D&D 5E New Year speculation thread!

[Faolyn]

Other than thinking shadow creatures should be Fey, and the Shadowfell should be closely tied to the Feywild, I agree completely.

I knew a guy who, in reference to World of Darkness, said that Changeling: the Dreaming was the light that caused the shadows of the other settings.

I could see the Feywild being the light that causes the Shadowfell.

 

[Faolyn]

Probably the easiest way to kitbash the two concepts is to have crystal spheres floating in the astral sea, connected by iridescent ribbons of phlogiston. Stay in the flow if you want to get to another crystal sphere fast, leave the flow if you want to take a leisurely tour of the planes.

Nah. The thing with Spelljammer is that everything is literally in space. Air is a necessity that can easily vanish because of accident or design, and if you're stranded in space, you're really stranded in space. OTOH, the Astral is full of breathable air. Putting a Spelljammer in the Astral plane sounds OK but it takes a lot of the actual hazards away from the setting.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Probably Innistrad, maybe Ravenloft.

Maybe Ravenloft, unlikely Innistrad. WotC has already said they're working on 3 legacy settings, and the last one they released was a Magic one, so I'm pretty sure the next will be an old one. Could be Ravenloft to tie in with the Innistrad Magic release.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Spelljammer is naval combat in the space. This means PCs can kill sea monsters with cannons, giants crossbows or catapults from their own ship, and then the XPs rewards/Challenge Rating have to be rebalanced.

Other matter is some Splj factions are too powerful if these tried to invade some crystal spheres with lower-level of magic and technology, for example Oerth(Greyhawk).

In the end of this year Kaldheim from M:tG as the new D&D setting shouldn't be impossible.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

In the end of this year Kaldheim from M:tG as the new D&D setting shouldn't be impossible.

Pretty near improbable. I highly doubt WotC will risk releasing a D&D book for a MtG setting that they have no idea will be successful; Kaldheim could be a complete bust. Ravnica and Theros were already well established and successful.

 

[Faolyn]

Pretty near improbable. I highly doubt WotC will risk releasing a D&D book for a MtG setting that they have no idea will be successful; Kaldheim could be a complete bust. Ravnica and Theros were already well established and successful.

Ravnica and Theros were also used to illustrate minor D&D rules--Renown and Piety; and Theros had those Mythical monsters. WotC may not bother making a new MtG setting unless it could also be used to expand upon or introduce a a particular ruleset.

The same might be for more classing settings as well: Dragonlance could potentially be used to expand on aerial combat; Planescape has planer rules; Dark Sun has psionics; Spelljammer has space ships, freefall, and other space-related rules. Likewise, there's probably a setting that deals with naval combat a lot (Edit: Red Steel?), and I'm guessing that Birthright would be good for expanding mass combat rules.

So if I'm correct here, then there might not be room for a MtG setting (or other D&D setting) unless it also has a lot more crunch to it. I honestly don't know much about the settings. Some of them sound pretty cool but I don't know if they have rules that they could showcase.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Necro-ing this thread, because we have our Q1 book (Candlekeep Mysteries), and a new UA for some Dark Fantasy races!

I still think we will be getting 3 more books this year, one per quarter. So here's my guesses;

Q2: Monster Book (probably dragon theme).

I still think this is happening, because gem dragons should be coming sometime, what with WotC making the Sapphire Dragon and hinting at more when they did. Plus, the UA from last October had some dragon-themed subclasses. A monster book is also very overdue, as the last was MToF, which came out I believe two years ago? This hits a few boxes so feels like it's definitely happening this year.

Q3: Annual Adventure Book

Every year we have gotten a big adventure, and that pattern probably won't break this year. Almost certainly will be in the Forgotten Realms, as they always are, but WotC seems interested in delving in FR locations we haven't done a deep dive in 5E. Where that would be for 2021, I don't really know. Gun to my head, there were some hints to Lantan and Spelljammer, so maybe that, but it could just be somewhere else entirely.

Q4: Setting Book

WotC has said in their streams recently that setting books sell well, and that they want to make more. Last year they released two (although Wildemount was made mostly by non-WotC people), so I feel it's a sure bet another is coming this year. What it was going to be I wasn't sure, between Planescape, Dark Sun, or Ravenloft, but the UA seems to pointing to a Dark Fantasy setting. Although a new Innistrad set is releasing at a similar time, I actually feel Ravenloft is probably getting top billing (although I wouldn't be surprised if Innistrad got a section, or was at minimum mentioned, in such a book). A MTG setting was released last year, and I think WotC will alternate to a classic setting this year (and they've said they are working on releasing 3 classic settings). I'm sure the two brands will be doing cross-promotion on the horror products, even if they aren't the same settings.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

A monster book is also very overdue, as the last was MToF, which came out I believe two years ago?

Almost three years, actually.

 

[Parmandur]

Coincidentally, there was a three year gap between XGtE and TCoE. A three year gap between MToF and a new dedicated monster book? Sounds legit.

After the latest UA, Ravenloft is probably the thing in the Fall.

 

[Kodiak3D]

The recent UA with Gothic Lineages just screams that they're prepping for Ravenloft, in my opinion. A Van Richten's Guide to Undead and/or Werebeasts would be nice as well, though I don't necessarily expect it.