Product page for Volo's Guide to Monsters updated

Oh that is a nice preface.

 

[Prakriti]

they contradicted the timeline of Faerun too in OotA (Bruenor is dead since decades when the campaign presumably happen)

Bruenor was reincarnated in The Companions, which takes place 1462-1484 DR. So he's alive and well during the events of Out of the Abyss.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Do we have a complete list of playable races, btw? Including the quickies?

 

[PMárk]

I'd call Golarion "half-living" because it has novels and some of the APs are taking into consideration and acknowledging prior ones. But yes, mostly it's supplements and even novels are more local and character/location-based, not revolving around big, world-spanning events. So it either takes the best of both approaches, or doesn't do any of the two in a particularly satisfying way, depending on the person's expectations and is she like the setting, or not?

I agree what made FR unique is it's extensive lore and ongoing story and novels and it's connection to the greater D&D multiverse (as I wrote earlier, to me D&D isn't just one world, it's the multiverse). Without those it's just a generic high fantasy setting among a hundred plus one similar one and not even a particularly interesting one. Even the iconic signature things FR has are due to the novels (and to some extent tho old Bioware games), like the drow and the whole Underdark, or Icewind Dale, or Elminster, Drizzt, Farideh, etc. Without those it's just a very generic medieval-ish high fantasy with generic elves, generic dwarves an generic orks. It might be a good thing for newcomers, but honestly, for me without the stories and metaplot, it's just not that interesting.

I don't have the book. Does it actually outright contradict the existence of the Ravenloft demi-plane setting, or simply remain silent on anything outside of Barovia? For instance, I assume that in the adventure the Mists prevent you traveling outside Barovia, but as I understand it, lore states that Dreadlords can seal the borders to their domains, having exactly that effect. So if that is how they present it, it could be interpreted either as Barovia is a stand alone location, or it could be interpreted in harmony with 1e-3e lore.

It could be interpreted, with little strain, in the way that Barovia was simply closed down when the heroes arrived. However:

- From the DMG: "In remote corners of the Shadowfell, it is easy to reach horrific demiplanes ruled over by accursed beings of terrible evil. The best known of these is the valley of Barovia, overlooked by the towering spires of Castle Ravenloft and ruled by Count Strahd von Zarovich, the first vampire. Beings of the Shadowfell called the Dark Powers created these domains as prisons for these "darklords," and through cruelty or carelessness trapped innocent mortals in these domains as well." I take that description description as it's the 4e model, every domain is it's own demiplane, pockets in the Shadowfell. I'll be much happier with your version, when the Ravenloft setting stands as it was and could be reached through the Shadowfell. I don't really know why they didn't take that route. I don't have links, but I recall someone from WotC clearly stated somewhere that it's indeed the 4e paradigm.

As for CoS:

- It changes Strahd's background and makes him to a more 2bit villain without any redeeming qualities.
- It speaks nothing about any lands around Barovia, in fact, it gives the imrpession to me that there's no such thing.
- The Vistani could travel through the fog, but it's not stated to where. As there is Vistani in FR in the AL modules i take it that Barovia is indeed standalone and Vistani are travelling to other planes, like Faerun.
- It has Van Richten, yes, and drops an easter egg that he's from Darkon. However doesn't say anything about where Darkon is, or that it is another Domain of Dread. There isn't any other hints, no mercantile connections to other lands, no faiths of the old setting, nothing (I might be wrong, admittedly I just skimmed through the book).
- There is no sun in Barovia, just a dim faux-sun, which doens't restrain vampires. Basically it's a big all-time feast. IMO that takes away a lot from the suspension of traditional gothic horror.
- Barovians are mostly not real people, just soulless shells the Dark Powers created to make it more like a real place for Strahd. Only 1/10th of them have souls (the original ones whose got sucked in there with S) and they are reincarnated over and over again.
- The whole place is just not made as a working, full-fledged setting (no sun, too much constant bloodshed, not enough farmlands and crops, too little population, etc). It's a prison and a very big lair, nothing more.
- The dark Powers are clearly defined and IMO in a very boring way. You can even find them and interact with them.

As it stands, it is a good adventure, but it isn't the setting. It's the retelling of the original modul with expanded and more detailed Barovia, but, aside from one or two easter eggs, it's jus doesn't acknowledge anything that came after that and actively invalidates the setting as a whole.
[MENTION=21556]Jester[/MENTION] Kanuck had a more detailed review on 5mWorkday, I'd recommend to read it, if you have the time.

So I don't argue the overall quality of the modul, or the book itself as a physical product, but it's not a "toe-dipping into Ravenloft" to me. For that I wouldn't want a whole CG at this point, but I'd expect the acknowledging of the broader setting in an appendix, or in the introduction and some continuity and connection to it, like trade or faiths. Those could even provide more story hooks, the borders could remain closed through the adventure.

 

[PMárk]

About the lack of publications: I don't know you guys but I'm pretty busy now and in the past and I couldn't stand publication rythm of the past. Too many splatbooks, too many unuseful tools, too many bs materials. They said they will publish 2 adventure + 1 handbook per year and they have a rules expansion product in mind. For me is enough but probably I'm not an hardcorer.

I don't have the time to read even the fraction of the material that's out there for PF, or Wod also. But I like that if I want to read more about Cheliax, or the Pathfinder Society, or Clan Nosferatu, or the Anarchs, I could buy in paper or download in pdf the material. i don't have to use it, but i can If i want.

 

[QuietBrowser]

Do we have a complete list of playable races, btw? Including the quickies?

No. We've pieced together a small list - Tabaxi, Tritons, Goblins, Firbolgs, Aasimar, Orcs, and Kenku off the top of my head - but we still don't know the full scale of what will and won't be playable. Beyond "gnolls won't be playable".

 

[doctorbadwolf]

No. We've pieced together a small list - Tabaxi, Tritons, Goblins, Firbolgs, Aasimar, Orcs, and Kenku off the top of my head - but we still don't know the full scale of what will and won't be playable. Beyond "gnolls won't be playable".

<grumble> don't remind me

 

[Demetrios1453]

<grumble> don't remind me

I have no doubt after the outcry over gnolls, we'll see something like an Unearthed Arcana to cover that deficiency...

 

[Demetrios1453]

So, having time to mull over this a bit, I still have two big unanswered questions concerning the book:


1. Are the stat blocks for variants of the creatures covered in Chapter 1 going to be in Chapter 1 or Chapter 3? While I can see them going in Chapter 3, I would rather see them in Chapter 1, as (a) it would be more convenient, dare I say logical, to have them right there where we're going in-depth for the creature in question, and (b) it would bring the stat block total up for the entire book.

2. Where will the NPC stat blocks that we know are going to be in the book actually be? They really aren't a good fit for any of the three chapters. I can't see them going into Chapter 1, and putting them in Chapter 3 as part of a bestiary when they are NPCs and not beasts seems wrong. Perhaps they will be in Chapter 2, as a sort of special case of character races? Or maybe they will be getting a special appendix?

 

[Sword of Spirit]

As for CoS:

- It changes Strahd's background and makes him to a more 2bit villain without any redeeming qualities.

I understand this was and intentional thing to fit the Hickman's original vision for him, so I'm just going to go with it.

- It speaks nothing about any lands around Barovia, in fact, it gives the imrpession to me that there's no such thing.
- The Vistani could travel through the fog, but it's not stated to where. As there is Vistani in FR in the AL modules i take it that Barovia is indeed standalone and Vistani are travelling to other planes, like Faerun.
- It has Van Richten, yes, and drops an easter egg that he's from Darkon. However doesn't say anything about where Darkon is, or that it is another Domain of Dread. There isn't any other hints, no mercantile connections to other lands, no faiths of the old setting, nothing (I might be wrong, admittedly I just skimmed through the book).

I can work with the lack of mention. I didn't really expect them to mention much since this was intended as a stand alone for people who might not be interested in a full setting.

- There is no sun in Barovia, just a dim faux-sun, which doens't restrain vampires. Basically it's a big all-time feast. IMO that takes away a lot from the suspension of traditional gothic horror.
- Barovians are mostly not real people, just soulless shells the Dark Powers created to make it more like a real place for Strahd. Only 1/10th of them have souls (the original ones whose got sucked in there with S) and they are reincarnated over and over again.
- The whole place is just not made as a working, full-fledged setting (no sun, too much constant bloodshed, not enough farmlands and crops, too little population, etc). It's a prison and a very big lair, nothing more.

Okay, that is all silly and I'll pretty much just ignore it.

- The dark Powers are clearly defined and IMO in a very boring way. You can even find them and interact with them.

I sure hope this isn't relevant to the plot, because that isn't how we'll be playing it!

So I don't argue the overall quality of the modul, or the book itself as a physical product, but it's not a "toe-dipping into Ravenloft" to me. For that I wouldn't want a whole CG at this point, but I'd expect the acknowledging of the broader setting in an appendix, or in the introduction and some continuity and connection to it, like trade or faiths. Those could even provide more story hooks, the borders could remain closed through the adventure.

Yeah, that would have been nice.

As far as the timeline...it isn't personally a problem for me, since I've decided to just coordinate specific dates from the various world calendars that I like and go from there. I'm treating 735 BC as equivalent to 1371 DR, for example. And I interpret time in Ravenloft as more malleable, like the Feywild...so it can kind of be whenever I need it to be.

 

[flametitan]

I sure hope this isn't relevant to the plot, because that isn't how we'll be playing it!

There's an npc that would like to visit it, but beyond that, you can probably cut it out of the game entirely.

That said, it's still an interesting locale, so I will put it into my own worlds at some point.