D&D (2024) Above the Table Interview with Jeremy Crawford.

[Kobold Avenger]

Damn it Wizards! Why can’t they give us actually interesting celestials?! It sucks that this one was cut. Hopefully they end up printing it in a different book or Monstrous Compendium. There are over twice as many Celestials in the 2024 Monster Manual than there were in the 2014 one, but that’s not saying much and a good amount of those were just older monsters that changed creature type (Giant Eagles and Owls, Guardian Nagas, Sphinxes).

I think D&D could really use popular idea of “biblically accurate angels.” They don’t have to be specific matches to the ones in the Bible (the Cherubim, Ophanim, Seraphim, which aren’t technically “angels”), it would be better if they just took inspiration from them to make something new. Because the main Celestials in D&D are the standard humans-with-wings Angels and Aasimar and boring divine animal people (Guardinals, Archons). They also painfully underuse the few celestials that aren’t boring (Couatls, and I guess Nagas now). If they leaned into the alien and scary looking ones, that would be pretty cool and unique.

Cherubim are sort of covered by some of the Archons.

You also have to remember that Rilmani are Celestials now, and are more interesting in their liquid metal construct-like forms. Though they've always been the paragons of the Outlands rather than the Upper Planes.

And then there's whatever is happening with the 2e/3e Eladrin, who are clearly the "Elves" in 5e that were associated with Corellon in the Upper Planes before many ended up in the Feywild and Material Planes. I guess the Celestial Eladrin can get renamed to Sidhe or something.

 

[Scribe]

 

[Hexmage-EN]

I'm happy to hear that the Eberron book is drawing inspiration from Descent into Avernus' Infernal War Machines for airships (something I'd already been doing for my Spelljammer campaign). It's also nice to hear Crawford speak positively about Fourth Edition.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

There's also the strange case of the Asuras in D&D, most associate Asuras with Fiends because they're Fiends in Hinduism. Except that Asuras of D&D who generally appear as flame-winged angels with bird feet, are more based off of the Persian/Zoroastrian interpretation, they probably could be called Ahuras to avoid such confusion. Asuras are described as being rivals of Devas, but it's more of a friendly good-aligned rivalry.

 

[Yaarel]

Cherubim are sort of covered by some of the Archons.

I feel any "cherubim" archetype should focus on being the personification of a "throne" (literally or figuratively).

You also have to remember that Rilmani are Celestials now, and are more interesting in their liquid metal construct-like forms. Though they've always been the paragons of the Outlands rather than the Upper Planes.

Neutral Plane Rilmani being Celestial (normally Good Planes) is a choice. I can deal with that. Whence Slaad and Modron are also Celestials?

Should any Nonevil native of the Astral Plane be Celestial?

And then there's whatever is happening with the 2e/3e Eladrin, who are clearly the "Elves" in 5e that were associated with Corellon in the Upper Planes before many ended up in the Feywild and Material Planes.

The Elves, both primordial and contemporary and now clearly Fey. Inferably when Elves shapechanged from the blood Corellon, that blood was spilled in what is now the Feywild.

I guess the Celestial Eladrin can get renamed to Sidhe or something.

The Eladrin "titles", such as Ghaele, Bralani, Shiere, etcetera are Archfey if I recall correctly. So the Elves that are now in the Celestial realm (namely the dominion of Arvandor in the Chaotic Good plane of Arborea) might now be called Arvandorans? Arvandans?

Analogously, devils personify the Lawful Evil alignment of the Hells. What should personify the Chaotic Good alignment of Arborea? These would be "freedom fighters", they altruistically promote individualism, and personal loyality instead of group loyalty, to help each person become the best version of ones own unique self. Whoever represents these alignment personifications, they dont need to be Eladrin, especially when the Elves are officially Neutral or Fey which can be any alignment.

Sidhe means "fairie", Fey. I would keep this name for something in the Feywild. (I use a Scottish variant, Sith, as the name for Scottish elves. These are supernaturally beautiful fey spirits, associating with charm, extreme strength, and healing. They visit humans in dreams and visions, to teach humans how do magic, including healing.)

 

[Stormonu]

"We must brand everything with our own unique look"

"The classic D&D monsters that have been around for 35 years must be replaced with versions that act nothing like they always have"

I'm so done with 2024.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I'm not familiar with Descent into Avernus, but how were those vehicle rules?

 

[Shardstone]

I'm not familiar with Descent into Avernus, but how were those vehicle rules?

You had a stat block for each of them and players could hop in and do different parts of the stat block (if I recall correctly). Soul Coins could also be spent for stuff. They had some good diversity in models.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I'm not familiar with Descent into Avernus, but how were those vehicle rules?

Like @Shardstone said, each type of vehicle had its own stat block similar to the approach in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, but the different components of the vehicle had “Action Stations,” where a person could spend the action on their turn to operate it. So one person would control the “steering wheel,” another would control the flamethrower, another could control the giant claw, and stuff like that. The vehicles were also fueled by Soul Coins. I assume the Eberron vehicles will mention they’re fueled by Eberron Dragonshards.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

Like @Shardstone said, each type of vehicle had its own stat block similar to the approach in Ghosts of Saltmarsh, but the different components of the vehicle had “Action Stations,” where a person could spend the action on their turn to operate it. So one person would control the “steering wheel,” another would control the flamethrower, another could control the giant claw, and stuff like that. The vehicles were also fueled by Soul Coins. I assume the Eberron vehicles will mention they’re fueled by Eberron Dragonshards.

There's also a Mishap Threshold! Take more damage than the Mishap Threshold and something randomly goes wrong with the vehicle. I've applied it to ships already.