New D&D Book to be announced January 12th 2021 & Released March 16th 2021

[Gyor]

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677168/dandd-march-title-by-wizards-rpg-team/

I'm very curious how it matches up to our expectations.

[KOLE]

What are the expectations?

[Emongnome777]

One of the 3 "classic" setting books perhaps? Seems too soon since RotFM to be an adventure. A second cookbook? LOL

[Millstone85]

One of the 3 "classic" setting books perhaps?Still hoping one of these will turn out to be Spelljammer.

Or Planescape. I have been getting a new appreciation for the Outlands and the factions.

[Gyor]

What are the expectations?

Classic Setting Book, MtG D&D Cross-over Setting Book or Monster Book with Player Options like VGTM (with Gem Dragons).

[Thunderous Mojo]

I could see an Adventure Compilation being completed. Converting old adventures does require an investment of time, but not an inordinate amount.

Given the release of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, a conversion of the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth would seemingly make sense.

I've done my own dracolisk conversion...but would be curious how "the professionals" would handle it.

[Orsyn]

Could this be the "exciting news in the weeks to come" that Weiss mentioned re: WotC lawsuit dismissal?

[KorvinStarmast]

how about they do two more edits/scrubs before they release it, and let it arrive in 12 Apr.

FFS, Tasha's needed another scrub, have they not learned anything in six and a half years? :smallfurious:

[Sigreid]

Wow, you can preorder when they haven't even said what it is yet. I wonder if anyone does that.

[plisnithus7]

Wow, you can preorder when they haven't even said what it is yet. I wonder if anyone does that.

I have. It’s easy to cancel an Amazon order, and it guarantees their lowest price.

[Sigreid]

I have. It’s easy to cancel an Amazon order, and it guarantees their lowest price.

That makes sense, but that link had a pre order button for a full priced unidentified book.

[Arkhios]

It's Dragonlance...

Lawsuit dropped, big news coming soon, and Weis and Hickman were signed with Penguinrandomhouse for their new Dragonlance novels. So yeah, there you have it.

Assuming that's accurate, I bet at most the new mechanics involved are limited to slightly adjusted dragonborns: draconians. Maybe a side-note regarding kender how they're really just halflings but weird.

Edit: /sarcasm

[Millstone85]

Assuming that's accurate, I bet at most the new mechanics involved are limited to slightly adjusted dragonborns: draconians. Maybe a side-note regarding kender how they're really just halflings but weird.

Edit: /sarcasmI am not sure I understand. The PHB does have a sidebar about the "evil dragonborn called draconians" of the Dragonlance setting, and MToF one about how "kender are the counterparts of halflings" there.

[Sigreid]

That would be disappointing for me as that's not a setting I'm particularly interested in. Ah well, can't win them all.

[Arkhios]

I am not sure I understand. The PHB does have a sidebar about the "evil dragonborn called draconians" of the Dragonlance setting, and MToF one about how "kender are the counterparts of halflings" there.

PHB sidebar about draconians hints at different abilities from regular dragonborns. I don't have very high hopes they'd give us much more new mechanics than maybe the detailed traits of draconians. At most. And, yes, I doubt the Kender will get anything more than yet another sidebar telling us how you can reflavor ordinary halflings as kender.

[137beth]

What are the expectations?

I expect that, whatever is in the book, some people will declare it to be the worst D&D book of all time, and the book that single-handedly ruined 5e and maybe ruined all TTRPGs forever. Meanwhile, others will insist that it's the best 5e book ever and that only someone who's bad at gaming wouldn't love it.

[EggKookoo]

how about they do two more edits/scrubs before they release it, and let it arrive in 12 Feb.

FFS, Tasha's needed another scrub, have they not learned anything in six and a half years? :smallfurious:

It's being released on March 16th, it seems. It's just the announcement is Jan 12.

[Gyor]

Could this be the "exciting news in the weeks to come" that Weiss mentioned re: WotC lawsuit dismissal?

That has occurred to me as well.

[Gyor]

how about they do two more edits/scrubs before they release it, and let it arrive in 12 Feb.

FFS, Tasha's needed another scrub, have they not learned anything in six and a half years? :smallfurious:

January 12th is the ANNOUNCEMENT, not the release date, March 16th is the release date, over a month after Feb 12th

[Gyor]

I expect that, whatever is in the book, some people will declare it to be the worst D&D book of all time, and the book that single-handedly ruined 5e and maybe ruined all TTRPGs forever. Meanwhile, others will insist that it's the best 5e book ever and that only someone who's bad at gaming wouldn't love it.

This discribes the expectations for every 5e every LMFAO.

[rlc]

Yeah, it is a little confusing how they announce announcements.
Edit: and, if this is the “exciting news to come” referenced above, then did they basically announce the announcement of another announcement?

[KorvinStarmast]

It's being released on March 16th, it seems. It's just the announcement is Jan 12. yeah, I edited that desire to apr vice feb, and I'm gonna pre order after I see what it is.

Dragonlance: do I really want to go there?
As a DM, I can ban kender. :smallyuk:

[EggKookoo]

Dragonlance: do I really want to go there?

I probably won't. I mean, I'll get the book out of completions' sake and to see if there's anything worth mining. And if it's like Eberron it'll drop some new subclasses and whatnot, and maybe even draconians as a playable race. But I'm not going to run off and start a DL campaign.

I'm hoping and holding out for Spelljammer...

[ftafp]

Based on the past two UAs we've gotten and the fact that campaign setting books usually only have two subclasses, im growing extremely concerned that two out of the three classic settings are going to be ravenloft and dragonlance

if that's the case, we'll only have one promised setting free for dark sun, kara tur or spelljammer, and its most likely just going to be wasted on greyhawk

[Luccan]

I'm gonna need to be reminded of the exact wording on the three old settings getting updated promise, because if they stated or implied they had been entirely untouched by a 5e book I don't know how Greyhawk or Ravenloft could apply since they both have adventure books. Although I remember also hearing they wanted to do more with the latter.

[P. G. Macer]

Based on the past two UAs we've gotten and the fact that campaign setting books usually only have two subclasses, im growing extremely concerned that two out of the three classic settings are going to be ravenloft and dragonlance

if that's the case, we'll only have one promised setting free for dark sun, kara tur or spelljammer, and its most likely just going to be wasted on greyhawk

I doubt Kara-Tur was in the cards to begin with for political reasons, but I think Spelljammer might be more likely than you think, because Chris Perkins has in passing mentioned that WotC is working on the setting for 5e a few times now, and there have been cameos for elements of the setting in a few 5e modules.

[ftafp]

I doubt Kara-Tur was in the cards to begin with for political reasons, but I think Spelljammer might be more likely than you think, because Chris Perkins has in passing mentioned that WotC is working on the setting for 5e a few times now, and there have been cameos for elements of the setting in a few 5e modules.

Kara-Tur could happen. I mean, all they have to do is not give the book the most racially insensitive name possible for the third time in a row. How hard is that?

[MaxWilson]

yeah, I edited that desire to apr vice feb, and I'm gonna pre order after I see what it is.

Dragonlance: do I really want to go there?
As a DM, I can ban kender. :smallyuk:

Why ban kender when you can genocide kender? How about a Kenderclysm?


Based on the past two UAs we've gotten and the fact that campaign setting books usually only have two subclasses, im growing extremely concerned that two out of the three classic settings are going to be ravenloft and dragonlance

if that's the case, we'll only have one promised setting free for dark sun, kara tur or spelljammer, and its most likely just going to be wasted on greyhawk

IMO Ravenloft is more than a campaign setting, it's a whole horror-centric playstyle, and WotC treats it like merely a setting there won't be enough material to be usable. So I hope they don't go down that road because they won't do a good job.

[Emongnome777]

Here’s (https://books.google.com/books?id=Yt7_zQEACAAJ&dq=Dragonlance+1&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizhM763IzuAhVMpFkKHbdtDmQQ6wEwAXoECAAQB A) another book, looks like a Dragonlance novel. As others have said here or in previous threads, it’s unlikely DL is released as a campaign setting before their novels come out.

My guess for the book posted in the op is Ravenloft or Spelljammer.

[KorvinStarmast]

Why ban kender when you can genocide kender? How about a Kenderclysm? I like the cut of your jib. A plague that comes out of a venereal disease that kills kender due to something in Kender DNA. (I could call it the small pox - a pox be upon thee! - so it will take gnomes down as well, but that might be a bit too RL oriented). :smalltongue:
It all started with that one promiscuous gully dwarf, a bottle of dwarvish spirits, and a kender who could not handle their drink ...
IMO Ravenloft is more than a campaign setting, it's a whole horror-centric playstyle, and WotC treats it like merely a setting there won't be enough material to be usable. So I hope they don't go down that road because they won't do a good job. If they have a line on this in Vegas I'm betting the over on your prediction.

[Orsyn]

Here’s (https://books.google.com/books?id=Yt7_zQEACAAJ&dq=Dragonlance+1&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizhM763IzuAhVMpFkKHbdtDmQQ6wEwAXoECAAQB A) another book, looks like a Dragonlance novel. As others have said here or in previous threads, it’s unlikely DL is released as a campaign setting before their novels come out.

My guess for the book posted in the op is Ravenloft or Spelljammer.

What is your reasoning? DL doesn't exactly need new source material for a 5e update; is there precedent to suggest that they'll launch the setting update after the new trilogy?

[Emongnome777]

What is your reasoning? DL doesn't exactly need new source material for a 5e update; is there precedent to suggest that they'll launch the setting update after the new trilogy?

I merely posted speculation. But if you insist on "precendent", then here:

The 3.X DL campaign setting book followed War of Souls by about a year. Probably would've been sooner but 3.0 was turning into 3.5, so they had to align the campaign setting with the modified rules set. Additionally, it's been a while since I've read the novels, but it certainly seemed like the Krynn at the start of any trilogy by Weis & Hickman was never the same as the Krynn at the end of a trilogy.

Satisfied?

[aabicus]

Nice. I'm always excited for new books!

[KorvinStarmast]

... it certainly seemed like the Krynn at the start of any trilogy by Weis & Hickman was never the same as the Krynn at the end of a trilogy. Which is good writing, structurally, but which can cause problems for mapping a book series into a TTRPG setting supplement ... no, I am not going to mention a certain ranger with a panther ... no, Not Gonna! :smallbiggrin:

[Emongnome777]

Not satisfied. Just because I don't think it's a very good example.

Entirely different edition, entirely different release schedule, mostly an entirely different staff. And we're talking 18-20 years ago. About half a dozen novels set in DL were being released every year at that time. They were just cranking product after product out, including both DL setting materials and DL novels. Yes the DL campaign setting book followed the WoS novels, but the setting book also set up 3 more Campaign settings for DL after that: War of the Lance, Legends of the Twins, and Age of Mortals (War of Souls). You'd even have to wait a couple more years for some better maps in Tasslehoff's Map Pouch. Even the Bestiary got revised, because why not have another book?

If we want to go by Editions we can start back at first edition. It had the modules come out first starting with Dragons of Despair in March 1984 although the setting idea had been around since '82. The first novel didn't show up until November 1984, after several (4 or 5) modules had been already released so you knew where the first novel was going since you were probably playing those same characters. An actual hardback setting book wasn't released until after all 14 modules and 7 books (Chronicles and Legends' series). Two more modules would be released after the setting book. Using your logic with 3rd edition, with 1st edition logic we are obviously going to get a Dragonlance Adventure book first! Then novels, then a setting book, and then more adventure books. Maybe, if a new edition doesn't come out first. Or second edition we'd get a bunch of Dragonlance novels and setting stuff, followed by more DL stuff released under the Saga system. So novels, 2nd edition setting, and a different system too? Or 4th Edition there'd be some novels and no setting information...

Anywho, nope, not gonna base a release schedule on what they did 2 editions and 20 years ago. Hickman himself in that 3rd Edition Setting book's forward plainly states that Dragonlance was always meant to be a roleplaying game first. Not to mention I don't think everyone who's going to play the Dragonlance roleplaying setting for 5e is going to read the novels first, if they read them at all. And yup, some people might read the novels, but aren't even into D&D anymore (if they ever were) and could care less about a setting book.

Guess we'll see Tuesday ;)

Wow, guess I can't post an opinion with getting ripped to shreds. Let's see, I'm wrong because my precedent is "18-20 years ago", then you proceed to use "precedent" from almost 40 years ago as a counter argument. Ok, then.

Again, the op mentioned expectations, and I expressed mine. Yours clearly differs. Have fun with that, but you typed out a lengthy response just to tear down mine for reasons I don't understand. I never presented facts to be refuted, just an opinion and my thought process behind it.

[Sharur]

I would argue that there are, generally speaking, four types of D&D books:

1. "Campaign Setting Books" (which I personally don't like, primarily because most of the information seems non-transferable if you aren't placing your world in the established setting. Although I may have just been soured on the concept by SCAG, and its overpowered cantrips.). Mostly information about a specific campaign setting, but also generally a few sprinkles of other things such as spells, player options, items, monsters, etc.

As for the promised "classic" setting, I think Dragonlance is most likely, due to recent legal actions. I'd also like to see Grayhawk or Planescape. (I personally am not a fan Darksun, and Spelljammer is hit-or-miss to me). Something that I've noticed: The DMG has a bunch of play styles mentioned, but these seem to have been "supported" by various products. E.g. Tyranny of Dragons is epic, Curse of Strahd is Horror, Theros is Mythic, Dragonheist is of course heist). Two that haven't really been supported are "War" and "political". Krynn can do war, Planescape's sigil could be a more political adventure setting, and Greyhawk can do both.

2. "DMG/PHB Expansion Books", normally titled after a villainous NPC from the lore (Xanathar's, Tasha's, etc.): Additional player options and rules. The new release is least likely to be one of these, in my opinion, because they just dropped Tasha's.

3. "Bestiaries/MM Expansion Books", normally titled after a friendly NPC from the lore (Volo's, Mordenkinen's). Generally good, and you can drop things anywhere. Could be a possibility, since they seem to be releasing them bi-annually and we were due for one in 2020. I'd love to see more mid- and high-tier monsters that one can build a campaign around, or that are "upgrades" of lower tier monsters. I'd also love to see less "plain" low tier monsters. E.g. I like kuo-toa mechanically (in addition to their wacky lore), because they just randomly have truesight, and many of them have sticky shields.

4. "Adventures" (hit or miss, based on personal preference, but on the whole I think reception has been good for 5e adventures). From a "business" perspective, the least likely to "cannibalize" returns on another book, especially in the medium-to-long term. Can also serve as minor pieces of other book types (e.g. Princes of the Apocalypse gave us Gensai, Curse of Strahd had campaign setting elements, Tyranny of Dragons had some dragon creature stat-blocks, etc).

Based on the history on Wikipedia, an Adventure is likely (They've been doing 2 a year since release, save for last year presumably due to COVID, and not wanting to do a release that would necessarily exclude FLGS, so this is probably their "other" work for 2020).

As for theme, it seems like they've hit most of the major iconic biomes, except for desert (and maybe forest, if one considers that sepereate from jungles). As for creature types, I feel they have hit most of the creature types, except for aberrations, and to a lessor extent fey and elementals(technically there were thematically linked in Princes of the Apocalypse, but I feel that they were more overshadowed by the humanoid cultists).

[Spriteless]

Kenderclysm

It's everything people hate about Dragonlance rolled up into a tasty bundle! I must remember this nextime a thread about Krynn devolves. Thank you so much



As for the promised "classic" setting, I think Dragonlance is most likely, due to recent legal actions. I'd also like to see Grayhawk or Planescape. (I personally am not a fan Darksun, and Spelljammer is hit-or-miss to me). Something that I've noticed: The DMG has a bunch of play styles mentioned, but these seem to have been "supported" by various products. E.g. Tyranny of Dragons is epic, Curse of Strahd is Horror, Theros is Mythic, Dragonheist is of course heist). Two that haven't really been supported are "War" and "political". Krynn can do war, Planescape's sigil could be a more political adventure setting, and Greyhawk can do both.

It could be a 3rd book about Matt Mercer's setting, this time actually themed heaviliy about war and politics, instead of asking players to think of an excuse for why your characters aren't in the war. I will continue to not pay much attention until the cartoon comes out because I cannot handle hearing other people play 5e combat.

[Luccan]

It could be a 3rd book about Matt Mercer's setting, this time actually themed heaviliy about war and politics, instead of asking players to think of an excuse for why your characters aren't in the war. I will continue to not pay much attention until the cartoon comes out because I cannot handle hearing other people play 5e combat.

Seems unlikely. The first book wasn't a WotC product, it was published by a 3rd party before Critical Role and Wotc's partnership. So, for Wizards', it's not really about completing a trio of books. The two books have also been about entirely different continents, based on campaigns separated by around 20 in-game years. Given how the more recent book has a whole section about not focusing on the war, I don't think Mercer has an interest in writing such a guide (he didn't even really plan on the war to be a focus for the show, the players kind of shoved themselves into the middle of it by accident). It isn't impossible that there could be another Exandria book, but it doesn't seem likely that'll be its focus.

Also, if it's releasing in March, I actually don't think it's Dragonlance. The law suit wasn't dropped all that long ago, if they paused production when they weren't going to work with the authors anymore then I wouldn't be surprised if it still had some way to go before being finished. Especially if they have more UA to release for it.

[Catullus64]

IMO Ravenloft is more than a campaign setting, it's a whole horror-centric playstyle, and WotC treats it like merely a setting there won't be enough material to be usable. So I hope they don't go down that road because they won't do a good job.

This same thinking is the reason I'm not optimistic about future Dark Sun content. Dark Sun is violent, pessimistic, lurid sword-and-sorcery fare which, just like the macabre gothic horror of Raveloft, played to the strengths of more brutal editions of D&D. I doubt Wizards is really interested in putting out a major release in that vein, so we're likely to get either no Dark Sun, or a friendly, Realms-ified Athas.

[MaxWilson]

This same thinking is the reason I'm not optimistic about future Dark Sun content. Dark Sun is violent, pessimistic, lurid sword-and-sorcery fare which, just like the macabre gothic horror of Raveloft, played to the strengths of more brutal editions of D&D. I doubt Wizards is really interested in putting out a major release in that vein, so we're likely to get either no Dark Sun, or a friendly, Realms-ified Athas.

Hmm. I think Dark Sun is still structurally compatible with how 5E WotC adventures are written, and ironically 5E's rules for dehydration and starvation are already pretty brutal (a week and a half without food, or four days without water, will kill a 5E character even though falling from orbit will not). I think Dark Sun 5E wouldn't be too hard to achieve IFF you had a good psionics system.

Writing a good psionics system isn't trivial, but it's not something that's utterly outside WotC's expertise the way writing a horror-themed RPG is.

In terms of the actual adventure content written by TSR, Dark Sun is not actually THAT pessimistic or brutal. High level adventures like Dragon's Crown have avangions popping out of the woodwork everywhere, doing good, and the Order (uber psionicists) are another potentially stabilizing force, and even the defiler kings sometimes turn out to be not-complete-wastes-of-flesh. Unlike Ravenloft, where happy endings are simply inconceivable and against theme, Dark Sun (in my eyes) has the feel of a setting which CAN have be redeemed, especially if the PCs contribute. It's a heroic setting. I don't know if WotC will do a good job with their psionics rules, if they do a conversion, but I don't feel that it's thematically incompatible with 5E.

I wonder what would happen if you ran Dark Sun 5E using the original Dark Sun psionics rules from The Complete Psionics Handbook/The Will and the Way. Psionicist can be a d8 HP class with light armor proficiency and player's choice of (Int + Wis) or (Int + Con) save proficiency. Psionic powers do NOT cost concentration in the 5E sense but any references to concentration in the CPHB/TWATW get converted into 5E style concentration. Reactive powers like Deflect Missiles and Energy Absorption cost a reaction. Otherwise, run everything including PSP calculations using CPHB/TWATW rules. (These are the same rules I am using for Riedra psionics in Eberron, except that I also do power checks on 3d6 instead of 1d20, in both 5E and AD&D2.)

[msfnc]

It's "Candlekeep Mysteries". 17 adventures with an investigation focus.