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.

 

[God]

You mean dangerous clown shoes?

Nope, I was thinking of another adjective entirely, but was trying to keep things SFW.

 

[Remathilis]

The worst thing Strahd could have encountered... entitled millenials. He does not stand a chance. [emoji14]
But seriously, these are not the type of characters you would want to play in Ravenloft, of all places.

So assuming you have to make generic 5e-compatible characters, who would you place in this novel?

Open to everyone mocking it: design a five character team of outsiders to face off against Strahd. The character must be 5e legal and not a native to Ravenloft. Let's see who can make the best "Ravenloft protagonists".

 

[AK_Ambrian]

An interview with the author of this new Ravenloft book about a novel she published last year.

 

[humble minion]

So assuming you have to make generic 5e-compatible characters, who would you place in this novel?

Open to everyone mocking it: design a five character team of outsiders to face off against Strahd. The character must be 5e legal and not a native to Ravenloft. Let's see who can make the best "Ravenloft protagonists".

It's a funny thing though, isn't it - creating a Ravenloft party which has come from 'outside'?

The player knows in advance that their backsotry NPCs won't get used because they'll be on the other side of the Mists, and that any plot hooks they carefully lay are likely to go the same way. And then, the expectation is that your PC will be from a 'conventional' fantasy world and will be slowly getting exposed to how Ravenloft works over time. So isn't it, in fact, kinda metagamey to build a PC that WOULD be suited to a Ravenloft game? I mean, I'm kind of exaggerating for effect here, but there's a pretty strong argument that the best Ravenloft PC, in a really deeply I6-traditional sense, is a PC who not only doesn't know they're going to be in a Ravenloft adventure, but also was created by a player that doesn't know that either.

In which case the 5 'PCs' we've seen on the book cover and in the blurb are in fact perfectly appropriate - because they're the sort of party you'd expect to find in FR or Exandria. They're NOT deliberately Ravenlofty.

Which perhaps goes some way to explaining why I prefer Ravenloft-native PCs, or at least I did back in the day of the Core, not so sure with the new iteration.

Edit:

Cheating a bit, here's my 5-person party for a Ravenloft adventure. They're Ravenloft natives but not Barovian natives. Instead, they come from Borca and mostly meet on the stagecoach into Barovia.

Human female ranger/rogue, noble background, destined for the monster hunter subclass after finding one of Van Richten's Guides in the family library and slaying the undead minion of someone important. Being sent away from Borca because she's reached an age where her parents think she might be of interest/prey to Ivan or Ivana. Strong sense of mission, overestimates her own capabilites.

Halfling female abjurer wizard. Grew up in an idyllic rural village, studious and upriight, the pride of her village, then sent along to make it good in the big city under the guidance of her uncle. When she arrived, she realised her uncle was in a vicious blackmail and standover gang. She refused to be part of that, and took employment working secutiry at one of Borca's banks/moneylenders. Only just starting to work out that they might even be worse than her uncle - but is finding she enjoys the respect/order that they provide regardless. Sent along to Barovia to handle some sort of financial matter for local businesses. Prim, stiff-necked, cautious, very Lawful.

Tiefling male grave cleric. Foundling abandoned on the doorstep of a small church of Ezra, grew up under the care of the anchorite there who treated him as a son. Did cleaning, gravedigging etc but has only recently become a priest. Was assigned to be Barovia's resident cleric by superiors who miiight just want the demon priest dead, perhaps because they know who his parents are. Genuinly meek, pious, and humble - the innocent abroad - sheltered, a bit naive, in line for some bitter disillusion.

Human male zealot barbarian. Crazed rag-clad warrior hermit, long beard, middle aged Rasputin type. Did something(/s) truly horrible in his youth, perhaps as a soldier, took to religion to try to come to terms with himself. Has decided that the tiefling has a great destiny as a holy man, and will loyally follow him, ponder on his teachings (or just his off-hand musings, if teachings are thin on the ground), and will kill anyone and anything that gets in his way in order to make sure that destiny comes to fruition. Messianic, wild-eyed, overwhelmingly certain.

Aasimar male armorer artificer. Once a powerful celestial, stripped of power for arrogance and pride, and reborn into a semi-mortal form in the so-far-futile hope he'd learn humility. Only partly remembers his previous existence, but is obsessed with regaining his former potency, and pursues that goal by scribing objects with runes in the primal language of creation, thereby enchanting them. Favors spells of light and fire, and items that would emulate the celestial abilities he lost. Vindictive, arrogant, judgemental, ferocious, but capable of great grace towards innocents especially.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

We could agree certain brand is the best wine, but if beer or grape-juice is sold more, then the company will start to sell beer or grape-juice.

WotC would rather to be a "greengrocer's/produce shop" than a restaurant, I mean they are more interested into selling ingredients than cooked dishes.

We would waste our time if we would be wasting our time if we are argueing about which grandmother bakes the best cake, because we can't be objetive here. The true key is how this franchise can be enjoyed by most of players.

Now WotC doesn't want Ravenloft to be 100% gothic horror but dark fantasy with space for different horror subgenres.

* The dark gift "second skin" could be very interesting when the PC is a living construct like an autognome. Let's imagine that gentleman who suddenly after suffering a little damage shows a metalic skin.

* The asymetric horror videogame "Carnival Hunt" is a good example how horror is possible without showing blood or explicit violence.

"The Stepford Wives" is a good example of how horror is possible without undeads.. although the remake of the movie, that with Nicole Kidman, was focused into the comedy. Stepford could be a dark domain with constructs (it is not a spoiler when you may watched the trailer of the second movie).

* The ermordenung (humanoids whose physical contact is posionous) from Borca should be rewritten, and there is a good reason. They are easy to be discovered when they were forced to touch a bird or an animal to test, or after being discovered somebody created the right antitoxin. My idea is ermordenung can touch other people being then totally harmless when they wear some magic item, maybe a tatoo. Then when they want to use their poisonous touch, they take it off or this is desactivated. And they can touch other living beings in special magic zones where everybody is immune to that poison. And ermordenung can't be hurt by the poison of other ermordenung if both are the same "strain".

* How would be shifters with wereraven or werebat ancestors?

 

[Scribe]

So assuming you have to make generic 5e-compatible characters, who would you place in this novel?

What we were given.

Orc Wizard - Against type.
Drow Barbarian - Against type.
Tiefling Paladin - Against type (one of my favourite characters of all time was a Tiefling Paladin in my edgy youth).
Kenku Cleric - Kah.... caw?
Human Artificer - Final Girl energy.

What I would go with, all 5.5 options.

Human Ranger - Hunter
High Elf Wizard - Evoker
Dwarf Cleric - War
Goliath Barbarian - Berzerker
Tiefling Warlock - GOO

 

[Bill Zebub]

I do sincerely hope there's a "Hair of Strahd" parody coming soon. Astarion from Baldur's Gate can play the titular role.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I do sincerely hope there's a "Hair of Strahd" parody coming soon. Astarion from Baldur's Gate can play the titular role.

"...Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his keen eyesight, a party of adventurers have just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, could tell from their voluminous and shiny pompadours, that rarest pomade was among their possessions. His once handsome face contorts with a kind of madness as the styling options flash before his mind like lightning. He will attend them.

The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner."

 

[Not a Decepticon]

The positives:
I really like the party defying stereotypes this much, it makes it interesting to see how a first canonical Orc Wizard or Drow Barbarian will feel like.

Negatives:
I had to double check because at first glance on the cover the girl and the kenku meld in such a way I thought she's supposed to be a centaur.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

The worst thing Strahd could have encountered... entitled millenials. He does not stand a chance.
But seriously, these are not the type of characters you would want to play in Ravenloft, of all places.

Why not? Is it really any different from a typical d&d party?

So assuming you have to make generic 5e-compatible characters, who would you place in this novel?

Open to everyone mocking it: design a five character team of outsiders to face off against Strahd. The character must be 5e legal and not a native to Ravenloft. Let's see who can make the best "Ravenloft protagonists".

I'm not mocking the lineup, but I will do it anyway.

Builds under the links
Human Fighter and Light Cleric with Magic Sword passed down by his late father, seeking to return home and slay evil wizard who murdered his family
Human Revenant Rogue/Barbarian who seeks revenge for his death and his mother
Tiefling Ranger struggling with faith in a God whose religion sees him as spawn of Satan
Reborn Bard who watched to many people die to let it ever happen again
Human Wizard/Artificer that is deeply self-hating and self-destructive, while being egocentric aat the same time.
Hexblood Wizard struggling with a horrible curse

Truly this party exemplifies gothic horror and will not clash tonally with SACRED ONLY TRUE VISION OF ORIGINAL RAVENLOFT in any way, shape or form.