Customer Reviews

Van Richten's Guide to Fiends (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons : Ravenloft, No 9477)

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I recomend this source book for any DM who wishes to run a deamon in Ravenloft. This book will destroy all the preconceived notions you have about fiends; Van Richtan rewrites typical D&D cannon for a fresh revitalization of the traditional views of the Planscape-typical monster. These masters of darkness are unlike anything you have ever witnessed --- foes of awsome power with the power to tempt even the stoutest of heroes, the most faithfull priest, and the holiest of Paladins. No Ravenloft collection is complete without it!

If you thought that TSR "toned down" the fiends because of religious pressure, think again! Even if you think you already have all the stats on fiends, this book adds some new diabolical powers, including possession! A fiend can even use your body to enter the Prime, sending your character hurtling into the Abyss in its place! The only disadvantage is that you'll need the Planescape Monstrous Compendium to make much use of it, as Van Richten is a Clueless and doesn't know the full stats for fiends

This book treats fiends mostly as average intelligence monsters with little in the way of "supernatural" powers. It is a pale shadow of the original 'fiends' presented in the 1st Ed. AD&D game. Since it is designed for the Ravenloft setting, many of the powers and abilities are difficult to translate into another setting. The limitations built into the creatures' make-up are part of the Ravenloft setting too -- again, it makes it difficult to translate it into another game setting. If you are looking for insights into the netherworld, this isn't it! If you are a Ravenloft fan, buy it if you must, but there are better resources available.