D&D 5E 16 More Details About Theros

The latest edition of WotC's online magazine contains some juicy tidbits about Mythic Odysseys of Theros!

1. It features Volothamp Geddarm.
2. It was headed up by James Wyatt, who used to work on D&D, and now works on Magic: The Gathering. He worked on the 3E Deities & Demigods.
3. It's based on a novella, which Wyatt spent considerable time researching.
4. He also read about the government of Athens, and the Greek calendar.
5. Subclasses include the College of Eloquence bard ("the philosopher ideal'), the Oath of Heroism paladin, and the Forge and Grave cleric domains.
6. The DMG piety system has been "blown up into a huge thing"... "That includes all sorts of rewards and restrictions for characters who choose to devote themselves to a god and track their piety.”
7. New magic items of the gods - artifacts and weapons.
8. “Everyone gets this extra leg up that is a gift of the gods, which is separate from the usual character background. It may be a magical thing about your nature, such as you have the mind of a sphinx and your thoughts can’t be read. Or you might be an oracle, which is an opportunity for your Dungeon Master to give you plenty of adventure hooks. It’s a straight power-up but not a huge power-up”
9. A table of omens with 100 entries.
10. Minotaurs, centaurs, merfolk (tritons from Volo), satyrs, leonine.
11. “The leonin is a different, stronger cat person, not just a tabaxi!”
12. "Satyrs are pretty much as you would expect. They’re party animals with good Dexterity and Charisma, they have a headbutt attack, they’re fast, they’re fey, they resist magic and they have musical instrument proficiency and persuasion."
13. Different lore for D&D creatures to match the Greek setting.
14. Mythic threats are boss fights. More than legendary. Aresta of the Endless Web is a spider. Has baby spiders which fight you.
15. Dyson Logos did the maps.
16. "There’s a temple of Athreos in two parts, split by the river that flows between the mortal world and the underworld."

 

[gyor]

I actually think the Planeshift articles were made because they had a conversation about what Magic settings might make good setting books, and the ones that didn't make the cut were given to Wyatt as testing to see the reception.

Amonkhet, Kaladesh, are both pretty unique, but don't seem to have enough content made for them to justify their own settings. Ixalan and Innistrad are pretty unique, but overlap with books already released (Chult in ToA, Ravenloft in CoS). And Zendikar and Dominaria are huge, but aren't really unique enough to truly justify their own releases.

So I don't expect any of those settings to get their own books. If Magic gets more settings, I expect it will be for ones that so far don't have Planeshift articles. Eldraine has been suggested, but I actually think the more likely target is Tarkir. That plane has gotten loads of content from Magic and even different timelines, so there is a lot to explore and plenty of opportunity for new rules and fluff for D&D.

The only reason I can see Tarkir not getting a Planeshift article is the same reasoning as why Theros never got one; it's being saved for a future setting book.

The ones that got planeshift articles were choosen because they were where the latest set of cards was at the time was set. Then the Dominaria one was done, they current was tied to that plane, same with Amonket for example. None of those locations were unpopular, they would have used less popular locations like Shadowmoor if they wanted to use less popular planes as a test, not Dominaria for goodness sakes, its the core MtG plane and it rivals Ravnica in popularity.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Re:

15. Are maps in color?

I've been hired for the various D&D books I've done specifically because of my style of cartography, so don't expect too much change from that (B&W) style.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

The ones that got planeshift articles were choosen because they were where the latest set of cards was at the time was set. Then the Dominaria one was done, they current was tied to that plane, same with Amonket for example. None of those locations were unpopular, they would have used less popular locations like Shadowmoor if they wanted to use less popular planes as a test, not Dominaria for goodness sakes, its the core MtG plane and it rivals Ravnica in popularity.

Well, to be fair the real reason they got chosen was because they were having art books released at the same time, and James Wyatt who worked on those art books used the same pieces for working on the Planeshift articles (with help from his daughter, who I believe is credited).

I also didn't list popularity as a reason for why they got Planeshift articles. I'll admit they are popular, but I don't think they are getting setting books for other reasons (which I already listed).

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I've been hired for the various D&D books I've done specifically because of my style of cartography, so don't expect too much change from that (B&W) style.

Your maps are dope btw. Totally translate well despite the BW style, and way easier to print and use because they're BW.

 

[gyor]

I've been hired for the various D&D books I've done specifically because of my style of cartography, so don't expect too much change from that (B&W) style.

As long as the Theros world map is not like that its fine, your maps are very practical and useful for dungeons.

 

[Dyson Logos]

Well, to be fair the real reason they got chosen was because they were having art books released at the same time, and James Wyatt who worked on those art books used the same pieces for working on the Planeshift articles (with help from his daughter, who I believe is credited).

This.

James puts together the art books (which are practically setting guides of their own). When we are working on the D&D books, we get a lovely collection of art and text to work from - essentially a partial draft of the art book.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Thanks for responding Ashrym.

Bard = Várdos as the typical translation

Yes, in Modern Greek, várdos refers to a "bard", but that word is tied to Celtic (non-Greek) culture. It was borrowed into late (post-Classical, Hellenistic) Ancient Greek from the Proto-Celtic language, and referred to Celtic barbarian bards. But my understanding is that the world of Theros is "all Greek."

That's also why I didn't translate "College" as kollegio--because that's a later borrowing from Latin, not really a native/ancient Greek term.

but the rhapsode, aoidos, or citharode could be used just as easily.

Right, those are pretty good too. I looked them up, and see...

Aiodos mean 'singer', and is the oldest term, dating to the Homeric age. This one is very good, because of its ancientness and genericity.

A Rhapsode is a later term which speficially refers to a a performer of epic poetry. It's not as generic as aiodos.

Citharode refers specifically to a musician who plays a cithara.

So of these, I think Aiodos is the best. I went with the more generic "musician", because presumably many different 5E bardic colleges and types of bards, playing many different kinds of ancient Greek instruments, with voice or without, are going to be 'legal/recommended/converted' to Theros.

It's not like game terms are likely to be changed.

It's interesting to see how official 5E foreign language translations deal with D&D terminology. As far as I know, sometimes they strive for cognates, other times they will go with a native word which is unrelated to the English term. But in this case we're not just doing a translation into Modern Greek -- if we were, then we'd definitely go with words like Vardos and Paladínos. For the Theros book, we're translating into Ancient Greek. There were no "bards" in Greek culture, and no "paladins" until Carolingian French myths were translated into Greek in medieval times. And so ideally, for an Ancient Greek setting such D&D terms would be represented by their closest ancient analogue. So Hippótēs "knight, horseman, heroic champion" instead of Paladínos. And Aiodos or Mousikos instead of Vardos.

The thing to keep in mind is that a bard and a musician are not the same thing. Music is a part of bardism. Bardism is not a part of music. ;-)

Yeah but all the D&D class names are 'abstracted / iconic' names which don't necessarily encompass all the non-heroic characters who have a similar profession. There people are who fight who aren't Fighters. There are acolytes and priests (and thus, 'clerics') who aren't Clerics, there are wise-men who aren't Wizards, and there are Celtic musicians and poets (and thus 'bards') who aren't Bards. Any number of synonyms could've been chosen as the D&D class name. It's just that by the Gygax's (and other D&D designers') whim, we have 'Bard' instead of, say, Minstrel or Troubadour.

I would be looking at Orpheus and related philosophies for inspiration here.

I totally agree. I looked at the Greek-language Wikipedia article on Orpheus, and he is referred to as a 'poet' (poietes) and 'musician' (mousikous) , but not a 'bard' (vardos).

"Ορφέας θεωρήθηκε ένας από τους βασικούς ποιητές και μουσικούς της αρχαιότητας..."
"Orpheus was considered one of the foremost poets and musicians of antiquity..."

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I actually think the Planeshift articles were made because they had a conversation about what Magic settings might make good setting books, and the ones that didn't make the cut were given to Wyatt as testing to see the reception.

Amonkhet, Kaladesh, are both pretty unique, but don't seem to have enough content made for them to justify their own settings. Ixalan and Innistrad are pretty unique, but overlap with books already released (Chult in ToA, Ravenloft in CoS). And Zendikar and Dominaria are huge, but aren't really unique enough to truly justify their own releases.

So I don't expect any of those settings to get their own books. If Magic gets more settings, I expect it will be for ones that so far don't have Planeshift articles. Eldraine has been suggested, but I actually think the more likely target is Tarkir. That plane has gotten loads of content from Magic and even different timelines, so there is a lot to explore and plenty of opportunity for new rules and fluff for D&D.

The only reason I can see Tarkir not getting a Planeshift article is the same reasoning as why Theros never got one; it's being saved for a future setting book.

Tbh, I think those planes will get a book. Like, all of them, in one book.

 

[Parmandur]

We don't actually know it is high level, just mythic. From the info released so far, the "mythic" element is something you get at character generation and then modifications to some monsters (similar to legendary monsters, but they do more?)

Based on the Devotion mechanic from the Theros card Blocks, the things Wyatt was saying about the Piety system sound a bit like a Mythic style bonus advancement track, similar to the Monstrosity mechanic from the card game translating into Boss monster mechanics in this book. For reference:

Bestow
The gods of Theros send their servants out into the world to bestow their blessings upon the worthy.

A creature with bestow gives you the option to cast it as an Aura that enchants a creature, granting that creature its power, toughness, and abilities.

When a card with bestow is in your hand, you have two options: cast it normally for its mana cost, or cast it for its bestow cost. If you cast a bestow card normally, it's an enchantment creature spell that resolves and becomes an enchantment creature on the battlefield. Its bestow ability and its "Enchanted creature gets..." text are ignored.

If you cast a bestow card for its bestow cost, it's never a creature spell. Instead, it's an Aura spell with enchant creature, so you have to target a creature to cast it. If that creature has a heroic ability, this will trigger it, just as any other Aura spell would.

If the target creature leaves the battlefield after you cast a card with bestow as an Aura but before the spell resolves, the Aura spell will resolve as an enchantment creature rather than being countered like a normal Aura spell. If the target creature is still on the battlefield when the Aura spell resolves, it resolves as an Aura enchanting that creature.

While it's enchanting a creature, an Aura with bestow grants the creature the bonuses listed in its text box. If the creature it's enchanting leaves the battlefield for any reason, the Aura immediately becomes an enchantment creature again rather than being put in the graveyard like other Auras.

Devotion and Gods
The gods of Theros grant their favors to those whose devotion is great enough.

Your devotion to a color is the number of mana symbols of that color in the mana costs of permanents you control. There are cards that count devotion to each of the five colors, and they have many different effects based on that devotion. Some examples:

• A permanent that costs
  
  
  adds one to your devotion to black.
• A permanent that costs
  
  
  
  adds three to your devotion to red.
• A permanent that costs
  
  
  
  adds one to your devotion to green and one to your devotion to white.

Devotion counts only mana symbols in your permanents' mana costs—the cost in the upper right corner of the card. Mana symbols in text boxes, such as activation costs or the big mana symbols on basic lands, do not count toward your devotion. Only colored mana symbols count; it doesn't matter how much a permanent costs to cast, just how much colored mana. A permanent that looks at your devotion to a color counts the mana symbols in its own cost.

It doesn't come up in Theros, but hybrid mana symbols and other unusual colored mana symbols also count toward your devotion to each of their colors. For example, a permanent that costs

adds two to your devotion to red and two to your devotion to green.

Karametra's Acolyte, for example, always adds at least

to your mana pool, because it has

in its mana cost. The

symbols in its text box don't count.

Five gods appear on cards in Theros as legendary enchantment creatures with the creature type God. But they don't manifest as creatures on the battlefield until your devotion to their color is high enough.

Each of the Theros Gods has indestructible, and each one is a creature only if you have enough devotion to its color. If a God enters the battlefield while your devotion to its color is less than the required number, abilities that trigger when a creature enters the battlefield won't trigger. If a God on the battlefield is a creature and your devotion to its color drops below the required number, it immediately stops being a creature. A God can't attack the turn it enters the battlefield unless it has haste, even if it wasn't a creature as it entered the battlefield.

Gods are always legendary enchantments, and their abilities work whether they're creatures or not. Nylea always gives your creatures trample, regardless of your current devotion to green.

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[Parmandur]

I actually think the Planeshift articles were made because they had a conversation about what Magic settings might make good setting books, and the ones that didn't make the cut were given to Wyatt as testing to see the reception.

Amonkhet, Kaladesh, are both pretty unique, but don't seem to have enough content made for them to justify their own settings. Ixalan and Innistrad are pretty unique, but overlap with books already released (Chult in ToA, Ravenloft in CoS). And Zendikar and Dominaria are huge, but aren't really unique enough to truly justify their own releases.

So I don't expect any of those settings to get their own books. If Magic gets more settings, I expect it will be for ones that so far don't have Planeshift articles. Eldraine has been suggested, but I actually think the more likely target is Tarkir. That plane has gotten loads of content from Magic and even different timelines, so there is a lot to explore and plenty of opportunity for new rules and fluff for D&D.

The only reason I can see Tarkir not getting a Planeshift article is the same reasoning as why Theros never got one; it's being saved for a future setting book.

WotC wasn't thinking about crossing the streams when Wyatt started doing that work on his own time. His actual job after finishing the Dungeons Master's Guide and transferring to Magic was doing Magic Setting work, and he wanted to keep DMing but didn't want to split his mind too much, so he Homebrewers his day job fluff work for D&D, and then convinced his boss to let him out the Homebrew up for download with Magic stock art. And it was well received, and here we are.