D&D Adds Two New Books to 2025 Slate, Including New Eberron Book

Wizards of the Coast is adding two Dungeons & Dragons books to its 2025 slate, including Eberron: Forge of the Artificer in August and an unnamed mystery book in October. Eberron: Forge of the Artificer will include the revised Artificer class, several new backgrounds and feats, and revised Eberron species, including the “classic” species that previously appeared in Eberron: Rising From the Last War and the new Khoravar species. The design team for Eberron: Forge of the Artificer includes James Wyatt (who worked on the original Eberron line), with original Eberron designer Keith Baker consulting on the new book.

The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide will introduce circle-casting, a new way to cast spells. Full details on the new mechanic was not revealed, but it will involve multiple spellcasters working together to amp up a spell or give it additional effects. One example given was making a spell's effects permanent instead of having a temporary duration.

While no other details were provided for the October mystery book, EN World received a host of new details about the rest of D&D's 2025 slate during a press visit to Wizards of the Coast's new office headquarters last week.

Dragon Delves - July 8, 2025 Release Date

The previously unnamed dragon anthology is called Dragon Delves and will feature 10 short adventures, each of which features a different type of chromatic or metallic dragon. Three campaign options will be provided in the anthology to link together the adventures. Not every adventure pits players against dragons, especially as the adventures range from Level 1 to Level 12. The adventures are described as being relatively short and utilize the prep-style seen in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. There's also an art section showcasing dragon art from across 50 years of D&D material.

Dragon Delves also noticably departs from Wizards' in-house style for D&D. Each adventure features art by a different artist, with the artists each providing their own style instead of conforming to the "fantastic realism" typically found in D&D books. Artists in Dragon Delves includes Luke Eidensink, Dominik Mayer, and Ed Kwong, with example pieces seen below.


white dragon ed kwong.jpg

green dragon.jpg

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Eberron: Forge of the Artificer - August 19, 2025 Release Date
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Eberron: Forge of the Artificer serves as a "companion" book to Eberron: Rising From The Last War, with looks at different parts of Eberron that wasn't explored in the previous rulebook. The book will include new backgrounds, new bastion options tied to Eberron, and expanded rules for airships. The book also includes some changes/evolutions of Eberron lore. Notably, dragonmarked houses are no longer "species-locked" with characters able to join the houses later in life. Dragonmarks are also being made into feats as opposed to having a separate subsystem.

As a note, lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford specifically noted that the Khoravar are being considered a new species and distinct from half-elves. Crawford noted that this change came from Eberron lore itself and reflects how the existing lore of D&D is influencing the mechanics.

While the book won't include a full campaign, there are three chapters presented as campaign "options" with sample adventures. The three chapters, titled Sharn Inquisitives, Dragonmark Intrigue, and Morgrave Expeditions are organized using the methods explained in the Dungeon Master's Guide and include several sample adventures.

At one point, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer was described as a "Xanathar's Guide to Everything" book, but specific to Eberron. The book will also have a different page count and price point than typical D&D rulebooks, although no further details were given.



Heroes of the Borderland Starter Set - September 16, 2025 Release Date

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Heroes of the Borderlands is a return to the Keep in the Borderlands, although "time has passed" since the original adventure module. The physical starter set will also contain several new innovations designed to make playing D&D easier for beginners. Notably, the starter set includes numerous new components including "tiles" that players mix and match to create new characters. The tile system was described as one of the quickest character creation systems ever for new players, short of giving them a pre-generated character. The Starter Set will also include support for having multiple DMs run the campaign.

Forgotten Realms Player's Guide - November 11, 2025 Release Date

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The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide will feature new backgrounds, feats, and 8 new subclasses. The 8 new subclasses will be revealed today as part of an Unearthed Arcana (found here). Instead of rehashing existing subclasses, at least some of the subclasses are inspired by different parts of the Forgotten Realms. For example, the bard subclass is inspired by the Moonshae Isles, while the genie-themed paladin is focused on Calimsham.
The eight subclasses are:

  • College Of The Moon (Bard)
  • Knowledge Domain (Cleric)
  • Purple Dragon Knight (Fighter)
  • Oath Of The Noble Genies (Paladin)
  • Winter Walker (Ranger)
  • Scion Of The Three (Rogue)
  • Spellfire Sorcery (Sorcerer)
  • Bladesinger (Wizard)

Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide - November 11, 2025 Release Date

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The Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide will contain deep dives on five different parts of the Forgotten Realms, each of which are meant to focus on a "different kind of fantasy." The five areas include the Moonshae Isles, Icewind Dale, the Dalelands, Calimshan, and Baldur's Gate. Each area will have short adventures for DMs to run or help launch a campaign.

When asked whether the Forgotten Realms would have any changes, Crawford said that some areas of the Forgotten Realms would have new developments, particularly in areas where Fifth Edition hasn't touched before. Additionally, Baldur's Gate 3 will be referenced in the artwork of the Baldur's Gate section and there would be some other nods to the game in that section as well.
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer

When asked whether the Forgotten Realms would have any changes, Crawford said that some areas of the Forgotten Realms would have new developments, particularly in areas where Fifth Edition hasn't touched before

For a single paragraph that is alot to unpack.

Could it just be areas lightly touched in the SCAG only like Mulhorand, Chessenta, Aglarond? Or do they mean areas almost completely untouched like Kara Tur, Zahara, the Utter East, Maztica, etc...? Or a mix of the two?

Also surprising they are releasing both books at once, they generally don't release two books in a single month like that.

REALMS SHAKING EVENT IN COMING!!!

Also I suspect Eberron's getting their own version of a RSE, to explain its changes and better how it fixes into the rest of the multiverse.

I suspect October's surprise is a Tarkir book or MtG multiverse book.

The adventures in the FRDM book means that the FRPG won't have to sacrifice room to have an adventures it like other Settings books do. Also it appears Worlds & Realms was a complete redherring and the earlier speculation of FR more traditional circle casting is in, likely one or more feats will be tied to it along with spells. With only 8 subclasses, alot less then I folks expected, that also leaves alot more room for updating the setting and lore for the FRPG. I'm thinking 50 to 70 pages at most, if thst even.

FRDM will have 5 gazetteers, 5 adventures, dm advise, and not mentioned, but most likely monsters.

I will add Eberrons updated races will certainly have none Humaniods.

Changeling Fey, Warforged Constructs, Kalastar aberrations, Shifters monstrosities.
 

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Could it just be areas lightly touched in the SCAG only like Mulhorand, Chessenta, Aglarond? Or do they mean areas almost completely untouched like Kara Tur, Zahara, the Utter East, Maztica, etc...? Or a mix of the two?
I would be very shocked if they touched Kara Tur, Zakhara, the Hordelands or Maztica ever again other than a name drop. I'd even wager to say we'd get Dark Sun before any of those.
 


I assume it is too early for the Tasha side, they just dropped a UA for the FR book subclasses, at that book comes out a month later
Yeah, this seems like it pushes back an Everything book that collects the rest of the missing 2014 subclasses.

And it also reminds me how unhappy I am that D&D Beyond's a la carte purchases were killed off. I'm not interested in buying the whole Forgotten Realms Players Guide to access the updated bladesinger while I wait for years potentially for it to show up in an Everything book.
 
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Yeah, this seems like it pushes back an Everything book that collects the rest of the missing 2014 subclasses.

And it also reminds me how unhappy I am that D&D Beyond's a la carte purchases were killed off; not interested in buying the whole Forgotten Realms Players Guide to access the updated bladesinger while I wait for years potentially, for it to show up in an Everything book.
Given that we still have 4 missing Wizard subclasses from the 2014 PHB, my guess is Bladesinger got in the FR book so they could avoid using space in the Tasha's book for it, instead giving that space to the other missing Wizard subclasses.
 

Given that we still have 4 missing Wizard subclasses from the 2014 PHB, my guess is Bladesinger got in the FR book so they could avoid using space in the Tasha's book for it, instead giving that space to the other missing Wizard subclasses.
At times, bladesinger has also been a Forgotten Realms thing, so them clawing it back with the Forgotten Realms book isn't too shocking.

And it's a good way to potentially sell a few more of the Players Guides to people other than me, who is too space-constrained and has a more limited RPG budget at the moment than in previous years.
 

I woupd have agreed with you at one point, but not after finding out Chris Cocks' home game is set in Kara Tur!
I feel places like Maztica and Kara Tur are useful for a rethink to explore fantasy themes from reallife cultures.

In my view, when borrowing from a culture it is important to be mythologically accurate in a way the reallife culture appreciates. After that true-to-culture reconstruction is in place, it is ok for artists to riff on the tropes in experimental ways that can clearly distinguish themselves from the original inspiration.
 

I feel places like Maztica and Kara Tur are useful for a rethink to explore fantasy themes from reallife cultures.

In my view, when borrowing from a culture it is important to be mythologically accurate in a way the reallife culture appreciates. After that true-to-culture reconstruction is in place, it is ok for artists to riff on the tropes in experimental ways.
I don't think there is any way that WotC could win with a "real world" historical setting supplement. they can't make people happy with fantasyland, they sure aren't going to do it for Aztecland. There is literally no upside.
 

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