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+.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Ravenloft can allow some touchs of comedy, but it is mainly gothic-horror with a lot of tragedy.

Here we should avoid troubles and controversies but I guess we are allowed to say when we may feel unconfortable about certain tropes, for example the abuse of "femme fatale" could start to sound like misoginy or male chauvinism. How to say it softly? The end of the Edgard Allan Poe's tory "the pit and the pendulum" may be a clear example of tropes tainted by ideological prejudices we should avoid. I don't feel confortable with G'Henna because.... let's say I miss "positive tokens" like heroic paladins and clerics.

Some times funny characters in horror stories add more drama because when something horrible happened to these the shock is greater.

There is a domain, Risibilos, with potential for the dark comedy if somebody had got the right idea. I don't remember the name but there was a horror movie where a final girl kills the slasher and then she starts to laugh with no stop, like sign of now she was suffering the curse.

The videogame "Little Nightmares" is a good example of how fear is possible without violence or blood to be showed.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Do you maybe have anything constructive to add?

Forsaken Arch
A City on the Edge
Once in Waterdeep
The Howling Void
Three Faces of Evil
Cloak and Shadows
Stormcrow Tor
Princes of the Apocalypse

Part of one campaign where they could be replaced by cultists, single 4e adventure and a bunch of 5e adventures. I find it hard to beleive they were always potraying ad villainous when it seems more like a modern shift that got later corrected, in this context.

At the same time, have concerns about messages that demonize White American males. This kind of reversal is just as wrong as the first kind of demonization.

Yeah, obvious troll is obvious, you are appriopriating social justice language to whine about something that doesn't exist and doesn't happen. I see no reason to take you seriously and have no time for bad jokes.

 

[Distracted DM]

Part of one campaign where they could be replaced by cultists, single 4e adventure and a bunch of 5e adventures. I find it hard to beleive they were always potraying ad villainous when it seems more like a modern shift that got later corrected, in this context.

I'm ignorant of the point you're trying to make. As I said, I was only correcting the suggestions of "kenku have never been bad" and "kenku were enemies in maybe one adventure."

Is your point that you can replace enemy "orcs of gruumsh" with "human cultists of orcus" in lots of adventures? Cuz.. yeah, probably. Maybe you'll need to do a little narrative rejiggering. You can replace lots of stuff with lots of other stuff.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Is your point that you can replace enemy "orcs of gruumsh" with "human cultists of orcus" in lots of adventures? Cuz.. yeah, probably. Maybe you'll need to do a little narrative rejiggering. You can replace lots of stuff with lots of other stuff.

And that';s why having "inherently evil" species is pointless, players don't care and all these roles could be easily taken by humans or other species.

 

[Dire Bare]

Spoiler: Oh really? I'm curious as to whether they retconned...

Did they retcon Strahd's curse with Tatyana? Strahd tried the "turn Tatyana into a vampire" before and it ended in tragedy, because the dark lords of Ravenloft make sure she's slain in such a case. Or did he find some way around it?

edit: also, how do you blur your text like that instead of putting it in spoiler blocks?

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.

 

[Dire Bare]

@Dire Bare

Spoiler

Yup, the prediction nailed.

Eh, I don't see it that way, but I suppose you see what you want to see.

 

[Dire Bare]

To be clear, I am very happy with disentangling species from alignments and ability scores and away from inevitable references to reallife stereotypes.

At the same time, have concerns about messages that demonize White American males. This kind of reversal is just as wrong as the first kind of demonization.

I feel Spelljammer suffered from both kinds of demonizations. It seems to have targeted Black Americans with unconscious stereotypes accidentally. And it purposely targeted White Americans in a lampshaded way, demonizing "imperialist" tropes even to the point of coercing players to commit ethnic genocide, which is an astonishing transmission of hatespeech. First comes words, then comes actions. It is ethically urgent to avoid demonization of any kind.

In this novel, one character presents as conspicuously White. It seemed transparent that novel intended to demonize her - in this case somewhat literally. If the character presented as a White male, probably there would have been zero empathy for the character.

"Demonization of white American males"?? Okay.

 

[Dire Bare]

I am going to have to disagree with this. From the kids in Death House to the creature in the basement, to the Dream Pasteries to the experiments done by the Abbot to what Strahd did to Vallaki in my game ... it was plenty horrific. That's not to mention the dinner with Strahd and the eventual showdown there. My group was run ragged for the entire time they were there.

Now this novel? It gives off zero horror vibes. I'm sure that I'm too old to be the audience for it, as it gives off more of a YA vibe, and I expect they will enjoy it. Me? I would take a Final Destination approach to these characters, but I know that's not what they were going for.

I don't remember from your earlier posts . . . have you read the book? It is a horror book with horror moments and themes. How horrifying the narrative is, well, YMMV. The initial scene just after the group meets is pretty horrifying, IMO. And when the party travels to Lamordia on the macguffin quest, things get pretty horrifying. There are quite a few moments in Strahd's castle also, as you might expect.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

"Demonization of white American males"?? Okay.

I wonder how a woman becomign a vampire is now "demonization of white American males.

 

[delericho]

I have not seen anything for Ravenloft indicating that the domains have been substantially reconfigured. It’s really bad on WOTC to do this. No wonder the majority of the updated rules team has left.

It's mostly in "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft". As far as I could tell the rules team at WotC were very much on board with these changes; I'd be really surprised if that was why anyone left.