D&D 5E March's D&D Book To Be Announced On January 9th

A mysterious entry has appeared on Amazon! With a product title of "Dungeons & Dragons March Release Book (Title announced January 9th)" and a release date of March 17th, 2020, this $49.95 hardcover release will be revealed in under a week!

The description reads "Your first look at the next D&D title comes on January 9th! Keep an eye on wherever you get your D&D news for a preview of the book."

Could there be a clue in the dice being released on the same day? Laeral Silverhand's Explorer's Kit is described as "Dice and miscellany for the world's greatest roleplaying game" for $29.99. We'll find out on Thursday!

Who's Laeral Silverhand? She's a prolific creator of magic items from Waterdeep, and one of the most powerful wizards in the Forgotten Realms. She's one of the Seven Sisters, introduced in 1987's Forgotten Realms boxed set, although Laeral herself wasn't described in that product. Ed Greenwood'sThe Seven Sisters supplement fully detailed them in 1995. Laeral and Khlben 'Blackstaff' Arunsun led a group called the Moonstars. In 5th edition, she appears in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist.

 

[Parmandur]

I really don't think this that book, but I really, really hope it isn't.

I see no particular reason to doubt that this book is Kate Welch's book that she has been hunting at, and plenty of reason to believe that it is.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

We have ZERO references to Greyforce. If it was about Greyforce, Greyforce would be RIGHT in the name of the products, like Acquisitions Inq is in the title of their book. There is no reason to be believe this book is about them.

And this book is bigger than any AP or adventure Anthology, its too big for that, its bigger then WD: DotMM even by alot.

The map might just be Swordcoast/Waterdeep because Waterdeep will be this books city of sharn style chapter, goodness knows WotC has an unhealthy love of reprinting.

But I am still convinced it's FRs setting guide there is no other reason to have the Forgotten Realms in the title when no other FR book in 5e does. And it would explain why they hired the cultural consultants. A glorified TotYP 2 would have no reason for that.

Plus again the tie in product refers to characters and locations "across the realms", this is not to be glossed over.

First, I haven't mentioned Greyforce at all, so are you quoting the wrong person?

Second, so what if it's big? It's bigger than the Eberron book too, so the size here means nothing.

Third, if it's a guide to other regions of FR, it would have other maps to non-Sword Coast regions. If it did, those maps would be in this dice set. Because they aren't, this probably isn't a setting guide.

Fourth, Dragon Heist, Dungeon of the Made Mage, and Descent into Avernus, and all start with a similar title start as this book. The first two are Waterdeep and are entirely in (or below) Waterdeep and the Descent starts in Baldur's Gate. This one could very easily be a collection of adventures around FR and fit this same naming pattern.

I'm not saying you're wrong because I obviously don't know yet what this book is, I'm just saying that a lot of evidence is pointing away from it being a setting book.

Also, the dice set is now being advertised on the main site, so D&D clearly don't care if that is spoiling anything for this book. Honestly, at this point there may be no connection between the two at all.

 

[Parmandur]

First, I haven't mentioned Greyforce at all, so are you quoting the wrong person?

Second, so what if it's big? It's bigger than the Eberron book too, so the size here means nothing.

Third, if it's a guide to other regions of FR, it would have other maps to non-Sword Coast regions. If it did, those maps would be in this dice set. Because they aren't, this probably isn't a setting guide.

Fourth, Dragon Heist, Dungeon of the Made Mage, and Descent into Avernus, and all start with a similar title start as this book. The first two are Waterdeep and are entirely in (or below) Waterdeep and the Descent starts in Baldur's Gate. This one could very easily be a collection of adventures around FR and fit this same naming pattern.

I'm not saying you're wrong because I obviously don't know yet what this book is, I'm just saying that a lot of evidence is pointing away from it being a setting book.

Also, the dice set is now being advertised on the main site, so D&D clearly don't care if that is spoiling anything for this book. Honestly, at this point there may be no connection between the two at all.

I'm leaning towards connected, but with a different name, and this doesn't play their hand too hard yet.

 

[Prakriti]

Oh, no, I'm not suggesting a storyline book, but rather a campaign style book like AI was: here's what you need to know to run a Force Grey campaign, here's a bunch of material, here are some exotic monsters....

Ah, that makes more sense. I haven't read the AI book, so I wasn't sure what you meant by that.

Also, the dice set is now being advertised on the main site, so D&D clearly don't care if that is spoiling anything for this book. Honestly, at this point there may be no connection between the two at all.

Yes, that possibility occurred to me as well.

But as others mentioned, this could be (and likely is) the Kate Welch book announced back in August. As comicbooks reported at the time, the book "will feature adventures written by actresses Deborah Ann Woll and Marisha Ray." It will "come out in 2020." Note the plural on adventures... "The new D&D product announcement seems to feature a series of short new adventures."

It makes sense for the book to be set in FR, since it's the current "default" setting and easy for new writers to jump in to.

 

[Parmandur]

Ah, that makes more sense. I haven't read the AI book, so I wasn't sure what you meant by that.
Yes, that possibility occurred to me as well.

But as others mentioned, this could be (and likely is) the Kate Welch book announced back in August. As comicbooks reported at the time, the book "will feature adventures written by actresses Deborah Ann Woll and Marisha Ray." It will "come out in 2020." Note the plural on adventures... "The new D&D product announcement seems to feature a series of short new adventures."

It makes sense for the book to be set in FR, since it's the current "default" setting and easy for new writers to jump in to.

It came out in social media that DMsGuild authors beyond those two would be contributing more Adventures to said book. A compilation of small Modules, with some twist, plus a Bestiary would be a good book.

Also, Woll and Ray would make sense contributing to a Force Grey book: Ray DMing another season of Force Grey sounds plausible, even.

 

[gyor]

I see no particular reason to doubt that this book is Kate Welch's book that she has been hunting at, and plenty of reason to believe that it is.

We don't even know what the book is.

 

[Parmandur]

We don't even know what the book is.

True, but we know Welch is the main designer on it (per the previews in the most recent Dragon+), so it is reasonable to assume that this project that she is leading is the project she has hinted at previously.

 

[Dave2]

I hope it is setting book, I hope it is not a compilation of adventure s. I have not bought any of those and we have 2 already.

 

[Dave2]

What makes me think it is a compilation book is the timing and who heads it up. We just had a campaign module drop. So it would be unlikely another campaign module would drop so soon. A setting book on the Realms could make sense, but I would doubt they would outsource major part of the realms to freelancers unless they had been authors of realms material before. I could see them doing small adventures in each area of the realms or even less interesting focusing on the sword coast. I hope I am wrong and it is setting book. I personally do not have any interest in a book of small adventures so soon after a big campaign adventure in Baldurs Gate. That may be just me though.

 

[gyor]

First, I haven't mentioned Greyforce at all, so are you quoting the wrong person?

Second, so what if it's big? It's bigger than the Eberron book too, so the size here means nothing.

Third, if it's a guide to other regions of FR, it would have other maps to non-Sword Coast regions. If it did, those maps would be in this dice set. Because they aren't, this probably isn't a setting guide.

Fourth, Dragon Heist, Dungeon of the Made Mage, and Descent into Avernus, and all start with a similar title start as this book. The first two are Waterdeep and are entirely in (or below) Waterdeep and the Descent starts in Baldur's Gate. This one could very easily be a collection of adventures around FR and fit this same naming pattern.

I'm not saying you're wrong because I obviously don't know yet what this book is, I'm just saying that a lot of evidence is pointing away from it being a setting book.

Also, the dice set is now being advertised on the main site, so D&D clearly don't care if that is spoiling anything for this book. Honestly, at this point there may be no connection between the two at all.

Secondly It's bigger then Eberron's book, but FR is bigger with more lore and nations and Gods ect..., just as Eberron: RftLW is bigger then Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica because Eberron has a lot more lore then Ravnica.

Thirdly BG: DiA has a beautiful, detail maps 2 cities and a odd map of Avernus, and it was the Avernus map that made it into the Dice and Misc Accessory not the other maps in the book.

Fouthly the title is more like Eberron: Rising From The Last War and Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica, setting name + fluff.

Fifthly there is zero evidence that it isn't a Campaign Setting Guide.