D&D 5E Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft Table of Contents

As shared by DMs Guild brand manager Lysa Penrose, the table of contents for the upcoming hardcover Ravenloft setting book.

As shared by DMs Guild brand manager Lysa Penrose.

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JEB

Legend
Which is what loup-garou did in 2nd edition.
Loup-garou are just bigger, badder werewolves in 2E. Not wolves that turn into men. They're still men that turn into wolves.

Maybe they'll change loup-garou into wolfweres in 5E, but they definitely weren't that in older editions.
 

imagineGod

Legend
Is this actually a problem? Or just in search of one?
Like I said, it was a personal rant. Too many times in real life, mostly white Americans are guilty of shortening or even changing long names from other cultures into short "Americanisms".

Anyway, until I receive my pre-order, then I will decide what I do with it.
 

Like I said, it was a personal rant. Too many times in real life, mostly white Americans are guilty of shortening or even changing long names from other cultures into short "Americanisms".

Anyway, until I receive my pre-order, then I will decide what I do with it.
Most names are from other cultures. My names are Latin and Gaelic (with a French middle name). It translates as something like Little Very Dear One.
 

Like I said, it was a personal rant. Too many times in real life, mostly white Americans are guilty of shortening or even changing long names from other cultures into short "Americanisms".

Anyway, until I receive my pre-order, then I will decide what I do with it.
Shouldn't this be a concern based on how the culture in question operates, and/or how the character would feel about it, rather than a generic concern? If not, it seems, deeply ironically, like a form of American cultural imperialism (not an uncommon kind either - I've seen all sort of wild assumptions about how societies outside the US work based on US models which don't apply, from even most good-hearted of people). It's not like all the cultures which use multi-syllable names are non-white (quite the contrary, in fact), nor are all cultures which shorten names white, is it? Obviously the Vistani have historically been a Roma analogue - do the Roma use solely multi-syllable names and not shorten them? I actually don't know. There's also the question of whether they remain a Roma analogue in this version.

It's also worth noting, that if you travel the world, you'll find most cultures (of all ethnicities) modify your name, whether you like it or not. It's curious that you seem to think only white Americans do this - go really just anywhere else in the world and see what happens to your name. It is unlikely to remain static, esp. outside of an English-speaking country. I actually agree that it can be a racist microaggression, or even an outright aggression (racist or otherwise), particularly when some smarmy git knows perfectly well that you are called one thing and they shorten anyway it (often in a way that's faintly insulting), but it seems like you have to pile up quite a lot of assumptions to get to Ezmerelda being know as Ez as racist (at the very least that the Vistani are still Roma analogues, that the Roma prefer multi-syllable names, and that is unlikely Ezmerelda's character would instigate the usage of this shortening).
Most names are from other cultures. My names are Latin and Gaelic (with a French middle name). It translates as something like Little Very Dear One.
Indeed. I'm from a basically Brythonic Celtic background to the main extent, but my names are Greek Greek Gaelic Gaelic.
 
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TheSword

Legend
Shouldn't this be a concern based on how the culture in question operates, and/or how the character would feel about it, rather than a generic concern? If not it seem, ironically, like a form of American cultural imperialism (not an uncommon kind - I've seen all sort of wild assumptions about how societies outside the US work based on US models which don't apply, from even most good-hearted of people). It's not like all the cultures which use multi-syllable names are non-white (quite the contrary, in fact), nor are all cultures which shorten names white, is it? Obviously the Vistani have historically been a Roma analogue - do the Roma use solely multi-syllable names and not shorten them? I actually don't know. There's also the question of whether they remain a Roma analogue in this version.

It's also worth noting, that if you travel the world, you'll find most cultures (of all ethnicities) modify your name, whether you like it or not. It's curious that you seem to think only white Americans do this - go really just anywhere else in the world and see what happens to your name. It is unlikely to remain static, esp. outside of an English-speaking country. I actually agree that it can be a racist microaggression, or even an outright aggression (racist or otherwise), particularly when some smarmy git knows perfectly well that you are called one thing and they shorten anyway it (often in a way that's faintly insulting), but it seems like you have to pile up quite a lot of assumptions to get to Ezmerelda being know as Ez as racist (at the very least that the Vistani are still Roma analogues, that the Roma prefer multi-syllable names, and that is unlikely Ezmerelda's character would instigate the usage of this shortening).
Does Ez give anyone else an Oz vibe? Is that a coincidence I wonder.
 


Esmerelda isn't a Roma name (it appears to be from Latin via Spanish, meaning Emerald). It was just popularised by Victor Hugo who gave it to a Roma character.
Yeah I was just thinking about that and how actually that was probably the most awkward thing here, but it's kind of too late to easily retcon it.
Does Ez give anyone else an Oz vibe? Is that a coincidence I wonder.
It does though possibly that too is unfortunate given in the Wizard of Oz the charlatan fortune-teller at the start who travels in a wagon done up in a faux-Romani style is the titular wizard when Dorothy finally pulls back the curtain (IIRC).
 

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