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.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

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

“Strahd who darhling?” - Astarion

 

[TwoSix]

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.

Nah...the youngest millennials are 28, and the average millennial is in their mid-30s. These characters are absolutely Gen Z.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

Pretty weird the market leader cannot create anything better than is back catalog and instead gets by trotting out the defiled corpses of past glory.

Major "how do you do fellow kids" energy with every retcon.

So, so absolutely true.

 

[Andrea Rocci]

Horrendous cover. But I'm probably too old and out of target.

 

[Chaltab]

Nah...the youngest millennials are 28, and the average millennial is in their mid-30s. These characters are absolutely Gen Z.

I mean that one is a drow, he could be a 200.

 

[Chaltab]

Also the art aside I see nothing wrong with the characters. the mists can grab people from anywhere, even off limits worlds like Athas and Eberron.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Nah...the youngest millennials are 28, and the average millennial is in their mid-30s. These characters are absolutely Gen Z.

Everyone younger than 60 is a millennial these days.

At least for baseless complaint or insult purposes. No one bothered to learn the zoomer or gen alphas' names.

 

[Azzy]

Also the art aside I see nothing wrong with the characters. the mists can grab people from anywhere, even off limits worlds like Athas and Eberron.

True. I played a halfling druid from Eberron's Talenta Plains (Wildshape into dinos FTW!) in a Curse of Strahd campaign.

 

[Vaalingrade]

"Oh no, pleasure!" ~ D&D fandom's reaction to any art these days.

It's a weekend romp through ironic hell with some Hammer Horror pastiche or another just like it always was. I doubt the Dark Powers would have fun pulling in the grimdork sad sacks people are demanding all Ravenloft kidnappees be.

 

[Chaltab]

To be fair i wish the orc's face was more orcish and every time my initial visual impression of the Artificer is that she's a centaur with the kenku being her horse body. unfortunate composition, that.