From the new Dragon+ Magazine "Much like Thanos’ quest to complete his jewelry collection in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft may have been “inevitable”, as Design Lead F. Wesley Schneider describes his colleagues as “a team full of horror fans who absolutely love Ravenloft.” Following the successes of
Curse of Strahd (blending gothic horror and D&D),
Eberron: Rising from the Last War (steampunk plus D&D), and
Mythic Odysseys of Theros (Greek myth meets D&D), bundling together every possible flavor of horror with the world’s greatest roleplaying game should scratch a similar itch.
“Dungeons & Dragons has always been a horror game,” Wes suggests. “Grabbing a sword, going into a creepy hole full of monsters, and not knowing whether you’re going to come back out alive: That’s absolutely a horror story.”
When it comes to horror, there’s no better D&D setting than Ravenloft. DMs and players might be most familiar with the setting’s most famous corner, the domain of Barovia, having campaigned against the infamous vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich. Yet the horrors that lurk in the Domains of Dread that make up Ravenloft are widespread. As outlined in the early boxed sets (
Ravenloft: Realm of Terror and
Ravenloft) and the second edition campaign setting
Ravenloft: Domains of Dread (first published in August 1997), Ravenloft is not a world in the traditional sense. This setting was described as a collection of domains ruled by Darklords, each surrounded by magical mists amid the vapors of the Ethereal Plane.
As its title suggests,
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft looks beyond Strahd to catalogue the threats posed by the other domains and their Darklords. While you might expect it to be written in the voice of famed monster hunter Dr. Rudolph van Richten, similar to how Volo and the Xanathar would pipe up in their guides, the book borrows from the pages of
Dracula to introduce Ravenloft’s terrors with correspondence between several different characters.
“Van Richten traces his roots back to Van Helsing from
Dracula—a story comprised entirely of correspondence and journal entries,” Wes explains. “Now that our view of Ravenloft is expanding, we share a glimpse of some of van Richten’s own exchanges with other heroes as he encourages them—and also all the players out there—to venture out boldly and confront the night.”
HORROR HANDBOOK
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft cracks open more than just the gothic horror crypt. Gothic horror is, of course, still a major element of Ravenloft, but cosmic horror, dark fantasy, ghost stories, occult detective stories, psychological horror, and more are now on the table. If you love any sort of horror, there’s a Domain of Dread for you.
“Finding the horror that’s right for you is a major element of the book. Your horror stories might feature cartoonish investigators hunting down mysterious monsters, or they might be more serious, suspenseful nightmares. The book discusses how to get your entire group involved in establishing guidelines and using safety tools to make sure everyone’s comfortable and enjoys the game. We provide frameworks to help make sure your horror adventures are fun, accessible, and safe, while also supporting players who voice concerns if things take an uncomfortable turn.”
THE DOMAINS OF DREAD
“This incarnation of Ravenloft reimagines a great deal of what came before. Past explorations of the setting directly linked many of the domains of Ravenloft into a pseudo-continent called the ‘Core’. We’ve taken the Core, the heart of the Ravenloft setting, and shattered it. In this new interpretation, every domain is a lonely island drifting through the mists.
“Many of the domains get a modern-day brush up. We took the setting’s characters, locations, monsters, and other pieces, shook them up, and took some new directions. For example, in the ’90s, the domain of Falkovnia was a totalitarian regime ruled by a Darklord named Vlad Drakov, who had a Vlad the Impaler vibe. Well, we already have a Vlad-type figure in residence at
Castle Ravenloft in Barovia, so we saw this as the perfect opportunity to give the domain a stronger identity and embrace a different brand of horror. In its new form, Falkovnia is ruled by a Darklord named Vladeska Drakov, a notorious military commander who’s struggling to defend its last surviving city against a domain-wide zombie apocalypse.”
BUILD YOUR OWN DARK DOMAIN
“Well over a dozen domains get the spotlight in
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, but with a whole chapter on making your own domains and Darklords, the book gives you the tools to unleash an infinite number of nightmare realms upon your game.
“In that chapter, we discuss the fundamentals of what makes a Ravenloft domain and how to create your own Darklord. Once you have those concepts, we explore a spectrum of horror genres to help inspire your own unique creations. Want a villain with a body horror vibe in a cosmic horror setting where you can run occult detective stories? We give you the tools to build that terrifying story. Only once we’ve explained how to do all of that do we present domain after domain, by way of example.”
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HERE BE MONSTERS
“The bestiary for Ravenloft is a
Who’s Who of horror. It includes our favorite nightmares from Ravenloft’s past, as well as beings from folklore and urban legends. For example, longtime D&D fans might recognize monsters such as the carrionette and the gremishka from the second edition
Ravenloft Monstrous Compendiums.
“Carrionettes are creepy marionettes that jab you with silver needles and swap consciousness with you, taking over your body and stranding you in a doll body! While gremishka are creepy gremlin-things that are allergic to magic. If you cast a spell on them, they might have an adverse reaction that includes potentially exploding into a swarm.
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft also includes a number of new takes on various D&D monsters and horror staples, including a variety of new zombies and vampiric mind flayers.”
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PLAYABLE MONSTERS
“
Eberron: Rising from the Last War pulled a sideways horror move by including a construct person, a lycanthrope, and even a changeling, giving its race section a horror undercurrent,” Wes says, as he confirms that the Gothic Lineages published in
Unearthed Arcana will appear in
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
“The fear of corruption, the fear of infection, the fear of change, those all play fascinating parts in many horror stories.
Van Richten’s Guide presents three new types of races called ‘lineages’ that play into those fears.
“The dhampir lineage has traits inspired by vampires, with a bite attack and the ability to feed off the living; the hexblood is tied up with fey magic and might be at risk of transforming into a hag down the road; while the reborn has died at some point and might take the form of a pseudo-undead creature or a Frankenstein’s monster-style construct.
“One thing that makes these lineages different from other races is that you can gain them in the course of adventures. DMs aren’t meant to impose these changes on players, but if an adventure develops in a way that such a change makes sense, it’s a new—potentially terrifying—option the group might explore!”
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DARK GIFTS
“In
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, we present Dark Gifts. If you’re familiar with the ‘Piety’ system in
Mythic Odysseys of Theros, you’ll be aware of its supernatural gifts. These are blessings from deities which provide a kind of mythologically themed superpower.
Van Richten’s Guide takes a twist on that concept, allowing characters to start out with a Dark Gift or gain one in the course of play.
“A Dark Gift is a horror-themed ability that offers a character a lot of upside. But, of course, there’s a catch. Every Dark Gift provides a real benefit, but also a chance for something to take a sinister turn you didn’t expect.
“For example, one Dark Gift provides you with memories from your past life, whispers of information you really shouldn’t know. Sometimes these can be great—maybe you’ve never played the piano before but somehow when you sit down at the keyboard you can now play. By the same token, under certain circumstances, you might start having visions from past lives that distract you from what you’re doing.
“Many Dark Gifts also provide grim roleplaying opportunities and ways to customize your character. You could certainly take those memories I just mentioned and say they come from a past life. Or you could interpret them in a spectrum of different ways. Is there some mysterious intelligence that’s been merged with your own? Or is an alien entity communicating with you, sneaking memories into your head? It’s your choice. Each Dark Gift is the first line of a horror story. It’s up to you to decide the full tale of terror you want to tell.”
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft is released May 18, 2021 with an MSRP of $49.95. Preorder a physical copy at your local game store, bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, or online at retailers such as Amazon. Also available as a digital version at D&D Beyond, Fantasy Grounds, and Roll20."
