Status Updates From Van Richten's Guide to Rave...

Barovia and Borca are very much my type™ of Gothic horror, with story hooks that specifically interest me, and now I want a world where they exist together. Which, once again, makes me want to put my middle finger up to the rules police and homebrew something instead.

“You think I fear you, but I do not fear you even now. You are merely the nightmare of my childhood. The monster from under my bed. And if my nightmare can return to plague me, then rest assured, so will yours.” — Ireena Kolyana

Hear me out: what if I gave Natasya the Dark Gift of Gathered Whispers, and the spirits of the dead — specifically, those she lost to cruelty and tragedy — are how she navigates the world around her, in addition to her blindsight?

I still don’t understand the mathematical side of D&D, but the artwork, epistolary style, and lore laid out in this Gothic horror field guide are absolutely glorious.

I had a good chuckle at this [image error]

Reading this through side by side with the AD&D Domains of Dread book to see what changed. This one gets the cosmic horror of Bluetspur much better than the old one. G'Henna on the other hand has been reduced to a footnote and completely drops the interesting bit about the darklord being terrified his god isn't real.