Back to Ravenloft! Van Richten’s guide revisits D&D’s popular horror setting

We’re going back to Ravenloft.

The upcoming release for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition will head back to Strahd Von Zarovich’s domain and the land of Castle Ravenloft as well as the other Domain’s of Dread.

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft will be released May 18, and it will feature a brand new adventure, two new subclasses, new monsters and much more.

With the name of Rudolf Van Richten in the title, the visage of the evil Count Strahd on the cover and many other features, it’s clearly a sequel (or at least a follow-up of sorts) to D&D’s popular release, Curse of Strahd. Having run that adventure myself and being active in online groups dedicated to that horror adventure, I imagine this release will be quite popular, especially since it will explore the Domains of Dread.

The Domains were fleshed out in amazing detail in 1st and 2nd editions, and this source book will explore them for the first time in 5e. I imagine those who dreaded converting that old content to the latest edition will welcome this news. Van Richten’s Guide will also feature the option to build your own custom Domains as well as Darklords to rule over them.

The subclasses will be the bard College of Spirits and the warlock Undead pact. The book will feature new backgrounds, a new trinket list and a host of new monsters. It will also feature new Dark Gifts, with which players who ran through Curse of Strahd will be quite familiar.

The new book sounds like a way to extend your Curse of Strahd campaign or to spin up a horror-themed campaign of your own.

We can’t wait to return to Ravenloft and see what’s in store. Good thing we’ll have Van Richten’s files to help us out.