D&D Adds Two New Books to 2025 Slate, Including New Eberron Book

Wizards of the Coast is adding two Dungeons & Dragons books to its 2025 slate, including Eberron: Forge of the Artificer in August and an unnamed mystery book in October. Eberron: Forge of the Artificer will include the revised Artificer class, several new backgrounds and feats, and revised Eberron species, including the “classic” species that previously appeared in Eberron: Rising From the Last War and the new Khoravar species. The design team for Eberron: Forge of the Artificer includes James Wyatt (who worked on the original Eberron line), with original Eberron designer Keith Baker consulting on the new book.

The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide will introduce circle-casting, a new way to cast spells. Full details on the new mechanic was not revealed, but it will involve multiple spellcasters working together to amp up a spell or give it additional effects. One example given was making a spell's effects permanent instead of having a temporary duration.

While no other details were provided for the October mystery book, EN World received a host of new details about the rest of D&D's 2025 slate during a press visit to Wizards of the Coast's new office headquarters last week.

Dragon Delves - July 8, 2025 Release Date

The previously unnamed dragon anthology is called Dragon Delves and will feature 10 short adventures, each of which features a different type of chromatic or metallic dragon. Three campaign options will be provided in the anthology to link together the adventures. Not every adventure pits players against dragons, especially as the adventures range from Level 1 to Level 12. The adventures are described as being relatively short and utilize the prep-style seen in the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide. There's also an art section showcasing dragon art from across 50 years of D&D material.

Dragon Delves also noticably departs from Wizards' in-house style for D&D. Each adventure features art by a different artist, with the artists each providing their own style instead of conforming to the "fantastic realism" typically found in D&D books. Artists in Dragon Delves includes Luke Eidensink, Dominik Mayer, and Ed Kwong, with example pieces seen below.

Eberron: Forge of the Artificer - August 19, 2025 Release Date

Eberron: Forge of the Artificer serves as a "companion" book to Eberron: Rising From The Last War, with looks at different parts of Eberron that wasn't explored in the previous rulebook. The book will include new backgrounds, new bastion options tied to Eberron, and expanded rules for airships. The book also includes some changes/evolutions of Eberron lore. Notably, dragonmarked houses are no longer "species-locked" with characters able to join the houses later in life. Dragonmarks are also being made into feats as opposed to having a separate subsystem.

As a note, lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford specifically noted that the Khoravar are being considered a new species and distinct from half-elves. Crawford noted that this change came from Eberron lore itself and reflects how the existing lore of D&D is influencing the mechanics.

While the book won't include a full campaign, there are three chapters presented as campaign "options" with sample adventures. The three chapters, titled Sharn Inquisitives, Dragonmark Intrigue, and Morgrave Expeditions are organized using the methods explained in the Dungeon Master's Guide and include several sample adventures.

At one point, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer was described as a "Xanathar's Guide to Everything" book, but specific to Eberron. The book will also have a different page count and price point than typical D&D rulebooks, although no further details were given.


Heroes of the Borderland Starter Set - September 16, 2025 Release Date

Heroes of the Borderlands is a return to the Keep in the Borderlands, although "time has passed" since the original adventure module. The physical starter set will also contain several new innovations designed to make playing D&D easier for beginners. Notably, the starter set includes numerous new components including "tiles" that players mix and match to create new characters. The tile system was described as one of the quickest character creation systems ever for new players, short of giving them a pre-generated character. The Starter Set will also include support for having multiple DMs run the campaign.

Forgotten Realms Player's Guide - November 11, 2025 Release Date

The Forgotten Realms Player's Guide will feature new backgrounds, feats, and 8 new subclasses. The 8 new subclasses will be revealed today as part of an Unearthed Arcana (found here). Instead of rehashing existing subclasses, at least some of the subclasses are inspired by different parts of the Forgotten Realms. For example, the bard subclass is inspired by the Moonshae Isles, while the genie-themed paladin is focused on Calimsham.
The eight subclasses are:

• College Of The Moon (Bard)
• Knowledge Domain (Cleric)
• Purple Dragon Knight (Fighter)
• Oath Of The Noble Genies (Paladin)
• Winter Walker (Ranger)
• Scion Of The Three (Rogue)
• Spellfire Sorcery (Sorcerer)
• Bladesinger (Wizard)

Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide - November 11, 2025 Release Date

The Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide will contain deep dives on five different parts of the Forgotten Realms, each of which are meant to focus on a "different kind of fantasy." The five areas include the Moonshae Isles, Icewind Dale, the Dalelands, Calimshan, and Baldur's Gate. Each area will have short adventures for DMs to run or help launch a campaign.

When asked whether the Forgotten Realms would have any changes, Crawford said that some areas of the Forgotten Realms would have new developments, particularly in areas where Fifth Edition hasn't touched before. Additionally, Baldur's Gate 3 will be referenced in the artwork of the Baldur's Gate section and there would be some other nods to the game in that section as well.

 

[Vael]

For those of us that don’t have EE, what is a Maverick?

The Maverick is an attempt to simulate the 3.5 Artificer's "Spell Storing Infusion", ie, one of the major strengths of a 3.5 Artificer was the ability to recreate almost any spell in the game. The subclass can prepare bonus spells from other class lists and gains an additional cantrip, as well as the ability to swap out a cantrip during a short rest.

The challenge was it was a spellcasting focused subclass that was still hamstrung by being a half-caster core. That said, it did offer some fun flexibility.

 

[Burnside]

So a random thought popped into my head. I was thinking about how odd it was that the FR book only has 8 subclasses given that they made an effort to ensure each class had the same number of number of subclasses in the new PH (even the Artificer appears to have 5 subclasses given the number of figures in the lustration). I suspect it's fully possible that the other 4 classes will have surprise subclasses as well--maybe they are based on more recent designs from Tasha's, so they don't feel they need an Unearthed Arcana.

But, it occurred to me that they could also be taking an asymmetrical (and likely controversial) approach of sneaking subclasses for the 4 classes that aren't getting one in the FR book in the Eberron book. Perhaps Circle of Dreams (Eldeen Reaches), Sun Soul (renamed to Radiant Soul to better fit both the Silver Flame and Path of Light), Undying Patron (Undying Court or Vol), and I'm not sure on barbarians.

I'm probably wrong, but I was surprised to see an Eberron book this year, so who knows.

I don't know that they feel it's important that each class have the same number of subclasses, apart from the PHB. They certainly haven't worried about that for the past decade. I expect we'll see books like Bigby Presents, Van Richten's, and Fizban's, and the MTG sourcebooks that add only 1-2 new subclasses, and it'll just be whichever ones make sense to include.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Why such negative framing? I dont think Keith is feeling bad about having to remix some of his setting, which he does all the time on his blog to keep up with WotC ideas without incentive.

If you think being told to change stuff and voluntarily changing stuff are the same thing, I don't know what to tell you.

Also, I follow Baker, and I feel like you're deeply misrepresenting his blog by calling it "remixing" - on the contrary, most of it is just adding detail/nuance/depth to stuff whilst maintaining what he's already said to be the case.

 

[mamba]

Theybare explicitly billing it as a companion piece.

do they have a definition for that? To me that sounds like something you can use alongside the first Eberron book and that they complement each other, but that it can stand on its own and does not require it.

 

[tetrasodium]

do they have a definition for that? To me that sounds like something you can use alongside the first Eberron book and that they complement each other, but that it can stand on its own and does not require it.

Eberron is pretty big once you start looking at the various (largely) isolated continents and there are several regions that are effectively their own subsetting due to largely avoiding the last war for various reasons or the lack of established dragonmark house presence.

I'd wager Blade desert, demon wastes, droaam, & the elf dragon or quori continent will feature prominently. But can think of a few other areas not explored much in past books for honorable mention.

I list those first two specifically because both give the option to add very different "no guys, this desert is a horrible place where the environment itself that hates life thiiiis much " sets of rules while droaam allows a completely different spin on medieval stasis baselines.

We might see some rules on mourn lands too as prior rules involving natural healing and such tend to not really apply under 5e's simplifications.

 

[Parmandur]

do they have a definition for that? To me that sounds like something you can use alongside the first Eberron book and that they complement each other, but that it can stand on its own and does not require it.

I mean, it suggests to me that they won't repeat the fluff from the first book, so it would be difficult to run Eberron with just the newer book.

 

[Distracted DM]

Well I love that black and white dragonrider art piece.

 

[Remathilis]

I mean, it suggests to me that they won't repeat the fluff from the first book, so it would be difficult to run Eberron with just the newer book.

I'm pretty sure they aren't going to spend time rehashing the basics (dragonmarks, Sharn, The Last War) but I don't think it is going to be strictly necessary if you already know the basics.

 

[Parmandur]

Tarkir book or even a big general Magic the Gathering Setting book, with multiple settings?

Perhaps the events at the end of the Dragonstorm arc create a link with the D&D multiverse?

Oh, snap, another point: recently in one of the Monster type videos, Crawford teased that they were working on something thwt would have non-Humanoid Spwcies optuons...and a "Magic the Gathering Companion" would be perfect for a lot of that sort of thing.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Wow, US Veterans day (Nov 11) is going to be brutal to my wallet