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.

​

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

 

[Parmandur]

They may have been part of the original adventure, but they weren't in the actual setting materials, which were pretty seriously written. I would not have been a Ravenloft fan if they were (I don't have that kind of sense of humor).

Those comic elements were brought back in force in Curse of Strahd, the cornerstone of this product. Back to basics.

 

[Faolyn]

Those comic elements were brought back in force in Curse of Strahd, the cornerstone of this product. Back to basics.

Yes, I know. Which is why I've had to do a bunch of rewrites to make it palatable to me.

 

[Charlaquin]

I actually think Tut's dad Akhenaten would have made a better RL model for a dark lord, as he tried to completely replace the existing religion with one of his own, much of which was obliterated, presumably by the priesthood under the direction of Ay, after his death.

First time I read the name Ankhetpot I misread it as Akhenhotep and assumed it was a reference to Akhenaten. He’d make for a pretty cool villain.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

The PCs.

As in, the players should roleplay being frightened, but don't have to actually be scared themselves.

Interesting. You seem to cut off from the game the empathic connection between player and character. I've ever tought that this was large part of the fun... maybe It's been 30 years that I'm playing wrong.

 

[Stefano Rinaldelli]

Dominic d'Honair is a creepy sex offender? Have him killed and replaced by his daughter

Why a villain could not be a sex offender?

Falkovnia leader is a Nazi and the land is boring? Just don't include it

Why a villain could not be a nazi?
I really don't understand...

To be sex offender or nazi is evil and is depicted as evil. Why to remove it?

I feel every day more inclined to think about reality as an Idiocracy/Ravenloft crossover

 

[Faolyn]

Interesting. You seem to cut off from the game the empathic connection between player and character. I've ever tought that this was large part of the fun... maybe It's been 30 years that I'm playing wrong.

I can't tell if you're misunderstanding what I wrote or are just being really obnoxious here...

1) The goal is to have fun, not to hurt the players. A careless DM, or a cruel one, can easily do the latter by trying to scare the player. I hope that you're not trying to hurt the players when you run a game.

2) Players and characters generally don't share the same fears. I like spiders. I may choose to play an arachnophobe. It would be really hard to scare me by throwing spiders at my character. But my arachnophobic character would be terrified.

To be sex offender or nazi is evil and is depicted as evil. Why to remove it?

Once again, a careless or cruel DM could hurt a player by including them.

Also, nazis are overdone.

 

[cmad1977]

Given the people who are upset about this book…
I know I’m gonna love it.

No greater recommendation than to have crotchety olde players whining about it like children.

 

[Charlaquin]

I kinda agree with the guy in the video. A flat DC for fear seems wrong, it should change based on the situation. And I’m iffy on Stress. It seems like it’s too little and too infrequently applied. If it were more frequent, sure. If it were disadvantage, sure. Both more frequent and disadvantage might be too much, but it would depend on the circumstances. I keep defaulting back to Call of Cthulhu and the Sanity mechanic. Maybe flip it to a stress mechanic and see how it works.

I could see the exhaustion mechanic serving as a good blueprint for a stress mechanic. Multiple levels that each have their own effects and build on previous levels.

 

[Charlaquin]

Increasingly, I don't think the presence of the controversial domains was ironic at all. I think you were on to something with the idea that those were specifically included, in their radically different form, as a statement.

The problem with such statements is that they imply that fans who liked the old take, or even those who simply didn't see a problem with the old take, were in the wrong. Whether or not you're justified in that implication, it generally isn't going to be received well, and does not endear said fans to the new product. (As you may have noticed.)

So what you’re saying is, sometimes implicit messaging can actually affect people, even when those implicit messages were not intended by the author. Interesting.

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

Why a villain could not be a nazi?

In what ways is the new leader of Falkovia NOT a horrible fascist dictator? They're still an oppressively leader that kills people by placing them on pikes
That hasn't changed. All they did was add zombies and flip the gender