classic core appears to be referenced in some fashion.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I've heard the Timothy's are still somewhere

Under Larissa Snowmane: "Larissa avoids rival riverboat captain Nathan Timothy and his ship, Virago..."

 

[Davies]

Instead, I'm thinking of one where the heroes make return trips to places they previously freed, or even choose a place they saved as their new home or base. In that situation, you can always go with options 1 or 2... but if you're following what the book says, that darklord is going to come back from the dead eventually, no matter what your players do to prevent it.

But 'eventually' doesn't have to mean 'by the time they come back'. It doesn't even have to mean 'before the campaign ends'. 'Eventually' could be hundreds of years after the heroes have passed away.

"The dark's patience is infinite. Eventually, even stars burn out."

 

[darjr]

#7 out of all books on Amazon as of right now.