D&D 5E Speculation thread! Vecna? Giants UA?

[Parmandur]

AFAIK the books are still in print and available for purchase. It is just the D&D Beyond material being delisted.

Labeled as Legacy, specifically, as well, and almost all the material reprinted in a new book. They aren't pulling the book actively, but I doubt they will be reprinting it again.

I think thst being in Volo's makes it more likely to be a replacement book, not less.

 

[Parmandur]

Here's some raw speculation: Monsters of the Multiverse shifted the lore on Orcs a little bit in the Race writeup, but didn't include any of the Volo's Orc ststblocks. Could a redo of Orcs be included in a "Giant Fizban's", since rheybare traditionally and vaguely indicated as being related to Giants?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

At first I thought the Vecna stuff might just be to promote the new season of Stranger Things and a new mini. But looking at the art, they've got what appears to be a mortal wielding both the Eye and Hand. Which, if it was just for the one Vecna miniature, there wouldn't be a need for. I suspect that we're going to see some sort of adventure path involving the Whispered One. The other option is some sort of guide sourcebook, maybe involving undead or perhaps artifacts.

Which, looking at that art, it kinda looks like Lord Neverember. But then again, there are probably umpteen million NPCs out there meet the criteria of "long brown hair, beard, greying, wears crown/circlet."

I cannot think of anything that the Giants-related content might be. Every time I think, oh, maybe its a re-release and expansion of Storm Kings Thunder, or Dark Sun, or whatever, just as many reasons why it won't be that come to mind.

 

[Parmandur]

At first I thought the Vecna stuff might just be to promote the new season of Stranger Things and a new mini. But looking at the art, they've got what appears to be a mortal wielding both the Eye and Hand. Which, if it was just for the one Vecna miniature, there wouldn't be a need for. I suspect that we're going to see some sort of adventure path involving the Whispered One. The other option is some sort of guide sourcebook, maybe involving undead or perhaps artifacts.

View attachment 249301

Which, looking at that art, it kinda looks like Lord Neverember. But then again, there are probably umpteen million NPCs out there meet the criteria of "long brown hair, beard, greying, wears crown/circlet."

I cannot think of anything that the Giants-related content might be. Every time I think, oh, maybe its a re-release and expansion of Storm Kings Thunder, or Dark Sun, or whatever, just as many reasons why it won't be that come to mind.

Could it be Hugh Grant, perhaps...?

James Wyatt is the project lead involved with this UA. Mark it, Fizban's for Giants as his follow-up. Though what NPC would work for Giants...?

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Labeled as Legacy, specifically, as well, and almost all the material reprinted in a new book. They aren't pulling the book actively, but I doubt they will be reprinting it again.

I think thst being in Volo's makes it more likely to be a replacement book, not less.

Labelled as legacy, due to there being new statblocks they want to replace the old? I see no reason why they wouldn't keep printing the old book if it's still being bought (and it's consistently one of the better selling books). The D&D Beyond change seems to be made exclusively due to the change in statblocks.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Could it be Hugh Grant, perhaps...?

James Wyatt is the project lead involved with this UA. Mark it, Fizban's for Giants as his follow-up. Though what NPC would work for Giants...?

I should have made an avatar bet on my Hugh Grant guess...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Vecna + Giant = Buck Rogers confirmed!

 

[Parmandur]

Labelled as legacy, due to there being new statblocks they want to replace the old? I see no reason why they wouldn't keep printing the old book if it's still being bought (and it's consistently one of the better selling books). The D&D Beyond change seems to be made exclusively due to the change in statblocks.

They pulled the book from all their digital fronts, not just Beyond. I see no reasont o suspect they will ever print it again.

 

[Thommy H-H]

Any Vecna stuff they're dropping currently is absolutely cross-promotion with Stranger Things. The series gave them a huge amount of free promotion, and I believe Vecna is WOTC IP (the 3PP Critical Role stuff can't use the actual name anyway). It makes sense to me that they'd let them use it, on the assumption that they'll get a massive amount of search traffic from it. If you google Vecna now, you mostly get articles about the new Stranger Things villain, but there's some D&D stuff mixed in. They need to have something that shows up on those searches that people can buy, or it's a massive missed opportunity. So while there might be a Vecna-related RPG product on the way, that would probably also have been planned with this timing in mind since, if there is some kind of licensing agreement for use of the IP, WOTC would obviously have known about it for a couple of years already. Enough time to plan a cash-in campaign, in other words.

 

[Weiley31]

At first I thought the Vecna stuff might just be to promote the new season of Stranger Things and a new mini. But looking at the art, they've got what appears to be a mortal wielding both the Eye and Hand. Which, if it was just for the one Vecna miniature, there wouldn't be a need for. I suspect that we're going to see some sort of adventure path involving the Whispered One. The other option is some sort of guide sourcebook, maybe involving undead or perhaps artifacts.

View attachment 249301

Which, looking at that art, it kinda looks like Lord Neverember. But then again, there are probably umpteen million NPCs out there meet the criteria of "long brown hair, beard, greying, wears crown/circlet."

I cannot think of anything that the Giants-related content might be. Every time I think, oh, maybe its a re-release and expansion of Storm Kings Thunder, or Dark Sun, or whatever, just as many reasons why it won't be that come to mind.

I just assumed that was supposed to be 5E Vecna pre-lich and waaaay before his Ascension.