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

 

[Stormonu]

Pokemon Bards. Sweet.

Actually, I thought they tasted a bit on the sour side. Maybe mine had been left in the sun too long.

 

[Morrus]

Maybe they've just renamed some darklords to make a more inclusive spread? I don't know that a timeline advance is needed to explain the names.

 

[IndigoTraveler]

Time follows no bound concept within the Domains of Dread. I bet some Dark Lords have lost the meaning or concept of time after a certain point.

"Is it Tuesday? Meh everyday is probably Tuesday.'

 

[Urriak Uruk]

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Even the little toys can cause fear with the right plot, for example Small Soldiers (teenage Kristen Dunt killing barbies), Child's Play, Blood Dolls and Dolls(1987 movie). The doll golem was a Ravenloft creature. If a simple teddy bear could become a monster, then a transformer also can cause nightmares, something like the alien tripods from H.G. Wells's the War of the Worlds.

If it is a reboot, I hope the core as continent to be bigger, to allow "more space" for the "biome".

Ravenloft isn't a Diablo IV where only you have to kill hordes of monsters. Neither a jurasik park for monsters from Hammer movies. Here you need a strategy to discover where or who is the monster. It is more supernatural intrigue than monster hunt.

* A reboot or a sequel with retcons? It couldn't be the same setting if Van Ritchen and other character from the same century are still alive. Then it is a reboot.

 

[Remathilis]

Huh, it looks like they took some of the big criticisms to heart.

Vlad Drakov is gone because Vlad Tropes is still viewed as a Romanian hero separate from the vampire story some irishman created.

Von Karkov was a terrible darklord, a panther turned into a man turned into a vampire. Sounds like he's going to be replaced by something more African in origin.

Those two in particular shows they are making Ravenloft more diverse and fixing some of the weaker elements of the setting.

I also wager the "X setting but spooky" domains aren't getting highlighted this go around.

 

[IndigoTraveler]

Von Karkov was a terrible darklord, a panther turned into a man turned into a vampire. Sounds like he's going to be replaced by something more African in origin.

Black Panther but with more black panther!

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Maybe they've just renamed some darklords to make a more inclusive spread? I don't know that a timeline advance is needed to explain the names.

I'm personally very happy that the new slate of Darklords is more diverse (both in gender and race) than the old "All White Men" Darklords.

That said, I wouldn't mind getting a little taste of what events may have happened that lead Falkovnia to become zombie-world, and to the rule of the current Darklords.

 

[Morrus]

I'm personally very happy that the new slate of Darklords is more diverse (both in gender and race) than the old "All White Men" Darklords.

That said, I wouldn't mind getting a little taste of what events may have happened that lead Falkovnia to become zombie-world, and to the rule of the current Darklords.

I'm going to guess "reboot" rather than "sequel". I have no secret knowledge though; it's just a guess.

 

[Alzrius]

I'm personally very happy that the new slate of Darklords is more diverse (both in gender and race) than the old "All White Men" Darklords.

Have they stated the race of any of the new darklords? Because other than presuming that Chakuna is black (the same way von Kharkov was), I'm not seeing anything in your list that speaks to more racial diversity.