The 2025Dungeons & DragonsMonster Manual failed to mention one of the game’s most iconic villains, while simultaneously throwing the spotlight onto one of the popular heroes ofBaldur’s Gate 3.
Vampires are a common enemy in D&D and a relatively easy one, due to how many weaknesses they have that carry over from folklore. However, there is one bloodsucker who strikes fear into the hearts of adventurers around the multiverse: Count Strahd von Zarovich.
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Strahd is the vampire ruler of Barovia, a realm cut off from the rest of the multiverse. He has appeared in numerous adventures since 1983, with the most recent being the incredibly popularCurse of Strahd campaignfor D&D 5e, which was released in 2016.
D&D vampires have just received an update in the2025 Monster Manual, yet there’s one huge change from the 2014 version of the book involving Strahd and Baldur’s Gate 3 that’s shocking to see.
Astarion Is Mentioned In The Monster Manual (But Strahd Isn’t)
In the vampire section of thenew Monster Manual, there’s a funny quote attributed to Astarion from Baldur’s Gate 3. This makes sense, considering he’s a vampire (and incredibly popular to boot.)
However, Strahd isn’t mentioned once, nor is Barovia or Castle Ravenloft. This is despite Strahd having a huge portion of the vampire section in the 2014 Monster Manual dedicated to him.
It’s not as if thenew Monster Manualdodges references to classic D&D lore, as characters like Lord Soth from Dragonlance and Acererak are name-dropped in the text.
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It’s not surprising to seeBaldur’s Gate contentin the new D&D books, considering how the cast has essentially become the face of the tabletop game.
The big question is why Strahd got snubbed? The fact that he’s not mentioned once in the vampires section while Astarion is is very suspicious.
Could it be that Wizards of the Coast is keeping Strahd information vague due to him being the focus of a new book, or has Astarion’s charm overthrown the lord of Castle Ravenloft for good? Only time will tell.
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