D&D (2024) Potential other "rules expansion" books

[Remathilis]

It's never going to happen, but...

LOW MAGIC CAMPAIGN

Rebalanced all the species and classes to have less spells and magic.

Let us play some grounded fantasy adventures.

Not to sound rude, but this is absolutely anathema to WotC's current design paradigm. First, it's a rules expansion, not a rules replacement. They want you to buy a $50 PHB and then buy $30 expansion packs, not buy a book that replaced the $50 PHB. Second, you'd need a book as large as the PHB if you plan on redoing all the classes, species, and feats in the PHB. They aren't going to do that in a 128-page book unless you cut the options down to next to nothing.

WotC has wisely ceded this ground to 3pp via the 5.2.x SRD. They sell a low-magic 3pp game on D&D Beyond (Middle Earth) and clearly have no interest in competing with it currently.

 

[Zaukrie]

Advanced DnD with different chassis for spells and maneuvers? Starter DnD with less options? Those might be bad ideas, for WotC. But It's what I'd want.

 

[jayoungr]

Ravenloft Monster Hunter Book. We have seven horror subclasses we are currently testing, two of which have Ravenloft ties and the rest have spooky elements. My money is on a Ravenloft book that includes the aforementioned subs, updated species (dhampir and reborn redone to actually be undead, and hexblood). They can also slide in some new feats, spells, updated Ravenloft monsters, and a few campaign themes for horror.

I could be wrong, but I have my doubts that they'll revisit Ravenloft in hardback so soon after Van Richten's Guide. But they clearly have horror-related plans, as evidenced by the recent UA. So if that's not more Ravenloft, what would it be? Maybe a Vecna-style adventure path visiting multiple Domains of Dread? A return to Gothic Earth (can't remember whether WotC still owns that IP)? Generalized "tools for horror games in Ravenloft or anywhere else" guide? Xanathar's-style book of player options that happens to include several options that are appropriate for horror?

 

[bedir than]

All of James Wyatt's MtG work could get a polish and exist in this fashion.

They're half done already.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Not to sound rude, but this is absolutely anathema to WotC's current design paradigm. First, it's a rules expansion, not a rules replacement

Your OP did ask “what could be done?”, not “what is likely to be done?”!

 

[Parmandur]

I could be wrong, but I have my doubts that they'll revisit Ravenloft in hardback so soon after Van Richten's Guide.

So soon...? It's been 4 years.

 

[dave2008]

It's never going to happen, but...

LOW MAGIC CAMPAIGN

Rebalanced all the species and classes to have less spells and magic.

Let us play some grounded fantasy adventures.

Depending on how far you want to go, just eliminate caster classes (or just full caster) / subclasses and then offer a few new non-magic classes. I don't see any need to rebalance existing ones. If you want a low-magic you just have few classes. I mean there is reason the One Ring doesn't a dozen classes w/ 4 subclasses each. You can pretty much do low magic out of the box simply by eliminate caster classes. The game works just fine without them.

PS - I want to be clear that I too am In favor of a specifically low/no-magic setting guide.

 

[Remathilis]

Your OP did ask “what could be done?”, not “what is likely to be done?”!

I'm just saying that a low magic rewriting of the PHB isn't really feasible in a 128 page supplement. The best I could see is some nonmagical subclasses for fighter, rogue and maybe ranger, barbarian and monk, but not wholesale rewriting of base classes or species.

 

[Remathilis]

So soon...? It's been 4 years.

Exactly. And Ravenloft is easy to expand just by fleshing out a few new domains. Plus VRGR has some ideas they were experimenting with (no alignment monsters, lineages) that could be brought up to standard.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm just saying that a low magic rewriting of the PHB isn't really feasible in a 128 page supplement. The best I could see is some nonmagical subclasses for fighter, rogue and maybe ranger, barbarian and monk, but not wholesale rewriting of base classes or species.

Sure, but you left the door open to someone answering with what they want rather than what’s plausible. Personally, I don’t think a Ravenloft monster hunting book is particularly likely.