Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
 | |
| Rules required | Dungeons & Dragons 5.5 edition |
|---|---|
| Lead designers | F. Wesley Schneider[1] |
| Authors | Jeremy Crawford, Makenzie De Armas, Ron Lundeen, Christopher Perkins, Ben Petrisor, Patrick Renie, Carl Sibley[1] |
| First published | June 16, 2026 |
| ISBN | 9780786970025 |
Ravenloft: The Horrors Within is a sourcebook that details the Domains of Dread from the Ravenloft campaign setting for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It provides player options, rules for haunted bastions, ideas for the Dungeon Master on suspense and horror, a bestiary and an appendix on the tarokka deck (a variant of Tarot card reading).
Contents
The Horrors Within details sixteen Domains of Dread, including the new cosmic horror domain Innsmouth; a bestiary with Ravenloft monstrosities, denizens and Darklords; and, various player options such as subclasses, species, and Dark Gifts.[2][3]
Publication history
In March 2026, Wizards of the Coast announced a new seasonal content format for Dungeons & Dragons with the "Season of Horror" scheduled to begin in June 2026. This season featured a return to the campaign setting of Ravenloft. It included the release of the 5.5 Edition sourcebook Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (2026) along with associated accessory products.[4][5] Content from the sourcebook was previewed in the new actual play tie-in series titled Dungeon Masters (2026); corresponding "Play-Along Packs" were also released on D&D Beyond.[6][7]
The Horrors Within had an early digital release for D&D Beyond Master Tier subscribers on June 2, 2026, followed by a wide release on June 16, 2026.[8] F. Wesley Schneider is the sourcebook's lead designer.[9][1] The standard edition featured cover art by Anna Podedworna and the alternate edition featured cover artwork by Pam Wishbow.[10][11] Beadle & Grimm, a Wizards of the Coast licensee, released a special "Strahd's Silver Edition" which included physical props for the Dungeon Master to use such as handouts, maps, encounter cards and an amulet.[12]
Reception
A review for Screen Rant praised the options for players and the book's accessibility as the best in Ravenloft's publication history. It noted that every domain features an adventure and that the domain Innsmouth had been added and features Cthulhu. It criticized the resemblance of the adventures to similar content in Curse of Strahd, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and Vecna: Eve of Ruin.[13]
A review for Wargamer described the book as an "excellent" resource and praised the updated character options and the bastion rules roleplay opportunities. While it described the artwork as "absurdly gorgeous" it criticized the loss of background information compared to Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft and the "lack of depth" in the adventures, as well as significant overlap with previous releases.[14]
A review for Polygon praised the art quality and variation, new Domains of Dread and accessibility of the book but criticized it as partially redundant to Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 "Credits" (D&D Beyond). Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. Wizards of the Coast. June 16, 2026. ISBN 978 0 7869 7002 5. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ Oaks, Amanda Kay (April 14, 2026). "New Details for D&D's Upcoming Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Book Confirmed". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2026. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Zambrano, J. R.; Garrett, Mars (April 14, 2026). "D&D: 'Ravenloft - The Horrors Within' Contents Revealed, Pre-Order Now". Bell of Lost Souls. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Dohm-Sanchez, Jeffrey (March 3, 2026). "GAMA Expo 2026 News: Wizards of the Coast Unveils 'D&D' Roadmap". ICv2. Archived from the original on May 19, 2026. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Oaks, Amanda Kay (March 3, 2026). "Dungeons & Dragons 2026 Roadmap Reveals Return to An Iconic Campaign Setting & New Seasonal Approach". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2026. Retrieved April 15, 2026.
- ↑ Cacciatore, Francesco (April 16, 2026). "Dungeons & Dragons' new official show bridges the gap between actual play and tabletop". Polygon. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- ↑ Maas, Jennifer (April 16, 2026). "'Dungeons & Dragons' Maker Launches Official Actual-Play Show Amid Growing Popularity of 'Critical Role,' 'Dimension 20' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Cacciatore, Francesco (June 2, 2026). "D&D's new Ravenloft book is a worthy companion to its illustrious predecessor". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 24, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Hunter, Aedan (April 2, 2026). "D&D 2026 Roadmap: Upcoming Releases, Seasons, and What to Expect". Roll20. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
Piloted by longtime D&D designer F. Wesley Schneider, Ravenloft: The Horrors Within functions as a sprawling sourcebook
- ↑ Arndt, Dan (March 3, 2026). "Dungeons & Dragons Explores Horror And Magic In New 2026 Roadmap - The Fandomentals". Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ "Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (Alternate-Art Cover)". Wizards Play Network (Product page). Archived from the original on June 20, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ Connolly, Denny (July 11, 2026). "Dungeons and Dragons - Strahd's Silver Edition Of New Sourcebook Is Packed With Extra DM Resources". Vice. Archived from the original on July 12, 2026. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
- ↑ King, Austin (June 15, 2026). "Dungeons & Dragons - Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Review". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on June 21, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.
- ↑ Russell, Mollie (June 9, 2026). "D&D Ravenloft The Horrors Within review - I'm scared for all the wrong reasons". Wargamer. Archived from the original on June 22, 2026. Retrieved June 25, 2026.