New Book Announcement 2/23/21

[jaappleton]

https://www.amazon.com/Dungeons-Dragons-Title-Announced-February/dp/0786967250/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&qid=1613996432&refinements=p_n_publication_date%3A1250228011&s=books&sr=1-3

This is something of an informed guess, although not concrete:

Feywild.

[Trask]

Might also be neat to have an adventure set in the upper planes, a place that due to it's good nature, players rarely have a reason to go which feels like a waste. We just took a tour through hell with Descent into Avernus so maybe now we can get Ascent into Arcadia? :smalltongue:

[Avonar]

Might also be neat to have an adventure set in the upper planes, a place that due to it's good nature, players rarely have a reason to go which feels like a waste. We just took a tour through hell with Descent into Avernus so maybe now we can get Ascent into Arcadia? :smalltongue:

I absolutely want Arcadia. Such a strange, fascinating plane. I would love an adventure with the PCs trying to find a way to bring Nemausus back, throw Mechanus in there as well.

[jaappleton]

Its Feywild OR Ravenloft.

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Given the most recent Unearthed Arcana debt with Gothic Lineages, Ravenloft is more than likely. Though there is the possibility they could be expanding out into the Shadowfell. Would be nice to see something like 4e's Heroe's of Shadow.

[rlc]

I always find it funny when they announce their announcements.


Given the most recent Unearthed Arcana debt with Gothic Lineages, Ravenloft is more than likely. Though there is the possibility they could be expanding out into the Shadowfell. Would be nice to see something like 4e's Heroe's of Shadow.

I’d normally say that it was too soon, but they did kind of rush that UA into a survey.
I think that the dragon stuff might be just as likely, though.

[KorvinStarmast]

Its Feywild OR Ravenloft. If it's the former, my preorder will stand. If it's the latter, I might cancel the order. Curse of Strahd is enough Ravenloft for me, thanks. Something in Shadowfell might arouse my interest, though.

I'll roll the bones and guess that it's a dragonlance adventure. :smallyuk:

[GentlemanVoodoo]

Dragonlance is quite plausible considering also the whole Dragonlance book lawsuit has ended.

[GooeyChewie]

I'm always hopeful for Spelljamming, but I don't see the Giff becoming playable without hitting UA first.

I'm not huge on Feywild, and we already have Curse of Strahd for Ravenloft. I'd be more interested in Dragonlance than either of those. They don't call it dungeons and DWARVES after all!

[king_steve]

If we consider unreleased UA stuff, there is the College of Spirits Bard and the Undead Patron for Warlocks. More recently, there was also the recent Gothic Lineages, so they are likely part of the same book.

There was also the UA for the Drakewarden and Way of the Ascendant Dragon last fall as well.

But given WotC's statements about Curse of Strahd and Ravenloft last year I think a Ravenloft world book is more likely than a Dragonlance book at this time, so my vote is this is Ravenloft.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm always hopeful for Spelljamming, but I don't see the Giff becoming playable without hitting UA first. They have been in the Ravnica book for a while, have they not?


I'm not huge on Feywild, and we already have Curse of Strahd for Ravenloft. I'd be more interested in Dragonlance than either of those. They don't call it dungeons and DWARVES after all! Nor did I sign up to play Kender and Kobolds. :smalltongue:

In my kendergarten, we use real kender as plant food.

[GooeyChewie]

They have been in the Ravnica book for a while, have they not?
Ravnica has Loxodon, which are elephant-people rather than hippo-people. It's close enough for a refluff, but the trunk part doesn't fit. Giff did appear as an enemy in Mord's Tome of Foes (page 204), but not as a playable race.


Nor did I sign up to play Kender and Kobolds. :smalltongue:

In my kendergarten, we use real kender as plant food.

Fair! :smallbiggrin:

[KorvinStarmast]

Ravnica has Loxodon, which are elephant-people rather than hippo-people. It's close enough for a refluff, but the trunk part doesn't fit. Giff did appear as an enemy in Mord's Tome of Foes (page 204), but not as a playable race.
Ah, right, sorry, AFB at the moment and memory didn't gel properly. :smalleek:

[Willie the Duck]

Its Feywild OR Ravenloft.

Either would please me. The most recent UA suggested to me that they were still in the design phase for RL, but that might be wrong.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Ayyy feywild lore! time for me to ignore it and use my own that I made up anyway!!

[Forevaxp]

https://mobile.twitter.com/Wizards_DnD/status/1363896392306065413

The Mist Beckons, sounds like Ravenloft :smallconfused:

[jaappleton]

They play tested some gothic monsters awhile back. Not a public playtest.

Coupled with The Mist Beckons from the D&D Twitter, along with the Undead and Spirits Bard, and Perkins confirmation awhile ago that Barovia is getting more content....

I think it’s very safe to say Ravenloft / Barovia content.

However, Feywild content is still very much in the works. I know that factually, as I stare at my watch like sand in a hourglass.

That last word? If you know, then you know. >_>

[Kane0]

They play tested some gothic monsters awhile back. Not a public playtest.

Coupled with The Mist Beckons from the D&D Twitter, along with the Undead and Spirits Bard, and Perkins confirmation awhile ago that Barovia is getting more content....

I think it’s very safe to say Ravenloft / Barovia content.

However, Feywild content is still very much in the works. I know that factually, as I stare at my watch like sand in a hourglass.

That last word? If you know, then you know. >_>

Have we ever noted how glorious a font of information you are?

[jaappleton]

Have we ever noted how glorious a font of information you are?

Several times and I never tire of hearing it.

[Zhorn]

"Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft"
So this will be the first of the 'three classic settings' they are doing for 2021's release slate?
Everyone who guessed Ravenloft; mark that off your bingo card.

[Gyor]

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Explore the horrors of Ravenloft in this campaign sourcebook for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.


Terror stalks the nightmare realms of Ravenloft. No one knows this better than monster scholar Rudolph Van Richten. To arm a new generation against the creatures of the night, Van Richten has compiled his correspondence and case files into this tome of eerie tales and chilling truths.



• Travel (perhaps even by choice) to Ravenloft's expanded Domains of Dread—each domain with its own unique flavor of horror, thrilling story hooks, and grisly cast of characters

• Craft your own D&D horror settings, add tension with optional rules, and get advice for running a game that's ghastly in all the right ways

• Create characters with lineages tied to vampires, undead, and hags, horror-themed subclasses, the Investigator background, and "Dark Gifts" that may be a double-edged sword

• Unleash nightmarish monsters from an expanded bestiary, and browse a collection of mysterious trinkets

• Explore Ravenloft in the included Dungeons & Dragons adventure—play as a stand-alone adventure or drop it into your current game for a bit of sinister fun"

[Gyor]

"Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft"
So this will be the first of the 'three classic settings' they are doing for 2021's release slate?
Everyone who guessed Ravenloft; mark that off your bingo card.

I guessed Ravenloft and the Forgotten Realms for later this year.

[Millstone85]

Ravenloft's expanded Domains of Dread—each domain with its own unique flavor of horror, thrilling story hooks, and grisly cast of charactersAlright, now I am interested.

[ProsecutorGodot]

"Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft"
So this will be the first of the 'three classic settings' they are doing for 2021's release slate?
Everyone who guessed Ravenloft; mark that off your bingo card.

It wasn't a hard guess, despite them telling us more or less flat out it would be there some still expected otherwise.

I for one, am excited to see some possible expansion to the whole "dark powers" thing. I've got a campaign on extended hiatus that's been waiting for inspiration from that setting.

[Millstone85]

I for one, am excited to see some possible expansion to the whole "dark powers" thing.I wouldn't hold my breath for this. From previous discussions on Ravenloft, I get the impression that the nature and goals of the dark powers are meant to remain entirely mysterious.

Still, MToF's depiction of the Raven Queen included a very dark-power-like element that I would love to see the new book build on.
Once at their destination, the shadar-kai watch and wait, looking for the tragedies their queen wishes them to collect. Sometimes they are small: a spurned lover, a lost item, a betrayal. But some tragedies are much graver: a murder, a war, a diabolical bargain.
if the target is close to death, the shadar-kai capture the whole soul to bring back to the Raven Queen.

Also, I embrace the headcanon that at least one dark power pretends to be Rod Serling.

[MrStabby]

They play tested some gothic monsters awhile back. Not a public playtest.

Coupled with The Mist Beckons from the D&D Twitter, along with the Undead and Spirits Bard, and Perkins confirmation awhile ago that Barovia is getting more content....

I think it’s very safe to say Ravenloft / Barovia content.

However, Feywild content is still very much in the works. I know that factually, as I stare at my watch like sand in a hourglass.

That last word? If you know, then you know. >_>

Happy with feywild, happy with Barovia and both are pretty much what I was predicting (albeit with planescape as a 3rd)

My one gripe with Barovia is that it tends to be a bit rich in undead which can cause some class balance issues. I mean it isn't saturated and there are other creature types but generally speaking classes that like charm spells are less good and classes hat deal radiant damage are better.

Feywild... oh yes. Excited by this. Nothing quite like fae for treading that line between fairytale and horror story - eerie, inscrutable, cunning, terifying and fantastic. This excites me.

[jaappleton]

Happy with feywild, happy with Barovia and both are pretty much what I was predicting (albeit with planescape as a 3rd)

My one gripe with Barovia is that it tends to be a bit rich in undead which can cause some class balance issues. I mean it isn't saturated and there are other creature types but generally speaking classes that like charm spells are less good and classes hat deal radiant damage are better.

Feywild... oh yes. Excited by this. Nothing quite like fae for treading that line between fairytale and horror story - eerie, inscrutable, cunning, terifying and fantastic. This excites me.

I totally get your gripes with Barovia’s reliance on certain creature types.

However, it’s nowhere near as bad as Avernus. So just by comparison, I’m totally ok with Barovia.

I’m generally pretty against adventures where once you’re there, you’re trapped and cannot leave until you complete the adventure. If the particular setting gets boring, it’s very difficult to spice it up with new locales. So I’m cautiously optimistic about including the expanded domains of dread, but.... Well, I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

[NRSASD]

Definitely excited for this, although this book may cause much mirth among my players. When we played Curse of Strahd they despised Van Richten. And last campaign they specifically hunted him down and killed him.

[MrStabby]

I totally get your gripes with Barovia’s reliance on certain creature types.

However, it’s nowhere near as bad as Avernus. So just by comparison, I’m totally ok with Barovia.

I’m generally pretty against adventures where once you’re there, you’re trapped and cannot leave until you complete the adventure. If the particular setting gets boring, it’s very difficult to spice it up with new locales. So I’m cautiously optimistic about including the expanded domains of dread, but.... Well, I hope I’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Yeah, Avernus is bad. The only game I have walked from in years. I was one of two bards in the party and we were basically squeezed into being duplicates of each other and never really got to play with the spells I was excited to take. Having spent the preceeding few years as a DM it was not a great experience or advert for being a player.

[RedMage125]

Have we ever noted how glorious a font of information you are?


Several times and I never tire of hearing it.

And so very humble!

[jaappleton]

And so very humble!

Blue text to indicate joking is hard to pull off on a mobile device for this site, what can I say.

[Amechra]

First off, that's a very quick turnaround for the last UA.

And secondly... hoo boy, I'm waiting to see what they do with the Vistani to make them less... that.

[verbatim]

the subtext mentions other domains of dread, optional horror rules, and a somewhat sizable bestiary, all of which I am very excited for.

[Gyor]

Somebody going to make a new post to discuss Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft now that it's been revealed what we're getting? Gyor? Jaappleton? Hmm, hope they weren't swallowed by the Mists...

Anywho, I hope this doesn't count as one of the 3 "new" classic settings since Curse of Strahd has been out for awhile and isn't really new for 5th edition. They did mention the Vistani were going to make an appearance in a second book (so guessing this is it), but hopefully there's 3 more classic settings to come and not 2. If this counts, then methinks we're getting Dragonlance and Spelljammer (with as much as is going on with Dragonlance and all the Spelljammer hints here and there) as the other 2 classic settings. I'm going to be somewhat sad if that's the case.

And I guess the Feywild book is next, September release maybe? I wonder if that was what Kate Welch (with Marisha Ray & Deborah Ann Woll) was working on before she left WotC last year? Speculating further, I wonder if it will be the whole of the Feywild, a campaign or anthology of adventures for the place, or maybe something that is more like Mordenkainen's ToF or Volo's and has a little bit of everything.

Might have been nice if this release was more of a Shadowfell book as a whole with a a bunch dedicated to the Domains of Dread/Ravenloft, and then the Feywild book could have been a book end so we'd get both the Shadowfell and Feywild. WotC is really taking it slow this edition.

Why do so many folks think there isa Feywild book coming?

[Luccan]

First off, that's a very quick turnaround for the last UA.


Yeah... I really hope that's the last thing they were working on for the book

[Gyor]

First off, that's a very quick turnaround for the last UA.

And secondly... hoo boy, I'm waiting to see what they do with the Vistani to make them less... that.

I think they have plans to release more books this year, I mean 3 classic settings (one of which is Ravenloft), an anthology (Mysteries of Candlekeep), and a crossover book with MtG (although a Forgotten Realms World Setting Book would qualify as both a Classic Setting and MtG Cross-over tie in book by this summer). You add in a big adventure and that's 5 books. There could also be box sets and a Monster VGTM style book in there somewhere.

That means UA have to have a much quicker turn-around to get them out the door.

[Zhorn]

Why do so many folks think there isa Feywild book coming?

At this point in time jaappleton could tell me there's a 'ranch dressing' setting book in the works and I'd believe them.
Dude's got a good track record.

[Gyor]

Somebody going to make a new post to discuss Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft now that it's been revealed what we're getting? Gyor? Jaappleton? Hmm, hope they weren't swallowed by the Mists...

Anywho, I hope this doesn't count as one of the 3 "new" classic settings since Curse of Strahd has been out for awhile and isn't really new for 5th edition. They did mention the Vistani were going to make an appearance in a second book (so guessing this is it), but hopefully there's 3 more classic settings to come and not 2. If this counts, then methinks we're getting Dragonlance and Spelljammer (with as much as is going on with Dragonlance and all the Spelljammer hints here and there) as the other 2 classic settings. I'm going to be somewhat sad if that's the case.

And I guess the Feywild book is next, September release maybe? I wonder if that was what Kate Welch (with Marisha Ray & Deborah Ann Woll) was working on before she left WotC last year? Speculating further, I wonder if it will be the whole of the Feywild, a campaign or anthology of adventures for the place, or maybe something that is more like Mordenkainen's ToF or Volo's and has a little bit of everything.

Might have been nice if this release was more of a Shadowfell book as a whole with a a bunch dedicated to the Domains of Dread/Ravenloft, and then the Feywild book could have been a book end so we'd get both the Shadowfell and Feywild. WotC is really taking it slow this edition.

I was swallowed by the mists of sleep.

I pre-ordered the book. That one of the Settings is Ravenloft as I predicted makes me even more certain we will also get a Forgotten Realms setting book. Perhaps in July or the Autumn.

Dragonlance is unlikely when WotC had to be sued to even allow the new novels, which WotC has done nothing to promote or support.

And yes there are the Dragon themed UA subclasses, but their fluff fits the Forgotten Realms more then they fit Dragonlance. FR has more types of Dragons, Draconic Magic, Dragonborn (both pre 4e and post 4e types), Lesser Dragons types, Gem Dragons, Dragon ruled nations, Dragon lore, a whole Pantheon of Dragon Gods, Dracoliches, Vampire Dragons, Dragon Constructs, Dragon based organizations, a 3.5e Dragon Plane (Dragon's Eyrie) Planeect..., then Dragonlance, while Dragonlance has more Dragons in... It's name, yep that's it.

I mean the Forgotten Realms MtG set has a Dragons head as it's set symbol.

Plus I think the Dragon subclasses will be in the same book as Gem Dragons which were promised awhile ago, and Dragonlance doesn't have Gem Dragons, but the Forgotten Realms does (along with Disaster Dragons, Lung Dragons, for that matter, ect...).

[Gyor]

At this point in time jaappleton could tell me there's a 'ranch dressing' setting book in the works and I'd believe them.
Dude's got a good track record.

So I guess my next question is why does Jaappleton think there is Feywild Book coming?

And where can I find Jaappleton's other prophecies? 😂😁

[x3n0n]

Yeah... I really hope that's the last thing they were working on for the book

I think there are only a few live player-option UA, in order of pub:
* "Spooky" subclasses: Bard, Warlock (obvious choices for this book)
* "Dragon" subclasses: Monk, Ranger (presumably Dragonlance)
* "Spooky" origins: dhampir, hexblood, reborn (presumably this book)

Note that the last one corresponds roughly to the timing of the last Tasha's UA vs pub (late summer Feats vs November book), that seems likely.

Given all that, if we're getting a Feywild book this year, I don't expect it to have subclasses, unless they're published as UA within the next month or so. (They seem to want to have lots of revision time for them.)

[Dienekes]

First off, that's a very quick turnaround for the last UA.


Yeah. That set off some alarm bells for me. To me it seems more like they're using the UA as a teaser than as a playtest tool.

[PhantomSoul]

Yeah. That set off some alarm bells for me. To me it seems more like they're using the UA as a teaser than as a playtest tool.

I've had the same concern of late... :/

[Waterdeep Merch]

It's coming about a month after I was planning to start an ambitious new CoS game. That's a bit annoying, but eh. Maybe I push things off a little further and go make more things for it. Hit that preorder button pretty quick.

Though that means I'm going to end up scrutinizing this a lot. Like, that cover art. What exactly is Count Strahd von Zarovich doing here? "Behold, I am a literal raven loft! Get it?" And poor Ezmerelda is clearly dead here, necks don't spin that far. It's all a little too comic book-y for me. Then the variant cover's incredibly boring. Probably the single most boring variant cover. Don't judge a book by it's cover, I know. But it's really not doing it for me.

[Nagog]

I always find it funny when they announce their announcements.

I’d normally say that it was too soon, but they did kind of rush that UA into a survey.
I think that the dragon stuff might be just as likely, though.


I'm always hopeful for Spelljamming, but I don't see the Giff becoming playable without hitting UA first.

I'm not huge on Feywild, and we already have Curse of Strahd for Ravenloft. I'd be more interested in Dragonlance than either of those. They don't call it dungeons and DWARVES after all!

It's been announced as "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft", which imo is a bit of a disappointment. Gothic style is cool, but it's also incredibly easy and already very well represented. I'd much rather have something new, something that pushes the boundaries of 5e a bit. Spelljammer would be fun and is in very high demand. Forgotten Realms outside of the Sword Coast are also completely untouched. Personally I'd love a Planar book, with a more in-depth exploration of the various extraplanar races, like the Gith, Genasi cultures, Mechanus as a whole, the Yugoloths, etc. We've had so many resource books released for non-D&D content (all the MTG books) while there's a high demand to update a lot of older stuff that hasn't been touched in years.

[Wildstag]

I'm hoping it leans more on the Ravenloft side of things and less on the Barovia side of things. It'd be nice to get significant expansion on the other Darklords, and especially the ones that aren't just "insert gothic horror villain into cloudy European setting" templates.

Like, put Vecna back there (retconning the bs that was Vecna overpowering the Lady of Pain), expand on the Illithid or the Doppleganger or the Greater Mummy; I want to see a heavy focus on non-Strahd crap.

[jaappleton]

At this point in time jaappleton could tell me there's a 'ranch dressing' setting book in the works and I'd believe them.
Dude's got a good track record.

I legitimately laughed out loud. :smallbiggrin:

So, how do I know what I know?

I'm people that know people. That's all I will say. I am intentionally vague because... Well, reasons. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But I've built and established relationships with a lot of people at WOTC over the years, and I'll leave it at that.

Some of my other prophecies include calling a Unearthed Arcana focused on alternate class features for the Ranger, and a week later they unveiled Class Feature Variants UA.

Called a few other UAs. A lot of UAs...

I can't recall off the top of my head but I think I've also called a book. Think it was Frostmaiden?

Additionally, I provided details into what all the black obelisks in the Forgotten Realms adventure books are about before Frostmaiden was released.

I provided leaks from Tasha's before release, including a leak that had to be nuked from orbit by the mods because... Reasons. Incredibly understandable reasons, in retrospect, I got too excited on that one. I earned that slap on the wrist, for sure. >_>

I'm also the first person ever to get confirmation straight from Crawford that Paladins can smite with Warlock pact magic slots. THAT one sent the official WOTC forums into a frenzy, that was a hilarious day. They've since shut down their forums, but I distinctly recall at the time how upset many were about that, and how all the optimizers drooled over it.

If I say something is an informed opinion, its because it is. And I very much try to clarify when something is strictly a guess, and not an informed opinion.

There was actually someone who made an account here to private messaged me on GITP and tried inviting me to a Discord to discuss how I know all this. I declined, because... Well, I've got decent Perception, I can detect traps :smalltongue:

-----

EDIT:

I see many concerned about when the UA was released in correlation to the release date of the book. The book is to be released in May. While cutting it a little close for the racial options recently explored, typically they only do one pass of UA if its confined to a specific setting. They've become more comfortable with errata after the fact if things get out of hand, even recently in Tasha's going to far back as to have reworked the Bladesinger which was the first supplement for 5E with player options back in 2015. If they're willing to errata THAT, they're willing to go back and change almost anything. If it falls within a certain parameter of balance, they're OK releasing it only to try to tighten up those parameters after the fact.

[Nagog]

I'm also the first person ever to get confirmation straight from Crawford that Paladins can smite with Warlock pact magic slots. THAT one sent the official WOTC forums into a frenzy, that was a hilarious day. They've since shut down their forums, but I distinctly recall at the time how upset many were about that, and how all the optimizers drooled over it.


So YOU are to blame for Hexadins being so stupid broken?!?! In all honesty though, I appreciate you keeping us in the loop on some of these spoilers! You wouldn't happen to be feeling prophetic about any other UA in the works, would you? :smallbiggrin:

[n00b]

Have we ever noted how glorious a font of information you are?

And if you don't know it already he'll be glad to inform you.

[jaappleton]

And if you don't know it already he'll be glad to inform you.

I enjoy the fact that people appreciate what I bring to the table, n00b. I certainly understand how that can come across as arrogance or egotistical, for sure. However, it is certainly nice to be appreciated, and I am all too familiar with how often it can be difficult to convey tone from text. I'm not a professional writer, just a forum user, and if I've come across as arrogant, egotistical, etc then I assure you, its not my intent and not who I am as a person.

In the interim, I'll continue to happily and enthusiastically provide any information here to the forum that I can.

@Nagog: Unfortunately nothing new to share for the moment, sorry!

[Rafaelfras]

Additionally, I provided details into what all the black obelisks in the Forgotten Realms adventure books are about before Frostmaiden was released.

Can you expand on that? I've player princes and now SKT





In the interim, I'll continue to happily and enthusiastically provide any information here to the forum that I can.


Plz keep on.

I lurk here for a reason

[Joe the Rat]

As I'm spending a fair chunk of time in other fora of late, there is a bit of jimmie unrusting and history lessoning to do so folks understand Ravenloft: The Setting is more than Ravenloft: The Adventure.

I am curious to see where in the orrery the Domains of Dread end up. Demiplane in the Free Ether? Ensconced in the Shadowfell?


Also, I embrace the headcanon that at least one dark power pretends to be Rod Serling.
The Mists isn't mist, it's massive opaque clouds of tobacco smoke! Also, I endorse this headcanon, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.


Definitely excited for this, although this book may cause much mirth among my players. When we played Curse of Strahd they despised Van Richten. And last campaign they specifically hunted him down and killed him.Funny. I'm actually surprised my players didn't do the same to Volo after Dragon Heist


Blue text to indicate joking is hard to pull off on a mobile device for this site, what can I say.Nah man, it's well earned. Thank you.

[PhantomSoul]

In the interim, I'll continue to happily and enthusiastically provide any information here to the forum that I can.

I'd throw the "not all heroes wear capes" line at you, but I now choose to believe that you wear one. Nope, no blue text!

[diplomancer]

Yeah. That set off some alarm bells for me. To me it seems more like they're using the UA as a teaser than as a playtest tool.

Though I'm in the camp of "not very happy about the latest UA" (admittedly, more because of the controversial boxed text, but also simply uninterested in those options), the truth is that banning races is something far more easily done by DMs than banning other things, and usually gets less pushback from players than banning say, subclasses or spells (unless they are perceived to be very broken, like old Healing Spirit was). Even more so if it's a race from a Setting book, and the campaign is not in that setting.

[Corsair14]

Yay, the domains of dread. Finally something other than Barovia and Strahd. Hopefully they cover Sithicus, Darkon, and Souraign.

[Millstone85]

I wonder if it will be the whole of the Feywild, a campaign or anthology
Might have been nice if this release was more of a Shadowfell book as a whole with a a bunch dedicated to the Domains of Dread/RavenloftThe difficulty in making a setting book on the Echo Planes is that, as I understand it, these contain a separate echo for each world of the Material. There is a fey-Krynn, a shadow-Toril, etc.

It would make more sense to give them a chapter in a Planescape or Spelljammer setting book. Please?

I could be wrong, as I can make no head or tail of the description of Evernight, page 52 of the DMG. It is first presented as the dark reflection of Neverwinter, but then "Rumors abound that this foul place mirrors one city on every world". Say what now?


Though that means I'm going to end up scrutinizing this a lot. Like, that cover art. What exactly is Count Strahd von Zarovich doing here? "Behold, I am a literal raven loft! Get it?" And poor Ezmerelda is clearly dead here, necks don't spin that far. It's all a little too comic book-y for me. Then the variant cover's incredibly boring. Probably the single most boring variant cover. Don't judge a book by it's cover, I know. But it's really not doing it for me.We have cover art? Oh yeah, we do. (https://dnd.wizards.com/products/van-richtens-guide-ravenloft) Well, I think you are right.


I am curious to see where in the orrery the Domains of Dread end up. Demiplane in the Free Ether? Ensconced in the Shadowfell?The DMG describes the Domains of Dread as demiplanes reachable from remote corners of the Shadowfell.

Then again, RFtLW placed the Orrery somewhere in the Deep Ethereal, even though 5e had previously presented Eberron as a world of "the" Material Plane.

[KorvinStarmast]

Though I'm in the camp of "not very happy about the latest UA"
I went ahead and read through it again after my initial negative reaction, and it's still hot garbage. :smallyuk: (In my view). It is in the very small pile of "don't even ask" material I have in a folder.

@Milestone85: Rod Serling, the name, can make for some fun anagrams if any of the people I know choose to run a Raveloft adventure ... I am pretty sure that I will not unless my players ask me to.

Girl Sendor
Ros Glinder
Singe Glord
Grind Loser

[Telwar]

Yeah. That set off some alarm bells for me. To me it seems more like they're using the UA as a teaser than as a playtest tool.

It does feel that way, especially with the rushed survey.

On the one hand, a lot of playtesting is just reading, since it's unlikely many people will get to try out new options. And maybe they're learning to listen to themselves rather than a self-contradictory community.

On the other hand, some of their stuff has been remarkably bone-headed and needed outside review.

So maybe they're actually doing internal playtesting more now?

[Nidgit]

https://www.polygon.com/platform/amp/2021/2/23/22295817/dungeons-dragons-ravenloft-reboot-van-richtens-guide-release-date-price

Per Polygon's summary, both UA subclasses and all three lineages previously mentioned will be included.

It also mentions Kalekeri as a realm inspired by Indian mythology, which certainly opens the door for more non-Western horror. I'd personally be surprised if there wasn't something at least referencing Korean or Japanese horror.

[jaappleton]

How'd I do jaappleton?

It was Nerd Immersion, for sure. I recall the same video.

Looking over your synopsis, I certainly follow and agree with your logic. Of course, its partly because I already know the destination you're trying to reach, and I know the destination is real.

I won't say how much more I know, specifically regarding the Feywild book. However, I will state...

Forgive the bad metaphor, but there's more paragraphs in my essay than yours. I'm not able to say what they are, but yes, there's more. I legitimately have a smoking gun, as it were, but I can't state what it is... or maybe I already did in another topic somewhere here on GITP, I don't recall.

[Rafaelfras]

Like, put Vecna back there (retconning the bs that was Vecna overpowering the Lady of Pain).

Can you plz expand on that?

[KorvinStarmast]

Forgive the bad metaphor, but there's more paragraphs in my essay than yours. I'm not able to say what they are, but yes, there's more. I legitimately have a smoking gun, as it were, but I can't state what it is... or maybe I already did in another topic somewhere here on GITP, I don't recall.Plausible deniability: maybe you'll want to go into politics. :smallbiggrin:

[Dienekes]

So, how do I know what I know?

I'm people that know people. That's all I will say. I am intentionally vague because... Well, reasons. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But I've built and established relationships with a lot of people at WOTC over the years, and I'll leave it at that.


You ever thought of using your connections for good?

Like getting WotC off their ass and making a damn Warlord class already.

[jaappleton]

You ever thought of using your connections for good?

Like getting WotC off their ass and making a damn Warlord class already.

I've legitimately offered selling out!

"I'll stop spoiling stuff if you put me on that list of people who get all the books early for previews! THERE ARE POPULAR FORUMS YOU AREN'T TAPPING IN TO, WOTC, LET ME HELP YOU!"

They didn't bite :smalltongue:

[KorvinStarmast]

"I'll stop spoiling stuff if you put me on that list of people who get all the books early for previews! THERE ARE POPULAR FORUMS YOU AREN'T TAPPING IN TO, WOTC, LET ME HELP YOU!" I'd say that a slight clue would be that WoTC shut down their D&D forums (how many years ago?) They seem to not like forums anymore.

[jaappleton]

I'd say that a slight clue would be that WoTC shut down their D&D forums (how many years ago?) They seem to not like forums anymore.

In the interest of full disclosure, at the time their forums were open, I didn't have any connections like I do now. At the time, I had no inside sources. That's with 100% truthfulness and certainty.

I'd gotten some designers to answer a few rules questions, like the Paladins ability to Smite off Warlock slots, but no inside sources or anything even resembling that.

[NRSASD]

Definitely excited for this, although this book may cause much mirth among my players. When we played Curse of Strahd they despised Van Richten. And last campaign they specifically hunted him down and killed him.

So I did not realize how badly I underestimated my players' dislike of Van Richten continues to this day. I let everyone know about the upcoming book in our D&D group chat and it set off a flurry of discussion about it, but I didn't get a chance to read it because I was at work. I should have though, because when I got home this happened:

Me: Hello <wife's name>! How was your day?
Wife (who also plays D&D with me): Good! I wrote an in-character essay titled "Why I killed Van Richten (He's a racist b****** and I'd do it again)".

[jaappleton]

So I did not realize how badly I underestimated my players' dislike of Van Richten continues to this day. I let everyone know about the upcoming book in our D&D group chat and it set off a flurry of discussion about it, but I didn't get a chance to read it because I was at work. I should have though, because when I got home this happened:

Me: Hello <wife's name>! How was your day?
Wife (who also plays D&D with me): Good! I wrote an in-character essay titled "Why I killed Van Richten (He's a racist b****** and I'd do it again)".

You got a good one.

[Luccan]

As someone who hasn't played Curse of Strahd, what did Van Richten do? I assumed he was just a name brand stand-in for the popular media version of Van Helsing (not the one actually in the book, mind you).

[Waterdeep Merch]

As someone who hasn't played Curse of Strahd, what did Van Richten do? I assumed he was just a name brand stand-in for the popular media version of Van Helsing (not the one actually in the book, mind you).

In CoS? Probably little of consequence. Strahd knows he's around and wants him dead, and he has a little side quest associated with him. He's also Ezmerelda's mentor. He could potentially be more important if he happens to be your fated ally via Tarokka, but that's it.

In Ravenloft proper, however, he's the single greatest monster hunter in the Domains of Dread. He's worked with and trained some of the finest heroes in the setting. He's the subject of a few modules, and is the writer of the Van Richten Guides, which are in depth studies of the various monsters you can find in the setting (which are each some of the best selling books in real life for Ravenloft on the whole). He's extremely important, and the obvious choice for a viewpoint character if one was warranted. It remains to be seen how much of that will be adapted, though.

[NRSASD]

He trained a sabretoothed tiger to eat Vistani on sight, beheaded a Vistana and keeps his head around so he can ask it questions (said head is terrified and begs to be buried), and massacred an entire Vistani encampment because one of them kidnapped his son and sold it to a vampire. Van Richten also maintains that the Vistani are a worse and more actionable threat than Strahd.

[ProsecutorGodot]

As someone who hasn't played Curse of Strahd, what did Van Richten do? I assumed he was just a name brand stand-in for the popular media version of Van Helsing (not the one actually in the book, mind you).

Super anti-Vistani. He's a mentor to Ezmerelda but that's the only "positive" interaction he's explained to have with a Vistani. You are introduced to him, while he is in disguise, training a saber-toothed tiger to hunt and kill Vistani on sight. He is considered Lawful Good.

You'd have to take great liberties to have him give a positive impression to anyone with enough wherewithal to ask "wait, it's trained to attack any Vistani, indiscriminately?" to which the default answer is "yes."

[Luccan]

Oh, he's that guy. I'd heard about the trained tiger but I'd assumed it was some rando-NPC not the "Big Good" of the setting. Yeesh. I assume they'll change that in the rewrites they said they were doing for CoS

[Temperjoke]

In fairness, while not wanting to start yet another alignment argument, he's Lawful Good relative to Ravenloft. The standards are a bit low there.

Generally speaking, the only effect that it being "Van Richten's Guide" really means is the color commentary notes on the side are from his character, it shouldn't have any actual impact on the content of the book.

[Luccan]

In fairness, while not wanting to start yet another alignment argument, he's Lawful Good relative to Ravenloft. The standards are a bit low there.

Generally speaking, the only effect that it being "Van Richten's Guide" really means is the color commentary notes on the side are from his character, it shouldn't have any actual impact on the content of the book.

I'm personally not worried about that (I mean, given who Tasha is I assume she's done just as bad if not worse), I just didn't know why he'd be so despised

[Waterdeep Merch]

I'm really hoping this means Van Richten goes back to his old self. He was basically a more hands-on Rupert Giles from Buffy in the old lore. It was very difficult to hate him. That's the version I presented to my players the first time I ran CoS and he was a stand out NPC for it. I'm not surprised when I hear others ran him as presented in the module and found players hating him for it.

[diplomancer]

I'm really hoping this means Van Richten goes back to his old self. He was basically a more hands-on Rupert Giles from Buffy in the old lore. It was very difficult to hate him. That's the version I presented to my players the first time I ran CoS and he was a stand out NPC for it. I'm not surprised when I hear others ran him as presented in the module and found players hating him for it.

Looks like WotC tried to be clever and failed; "we have this famous Ravenloft PC, but he's too good, we can't have too good characters nowadays, no one will think he's well written"
"Ok, let's give him a character flaw"
"Got it! Let's make him racist against Vistani, training a tiger to kill them on sight"
" Great idea! Now he's real, not that goody two-shoes"

Oops.

[jaappleton]

One thing I truly dislike about all the official adventure modules is that like 95% of all NPCs are evil. Outright evil. Some willing to work with the party, most not.

And the occasional NPC that is 'good', is often quite problematic.

There's nothing wrong with heroic NPCs. I know there's legitimately one in Avernus, I won't mention who because of spoilers, not the topic for it.

But its OK to have a heroic NPC. A legitimately good person. Heck, make it a caricature if necessary to really ham it up. Its fine to occasionally have one or two people who don't have all sorts of strings attached to them.

[Nagog]

I went ahead and read through it again after my initial negative reaction, and it's still hot garbage. :smallyuk: (In my view). It is in the very small pile of "don't even ask" material I have in a folder.


They're pretty interesting and flavorful, but in practice the only one that actually appeals to me is the Dhampir one, because back in the day I had a Dhampir Inquisitor I really enjoyed playing. I'm not playing a Dhampir Artificer, but tbh the abilities are far less useful once you get any solid class features.


It does feel that way, especially with the rushed survey.

On the one hand, a lot of playtesting is just reading, since it's unlikely many people will get to try out new options. And maybe they're learning to listen to themselves rather than a self-contradictory community.

On the other hand, some of their stuff has been remarkably bone-headed and needed outside review.

So maybe they're actually doing internal playtesting more now?

While the community is fairly contradictory and difficult to listen to at times, I will never forgive them for Tasha's Ranger. the Class Variant ranger had some really amazing potential, even if it still was very Bonus Action heavy. The biggest impact change was giving them some Hunter's Mark without concentration, so that they can actually use more than a single spell of their spell list in combat (they're almost worse than Druids in how concentration heavy they are). Then they made the feature not HM (so it now competes with HM) and it's concentration, and worse damage. They showed us they are capable of making real progress with it, then killed it and made the issue far worse than it was before.



It also mentions Kalekeri as a realm inspired by Indian mythology, which certainly opens the door for more non-Western horror. I'd personally be surprised if there wasn't something at least referencing Korean or Japanese horror.

That has made this book worth buying now. Tbh I've gotten so sick of western and European mythos, having some Middle Eastern mythos and Far Eastern mythos involved is like a breath of fresh air.


I'd say that a slight clue would be that WoTC shut down their D&D forums (how many years ago?) They seem to not like forums anymore.

I'm inclined to believe they did that because they are trying to move away from powerbuilding being the name of the game, and forums are where people often congregate to discuss that kind of thing. But that's just me and my opinion.


One thing I truly dislike about all the official adventure modules is that like 95% of all NPCs are evil. Outright evil. Some willing to work with the party, most not.

And the occasional NPC that is 'good', is often quite problematic.

There's nothing wrong with heroic NPCs. I know there's legitimately one in Avernus, I won't mention who because of spoilers, not the topic for it.

But its OK to have a heroic NPC. A legitimately good person. Heck, make it a caricature if necessary to really ham it up. Its fine to occasionally have one or two people who don't have all sorts of strings attached to them.

I 100% agree. I'm all for having evil NPCs, and even hardcore evil NPCs, that the party works with, but with how many of them WoTC throws into their modules, it's never even a thing anymore. Perhaps they're trying to appeal to Murderhobo parties? Idk. I personally hate running the modules; I have enough on my plate with my non-D&D life to add studying a module to know every conceivable outcome of the party's actions without breaking the plot over my knee by accident. My DMing is 90% improv, so having to follow a script and not being able to adapt and react to unexpected outcomes makes me cringe.

[Bloodcloud]

My changeling bard had one hell of a run-in with him because he said he was looking for Vistani musician... shapeshifted as one, and well...didn't go too well.

[Gyor]

It's been announced as "Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft", which imo is a bit of a disappointment. Gothic style is cool, but it's also incredibly easy and already very well represented. I'd much rather have something new, something that pushes the boundaries of 5e a bit. Spelljammer would be fun and is in very high demand. Forgotten Realms outside of the Sword Coast are also completely untouched. Personally I'd love a Planar book, with a more in-depth exploration of the various extraplanar races, like the Gith, Genasi cultures, Mechanus as a whole, the Yugoloths, etc. We've had so many resource books released for non-D&D content (all the MTG books) while there's a high demand to update a lot of older stuff that hasn't been touched in years.

Some of the Domain go beyond the boundaries of Gothic Horror to other types of horror.

[KorvinStarmast]

I'm inclined to believe they did that because they are trying to move away from powerbuilding being the name of the game, and forums are where people often congregate to discuss that kind of thing. But that's just me and my opinion. Not betting against this one.

[Gyor]

I legitimately laughed out loud. :smallbiggrin:

So, how do I know what I know?

I'm people that know people. That's all I will say. I am intentionally vague because... Well, reasons. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But I've built and established relationships with a lot of people at WOTC over the years, and I'll leave it at that.

Some of my other prophecies include calling a Unearthed Arcana focused on alternate class features for the Ranger, and a week later they unveiled Class Feature Variants UA.

Called a few other UAs. A lot of UAs...

I can't recall off the top of my head but I think I've also called a book. Think it was Frostmaiden?

Additionally, I provided details into what all the black obelisks in the Forgotten Realms adventure books are about before Frostmaiden was released.

I provided leaks from Tasha's before release, including a leak that had to be nuked from orbit by the mods because... Reasons. Incredibly understandable reasons, in retrospect, I got too excited on that one. I earned that slap on the wrist, for sure. >_>

I'm also the first person ever to get confirmation straight from Crawford that Paladins can smite with Warlock pact magic slots. THAT one sent the official WOTC forums into a frenzy, that was a hilarious day. They've since shut down their forums, but I distinctly recall at the time how upset many were about that, and how all the optimizers drooled over it.

If I say something is an informed opinion, its because it is. And I very much try to clarify when something is strictly a guess, and not an informed opinion.

There was actually someone who made an account here to private messaged me on GITP and tried inviting me to a Discord to discuss how I know all this. I declined, because... Well, I've got decent Perception, I can detect traps :smalltongue:

-----

EDIT:

I see many concerned about when the UA was released in correlation to the release date of the book. The book is to be released in May. While cutting it a little close for the racial options recently explored, typically they only do one pass of UA if its confined to a specific setting. They've become more comfortable with errata after the fact if things get out of hand, even recently in Tasha's going to far back as to have reworked the Bladesinger which was the first supplement for 5E with player options back in 2015. If they're willing to errata THAT, they're willing to go back and change almost anything. If it falls within a certain parameter of balance, they're OK releasing it only to try to tighten up those parameters after the fact.

Oh wise well connected Seer if I may humbly ask a question, will we be getting a Forgotten Realms Campaign World Book this year or next year?

I ask because Ajit George, the guy who wrote the new South Asian style Domain in VRGtR, said he was working on more South Asian stuff for D&D and that basically leaves Faerun in the Forgotten Realms, possibly Kara Tur in the Forgotten Realms, certain Godly domains in Planescape, or an MtG D&D cross-over in Kaladesh.

[jaappleton]

Not betting against this one.

Nah. They had lots of forums there, not just optimization.

They closed the forums because with social media rising, places like Facebook groups and Discord servers, why should they spend the money to maintain forums?

It was a cost cutting measure. Around the same time, they also cut a bunch of staff. Greg Bilsand, Rodney Thompson, Chris Sims, etc.

EDIT: Gyor,
Unfortunately as of this moment, I do not know. Whenever I get new information, I pass it along here to the forums.

My guess? Kara-Tur. There’s lots of older setting which, in retrospect with how they were written at the time, are now very problematic. I know at WOTC there is interest in reviving those old settings, but they want to do it correctly. They want proper representation with their writers for these settings.

I’d say signs point to Kara-Tur, but that is not an informed opinion.

[KorvinStarmast]

It was a cost cutting measure. Around the same time, they also cut a bunch of staff. Greg Bilsand, Rodney Thompson, Chris Sims, etc. I had heard that in the context of a different discussion a few years back, thanks for the confirmation.

[TigerT20]

I would love it if they did something Maztica for the Forgotten Realms book.

Would probably have to start with a Nahuatl pronunciation guide.

[jaappleton]

snip

Well, all of that. Yes.

Plus, I know people with the playtest material. :smalltongue:

[jaappleton]

Ahh, sweet confirmation. Feels good. :smallbiggrin:


So jaappleton, that Kara-Tur guess based on anything in particular, or is it really just a guess this time? Inquiring minds and all...

As stated in the previous post, its strictly a guess. Not informed.

[Leliel]

So I did not realize how badly I underestimated my players' dislike of Van Richten continues to this day. I let everyone know about the upcoming book in our D&D group chat and it set off a flurry of discussion about it, but I didn't get a chance to read it because I was at work. I should have though, because when I got home this happened:

Me: Hello <wife's name>! How was your day?
Wife (who also plays D&D with me): Good! I wrote an in-character essay titled "Why I killed Van Richten (He's a racist b****** and I'd do it again)".

Thankfully for them, a press release said that while it's called Van Richten's Guide, it should really be the Van Richten Society's Guide. The narrator notes aren't exclusively him, but a bunch of letters between him and his contemporaries, like Alanik Ray (imagine Elf Sherlock Holmes with an anti-aristocracy side), and the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins (his direct apprentices, Laurie the gunslinger and Gennifer the possibly lycanthropic wizard). It's a Dracula homage.

Me, I'm looking forward to Falkovnia 2.0, given how I think a zombie apocalypse where the main protector of the living is the darklord is the apogee of the military, authoritarian horror it was supposed to be - you have the legions of dead on one side, and the worse threat on the other. What do you do?

[Warder]

Me, I'm looking forward to Falkovnia 2.0, given how I think a zombie apocalypse where the main protector of the living is the darklord is the apogee of the military, authoritarian horror it was supposed to be - you have the legions of dead on one side, and the worse threat on the other. What do you do?

Isn't that the plot of The Last of Us? ;)

[Leliel]

Isn't that the plot of The Last of Us? ;)

I think that and every zombie movie ever. With some Resident Evil mixed in there too, for more creative zombie types.

I am looking forward to Jager-Kaptin HUNK.

[MrStabby]

Trying to think through the M:tG worlds that would be a good fit for d&d Kamigawa seems good for a combination of strong theme and breaking new ground.

Whilst there are dragons, there isnt much of a dragon focus though.

[MoiMagnus]

Trying to think through the M:tG worlds that would be a good fit for d&d Kamigawa seems good for a combination of strong theme and breaking new ground.

Whilst there are dragons, there isnt much of a dragon focus though.

Agree that Kamigawa is a strong choice, and it's part of the few old edition we still haven't a "return to" (unless I missed it? I don't really follow MtG anymore), so they could even make a synchronised released of a new edition and a D&D setting book.

Zendikar before the MtG plot (I've not really followed what is the state of the plane after the whole Eldrazi mess) is almost literally a "standard D&D universe", though maybe too standard to have a setting book.

[MrStabby]

Have we ever noted how glorious a font of information you are?

Yeah, it has legitimately got to the point where if jaappleton says something and Jeremy Crawford were to say the opposite, I would assume Crawford didnt know what he was talking about.

[TigerT20]

Yeah, it has legitimately got to the point where if jaappleton says something and Jeremy Crawford were to say the opposite, I would assume Crawford didnt know what he was talking about.

I mean frequently that's just the case anyway.

[Leliel]

Hm. Now I kind of want to run a dark isekai story set in Ravenloft.

Because the Mists are pretty much Truck-kun.

Probably a lot of stock Light Novel behavior would result in Powers Checks, though...

[Gyor]

Nah. They had lots of forums there, not just optimization.

They closed the forums because with social media rising, places like Facebook groups and Discord servers, why should they spend the money to maintain forums?

It was a cost cutting measure. Around the same time, they also cut a bunch of staff. Greg Bilsand, Rodney Thompson, Chris Sims, etc.

EDIT: Gyor,
Unfortunately as of this moment, I do not know. Whenever I get new information, I pass it along here to the forums.

My guess? Kara-Tur. There’s lots of older setting which, in retrospect with how they were written at the time, are now very problematic. I know at WOTC there is interest in reviving those old settings, but they want to do it correctly. They want proper representation with their writers for these settings.

I’d say signs point to Kara-Tur, but that is not an informed opinion.

What you say makes sense and it seems consistent with WotCs current approach to such politically charged issues.

[Glorthindel]

Looks like WotC tried to be clever and failed; "we have this famous Ravenloft PC, but he's too good, we can't have too good characters nowadays, no one will think he's well written"
"Ok, let's give him a character flaw"
"Got it! Let's make him racist against Vistani, training a tiger to kill them on sight"
" Great idea! Now he's real, not that goody two-shoes"

Oops.

The most annoying thing about that is that is genuinely always been his one big defining flaw, however, in the earlier editions, it was one he had put considerable effort into working through, with the later years being devoted to making amends for his actions. To roll him back to "early years, still consumed with hatred and revenge" misses out a huge chunk of his character and personality.

As to content, I hope they really delve into the bigger, more nuanced realms - Mordent, Dementliue, Richemulot, Nova Vaasa, Souragne, etc, all have a lot of scope for a lot of varied stories, and aren't entirely all devoted to "you are in Domain x, you must face the Darklord". A lot of other Domains have no depth once you step away from the Darklord themselves (and some literally have no residents other than the Darklord and their immediate minions), and probably should be cut to make space for more varied settings.

One thing I hope they roll back is some of the developments around Azalin; the setting really needs the big guy, and as much as I personally loved the Grim Harvest campaign, the state it left the setting in its aftermath was much lessened for his exit. I have some hope for that, given that that set coincided timeline-wise with the Bleak House set, and the events of that appear to not be compatible with CoS if that is "current" Barovia.
The three-part adventure centers around the death of Van Richten

[jaappleton]

Yeah, it has legitimately got to the point where if jaappleton says something and Jeremy Crawford were to say the opposite, I would assume Crawford didnt know what he was talking about.

You guys are killing me with this stuff. :smalltongue:

[Connington]

Though that means I'm going to end up scrutinizing this a lot. Like, that cover art. What exactly is Count Strahd von Zarovich doing here? "Behold, I am a literal raven loft! Get it?" And poor Ezmerelda is clearly dead here, necks don't spin that far. It's all a little too comic book-y for me. Then the variant cover's incredibly boring. Probably the single most boring variant cover. Don't judge a book by it's cover, I know. But it's really not doing it for me.

:biggrin:

I am not a an artist, but I think her neck is more or less fine, or least craned to a plausible degree relative to where her torso is pointing. Looks to me like the arm is oversized/wonkily positioned, although the big shoulder pads make it hard to say for certain.

I like the standard cover more than the alternate, which is true about 50% of the time for me.

[Waterdeep Merch]

:biggrin:

I am not a an artist, but I think her neck is more or less fine, or least craned to a plausible degree relative to where her torso is pointing. Looks to me like the arm is oversized/wonkily positioned, although the big shoulder pads make it hard to say for certain.

I like the standard cover more than the alternate, which is true about 50% of the time for me.

Ah, could be the shoulder. Attempting the pose in real life is incredibly painful- lift your left leg, and then without rotating your hips, try to rotate your right shoulder inwards towards it. Then also try to spin your head past the forward shoulder.

Make sure you stretch first.

EDIT: I also just realized what it is about Strahd's face that bothers me. He's wearing a toupée. Check out the bizarre shadow on the side of his forehead where the hair should be taut against the side of his head.

"I am forever. My hair, however, was not."

[Temperjoke]

I like the standard cover more than the alternate, which is true about 50% of the time for me.

Honestly, yeah, I almost always prefer the standard. The only exception for me was Eberron: Rising from the Last War. That one I immensely liked the alternate cover.

[Gyor]

Honestly, yeah, I almost always prefer the standard. The only exception for me was Eberron: Rising from the Last War. That one I immensely liked the alternate cover.

The only time I have prefered the Standard cover over the alt cover is Tasha's Couldren of Everything.

[Leliel]

I'm really eager to see how the Dark Gifts system works, actually. I know they're supposed to be darker spins on the Gifts in Theros; the example I remember is "has a past life"; you get bonus on mental Skills, but you lose Perception due to often being lost in your past self's memories.

I'm wondering if powers checks are going to be a spin on them - as you fail, you get a Dark Gift that amplifies both in terms of benefit and cost as you travel down the line to NPC status. Also, hoping powers checks are in, because while I didn't nearly agree with the strict control of what got to be good or evil when it came to character options (like nobody has ever studied necromancy to perform seances..), the corruption mechanic was pretty good for the time and was actually tempting to engage with (because, again, you got bonuses). I feel like "the players agree when something is a dark powers check" seems like a good hack, because out of universe, it allows subjectivity to be at the table and avoiding some arguments, in-universe it speaks to the apparent caprice of the Dark Powers, given how they seem to be having different moral barometers for everyone.