D&D (2024) D&D Mysteries of the Multiverse Reveal

The last segment of today's D&D Direct presentation featured Chris Perkins and Jeremy Crawford, both D&D game architects. They talked about what adventures to expect the rest of this year, what's coming next year, and beyond, all centered around the D&D Multiverse.

After a recap of the adventures to date, Perkins and Crawford showed some art from Bigby Presents: The Glory of the Giants, coming this year. Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk will explore the mysterious obelisks that have been appearing in adventures over the last nine years and connects to The Lost Mines of Phandelver.

That will be followed by Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse, which will lay groundwork for a major adventure in 2024. Lastly for 2023, they'll delve into the chaos-causing Deck of Many Things, and the story behind the legendary item.

A major D&D villain will be making his return in 2024. Vecna's true cosmic horror will be unleashed in 2024 with a world-hopping adventure that will celebrate D&D's 50 year history and reveals deeper plots for years to come.

But Vecna is just one-part of D&D's interconnected storytelling. A lot more will be revealed in the next five years. For example, the Red Wizards of Thay will be featured in a 2025 adventure, and Venger from the D&D cartoon will return to be the main antagonist in another future adventure. The League of Malevolence, introduced in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, will seek power across the multiverse in stories to come.

All in all, Crawford and Perkins teased many more adventures to come, some of which will interconnect, building a big story that plays out throughout the D&D Multiverse.

 

[dave2008]

While I am excited about pretty much all of these products, I really hope they don't start imposing a metaplot from above.

It seems like there will be a metaplot, but I am not sure how they would "impose" that. I mean there have been many a D&D plot and meta-plot before and none of it has ever affect my games. I really can't imagine how they can change anything in my game, even if they wanted too.

 

[Krypter]

Mmmm... Cat Lord...

 

[Incenjucar]

The main issue with meta plot is that you start needing to homebrew things as your game starts to diverge from it. If Sigil crashes into Krynn or something you're going to have a harder time making use of future products.

 

[timbannock]

Planescape, perhaps more than most campaign settings (arguably maybe Dark Sun?), had one of the most intrusive and implicit metaplots of all of D&D. See Faction War for how that all went, but the seeds of it were throughout most (all?) of the published adventures: Dead Gods, Modron March, and a few others being the most noticeable.

So, it makes sense that they'd tie it all into more metaplot stuff, but...that's exactly my least favorite aspect of Planescape, so...

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I didn't really get into what 2e Planescape had to offer to much, so a butchering might be just what it needs IMO.

why?

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I didn't really get into what 2e Planescape had to offer to much, so a butchering might be just what it needs IMO.

I also don't get why anyone is interested in the same book just with A scrapped and 2 replaced with a 5.

I also don't get, how people think anything created 30 years ago does never need a new and different take.

I currently see some movies or comedians I liked 25 years ago and now it is just cringe....

 

[dave2008]

why?

A couple of reasons:

1. 2e: I generally disliked the graphic design of 2e books, so I avoided them
2. Art: I didn't like Tony's art style. It didn't fit my idea of D&D art at the time (with some exceptions). So I tended to avoid planescape books even more. I like his current style much better.
3. Lore: To me, D&D lore was what was in the 1e MM, MM2, and Deities & Demigods. I didn't car for the blood war, the cosmic hub of Sigil, and pretty much any of the lore the added. I don't know if this is specifically Planescape, but the Orcus / Tenerbous / March "meta-plot" always bothered me. I used to ignore pretty much any of the 2e lore and Planescape was caught up in that. However, I do like some ideas of Sigil and the Lady of Pain (others not so much).

 

[Retreater]

Art: I didn't like Tony's art style. It didn't fit my idea of D&D art at the time (with some exceptions). So I tended to avoid planescape books even more. I like his current style much better.

A whole other reason I didn't get into Planescape is it wasn't "my setting." I was a Ravenloft (and sometimes Forgotten Realms) DM. My friend Steve had Dark Sun. Cory had Birthright. There wasn't space in our rotation for Spelljammer, Planescape, etc.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

I remain baffled that they can create every possible product for Honor Among Thieves except for one with D&D rules inside of it, to provide the smoothest possible on-ramp from movie-viewer to lifelong game player (and customer). Why weren't they handing out quickplay kits or at least slapping QR codes for them up at every screening? So strange.

Well, the adventure from the upcoming Keys from the Golden Vault, Prisoner 13, which is tied into the movie, was released for free in February.

 

[toucanbuzz]

An adventure spanning the multiverse involving the League of Malevolence giving you the chance to play heroes with godlike powers to fly, react inhumanly fast, wear invincible armors, and shrug off wounds that would kill normal mortals, and even play animals that walk, talk, and use human tools? Count me in!