Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd Cover, Synopsis Revealed

The cover and synopsis for Penguin Random House's new Dungeons & Dragons novel has been revealed. This week, Penguin Random House revealed the official title and cover for Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd, a new novel by Delilah S. Dawson. The new novel is due for release in April 2025. The new novel follows a group of adventurers who arrive in Barovia under mysterious circumstances and are summoned to Castle Ravenloft to dine with the infamous Count Strahd. This marks the first Ravenloft novel released in 17 years.

Penguin Random House has slowly grown its line of novels over the past few years, with novels set in Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and the Forgotten Realms released over the last year. Characters from The Fallbacks novel by Jaleigh Johnson also appears in art in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide.

The full synopsis for Heir of Strahd can be found below:

Five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer.

After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation:

Fairest Friends,

I pray you accept my humble Hospitality and dine with me tonight at Castle Ravenloft. It is rare we receive Visitors, and I do so Endeavor to Make your Acquaintance. The Carriage shall bear you to the Castle safely, and I await your Arrival with Pleasure.

Your host,
Strahd von Zarovich

With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades—before the mists of Barovia claim them forever.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Speaking of Strahd I still love when Soth popped up and Strahrd was “Hey bud, let me help you out so you can get the heck up out my house ASAP.”

 

[Remathilis]

Yeah, I don't have a problem if the tone isn't gothic Horror per se, because even the Van Richten's Guide aimed to broaden the types of horror that Ravenloft can handle, but to @Remathilis point, it's just very samey samey stuff for Strahd. I dunno, it's not like I'm really the market for this book. I'd like to see the book do well so that hopefully they do more books and potentially different books.

Everyone rags on Ravenloft 2: House on Gryphon Hill, but it tried to do something different with Strahd other than "cat-and-mouse with recent arrivals" and "pine for Tatiana". Part of the problem I guess is Strahd is stuck in his cage, but I'm his cage he's all powerful. He doesn't have anything to challenge him but meddling kids and old loves. Maybe this book will try to give Strahd some other goal beyond the usual ones. Let's hope at least for the sake of novelty.

 

[Emerikol]

That party is a self parody of late stage D&D race/class combos.

This party was designed to offend basically everyone. Smh.

 

[TiQuinn]

This party was designed to offend basically everyone. Smh.

Really? Are you offended by it? Or just don't like it.

 

[Distracted DM]

Speaking of Strahd I still love when Soth popped up and Strahrd was “Hey bud, let me help you out so you can get the heck up out my house ASAP.”

I really enjoyed that first Soth book- the second one was... not as enjoyable for me :'D

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Hey, you know the cliché grognard rant about kids these days and their blue tieflings?

Well...between that cover and the latest PHB...I think its becoming a real thing. The delusions of basement troglodytes are becoming real!

 

[Emerikol]

Really? Are you offended by it? Or just don't like it.

Maybe offended is a strong word. I'm not mad about it. I just think it's the kind of thing you see a lot of nowadays that would turn me off from a group right away. It's flavor choices but if you put brussels sprouts on my plate I am not going to enjoy them.

 

[TiQuinn]

Everyone rags on Ravenloft 2: House on Gryphon Hill, but it tried to do something different with Strahd other than "cat-and-mouse with recent arrivals" and "pine for Tatiana". Part of the problem I guess is Strahd is stuck in his cage, but I'm his cage he's all powerful. He doesn't have anything to challenge him but meddling kids and old loves. Maybe this book will try to give Strahd some other goal beyond the usual ones. Let's hope at least for the sake of novelty.

I would actually love for someone to take another stab at Ravenloft 2, because the plot is kinda cool. I mean, it literally starts off with the party in Mordent after fighting Strahd in the original Ravenloft, and then being asked by a local baron to investigate this guy that his daughter is engaged to, and finding out it's Strahd!! And yet, it isn't Strahd?! What's going on here?

I mean, that's a fantastic hook and sooooo much of that module got pulled into the 2e Box Set. It really deserves a updating and more coherent story built around it. Heck, they could build an entire campaign out of it - Curse of Strahd 2!

 

[Azzy]

Is it bad that Barovia is like my least favorite Domain?

No, not at all. I'm over it, too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Everyone rags on Ravenloft 2: House on Gryphon Hill, but it tried to do something different with Strahd other than "cat-and-mouse with recent arrivals" and "pine for Tatiana". Part of the problem I guess is Strahd is stuck in his cage, but I'm his cage he's all powerful. He doesn't have anything to challenge him but meddling kids and old loves. Maybe this book will try to give Strahd some other goal beyond the usual ones. Let's hope at least for the sake of novelty.

I think Gryphon Hill is great.