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.

 

[GarrettKP]

I wonder who the heir is. Is Strahd being replaced?

The Curse of Strahd 5e module says Strahd is trying to end his eternal torment by finding an heir. He picks an adventurer in the party and tries to groom them to be his successor so the Dark Powers release him from undeath.

I assume that will be the driving plot of this book.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

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.

Isn't that the plot of several existing Ravenloft novels (and adventures)? I assume the actual point of differentiation is what comes next and who ends up being Strahd's heir and why.

 

[DonoZen]

Those characters shouldn't look that happy to be trapped in Barovia with Strahd!

It's all a matter of perspective.

This cover is obviously the group very excited and happy at being invited to a fancy dinner and just getting there.

They have no idea what's in store.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

It's all a matter of perspective.

This cover is obviously the group very excited and happy at being invited to a fancy dinner and just getting there.

They have no idea what's in store.

Is it bad that Barovia is like my least favorite Domain?

 

[Kurotowa]

Well, that team is no Jander Sunstar. But it's not the 90's anymore, and angsty elf vampires bemoaning the tormented existence of their forever night isn't the style these days. The clock turns and the world changes.

The biggest style difference from the old days with this roster of protagonists is that they're a bit less ...one note, you might say. The D&D novels I ripped through as a teen really leaned into the stereotypes. You had elfy elfs and dwarfy dwarfs and every barbarian was a Conan knockoff. Now we're getting characters that look, honestly, still pretty broadly drawn but have a couple more sliders to adjust.

An "embittered tiefling paladin" and "sardonic drow barbarian" feel like they could have been spit out by rolling on three random character trait tables, but it's three tables instead of one and that's a little more interesting.

 

[Chaltab]

The synopsis isn’t much better.

What's wrong with the synopsis?

 

[DarkCrisis]

What's wrong with the synopsis?

For myself, it's been done over and over. Heck going to dinner is in the original module.

Also the party is trying to hard to subvert a trope. Orc Wizard! Drow Barbarian! Tiefling Paladin. Luckily it keeps the tiefling bitter so woo tropes! Oh and of course everyone loves Jarnathan so here's a Kenku! Id say it's very much a "modern D&D" party but the most played race is still Human apparently.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What next? A celibate bard??

 

[GarrettKP]

For myself, it's been done over and over. Heck going to dinner is in the original module.

Also the party is trying to nard to subvert a trope. Orc Wizard! Drow Barbarian! Tiefling Paladin. Luckily it keeps the tiefling bitter so woo tropes! Oh and of course everyone loves Jarnathan so here's a Kenku! Id say it's very much a "modern D&D" party but the most played race is still Human apparently.

Jarnathan is an Aarakocra, not a Kenku…

 

[Chaltab]

Pretty sure Jarnathan was an aarakocra.

For myself, it's been done over and over. Heck going to dinner is in the original module.

I mean that's fair. I do think there's sense that 5e treats domains of dread as holodecks that reset to tell the same story repeatedly.