D&D 5E (2024) Let's dream up new FR-style books for other Settings.

[FitzTheRuke]

In another thread, I was discussing what an Underdark-themed book in the format of the new Forgotten Realms Heroes of Faerun & Adventures in Faerun books, and what that would look like.

... I recognise that an Underdark-themed book would not technically necessarily "count" as a different setting from FR, but seeing as it certainly could be 'ported over, I think it's worth considering. Heck, the same is true for Kara-Tur or various other parts of Toril, so just imagine that we are using the term "Setting" loosely here.

For the purposes of this exercise, we are assuming two books: One DM-Facing, and one Player-Facing.

Our DM-Facing (FRAiF) example has the following structure:
1) Around 50 "one-shot"-style Adventure Modules.
2) 5 Fleshed-out Locations.
3) A short adventure.
4) Magic Items: 7 of them.
5) Bestiary: 38 Monsters.

Our Player-Facing (FRHoF) example has the following structure:

1) Character Options: 8 subclasses, 19 backgrounds, & 34 Feats
2) Guide to the Region: Calendar, Currency, Languages, 11 Locations fleshed out for your character to be from.
3) Gods: How religion works, 42 Gods outlined.
4) Equipment: 24 new things to buy.
5) Magic: How magic works, 19 "new" Spells.
6) Factions: Politics & 8 Factions.

Obviously, we don't need to match any given section exactly - but generally, what would you like to see for your favorite setting, if you could create a book that is much along those lines?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I'll try one. Feel free to jump in!

I'd like to see Dark Sun in this format, and unlike (what seems like) half the people on these boards, I think that we'll probably see it sooner rather than never. I haven't played DS in too long to have a good idea what it might look like, other than...

Dark Sun Heroes of Athas (Heroes will be too strong a word here, I think... it'll need another name) needs:
1) Classes: Psion, obviously. A Gladiator Subclass (and probably Background, too). Desert Raider Ranger, maybe? Anyone got any ideas? I can't even remember the UA off the top of my head.
2) Maps: Regional Guide.
3) Gods: How they're all dead, right?
4) Equipment: Stuff that's made of bone, chiton, and stone, and how it breaks a lot. Sandboats!
5) Magic: Defiling & Preserving.
6) Factions: Mostly stuff about those who work for, or against the usual opression.

Dark Sun Adventures in Athas needs:
1) 50 adventure modules. Ankheg attack, Raider fight on dune-skiffs. Gladiator arenas.
2) Tyr and other locations. Again, anyone familiar want to help me fill this in?
3) Adventure: Lead a rebellion, right?
4) Magic Items. I don't remember, do these even exist on Athas?
5) Bestiary. I would say that this needs to take up more space in Athas than it does for Faerun.

 

[Parmandur]

Classes: Psion, obviously. A Gladiator Subclass (and probably Background, too). Desert Raider Ranger, maybe? Anyone got any ideas? I can't even remember the UA off the top of my head.

Very specifically, the UA had Gladiator Fighter, Sorcerer Kong Warlock, Preserver Druid, and Defiler Sorcerer.

In general about a Dark Sun approach...I dunno of it calls for a 2 book strategy. The Tablelands are significantly smaller than the areas covered in the FR Gazateers (except urban Baldur's Gate), and I think a solid 320 page book could provide similar sorts of coverage that we see in this pair of books for a smaller thematically focused Setting.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Very specifically, the UA had Gladiator Fighter, Sorcerer Kong Warlock, Preserver Druid, and Defiler Sorcerer.

Right, thanks!

In general about a Dark Sun approach...I dunno of it calls for a 2 book strategy.

I think they're on the right track with the DM/Player split.

And I think that they love the idea of selling you two books for the price of two (I'm less of a fan of this approach, even as a retailer, but this looks like something they'd be interested in continuing, and at least they've got a good excuse this time).

The Tablelands are significantly smaller than the areas covered in the FR Gazateers

I don't think that matters. Smaller just means that you can fill out more detail and skip less.

And I think a solid 320 page book could provide similar sorts of coverage that we see in this pair of books for a smaller thematically focused Setting.

As I mention above, I don't think they're going to go for that, even though I agree that WE would like it that way. They'd certainly rather sell two 160pg books instead of one 320pg books (though I'd hope that the books would each be more than 160 pages).

And again, the Player/DM split is a great way to split them. You could fill in more pages with more monsters, in the very least!

 

[Yaarel]

Our Player-Facing (FRHoF) example has the following structure:

1) Character Options: 8 subclasses, 19 backgrounds, & 34 Feats
2) Guide to the Region: Calendar, Currency, Languages, 11 Locations fleshed out for your character to be from.
3) Gods: How religion works, 42 Gods outlined.
4) Equipment: 24 new things to buy.
5) Magic: How magic works, 19 "new" Spells.
6) Factions: Politics & 8 Factions.

Looking at this structure. The gods are a central theme for the Forgotten Realms world setting. But tend to be less central in other settings. But 3) is really details about the Overall Themes - and What Makes This Setting Unique.

In this sense I might swap the structure.

Overall Themes
Cultures (languages, customs, notable locations)
Player Options:
. Classes
. Equipment
. Magic
. Origins (species, backgrounds, feats, factions)

 

[Zardnaar]

Darksun.

Wanderers Journal for the DM
Player Guide to Athas

Base the ticket of the books on that settings original incarnation. Concordance of Arcane Space for spelljamer.

If they did Nentir Vale a heroes of or vault coukd be in the name.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Dark Sun seems like a no-brainer for 2026.

Planescape was popular enough that I suspect it'll be back sooner than, say, the World of Greyhawk. It would not be shocking to get a 5E Manual of the Planes (at long last) that included additional Planescape/Sigil material as part of the package. It wouldn't even be surprising to see it come out in this two-book setting format, as Heroes of the Planes and Adventures in the Planes, for instance.

I also think there's a better than zero chance we'll see the same for Ravenloft and maybe Spelljammer, which certainly has a ton of 2E setting material that hasn't made the jump to 5E.

I don't think this format makes sense for small settings, like Thunder Rift, as great as they are, or to expand out the Borderlands, which will probably happen in the form of additional class boards and maybe boxed sets, if it happens at all.

I also don't think it's a good fit for Mystara, which is so big that it would require zooming in a lot. Maybe you could zoom in on Karameikos, Glantri, Darokin, the Five Shires, Alfheim and a necessarily rethought Thar. But other than Glantri and Thar, I don't think that core Known World setting offers enough new from the standpoint of new 5E players (the majority of all D&D players now) that they don't already get from Faerun and the World of Greyhawk. (Although Glantri is amazing and I'd like to see more people engage with it.) (Also, on a related note, the Mystaran map websites are aggressively interested in fine detail -- shipping routes! continents as they existed thousands of years ago! -- but finding an easy to parse regional map is weirdly hard.)

Likewise, I don't think WotC is prepared to zoom way in on Al-Qadim or Kara-Tur or especially Maztica or the Hordelands.

I think we've had enough bites of the apple with Eberron in 5E that I don't know that a pair of big comprehensive overview books wouldn't be seen as duplicative of books that are almost certainly still on many retailers' shelves.

I think there's enough to merit doing something like this for the Concord Worlds -- including actual adventures on the Radiant Citadel itself, please! -- but I don't know how WotC feels about the book. My group really loves it (we had our most players yet for our session yet last month), but it seems to be below Eberron in popularity.

 

[Yaarel]

Our DM-Facing (FRAiF) example has the following structure:
1) Around 50 "one-shot"-style Adventure Modules.
2) 5 Fleshed-out Locations.
3) A short adventure.
4) Magic Items: 7 of them.
5) Bestiary: 38 Monsters.

Does "fleshed out locations" mean sandbox adventures where players can roam around getting into escapades?

 

[Maenalis]

1. Dragonlance could work in this format.
2. Eberron obviously, but Keith would have to reinvent stuff or invent new things (like write about the continents of Argonessen, Xendrik, Sarlona, Aerenall and Frostfell).
3. For Planescape/Spelljammer: Sigil, City off Brass, Githyanki & Githzerai, Mindflayers, & Modrons etc. and the monsters could be Beholders, Aboleths and the Bloodwar.
4. Obviously more Forgotten Realms (Thay, Rashemen etc.)
5. Greyhawk.

Setting "Neutral":
5. Underdark (FR), Khyber (eberron),
6. Feywild, Lorwyn etc.
7. Shadowfell, Ravenloft etc.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Dragonlance could work in this format.

I completely forgot about Dragonlance. This two-book format would work great for that.