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

 

[JEB]

But 'eventually' doesn't have to mean 'by the time they come back'. It doesn't even have to mean 'before the campaign ends'. 'Eventually' could be hundreds of years after the heroes have passed away.

"The dark's patience is infinite. Eventually, even stars burn out."

And I'm sure that's how it will work in practice for most home campaigns, unless you have a particularly fatalistic or mean DM. Let's not pretend that sort of loophole is abiding by the designers' intent, though...

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Here we are talking about if the PCs can change or alter the metaplot, and this is a matter not only about Ravenloft, but all the TTRPGs. This also can affect the metagame, because the players don't know if the strategy is only survive or they can dare to kill the big bad guy or even they should try it. I guess Hasbro will want to publish fiction about Ravenloft, even maybe some action-live production, and in these titles some dark lord should can be killed or defeated, at least to get enough time to survive other day. If the dark lord is killed but can come back, at least the players should enjoy some reward.

I wonder about a brainstealer dragon creating her own subrace of dragonborns to fight against the illithids from Bluetspur.

Somebody in Reddit said the dark lords were as the immortals from Mystara, I wonder if they are like the scions from Birtright.

I feel the suspects the new Falkovnia has been designed to be used in a possible future videogame about zombie apocalypse.

To know how to craft a machine gun in Ravenloft is not enough, because it is not only about to create the mechanic pieces, but they also need special alloy to avoid deformation by heat (that happens with real firearms when you shot for long time and they overheat). Sometimes I imagine an ironic hell where a gun-runner is in a dread domain where the machine guns can work, but they are uselless against most of supernatural creatures, or cheap defensive magic.

* I am thinking about a crossover Ranveloft with Obsidian Apocalypse, Shadow over Vathark and (Green Ronin's) the lost Citadel, and something about Rom, the stellar knight against the dire wraiths.

From Dusk Till Dawn Wiki

dusktilldawn.fandom.com

Into the Dark

Into the Dark is a Hulu Original anthology series, consisting of holiday inspired movies. The series has a total of 24 movies spanning multiple genres. The Body Flesh & Blood Pooka! New Year, New You Down Treehouse I'm Just F*cking With You All That We Destroy They Come Knocking Culture Shock...

hulu.fandom.com

 

[Toxic Zombie]

Shakes head.
Oh well could have been worse.
Best wishes.

Hopeless have you seen the book or are you just expecting it to be lackluster/diluted?

 

[Toxic Zombie]

Shakes head.
Oh well could have been worse.
Best wishes.

Hopeless have you seen the book or are you just expecting it to be lackluster/diluted?

 

[Toxic Zombie]

Here we are talking about if the PCs can change or alter the metaplot, and this is a matter not only about Ravenloft, but all the TTRPGs. This also can affect the metagame, because the players don't know if the strategy is only survive or they can dare to kill the big bad guy or even they should try it. I guess Hasbro will want to publish fiction about Ravenloft, even maybe some action-live production, and in these titles some dark lord should can be killed or defeated, at least to get enough time to survive other day. If the dark lord is killed but can come back, at least the players should enjoy some reward.

I wonder about a brainstealer dragon creating her own subrace of dragonborns to fight against the illithids from Bluetspur.

Somebody in Reddit said the dark lords were as the immortals from Mystara, I wonder if they are like the scions from Birtright.

I feel the suspects the new Falkovnia has been designed to be used in a possible future videogame about zombie apocalypse.

To know how to craft a machine gun in Ravenloft is not enough, because it is not only about to create the mechanic pieces, but they also need special alloy to avoid deformation by heat (that happens with real firearms when you shot for long time and they overheat). Sometimes I imagine an ironic hell where a gun-runner is in a dread domain where the machine guns can work, but they are uselless against most of supernatural creatures, or cheap defensive magic.

* I am thinking about a crossover Ranveloft with Obsidian Apocalypse, Shadow over Vathark and (Green Ronin's) the lost Citadel, and something about Rom, the stellar knight against the dire wraiths.

From Dusk Till Dawn Wiki

dusktilldawn.fandom.com

Into the Dark

Into the Dark is a Hulu Original anthology series, consisting of holiday inspired movies. The series has a total of 24 movies spanning multiple genres. The Body Flesh & Blood Pooka! New Year, New You Down Treehouse I'm Just F*cking With You All That We Destroy They Come Knocking Culture Shock...

hulu.fandom.com

Somebody in Reddit said the dark lords were as the immortals from Mystara, I wonder if they are like the scions from Birtright.
...I saw that statement as as well and couldn't disagree more. Now if they were trying to compare them to the dark powers I could see, but even then that's a horrible comparison.

 

[hopeless]

Hopeless have you seen the book or are you just expecting it to be lackluster/diluted?

Are you saying there AREN'T worse books out there?
My point is when I posted the above that was before Castlevania popped up.
To me this IS more interesting that the Candlekeep book, but I'm more likely to cherry pick the bits that interest me than buy this book.
But as i said Castlevania just caught my attention so that may change.
Why post twice though?
You don't care for criticism?
Thanks for the reminder though now it's out I'll take a look at d&d beyond that domains part might actually prove useful.

 

[Parmandur]

Well, that's neat, at least - canonizing the idea that there's no canon. Rather DC Comics of them, actually. Do they provide some examples of these alternate takes on the domains throughout the book?

(Of course, a cynic might suggest that's a vague attempt to deflect criticism from older fans about the rather extensive nature of the reboot... or an attempt to encourage continued digital sales of the old Ravenloft books despite most of the lore now being incompatible. But we should try not to be cynical.)

EDIT: Wait, I didn't read close enough. It's just a fancy way of saying "you can modify this material however you like." Not so meaningful then. Oh well.

No, the Domain descriptions do provide points of modulation that can make them radically different.

 

[hopeless]

Had a look picked up a couple of items in particular the Strigoi.
Wasn't expecting a Witcher reference, but that could work with this...

 

[Kurotowa]

Wasn't expecting a Witcher reference, but that could work with this...

This book is so nerdy it's just full of references to both previous Ravenloft works and more general genre influences. Points to anyone who can spot the nod to A.E. van Vogt's classic golden age science fiction story Black Destroyer in the Bluetspur section. (Black Destroyer is the one that inspired both the movie Alien and a certain iconic D&D monster.)