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A set of returning species has been officially released for Dungeons and Dragons with the arrival of the new Ravenloft: The Horrors Within sourcebook, and all of them bring updates to better fit the 5.5e ruleset. The first release on the D&D roadmap for 2026 is centered around horror-based campaigns, with Strahd von Zarovich at the forefront – though the book includes other Dark Lords, like Lord Soth, Ebonblade, Azalin Rex, and even Cthulhu.
In addition to the possibility of crafting new campaigns set in the Domains of Dread, the new sourcebook comes with dozens of new character options for players to create characters that match the themes. There are several new and returning subclasses, as well as nearly a dozen D&D Feats in Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. On top of all that, the new book also features a few species that players can pick when creating their heroes – or villains.
Four New D&D Species Arrive In Ravenloft: The Horrors Within
In total, the Ravenloft: The Horrors Within sourcebook has provided players with four different character species, on top of the existing species from D&D’s 2024 Player’s Handbook. Three of them were available in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft (2021), while the fourth species is something of a surprise even if fitting.
The table below highlights all four species in the new Ravenloft book, as well as their traits:
|
Species |
Traits |
|---|---|
|
Dhampir |
– Drain: You regain Hit Points equal to the Piercing damage dealt. – Strengthen: You gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make within the next minute; the bonus is equal to the Piercing damage dealt. |
|
Hexblood |
– Distant Message: As a Magic action, you can send a telepathic message of 25 words or fewer to a creature holding or carrying the token, as long as you are within 10 miles of it. – Remote Viewing: If you are 10 miles from the token, you can take a Magic action to extend your senses through the token for 1 minute, until you have the Incapacitated condition, or until you end this state (no action required). During this state, you can see and hear from the token as if you were located where it is. When this state ends, the token is harmlessly destroyed. Unless the token is destroyed early, it lasts until you finish a Long Rest. Once you create a token using this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest
|
|
Lupin |
|
|
Reborn |
|
While Dhampir, Hexblood, and Reborn were all featured in the 2021 book, according to the 5e rules, Lupin is making its first official return since D&D 3.5e. If players have been sticking strictly to official updated materials, this is the first time in over two decades that Lupin will be playable, as it was only an unofficial species in D&D 5e and 4e before it.
There Are Plenty Of Character Options For D&D 5.5e With Ravenloft
On top of all the enticing traits you can get from the species, you can potentially make useful combinations with other options in the sourcebook. The Touch of Death Dark Gift Feat, for example, gives players access to the Chill Touch spell, but the downside is that players have Disadvantage on their Death Saving Throws in D&D. However, if they are Reborn, because of the Advantage on Death Save rolls, they will instead get straight rolls on the Death Saving Throws while retaining the ability to cast Chill Touch.
There are plenty of cool combinations to be seen with all the new character options available in the Ravenloft: The Horrors Within sourcebook, starting with the species. Of course, if you mix and match all of this with classes, species, backgrounds, and feats from other books, be they the core material for Dungeons and Dragons 5.5e or the Faerûn books, for instance, you’ll have many more possibilities.
- Original Release Date
-
1974
- Publisher
-
TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
-
E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
-
2-7 Players
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Bruno Yonezawa
Almontather Rassoul




