'Dungeons & Dragons' to Announce New Settings for Fifth Edition Later This Year

[Kane0]

I’d like to ask a question, and I hope it doesn’t end in any kind of flame war. Please understand I ask sincerely and not condescendingly.

Why do people care so much about published settings?

My entire tenure as both player and DM in D&D has been in homebrewed campaigns. Almost every player I personally consort with outside of this campaign ONLY cares about homebrew. I doubt 90% of the players I know personally could even name a setting, including Forgotten Realms.

I understand settings carry a theme, and some of them are radical departures from typical D&D tropes, such as Dark Sun, but rather than waiting for WOTC to give you a limited campaign book or something lame like SCAG, why not do that theme yourself?

It lends variety for official play, as well as the creators that make adventures, novels, videogames, etc.

Imagine if we didn't have Icewind Dale, Planescape, NWN: SoU, DDO, etc because all we had to work with was the Sword Coast. It would probably feel a bit bland and overdone after a bit.

[Naanomi]

Which explains the renewed interest in psionics. They want it finalized for Eberron for those who want to play Kalashtar in addition for general use.

Could also be Darksun signaling... definetly need psionics in place for Athas

[Nifft]

I would love to see Planescape, and it's right in tune with the 2e-nostalgia-goggles that seem to cloud 5e publication choices.

[Mortis_Elrod]

I’d like to ask a question, and I hope it doesn’t end in any kind of flame war. Please understand I ask sincerely and not condescendingly.

Why do people care so much about published settings?

My entire tenure as both player and DM in D&D has been in homebrewed campaigns. Almost every player I personally consort with outside of this campaign ONLY cares about homebrew. I doubt 90% of the players I know personally could even name a setting, including Forgotten Realms.

I understand settings carry a theme, and some of them are radical departures from typical D&D tropes, such as Dark Sun, but rather than waiting for WOTC to give you a limited campaign book or something lame like SCAG, why not do that theme yourself?

Settings for me means new official content that is easier to get support from DMs. I don’t really care about the lore of the settings since I as well play in mostly homebrew campaigns. I just want new stuff.

[Mjolnirbear]

I’d like to ask a question, and I hope it doesn’t end in any kind of flame war. Please understand I ask sincerely and not condescendingly.

Why do people care so much about published settings?

My entire tenure as both player and DM in D&D has been in homebrewed campaigns. Almost every player I personally consort with outside of this campaign ONLY cares about homebrew. I doubt 90% of the players I know personally could even name a setting, including Forgotten Realms.

I understand settings carry a theme, and some of them are radical departures from typical D&D tropes, such as Dark Sun, but rather than waiting for WOTC to give you a limited campaign book or something lame like SCAG, why not do that theme yourself?

My homebrew skills are pitiful. I'm going to DM my first non-published story in a few months and a book would make it lots easier.

[Derpaligtr]

http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/06/...aign-settings/

About f**king time!

...thought I'd share this with you, if you hadn't seen it yet.

A bit too late, I know plenty of people who have left 5e behind and are playing 3e and 4e so they don't have to transfer any info to a new system.

If they play it safe and go Eberron or Darksun... I'm going to have to pass. They did both of those to the ground already.

Some things that would get me actually to buy... Mahasarpa, Spelljammer, Hollow World (have a notable NPC named Admiral Byrd), or a brand new setting based around the something new.

[Smitty Wesson]

Options that come to mind:

1. A Sigil adventure
2. A Spelljamming adventure around Realmspace (possibly visiting elsewhere)
3. An anthology adventure like TftYP that dips into different settings for each adventure (with more attention than Yawning Portal paid to them)
4. A book that contains Psion + Artificer, races for Eberron and Dark Sun, and brief overviews of those settings
5. An anthology adventure with different settings that uses Sigil as a focal point
6. A race-focused book that includes fluff from various settings on the included races

I doubt that we get Eberron and Dark Sun in full until the Psion and Artificer are done, and I'm alright with that.

[dreast]

Considering that

a). Planescape’s planescape (i.e., the great wheel) is already the “official” setting of D&D, instead of FR’s old world tree cosmology,

b) Modrons are a thing, which, if we’re being reasonable, ONLY makes sense in a Planescape context,

c) Orcus has been pushed pretty hard as a demon lord... but did NOT make an appearance in the main body of OOtA (and the one appearance he did have clearly established the importance of a certain artifact...),

d) SIGIL is a thing,

e) As of MToF, playable gith are a thing,

f). The latest UA introduces a schema for hybrid creature-men, which makes me think a Tortle-style bauriaur release could be possible,

g) oh, yeah, Chris tweeted that if there were any setting he could update to 5e it would be Planescape...

If I were a betting man, I’d go very good odds that it’s Planescape and not unreasonable odds that it’s the full Great Modron March saga, updated a la Curse of Strahd (with probably optional cant rules. The barmy leatherheads!).

[Kane0]

Considering that

a). Planescape’s planescape (i.e., the great wheel) is already the “official” setting of D&D, instead of FR’s old world tree cosmology,

b) Modrons are a thing, which, if we’re being reasonable, ONLY makes sense in a Planescape context,

c) Orcus has been pushed pretty hard as a demon lord... but did NOT make an appearance in the main body of OOtA (and the one appearance he did have clearly established the importance of a certain artifact...),

d) SIGIL is a thing,

e) As of MToF, playable gith are a thing,

f). The latest UA introduces a schema for hybrid creature-men, which makes me think a Tortle-style bauriaur release could be possible,

g) oh, yeah, Chris tweeted that if there were any setting he could update to 5e it would be Planescape...

If I were a betting man, I’d go very good odds that it’s Planescape and not unreasonable odds that it’s the full Great Modron March saga, updated a la Curse of Strahd (with probably optional cant rules. The barmy leatherheads!).

Sounds like a reasonable wager.

[Regitnui]

I said this before, but Eberron is a natural mechanical expansion on FR, opening up magic items, two new classes, and being psionics 101: Use it or Not. Dark Sun is too radical a departure, what with basically cutting all warlocks and clerics off from their power and making wizards, sorcerers, ATs, EKs and every other arcane spellcasting class villains by default. I'd be disappointed in Planescape, because it's doubling down on the Great Wheel (for all its madness). Spelljammer would be hilarious and awesome, being it's D&D in "Space".

I personally don't care if the book is a partial adventure arc that briefly putters into planar portals and back onto FR. I want Eberron unlocked for DMsG, because that means I can find more adventure adaptions and material there, rather than "Forgotten" Realms, "Forgotten Realms" and Ravenloft.

[Smitty Wesson]

I’d like to ask a question, and I hope it doesn’t end in any kind of flame war. Please understand I ask sincerely and not condescendingly.

Why do people care so much about published settings?

My entire tenure as both player and DM in D&D has been in homebrewed campaigns. Almost every player I personally consort with outside of this campaign ONLY cares about homebrew. I doubt 90% of the players I know personally could even name a setting, including Forgotten Realms.

I understand settings carry a theme, and some of them are radical departures from typical D&D tropes, such as Dark Sun, but rather than waiting for WOTC to give you a limited campaign book or something lame like SCAG, why not do that theme yourself?

I think a major part of it is - some of the content people are most invested in is kinda "locked" to settings. I want to play a changeling. I want to play a thri-kreen. I want to play a hadozee. As a DM, I want to use Giant Space Hamsters and Living Spells and Warforged Titans and Moon Dragons. I want to battle the Sorcerer Kings and the Daelkyr.

And I don't think there will be any support for any of that until there are setting guides for Eberron and Dark Sun and Spelljammer. So it's partly a case of "I can't get the things I want most until I get This."

Yeah, there's homebrew. But the published material is a huge help when it's hard enough finding time to run the game, much less make most of the material I'd be using.

[Theodoxus]

I have it on very good authority that the next setting is a finalized Magic the Gathering multiverse.

This makes me sad. But crossing WotC's two biggest products is a no-brainer, despite what we, the fanbase, actually want.

[Nifft]

I have it on very good authority that the next setting is a finalized Magic the Gathering multiverse.

This makes me sad. But crossing WotC's two biggest products is a no-brainer, despite what we, the fanbase, actually want.

That might be good.

I kinda wish you weren't joking.

[Unoriginal]

If it's about the Great Modron March, maybe the adventure will take the PCs accross several different worlds.

[Luccan]

As a person with 0 MtG experience, what would the actual appeal of such a setting be?

Eberron gives us the "modernized" world of D&D: Still a land of adventure, kingdoms, and mystery, but with magic actually applied for the general populace with what's essentially a Magical Industrial Revolution. A chance for a few new races and classes.

Planescape would be a chance to really open up planar travel and non-Prime Material adventures (and also seems to take MtG's shtick as far as I know, what with all that planeswalking).

Spelljammer, of course, is D&D IN SPACE!

For Dark Sun, we have a psionics heavy, post apocalyptic, magic hostile setting; a significant departure from more traditional FR, Greyhawk, or even Eberron. Like Eberron, however, it gives a chance for new races and classes.

So what does MtG give us?

For my money, I'd expect either Planescape or Spelljammer and I lean towards the first.

[Finback]

The much-speculated reboot of the Great Modron March would be a great Planescape introductory adventure. Plus, of course, more ridiculous modrons.

Oooh that would be majestic.

My personal preference is Planescape, followed by Dark Sun.

[HolyDraconus]

As a person with 0 MtG experience, what would the actual appeal of such a setting be?

Eberron gives us the "modernized" world of D&D: Still a land of adventure, kingdoms, and mystery, but with magic actually applied for the general populace with what's essentially a Magical Industrial Revolution. A chance for a few new races and classes.

Planescape would be a chance to really open up planar travel and non-Prime Material adventures (and also seems to take MtG's shtick as far as I know, what with all that planeswalking).

Spelljammer, of course, is D&D IN SPACE!

For Dark Sun, we have a psionics heavy, post apocalyptic, magic hostile setting; a significant departure from more traditional FR, Greyhawk, or even Eberron. Like Eberron, however, it gives a chance for new races and classes.

So what does MtG give us?

For my money, I'd expect either Planescape or Spelljammer and I lean towards the first.

Depends on how deep in Magic they plan to go. Ravnica is basically Eberron in some ways, innistrahd is ravenloft, zendikar is dnd for magic, so that would be weird. Dominaria is greyhawk. Amonkhet is dark sun in some ways. Ixilan is dragonlance in some ways. Phrexia can be spelljammer.....hmmm... the more I think about it, that cross over would be.....hmm...

[Glorthindel]

Maybe I'm just old and cynical, but I'm not sure I trust the current crop of developers with the keys to the settings. They seem a little too hell-bent on 'normalising' some elements across the multiverse (putting Elves in Barovia to make non-humans less shocking, giving a unified elven creation story, inserting the Raven Queen into the Realms, etc), and given that these seem to be being edged towards 'holidays in a setting' rather than full setting guides, I fear there will be major concessions made to ensure Adventurers League characters can be comfortably accommodated. And I think could lead to some horrible, horrible damage to these settings.

I wont list the amount of damage that could be done to Eberron by normalising how their many monsterous races behave, but Dragonlance's Draconians could be badly mangled to accomodate Dragonborn. Dark Sun would definitely suffer because I can't imagine them wanting to exclude every magic-using class, so no doubt some exception would be made to allow magic-using characters to explore the setting, which would run completely contrary to that setting.

[Unoriginal]

Maybe I'm just old and cynical, but I'm not sure I trust the current crop of developers with the keys to the settings. They seem a little too hell-bent on 'normalising' some elements across the multiverse (putting Elves in Barovia to make non-humans less shocking, giving a unified elven creation story, inserting the Raven Queen into the Realms, etc), and given that these seem to be being edged towards 'holidays in a setting' rather than full setting guides, I fear there will be major concessions made to ensure Adventurers League characters can be comfortably accommodated. And I think could lead to some horrible, horrible damage to these settings.

I wont list the amount of damage that could be done to Eberron by normalising how their many monsterous races behave, but Dragonlance's Draconians could be badly mangled to accomodate Dragonborn. Dark Sun would definitely suffer because I can't imagine them wanting to exclude every magic-using class, so no doubt some exception would be made to allow magic-using characters to explore the setting, which would run completely contrary to that setting.

Any "damage" that could happen, already happened. All the setting worlds have been confirmed to be in the same Material Plane, with each of the Crystal Spheres surrounding the worlds having its own rules (including about magic).

[RobD]

I actually wanna see something about Mystara. No one ever talks about it and I've never seen it used outside of some old arcade games. I have no idea what that setting is about and its mystery intrigues me.

[Regitnui]

Any "damage" that could happen, already happened. All the setting worlds have been confirmed to be in the same Material Plane, with each of the Crystal Spheres surrounding the worlds having its own rules (including about magic).

Not to open the door for this discussion and a certain rambling user, but no changes/"damage" have been made to any settings other that FR yet. A vague confirmation of something as high-level as that is not applicable to individual settings. "Damage" is removing defiling and preserving from Dark Sun so that AL playes who don't want to adapt can keep playing wizards and throwing around fireballs openly or making the elves of Eberron openly worship Correllon and Lolth. FR has been released. Every change to that setting has been made. All other settings remain in limbo.

[Unoriginal]

Not to open the door for this discussion and a certain rambling user, but no changes/"damage" have been made to any settings other that FR yet. A vague confirmation of something as high-level as that is not applicable to individual settings. "Damage" is removing defiling and preserving from Dark Sun so that AL playes who don't want to adapt can keep playing wizards and throwing around fireballs openly or making the elves of Eberron openly worship Correllon and Lolth. FR has been released. Every change to that setting has been made. All other settings remain in limbo.

This was addressed:

VULKOOR
Drow of the world of Eberron worship a scorpion-god named Vulkoor, which is their world's equivalent of Lolth. Vulkoor is often portrayed or envisioned as a giant scorpion or as a hybrid creature with the head, arms, and upper torso of a strong male drow and the lower body of a scorpion. The dark elves of Eberron revere scorpions, seeing spiders and other arachnids to be lesser servitors of Vulkoor. Many drow believe that Vulkoor and the Mockery (one of the group of evil deities known as the Dark Six) are one and the same. Drow from the jungle continent of Xen'drik ritually tattoo themselves using scorpion venom, leaving white scars etched into their skin.

Drow of other worlds rarely know of Vulkoor. Those who are familiar with his name consider him one of the weakest of the Dark Seldarine, a subordinate of Lolth who is disregarded by the other gods. Both visions of Vulkoor might be accurate, since Lolth seems to have little influence in Khyber but the drow there bear many similarities to the Lolth-worshiping drow of other realms throughout the multiverse.

I think it's safe to say they're not going to modify the settings willy-nilly just to accommodate characters.

In fact they're probably more likely to go the "fish out of water, and the surface is dangerous" road for AL characters showing up in a new world.

[the_brazenburn]

Not to open the door for this discussion and a certain rambling user, but no changes/"damage" have been made to any settings other that FR yet. A vague confirmation of something as high-level as that is not applicable to individual settings. "Damage" is removing defiling and preserving from Dark Sun so that AL playes who don't want to adapt can keep playing wizards and throwing around fireballs openly or making the elves of Eberron openly worship Correllon and Lolth. FR has been released. Every change to that setting has been made. All other settings remain in limbo.

No no no no no no no!

Cast Protection against Tetrasodium! Protection against Tetrasodium!

[Fire Tarrasque]

Spelljammer!
Though technically both Spelljammer and Greyhawk were discontinued back in 2nd AD&D.
Though maybe they were undiscontinued?? I don't know.
Black Sun would at least net us two new subclasses though. I'm fine with this.
Honestly I just want Spelljammer less for the setting and more to just have Spelljamming rules.

[Wilb]

I actually wanna see something about Mystara. No one ever talks about it and I've never seen it used outside of some old arcade games. I have no idea what that setting is about and its mystery intrigues me.

Well, I dream about Mystara being published again as much as I dread the effects of the touch of current Wotc on the setting. Get some info at the vaults of Pandius website, it is to Mystara what Canonfire is to Greyhawk.

[War_lord]

Not to open the door for this discussion and a certain rambling user, but no changes/"damage" have been made to any settings other that FR yet. A vague confirmation of something as high-level as that is not applicable to individual settings. "Damage" is removing defiling and preserving from Dark Sun so that AL playes who don't want to adapt can keep playing wizards and throwing around fireballs openly or making the elves of Eberron openly worship Correllon and Lolth. FR has been released. Every change to that setting has been made. All other settings remain in limbo.

They've made all the settings part of one consistent planescape-like cosmology. That's going to cause significant amounts of "damage" to the people who are super wedded to the idea that there's no gods in Eberron. Particularly since the poster-who-shall-not-be-named has a particular beef against anything remotely Lolth adjacent.

[Naanomi]

Meh, Darksun has no Gods and yet is part of the Great Wheel

[Unoriginal]

Meh, Darksun has no Gods and yet is part of the Great Wheel

Yes, because the Crystal Sphere around Athas in the Material Plane is like that.

[Regitnui]

They've made all the settings part of one consistent planescape-like cosmology. That's going to cause significant amounts of "damage" to the people who are super wedded to the idea that there's no gods in Eberron. Particularly since the poster-who-shall-not-be-named has a particular beef against anything remotely Lolth adjacent.

The problem with Eberron being in a Planescape cosmology is not the gods: The major theistic religion of Eberron wouldn't believe that what the FR people worship are gods; just supremely powerful outsiders. As an example, Pelor wouldn't be a god to anyone on Eberron. He'd be called a representative of Dol Arrah, the real god of sunrise and war in Eberron's perspective.

The problem lies in the fact that Eberron has a completely independent planar system. Each of the existing planes accounts for any type of outsider, and all of them interact with the Material Plane predictably to the point where planar influences can be charted like climate is in our world. There are very few direct correspondences between the Great Wheel and Eberron's orbiting planes, so it's nigh impossible to merge them without significant changes to one or the other. They do exist in the same Astral Plane, but Planescape doesn't focus on that.

Personally, I put my bets on Spelljammer linking the Material worlds together, just because it doesn't automatically lock every setting to the Great Wheel, offering more freedom if the designers build their own settings or want to semiofficially include Plane Shifts and the M:tG planes in the D&D Material/Astral Plane.

[Naanomi]

Yes, because the Crystal Sphere around Athas in the Material Plane is like that.

It wouldn’t be any harder to seal off Ebberon in (demiplane, Deep Astral, random other Planar Phenomenon) than it was Athas when it was integrated into Planescape

Personally, I put my bets on Spelljammer linking the Material worlds together, just because it doesn't automatically lock every setting to the Great Wheel, offering more freedom if the designers build their own settings or want to semiofficially include Plane Shifts and the M:tG planes in the D&D Material/Astral Plane.

Classically, Spelljammer is super explicitly travel around the Prime Material Plane... it wouldn’t get you to other Cosmologies like Ebberon/The Blind Eternities... Planescape has more routes to get you off the Great Wheel than Spelljammer does