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

 

[MGibster]

Mostly. The Original I6 doesn't use the word "Vistani" at all; they are just gypsies. Vistani came around when the module was turned into a setting.

You're absolutely right. I just did a word search through my legally purchased Ravenloft I-6 PDF and there is no use of the word Vistani. They just refer to Madam Eva as a, well, it's a word I've been told by moderators we shouldn't be using. But the interesting thing is that they refer to Patrina, an elf maiden, as one of these as well. Maybe Charlaquin's idea of the Vistani being a culture made up of elves, dragonborn, tieflings, etc., etc. is on the nose. (Nobody tell her I said she might be right. I have a reputation to protect.)

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Maybe Charlaquin's idea of the Vistani being a culture made up of elves, dragonborn, tieflings, etc., etc. is on the nose. (Nobody tell her I said she might be right. I have a reputation to protect.)

That's the 4E approach, I dunno if Charlaquin just came up with something similar or is quoting the 4E one. It's one of the 4E-era Dragon mags (which you can find in the Dragon archive), though I forget which.

Basically in 4E, Vistani is this dimension-travelling culture, which theoretically anyone can join, because it's a culture, rather than race. There's a ritual and everything to join it. Otherwise they're somewhat similar to typical Vistani. But as you say, it sounds like it started out as a culture as well, which would make complete sense in a D&D setting - more sense than the bizarre racial take they later went with.

 

[tetrasodium]

Not sure which one of your many quotes of the same material I'm supposed to respond to here, but ok... I guess? Certainly you've presented no case beyond "Well I liked it!" for why we should agree with this. I mean, that's fine... you don't have to do that... but it's unconvincing. Your statements remain contradictory.

I'm kind of intrigued by what the "kind of horror" you like is, and what films/books/TV are "horror" to you. To me it seems like it might be something that most people wouldn't call "horror" at all, merely "dark fantasy", stuff focused entirely on atmosphere rather than actual horror. Which can be cool but can also get pretty funny-by-accident - c.f. Ligotti.

Anyway, none of this has any bearing on what's coming in the new Ravenloft. I have little doubt it'll work better for most people than a mere refresh of the 2E take would have, but I'm excited to hear more about it, particularly any brand-new domains.

@tetrasodium That's true it being far less dangerous in Black Box-era Ravenloft than many D&D settings, but that was yet another problem with the setting, and why I described it early as that Forgotten Realms with the lights dimmed 15%. Most Ravenloft domains were full of these supposedly "fearful villagers" who are described in these ridiculous terms and always supposed to be "afraid of strangers" (why? rarely explained in any way that makes sense) and looking over their shoulders (again, why?) and so on, but the reality of the situation was that they were safer than most D&D villages, and certainly as safe as someone of the safer areas of the Forgotten Realms. It's almost like they're cos-playing or LARPing at being frightened villagers.

It was much better in the domains where there actually was a reason to be scared, and to act like that - then it made sense - ones with highly active and vindictive lords and roving packs of actually-dangerous-to-villlagers monsters and so on. But in a lot of places it felt like the villagers were basically theme-park staff there to "create atmosphere" for the PCs, not people who actually lived there.

EDIT - I kind of wonder if the "only 10% of villagers have souls" (which I expect the Ravenloft book to retcon, or make specific to Barovia, btw) was inspired by the bizarre and hard-to-understand behaviour prescribed for a lot of the locals.

the average commoner is about as interesting to the Dark Powers as the man woman or whatever that handed you the bag on your last trip through the drive through at mcdonalds. The PCs... those are a different story, PCs are interesting & can accomplish unexpected things. Dark lords know that J-Random villager won't be of any meaningful use, but those PCs can bring hope to a dark lord. If the PCs aren't filled with exploitable flaws useful for sending them deep into their cups to begin with it's just a matter of time to help them grow some >

 

[Voadam]

I am wondering what other new domains they will come up with for the new set. We know a tidbit about the Indian one, I expect a few more.

 

[Bedrockgames]

I'm kind of intrigued by what the "kind of horror" you like is, and what films/books/TV are "horror" to you. To me it seems like it might be something that most people wouldn't call "horror" at all, merely "dark fantasy", stuff focused entirely on atmosphere rather than actual horror. Which can be cool but can also get pretty funny-by-accident - c.f. Ligotti.

I gave examples earlier. I like all kinds of horror. But Ravenloft felt like the classic horror movies I watched growing up as a kid: hammer films (like their dracula movies, their frankenstein movies, reptile, plague of zombies, etc), universal films (frankenstein, bride of frank stein, the wolf man), old vincent price movies, etc. Stuff like that. After getting into Ravenloft I went down the rabbit whole of reading all the books mentioned in the black box and got into various gothic and classic horror stories.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Not sure which one of your many quotes of the same material I'm supposed to respond to here, but ok... I guess? Certainly you've presented no case beyond "Well I liked it!" for why we should agree with this. I mean, that's fine... you don't have to do that... but it's unconvincing. Your statements remain contradictory.

I've tried to be polite with you. I don't feel that has been reciprocated at all. So I won't be engaging you further

 

[Bedrockgames]

Living in ravenloft isn't going to be all that bad for most of the common folk when compared to the common folk inareas with people in a lot of d&d worlds living in ravenloft isn't all that bad. Sure you might have to worry about vampires werewolves or whatever at times, but those are a thing in every world & really not that bad when you consider that a village(r) may have been plucked from the path of an army of orc/gnoll/cannibal halfling/daelkyr reavers that would have slaughtered everyone. The Dark Powers are a lot ore subtle than FR/GH gods & fiends that go around getting in bar brawls over cities & such too. The move might be a little jarring & confusing but by & large most of the village(r)s aren't worth notice by the powers that be.

Not only that, now they have the common sense to say "oh my god, how incredible this is to mostly only have one kind of monster to worry about so we can plan for the full moon or whatever." Sure "Bob's neighbors" are screwed as @Faolyn mentioned, but serial killer "he was so normal" and "now that we really look back he was always a little off" can apply to most of the ones that are actual people.

the average commoner is about as interesting to the Dark Powers as the man woman or whatever that handed you the bag on your last trip through the drive through at mcdonalds. The PCs... those are a different story, PCs are interesting & can accomplish unexpected things. Dark lords know that J-Random villager won't be of any meaningful use, but those PCs can bring hope to a dark lord. If the PCs aren't filled with exploitable flaws useful for sending them deep into their cups to begin with it's just a matter of time to help them grow some >

Whether the powers took an interest in the villagers or not, they were subject to the monsters that inhabit ravenloft (and those were plentiful). But you look at a place like Kartakass, it is only a pleasant place to live if you turn into a wolf at night.

Whether it is more miserable elsewhere than Ravenloft, the life of the downtrodden in most fantasy worlds is pretty bad. I think in Ravenloft it is more the nature of the badness than whether it is more bad or less bad. In Forgotten Realms you can still die a horrible death or be forced into servitude somewhere. In Ravenloft loft the death is probably more likely to like something plucked out of a horror movie, where you are filled with fear before being killed. And the kinds of creatures you are likely to encounter are more in line with ghosts, werebeasts, ghouls, etc. Personally I would probably prefer the more straight forward death I am likely to get in the realms, but it is likely to only be more pleasant by a degree (and who knows you could end up getting killed by some sadistic orc chief).

I suppose it ultimately depends on who the GM is. Presumably though, if the villagers are described as cautious, superstitious, and skittish, then bad things are supposed to be happening to their people.

 

[tetrasodium]

Whether the powers took an interest in the villagers or not, they were subject to the monsters that inhabit ravenloft (and those were plentiful). But you look at a place like Kartakass, it is only a pleasant place to live if you turn into a wolf at night.

Spoiler

Carvings, floral patterns, & story telling/performances.... sounds like absolute hell so far.

Spoiler: Don't get me started on the people there

Warm and gregarious.... these folks are absolute monsters living a life of absolute misery. Sure there are wolves, maybe even werewolves, but they structure their culture around minimizing that risk.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Spoiler

View attachment 133461

Carvings, floral patterns, & story telling/performances.... sounds like absolute hell so far.

Spoiler: Don't get me started on the people there

View attachment 133462

Warm and gregarious.... these folks are absolute monsters living a life of absolute misery. Sure there are wolves, maybe even werewolves, but they structure their culture around minimizing that risk.

fair enough. Kartakans are pretty carefree. I should have read-read the entry before saying that. But I do think in cases where people of a given domain are described as fearful, we are meant to understand there is a reason for the fear

 

[JEB]

I am wondering what other new domains they will come up with for the new set. We know a tidbit about the Indian one, I expect a few more.

I'm also hoping they'll port over some of the domains they invented for 4E (which I don't know much about myself, but am eager to learn).

The Indian-themed domain doesn't actually appear to be new, however - since they also reference "Arijani" as a faction leader, it sounds like an update of the domain Sri Raji (where the rakshasa Arijani was darklord).