It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like RAVENLOFT

On the Down With D&D podcast, writer Shawn Merwin (who is writing at least one adventure for the next D&D Adventurers Guild season) responded to a query about whether the next season was "gothic" in nature -- "I can neither confirm nor deny that, although I've heard that much was talked about at Gamehole Con in Chris Perkins' seminar ... I think people who have heard that seminar know what's going on, but I still cannot say anything." That seminar, which I largely transcribed here, hinted really strongly at Ravenloft. (thanks to darjr for the scoop)

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In response to comments about Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Wolfman, Merwin said "You like that kind of stuff? I get misty-eyed about it myself."

Of course, none of this is conclusive. But it's hard not to think that - if not Ravenloft itself - something Ravenloft-inspired is coming with the next D&D storyline.

They went on to discuss Baldman Games' (hosts of Winter Fantasy) announcements about D&D events at the convention in February. Regarding the Epic adventure being used to launch the upcoming season, which will debut at that convention, they have the following exchange:

Shawn Merwin: ...if you're into D&D at all, or if you're into Adventurer's League specifically, you will not want to miss.

Christopher Sniezak: I hear there may be blood and stakes involved?

Shawn Merwin: It's definitely possible.

It sounds a little to me like they have discussed this subject in more detail off-air. Whatever the case, these are not the first "gothic" hints we've gotten - it's certainly Beginning To Look A Lot Like Ravenloft, as Bing Crosby once famously sang.

If you want to listen to the full podcast, click here or on Strahd up above.

 

[Hussar]

Here's why I think your prediction might be at least partially wrong.

Strahd Von Zarovich.

Peruse your 5e PHB; he's mentioned no less than five times: Twice in the PHB (once as the example text in chapter one, once I think the the skill check section) twice in the DMG (both discussing the planar nature of Barovia) and once in the MM (where he gets a whole sidebar discussing him, as well as the vampire art being of him and his Castle.) He got his own Board Game devoted to him. He's a damn rockstar as far as WotC Brand is concerned, right up there with Tiamat, Drizzt, or the Demon Lords. They would be absolutely crazy to do a "gothic vampire" story and NOT use him.

Now, that doesn't mean we're getting a full Ravenloft campaign setting; the same material that discussed Strahd/Barovia/Ravenloft have been mostly silent on the other domains, lords, or elements. Getting a Ravenloft AP doesn't necessarily mean we'll see Lord Godrey, Azalin or any other domain or lord. Its very possible that the AP will just revolve around Strahd and his Castle in some way. But if they intend to do a vampire story, they're doing Strahd. Period. It just fits with their Brand Marketing strategy too much to NOT use him.

Oh sure. But, I'd point out that everything you just named appears in the original module which could be set anywhere.

When you say Strahd, do you mean Strahd from the original module or Strahd from the setting. My bet is it will be the former, not the latter and the rest of the setting will be completely absent.

 

[delericho]

But they just recently reestablished Barovia is a demiplane in the shadowfell in the DMG. Twice.

Tiamat is trapped in the Abyss, the Princes of Elemental Evil are on their respective planes, and the Demon Lords likewise are in the Abyss. None of these stopped WotC setting their respective adventures on the Prime Material.

My bet is that a Ravenloft adventure will see Strahd finding a potential way to escape his prison by transposing Barovia on some portion of the Sword Coast, over-writing some mostly-empty space on the map. The PCs will thus be tasked with undoing whatever it is that he has done, and thus returning him to the Shadowfell.

I may be wrong, of course.

 

[delericho]

Unless I've missed some hot take, I wonder if Ravenloft would be the second release of 2016 rather than the first. It seems like it would be too soon to tackle just off of Abyss with darkness/horror similarities, also it would tie into halloween...just thinking from a marketing/balance perspective.

Yeah, I agree. It seems to make more sense to do Shakespearean Giants first (that being a change of gears after three extra-planar threats), and then do Ravenloft for Halloween.

 

[Herobizkit]

I _want_ Castlevania in my Ravenloft, but whips just don't do that much damage...

It was my understanding that the Demiplane(s) of Dread were created specifically to torture their Dread Lord with whatever turned them to Evil in the first place. In Strahd's case, he 'went with it' and became able to control portions of his Domain. I feel that Ravenloft could easily be some kind of crazy Dante's Inferno-style places where reality doesn't even have to work as expected.

... and then, rather than just "oh look, the Mist and *paf* welcome to Ravenloft", there should be a subtle, gentle transposition of the players to such a landscape.

Heroes want to be heroes, and heroes generally want to smash evil the face with their longswords or whatever and win. Ravenloft is one of those worlds where if you escape at all, it's often at a great price which makes you questions your own character's (and maybe even your own) morals.

But it's easier to SAY than do, and even harder to DM this way if your players aren't on board.

This is a great way to nudge players into a 'black and grey morality' style of campaign, exactly what many movies have been trying to accomplish over the past few years.

 

[gyor]

There are already connections between Faerun and Ravenloft, some of the domains of dread came from Faerun.

And Faerun has a Shadowfell and Ravenloft is in the Shadowfell, so basically FR ate the Ravenloft setting like it did to Al Qadim, Oriential Adventures, the Bloodstone Lands, Gloomwrought, the Moonshaes ect...

 

[Remathilis]

There are already connections between Faerun and Ravenloft, some of the domains of dread came from Faerun.

And Faerun has a Shadowfell and Ravenloft is in the Shadowfell, so basically FR ate the Ravenloft setting like it did to Al Qadim, Oriential Adventures, the Bloodstone Lands, Gloomwrought, the Moonshaes ect...

There are domains in Ravenloft from every 2e setting, including Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Dark Sun, and freaking Birthright. Even Mystara has a dark lord. Additionally, each of those worlds have a shadow plane/shadowfell. Faerun hasn't eaten Ravenloft yet, not with that logic.

 

[delericho]

Even Mystara has a dark lord.

Does it? Did they add that one to the setting late?

 

[Alzrius]

Does it? Did they add that one to the setting late?

It was a retcon.

The Mystaran dark lord in question is Meredoth, dark lord of the Nocturnal Sea, originally from RA2 Ship of Horror. He was brought back in Domains of Dread (the third and final campaign setting book for Ravenloft for AD&D 2E), where it revealed that he was from Alphatia on Mystara.

I'd be remiss if I didn't add that the fellows over at the Fraternity of Shadows did a bang-up job updating him (along with quite a bit else) in the Noctural Sea Gazetteer. The write up they have for him there made him go from being a rather lackluster character to one of my favorite dark lords.

 

[Remathilis]

It was a retcon.

The Mystaran dark lord in question is Meredoth, originally from RA2 Ship of Horror. He was brought back in Domains of Dread (the third and final campaign setting book for Ravenloft for AD&D 2E), where it revealed that he was from Alphatia on Mystara.

Yep, Birthright's was a retcon too. Still, as of DoD, every 2e setting except Council of Wyrms had a domain somewhere.

 

[skerritthegreen]

It was stated that in AL the intro epic at winter fantasy is to retake a town taken over by a blue dracolich.

That town is Phlan (from season one) and Vorgansharax is in fact a green dragon possessed by Tyranthrxus, not a dracolich.