Ravnica Update: Focus on Five Guilds

Do you want to explore the undercity of Ravnica as guest or enemy of the Golgari Swarm? What challenge does the leader of the Selesnya Conclave face? Do you want a large d10 with a guild symbol on each face? Here is an update on what we know about D&D Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica.

Do you want to explore the undercity of Ravnica as guest or enemy of the Golgari Swarm? What challenge does the leader of the Selesnya Conclave face? Do you want a large d10 with a guild symbol on each face? Here is an update on what we know about D&D Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica.


On Sept 27, the Dragon Talk Podcast with Ari Levitch and Greg Tito provided a new preview about Ravnica. Daily MTG provides additional details on five guilds.

The Guildmasters’ Guide opens right after the events of Return to Ravnica for Magic the Gathering. The guildmasters are the same, but dangerous events are in motion and life is becoming precarious. Jace the Planeswalker has left Ravnica taking the enforceable peace of the Guildpact with him.


The Golgari take the long view—all institutions both physical and society will all crumble away eventually. Sometimes they speed things along—assassins to create instability and proclaimers to plant the spores of future revolution. With Jace away, these plans may come to fruition.

Ravnica is ancient. Layers and layers deep. The Beneath the streets is the vast Undercity where the Golgari dwell. Dungeon delves are possible as the Undercity dives deep. Exploration into its depths will take out the comforts of city civilization from player characters.


In the Guildmasters’ Guide, the Undercity is not always depicted as grubby or muck covered but is an actual kingdom beneath the streets, an otherworldly sometimes beautiful place. But with fungus. The Golgari Swarm embraces life and death as a cycle. They appreciate the entire spectrum.


The Swarm is home to many elves, which are like the drow of other worlds. Some Golgari are findbrokers that collect trash from the surface and extract valuables from them. Recyclers, including necromancers, raise fungus zombies to shambling unlife with spores. Death and necromancy can combine with druidic magic since death is part of the cycle of life. The spore druid embraces this ideal. Proclaimers are ready to reclaim the surface for when the Golgari return to the surface and take over.

Their Guildmaster is Jarad, an elven lich lord. Ambition to pursue personal goals is part of this guild and leadership cycles through many guildmasters. Assassination or political maneuvering leads to a change of leadership—cutthroat like the natural world. Savra, Jarad’s sister, used to run the guild before she was killed by Szadek who took over leadership. Jarad took the life of Szadek along with his leadership.

The Selesnya Conclave follow Mat'Selesnya the World Soul. The guild believes that society and nature should co-exist. They want to build a city that curbs the natural world but keeps it growing as well. The massive world-tree Vitu-Ghazi serves as the focus and guildhall of the guild. The Guildmaster is Trostani, a dryad connected via one tree trunk to three bodies representing harmony, life, and order.


The Selesnya are home to elves, like wood elves on other worlds, and the elephant loxodons. Elves ride wolves as Ledev Guardians. The serve as emissaries and evangels of the faith and make excellent soldiers as well.

Trostani used to speak in one voice, but now there is disharmony between the three voices. They may be hearing different things that the World Soul is saying. Perhaps a quest to restore harmony is needed.

A set of Ravnica dice will be sold in a decorated tin with the seal of all ten guilds on it. The oversized D10 has a guild symbol on each side so you can randomly roll a guild when needed.

D&D Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica releases November 9 game stores and November 20 everywhere.

This article was contributed by Charles Dunwoody as part of EN World's Columnist (ENWC) program.We are always on the lookout for freelance columnists! If you have a pitch, please contact us!
 

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Charles Dunwoody

Charles Dunwoody

pming

Legend
Hiya!

That's probably true, but why would any DM choose to use a thematic setting over a generic setting if they're not going to engage with the elements that make it unique?

Well, with how so many 5e'ers seem to be set on "official only" (someone did a poll a few weeks ago that was rather surprising to me)...hold... found it! http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?497771-Does-your-group-allow-homebrew-or-3PP-material 34%+ use 'published only'. A full THIRD of us only use published. O_O To me, that is a huge number for a game that is based on imagination and making stuff up.

Also, the usual reasons (DM is 'outvoted', DM was bought/given the book and asked to run it, DM's players kinda want to try it and the DM wants to play with his friends, etc; you know, the regular social/friendship/slim-pickins' trio).


TwoSix said:
In general, unless the DM and the majority of the players have knowledge and interest in a published setting, I think it's just easier to homebrew. That's why I'm interested in looking to Ravnica for ideas, but won't be running it.

Agreed, 100%. Always nice to see another DM's view on what a "cool fantasy idea" is to them. Biggest problem with Ravnica is that, from what I can tell, it was pretty much "designed by committee"? I'm not seeing any info anywhere about who actually "wrote" Ravnica. I'm not saying that this format can't be good (or even great), I'm just saying I'd rather trust the vision of one person (or two working together), than a group of people who were told "Hey, work up a new backdrop story thing for Magic. We need to put out a new card-series to keep this cash-cow going! Got that? Good. Get to work. See you in a month" by some CEO/Company-muckety-muck.

In short...I'll wait for the rest of the masses to start giving more info before I even really consider grabbing it. YMMV.

^_^

Paul L. Ming
 

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Hiya.

The thing I'm not grocking is the feeling that, no matter what the Player comes up with for a PC, no matter what his PC's history, background or personality is, that PC will ALWAYS be subject to being manipulated by a Guild...or, almost as bad, placed into some "caste/privilege box".

This may not be the case...I don't know much at all about Ravnica because nothing has really grabbed me as 'cool'...but it's the feeling I get as a DM. That every one of my NPC's will have some Guild-oriented agenda that is the ultimate decider...even if that NPC is playing it off as some other one "Please rescue my daughter! * ( *because I need to marry her to a different Guild's member in order to have a massive loan forgiven )". Because unless it's possible to NOT be a member of any guild, and then open an Inn/Tavern or build a Keep somewhere, and NOT be attacked/oppressed from virtually everyone...well, that's a problem for me (as a DM). I just don't think that would be a fun setting to be DM'ing in.

It's cool if others love the setting. More power to 'em! I have yet to buy a WotC 5e product other than Starter Box, PHB, MM, DMG, so it's not like WotC is hurting for my cash! ;)

^_^

Paul L. Ming

Guildless make a up a large portion of the city population. No one is born into a guild, they sign up or get recruited.

My understanding is PCs won't have to join a guild. A character could just choose a background instead.
 

Agreed, 100%. Always nice to see another DM's view on what a "cool fantasy idea" is to them. Biggest problem with Ravnica is that, from what I can tell, it was pretty much "designed by committee"? I'm not seeing any info anywhere about who actually "wrote" Ravnica. I'm not saying that this format can't be good (or even great), I'm just saying I'd rather trust the vision of one person (or two working together), than a group of people who were told "Hey, work up a new backdrop story thing for Magic. We need to put out a new card-series to keep this cash-cow going! Got that? Good. Get to work. See you in a month" by some CEO/Company-muckety-muck.

In short...I'll wait for the rest of the masses to start giving more info before I even really consider grabbing it. YMMV.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

James Wyatt did the majority of the writing according to the interviews. James Wyatt won an Origins Awards in 2003 for City of the Spider Queen and in 2005 for the Eberron Campaign Setting, which he co-authored with Bill Slavicsek and Keith Baker. His other notable works include Oriental Adventures (for which he won an ENnie Award in 2002).

Ravnica has been around since 2005.

I completely agree that you should get as much information as you need before deciding to buy or not buy something.
 
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Parmandur

Book-Friend
My main issue with Ravnica as 2018's "Eberron Meets Planescape You Never Asked For It But Hasbro Said We Must" sourcebook is - this Planet City setting feels so much OVER THE TOP and BUSY AND CROWDED compared to a typical fantasy world that is developed with care and balance between urban and wilderness adventure. It has so much going on all the time and everywhere and the artwork of the Magic cards represent that.

Players and DM often have trouble maintaining an urban adventure in a huge megapolis with complex political environment. I've had games where players, after being very busy with the urban schemes and adventures, needed some fresh air going out and feeling on a trek or vacation to some classic adventure before returning. Ravnica is ALL CITY, ALL THE TIME. Even that forest is actually a park in some district. It is mindblogging to have a city spanning a whole content, or a whole planet. Every travel is basically navigating streets, every day, all the time. You enter a forest only to emerge from it on the other side and join a market district - one of ten of millions across the planet. How long until the uniqueness of the single place is basically washed out by the random generation of streets, quarters, and places that goes into seve-nine digit number. How long until players feel claustrophobic and overwhelmed by the insane downpour of shapes and buildings and PEOPLE everywhere they go.

If only we had this marketing crossover at better times, such as Kaladesh. Hindi-inspired setting with technology, mixing Indian mythology, Eberron-like magic is everywhere. Artificer Dwarves, dark-skinned humans with Hindi class segregation and political conflict. Technology where everything is made of fine golden-colored parts weaved like embroidery... It was really interesting setting to play in. But Ravnica is basically TOO MUCH, AT ONCE, ALL THE PLACE, EVERYWHERE YOU GO.

What kind of adventures does such place inspire?

To be fair, those questions are literally what is in the book, answered with oodles of random generation tables, apparently.
 

To be fair, those questions are literally what is in the book, answered with oodles of random generation tables, apparently.

What Parmandur said. James Wyatt was very clear in interviews that he wanted usable art, usable maps, and usable adventures. This meant really upping the game on included maps many of which not even Magic the Gathering players have seen before. New art will show adventurers adventuring in time honored D&D tradition. There will be specific examples of possible adventures and supporting material for the DM. More than anything, this book will be a D&D book for D&D players. Yes, some MtG players will like the lore and art and maps. But is will be a real D&D world for real D&D players to use at the table. At least, that is what Mike Mearls and James Wyatt have said, in some cases more than once.

Edit: Also, if you listen to the podcasts and YouTube both Mike Mearls and James Wyatt are really proud of Ravnica. The D&D team, especially James, worked hard on this book, pursued great maps and art, and really hammered out the detail on lore and rules. James Wyatt helped author Eberron, so if he is proud of another world he has worked on I think it will at least be worth browsing through at a FLGS or at a bookstore before making a final decision.
 
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pming

Legend
Hiya!

Guildless make a up a large portion of the city population. No one is born into a guild, they sign up or get recruited.

My understanding is PCs won't have to join a guild. A character could just choose a background instead.

See? See this? THIS is where, imnsho, WotC should be focusing on for D&D DM's and Players. THIS is the first time I'm hearing of this whole "Guildless" thing and that the MAJORITY of the population don't belong to one. Now, when playing MtG and building a deck, I would assume that having a specific Guild is a major benefit...which would lead to the whole "Guild's vie for power" marketing thing. Sells more cards that way.

BUTT... (and that's a full-sized Jimmy Castor, Bertha Butt Boogie sized BUTT)... the Guildmasters Guide to Ravinica is written primarily for D&D gamers. And with TTRPG's, the PC's tend towards "We do our own thing...". And with DM's, they tend towards "Cool...BUT...I think my idea to X, Y and Z would make it better...".

So WotC needs to play up the whole "Guildless" thing. Focus more on what the DM can do with the setting to make it his own, and how Players can create all those "antisocial-miscreants" they want to. How they can do their own thing...kinda play up a sort of purely fantasy "Shadowrun" type thing. See...that could be cool. That could be interesting.

Thanks for the info! You got me to look into it a bit more now...or at least keep my ear out for release dates and whatnot.

^_^

Paul L. Ming
 

Faction/guild politics tends to be a feature of most urban adventures, whether the city be Waterdeep, Sigil or Ravnica. I would expect players to become involved, irrespective of if they actually belong to a guild or not.


But I expect most players will want to join guilds when playing in Ravnica, both on the basis of novelty - no point in playing in a new setting if you don't take advantage of its features, and I suspect, mechanical advantage. I suspect in Ravnica guild membership will give greater benefits than a standard background.
 

Hiya!



See? See this? THIS is where, imnsho, WotC should be focusing on for D&D DM's and Players. THIS is the first time I'm hearing of this whole "Guildless" thing and that the MAJORITY of the population don't belong to one. Now, when playing MtG and building a deck, I would assume that having a specific Guild is a major benefit...which would lead to the whole "Guild's vie for power" marketing thing. Sells more cards that way.

BUTT... (and that's a full-sized Jimmy Castor, Bertha Butt Boogie sized BUTT)... the Guildmasters Guide to Ravinica is written primarily for D&D gamers. And with TTRPG's, the PC's tend towards "We do our own thing...". And with DM's, they tend towards "Cool...BUT...I think my idea to X, Y and Z would make it better...".

So WotC needs to play up the whole "Guildless" thing. Focus more on what the DM can do with the setting to make it his own, and how Players can create all those "antisocial-miscreants" they want to. How they can do their own thing...kinda play up a sort of purely fantasy "Shadowrun" type thing. See...that could be cool. That could be interesting.

Thanks for the info! You got me to look into it a bit more now...or at least keep my ear out for release dates and whatnot.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

That is one major reason I am glad that EN World runs these articles. Information is out there but it is scattered in different locations. Sometimes I miss the days of previews in print Dragon Magazine. And walking uphill to school both ways of course.

Take this with a grain of salt, because it not from a Wizard's website, but here is some info on the guildless. I don't know how much if any of this info will make it into the book, but that won't stop a DM from using it.

https://mtg.gamepedia.com/Guildless

The Guildless or Unguilded are all people on Ravnica that aren't part of one of the ten Ravnican guilds. They are for example shopkeepers, storytellers or mobsters.

“The Gateless have risen. The Ten shall fall”
Out of the Guildless emerged the Gateless Movement, a rebellious faction that actively resisted the Guilds.


When the Guilds of Ravnica reformed after the collapse of the Guildpact, they were afflicted by seemingly random acts of violence. Investigations revealed that these atrocious acts were being carried out by Ravnicans who refused to join a guild and to adhere to some ancient guildmaster's creed. Graffiti in the Ninth District soon alluded to these people as the Gateless, people who were proud to never enter a gate.

Boros Firemanes led a victorious assault on the rebels and now the Gateless have marked their leader Nevana for death. Some Angels that didn't agree with the assault deserted to the Gateless. Freemages also joined the rebels.


The Cult of Yore is a secret guildless group which worships the old gods of Ravnica, the Nephilim.

Edit: Beneath that article are links to the cards that inform it. In the same way I use the cards to try to understand Ravnica in these articles. Fencing Ace for example: His prowess gives the guildless hope that they can stand against tyranny. Or Renounce the Guilds. Slum Reaper.

Ravnica is a complex place, more gray than black and white. What a fascinating location for a character to grow up, explore, and shape through action!
 
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Faction/guild politics tends to be a feature of most urban adventures, whether the city be Waterdeep, Sigil or Ravnica. I would expect players to become involved, irrespective of if they actually belong to a guild or not.


But I expect most players will want to join guilds when playing in Ravnica, both on the basis of novelty - no point in playing in a new setting if you don't take advantage of its features, and I suspect, mechanical advantage. I suspect in Ravnica guild membership will give greater benefits than a standard background.

I hope that guild membership does not give more mechanical benefits. It should give more social benefits among the guilds. But a guildless hero could inspire a lot more of the common people and end up with more support if less money and resources. I hope this is explored, but even if it is not I will likely take the Folk Hero background and make it happen.

The guildless, to me, are just as fascinating as the guilded. Fighting the man and all that.
 

On of the things that I like about Ravnica is it seems like a real place. Yes, guilds fight with magic and monsters to control the place. But people still have to go to work, bake bread, repair and clean the streets, and try to make a life for themselves. That mundane city life juxtaposed with the magic and monsters really fascinates me and makes me want to walk Ravnica's streets and take in the sights and smells. With lots of bodyguards around me of course.

And sometimes the little guy gets mad and fed up. Sometimes enough to strike back. What would it be like to be a hero of a guild only to come to understand that that same guild you love is striking down the regular folks? What would the PCs do? How do the PCs react when they see bakers and candle stick makers getting killed by their own guild which is supposed to protect the citizens? Or when they run into former allies now guildless and branded as the enemy?

Like I said, fascinating.

I can relate to Ravnica and her people. Ravnica actually seems like a very human place.
 
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