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

 

[embee]

• Cultural consultants used.

I really hope they brought in REAL LIFE VAMPIRES to consult on this matter!

They did. In that they ran it through Legal.

(we lawyers are nothing if not bloodsuckers)

 

[Kobold Avenger]

How Dungeons & Dragons' Next Sourcebook Expands Its View of Horror, confirms that Vlad Drakov is not the Darklord of Falkovia anymore

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Monstrous PCs don't dilutes the horror when these have got some "weak points", for example hunger, rage, or lack of self-control in the wrong time. Players can feel a lot of fear when they notice sometimes their PCs are like a sport car with top speed but brake don't work.

Horror and humour/comedy may be mixed by the right author. Some movies worked like this.

Any mention to the metaplot? (Vecna, Grand Condjuction, Sithics new dark lord)..

And the half-vistani, or the Dusk Elves as PC races?

Do you feel tempted to use ideas from other franchises or genres, for example pulp fiction, 3PPs settings or gore videogames?

* Madness rule system as Call of Cuhlthu or better as Unknonw Armies?

* Any domain with XX century technology (anything like Wolfestein castle)?

* When the blood hunter class in a printed book?

 

[embee]

Monstrous PCs don't dilutes the horror when these have got some "weak points", for example hunger, rage, or lack of self-control in the wrong time. Players can feel a lot of fear when they notice sometimes their PCs are like a sport car with top speed but brake don't work.

In fact, monster PCs was pretty much the whole premise of World of Darkness.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

hope it is acually a dreaded place where nothing good exist but yeah f****** hype this is what I was waiting for the last books did not really gram me that much as a Dm but now we are talking dark gifts and cost I really want more dark and twisted stuff

Having stuff be at 11 for horror the entire time makes it all less effective over time. There need to be places where player characters can take a breath. A lot of the domains are scary because things are so normal before, you know, the nobility starts hunting them for sport, etc.

 

[embee]

"We’re going to see a return of Ezmerelda d’Avenir from Curse of Strahd, but then we’ve also got other characters like the master detective Alanik Ray, he’s a detective—has a whole detective agency and whatnot for your more urban horror and occult stories."

Trying to imagine running "Horror On The Orient Express" with 5e rules.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Has WOTC ever had 2 pending / upcoming books at the same time before? Usually it's one at a time, maybe memory off seems different to have 2 at once. Cool!

Yes, we've had news of the May release before the March book was released before, as well as the November release before September book was on the shelves.

 

[smiteworks]

Being monstrous without control can be scary.

I'm a lycanthrope? Awesome! Look at all these sweet new abilities.

Oh shoot, I'm about to wolf-out surrounded by this nice family that took me in when they found me unconscious lying on the side of the road?

 

[smiteworks]

dupe post - please delete

 

[IndigoTraveler]

Trying to imagine running "Horror On The Orient Express" with 5e rules.

I like the idea of a horror campaign taking place in a train, and the longer the PCs go without getting to the bottom of everything, the more the various cars of said train become demented/horrific/corrupted. Meaning if things REALLY hit the fan, there's only one car that is a safe haven, but that too runs the risk of being lost: Game Over if the whole train is "lost" at the end.