Planescape 5 New D&D Books Coming in 2023 -- Including Planescape!

At today's Wizards Presents event, hosts Jimmy Wong, Ginny Di, and Sydnee Goodman announced the 2023 line-up of D&D books, which featured something old, something new, and an expansion of a fan favorite.

The first of the five books, Keys from the Golden Vault, will arrive in winter 2023. At Tuesday's press preview, Chris Perkins, Game Design Architect for D&D, described it as “Ocean’s Eleven meets D&D” and an anthology of short adventures revolving around heists, which can be dropped into existing campaigns.

In Spring 2023, giants get a sourcebook just like their traditional rivals, the dragons, did in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants will be a deep dive into hill, frost, fire, cloud, and storm giants, plus much more.

Summer 2023 will have two releases. The Book of Many Things is a collection of creatures, locations, and other player-facing goodies related to that most famous D&D magic item, the Deck of Many Things. Then “Phandelver Campaign” will expand the popular Lost Mine of Phandelver from the D&D Starter Set into a full campaign tinged with cosmic horror.

And then last, but certainly not least, in Fall 2023, WotC revives another classic D&D setting – Planescape. Just like Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, Planescape will be presented as a three-book set containing a setting guide, bestiary, and adventure campaign in a slipcase. Despite the Spelljammer comparison they did not confirm whether it would also contain a DM screen.

More information on these five titles will be released when we get closer to them in date.

 

[Parmandur]

And I'd be willing to bet that the biggest complaint on the survey will be the page count. From what I've seen here and elsewhere, most people are fine with what's in the set, but are unhappy over what's not in the set.

I mean, always leave them wanting more is a sound principle, but it went too far with Spelljammer. It just needed more space...

 

[Micah Sweet]

I mean, always leave them wanting more is a sound principle, but it went too far with Spelljammer. It just needed more space...

Yeah, the issue with leaving them wanting more is that they're not planning on giving us any.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There's also the possibility that the adventure and Outer Planes gazateer could be combined if the adventure visits them all like the Great Modron March.

I really disliked that format for Strixhaven. I shouldn't have to flip through the adventure to find locations player characters want to visit on campus. I would have preferred if they made a straightforward guide to the school and just referenced it in the adventure. (And I would have wanted a PDF supplement, or something, detailing the rest of Archios in more detail, although it seems comically underdeveloped even in MTG -- what do you mean all of these powerful spellcasters have never explored the other continent?)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

No, but it would be an extra expense to design a bigger slip-case.

"Cut the cardboard to be four millimeters wider" isn't a significant expense.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, the issue with leaving them wanting more is that they're not planning on giving us any.

They opened up Spelljammer on the DMsGuild, that's really all they need to do. If the 3 books had been 96 or 128 pages instead, I would have been happier, but they certainly don't need to "support" anything with more and more books. That way lies madness, and third parties and small producers can do it easily.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

They opened up Spelljammer on the DMsGuild, that's really all they need to do. If the 3 books had been 96 or 128 pages instead, I would have been happier, but they certainly don't need to "support" anything with more and more books. That way lies madness, and third parties and small producers can do it easily.

Yeah, giving a bunch of pages to Gatetowns in Planescape 5E would be a waste of what is likely to be precious page space, but the DMs Guild is well suited for making each of them a fully fleshed out setting written by superfans.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, giving a bunch of pages to Gatetowns in Planescape 5E would be a waste of what is likely to be precious page space, but the DMs Guild is well suited for making each of them a fully fleshed out setting written by superfans.

Qell, let's assume that the book will be 64 pages: that means thar WotC could give nesrly 3 tines as much space to each Planar region than in the DMG, with some nice art. If they make it larger, 96 or 128 pages, it could be a very full featured Manual of the Planes.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I guess WotC is focused into to publish the "starter pack" for each setting, and then the 3PPs in the DM Guild do the rest of the work, and these take the risks but they enjoy the hook of a powerful brand.

I see WotC is publishing a "starter pack" for each setting, but but FR no one is continued after the first title. And this is not too necessary, because the "crunch" part has to be for all the lines, and the lore can be known thanks the digital version of old titles. I would dare to say WotC is more focused into to design and promote the "brand" than publish more sourcebooks.

I suggested several times even if the faction war has been totally banned in Sigil, this could continue in the Gate-towns. These also can be source of new adventures for the players.

I miss more planetouched PC races. Maybe the ardalings will be appear in Planescape 5e. It is curious because the wildren, one of the PC races I less liked in 3.5 Ed, with a redesign they might become so popular as tielflings and dragonborns.

 

[Tsuga C]

I wanted to hit like for the Havamal quote, but couldn’t when I read the rest. “Vandalized and defiled”!? Really!?

Yes, really. I'm largely a grognard, a legacy content-liker in all its various manifestations. If I enjoyed the original form of ABcdEF, then the reimagining and remaking of it into AbCdeF--updated for a new generation!--has all the appeal of fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Also: Planescape 5E is getting the 64-page book set up that Spelljammer: Adventures in Space got.

We don't know the page count yet.