D&D 5E Everything We Know About The Ravenloft Book

Here is a list of everything we know so far about the upcoming Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.

Art by Paul Scott Canavan​

• May 18th, 256 pages
• 30 domains (with 30 villainous darklords)
• Barovia (Strahd), Dementlieu (twisted fairly tales), Lamordia (flesh golem), Falkovnia (zombies), Kalakeri (Indian folklore, dark rainforests), Valachan (hunting PCs for sport), Lamordia (mad science)
• NPCs include Esmerelda de’Avenir, Weathermay-Foxgrove twins, traveling detective Alanik Ray.
• Large section on setting safe boundaries.
• Dark Gifts are character traits with a cost.
• College of Spirits (bard storytellers who manipulate spirits of folklore) and Undead Patron (warlock) subclasses.
• Dhampir, Reborn, and Hexblood lineages.
• Cultural consultants used.
• Fresh take on Vistani.
• 40 pages of monsters. Also nautical monsters in Sea of Sorrows.
• 20 page adventure called The House of Lament - haunted house, spirits, seances.

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D&D 5E - Full Wraparound Cover Art For Ravenloft

We've seen the cover already, but here's a look at the full wraparound art by Anna Podedworna. https://www.enworld.org/threads/updated-with-cover-the-d-d-book-is-van-richtens-guide-to-ravenloft.678411/ https://www.enworld.org/threads/heres-the-ravenloft-alternate-cover.678414/...

www.enworld.org

D&D 5E - Here's the Ravenloft Alternate Cover!

As usual, there is an alternate hobby-store exclusive cover for the upcoming Ravenloft book. Here's a look at it! And here's the full wraparound art. https://www.enworld.org/threads/updated-with-cover-the-d-d-book-is-van-richtens-guide-to-ravenloft.678411/...

www.enworld.org

D&D 5E - [Updated with cover!] The D&D Book Is.... Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft!

Yesterday's hints that a new D&D book would be announced today have born fruit -- we now have a product description and a title! It's a Ravenloft setting book, with tools and new rules for horror-themed games, and new horror-themed character options. I'll update this post with a product image as...

www.enworld.org

 

[Remathilis]

Agreed. Not stating Gods in an new Deities & Demigods makes sense. Not stating dark lords when a bunch of them are at a pretty reasonable power level is pretty lame. I don't think it's unreasonable for players to assume that they may very well have some sort of climactic battle with them. In that light, see xx monster block in MM and staple immunity to poison to it is really lame.

Have you ever read the 2e darklord stats? They were basically three types:

• monsters from the monster manual with ability scores (not standard in 2e) and additional abilities (Tristessa, the three hags)
• NPCs built similar to PCs either classes (Dominic, Vlad) or as 0-level humans (Ivan or Victor)
• Monsters built from the Van Richten guide rules for more powerful versions of the classic horror monsters (Strahd, Adam, Anhtepot). They may have class features as well.

Considering that NPCs aren't built with PC rules anymore nor are there rules for more powerful vampires, ghosts and mummys, you end up with most of the Darklord's looking like option one: monster manual stats with some additional abilities.

Even Strahd's "unique" stat block in CoS was the MM vampire with the spellcaster variant option, a slightly higher Int score and a few swapped spells.

 

[overgeeked]

Take out the "and take their stuff" and you get Dracula. Most monster movies in fact.

Investigate the horrible monster, find out its story and weaknesses, then go after it is pretty on point for a bunch of horror stories and Ravenloft D&D.

That’s where the distinction between monster hunting story and horror monster story matters. They’re related but not the same. A horror monster story is one where the monster is barely defeated in the end, think slasher flicks with the final girl trope. A monster hunting story is more action-adventure with a monster, think Supernatural with there few close calls but typical serial fiction presumption the heroes will always win. These are wildly different. Monster hunting is D&D. Slasher flicks are horror monsters.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

both of those seem like lousy options to me. The first is a total railroad (one thing from old Ravenloft that should be removed): the second puts all the work on the GM. The GM can still make a new custom stat block if needed, but this idea that the dark lords should magically shift to the level of the party, that they shouldn’t provide a working system block, it isn’t bold: it’s lame

If you want to actually tell a horror story, then a degree of railroading in necessary. Otherwise it's just a case of bumbling about a vaguely Hammer themed countryside bumping off darklords.

And WotC are trying to get away from the idea that there is a canon version of anything. It doesn't matter if one table's version of Ravenloft is different to another table's version.

 

[Remathilis]

Yes. Yes they are.

Elaborate.

 

[overgeeked]

If you want to actually tell a horror story, then a degree of railroading in necessary.

No, it isn’t.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think there is a disconnect between how some of these designers want this to be played vs how it will be played by most people. I can reasonably guess that on a fair number of tables this will simply be D&D with a Hammer horror paint job vs a true exploration of horror and dread.

The same thing happened with Vampire in the 90s. White Wolf was all in on exploring what some sort of internal, existential horror being a monster is all about. But then people actually played it and people just wanted vampire superpowers and politics.

I think the designers are aware of that, and are taking steps to encourage players to play the way they intend.

 

[overgeeked]

Elaborate.

Two mind-controlling baddies provide two antagonists to work with, each complete with their controlled puppets and the moral question of whether or not to harm the innocent victims of mind control. A masquerade ball provides...a nice backdrop for a night off of adventuring.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Two mind-controlling baddies provide two antagonists to work with, each complete with their controlled puppets and the moral question of whether or not to harm the innocent victims of mind control. A masquerade ball provides...a nice backdrop for a night off of adventuring.

The point is, the dark lord is not the focus of the story. The DM can create a story with two mind controlling antagonists for the players to engage with without involving the darklord at all. A backdrop is exactly what the setting is intended to be.

 

[Remathilis]

Two mind-controlling baddies provide two antagonists to work with, each complete with their controlled puppets and the moral question of whether or not to harm the innocent victims of mind control. A masquerade ball provides...a nice backdrop for a night off of adventuring.

I think it's telling that to make Dementieu compelling, they needed to elevate a minor NPC from a supplement to near equal of the domain lord. Personally,v I'd have gotten rid of Dominic and made Von Aubrecker darklord; at least he's horrifying.

As for the ball, lets see if that's still true when we actually see the book.

 

[Bedrockgames]

If you want to actually tell a horror story, then a degree of railroading in necessary. Otherwise it's just a case of bumbling about a vaguely Hammer themed countryside bumping off darklords.

That is sone pretty heavy, level railroading. Like the plot immunity in the created module but by a factor of the whole setting. really. And railroading isn’t necessary for horror