Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft brings the zombie apocalypse to Dungeons & Dragons
D&D has another date with horror on the way thanks to Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, a new sourcebook due to launch May 18 2021. Featuring tools for creating everything from a tabletop zombie apocalypse to arenas inspired by Battle Royale, the tome is available to pre-order now for $49.95 at Amazon US.
- Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: Pre-order at Amazon US
Although it shares DNA with last year's Curse of Strahd Revamped, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is its own beast; the book tours multiple kinds of horror settings. Strahd's gothic homeland of Barovia gets plenty of love, of course, but its pages span Lovecraftian worlds and dark fairy tales as well. In fact, the sourcebook features more than 30 regions - known as the Domains of Dread - and the means for players to create their own. With that in mind, it brings a very different flavor to Dungeons & Dragons.
“I’m a huge fan of all things horror," lead designer Wes Schneider wrote in the official press release, "so it was an absolute thrill to frame this book around bringing frightening elements like mummy lords, cosmic terrors, and urban legends to more D&D tables.”
Because this is a compendium like Tasha's Cauldron of Everything instead of a dedicated adventure (though it does include a pre-written storyline), Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft is full of lore, rules, and hooks for Dungeon Masters to use in spicing up their games. Some elements are reminiscent of the procedurally-generated Betrayal at House on the Hill, one of the best board games of the last few years.
The book also features two new player subclasses - the bardic College of Spirits that allows you to summon ghosts in battle and an Undead patron for warlocks - to go with 'Dark Gifts'. These are custom traits that add hauntings, supernatural lineages, and unexplained phenomena to your character's backstory. If you want to create a vampiric dhampir or explore what happens when heroes return from the dead, these additions pave the way.
To help you get the best deal, we've listed offers for Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft below.
Pre-order Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft | $49.95 at Amazon US
The latest D&D sourcebook takes us back to Ravenloft with a deeper look at classic realms and new additions. Two new subclasses and fresh background options are also included with a short, pre-written adventure.
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