What would you want in an official 5e Ravenloft setting?

[Hell_Born]

The big rumor flying around is that WotC will be doing 3 settings, or possibly 3 classic settings, for D&D 5e in this year 2021. Apparently, there was some comment from a WotC highup back in 2020 that we would see "two products" featuring the Vistani in the future, after the big backlash about the Vistani of Curse of Strahd being "racist stereotypes". One of those was supposedly the Curse of Strahd reprint. Which means the other could potentially be a Ravenloft campaign book for 5e with a Vistani narrator - "Madam Eva's Guide to the Land of Mists", or some such title. It's a longshot, but it's better than no shot.

But let's say that WotC will bring Ravenloft back. It seems almost inevitable that they will tweak it and twist it; the edition update, combined with what they did in the original Curse of Strahd and then the reprint, makes this almost guaranteed. But if you could control how WotC would reshape the demiplane of dread for 5th edition, what tweaks would you actually? What would you expect, or better yet, demand, of an official 5e Ravenloft setting?

Me? ...To be honest, all I can really think of is add some more "Dark Fantasy" flavored subclasses for Sorcerers, Warlocks and Wizards, and giving us official 5e stats for the Dhampir and Caliban, whom I'd want far more than Half-Vistani and who I think there's actually more of an audience for than there is for Half-Vistani.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Since the question is what I would want, and not what would bring more sales I 'll have to say everything that didn't make it to 3rd edition.

1) Gazetteers to the Clustres and islands of Terror

2) Van Richten's Guide to Eldritch Horrors (mindflayers and Thaani lore, El-Koth, etc)

3) Van Richtens Guide to the Sea Creatures (have information similar to the Scalies article from Quoth the Raven about other aquatic creatures etc)

4) Van Richtens Guide to Magical Beasts? (wolfweres, dread companions, shadow unicorns etc)

5) Van Richtens Arsenal Vol II

6) Madame Eva's Vistani Lore maybe combined with the Time of Unparalleled Darkness as the appearance of that ancient enemy of the Vistani or more lore and character creation on already mentioned people like darkling Allisandro Tselikov and more vistani magical items like the Jeshka.

7) Players Guide to Dark Magic (Dark Rituals similar to the one needed to summon a Mist Ferryman, Warlocks, Witches, Sorcerers, Calibans, Dhampirs etc) maybe lore on Medraut Gundar or other descendants of Duke Nharov Gundar, as he is a vampire who ages I would make him and others of his kind with similar conditions as the only vampires able to have children (Dhampirs), Dhampirs could be something similar to The Witcher.

[Strahdsbuddy]

I’m tempted to say official rules conversion might be enough for me. They should leave the fluff to the experts (us). I think bringing back some of the Arthaus Kargatane would be wise, because I agree with Mephisto, taking the Gazeteers out to the clusters and islands is important, and a little guidance from the old guard could be helpful...

[Mischief]

I don't think a rules conversion would be on tap because a Ravenloft 5e game wouldn't differ from the base rules. If anything, they'd maybe flesh out the optional horror/sanity stat/madness rules already in the DMG.

And honestly, 5e has been all about rebooting "classic" content. I don't think we would get further than Gryphon Hill.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

And honestly, 5e has been all about rebooting "classic" content. I don't think we would get further than Gryphon Hill.

Well I wouldn't say no to a revision of House on Gryphon Hill, but with taking account the families of Mordent (the various noble houses may have not vanished yet, Reniers, D'Honaire, Timothy, Foxgrove etc) and making corrections on the module or at least give a reason why Azalin would stay hidden in the Heather House mausoleum, I guess he could disguise himself with an illusion and go around creating more challenges than waiting like a withered corpse to be discovered.

[yaoihuntressearth]

I hope they bring back Talon Dunning as an illustrator if this happens. I think he really captured the look and feel of the setting characters.

[ewancummins]

I'd do it as a megamodule with a rules appendix and a setting appendix.


Mists over Mordentshire
(working title)


Take the existing notes and maps on Mordent. Distill all that down to its core and build it back up with new lore added to the skeleton of the old. Include the Alchemist as part of the history, but leave any link to Strahd and Azalin in a sidebar on how to connect the adventure with Curse of Strahd. The House on Gryphon Hill should get a full write-up, as the central/final dungeon of the module, a harrowing challenge for the PCs. Think Hell House.
Include Moor Men, Fen Hounds, and all that stuff. Consider adding notes on how to link the module to Ghosts of Saltmarsh.
Lord Godefroy needs a villain upgrade. Though I'd consider the House itself as the ultimate threat. And if the heroes somehow manage to physically destroy it before solving its mysteries, they will just unleash all those tormented and angry spirits on themselves and the people of Mordentshire...

[Mischief]

And honestly, 5e has been all about rebooting "classic" content. I don't think we would get further than Gryphon Hill.

Well I wouldn't say no to a revision of House on Gryphon Hill, but with taking account the families of Mordent (the various noble houses may have not vanished yet, Reniers, D'Honaire, Timothy, Foxgrove etc) and making corrections on the module or at least give a reason why Azalin would stay hidden in the Heather House mausoleum, I guess he could disguise himself with an illusion and go around creating more challenges than waiting like a withered corpse to be discovered.

They'd probably change most of the encounters and layout if they did reboot it. CoS was sort of an anomaly in that Castle Ravenloft still has a similar layout (identical? I never checked that because I onboarded in the very late 4e/5e era.). I'd instead compare Tomb of Horrors and Tomb of Annihilation and how a whole bunch of additional backstory was worked in for a better narrative.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I'd like to see them finish the Gazetteers. Maybe get a new deal with White Wolf, who did a great job... Heck, while I'm wishing, I'm wishing for them to update the existing Gazetteers to 5e, create a dual 3.5e and 5e run for the remaining Gazetteers, and to officially declare 4e never happened.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

... Heck, while I'm wishing, I'm wishing for them to update the existing Gazetteers to 5e, create a dual 3.5e and 5e run for the remaining Gazetteers, and to officially declare 4e never happened.

That reminds me of a line Susie Derkins used in a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip: "... and as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony."

[Rock of the Fraternity]

... Heck, while I'm wishing, I'm wishing for them to update the existing Gazetteers to 5e, create a dual 3.5e and 5e run for the remaining Gazetteers, and to officially declare 4e never happened.

That reminds me of a line Susie Derkins used in a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip: "... and as long as I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony."

Yup. Wish big or go home.

[Dion of the Fraternity]

The big rumor flying around is that WotC will be doing 3 settings, or possibly 3 classic settings, for D&D 5e in this year 2021. Apparently, there was some comment from a WotC highup back in 2020 that we would see "two products" featuring the Vistani in the future, after the big backlash about the Vistani of Curse of Strahd being "racist stereotypes". One of those was supposedly the Curse of Strahd reprint. Which means the other could potentially be a Ravenloft campaign book for 5e with a Vistani narrator - "Madam Eva's Guide to the Land of Mists", or some such title. It's a longshot, but it's better than no shot.

All the books with references to Vistani already came out: The other one, "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything", has a magic item tarokka deck used by a halfling Vistani elder.

But if D&D 5E were to come out with a Ravenloft setting, it would likely follow the format that they already released for Ravnica, Theros and Eberron: one book that gives enough details to run high adventures in that world without going to too many specifics, so likely (if I were to write it):

- A chapter on new character options (races: Giomorgo, Revenant, Vryloka; new class options: Anchorite, Monster Hunter etc.; new backgrounds)

- A chapter on rules systems that make the Ravenloft world different from the others (fear, madness, corruption, but these are already in the DMG anyway)

- A chapter on Ravenloft's geography (old domains plus their non-statted darklords, and probably new ones)

- A chapter on new magic items, and how to invert old ones into the setting.

- A chapter that details maybe around 30 new monsters and 20 significant NPCs.

This single book is just arbitrary of course, since I no longer run any Ravenloft campaign under d20 rules. If I were to make a setting line, I would follow Fantasy Flight Games' strategy for Legend of the Five Rings and Star Wars:

- A core book
- Funny dice (I'll probably be making my own game system for Ravenloft)
- A starter set with one lengthy adventure
- Three to five supplements, each detailing a significant theme for Ravenloft (i.e., Mystery, Horror, Madness, Redemption).

[Mistmaster]

Since we are wishing, I'll wish big: an adaptation in 5 Ed of my own Mistworld.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I've come to terms with the fact that what I want isn't what would be the best choice to revive the setting. As a super-entrenched fan, I would want them to pick up right where we left off, with all the minor characters and plotlines and baggage, and keep expanding. Continue the Gaz's, yes, advance the timeline, sure, update stats for all the old characters, all that. But no one's going to buy that except the handful of us gathered here, and we can do that ourselves for the most part.

So I know that if they do decide to have a full setting outside of CoS, I know it's going to be some form of reboot or stripping down of the original. With that in mind, all I really want is respect for what's come before. I'd like to see a map that looks at least mostly like the old map. Maybe some new domains, maybe some removed, but not a whole new world. I want the domain/darklord/powers check system intact, if updated in rules. I want there to be a Darkon, with Azalin still in charge. I want a Dementlieu and a Falkovnia. Maybe those darklordships have moved on to others, that's OK. I don't even need an acknowledgment of events that have happened before, just leave room for them so that they could still have happened. But maybe they reset the timeline and Dominic and Vlad are young again. Van Richten's clearly alive in CoS, so OK, we're in a new timeline, or whatever. No need to explain why, I'll accept it. I'd rather they still exist than never have existed. But go one better: how about incorporating some of the innovations that came post-Black Box? The church of Ezra should be there. Mallocchio should exist or have existed. Clusters, Mistways, the Shadow Fey, Toben the Many... I don't expect an update on every minor character that ever appeared but some callbacks would be nice. And I want the mood to be there, of course. Lean more on Hammer horror and less on Van Helsing.

Really, what would be most useful to me as a product would be new smaller modules. I don't know if there's any market for that these days outside of the mega-modules like CoS, but I'm always on the hunt for more new adventures, and I can adapt them to whatever system I want to use. 5e retreads of stats don't help me if I don't play 5e, but an adventure idea does. New entries in the Children of the Night series would be almost as welcome as new Gaz's for me.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

All the books with references to Vistani already came out: The other one, "Tasha's Cauldron of Everything", has a magic item tarokka deck used by a halfling Vistani elder.

Thanks for the info I read the reference... halfling Vistani seer, well this is enough proof that even if they reboot it unfortunatelly it will be more of the Van Helsing type than Hammer Horror. I guess all the rules about the Vistani going back to 2nd edition have gone to trash. I know that the whole issue was about the racist stereotypes, about how Vistani where depicted in Curse of Strahd. But since in the past editions there were good and evil Vistani and not every Vistana was a thief as in CoS, in my opinion they should not go as far as messing up the mystery and culture of the Vistani from past editions. I mean Vistani are a human race with mystical powers and not any race can have those specific powers and since this is a fantasy game, I don't see any harm of Vistani being only human (vistani), half-vistani or half-elf-half vistani race. If there where halfings in the real world I would be OK of having halfling vistani and not being discreeminating against halflings, but as far as I know there are not any in real life, not even in Hobbiton, New Zealand...