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.

 

[Scribe]

The Fallbacks

Yeah, first impression was that those are kids. Maybe I misread that. Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, Bard, Wizard? I mean if thats a 'problem' then yes we have issues trying to appease the "Big Tent".

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Yeah, first impression was that those are kids. Maybe I misread that. Rogue, Cleric, Fighter, Bard, Wizard? I mean if thats a 'problem' then yes we have issues trying to appease the "Big Tent".

I don't know what a big tent is. The term, I know what a real tents are, ofc

 

[Scribe]

I don't know what a big tent is.

The Big Tent, is the claim that D&D, 5e, encompasses all RPG fans, and satisfies everyone, from lapsed fans, who maybe went to Pathfinder, to 4e fans, to story first, and everyone in between.

 

[Bedrockgames]

1. Then I think you haven't seen many fantasy book covers. 2. KotBR was literally "what if dDarth Vader fought Dracula?" this is as far from gothic horror as they go . Lsi, ad I have pointed out, you can have d&d be gothic horror without it being Ravenloft, so it's poor foundation of what makessomething Ravenloft. 3. You are judging a book by its cover, again.

I think me and @Paul Farquhar have largely responded to all the points being made on this aspect of the conversation so I don't know that there is much to be gained by continuing with it. But 1) I have seen many fantasy RPG covers. Fantasy is a broad genre that often draws on other genres and two things can exist in separate genres. I've also read a lot of gothic literature since I first read Knight of the Black Rose, and that cover definitely seems gothic to me. Again the mood, the way Soth is moving more like a horror monster than a knight, the castle environment (castles are a core trope of gothic literature), plus all the points @Paul Farquhar made. 2) I don't think this is what the book was. It was a monster rally book as I have explained, and more in keeping with stuff like the old universal movies. All you have to do is read the opening chapter to see the tone of the book. Of course D&D can do gothic, just like it can do post apocalyptic or suspense and adventure. Fantasy is a broad genre that often includes things from other genres, like vampires. But the focus of ravenloft was gothic horror and classic horror. Go take a look at the black box and that is crystal clear throughout the text. And even DoD, which tries to bring in more fantasy is still firmly rooted in gothic. People can and do debate how well it succeeded, but the source books make clear what they are trying to achieve. 3) I am. I do judge books by their cover. Of course this depends on the situation. A book put out by a small publisher or one that isn't trying to be glossy with bells and whistles, I will judge differently. But when a large publisher books out a horror book and uses a cover like this, I will make assumptions about what the story is going to be about and whether I should read it.

 

[Bedrockgames]

….


I’m one of them. Yes, it’s important to realize that sources of bad stuff and response to it are very variable. We each need to know ourselves, and to respect others.

Gothic horror and dark music kept me sane in high school

 

[Not a Decepticon]

The Big Tent, is the claim that D&D, 5e, encompasses all RPG fans, and satisfies everyone, from lapsed fans, who maybe went to Pathfinder, to 4e fans, to story first, and everyone in between.

You are the one having problem accomodating other people in that tent.

I think me and @Paul Farquhar have largely responded to all the points being made on this aspect of the conversation so I don't know that there is much to be gained by continuing with it. But 1) I have seen many fantasy RPG covers. Fantasy is a broad genre that often draws on other genres and two things can exist in separate genres. I've also read a lot of gothic literature since I first read Knight of the Black Rose, and that cover definitely seems gothic to me. Again the mood, the way Soth is moving more like a horror monster than a knight, the castle environment (castles are a core trope of gothic literature), plus all the points @Paul Farquhar made. 2) I don't think this is what the book was. It was a monster rally book as I have explained, and more in keeping with stuff like the old universal movies. All you have to do is read the opening chapter to see the tone of the book. Of course D&D can do gothic, just like it can do post apocalyptic or suspense and adventure. Fantasy is a broad genre that often includes things from other genres, like vampires. But the focus of ravenloft was gothic horror and classic horror. Go take a look at the black box and that is crystal clear throughout the text. And even DoD, which tries to bring in more fantasy is still firmly rooted in gothic. People can and do debate how well it succeeded, but the source books make clear what they are trying to achieve. 3) I am. I do judge books by their cover. Of course this depends on the situation. A book put out by a small publisher or one that isn't trying to be glossy with bells and whistles, I will judge differently. But when a large publisher books out a horror book and uses a cover like this, I will make assumptions about what the story is going to be about and whether I should read it.

1. Soth is standing there* and castles are also common in fantasy, "contains a castle" is a really bad criteria for defining gothic horror.
2. No, the opening chapters are very much high fantasy,we begin on Krynn. Also if you claim the cover works once you read first chapter, then the cover does not, in fact, work. And gain, nothing on cover of tKotBR says gothic horror to me, it's too similiar to every other cover with scary armored dude, including those with Soth himself, as I have proven.
3. Judging book by its cover when it's a perfectly ok cover, that communicates well what the book will be about, makes you come off as just trying very hard to not admit ypu don't like that Ravenloft will have content for people who don't share ypur exact, narrow preferences. It feels entitled.

*- MENANCINGLY

 

[Scribe]

You are the one having problem accomodating other people in that tent.

lol no, I'm not in the tent, Wizards has made it clear there is no interest in serving my interests.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

lol no, I'm not in the tent, Wizards has made it clear there is no interest in serving my interests.

That implies you had came to that conclusion because the tent ws big enough for others, is that so? Also, if you are not in the tent, why ar you complaining about it?

 

[Scribe]

That implies you had came to that conclusion because the tent ws big enough for others, is that so? Also, if you are not in the tent, why ar you complaining about it?

No, I came to that conclusion because every step of the way since Tashas Wizards has gone in a direction I dont want, and instead of providing optional rules, alternative settings, they instead have doubled down.

The tent could absolutely be big enough for everyone, Wizards has more capital than likely every other RPG company combined, but they seemingly have no desire other than to release the most tepid of products.

As to why complain about it? A desire to see it changed.

 

[Bedrockgames]

You are the one having problem accomodating other people in that tent.

1. Soth is standing there* and castles are also common in fantasy, "contains a castle" is a really bad criteria for defining gothic horror.
2. No, the opening chapters are very much high fantasy,we begin on Krynn. Also if you claim the cover works once you read first chapter, then the cover does not, in fact, work. And gain, nothing on cover of tKotBR says gothic horror to me, it's too similiar to every other cover with scary armored dude, including those with Soth himself, as I have proven.
3. Judging book by its cover when it's a perfectly ok cover, that communicates well what the book will be about, makes you come off as just trying very hard to not admit ypu don't like that Ravenloft will have content for people who don't share ypur exact, narrow preferences. It feels entitled.

*- MENANCINGLY

I am not sure what to tell you. I think most people who see Knight of the Black Rose would say it is fitting for gothic horror. 1) "Contains castle" wasn't the criteria for it being gothic. But castles are an essential feature of gothic, so when you put together a haunting undead knight, romantic and sinister atmosphere, sense of a fear, etc, I'd say it fits well with gothic horror.
2) I am sorry but that chapter isn't high fantasy. One can argue it isn't well done, they don't like it. But that is clearly going for the tragic background of the doomed south character and is completely in keeping with horror and gothic horror. It could also appear in dark fantasy or even a normal fantasy setting as a moment of darkness, but it is clear what the writer was going for. Soth may be a character from a high fantasy story. But he is also the darkest, most horror related character in the setting (and by the time you get to the twins books I would argue the mood is shifting towards something closer to dark fantasy).
3) I don't think the cover is okay. I think it is an awful cover for a horror setting, for the reasons I have said. I don't know where you are getting a sense of entitlement from my posts. I am just telling you what I think of the new book cover and the new setting. I don't feel entitled to get the Ravenloft I want at all. But I can weigh in on whether I think WOTC is handling Ravenloft well