D&D 5E D&D Beyond Previews Flying Pigs, Space Hamsters, And More!

WotC has previewed a few Spelljammer monsters over on D&D Beyond, including Scavvers, Space Eels, Space Hamsters, Space Mollymawks, and Space Swine.

Scavvers are 10-ft space sharks, space eels are ethereal serpentine critters, the infamous space hamsters ar about the size of a bear, space mollyhawks are birds which travel in flocks, and space swine are winged boars. Yup, flying pigs.

Space Hamsters and Other Curious Creatures You'll Find in Spelljammer

Wildspace is full of all manner of alien creatures, from flying pigs to miniature giant space hamsters. Get a glimpse at a select few creatures in this ...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[MonsterEnvy]

They toned down Ravenloft - so highlighting the wacky seems par for the WotC course these days...

Ravenloft did not seem toned down to me at all?

 

[Faolyn]

Ravenloft did not seem toned down to me at all?

Over on the Fraternity of Shadows, one person doing a Let's Read complained that they had toned down the Darklord's curse by calling it a torment, "joking" that WotC felt that curse was too mean a word. IMO, however, torment is a much worse concept because it implies that they constantly suffer from them, and we know that several of the Darklords got around their curses quite well.

 

[sevenbastard]

Have you looked at the Shadow of the Spider Moon? That’s a take on spelljammer that is much more serious minded.

I have and it's definitely more my style than space clowns....

 

[Demetrios1453]

I disagree. Spelljammer is D&D in space, with everything that entails. It is not predominantly campy by default (although of course you can lean into it).

And this very article shows that in all its facets. The Space Hamster and the Space Swine are on the goofy end, but the Scavvers sound like pretty nasty encounters, with the Space Eels and Space Mollymawks between the two extremes on the campy to serious axis.

 

[grimslade]

I most likely will not be using Space Clowns in a game, at least the Space Clowns as presented by Chris 'Whimsy' Perkins. (Not to slag on Chris, I have huge respect and admiration for his work. Between the rollout of Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Spelljammer, I have heard the word 'whimsy' more than a lifetime's worth of times.)
The underlying description of them as space fiends who plague the Multiverse sounds pretty good though. These demons of mockery and corruption are a scourge of space and worlds alike. I could see Space Clowns as a cult to these nefarious beings maybe...

 

[Eyes of Nine]

* Spelljammer is going to be unlocked soon in DM Guild. You can guess the crazy and awesome ideas by the 3PPs.

I am seriously looking forward to those ideas

 

[Micah Sweet]

Over on the Fraternity of Shadows, one person doing a Let's Read complained that they had toned down the Darklord's curse by calling it a torment, "joking" that WotC felt that curse was too mean a word. IMO, however, torment is a much worse concept because it implies that they constantly suffer from them, and we know that several of the Darklords got around their curses quite well.

While I agree with you, that doesn't mean that WotC didn't think curse was too mean a word.

 

[darjr]

They toned down Ravenloft - so highlighting the wacky seems par for the WotC course these days...

If mining nostalgia to generate enthusiasm was the goal, Dark Sun, Drangonlance, Greyhawk or even a re-vamped Oriental adventures all sold better and had wider followings than Spelljammer...

From Forgotten Realms to Red Steel: Here's That Full D&D Setting Sales Chart

Whether this will end a thousand internet arguments or fuel another thousand, Ben Riggs, author of Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons and Dragons, has finally published the combined chart of cumulative sales for every AD&D setting from 1979 to 1999. Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk...

www.enworld.org

It's probably just me, but if you are going to go with one of the lesser setting options in your back catalogue to refurbish: One would think you would take the opportunity to excise the space hamsters and assorted wackadoodle from the setting - not double down on it...

Your assuming that the nostalgia play is for the nostalgia of the game materials specifically and not the stuff around it. For instance Boo is part of that nostalgia play for Spelljammer and as far as I know other than the in-joke he’s never really been a part of the game materials.

 

[Faolyn]

While I agree with you, that doesn't mean that WotC didn't think curse was too mean a word.

Considering they used the word "curse" scores in the book (and only nine of those times are referece to CoS), including an entire section on how to lay curses on PCs, and a lot of the torments are actually harsher than than the curses of earlier editions, I really doubt that.

 

[qstor]

Except that it's typically Dohwar, who are Penguin-People that ride Space Swine.

And it looks like they're in the final book!