D&D 5E March's D&D Book To Be Announced On January 9th

A mysterious entry has appeared on Amazon! With a product title of "Dungeons & Dragons March Release Book (Title announced January 9th)" and a release date of March 17th, 2020, this $49.95 hardcover release will be revealed in under a week!

The description reads "Your first look at the next D&D title comes on January 9th! Keep an eye on wherever you get your D&D news for a preview of the book."

Could there be a clue in the dice being released on the same day? Laeral Silverhand's Explorer's Kit is described as "Dice and miscellany for the world's greatest roleplaying game" for $29.99. We'll find out on Thursday!

Who's Laeral Silverhand? She's a prolific creator of magic items from Waterdeep, and one of the most powerful wizards in the Forgotten Realms. She's one of the Seven Sisters, introduced in 1987's Forgotten Realms boxed set, although Laeral herself wasn't described in that product. Ed Greenwood'sThe Seven Sisters supplement fully detailed them in 1995. Laeral and Khlben 'Blackstaff' Arunsun led a group called the Moonstars. In 5th edition, she appears in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.

 

[Prakriti]

My guess adventure anthology with setting information for adventure locations.

Yeah, I think the book has to include at least a few adventures set in the Forgotten Realms. I don't know how else to rationalize the Forgotten Realms: in the title. And the inclusion of cards featuring prominent Sword Coast locations does suggest that we'll be visiting at least some of those locations.

The key thing to consider is that Silverhand's major role in the Gameworld right now is as patron and boss of Force Grey, the Waterdeep equivalent of Seal Team 6 plus the Avengers.

A Force Grey campaign book, similar to the Acquisitions Incorporated book, would make a lot of sense, and check a lot of boxes.

I don't know. It seems like all the dice-sets have taken the same title as the corresponding book. I could be mistaken there, but if I'm right, then I would expect this book to be named "Explorer's Kit" too, which doesn't really suggest adventure path to me.

 

[Shawn Gibbs]

My top two options:

• A new book of player options. (The Explorer's Handbook ?)
• A new Forgotten Realms campaign setting book.

But I'll probably be surprised.

Cheers!

I would actually Buy it If its one of these options. They're last couple books didnt impress Me a whole lot.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, I think the book has to include at least a few adventures set in the Forgotten Realms. I don't know how else to rationalize the Forgotten Realms: in the title. And the inclusion of cards featuring prominent Sword Coast locations does suggest that we'll be visiting at least some of those locations.

I don't know. It seems like all the dice-sets have taken the same title as the corresponding book. I could be mistaken there, but if I'm right, then I would expect this book to be named "Explorer's Kit" too, which doesn't really suggest adventure path to me.

Oh, no, I'm not suggesting a storyline book, but rather a campaign style book like AI was: here's what you need to know to run a Force Grey campaign, here's a bunch of material, here are some exotic monsters....

 

[Parmandur]

Another season of Force Grey, the show, DMd by Matt Mercer seems to be something I would expect to tie into whatever this book is, at any rate.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Two cards and the map in an accessory for the book means little compared to the "from across the Forgotten Realms" not from across the the Swordcoast.

Yes it does.

In one of your previous posts, you said they wouldn't post images from other areas because they didn't want to spoil anything.

This excuse makes almost zero sense (I myself work in marketing and would throw a fit if someone gave me this excuse). You want to preview the new stuff, not preview the stuff people have already seen. If you don't want to spoil the new stuff, just wait to put up the landing page on the same day as the book.

No, the reason they are showing all old images is because very likely the entire dice set includes only old images.

They may still show some stuff beyond the Sword Coast, but it will be material that's already been shown, like Icewind Dale, the Underdark, Chult.

 

[Lidgar]

So what does that leave? Well, "Explorer's Kit" is a small clue. It reminds me of previous editions' Dungeoneer's Survival Guide, the Complete Adventurer, and the Arms and Equipment Guide. In which case, we might get a book full of new equipment, magic items, and general advice for how to survive and explore dangerous environments (wilderness and dungeons), which would naturally segue into advice on how to design interesting dungeons and wilderness encounters, which would in turn segue into one or more adventures that illustrate those principles.

Hm... I like the sound of that.

I do as well, with the addition of some monsters (gem dragons, etc.), new spells, and perhaps a few lairs a la Book of Lairs...the later being wishful thinking...OK, actually all of this is I guess.

 

[Dave2]

I think one of the above post may be right. I thought there was going to be a book focusing on women authors. This could be it either each writing their own adventure. I hope that is not the case since I do not need bunch of smaller adventures. I like the campaign adventure idea. So I hope it is setting book but I think it may be the complication book.

 

[gyor]

I think one of the above post may be right. I thought there was going to be a book focusing on women authors. This could be it either each writing their own adventure. I hope that is not the case since I do not need bunch of smaller adventures. I like the campaign adventure idea. So I hope it is setting book but I think it may be the complication book.

I really don't think this that book, but I really, really hope it isn't.

 

[gyor]

Yeah you nailed it on the head I think with your speculation post.

At this point, I'm hoping there will at least be a couple of adventures outside of the Sword Coast. At the very least I'm hoping for new monster statblocks like the gem dragons, but an adventure or two outside of European Medieval culture would be nice.

But the chances of this book being a Rising from the Last War style book for FR seems to have dropped to near-zero.

We have ZERO references to Greyforce. If it was about Greyforce, Greyforce would be RIGHT in the name of the products, like Acquisitions Inq is in the title of their book. There is no reason to be believe this book is about them.

And this book is bigger than any AP or adventure Anthology, its too big for that, its bigger then WD: DotMM even by alot.

The map might just be Swordcoast/Waterdeep because Waterdeep will be this books city of sharn style chapter, goodness knows WotC has an unhealthy love of reprinting.

But I am still convinced it's FRs setting guide there is no other reason to have the Forgotten Realms in the title when no other FR book in 5e does. And it would explain why they hired the cultural consultants. A glorified TotYP 2 would have no reason for that.

Plus again the tie in product refers to characters and locations "across the realms", this is not to be glossed over.

 

[gyor]

The key thing to consider is that Silverhand's major role in the Gameworld right now is as patron and boss of Force Grey, the Waterdeep equivalent of Seal Team 6 plus the Avengers.

A Force Grey campaign book, similar to the Acquisitions Incorporated book, would make a lot of sense, and check a lot of boxes.

Which has nothing to do with anything as she is likely just vaguely the narritive voice like Mork was in MTOF, Volo was in VGTM, and Xanathar was in XGTE. I mean Xanathar is the head of the Thieves Guild in Waterdeep, but XGTE isn't about Thieves Guilds and Beholders. It's just a bit of fluff. In fact the name linked to each of these books tell you precisely nothing about them or their themes at all.

You could change the names to Laeral Silverhand's Guide to Monsters, *Mork's Guide to Everything, Xanathar's Tome of Foes, and Forgotten Realms: Volo's Explorer Kit and it would change absolutely nothing meanful about the book not would it suggest a different theme in the title.

*I'm sick of trying to remember the spelling of the wizards name, so I just calling him Mork now.