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]

In terms of the morale of a story:
• Humanize a minority identity − yes, do this.
• Demonize a majority identity − no, dont do this.

The ethical difference between the two approaches to conflict, is obvious.

Are you reacting to another user's guess what happens in this book r what actually happens?

 

[Scribe]

I think they were selected because, like it or not, this is the standard D&D party of the 2020s. Homemade world, Forgotten Realms, or Ravenloft, it doesn't really matter. If you look at how most people out there play 5e, their party will be the circus (affectionate).

Is it though? Have we seen a data dump of any kind of recency? (Wait, is that not a word? Google says its a word...)

Obviously my experience is my own, and people I play with lean older, but the very random grab bag of character options seen here is not my experience at all.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Obviously my experience is my own, and people I play with lean older, but the very random grab bag of character options seen here is not my experience at all.

Fan art, Twitch, etc., and other spaces dominated by younger players suggest that the cover is, if anything, a bit conservative compared to many D&D parties today.

 

[Scribe]

Fan art, Twitch, etc., and other spaces dominated by younger players suggest that the cover is, if anything, a bit conservative compared to many D&D parties today.

I mean fair, but those medium's are exactly that, dominated by younger players or players of a particular demographic of the very 'online'.

Does that really translate to the wider D&D space?

Like when people say 'nobody plays fighters, they suck' and yet the data has said...many people play fighters.

Likely not something we will every know for sure, but I do wonder.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I havent read the novel, nor have I played Ravenloft setting.

But looking at the characters, the Humanoid species are four "Evil races", plus a cheerful Human.

So. I am going to guess: the cheerful Human is the one that succumbs to temptation and an Evil fate awaits her. The four other species find redemption. And this commentary on racism is the point of the novel.

Kenku were never seen as an evil.

 

[MuhVerisimilitude]

personally I hate the cover - especially the presentation of the 5 characters, it is what is keeping me away from investing in the book/audio until I can find a free version {Do I count as a grumpy old grognard now?}

Visually I think it's great. It's possible that it's thematically inappropriate for Ravenloft (I'd expect it to be perhaps more retro-pulp in style?).

Edit: It's kinda funny that I got a "laugh" smiley to my original post, but ehh I just want to spread good vibes. I'm much more of a hater in general on these boards. I can't spend all my time on here being negative about 5th edition D&D.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean fair, but those medium's are exactly that, dominated by younger players or players of a particular demographic of the very 'online'.

Does that really translate to the wider D&D space?

Like when people say 'nobody plays fighters, they suck' and yet the data has said...many people play fighters.

Likely not something we will every know for sure, but I do wonder.

Ideally, the current crew at D&D Beyond will start publishing data on characters made/played again, so we can have contemporary data. I worry that was done by folks who moved on.

 

[Dire Bare]

I havent read the novel, nor have I played Ravenloft setting.

But looking at the characters, the Humanoid species are four "Evil races", plus a cheerful Human.

So. I am going to guess: the cheerful Human is the one that succumbs to temptation and an Evil fate awaits her. The four other species find redemption. And this commentary on racism is the point of the novel.

Kinda but not really.

Tieflings, orcs, and drow are traditionally "evil" races in D&D, but we left that toxic trope behind quite a while ago. Kenku have never been an "evil" race, to my knowledge.

None of these characters are portrayed as evil in the story. The tiefling is angry and bitter, but is a paladin of Selune. The orc is selfish and short-sighted, but has a bookish focus on magic. The drow loves violence, but is more of a sensual character who really doesn't like bullies (like Strahd!). The kenku is timid and lacks confidence and is probably the nicest of the bunch.

Fielle, the human artificer (cheerful girl in the top-left of the cover image) is quiet, mousy, doesn't like conflict . . . and as you learn more about her, comes from an abusive family situation.

None of the characters are evil (at start), but all have dark secrets and were on the cusp of making dark choices before being whisked away by the mists to Strahd's realm.

While our heroes are quite diverse in race, the book does not have strong themes of race. But rather, all of these diverse characters all have dark secrets in their immediate pasts.

 

[Dire Bare]

So is the choice of character species meaningful/impactful to the story in anyway or were they just selected to be edgy?

I dont mind monster parties per se but with Ravenloft gothic sensibilities being so humanocentric, how does it play out? Is it a party of weird but somehow the one 'normal' human is the weirdest of the lot, or does the author craft a more interesting dynamic?

First, this isn't a "monster party". Drow, tieflings, orcs, and kenku haven't been "monsters" for a while now. They are people. That's a shift some folks aren't happy with, but . . . oh well.

IMO, this party in "Heir of Strahd" and also the party in "The Fallbacks: Bound for Ruin", the party composition is intended to be diverse to, 1) mirror how many play the game today, and 2) appeal to a broader audience. Both of which are fine, again IMO.

The race or species of each character in this novel doesn't really come into play much. The story would play out the same if all of the characters were human. We do get into Chivaron's history a bit fleeing the dark society of Menzoberranzan, much as Drizzt did before. The kenku character dreams of flight, as do many of the flightless kenku people. The orc does process feelings of being discriminated against, in part because he is an orc studying to be a wizard. But these are all minor elements of the story, but do add flavor to each character.

Fielle, the human, stands out because she is the innocent and the party begins to coalesce around keeping her safe from Strahd and they all tend to underestimate her as well.

 

[Distracted DM]

The cover painting is well done, but yeah, it gives an overall cheerful vibe that is at odds with the actual story and of course the setting. But hey, don't judge a book by its cover!

I think this needs to be quoted on the book's cover