Rudolph van Richten
| Rudolph van Richten | |
|---|---|
| Ravenloft character | |
| Information | |
| Species | Human (79 at the time of his disappearance in RLY 750)[1] |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Doctor |
| Nationality | Richten Hous, Rivalis, Darkon[2] |
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Dr. Rudolph van Richten is a fictional character in the gothic horror campaign setting of Ravenloft, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. His adventures and battles with the undead are chronicled in numerous books and game products including a series of "Van Richten" guides.[3][4]
Overview[edit]
He has been called "D&D's Van Helsing equivalent".[5]
van Richten grew up in the Domain of Darkon and came into conflict with the Vistani after van Richten failed to heal a critically injured Vistani. The Vistani took van Richten's son and sold him to the vampire Baron Metus. In retaliation, van Richten killed the Vistani who sold his son and a dying Vistani cursed him so that "every person dear to him would be killed by some monster".[3] By the time he found his son, his son was already transformed and begged for death. Upon returning home after killing his son, van Richten discovered that Baron Metus had killed his wife. This put van Richten on the path to becoming a monster hunter.[3] "Towards the end of his life he retired to Mordent where he wrote many of his famous guides" and taught his apprentices, the twins Gennifer and Laurie Weathermay-Foxgrove.[3]
Curse of Strahd (2016) retconned parts of his fictional background.[3] The Vistani, including Ezmerelda d'Avenir's parents, were interrogated by van Richten but ultimately spared. However, he is still cursed (at an unspecified point of time) by a Vistani seer to bring doom upon those he befriends. d'Avenir would later seek him out and van Richten would train her to be a monster hunter. Eventually, they parted ways and van Richten relocated to Barovia in disguise so he could study and kill Strahd.[6]
This backstory is once again retconned in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (2021). d'Avenir's family was posing as Vistani and eventually d'Avenir would join the group of adventurers that van Richten mentors. d'Avenir and van Richten still have a clash of personalities and this combined with "a great misunderstanding" drives the group apart.[7] Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft opens with a letter from van Richten to this group where he apologizes for his actions and writes, "Ez, Laurie, Gennifer, Alanik, Arthur, you're all I have left of family. I haven't said it enough, but I love you all like my own. For what it's worth, I consider you all van Richtens now".[8][7] Charlie Hall, for Polygon, highlighted that "the opening pages of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft tell the story of a loving, found family torn apart. The rest of the book gives players all the tools they need to maybe put it back together again".[7]
Biography[edit]
- (Note: This is a summary of van Richten's story from multiple sources, primarily from the game supplement Van Richten's Arsenal.[2])
Rudolph van Richten was born in the year 671 in Rivalis, Darkon. He spent most of his early childhood in the family estate of Richten House, picking up the typical education of a noble as well as learning herbalism from his grandmother. He eventually attended a boarding school in Nartok, graduating in 688. Medical school at the University of Il Aluk followed. He married his childhood sweetheart during this time, and his son—Erasmus—was born shortly before his graduation.
Medical license in hand, Dr. van Richten returned to Rivalis to practice medicine. Many years passed, and van Richten became an established and valued member of the community. In the year 706, members of the Vistani Radanavich clan that were traveling through the area brought a seriously ill boy to Dr. van Richten for treatment. Though the doctor tried numerous remedies and medicines, he was unable to save the child. Enraged at his failure, the Vistani kidnapped Dr. van Richten's son and disappeared into the night. The doctor gave chase immediately upon learning of his son's disappearance, following the Vistani into Ravenloft's enchanted mists.
While evil lurks in all corners of the land, rarely is it as powerful as it is in the gloom of the mists. Van Richten soon found himself followed by shambling horrors—undead guardians that eventually guided him through the mists and to the Vistani camp. There, supported by the undead creatures that seemed to know his will even though no words were spoken, van Richten confronted the Vistani leader Madame Radanavich. A woman far too proud for her own good, she was enraged that she had been hunted down. The Vistani callously revealed that the clan had already sold Erasmus to Baron Metus—a sadist whose cruelty was legendary. The Vistani delighted in telling van Richten about the pains the Baron would inflict on his son—both in this life and the next. For it was rumored that Metus worked the dark arts.
Van Richten exploded into a frenzy of violence. Somehow attuned to his rage, the undead guardians that had followed him to the camp also attacked, slaughtering the Vistani. With her dying words, the clan's leader cursed Van Richten to live among the monsters and watch all those he loved die by their claws. Snapped out of his rage by her demise, van Richten rode toward where he felt his son would be—and arrived at the estate of Baron Metus.
When the anguished father arrived at the estate, he found himself unable to penetrate its walls and rebuffed by the Baron's servants. Unable to figure out another course of action, he camped near the property. When night fell, he was visited by his son—or what remained of him. Baron Metus was, in fact, a vampire—and had turned Erasmus into one of his dark minions. With what little free will he had left, Erasmus told his true father what little he knew of his condition. Filled with sorrow, Van Richten was able to dispatch his son with the coming dawn.
Demoralized, Van Richten began the journey back home. The mists, however, were not as cooperative as before and the path took much longer. When he arrived back at his house, he discovered the body of his wife. She had been slaughtered by Baron Metus, who had used his powers and the mists to get ahead of van Richten. His sanity driven away, van Richten swore an oath to destroy Metus and all of his kind. He then charged back to the vampire's estate, and by using the tales he had learned in his childhood and the knowledge his undead son had imparted to him he was able to end the Baron's existence permanently. Thus began Rudolph van Richten's career as a vampire hunter and expert on the supernatural.
The boxed set called Bleak House: The Death of Rudolph van Richten contained several maps and a story line with many variable plot lines.
Combat[edit]
- Taken from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Ravenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set manual.
Van Richten always carries a holy symbol, a vial of holy water, a small mirror, a silver dagger, and a wooden stake. When hunting prey, he also carries other appropriate items. He rarely faces an opponent in direct combat, preferring to outwit the evil creatures and use their inherent weaknesses against them.
Through experience and necessity, Van Richten has mastered some thievish tricks. The "read languages" score is extremely high because of his scholarly background. According to several modules (including Chilling Tales) produced over the years Dr. Van Richten has often been subject to the level draining effects of various undead. As such the good doctor can often be encountered having lost levels.
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Ravenloft Campaign Setting. Cermak, A. Mangrum, J., and Wyatt, A. Arthaus Games.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Van Richten's Arsenal. Cermak, A., et al. Arthaus Games.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Pons, Amos (April 29, 2021). "Dungeons & Dragons: Who is Doctor Van Richten?". Tom's Hardware (in italiano). Archived from the original on 2021-05-17. Retrieved 2021-05-17. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Lucard, Alex (November 25, 2013). "Tabletop Review: Ravenloft: Van Richten's Guide to Vampires (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Second Edition)". Diehard GameFAN. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
- ↑ Plante, Corey (February 23, 2021). "'Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft' is a sequel to the best D&D book ever". Inverse. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- ↑ Curse of Strahd. Christopher Perkins, Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, Inc Wizards of the Coast. Renton, Washington. 2016. pp. 230–238. ISBN 978-0-7869-6598-4. OCLC 944137375. Search this book on
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Hall, Charlie (2021-05-18). "Dungeons & Dragons retcons one of its most problematic characters". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
- ↑ Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Renton, WA. 2021. p. 11. ISBN 0-7869-6725-0. OCLC 1238191930. Search this book on
External links[edit]
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