D&D 5E New Year speculation thread!

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I have to agree - I'm currently running large sections of 'RM2 - The Created' as a holiday themed bottle episode for my CoS game, and the players all commented that it didn't feel out of place at all.

Ravenloft is also kind of perfect for an adventure anthology to essentially do double duty as a campaign setting: have each adventure detail a different domain and its Darklord. Boom - you've simultaneously fleshed out the Domain of Dread and given DMs scenarios to run for their players.

That would work. Ghosts of Saltmarsh fully fleshed out Saltmarsh and most regions around it. They could do the same for Barovia and other major Domains of Dread (they could use some of the details already laid out in CoS and add more info for the Vistani).

 

[Demetrios1453]

A possible clue that has not been mentioned yet here- the next set of prepainted D&D miniatures from Wizkids will be coming out in March and it is called Boneyard. According to a Wizkids representative it will feature “everything undead”.

Interesting. As others have said, that could indicate Ravenloft. If they do stick to the Realms, the only place in the Sword Coast that immediately comes to mind would be Larloch's home of Warlock's Crypt. Beyond that, Thay would be another option, as it's been mentioned quite a bit in 5e material, enough that WotC could give us a Chult-type break from the Sword Coast.

(Interestingly enough Warlock's Crypt is another crashed Netherese enclave, and Larloch himself is Netherese. Maybe after RotFM they could be setting up a big Anauroch/Netheril adventure?)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Interesting. As others have said, that could indicate Ravenloft. If they do stick to the Realms, the only place in the Sword Coast that immediately comes to mind would be Larloch's home of Warlock's Crypt. Beyond that, Thay would be another option, as it's been mentioned quite a bit in 5e material, enough that WotC could give us a Chult-type break from the Sword Coast.

(Interestingly enough Warlock's Crypt is another crashed Netherese enclave, and Larloch himself is Netherese. Maybe after RotFM they could be setting up a big Anauroch/Netheril adventure?)

Could also be Thay, as necromancers are fairly common over there.

(That would be awesome, though. I would love some more info for Larloch, as my current campaign is about digging up Netherese Artifacts and remaking Netheril, so any more info on Netherese magic for 5e would be great.)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I‘ve been thinking an undead themed monster book is due for a while,
A van Richten’s guide to ghosts or some such.

there hasn’t been any hints to this though.

Actually, there has. In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (which admittedly came out quite awhile ago), there was mention of Volo writing his next book on undead, Volo's Guide to Spirits and Specters. It could have just been a joke, as they mentioned that the only spirits he was familiar with being the alcoholic kind, but if such a book doesn't have this specific title, this was probably an early hint to it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

My hopes: we will get a Dragonlance Adventure/Setting book, along with at least the announcement of a new novel.

A Fey-related setting, probably from magic, that functions as a mix of an “of everything” and a “monster book”, like Eberron kinda does, but focused on the Feywild. Even better if it deals with classic Fey and Shadow creatures and options.

One release will be something not one single person online anywhere predicts.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Interesting. As others have said, that could indicate Ravenloft. If they do stick to the Realms, the only place in the Sword Coast that immediately comes to mind would be Larloch's home of Warlock's Crypt. Beyond that, Thay would be another option, as it's been mentioned quite a bit in 5e material, enough that WotC could give us a Chult-type break from the Sword Coast.

(Interestingly enough Warlock's Crypt is another crashed Netherese enclave, and Larloch himself is Netherese. Maybe after RotFM they could be setting up a big Anauroch/Netheril adventure?)

I’d only be interested in a Netheril tie in if it expands on the returned Netheril and the aftermath of the fall of its cities, without them just being scattered and not a thing anymore.

But I’d be thrilled about an adventure/setting book that explores Thay and its neighbors, especially Rashamen. Give me spirit witches and new Barbarians and Skald Bards and expanded Fey and Undead in one book!

 

[Quickleaf]

Q3: New storyline. Still thing Lantan/Spelljammer is a strong possibility (and I hope it's what is happening) but could just as easily be anything else.

Thinking back to this line: (emphasis mine)

To rectify that, we’ve not only made changes to Curse of Strahd, but in two upcoming books, we will also show—working with a Romani consultant—the Vistani in a way that doesn’t rely on reductive tropes.

So, Vistani... in space?

And you thought I was joking! The Aperusa (and they even like gnomes).

Really hope to see Planescape. While I grew up on LoTR and Dragonlance, Planescape gets me daydreaming like nothing else.

Yeah, lots of us Planescapers on ENWorld. I just realized I've been a fan of Chris Perkins' design work since 1995/96 when I ran his adventure "Umbra" from Dungeon #55.

 

[Older Beholder]

Actually, there has. In Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (which admittedly came out quite awhile ago), there was mention of Volo writing his next book on undead, Volo's Guide to Spirits and Specters. It could have just been a joke, as they mentioned that the only spirits he was familiar with being the alcoholic kind, but if such a book doesn't have this specific title, this was probably an early hint to it.

Ahh, that's interesting, I either didn't notice that, or had forgotten. (I tend to skim the adventures rather than read them cover to cover)

The monster books like Volo's have also covered some race options in the past (less so in Mordenkainen's but still there)

Would there be enough player options for a horror themed book? I guess they could give a bit more detail on playing lycanthropes?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Fey and Shadow creatures

Spoiler: Tangent

This is off topic, but I felt that it pertained to your setting suggestion.

It's always bothered me that there's a whole creature type for beings that come from the Feywild (Fey), beings that come from the Elemental Planes (Elementals), beings that come from the Upper Planes (Celestials), beings that come from the Lower Planes (Fiends), and beings that come from the Far Realm (Aberrations), but no creature type for beings that come from the Shadowfell. They're all just either Monstrosity (Like Sorrowsworn and Shadow Mastiffs) or Undead (like Shadows and Shadow Assassins).

The same can also be applied to creatures from Limbo (Slaad), who are currently Aberrations in 5e, and applies to a certain extent for Modrons, as they're not really "typical" constructs.

If I were in charge of this aspect, I would probably have the creature type be "shade/shadow" or "figment", as something formed out of the shadow-stuff of the Shadowfell. (As the "Feywild" is the home of the "Fey" creature type, the "Shadowfell" could be home to the "Shadow" creature type.)

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Ahh, that's interesting, I either didn't notice that, or had forgotten. (I tend to skim the adventures rather than read them cover to cover)

The monster books like Volo's have also covered some race options in the past (less so in Mordenkainen's but still there)

Would there be enough player options for a horror themed book? I guess they could give a bit more detail on playing lycanthropes?

I ran Dragon Heist awhile back, so I remembered that plot device quite well. In the campaign, the players helped him write/research aspects of it, helped finance it, and even got to put notes into the book. It would be nice to have a physical version of it.

Ehh, it depends. I don't know if we need many more races, as we have most of the main/drawing races down (IMO). I expect most races to come in setting books. For example: Thri-Kreen and Mul could come out in Dark Sun, Kender and Wild Elves (maybe even Draconians) in Dragonlance, Kor and Vampires in Zendikar, and so on.

If a Draconomicon is coming out, I don't expect any race options to come out. Maybe (and this is very unlikely, IMO) there could be a Half-Dragon template balanced for PCs, but I highly doubt this will come (I think a Dragon-Touched feat would be more likely). If a Draconomicon has player options at all, it's going to be the Ascendant Dragon Monk and Drakewarden Ranger subclasses, and maybe a few other subclasses if they decide to make them (Dragon Barbarian, Warlock, and Fighter would be cool, maybe even Druid, Paladin, or Cleric). Edit: There could be "Gem Dragonborn" options, but that's probably not coming.

If it's a horror-themed monster book, they could make a Vampire/Dhampir race, put Shifters as the "Lycanthrope" race, and maybe add an aberrant option (I could see them having Kalashtar be the aberrant option). They would then add in the Undead Warlock and Spirits Bard subclasses, and possibly the Spores Druid, Beast Barbarian, and Aberrant Mind Sorcerer subclasses.

I personally doubt that there will be a "Horror" themed monster book. IMO, it's probably going to be a Ravenloft/Innistrad setting or adventure compilation book and a Draconomicon (X's Guide/Manual to Dragons or something like that).