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

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Would you please stop telling people why they are upset. I think a lot of old fans are generally aggravated by the fact ...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

but it's naughty word to claim all the changers were done because the original was "problematic"

I agree. Some of the changes where made simply because the original wasn't very good.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think you mean "the part of the old fan base I belong to." Since I'm part of the old fan base and don't feel like I've been fired. In fact, I'm quite happy with the changes. As are many other members of the old fan base who have posted in this and in similar threads.

Yup, I'm another oldy, and from what I've seen of the new book it it improves considerably on the original Black Box.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Spoiler

They included stupid joke names in the crypts ("Sir Klutz Tripalotsky: He fell on his own sword").

Those have always been there.

 

[dave2008]

If you take it too far and make dark lords unkillable that is really frustrating for players. Good villains don't need plot immunity.

Has this been confirmed or is it that they are just not providing stat blocks? I hadn't heard this before catching up a bit on this thread. I mean we have a whole adventure about killing Strahd, so it seems an odd choice. Of course it is one I can ignore, but rather wish it was an official statement.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Has this been confirmed or is it that they are just not providing stat blocks? I hadn't heard this before catching up a bit on this thread. I mean we have a whole adventure about killing Strahd, so it seems an odd choice. Of course it is one I can ignore, but rather wish it was an official statement.

Read CoS. Strahd always comes back eventually. Although not as quickly as Christopher Lee's Dracula.

Dark Lords can be killed, but not permanently, they eventually reset.

 

[dave2008]

Read CoS. Strahd always comes back eventually. Although not as quickly as Christopher Lee's Dracula.

Dark Lords can be killed, but not permanently, they eventually reset.

Thanks! I don't have any issue with that. The resurrection appears to truly be at the whim of the Dark Powers and that makes some sense to me. It is not like PCs can't be resurrected - by other PCs!

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Thanks! I don't have any issue with that. The resurrection appears to truly be at the whim of the Dark Powers and that makes some sense to me. It is not like PCs can't be resurrected - by other PCs!

Found the specific reference. It's on page 10, and I quote directly: "Dark Lords are Immortal... Should a Dark Lord fall their temporary defeat lasts until they are restored by the dark powers".

 

[Bedrockgames]

I think you mean "the part of the old fan base I belong to." Since I'm part of the old fan base and don't feel like I've been fired. In fact, I'm quite happy with the changes. As are many other members of the old fan base who have posted in this and in similar threads.

Of course. It isn't monolithic. But a lot of people saying they are old fans are also spending a lot of time talking about how much they didn't like old Ravenlof too. So a lot of this is coming off as the new version of Ravenloft for people who didn't like the old version ( or who had major, major issues with it).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I had a chance to re-read the sections in question, and I can say (without spoiling) it can be seen as one groups interpretation of what happened. Its written all in one monster write-up and could easily be treated as that group's personal beliefs, not absolute truth. If the group is tied to the Cult in Death house, then certainly Strahd doesn't share their beliefs.

I think it can be safely put forward as AN option, even if the wording is a little more Word-of-God than I'd like. Then again, I wasn't a fan of the Amber Temple either...

I've managed to read the stuff on the nature of the dark powers from page 8, so I will share it here:

"The nature of the dark powers is for you to decide. How you perceive these forces can influence your view of their actions and agendas, who they abduct into Ravenloft and why. Through your adventures you might reveal these mysteries, and use them to hint at ways to escape the Domains of Dread. Consider these possibilities when developing your perspective on the Dark Powers:"

It then discusses the following three options: Amoral Guardians, Evil Architects, Undying Remnants.

Since this directly contradicts what the nut-job priests in the monster section believe, I think we can safely assume the nut-job priests are wrong.