Rudolph van Richten

D&D 2024 monster: Rudolph van Richten. Source: Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. challenge rating 5, creature type Humanoid (Human), Medium size, speed 30 ft. Cursed Vampire Hunter In better days, Rudolph van Richten lived with his wife, Ingrid, and son, Erasmus, in their family home outside Rivalis in the domain of Darkon. The brash doctor Rudolph ran afoul of the Radanaviches, a family of brigands disguised as Vistani travelers. When the doctor refused to treat one of the family's mortally ill members, the group's leader, Irena Radanavich, ordered her band to kidnap Rudolph's son. She then sold the young man to the vampire Baron Metus. Rudolph pursued the Radanaviches, shattered their criminal operation, and brought Irena to justice, but not before suffering her curse: "Live you always among monsters, and see everyone you love die beneath their claws." By the time Rudolph tracked down his missing son, the curse had already taken hold: Erasmus had been transformed into Metus's vampire spawn. Rudolph put an end to his son's suffering by pounding a wooden stake through the youth's chest. This violent deed begat more bloodshed: Baron Metus avenged his slain servant by killing Rudolph's wife, Ingrid. Though Rudolph eventually slew the evil baron, he remains haunted by the horror of his family's destruction. Rudolph has committed himself to unmasking the evils lurking amid the Land of the Mists, hunting monsters, ending curses, and providing others with tools to do the same. His reputation and writings have spread among the domains. His published works, such asVan Richten's Guide to VampiresandVan Richten's Guide to Werebeasts, have earned him both adherents and disdain among scholarly communities. Nevertheless, his good works have touched lives and earned him allies far and wide. Rudolph lives in Mordentshire in the domain of Mordent. From his modest herbalist's shop, he corresponds with scholars and monster hunters across the domains, researches horrific creatures, an...