Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a fictional place, a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called "domains", brought together by a mysterious force known only as [|the Dark Powers]. Each domain is tailored to and mystically ruled by a being called a Darklord who is forever trapped and surrounded by magical mists surrounding the domain. Strahd Von Zarovich, a vampire in the original AD&D Ravenloft I6 module 1983, became the first Darklord, both ruler and prisoner of his own personal domain of Barovia. How Count Von Zarovich became the darklord of Barovia was detailed in the novel, '. As originally established in the ' boxed set known as "the Black Box" released in 1990, The Ravenloft campaign setting was located in the Ethereal Plane. As a physical manifestation of that plane, lands, monsters and even people were created out of the mysterious mists, and the realm acted as a prison where one could enter or be transported, but means of escape were few. Other Ravenloft Domains and Darklords were eventually added in various AD&D 2nd edition products establishing a core continent attached around Barovia which could be traveled to by others if their respective lords allowed entering or leaving their borders; while some Domains remained isolated in the mists and were referred to as Islands.
Setting
Ravenloft is primarily a Gothic horror setting. Dungeon Masters are encouraged to use scenes that build apprehension and fear, culminating in the eventual face-to-face meeting with the nameless evil. Characters have a much greater significance attached to their acts, especially if they are morally impure, as they risk coming under the influence of the Dark Powers and gradually transforming themselves into figures of evil.The magical mists of Ravenloft could appear anywhere in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, drawing evil-doers into the Ravenloft setting. One exception is the phlogiston of the Spelljammer setting. The phlogiston blocks all planar travel, but the Ravenloft mists can appear in deep space inside crystal shells, according to the Complete Spacefarer's Handbook.
The Dark Powers
The Dark Powers are a malevolent force who control the Demiplane of Dread. Their exact nature and number are deliberately kept vague, allowing for plot development in accordance with the Gothic tradition of storytelling – where the heroes are frequently outclassed and outnumbered by unknowable evil forces beyond their control.The Dark Powers most frequently serve as a plot device for Ravenloft, especially concerning the Darklords, the de facto visible rulers of the Ravenloft Demiplane. Where the player characters are often tormented and opposed by the Darklords, the Darklords are themselves tormented and opposed by the Dark Powers. Of course, the difference lies in order of power—while many D&D adventures focus on allowing a band of heroes to prevail over a Darklord, no such victory over the Dark Powers seems possible, or even conceivable, for the Darklords. Vecna and Lord Soth "escaped" Ravenloft, but are the only two Darklords known to have done so; Vecna by attaining the status of Greater God and Lord Soth by ignoring his domain and punishment, causing the Dark Powers to lose interest in imprisoning him, and agents of his former curse on the world of Krynn coming to collect him.
Most frequently, the Dark Powers make their wishes and intentions known through subtle manipulations of fate. Thus, Barovia's vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich's many attempts to win back his love, Tatyana, are doomed to failure, but the Dark Powers arrange such that he never truly loses hope. Each time, for example, Strahd's own actions may be partially culpable for his failure, and as such he may go through crippling self-recrimination, rather than cursing the gods solely and giving up. Most other Darklords have similar tales of frustration, kept all the more unbearable because the flicker of the possibility of success is never truly extinguished.
Not all Darklords acknowledge the Dark Powers directly, however. Strahd, for example, in his own memoirs, speaks only of a force known as Death, who mocks him with the voices of his family and former colleagues throughout his life. Vlad Drakov, the Darklord of Falkovnia whose military expeditions are doomed to constant failure, seems even to be totally oblivious to any non-mortal factors in his repeated defeats.
The Dark Powers also seem capable of non-evil manipulations. Although their machinations are often directly responsible for the misery of many of Ravenloft's inhabitants, they also appear to play a role as dispensers of justice. Some tales of innocents who have escaped Ravenloft for happier environs are attributed to the Dark Powers, who have judged a being worthy of reward and release from their misty domain.
The precise nature of the Dark Powers of Ravenloft is never explicitly described in the game material, with the exception of a few of the novels based on the setting, and even those are considered non-canon. In a sense, the Dark Powers are intended to be eternal unknowns, an array of mercurial, unforeseeable, and inscrutable wills whose motives and actions the player characters cannot hope to understand.
History
The first appearance of the setting was in Ravenloft, a stand-alone Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure module, published in 1983. It was popular enough to spawn a 1986 sequel, ', and an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks novel, Master of Ravenloft, the same year.Ravenloft was launched as a full-fledged campaign setting, for AD&D 2nd Edition, in 1990, with the ' boxed set, popularly known as the "Black Box", and winner of the Origins Award in 1991 for "Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1990".
The campaign setting was revised twice during AD&D 2nd Edition: first as the Ravenloft Campaign Setting or "Red Box", then as the Domains of Dread hardback.
In 1994, Ravenloft spun off into a sub-setting called Masque of the Red Death, set on Gothic Earth, an Edgar Allan Poe-influenced alternative Earth of the 1890s, where fantasy creatures and magic exist in the shadows of civilization.
TSR also published a series of novels set in Ravenloft. Each was typically focused on one of the darklords that inhabited the Ravenloft world, with several focusing on the figure of Count Strahd von Zarovich. Many of these early novels were by authors who would later receive wider fame as horror/dark fantasy authors. These authors have included Elaine Bergstrom, P. N. Elrod, Christie Golden, and Laurell K. Hamilton.
D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast in 2000 licensed the Ravenloft brand to White Wolf Publishing, which released versions of the setting for Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition d20 System rules in 2001, and for Dungeons & Dragons Version 3.5 in 2003.
The campaign settings published by White Wolf introduced a number of alterations, many due to conflicts with existing Wizards of the Coast intellectual property. Specific references to D&D-specific deities were replaced with new names in the White Wolf Ravenloft settings. The license to the Ravenloft trademark reverted to Wizards of the Coast on August 15, 2005, but White Wolf retained the right to continue to sell its back stock until June 2006. The timing of this reversion meant that the Ravenloft supplement Van Richten's Guide to the Mists did not see print. Instead, it was released by White Wolf as a free download in late September 2005. The majority of the Van Richten's Guide series had already been published by TSR in the 1990s, before White Wolf's involvement.
In October 2006, Wizards of the Coast released Expedition to Castle Ravenloft, a hardcover version of the original 1st Ed. adventure, updated for the Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 rule set. This 2006 version includes maps from the original Ravenloft adventure, and new character-generation options. Expedition to Castle Ravenloft is a stand-alone supplement set for any D&D worlds, and only requires the three core books for usage. This book's setting is distinct from the Ravenloft of the White Wolf product line.
In 2007, Wizards of the Coast announced the printing of two new Ravenloft novels for 2008, Black Crusade and The Sleep of Reason, fueling more speculation. A short story by Ari Marmell, "Before I Wake", based on the realms of Darkon, Lamordia, and Bluetspur was released on October 31, 2007, on the Wizards of the Coast website as a special for Halloween; it featured characters inspired by H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.
In September 2008, it was announced in Wizard of the Coast's Digital Insider no. 6 that Ravenloft would be re-introduced to 4th edition Dungeons & Dragons, in the October issue of the Dragon online magazine. The Dungeons & Dragons 4th Ed. supplement Manual of the Planes established that in the 4th Ed. retconned cosmology, the Domains of Dread are now located within the Shadowfell, a mirror-world of death and gloom lying adjacent to the mortal realm. However, no Ravenloft campaign-based material beyond this was released by Wizards of the Coast for D&D 4th Ed. The only official Ravenloft related release was the Castle Ravenloft Board Game in 2010 using a simplified version of 4th edition rules, the first in the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure System board game series.
A standalone Ravenloft Roleplaying Game, based on the D&D 4th Ed. rules, was scheduled for publication in late 2011, but the product was never released.
A new adventure for D&D 5th Ed., titled Curse of Strahd, was released in March 2016. It was developed in-house by the Wizards of the Coast team, led by Christopher Perkins, with story contributions by original creators Tracy and Laura Hickman. Designed to be a retelling of the original no. I6 Ravenloft adventure module, Curse of Strahd expanded the content into a much larger sandbox, detailing several new towns, characters, and subplots in Barovia to provide enough content to take players from level 1 to level 10. The established Ravenloft Campaign setting of previous editions was ignored. This adventure set in Barovia is placed in the default campaign for 5th edition of Forgotten Realms.
Official products
Ravenloft is a Dungeons & Dragons adventure module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons written by Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman published by TSR, Inc. in 1983. It detailed a vampire, Count Strahd Von Zarovich and his castle, Ravenloft. Listed as the second greatest D&D game adventure of all time, it was a popular best seller. A sequel, AD&D adventure module was published in 1986. Strahd became one of the most enduring and iconic villains of the Dungeons & Dragons game.These adventures later served as the basis for an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting called "Ravenloft", first introduced in the 1990 release of the boxed set. Many Ravenloft related products including game modules, campaign expansions, accessories, novels, and other materials have since been published through several editions of Dungeons & Dragons.
Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. was started in 1973, founded by Gary Gygax, inventor of Dungeons & Dragons. TSR, Inc. published D&D products for 24 years 1974-1997, beginning with the release of the original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set in 1974, and was purchased in 1997 by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. WotC continued use the TSR name on their D&D products until the year 2000 and the end of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition. Dungeons & Dragons celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1999 with the release of several collector's edition products near the end of AD&D 2nd edition run. The "Advanced" portion of the title was dropped beginning with the release of the 3rd edition of D&D released by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and all versions were consolidated into a unified Dungeons & Dragons product.
WotC began the open gaming license, allowing third party companies to publish Dungeons & Dragons products, under the D20 system. In 3rd and 3.5 editions of D&D, Ravenloft Campaign setting was continued by Sword and Sorcery Studios was an imprint of White Wolf, Inc., used to publish its d20 System & Open Gaming License D&D material. Wizards of the Coast was purchased by Hasbro, Inc. The end of the Open gaming License meant that the last S&SS Ravenloft product Van Richten's Guide to the Mists did not see print but was released instead as a free PDF on the internet. Wizards of the Coast also published stand alone 3.5 edition, 4th edition, and 5th edition Ravenloft products.
The following list excludes several gaming miniatures, comics or collectible cards that have been released bearing the Ravenloft logo or that have ties to Ravenloft characters.
TSR
Code/Description | Product Number | Title | Player Levels | Author | Published | Company | Notes |
I6 | TSR 9075 | Ravenloft | levels 5-7 | Tracy & Laura Hickman | 1983 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 1st ed. adventure module |
I10 | TSR 9181 | levels 8-10 | Tracy Hickman & Laura Hickman | 1986 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 1st ed. adventure module | |
#6 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks | TSR 8956 | Master of Ravenloft | solo reader | Jean Blashfield | Jan. 1986 | TSR, Inc. | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks |
"Black Box" Ravenloft Campaign Setting | TSR 1050 | all levels | Bruce Nesmith and Andria Hayday | 1990 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed.Campaign Setting boxed set. Contains: Realm of Terror 144p. book, 24 Cardstock accessory sheets, 4 Fold-out maps, 1 hex grid transparent map overlay | |
RA1 | TSR 9298 | Feast of Goblyns | levels 4-7 | Blake Mobley | 1990 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
WGA4 | TSR 9309 | Vecna Lives! | levels 12-15 | David Cook | 1990 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module. Although set in the World of Greyhawk Campaign Setting, there is considerable crossover material used later in the Ravenloft setting, acting as an in-game story means of trapping Vecna inside the Demi-plane of Ravenloft as a Darklord. |
RA2 | TSR 9321 | Ship of Horror | levels 8-10 | Anne Brown | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RA3 | TSR 9338 | Touch of Death | levels 3-5 | Bruce Nesmith | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
MC10 | TSR 2122 | Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix | all levels | various | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory loose leaf —64 pages, 4 dividers, folder |
1 first in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8056 | Vampire of the Mists | novel | Christie Golden | Sept. 1991 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
2 second in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8057 | Knight of the Black Rose | novel | James Lowder | Dec. 1991 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
RR1 | 9331 | Darklords | levels 5 and up | various | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
RR2 | TSR 9336 | Book of Crypts | levels 3 and up | Dale "Slade" Henson with J. Robert King | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
RR3 | TSR 9345 | Van Richten's Guide to Vampires | all levels | Nigel D. Findley | 1991 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
RR4 | TSR 9348 | Islands of Terror | all levels | Collin McComb & Scott Bennie | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
RR5 | TSR 9355 | Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts | all levels | William W. Connors | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
"Major rules expansion" boxed set | TSR 1079 | Forbidden Lore boxed set | all levels | William W. Connors & Bruce Nesmith | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory/campaign expansion boxed set. Contains: Oaths of Evil 32p. book, Dark Recesses 32p. book, Nova Arcanum 32p. book, Cryptic Allegiances 32p. book, The Waking Dream 32p. book, Fold-out map, Tarokka deck of 54 cards, Dikesha set of 5 dice. |
RQ1 | TSR 9352 | Night of the Walking Dead | levels 1-3 | Bill Slavicsek | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RQ2 | TSR 9364 | Thoughts of Darkness | Levels 12-15 | David Wise | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RQ3 | TSR 9375 | From the Shadows | Levels 9-12 | Bruce Nesmith | 1992 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
3 third in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8058 | Dance of the Dead | novel | Christie Golden | jun. 1992 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
4 fourth in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8059 | Heart of Midnight | novel | J. Robert King | Dec. 1992 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
Deluxe adventure set | TSR 1088 | Castles Forlorn boxed adventure set | levels 4-6 | Lisa Smedman | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure boxed set. Contains: The Weeping Land 96p. book, Melancholy Meetings 32p. book, Eve of Sorrows 32p. book, two Fold-out maps, Fold-out poster. |
RS1 labelled RS1 incorrectly, that code was previously given to a Red Sonja D&D module | TSR 9412 | Van Richten's Guide to the Lich | All levels | Eric. W. Haddock | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
RR7 | TSR 9416 | Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts | All levels | Nigel Findley | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
MC15 | TSR 2139 | All levels | various | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory loose leaf —32 pages, 4 dividers, folder | |
RM1 | TSR 9413 | Roots of Evil | levels 9-12 | Eric Haddock & David Wise | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RM2 | TSR 9414 | The Created | levels 2-4 | Bruce Nesmith | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RM3 | TSR 9415 | Web of Illusion | levels 7-9 | William W. Connors | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
RM4 | TSR 9418 | House of Strahd | levels 6-13 | Tracy & Laura Hickman | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
TSR 9419 | Dark of the Moon | levels 5-9 | L. Richard Baker III | 1993 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
5 fifth in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8060 | Tapestry of Dark Souls | novel | Elaine Bergstrom | Mar. 1993 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
6 sixth in Ravenloft novel series | TSR 8061 | Carnival of Fear | novel | J. Robert King | Jul. 1993 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
seventh printed novel in the Ravenloft series, although it was an unnumbered Hardback release, so the following paperback novel series numbers are in error | TSR 8062 | novel | P. N. Elrod | Oct. 1993 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel Hardback | |
Random House Audiobooks | RH 310 | audio book on tape | P. N. Elrod, narrated by Roddy McDowall | 1993 | TSR, Inc. & Random House, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel book-on-tape | |
Terror in the 1890s | TSR 1103 | Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales campaign expansion boxed set | all levels | William W. Connors, D.J. Heinrich, Shane Hensley & Colin McComb | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. campaign expansion boxed set. Contains: A Guide to Gothic Earth 128p. book, Red Tide 32p. book, Red Jack 32p. book, Red Death 32p. book, Three-panel DM screen, Fold-out map, Fold-out poster. |
"red Box" updated/revised campaign setting | TSR 1108 | Ravenloft Campaign Setting boxed set | all levels | Bruce Nesmith, Andria Hayday & William W. Connors | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. campaign setting boxed set. Contains: Realm of Terror 160p. book, Domains and Denizens 128p. book, Four-panel DM screen, two Fold-out maps, Fold-out poster, Tarokka 54 card deck. |
TSR 9417 | Van Richten's Guide to the Created | all levels | Teeuwynn Woodruff | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
TSR 9451 | Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead | all levels | Skip Williams | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
TSR 2153 | all levels | Kirk Botulla, Shane Hensley, Nicky Rea & Teeuwynn Woodruff | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | ||
TSR 9439 | Adam's Wrath | levels 5-7 | Lisa Smedman | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9452 | The Awakening | levels 4-6 | Lisa Smedman | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9456 | Hour of the Knife | levels 4-6 | Bruce Nesmith & Lisa Smedman | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9466 | Howls in the Night | levels 3-5 | Colin McComb | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
38 Endless Quest | TSR 8089 | Castle of the Undead | solo reader | Nick Baron | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. Ravenloft Endless Quest Books series |
7 listed as "seventh in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the eighth published | TSR 8063 | The Enemy Within | novel | Christie Golden | Feb. 1994 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
8 listed as "eighth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the ninth published | TSR 8064 | Mordenheim | novel | Chet Williamson | May 1994 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
tenth published in the Ravenloft books series although unnumbered on the cover | TSR 8065 | Tales of Ravenloft | short story anthology | various authors, Edited by Brian Thomsen | Sep. 1994 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
9 listed as "ninth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the eleventh published | TSR 8067 | Tower of Doom | novel | Mark Anthony | Nov. 1994 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
SSI Strategic Simulations, Inc. | EA 9048 | computer game | Dreamforge Event Horizon Software, Inc. | 1994 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. computer game IBM PC product | |
campaign expansion boxed set | TSR 1124 | The Nightmare Lands campaign expansion boxed set | all levels | Shane Lacy Hensley & Bill Slavicsek | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. campaign expansion boxed set. Contains: The Journal of Dr. Illhousen 32p. book, The Rules of Dreams and Nightmares 64p. book, Book of Nightmares 64p. book, The Nightmare Lands Monstrous Supplement 16p. book, 2 Fold-out maps. |
TSR 9477 | Van Richten's Guide to Fiends | all levels | Teeuwyn Woodruff | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
TSR 9495 | Chilling Tales | levels 3-9 | Lisa Smedman | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
TSR 9496 | Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani | all levels | David Wise | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
Masque of the Red Death expansion accessory | TSR 9498 | Gothic Earth Gazetteer | all levels | William W. Connors | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
TSR 9476 | When Black Roses Bloom | level 4-6 | Lisa Smedman | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9493 | Circle of Darkness | levels 5-7 | Drew Bittner | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9497 | The Evil Eye | no levels specified | Steve Kurtz | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9499 | Neither Man Nor Beast | levels 1-4 | Jeff Grubb | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
SSI Strategic Simulations, Inc. | 062271 | computer game | Dreamforge Event Horizon Software, Inc. | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. computer game IBM PC product | |
44 Endless Quest | TSR 8096 | Night of the Tiger | solo reader | Jean Rabe | 1995 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. Ravenloft Endless Quest Books series |
10 listed as "Tenth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the twelfth published | TSR 8069 | Baroness of Blood | novel | Elaine Bergstrom | Mar. 1995 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
11 listed as "Eleventh in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the thirteenth published | TSR 8068 | Death of a Darklord | novel | Laurell K. Hamilton | Jun. 1995 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
12 listed as "Twelfth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the fourteenth published | TSR 8070 | Scholar of Decay | novel | Tanya Huff | Dec. 1995 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
I, Strahd paperback release. | TSR 8062 | novel | P. N. Elrod | first hardback printing Oct. 1993, first paperback printing Sep. 1995 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel paperback | |
Boxed adventure/campaign expansion set | TSR 1141 | boxed adventure set | all levels | William W. Connors & Dave Gross with Steve Miller | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure boxed set. Contains: Book One: Sea of Madness 96p. book, Book Two: Homecoming 64p. book, Book Three: Heroes, Monsters, and Settings 32p. book, Fold-out map. |
campaign expansion boxed set | TSR 1146 | boxed campaign expansion set | levels 6-10 | William W. Connors & Lisa Smedman | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. Campaign expansion boxed set. Contains: Requiem 96p. book, Necropolis 32p. book, Death Triumphant 64p. book, Fold-out map. |
Audio CD adventure | TSR 9494 | A Light in the Belfry boxed adventure set | levels 6-8 | William W. Connors | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. Adventure audio CD boxed set. Contains: A Light in the Belfry 32p. book, Audio CD, Track Index, Fold-out map. |
Masque of the Red Death expansion accessory | TSR 9529 | A Guide to Transylvania | all levels | Nicky Rea | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
official campaign accessory | TSR 9510 | Forged in Darkness | all levels | William W. Connors | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
accessory and adventure | TSR 9513 | all levels | Paul Culotta & Steve Miller with Jonathan Ariadne Caspian and Carol L. Johnson | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory and adventure | |
accessory | TSR 2162 | Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II | all levels | William W. Connors | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory and MC15 Ravenloft Appendix II |
TSR 9523 | Death Unchained | levels 1-4 | Lisa Smedman | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
TSR 9526 | Death Ascendant | levels 6-8 | Lisa Smedman | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module | |
13 listed as "Thirteenth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the fifteenth published | TSR 8071 | King of the Dead | novel | Gene De Weese | Mar. 1996 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
14 listed as "fourteenth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the sixteenth published | TSR 8072 | To Sleep with Evil | novel | Andrea Cardarelle | Sep. 1996 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
Akklaim entertainment, Inc. | SONY | Iron & Blood: Warriors of Ravenloft | video game PlayStation 1 | Take 2 interactive Software | 1996 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. video game Sony PlayStation 1 |
updated/revised campaign setting hardback | TSR 2174 | Domains of Dread | all levels | William W. Connors & Steve Miller | 1997 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. campaign setting hardcover book. |
15 listed as "Fifteenth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the seventeenth published. | TSR 8073 | Lord of the Necropolis | novel | Gene DeWeese | Oct. 1997 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
mislabeled as an adventure Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9555 | all levels | the Kargat | 1997 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
Forgotten Realms/Ravenloft crossover official game adventure. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9544 | Castle Spulzeer | levels 8-12 | Doug Stewart | 1997 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
Ravenloft/Forgotten Realms crossover official game adventure. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9537 | The Forgotten Terror | levels 10-12 | William W. Connors | 1997 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
accessory. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9559 | Champions of the Mists | all levels | William W. Connors | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
accessory. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9583 | all levels | William W. Connors | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
Free TSR Gold Map accessory. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 91271 | Introduction to the Land of the Mists | all levels | William W. Connors | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory Fold-out map |
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9541 | Servants of Darkness | levels 4-6 | Kevin Melka & Steve Miller | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 1163 | The Shadow Rift | levels 4-6 | William W. Connors, Cindi Rice & John D. Rateliff | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 9582 | Vecna Reborn | levels 5-7 | Monte Cook | 1998 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
16 listed as "sixteenth in an open-ended series of Gothic horror tales dealing with the masters and monsters of the Ravenloft dark fantasy setting" but is actually the eightteenth published. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 8074 | Shadowborn | novel | William W. Connors & Carrie A. Bebris | Mar. 1998 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
Ravenloft novel series. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 8075 | novel | P.N. Elrod | Jun. 1998 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel | |
Ravenloft novel series. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 21333 | Spectre of the Black Rose | novel | James Lowder & Voronica Whitney-Robinson | Mar. 1999 | TSR, Inc. | Ravenloft series AD&D 2nd ed. novel |
accessory, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11382 | Carnival | all levels | John W. Mangrum & Steve Miller | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory |
accessory, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11360 | all levels | The Kargat | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. accessory | |
Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition RPGA exclusive adventure module, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11397 | Ravenloft | levels 5-7 | Tracy & Laura Hickman | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D 2nd ed. adventure module |
adventure's Guild adventure anthology module, several Dungeons & Dragons campaigns including Ravenloft. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11445 | TSR JAM 1999 | all levels | various | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D RPGA adventure module |
Greyhawk/ Ravenloft/ Planescape campaign crossover, Last printed AD&D adventure module. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11662 | Die Vecna Die! | levels 10-13 | Bruce R. Cordell & Steve Miller | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D RPGA adventure module. In universe story cause of the end of 2nd edition AD&D, Vecna reaches godhood and disrupts the planes of existence. |
accessory, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11447 | Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium Volume One | all levels | Nigel D. Findley & Teeuwyn Woodruff | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D accessory reprinting RR3 Van Richten's Guide to Vampires, Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts and Van Richten's Guide to the Created. |
accessory, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11507 | Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium Volume Two | all levels | William W. Connors, Eric W. Haddock, David Wise, Skip Williams & David Wuf | 1999 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D accessory reprinting RR5 Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts, RS1 Van Richten's Guide to the Lich and Van Richten's Guide to the Ancient Dead. |
accessory, last TSR Ravenloft related publication. Wizards of the Coast, Inc. | TSR 11613 | Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium Volume Three | all levels | David Wise, Steve Miller & Teeuwyn Woodruff | 2000 | TSR, Inc. | AD&D accessory. Van Richten's Guide to Witches & reprinting Van Richten's Guide to Fiends, Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani. |
Wizards of the Coast
Novels
A number of tie-in novels were released, set in the Demiplane of Dread:Video games
- ' PC game
- ' PC game
- PlayStation 1 game
- Neverwinter expansion module Ravenloft. Windows, XBox One, PS4
Reception
Darker Days Radio declared Ravenloft the "greatest D&D campaign setting," citing the unique gothic horror elements and classic villains such as Azalin Rex.