Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd Cover, Synopsis Revealed

The cover and synopsis for Penguin Random House's new Dungeons & Dragons novel has been revealed. This week, Penguin Random House revealed the official title and cover for Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd, a new novel by Delilah S. Dawson. The new novel is due for release in April 2025. The new novel follows a group of adventurers who arrive in Barovia under mysterious circumstances and are summoned to Castle Ravenloft to dine with the infamous Count Strahd. This marks the first Ravenloft novel released in 17 years.

Penguin Random House has slowly grown its line of novels over the past few years, with novels set in Spelljammer, Dragonlance, and the Forgotten Realms released over the last year. Characters from The Fallbacks novel by Jaleigh Johnson also appears in art in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide.

The full synopsis for Heir of Strahd can be found below:

Five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer.

After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation:

Fairest Friends,

I pray you accept my humble Hospitality and dine with me tonight at Castle Ravenloft. It is rare we receive Visitors, and I do so Endeavor to Make your Acquaintance. The Carriage shall bear you to the Castle safely, and I await your Arrival with Pleasure.

Your host,
Strahd von Zarovich

With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades—before the mists of Barovia claim them forever.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Somebody wants to feel Ravenlof like when you are listening Nightwish, but others would rather Within Temptation.


The lore wants the magic to be nerfed, but the players would rather to be overpowered.


I swear to you, the first time I listened "Ice of Queen" by Within Temptation I thought in Ravenloft, because there is a character, Jezra Wagner, "the ice queen" from my Ravenloft monster compedium.

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The demography of the different species has changed with the new edition. Now there are dragonborns, tielflings, goliaths..

* Darth Vader and lord Sorth share the trope of fallen knight.

All this talk about gothic got me thinking about this:

 

[Not a Decepticon]

I swear to you, the first time I listened "Ice of Queen" by Within Temptation I thought in Ravenloft, because there is a character, Jezra Wagner, "the ice queen" from my Ravenloft monster compedium.

I use Ice Queen as my go to theme for Rime of the Frostmaiden. I actually have a theme for all my campaign concepts to not forget them

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I feel Ravenloft is more like Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, than it is Dark Funeral, Watain or Behemoth, and it's certainly not Cannibal Corpse...

 

[Bedrockgames]

I feel Ravenloft is more like Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, than it is Dark Funeral, Watain or Behemoth, and it's certainly not Cannibal Corpse...

For running the game I found Henry Purcell harpsichord was great, as well as the soundtrack to the 92 Dracula

 

[Remathilis]

I feel Ravenloft is more like Cradle of Filth or Dimmu Borgir, than it is Dark Funeral, Watain or Behemoth, and it's certainly not Cannibal Corpse...

Eh. I just spin Midnight Syndicate and Nox Arcana. Though I did have an adventure where I was playing Avatar (the band).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

 

[TiQuinn]

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OMG, it’s so gothic! Look at the goths!

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Now I am thinking the group was created intentionally to be radically different from the old-school dungeon-crawler group (elf, dwarf, halfling and human). The group of the novel can't be like the standar heroes from an isekai manga.

WotC doesn't want to sell the classic style because this also be published by a rival company, then they have to show original content. It's in your own game when you follow the style you choose.