D&D 5E Planescape, Bigby, Phandelver and the Deck of Many Things: Covers & Details Revealed!

The covers of the upcoming D&D books — including Planescape, Glory of the Giants, and the Deck of Many Things have been revealed.

• August 15th -- Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants ($59.95)
• August 15th -- The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons ($39.95)
• September 19th -- Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk ($59.95)
• October 16th -- Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse ($TBA)
• November 14th -- Book of Many Things ($TBA)

Coming August 15th with two variants. Lore about giants, 76 stat blocks, feats, and a giant subclass.

3 hardcovers in a boxed set-- 96 page guide to Sigil, 64-page bestiary, and 96-page adventure, along with a poster map and DM screen. Coming October 16th.

224-page adventure for levels 1-12, poster map, 16 new monsters. Coming September 19th.

66 illustrated cards, 192-page book with lore, character options, magic items, and monsters, 80-page card reference guide, all in a slipcase. Coming November 14th.​

These Are Dungeons & Dragons' New Products For 2023

New books for the fantasy role-playing game include Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and a look at the legendary Deck of Many Things.

themessenger.com

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

I'm glad to see them as well, although I was about 99% sure they would be appearing.

Figured chances were decent (they were in Minsc and Boo's Journal of Villainy), but it's nice to get something approximating confirmation.

 

[Parmandur]

Art (of the Hive in Sigil?) from the IGN article ...which oddly showed up on Google search but not the article itself.

Bit of a silly modern interpretation (yeti with ice cream cones, fiend with soft pretzel, glowing signage), but nice diversity of creatures.

I think the artist is Vicki Pangestu.

I like this style, a lot.

 

[Parmandur]

There are all sorts of reasons why a modron might end up in the Astral Sea, including if said modron is a glitchling PC and the rest of the cover shows the group out there adventuring together.

And I sure hope they have more ambition than just regurgitating an adventure from the early 1990s that DMs can convert themselves.

I don't think they are going to regurgitate the 2E Module, but Perkins has been named ripping the Modron March in print and interviews for a decade...so a callback is very likely.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, it's interesting. In that art piece I linked, if the buildings lacked blades & the creature selection were a little different, I'd totally assume we were looking at Sharn or Ravnica. Actually, if I didn't know this was art for the upcoming 5e Planescape book, I'd have assumed it was one of those two cities at first glance. Don't know if this was just an artist having creative license or part of larger art direction.

Too many Fienda and Aberrations living a mundane life to be Ravnica or Sharn.

 

[Quickleaf]

Too many Fienda and Aberrations living a mundane life to be Ravnica or Sharn.

Sure. Art is so subjective, and I get that the ...I don't know what to call this style? steam punk adjacent? solar punk? Arcane: League of Legends?... anyhow, I get that it's popular. And it's a lovely piece.

For me as a long-time PS fan, the color palette, the "neon" signage, and the architecture don't scream Sigil / Planescape. If you cut out the few blade ornaments and swapped out the fiends/abberations, I would not associate this art piece with Sigil.

But I only represent 67% of their audience, so...

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

For me as a long-time PS fan, the color palette, the "neon" signage, and the architecture don't scream Sigil / Planescape. If you cut out the few blade ornaments and swapped out the fiends/abberations, I would not associate this art piece with Sigil.

Obviously subjective, but I'm also a long-time Planescape fan and this art piece screamed Sigil to me instantly. The architecture is cramped and tall (limited surface area to work with, so the only direction to expand is up), looks jumbled together from multiple types of material and architectural styles, covered in ostentatious blade ornaments, and filled with a diverse assortment of creatures, including fiends and aberrations that would be chased out of basically any other city intentionally designed as a home base for PCs.

If anything, the "neon" signage makes more sense in Sigil than many other places - if you're using illusion magic to make your sign stand out, making sure it's at least somewhat visible through pouring rain and thick fog (a.k.a. something like 70% of Sigil's typical weather pattern) is a reasonable decision to make.

Also, cranium rats. The only thing it's really missing is an infestation of razorvine.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Full cover image

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I don't think they are going to regurgitate the 2E Module, but Perkins has been named ripping the Modron March in print and interviews for a decade...so a callback is very likely.

Callbacks are great.

"Please give me this thing I already have, but with the new numbers" is a creative dead end, though, that I urge people to not convince themselves they want.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

solar punk?

Solarpunk is post-scarcity science fiction, often with a strong enviornmentalist bent. So not Sigil.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

The Great Modron March and Dead Gods are heavily tied into the whole "Return of Orcus" plot thread, with him having been killed and his name erased from the multiverse by Kiaransalee for most of 2e, which is a very different state of affairs than his current status in canon.

Even if the March is a framing device they want to reuse, I doubt it will be a one-for-one translation of the old 2e module storyline.

 

[Parmandur]

Callbacks are great.

"Please give me this thing I already have, but with the new numbers" is a creative dead end, though, that I urge people to not convince themselves they want.

The Great Modron March and Dead Gods are heavily tied into the whole "Return of Orcus" plot thread, with him having been killed and his name erased from the multiverse by Kiaransalee for most of 2e, which is a very different state of affairs than his current status in canon.

Even if the March is a framing device they want to reuse, I doubt it will be a one-for-one translation of the old 2e module storyline.

For sure: I expect the March itself will ne a plot point or frame (since it marches through all the Gaye Towns being detailed in this set), but not a one for one for an obscure old module.

 

[Quickleaf]

Solarpunk is post-scarcity science fiction, often with a strong enviornmentalist bent. So not Sigil.

Oh, that's not what I meant. I was trying to describe the art style of the piece I linked. I didn't know how to describe the style (I know I've seen it elsewhere)... so I was just throwing out motifs that I'd seen which approximated how that piece struck me...

 

[pukunui]

Even if the March is a framing device they want to reuse, I doubt it will be a one-for-one translation of the old 2e module storyline.

Given that the march occurs every 289 years, perhaps this new adventure will simply be about the next one rather than a rehash of the last one.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Given that the march occurs every 289 years, perhaps this new adventure will simply be about the next one rather than a rehash of the last one.

If there is a march -- and it's a real one, not some sort of fake out -- I'd expect this to be a likely way to go.

But even more likely, IMO, is that WotC sticks to their guns that only 5E continuity matters for 5E products, and brings back the elements they think work for Planescape (almost certainly the factions in some form) and dumps or changes the stuff they don't think works, much like they did with Ravenloft, with presumably the same measured and calm response from fans.

So this could be the "same" march as in the old module, but since all of the other elements around it are different, it won't functionally matter. Maybe this time the adventure will be bringing about back Vecna or Tharizdun. Probably it'll be an entirely different story.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Also, yum...fried cranium rat... Wonder if that's a covert operation to get rid of The Us, or a rogue illithid eliminating regular cranium rats to weaken Ilsensine...

The Illithid might just like Cranium Rat, cause they are non humanoids he can eat without issue.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Given that the march occurs every 289 years, perhaps this new adventure will simply be about the next one rather than a rehash of the last one.

To be sure - that's the most likely. The March in 2e was very specifically "off schedule" by 150-200 years, so it would make sense that it ultimately didn't count with regards to resetting the timer, particularly once Tenebrous moved on and a proper Primus was elevated into the vacancy.

I'd have to double check the timeline, but we may be relatively close to the typical March "start date" given where the Forgotten Realms timeline is these days...

 

[Incenjucar]

Sigil is a good place to find all kinds of friendly fiends, brain-eating and otherwise.

--

A mission to help make sure the Modron March runs normally so the multiverse can heal would actually be a fun caravan-style adventure.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

Sigil is a good place to find all kinds of friendly fiends, brain-eating and otherwise.

Provided the Marauder hasn't burned down A'kin's shop again in a fit of pique...

 

[JEB]

If there is a march -- and it's a real one, not some sort of fake out -- I'd expect this to be a likely way to go.

But even more likely, IMO, is that WotC sticks to their guns that only 5E continuity matters for 5E products, and brings back the elements they think work for Planescape (almost certainly the factions in some form) and dumps or changes the stuff they don't think works, much like they did with Ravenloft, with presumably the same measured and calm response from fans.

So this could be the "same" march as in the old module, but since all of the other elements around it are different, it won't functionally matter. Maybe this time the adventure will be bringing about back Vecna or Tharizdun. Probably it'll be an entirely different story.

Yup. Folks hoping for a return of classic Planescape would do well to quash that expectation. At best, they might do a 5E Dragonlance, and stuff everything they don't like from the old setting into a closet off-screen. But more likely is a 5E Ravenloft-style reboot, seasoned with some classic Easter eggs here and there (particularly from Torment).

 

[Zaukrie]

All of the older stuff is available. Give me new stuff.