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

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Am I the only one who thinks Ankteapot is not a name players will take seriously?

You are not. I giggled as soon as I read it. There is zero possibility that any session where he was involved would not feature at least one rendition of "I'm a little teapot short and stout..." and god help us all if there was a boss fight involving him or someone was playing a Bard! D&D has a lot of silly names but this is next level.

I imagine this is another way of saying "post-apocalypse". It will be for the zombie apocalypse domain, and anything Deadlands.

I suspect eternal peri-apocalypse rather than post-apocalypse, but it may also cover Hunger Games/Battle Royale stuff (which "the kids" are down with).

 

[Remathilis]

I imagine this is another way of saying "post-apocalypse". It will be for the zombie apocalypse domain, and anything Deadlands.

I imagine the redone Hazlan is another example

 

[darjr]

 

[darjr]

Is that a Taroka card? Which one is it?

Also Beadle and Grimm have four different box covers, each one of four of the coins.

 

[overgeeked]

Is that a Taroka card? Which one is it?

Yep, it's a Tarokka card. Looks like the most recent from CoS. The card is the 1 of swords, the Avenger.

 

[Remathilis]

Black Dice Society episode 4

Falkovia. We spend some time in the Carnival trying up loose ends. Isode has a blade that she speaks with that demands Justice. I couldn't find reference to it in the 2e a Carnival accessory, but it might be from 3e on. If someone more knowledgeable wants to confirm, else it could be a new feature for 5e.

Travel to a Domain needs a focus: something or someone from that domain to act as a key. It feels a little Planescapey, but in a good way. To get to Falkovia, they are given a piece of zombie meat. Jokes ensue.

Mark Meet, Brother Uriah's player, seems familiar with the older versions of Ravenloft. He comments about the "Crimson Falcon" (Drakov's nickname) and also asks if his nonhuman allies with be safe. Isode confirms that they will not suffer stigma because of their birth, which is a damn far cry from nonhumans being chattel of the state. So there is that.

While Falkovia is a undead wasteland, it's not uninhabited. They find some people who are living a provincial life thanks to a Great Guardian, who is connected to the plants. I'm guessing this is made up for the pod, but it does show Falkovia isn't pure 28 Days Later.

Oh, and there are bad German accents and casual nudity. In game, not from the players.

The show moved a little faster today and the info on Falkovia shows it does connect to the new book, but there is a good amount of connection to the old setting. It might in fact be playable as a Time jump rather than a reboot if you are willing to squint a little and chalk up inconsistencies to the Mists.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

When I think about ghosts in a RPG I can't avoid the strong influences by the lore of Wraith: the Oblivion, but to reuse that "fluf" or background in my own Ravenloft stories has got a serious risk: the ghosts are more dreadful if they are enough mysterious. If you know their secrets then surprise is lesser. Ghosts stories are linked with the fear to the unknown, but today many players have got their own vision of the afterlife (Bettlejuice, Coco, What Dreams may come, Danny Phantom, the manganime Bleach)

Ghosts are incorporeal, but you don't know when can use telekinesis to cause "accidents" in the worst time and place. They would the ultimate spies if a necromancer could hire them.

Other matter is if a ghost can kill, couldn't his victims be also ghosts who wants vengeance against their killer, or at least to avoid more supernatural murders?

In the 3.5 sourcebook "Ghostwalk" the players could be ghosts. Could the rules for Eidolons to be recycled and updated for 5th Ed Ravenloft?

Haunted Index - TV Tropes

This index is haunted by the spirits of those who have passed. Here is a list of tropes about ghosts. Compare Mummy Tropes, Skeletal Tropes, Tropes of the Living Dead, and Vampire Tropes for other undead creatures. See also (or don't) …

tvtropes.org

Bleach Wiki

Bleach Wiki is a comprehensive guide to the manga and anime created by Tite Kubo.

bleach.fandom.com

 

[overgeeked]

Black Dice Society episode 4

Falkovia. We spend some time in the Carnival trying up loose ends. Isode has a blade that she speaks with that demands Justice. I couldn't find reference to it in the 2e a Carnival accessory, but it might be from 3e on. If someone more knowledgeable wants to confirm, else it could be a new feature for 5e.

Travel to a Domain needs a focus: something or someone from that domain to act as a key. It feels a little Planescapey, but in a good way. To get to Falkovia, they are given a piece of zombie meat. Jokes ensue.

Mark Meet, Brother Uriah's player, seems familiar with the older versions of Ravenloft. He comments about the "Crimson Falcon" (Drakov's nickname) and also asks if his nonhuman allies with be safe. Isode confirms that they will not suffer stigma because of their birth, which is a damn far cry from nonhumans being chattel of the state. So there is that.

While Falkovia is a undead wasteland, it's not uninhabited. They find some people who are living a provincial life thanks to a Great Guardian, who is connected to the plants. I'm guessing this is made up for the pod, but it does show Falkovia isn't pure 28 Days Later.

Oh, and there are bad German accents and casual nudity. In game, not from the players.

The show moved a little faster today and the info on Falkovia shows it does connect to the new book, but there is a good amount of connection to the old setting. It might in fact be playable as a Time jump rather than a reboot if you are willing to squint a little and chalk up inconsistencies to the Mists.

Thank you for the focused summaries. I’ve tried a few times to watch this but keep bouncing off hard.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oh, and there are bad German accents [...]. In game, not from the players.

How does that work?

Player: "My character greats the stranger affecting a German accent."

DM: "Make a Performance check."

Player: [rolls a 1]

 

[Remathilis]

How does that work?

Player: "My character greats the stranger affecting a German accent."

DM: "Make a Performance check."

Player: [rolls a 1]

The NPCs kept having a hard time understanding what the PCs were saying until one of them started using the same cheezhaus accent. Then the NPC understood.

As for the nudity, 15% of the town were nudistsv who enjoyed standing in the scant rays of sunlight (this is probably due to the intelligent plants that were controlling the town) but until that was known, three of the female PCs (the air genasi and the two reborn) decided " when in Rome"

Between that and the "zombie meat" used to get in, the episode felt more Monty Python than Black Mirror. Which made it go faster and broke then tension somewhat, an important thing to remember when doing horror.