D&D (2024) "The Future of D&D" (New Core Books in 2024!)

The online D&D Celebration event, which has been running all weekend, comes to a close with The Future of D&D, a panel featuring WotC's Ray Winninger, Liz Schuh, Chris Perkins, and Jeremy Crawford, hosted by Elle Osili-Wood.

D&D is exploring the multiverse
Revisiting classic settings. 1st of 3 settings (Ravenloft) released this year. Next year, the other two major classic D&D settings come out. Both in formats they've never published products before.

Plus a "little peek" at a third classic D&D setting - a cameo.

In 2023, yet another classic setting is coming out.

Evolving D&D
Because of new players, they're always listening. Exploring new styles of play (like no combat needed in Wild Beyond the Witchlight). Also presentation of monsters and spells. New product formats. More adventure anthologies.

Making products easier to use. Ways to create the best experience. Experimenting and looking into technology.

Approaches to Design
Wild Beyond the Witchlight has interior design and tools to make running the adventure easier. Story tracker, guidance.

Beyond the books, they want to make different and varied products - packaging and form factor. Things different to hardcovers and boxed sets.

A blog post is coming soon detailing some of the changes, with more to come in future posts.

50th Anniversary in 2024
They've begun work on new versions of the core rulebooks. Recent surveys tie into that. They're still making plans, but expect more surveys. More will be said next year.

They will be completely compatible!

New experiences in the digital arena.

January Gift Set
Rules Expansion Gift Set -- Xanathar, Tasha, and a new book: Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. All in a slipcase. Was intended for the Holidays, but global production issues mean January instead. There's also an alternate cover version.

D&D 5E - A Closer Look At January's D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set

WotC earlier announced a D&D Rules Expansion Gift Set for January, which includes three books - Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, and the new Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse. These were intended for the holidays, but the global production issues...

www.enworld.org

Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse
A treasure trove of creature related material from previous products compiled into one book and updated.

Opportunity to update material with a feel for how the 50th Anniversary books will be.

Improvements based on feedback, rebalancing, new and old art.

Over 250 monsters, and 30 playable races. All of the setting agnostic races that have been published outside the Player's Handbook.

Some content from Witchlight, Fizban's, and Strixhaven was influenced by Mordenkainen's.

Available first in the gift set, but separately later in the year.

Monsters alphabetized throughout rather than using subsections.

D&D 5E - Zooming In On Monsters of the Multiverse [UPDATED!]

Earlier, WotC announced Mordenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse, a new D&D compilation of monster material from previous products updated to a new format. These screen grabs are as good as I could get them. They're not terribly clear, but you can make more out than in the original...

www.enworld.org

Stat block changes --

Spellcasting trait is gone. Spellcasting action, slimmed down. Spellcasting monsters need less prep.

Spell slots are gone for NPCs. Regular actions that would have once been spells.

It was too easy for a DM to use spells which result in the monster having a too low effective CR.

Monsters can be friends or foes, and some magic will help rather than hinder PCs.

Where are we going?
More adventure anthologies. Another classic setting fairly soon.

Two all-new settings. Completely new. In development stage, an 'exploration' phase, testing the viability of them. They might not see the light of day.

Retooling nostalgia and blending it with new concepts. A blend of things that you know, and things that they have never done before.

In the short term -- more news next month about a new product for 2022 which goes into a new scary place we've never been before.

Boo the miniature giant space hamster
Below is an sketch from Hydro74's alt cover, which features Boo the miniature giant space hamster.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

As the author of the petition to release Jeff Grubb's lost Mystara Worldbook manuscript, I'm guessing (and sorely hoping) that one of the four classic settings in 2022-2023 will be Mystara. There was that kerfuffle awhile back where one WotC rep approved the Mystara Worldbook release, and then another rep nixed it, resulting in some community-wide disappointment. I'm guessing (and hoping) that WotC will turn lemons into lemonade by revamping Grubb's text and giving it 5E stats and art, as full-blown release. We'll see!

"Next year, the other two major classic D&D settings come out. Both in formats they've never published products before. Plus a "little peek" at a third classic D&D setting - a cameo. In 2023, yet another classic setting is coming out."

Settings... I think we got a subtle clue to Greyhawk. I'm thinking we will see Planescape and Greyhawk, based on the strength of the Saltmarsh sales. Planescape because that's a lot of references to Multiverse aaaand Spelljammer will make the cameo as a Spelljamming ship actually functioning and being a part of another upcoming adventure.

Wow. I personally think Mystara and Greyhawk are way down below on the list of the options of previous editions' settings to convert to D&D 5e, and the more likely options are Planescape, Dark Sun, and apparently Spelljammer (due to the Boo-book cover).

 

[Faolyn]

I did a quick run through and counted 26 total setting agnostic races. This includes tortles!

Not sure where the others are coming from.

Elven subraces.

 

[overgeeked]

They mentioned players being scared to go to one of the settings. Since Ravenloft is already done, the only other revisit I can think of that could fit would be Dark Sun. If it’s a new setting...why make another horror or scary setting after releasing Ravenloft? Unless it’s book 2 of Ravenloft and the Domains of Dread. Or the Shadowfell.

 

[Faolyn]

The hint about a "scary place we've never been before" with the Boo art seems to be an Adventure, nit a Setting. How could a Classic Setting being brought back be "somewhere we've never been before"?

An established setting with a previously unexplored area? Or something like Spelljammer, but instead of including all the established settings they created a brand new universe unconnected to Realmspace, Greyspace, and the rest?

 

[overgeeked]

An established setting with a previously unexplored area? Or something like Spelljammer, but instead of including all the established settings they created a brand new universe unconnected to Realmspace, Greyspace, and the rest?

Spelljammer is a First World problem.

 

[Azzy]

Worried what's gonna get wrecked with the classic settings coming out.

Purile "purists".

 

[darjr]

As the author of the petition to release Jeff Grubb's lost Mystara Worldbook manuscript, I'm guessing (and sorely hoping) that one of the four classic settings in 2022-2023 will be Mystara. There was that kerfuffle awhile back where one WotC rep approved the Mystara Worldbook release, and then another rep nixed it, resulting in some community-wide disappointment. I'm guessing (and hoping) that WotC will turn lemons into lemonade by revamping Grubb's text and giving it 5E stats and art, as full-blown release. We'll see!

"Next year, the other two major classic D&D settings come out. Both in formats they've never published products before. Plus a "little peek" at a third classic D&D setting - a cameo. In 2023, yet another classic setting is coming out."

Did you see the Mystara character in witchlight?

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Wow. I personally think Mystara and Greyhawk are way down below on the list of the options of previous editions' settings to convert to D&D 5e, and the more likely options are Planescape, Dark Sun, and apparently Spelljammer (due to the Boo-book cover).

Okay, I disagree. Historically everyone assumes Mystara is the the last on the list (except for Birthright!), yet remember: ENWorld announced several months ago that WotC had approved the release of lost Jeff Grubb's 2E Mystara Worldbook, and that Jeff Grubb was slated to write a new introduction to the book; only for WotC to backslide and retract the announcement; yet there were also cryptic indications that the project wasn't cancelled, just postponed, and for a positive reason.

Well, a positive reason would be that Grubb's manuscript was given the green-light to be upgraded to a proper 5E Mystara Campaign Setting! Why keep referring to Mystara in the DMG and in Mystara conversion notes (e.g. in the Saltmarsh book) if it's never going to be revisited again? WotC has Grubb's manuscript in hand now; what better time to finally get Mystara into the 5E stable, and open it up to DMs Guild creator content?

Another point: Warduke and Strongheart (from Witchlight) existed in Mystara (canonically, Strongheart retired to the Kingdom of Ierendi in Mystara), so Mystara's early 80s vibe could be timely.

As for Greyhawk: there have been a number of mentions of Oerth recently. See, for example: Mordenkainen's Multiverse of Monsters!

 

[darjr]

Okay, I disagree. Historically everyone assumes Mystara is the the last on the list (except for Birthright!), yet remember: ENWorld announced several months ago that WotC had approved the release of lost Jeff Grubb's 2E Mystara Worldbook, and that Jeff Grubb was slated to write a new introduction to the book; only for WotC to backslide and retract the announcement; yet there were also cryptic indications that the project wasn't cancelled, just postponed, and for a positive reason. Well, a positive reason would be that Grubb's manuscript was given the green-light to be upgraded to a proper 5E Mystara Campaign Setting! Why keep referring to Mystara in the DMG and in Mystara conversion notes (e.g. in the Saltmarsh book) if it's never going to be revisited again? WotC has Grubb's manuscript in hand now; what better time to finally get Mystara into the 5E stable, and open it up to DMs Guild creator content?

Another point: Warduke and Strongheart (from Witchlight) existed in Mystara (canonically, Strongheart retired to the Kingdom of Ierendi in Mystara), so Mystara's early 80s vibe could be timely.

As for Greyhawk: there have been a number of mentions of Oerth recently. See, for example: Mordenkainen's Multiverse of Monsters!

WotC didn’t retract anything. The Mystara folk misspoke or was misquoted.

 

[ersatzphil]

Wow. I personally think Mystara and Greyhawk are way down below on the list of the options of previous editions' settings to convert to D&D 5e, and the more likely options are Planescape, Dark Sun, and apparently Spelljammer (due to the Boo-book cover).

I'm starting to wonder if the Boo cover is the cover of a new Forgotten Realms campaign setting book - that could be the Xanathar behind him, and the whole cover could be portraits of memorable Realms NPCs.

I'm honestly kind of skeptical of Greyhawk returning - they've spent the last seven years mining most of the cool NPCs out of it and sticking it in the Realms.