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

 

[lvl20dm]

The Book of Many Things is going to be a boxed set as well (I don't recall them telling us that before). We get the main book, a deck of cards, and an 80 page book to help you use the cards.

 

[DEFCON 1]

There's been a Manual of the Planes type product for like almost every edition, hasn't there? Is there anything they could possibly put in a 5E version that wouldn't merely be a duplicate of stuff we can already get from all the other books? Is any of it worth getting your hopes up or bent out of shape over?

 

[Demetrios1453]

There's been a Manual of the Planes type product for like almost every edition, hasn't there? Is there anything they could possibly put in a 5E version that wouldn't merely be a duplicate of stuff we can already get from all the other books? Is any of it worth getting you hopes up or bent out of shape over?

The various Planescape boxed sets are available on the DMs Guild, and those give plenty of detail. The 5e DMG gives a decent overview of Planes as well.

 

[Maxperson]

Planescape, as described, sounds very similar in content to the original campaign boxed set. It had 64 pages on the planes, 96 on Sigil and the Outlands, a ~30 page monster book, and a player book that was, I believe 30-34 pages. This has a 96 page book on Sigl/the Outlands (with player options built in), a 64 page monster book, and a 96 page adventure, which it sounds like it might be focused on the Outlands (as in - even more setting material).

Original Setting
64 pages on the planes
96 pages on the Sigil and the Outlands
30ish pages for players.

Total: 180ish pages of setting and covered all of the planes

New Boxed Set
96 pages on Sigil and the Outlans

Total: Around half the setting material of the original boxed set, not more.

I would have liked to see a 200-250ish page setting book that gave us the entire setting. Planescape is one of my favorite settings. The Sword Coast Adventure Guide has shown us that once WotC has released a sliver of a setting, they don't finish it up.

Edit: I missed that you were talking about the adventure adding more. It will probably add a bit, but still fall way short of the original amount of setting material.

 

[Parmandur]

Somehow the Deck of Many Things product feels even more mysterious...

 

[Demetrios1453]

The Book of Many Things is going to be a boxed set as well (I don't recall them telling us that before). We get the main book, a deck of cards, and an 80 page book to help you use the cards.

I'm quite pleased that the cards come with the set. When we thought it was just a single book, I assumed the cards would have to be purchased separately.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Original Setting
64 pages on the planes
96 pages on the Sigil and the Outlands
30ish pages for players.

Total: 180ish pages of setting and covered all of the planes

New Boxed Set
96 pages on Sigil and the Outlans

Total: Around half the setting material of the original boxed set, not more.

I would have liked to see a 200-250ish page setting book that gave us the entire setting. Planescape is one of my favorite settings. The Sword Coast Adventure Guide has shown us that once WotC has released a sliver of a setting, they don't finish it up.

Edit: I missed that you were talking about the adventure adding more. It will probably add a bit, but still fall way short of the original amount of setting material.

The 64 page book on the planes was very light on info. Each plane received at most 2 pages of information, with room taken up by illustrations, and a very large font. The 5e DMG probably has more info on the planes than that book did.

 

[Maxperson]

The 64 page book on the planes was very light on info. Each plane received at most 2 pages of information, with room taken up by illustrations, and a very large font. The 5e DMG probably has more info on the planes than that book did.

I have it. 2e did put out much more later, though. I own those as well. That's why I say a 200-250 page book, probably at that upper end, would have been better for a 5e setting. Those extra 20-70 pages could have been devoted to the various planes and include information not in the DMG.

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

I have it. 2e did put out much more later, though. I own those as well. That's why I say a 200-250 page book, probably at that upper end, would have been better for a 5e setting. Those extra 20-70 pages could have been devoted to the various planes and include information not in the DMG.

I agree, I would have preferred a single big Planescape book covering both Sigil and the Great Wheel, but that's not the decision that was made.

Given the decision to make the 5e Planescape release a three-book slipcase, I think focusing on Sigil and the Outlands is the right choice.

 

[BovineofWar]

My inclination/fear is that Planescape 5e is not going to answer any of the cosmological questions, e.g. Is the Great Wheel still around, or does the World Axis model take precedence? At least anymore than the existing 5e books do.

We'll get the description of Sigil and the Outlands, and DM tools for having players go through portals to reach weird and wacky places. I don't think WotC is interested in the kind of World Building exercise that a series of Planar Boxsets previously entailed.