Coming in May: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes! [UPDATED!]

Demetrios1453 · Feb 5, 2018

Looking at even more closely when Nathan Stewart holds it (around 45:30 in the video), the right "sword" doesn't appear to even be a sword. It narrows down way too far in the mid-section, so it looks to be a staff or polearm of some sort.

There's a mind flayer in the upper right of the group, and there's a female figure with bat or dragon wings in the back center (which kinda indicates Tiamat, but again too fuzzy to be sure, it might just be a succubus-type character).

Beyond that, the figures that I can sort of make out on the left above Nathan's hand (in all their glorious fuzziness) appear to be in very much in the style of Tony Di Terlizzi's 2e Planescape work, with rounded figures and bulbous noses. Again, all this is with the caveat that it's a very fuzzy image of a mock-up cover. They do say they will show the actual cover soon, hopefully tomorrow...

Tiles · Feb 5, 2018

What format is this announcement coming in tomorrow? Written? Video? Greg Tito is involved so video...?

Enevhar Aldarion · Feb 5, 2018

Tiles said:
What format is this announcement coming in tomorrow? Written? Video? Greg Tito is involved so video...?

I just rewatched the relevant part of the video and they say press release, so at least something written and posted to the WotC site. Tomorrow at 2PM Pacific is the next scheduled Dragon Talk, so maybe more will be said then too? Mearls also commented on giving more info via Twitter once the official announcement is released on Monday.

Also, for everyone else, when I watched the video I saw the closer up, but blurry, look we get of the alternate cover, and yes, the weapons to either side are definitely being held by the beings to either side of the would-be Drizz't, but it sort of looks like Drizz't still has his swords sheathed and not in his hands. So hard to see.

Also also, they said that Jeremy Crawford was still finalizing what was going in the book, so answers to questions right now could end up being wrong. The street date is May 28 or May 29, so WPN stores will get them mid-May. Isn't that cutting it a little close for the book to not be finalized already?

gyor · Feb 5, 2018

dalisprime said:
Went scouring around the DMG and the Blood War isn't even mentioned by name there in the description of the lower planes. What it does say is that now that Baator and the Abyss are accessible via the river Styx, the demonic forces can invade Avernus again, but the wording seems to indicate they haven't. Likewise the description of Avernus makes it sound like a battlefield of the past not a battlefield in an ongoing conflict. FR wiki also makes no mention of the conflict reigniting. I get that Sundering restored a lot of cosmology back to how it was, but there seem to be some remnants left behind.

As for people mentioning why the other gods had not ended the conflict the way Asmodeus did, the answer is simple - they had no vested interest in doing so. If anything, forces of good were helping fuel the conflict to keep either of two sides from turning on them (although again I don't recall any shift in the lore indicating an attack on the upper planes following the end of the Blood War so perhaps their fears were unfounded) and there weren't any major deities in the Abyss when it was cast into Elemental Chaos - Lolth straight up took Demonweb Pits and relocated it if I recall. Unless I'm mistaken other evil deities resided in other planes.

A lot of Archfiends have been busy lately, it's just a matter of time to get passed that, and they can stir up the Blood War again.

Tiles · Feb 5, 2018

This could be a nice opportunity to support high level play with epic level motivated NPC stats and legendary lairs. Minions, magic items, environments and monsters would all be welcome.

Olive · Feb 5, 2018

vpuigdoller said:
I can’t see the image clearly but who else is in the special edition cover? Besides Drizzt I mean.

PResumably Mordenkainen?

Enevhar Aldarion · Feb 5, 2018

Olive said:
PResumably Mordenkainen?

Mordenkainen is the big head in the upper middle of both book covers. The alternate cover is the one with the row of other figures on the lower half, with what really looks like Drizz't in the center and others off to his right and left.

GarrettKP · Feb 5, 2018

So even D&D Beyond lists Deurgar in the Tome of Foes description. Curious. I’ve never thought of them as particularly Planar. Maybe they are going to reprint more of the Adventure Book specific monsters than we thought? I know Out of the Abyss had some Deurgar variants.