D&D 5E Official D&D Greek-Themed 'Mythic Odysseys of Theros' Setting Coming In May

My inbox just exploded! It looks like Penguin Random House accidentally leaked an upcoming book listing for D&D, before removing the entry. It's dated for May 19th, and it's called Mythic Odysseys of Theros.

What's Theros? It's a Greek(ish) themed Magic: the Gathering world! This will make it the second, after Ravnica, to make it to an official D&D campaign setting. Here's what the MTG wiki says about it:

"Theros is a plane governed by the gods of Nyx, where heroes face monsters, the sea rages, people offer burnt offerings and adventures take place. It is defined by mankind's struggle against the primal forces of the world, and mankind's conflict with the many other sapient races that populate the world."

In ancient times, the archons of Theros held a massive empire, tyrannizing the world in the belief that they were imposing a strict justice. The most notable of these Archon tyrants was Agnomakhos, who used the leonin as an army. Eventually, the Archon empire fell, being instead replaced by the poleis, and the remaining Archons now lash at these, slighting the "honor" they feel was stripped from them.

There's an enormous list of races, too -- though how many of those will translate from MtG to D&D, I don't know. Some of these are clearly 'monsters' in the D&D sense rather than 'races'. It includes cats, centaurs, gorgons, merfolk, minotaurs, satyrs, spirits, zombies, archons, basilisks, chimeras, cyclopses, demons, dragons, giants, hags, harpies, hounds, hydras, krakens, lamias, manticores, pegasi, phoenixes, spines, and sirens.

There's a whole bunch of Greek-themed or inspired D&D settings, including:

• Arkadia by Arcana Games. "Arkadia is a combined setting and players handbook for 5e - inspired by the history and myths of Ancient Greece. The book contains 100 pages of densely packed all new Greek themed content for both Players and GMs."
• Hellenistika from Handiwork Games. "From the Pillars of Herakles in the West to the Silken Cities of the East, from the isle of Hyperborea in the North to the Mountains of the Moon in the South, the world spreads before you, alive with gods and marvels."
• Odyssey of the Dragonlords from Arcanum Worlds. "Odyssey of the Dragonlords is an epic fantasy campaign for the fifth edition of the world’s greatest roleplaying game. The Player’s Guide is a 28-page companion booklet that will provide you with everything you need to begin your career as a prospective hero in the forgotten land of Thylea."
• Land of Myth by Seven Thebes. "A Fantasy Setting in Mythical Ancient Greece.A world of Heroes, right after the end of
  the Trojan War, steeped in myth and conflict."

Of course, this all assumes this isn't come kind of epic troll on WotC's part -- they have recently started putting placeholder names on products on Amazon and then changing them at the most minute, although with limited success. This could be a more elaborate attempt at that!

 

[TrainedMunkee]

Didn't they say in the blurb that Volo is in this new book? A book about a Magic setting? It seems pretty obvious to me that the two are crossing streams. That could lead to "total protonic reversal. But crossing streams is like Russian Roulette, protonic reversal may never happen."

This the internet, I am sure that it will piss some folks off and cause gnashing of the teeth. WotC owns the IP, they will make that decision on what is profitable. You can bet Hasbro is encouraging it. They live and die by the all mighty dollar.

 

[dave2008]

I don't know how other people view this, but the D&D settings/worlds have canon, the game itself does not. Rules are not canon, the Fluff is the canon.

But the fluff of the game tends to be setting neutral. And that which is not can be completely ignored with no effect on the game. So I can play in FR and have nothing to do with the "canon." I can play in a setting/world while ignoring 75% +/- of the canon. Heck, its not like the books follow the canon anyway.

 

[dave2008]

Crossing over as in, they take place in the same canon, officially. What we have right now is a D&D book about a setting in a completely different multiverse than any other D&D setting. Once Theros will be out, official canon will be that Theros and Ravnica are linked within their multiverse, while FR and Eberron and so on all have their own multiverse and their own canon. The two aren't officially linked.

In Magic, the current tradition is that every black border (i.e. tournament playable) set takes place within a single multiverse, the big canon of Magic the Gathering. What I'm hoping for is that they find a way to bend their own rules so that they can have a D&D set in black border, but not have to then say that, officially, D&D worlds and characters are now sharing a creative universe with Magic planes and lore.

Obviously what happens at people's individual D&D tables or in their head canon is different, go freakin' nuts y'all.

But how does Volo fit into all of this?

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

But the fluff of the game tends to be setting neutral. And that which is not can be completely ignored with no effect on the game. So I can play in FR and have nothing to do with the "canon." I can play in a setting/world while ignoring 75% +/- of the canon. Heck, its not like the books follow the canon anyway.

I guess it is more so with 5E, at least with class descriptions, since it seems the Realms is hard-baked into this version as the default setting. But I am looking more at D&D as a whole and I still separate rules from fluff. As an example, all the fluff in SCAG updating the Realms to current day is canon for the Realms, but it means nothing to the rules of the game itself. And to use a new reference, Volo being the narrator of this new Theros book makes him visiting there canon for the D&D version of Theros, but has no effect on the canon of the MtG version of Theros.

 

[dave2008]

I guess it is more so with 5E, at least with class descriptions, since it seems the Realms is hard-baked into this version as the default setting.

Hmm. I don't feel like the realms is baked into 5e at all. Heck the Dawn War pantheon from 4e is the example in the DMG. That being said, i don't really know FR lore, so I guess it could be there without me knowing it. But it clearly has not effect on the game.

But I am looking more at D&D as a whole and I still separate rules from fluff. As an example, all the fluff in SCAG updating the Realms to current day is canon for the Realms, but it means nothing to the rules of the game itself. And to use a new reference, Volo being the narrator of this new Theros book makes him visiting there canon for the D&D version of Theros, but has no effect on the canon of the MtG version of Theros.

Yes that could be the approach.

 

[slobster]

But how does Volo fit into all of this?

Yeah Volo is news to me, but Enevhar describes my take on it.

I'm not put out of things either way, I was just relaying what I know of the magic canon for people here, who tend to know more about the D&D side and less about the MtG.

 

[gyor]

I thought they already answered that and it fits in just like everything else. Maybe I just assumed that though

They seemed to back away from that. I want it in writing.

 

[gyor]

Know that I know more about this book my concerns are addressed and I am satisfied, and I plan on buying it.

 

[Weiley31]

I need to dig around for the link/quote, but the gorgon in D&D has an interesting history. There was a miscommunication when the original Monster Manual was being put together - so we ended up with gorgons in D&D = demonic looking metallic bull that breathes poison gas - instead of medusae. Playable medusae/gorgons are a thing in Rise of the Dragonlords by the way, an excellent Greek-inspired 3rd party release for 5e.

Okay I totally need to get Odyssey of The Dagonlords now.

 

[gyor]

If this is set after Beyond Death, Heliod would be trapped in the underworld making me wonder if he has been replaced by Daxos as Sun God or perhaps the adventure is liberating Heliod from the Underworld.