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+.

 

[LazarusKane]

And yes, "race" is just a skin because it is not possible for humans to conceive a truly inhuman perspective, hence why all "races" will never amount to more than humans with rubber foreheads.

That's a very simplistic view. Let's say I build a species called Harvesters (and yeah, i'm lazy - credit goes to Humon Comics): During mating season the male of this species build a "nest" and waits for a female to judge it. If they like it they lay an egg which the male then proceeds to place in an "cup" inside the nest and care for it. The male usually ends up with plenty of eggs to care, but occasionally a female will enter his home to steal and eat the eggs. So one of the male's biggest challenges is to judge what the female intentions are. And that's perfectly normal for this species - and IMHO a truly *in*human perspective about children.
(Human) "Race" is (mostly) skin deep, "species" - not necessarily.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

That's a very simplistic view. Let's say I build a species called Harvesters (and yeah, i'm lazy - credit goes to Humon Comics): During mating season the male of this species build a "nest" and waits for a female to judge it. If they like it they lay an egg which the male then proceeds to place in an "cup" inside the nest and care for it. The male usually ends up with plenty of eggs to care, but occasionally a female will enter his home to steal and eat the eggs. So one of the male's biggest challenges is to judge what the female intentions are. And that's perfectly normal for this species - and IMHO a truly *in*human perspective about children.
(Human) "Race" is (mostly) skin deep, "species" - not necessarily.

No, this is just a human projection of an idea of alien, and clearly loosely based off some animals with possibly genders switched. It's skin deep and not what a real alien way of behavior can be, your species is just being animals in colored suits.

 

[LazarusKane]

So it can only happen in the STORY at hands of IMPORTANT NAMED NPCS who serve THE METAPLOT, not those pesky player characters, their job is to sit on sidelines and watch?

Inhale Exhale Inhale
Sure it can happen at the hands of player characters. The Dungeon Master (better: The Storyteller) builds the story with the players and if he decides that the players managed it then a Darklords could be removed - for example by killing or redeeming him. IMHO it should be exceptional but it's not impossible.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Looking at these characters on the cover just shows me how little this generation knows about classic Hammer and Universal horror movies, or the books that that inspired Ravenloft.

I'm not sure why they should be interested in B-movies their grandparents or even great grandparents cared about.

If Ravenloft is going to survive as an ongoing franchise that sells to audiences in the 21st century, it can't be because the audience are all familiar with and enthusiastic about movies that were released before even OD&D was.

 

[LazarusKane]

No, this is just a human projection of an idea of alien, and clearly loosely based off some animals with possibly genders switched. It's skin deep and not what a real alien way of behavior can be, your species is just being animals in colored suits.

It's totally based on a animal, the drumroll harvestman.
If if we would follow your logic then a dog is only a furry human, a cat is also a furry human - but with a high dextery modifier - and a spider is a human with eight arms.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

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.

Please do not reduce people from different cultures and half of human population to "other" no different from made up Elves.

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.

Quirks are not enough to define whole species.

And I must disagree (again): tactics themselves do give enemies enough personality to step beyond being a simple obstacle.

We will then not agree on this.

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.

Pretty much every evil group in this game takes slaves and every group with basic common sense retreats when in danger.

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!"

Why bother with the "run of the mill" then? Nobody has time for this, I'd rather introduce something individualy interesting that can play bigger role in the story.

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

Because it forces designers to give playable species unique abilities that diffirentiate them instead. Look at Goliaths, orcs and Dwarves in 2024:

1. Goliaths can lift more than other species, count as size larger when beneficial and have abilities related to their giant bloodline, making them more customizable, connecting their legacy to their abilities and showign them as people of great physical ability
2. Dwarves get more hit points and have proficiency with heavy armor, showing they are a warrior culture that is highly militaristic.
3. Orcs can dash as bonus action and get hit points from it and can survive lethal damage. It shows them as survivors, skirmishers and scrappers, more likely to pull "I did no hear no bell" on the enemy.

Instead of 2014 where some of these abilities were replaced with +2 Strength, which inherently is the same: they're all stronger than humans.

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"?!?

Small indicator they can recognize from their own character sheet added to base statblock accomplishes as much as having separate statblocks for holders of the same profession for different species.

Inhale Exhale Inhale
Sure it can happen at the hands of player characters. The Dungeon Master (better: The Storyteller) builds the story with the players and if he decides that the players managed it then a Darklords could be removed - for example by killing or redeeming him. IMHO it should be exceptional but it's not impossible.

Except that's not what 2e Ravenloft was at all. It was dead-set on providing only adventures that would ensure continued sale of books. Therefore it was impossible for PCs to actually affect anything because it all had to stay in position that lined up with the metaplot. Otherwise if TSR were to put a module where Strahd and Soth go to war, them DMs whose players killed one of them already would not bother buying it. As such only the corproate approved changes mattered and straying from the metaplot basically made life harder for the DM. Setting that establishes feeling of hoplessness by making everything awful and erasing player agency and ability to make it better is not horror or even gothic horror - it's a railroad.

 

[LazarusKane]

I'm not sure why they should be interested in B-movies their grandparents or even great grandparents cared about.

If Ravenloft is going to survive as an ongoing franchise that sells to audiences in the 21st century, it can't be because the audience are all familiar and enthusiastic about movies that were released before even OD&D was.

And that's the reason why nobody knows a guy called Shakespeare anymore and the people stopped hundred years ago playing his plays or making movie version of his plays or enact interpretations in other medias - or using motivs from his plays in their work

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And that's the reason why nobody knows a guy called Shakespeare anymore and the people stopped hundred years ago playing his plays or making movie version of his plays or enact interpretations in other medias - or using motivs from his plays in their work

I'm not sure we can equate Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell with the works of Shakespeare.

Hammer Films are, at best, trivia questions nowadays. If you want Ravenloft to continue to exist, it is going to have to change.

 

[Scribe]

I'm not sure we can equate Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell with the works of Shakespeare.

Hammer Films are, at best, trivia questions nowadays. If you want Ravenloft to continue to exist, it is going to have to change.

I'm pretty sure that tropes of horror and monster films are eternal.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm pretty sure that tropes of horror and monster films are eternal.

The argument was that "this generation" should be specifically vibing with Universal Studios and Hammer Films monster movies when it comes to Ravenloft. Monster movies and horror films are (so far) eternal, but this:


Is not the same as this:


Tone, content, sound mixing (oy, Hammer, what were you thinking with that trailer?) and other tastes evolve over time.