Three New 5e Settings Confirmed

[Cheesegear]

Shortly thereafter they cancel reading new drafts of DL without providing a reason (effectively cancelling the contract)

The issue is that the contract isn't cancelled, but W&H still lose revenue anyway.
It seems that W&H simply signed a bad contract in good faith; "This clause seems bad, but it's not like the contractor will ever use the clause, right?"

[Segev]

How well would Barovia and Innistrad work "side by side?"

[HolyDraconus]

How well would Barovia and Innistrad work "side by side?"

On the surface, you would think pretty well together... but Barovia is locked while Innistrad isn't. Worse, Innistrad has a plane eating monster locked in the moon (well, everyone BELIEVES she's locked. Could very well be she's just biding her time.) While Barovia's big bad is honestly a confused vampire. If Barovia was allowed to evolve, maybe it could be something greater. But its pretty stagnant. Too stagnant. While Innistrad went from being classic horror tropes to full on Lovecraft Eldritch abomination horror, complete with an insane god of an angel, and who knows what its going to be like the next time Planeswalkers visit, ol land of Strahd stayed the same. If Barovia was opened to the Feywilds or the Outerplanes, it could mesh very well with Innistrad, but the Dark Ones in charge aren't going to allow someone else to usurp their power so lore wise that can't happen.

[5eNeedsDarksun]

I feel like the mechanical translation isn't really the issue. The question is if WotC would fully commit to the translation and whether they can get away with "just because the people in this setting do bad things does not mean we endorse doing those bad things". Call me naive, I think the latter is possible, if potentially exhausting*. I doubt WotC's willingness to fully commit to the setting and mechanics more.

*Firstly, make it clear it's by default a Mature rated setting. Secondly, make it clear that most characters are neutral at best trying to get by in a post-apocalypse and that such fiction often features morally grey and black characters. Repeat ad nauseum. Thirdly, take care you don't present heinous actions as good.

I agree. Just the whole vibe they've been going for doesn't seem to fit. I have seen some good stuff on the web and I'm amazed at the time some people have put in; maybe I'll start with that.

[Corsair14]

Realistically, if they just did a decent psionic work up with rules for wild talents, the rest of Dark Sun would be easy to homebrew. Change around the exhaustion effects, make sure survival skill is land type locked(grass, land, desert, obsidian waste, etc), drop the classes, archtypes and races that do not exist there, find some decent home brews for Gladiators, Muls, half Giants, and Thri-kreen and the rest shouldn't be hard to pull off. There would still be a lot of leg work on the details but much of what I listed exists on the web already. If they just opened it up to DMsGuild you would quickly find everything you need. That way wizards keeps its hands clean of mere mentioning problematic social issues and the fans who enjoy it can play.

Ravenloft to be brought to date needs: a decent terror/horror check system. Just some quick updates on the various Dread Lords. If I remember, CoS already had a curse system in place, maybe some add on to that. DM tips and tricks to make the world seem alive with contrasts, the extreme beauty of the various realms being a mere façade, or that in general the normal peasantry of all the realms are superstitious as hell but most have never seen a monster or the super natural(and aren't actually real). I don't remember if CoS has the part about familiars are all agents of the dark powers, loyal to the extreme to the character that summoned them but also trying to subvert and carry out the characters desires by any means necessary. "Grrr that guy ripped us off." Next day "That guy got murdered overnight by some vicious animal in his bed" "Meow" Cats purrs and rubs its head on the PC's leg.

Spelljammer just requires updating your basic ship types to 5e stats and decent rules for 3D combat and new races, maybe some new archtypes and backgrounds specific for the campaign. This would be an easy campaign to do for 5th if that was covered.

Planescape with its amazing artwork would unfortunately require a lot of work too since they got away from the planar system they had in 2e. Because of this I don't see it happening or at least I don't see it happening in the form we know and love.

Mysteria is a Dark Horse. This would take very little work up to pull off. We have airships in Ebberon, most major races would be unchanged. Its just a matter of fluffing out the world.

Dragon Lance before the current contract issue, while I wishlisted it as something I wanted to see, I realistically didn't see it happening. But the fact that Wizards was working on having the authors write up a new trilogy makes me think this was one of the new settings. Why else would they have the writers work on new books for a dead setting except to bring the setting back and have the new books support it. Now though....

Overall I think SpellJammer and Ravenloft have the best chances of being the setting since both are not too difficult to bring in line with 5e, both do not require leaving any classes or races out and major fluff doesn't have to be changed.

While Greyhawk or Mysteria would be cool to me, we already have a super generic fantasy world in FR.

I really think Dragonlance was the third setting and I have a bad feeling it got shelved due to the legal battle.

[EggKookoo]

Spelljammer just requires updating your basic ship types to 5e stats and decent rules for 3D combat and new races, maybe some new archtypes and backgrounds specific for the campaign. This would be an easy campaign to do for 5th if that was covered.

I think Spelljammer needs a "home base" setting of some kind. It wouldn't have to be a complete sphere with multiple planet destinations (although I wouldn't argue with that), but something. Maybe turn the Spelljammer ship itself into big, sprawling cityscape that can serve as an adventure hub. Kind of like how Sharn functions for Eberron.

Alternately, they could just have a rogue world out in the phlogiston, but that feels like it starts to edge into Planescape territory a bit...

[Naanomi]

I think Spelljammer needs a "home base" setting of some kind. It wouldn't have to be a complete sphere with multiple planet destinations (although I wouldn't argue with that), but something. Maybe turn the Spelljammer ship itself into big, sprawling cityscape that can serve as an adventure hub. Kind of like how Sharn functions for Eberron.

Alternately, they could just have a rogue world out in the phlogiston, but that feels like it starts to edge into Planescape territory a bit...

The Rock of Bral; a cosmopolitan asteroid city; has served as this in past Spelljammer settings... where exactly it is has varied a lot though (it has been placed in it's own sphere 'Bralspace', in 'Realmspace' as one of the Tears of Selune, and in the Astromundi cluster in different modules)

[EggKookoo]

The Rock of Bral; a cosmopolitan asteroid city; has served as this in past Spelljammer settings... where exactly it is has varied a lot though (it has been placed in it's own sphere 'Bralspace', in 'Realmspace' as one of the Tears of Selune, and in the Astromundi cluster in different modules)

Yes, I forgot about Bral. That would be good.

I've never played Spelljammer, just read the old 2e book, so things slip my mind.

[GreyBlack]

All the previous planeshift MTG pdfs are being expanded into full setting books? Great!

I see no potential problems with any of this.

[KorvinStarmast]

All the previous planeshift MTG pdfs are being expanded into full setting books? Great!

When you see that old guy atop the Golden Gate bridge, preparing to jump off? Yeah, that would be me.

[Xervous]

When you see that old guy atop the Golden Gate bridge, preparing to jump off? Yeah, that would be me.

Quick, burn enough books and the updraft will slow his descent!

[verbatim]

Planescape with its amazing artwork would unfortunately require a lot of work too since they got away from the planar system they had in 2e. Because of this I don't see it happening or at least I don't see it happening in the form we know and love.

The 5e DMG's willingness to namedrop paraelemental planes (Ice and Ooze) and offer optional rules for each Outer Plane makes me think that while it is a lot of work, we could one day see some sort of book involving Sigil and/or the Inner and Outer Planes.

[KorvinStarmast]

The 5e DMG's willingness to namedrop paraelemental planes (Ice and Ooze) and offer optional rules for each Outer Plane makes me think that while it is a lot of work, we could one day see some sort of book involving Sigil and/or the Inner and Outer Planes.

Not only that, but isn't Planescape a great vehicle for Tier 3 and Tier 4 adventures?

[Brookshw]

Not only that, but isn't Planescape a great vehicle for Tier 3 and Tier 4 adventures?

Few published adventures went that high of level, but the scope of the setting certainly allows for a high ceiling.

Ah so it’s Ancient Rome. The GM of one table I’m currently playing at pitched us an antiquity setting and all the other players were shocked at NPC responses to their comments on slavery. Nice knowing you Dark Sun. In this context I don’t see WotC having the balls or know how for publishing.

As I recall the societies that practiced slavery (the majority of societies in the setting) were run by genocidal supremely powerful beings that drained life force as part of their ascension to dragonhood (not actual dragons), i.e., people with giant "we're bad people" signs. And there was a long adventure series about escaped slaves rising up. I don't know that there's really a problem with the presentation unless things were drastically changed in 4th.

[KorvinStarmast]

I don't know that there's really a problem with the presentation unless things were drastically changed in 4th.

WoTC might be advised to promote the "slave uprising against the evil dragonlords" or some such, or the environment-scourging Defilers, and showcase the good aligned Perservers, if they want to be hip and on point with modern norms in Seattle, where they have their HQ.

[Millstone85]

The 5e DMG's willingness to namedrop paraelemental planes (Ice and Ooze) and offer optional rules for each Outer Plane makes me think that while it is a lot of work, we could one day see some sort of book involving Sigil and/or the Inner and Outer Planes.

Not just Ice and Ooze, but also Magma and Smoke Ash, as seen on the map page 57.

[Unoriginal]

So "We still own all your ****, we're just never releasing it, or not releasing it at this time when we said we would."

WotC really is big on doing that, uh?

[Brookshw]

WoTC might be advised to promote the "slave uprising against the evil dragonlords" or some such, or the environment-scourging Defilers, and showcase the good aligned Perservers, if they want to be hip and on point with modern norms in Seattle, where they have their HQ.

Yeah, but their lawyers are in CT, and, ya know, it's CT.

[KorvinStarmast]

Yeah, but their lawyers are in CT, and, ya know, it's CT.

Hmm, is that where Hasbro HQ is? I thought they were HQ'd in Rhode Island, probably for tax reasons. (Guessing a bit there)

[Brookshw]

Hmm, is that where Hasbro HQ is? I thought they were HQ'd in Rhode Island, probably for tax reasons. (Guessing a bit there)

Iirc, their counsel was in CT, though it's been a while since I've connected with them and my memory may be failing me. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if they weren't in the same town at any rate.