Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd Review

Like many Ravenloft tabletop adventures, five adventurers are plucked from the realms by the mists to find themselves in Barovia. As usual, Strahd sends one of his minions to invite the newcomers to his castle to enjoy his hospitality, a.k.a. for Strahd to mess with their minds and tempt them.

The characters are:

• Rotrog: An arrogant Orc wizard apprentice
• Kah: A shy Kenku cleric from Waterdeep
• Fielle: A cheerful human artificer from Baldur’s Gate
• Alishai: A moody, hot-tempered Tiefling paladin to Selune
• Chivarion: A good-natured Drow barbarian with a hairless tressym named “Murder” as his pet.

Over the course of the novel, you discover that each one was taken when they were faced with a terrible choice or were poised to take an awful action. That sets the stage for the crux of the novel—which character(s) will succumb to either Strahd’s temptations and/or the malevolent energy of Barovia, embracing their darkest impulses.

Should You Buy It?​

I found Heir to Strahd interesting because while it presented elements of Barovia that Ravenloft players and DMs will be very familiar with, not everything was what I had expected, even though I’ve GM’d Ravenloft adventures. The spirit of Tatyana most notably was presented in a way I did not expect based on the prior information I had read.

I don’t want to explain too much about Tatyana, and how she factors into the plot because it could ruin the mystery of who falls prey to the darkness to become the titular character. I will say that I suspected the doomed character at first, then talked myself out of it, assuming it was a feint to distract from another option. A later character reveal reinforced my original suspicion, but I still thought there might be a twist to go in the another direction. There wasn’t but instead of being unsatisfying, the ending makes me eager for a sequel.

Regardless of how one feels about the mystery and certain aspects of the ending, this Ravenloft novel can be very useful for anyone thinking of DMing an adventure set in Barovia. Dawson, the author of a few Star Wars novels and several fantasy novels, not only sets the tone very well for Barovia but also shows how Strahd could be played by a DM. The audiobook in particular showcased how even a simple conversation with Strahd can be equal parts charming and sinister.

For those who like or prefer audiobooks, the narration by Ellie Gossage was very good. It’s also available in hardcover and ebook editions.

Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd: B+.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Your definition of humanocentric seems to be "a human made it." I won't argue over your definition of it- however, it's quite possible to make non-humans seem inhuman. Give them different priorities. Radically different goals. Consider the idea that they don't think like humans; one easy way is priorities:
We take self-preservation for granted. Survival instinct. Maybe [insertcreature] doesn't care about their own survival, other things have a much priority. An alien way of thinking. Desire for personal gain? Chuck it out the window. Those are two easy dials to change if you want players to say "what the heck, I don't understand this creature I'm talking to."

It helps to throw out what we think of as logic, as well. When the players say "it would've been so much simpler for this creature to achieve their goal via X means, rather than the weird sht they did via Y," shrug. Maybe it wasn't the goal, but the means by which the goal was achieved. Or maybe they could ONLY consider doing it Y way, and would never consider X even if it was suggested.

In short, saying "of course all DnD ancestries are going to be just different colored humans" is really discounting proper worldbuilding and the possibility of thinking outside the box.

Those are all human ideas of what inhuman and alien is like, therefore they are jsut human projection, assumptions inhuman or alien would lack what we take for granted. It's not an inhuman perspective, just a caricature of it through human perspective.

 

[M.L. Martin]

For blurred spoiler text: Click on the first "More options" button which opens a submenu. On the far right is "inline spoiler" which looks like a domino mask kinda. You can also surround your text with HTML codes "ISPOILER"

Does the novel retcon Strahd's curse? No, I don't think so. He doesn't win in the end, Fielle embraces becoming a vampire, but does escape Strahd's realm. Fielle also encounters and is possessed by Tatyana's spirit, although they remain separate consciousness. It's a little complicated, but works in the narrative.

A Ravenloft where becoming a vampire is a Happy Ending is very far removed from what I wanted out of Ravenloft, I'm afraid.

 

[wizard71]

Yes. I can see my words created a profound awakening in you. The major designers left after they steered the Titanic into the iceberg.

 

[Dire Bare]

A Ravenloft where becoming a vampire is a Happy Ending is very far removed from what I wanted out of Ravenloft, I'm afraid.

Who said it was a happy ending? It is very much not. Nice assumption though. Sheesh.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Who said it was a happy ending? It is very much not. Nice assumption though. Sheesh.

So it's presented as a tragic fall from grace?

 

[DarkCrisis]

So it's presented as a tragic fall from grace?

At this point let’s just be glad she didn’t meet a sparkly vampire and fall in love.

 

[Dire Bare]

So it's presented as a tragic fall from grace?

Fielle is an artificer who works for her family tavern as the fix-up girl. She is abused by her parents and her older sister, not physically but verbally and emotionally. Fielle's only use to her family is to fix up whatever needs fixing and to design stage tricks to enhance her sister's singing and performance. Fielle's sister is a talented singer and performer and is the family's bread-and-butter. One day, Fielle gets so fed up with the emotional abuse she is about to craft a tasteless potion to slip into her sister's drink that will permanently destroy her vocal chords, taking away her ability to sing and even speak. Just before she can carry through . . . she is whisked away by the mists to Barovia. We don't learn all of this until later in the narrative.

Despite her dark choice, Fielle is a kind, sweet soul who tries to calm the other characters who are distrustful and angry at each other. She is an innocent, and becomes the glue that binds this disparate party together. But unfortunately, she is a reincarnation of Tatyana and a dead-ringer for Strahd's lost love. She also becomes possessed (kinda) by the spirit of Tatyana, the two of them share her body and conciousness.

Strahd plays with all of the characters, but is intent in turning Fielle into his new bride. He turns her into a vampire, and she is overwhelmed by the need for blood. At first she is horrified after killing several young village girls gifted to her by Strahd, but the darkness begins to win her over and she begins to enjoy her new power, having felt so powerless in her previous existence. Tatyana herself remains a horrified voice of reason and compassion as Fielle turns to the dark side.

The party returns from Lamordia with the macguffin that will separate Tatyana's spirit from Fielle's and save them both from being a vampire . . . hopefully. Fielle goes along because she doesn't want to be Strahd's slave for eternity. At the end, the party is seemingly victorious, Tatyana's spirit is placed into a flesh golem (a pretty one) and sent off with Van Richten, Fielle and the party return to the Forgotten Realms, the party convinced she is no longer in danger, no longer a vampire . . . but then she gleefully murders and drains her parents and sister, and starts plotting her next move, the rest of the group unaware . . .

Fielle's story is a tragic loss of innocence and turn to darkness. Perfect for gothic horror mixed with the epic fantasy of D&D. IMO.

 

[Dire Bare]

At this point let’s just be glad she didn’t meet a sparkly vampire and fall in love.

Okay. Very clever.

 

[M.L. Martin]

Fielle's story is a tragic loss of innocence and turn to darkness. Perfect for gothic horror mixed with the epic fantasy of D&D. IMO.

Thank you. I stand corrected.

 

[LazarusKane]

Those are all real people that exist and you can, I dunno, ASK THEM to understand their perspectives. It's reductive to compare them to made up fictional things that do not exist.

Allmost all people in fiction don't exist and authors invent them, perspectives and all - and all fictional characters are reductive. (Good) Writers may be thoroughly investigating topics they don't know but ultimatively it's all made up. A male writer could for example interview one hundred females so the female characters he invented feel real in their actions and the way they talk and feel - or he could only use sexistic stereotypes. But both aproaches will result in a difference between the female and the male characters in his story.
Or someone can dislike the elves a writer uses in his work and love the elves in another writers stories, but that means that both writers made the "species: elf" different from the "species: human" - except if the critique is "These elves are simply 'humans with pointy ears'" - like IMHO the characters in Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd.

It's an experience that taught me the players need enemies who are interesting individual people, and even an individual group with weird quirk will be more be memorable than entire "evil" species.

Yes, but's that's what I was saying to counter your "players in my experience do not care if they fight Orcs or Goblins or Haflings"/"(a)nd yet whenever the players faqce (sic) them, the reaction is pretty much the same regardless what they're facing - it's in my way and I kill it." Many evil? species have unique quirks. And I must disagree (again): tactics themselves do give enemies enough personality to step beyond being a simple obstacle.
Simple example: Drow ambush you - or you ambush them; they take slaves so the heroes may have a second chance if they fail to defend the villagers; they flee if in danger and will leave their comrades behind.
Orcs are more likely to attack openly with brute strength; they are not interested in puny humans and slaughter them all - or, if you want to be morbid: take females as slaves; they fight till the end.
Hobgoblins? They raid the villagers - and let them live to raid the village again at a later time; they are disciplined, they will fight until they get the command to retreat and will try to save their comrades.
These a three very basic templates for these species. Individual groups/individuals may act different - but then the players may not only know the difference between an "orc" and a "drow encounter", they will realize: "Hey, these are not your run of the mill orcs!"

I mean that each playable species should have abilities that makes them feel different from other playable species. Species with +2 in the same stat will always feel the same. And I prefer the way that I can take simple statblock for generic enemy and add abilities unique for specific species that players may recognize, isntead of having different statblock for Orc Assassin and Hobgoblin Assassin and Bugbear Assassin. Because for the players, at the end of the day, Assassin is an Assassin. Small indicator can be nice, but I don't need a whole "Hobgoblin Assassin has mechancis different from Orc Assassin" because players don't care.

But that's my argument: I felt he manice of Whateverism so I disliked the cut of the modifiers. If a "species with +2 in the same stat will always feel the same" for you, how is it better when I can distribute modifiers completely freeform? And how is "I can take (sic) simple statblock for generic enemy and add abilities unique for specific species that players may recognize" working with "I don't need a whole "Hobgoblin Assassin has mechancis different from Orc Assassin" because players don't care"?!?