D&D 5E Unearthed Arcana: Travelers of the Multiverse

New free content from WotC - the latest 4-page Unearthed Arcana introduces six new races: astral elf, autognome, giff, hadozee, plasmoid, and thri-kreen.

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Looks like Spelljammer and/or Planescape is back on the menu!

 

[overgeeked]

The astral elves make me wonder if they are going for Planejammer (which I don't want) or a book that's half Spelljammer, half Manual of the Planes (which I'd prefer--although not as much as I'd prefer one book for Spelljammer and one for MotP).

It'll probably be a Manual of the Multiverse and cover lots of settings and ways to travel.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

See my response to Urriah above. I think people put too much stock on singular UAs, is if they tell us everything they're working on or will publish in the near future.

My takeways from this UA are:

A) Spelljammer will probably be more than just a "cameo," or if a "cameo," a significant one.

B) This could be for an adventure with a strong Spelljammer element (the oft-mentioned "Lantan/Spelljammer" story), and not necessarily a setting book.

C) It doesn't tell us how they're going to cover the planes/space D&D as a whole.

That said, this could be for a SJ setting book, but I still think it more llikely that they fold SJ and PS together, that they don't take up two "classic setting slots." But I could be wrong! And certainly, when they say "two classic settings in 2022," they don't really tell us how many books or what sort of products.

A) Largely agree, this is a significant UA. 6 races is a lot, much more than the 2 that appeared in Witchlight. So if they are all used (or even just 4) that points to something more than a cameo.

B) Agreed, may not be a setting. Though I think with Saltmarsh, and even Witchlight and Avernus, there would be some new rules that reflect the new setting somewhat.

C) Yep.

Although I largely agree with your lettered thoughts, I don't agree that means they'll then fold Spelljammer/PS. Meaning, Spelljammer will get its setting or its adventure (or something between), and then Planescape will get its setting. I still think Spelljammer could be considered as the cameo, even if it is a larger cameo than we previously thought, and that could leave a classic setting spot open.

Or not! It could be that Spelljammer is taking a classic slot. I know Dark Sun and Dragonlance are thought of as getting a classic spot, but both have their own problems that folks have pointed out. Pretty sure Planescape is pretty much a lock though, it seems like a no-brainer.

Merging SJ/PS though... I don't see why really. Planescape on its own is huge and doesn't need that material in its own book, and this UA points to Spelljammer getting its own book. So mixing the too seems completely unnecessary to me. From a business perspective, it would make sense to double your revenues and keep them seperated.

 

[Helldritch]

I did not know that I needed more races (ahem) ancestries... Anyway, not really thrilled by this UA, again... I would like either more mechanical designs to tests such as actual Astral or spell jammer related stuff. I do believe that this fits a bit more the spelljammer but I have the distinct feeling that both settings will be merged in 5ed.

 

[Faolyn]

Anyways this screams Spelljammer, except Thrikreen which screams Darksun, Autognomes which scream Magic the Gathering, and Astral Elves which scream damn hippies

In Spelljammer, there were the xichil, which were basically thri kreen except that instead of being culturally wanderers or whatever, they were all mad for body modifications and usually worked as tattoo/piercing artists or as body-sculptors.

• Autognome feels like a non-Eberron version of Warforged. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a stealth test drive for Anniversary Edition Warforged. I hope it is, cause I like the design a lot and I would rather it be more a more general automaton ancestry with Size Medium or Small instead of being tied specifically with Gnomes and always Small.

Autognomes came first! The 2e monster entry comes with a list of possible malfunctions. Coz gnomes.

 

[ersatzphil]

No, unless he has said that a 2nd time, he was talking about the Strixhaven UA we got that was a total giveaway for the product it was for.

At the recent D&D Celebration livestream, he said they'd be making an announcement in October, and that he was completely unable to even offer a hint that wouldn't let the entire cat out of the bag (my phrasing): link to video. Personal guess? Spelljammer is the next big adventure book, and it involves going to the Far Realms.

 

[Kobold Stew]

Seeing the new racial stat blocks is, frankly, not as annoying as I thought it would be.

These are things I would be keen to play, making this the best UA in quite a while.

Nit grit:

• With the non-armour AC bonus, and the benefit from Mending, Autognomes would be very effective as a druid, counter-intuitievely (moon druid Transformer...).
• Giff seem very underwhelming.
• Hadozee get an innate climb speed and the effects of a Ring of Feather Falling. That's quite substantial.
• Secondary arms Thri-kreen would, with even the strictest reading, seem to allow two-weapon fighting with two light weapons while wielding a shield.
• Finally, after the speculation about what humanoids might lose that status in the new books, it's nice to see three examples of non-humanoids here. Maybe the gnoll will stay humanoid after all?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I was thinking that.

From a glance, Thri-keen and Autognome look strongest to me.

I feel like Plasmoid could be pretty good, but I'm not 100% sure what some of their abilities actually do.

Well I think they can choose to be immunity to the death caused by Vorpal Sword if they choose not to have a head and I think they can just make a new arm or leg if one gets cut off.

If a Plasmoid identifies as Male or Female, could they create breasts or other gender parts?

Of course their greatest power appears to be in weirding people out, Plasmoid who chooses to make themselves humanoid except for their head "Help, I miss placed my head, has anyone in the market place run into a decapitated head in say their basket of vegetables?!?!"

 

[Charlaquin]

Maybe a caster? wizard sorcerer and warlock may use it

Yeah, fair enough.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

At the recent D&D Celebration livestream, he said they'd be making an announcement in October, and that he was completely unable to even offer a hint that wouldn't let the entire cat out of the bag (my phrasing): link to video. Personal guess? Spelljammer is the next big adventure book, and it involves going to the Far Realms.

Why the Far Realms?

 

[Charlaquin]

Download it again. There's a climb speed listed in the one I have.

Yeah, I just missed it somehow.