D&D General Does WotCs “Happy Holidays” post confirm a Ravenloft book in 2026?

[TiQuinn]

I would not be surprised if we got another deluxe treatment of Curse of Strahd for 2024, but I hope it's not the case.

Revisiting House on Griffon Hill would be a monument task, though I would welcome it being done; not only is that adventure more suited to the likes of Call of Cthulhu (for it's investigative aspects), but the adventure is severely borked and would need a serious re imagining - especially the ending.

I think that’s the reason to tackle it - so much lore from the Ravenloft setting originated there, possibly more than was in the original module. It’s got a great conceit that will throw PCs for a loop. I also think there’s enough there to flesh out into a whole campaign. It’d be far better than yet another Ravenloft redux.

 

[Parmandur]

The Horror Subclasses UA would fit a Ravenloft release, but I don't really feel that the subclasses detailed fit Barovia. The Artificer Reanimator subclass definitely makes me think of Lamordia. It would be interesting if they made Ravenloft book containing 5 Domains of Dread since 5 regions were outlined in the Forgotten Realms book.

Yeah, a Forge of the Artificer style booster to Van Richten's Guide would not be Barovia centric.

 

[Azzy]

Yeah, a Forge of the Artificer style booster to Van Richten's Guide would not be Barovia centric.

That's what I personally assume we're going to get, a Ravenloft booster. While a previous UA gave us a glimpse into what it will include, I wonder what new stuff that they'd put in such a book.

 

[Parmandur]

That's what I personally assume we're going to get, a Ravenloft booster. While a previous UA gave us a glimpse into what it will include, I wonder what new stuff that they'd put in such a book.

Well, the UA provided tests for both the Van Richten's Subclasses, I imagine we would see the Dark Gifts reimagined as Backgrounds, revisions of the Species, but mostly DM stuff like Monsters, Bastions, and Campaign Frames.

 

[Remathilis]

I think that’s the reason to tackle it - so much lore from the Ravenloft setting originated there, possibly more than was in the original module. It’s got a great conceit that will throw PCs for a loop. I also think there’s enough there to flesh out into a whole campaign. It’d be far better than yet another Ravenloft redux.

Gryphon Hill might be the origin of many Ravenloft setting tropes, but it doesn't really work in the modern concept of Ravenloft. There is no way to get Strahd and Azalin into Modent the way Ravenloft is structured now. You'd basically need a conjunction like event rather than the "Dracula in England" of the original.

But I still maintain you could do an awesome Curse of Mordenheim/Elise's Wrath type adventure with all the steampunk Frankenstein stuff going on in Lamordia. It's screaming for an AP treatment.

 

[Charlaquin]

Certainly Fizban is pretty much indistinguishable from Gandalf, but I'm more inclined to say it's a representation of a PC wizard. The party may even represent PCs in the artist's own game.

The one with the red coat, curly black hair, axe, and sword is unquestionably Ez. The little girl with the lantern hanging from a staff taller than her, and the little boy with the Blinsky doll are unquestionably Rosvalda and Thornboldt Durst. Those depictions are all directly reflective of the characters’ arts in Curse of Strhad. That’s what makes me think the Wizard is the mad mage of Mount Bartok (which is to say, Mordenkainen), because it would be odd for several of the characters depicted to be named NPCs from the same adventure and one to be a generic PC wizard or a reference to a character from a completely different IP.

 

[tetrasodium]

One does not normally combine vampires with traditional Christmas iconography if one it attempting to be serious.

Your about 30something years late in that crossover being odd

There was a vampire Prince Baron Count and Lord in it.

I don't think they explicitly have a vampire in them, but psychostick pretty blatantly wade right out into that nontraditional realm starting with a Christmas song about grampa Munster's drag racer.

 

[TiQuinn]

Gryphon Hill might be the origin of many Ravenloft setting tropes, but it doesn't really work in the modern concept of Ravenloft. There is no way to get Strahd and Azalin into Modent the way Ravenloft is structured now. You'd basically need a conjunction like event rather than the "Dracula in England" of the original.

But I still maintain you could do an awesome Curse of Mordenheim/Elise's Wrath type adventure with all the steampunk Frankenstein stuff going on in Lamordia. It's screaming for an AP treatment.

There’s nothing wrong with a conjunction type event. It would be the basis for a campaign. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft has Firan Zalhonan running around with his familiar Skeever in a wink wink nudge nudge way - there’s a very strong insinuation that the Apparatus has already been put into play here. The structure of Ravenloft is not really an impediment to the idea. Darklords attempting to escape their domains are part of the raison d’etre for the setting.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Those depictions are all directly reflective of the characters’ arts in Curse of Strhad

Which the wizard definitely does not. Nor any other depiction or Mordy. And there are other things in the picture that do not relate to CoS. If the card is a hint, rather than just an artist’s doodle, then we might deduce that the wizard is a reference to a different upcoming product.

 

[Charlaquin]

Which the wizard definitely does not.

Mordenkainen doesn’t have art in Curse of Strahd, but as @GarrettKP notes, he is described as having long hair and a long beard, and his token in the roll20 adventure matches that description.

And there are other things in the picture that do not relate to CoS.

What doesn’t? The devil with the cookies is obviously Morgantha. The windmill in the background is obviously the old bonegrinder. The silver dragon overhead is obviously Agrgynvost. The raven chilling on the rock is obviously a wereraven. The only things that aren’t obviously direct Curse of Strahd references are the zombie, which could easily be a Strahd zombie; the owlbear, which could easily be Waffles; and the wizard, who does definitely look like Gandalf, but would be incredibly conspicuous as the only generic fantasy reference in an image otherwise full of Curse of Strahd specific references, especially when Curse of Strahd famously features a disheveled mad wizard, who they decided to identify as Mordenkainen, seemingly as an Easter egg.

If the card is a hint, rather than just an artist’s doodle, then we might deduce that the wizard is a reference to a different upcoming product.

I honestly doubt it’s a hint. But if it is, it’s 100% towards something Ravenloft related. But the references aren’t just general Ravenloft references, or even references that could be applied to any old I6 adaptation. They’re very specifically Curse of Strahd references.