D&D 5E (2024) Predict WotC's 2026 D&D releases

[Paul Farquhar]

Castle Amber.

This one is still great in 2025. You could expand Averoigne (or reskin it if you didn't want to directly quote C A Smith) to book sized and turn it into a Ravenloft domain.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

These two are quite bad by modern standards. Cliché, minimal plot, and impractical to run numbers of enemies in Descent. Out of the Abyss may not be well regarded, but it does the Underdark better (more detail, more interesting, more choices for the players). They did several things first, but that doesn't make them good now.

Even at the time, D1 was a real head-scratcher. In a lightly populated Underdark, why is everyone in this big cave? What are they doing here? Are they fighting? Is this supposed to be some sort of city? Why is that lich just randomly hanging out? Even when it was new, I had a hard time figuring out what to do with it.

The rest of the D series makes more sense, at least on the surface, and has hooks for what to do -- you want to slip through this big religious shrine of the Kuo-Toa, you want to get involved in the dangerous urban politics in the Vault (although attacking Lolth's temple over what the Cult of the Elder Elemental God is responsible for feels like Gygax lost track of the plot along the way).

 

[Mercurius]

why is everyone in this big cave? What are they doing here?

Ahh, the eternal question. The eternal answer: Does it matter?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Ahh, the eternal question. The eternal answer: Does it matter?

If your goal is to interact with the NPCs in any way other than a hideous TPK, yes.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Even at the time, D1 was a real head-scratcher. In a lightly populated Underdark, why is everyone in this big cave? What are they doing here

The rest of the underdark is a long straight tunnel. It’s probably too draughty.

you want to slip through

That’s the thing, slipping through is exactly how you would handle these in 5e, you could complete it in a few minutes.

 

[Reynard]

They will announce a licensing agreement with Darrington and there will be a Daggerheart conversion of Eberron.
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... I mean, I wish.

 

[Remathilis]

They will announce a licensing agreement with Darrington and there will be a Daggerheart conversion of Eberron.
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... I mean, I wish.

Keith's already making a new setting for Daggerheart. Eberron would be superfluous.

 

[Reynard]

Keith's already making a new setting for Daggerheart. Eberron would be superfluous.

Do you think he is just remaking Eberron with the serial numbers filed off? Because if not, your rebuttal makes very little sense.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Do you think he is just remaking Eberron with the serial numbers filed off? Because if not, your rebuttal makes very little sense.

I think he will set out to make something better, using what he learned from Eberron.

 

[sevenbastard]

Why is that lich just randomly hanging out?

Taking a nap? relaxing with a good book? using his crystal ball to spy on his ex?

For a real answer i think if you have been a Lich long enough at some point you just drift in to hibernation of introspection until your ambitions rekindled. A couple decades of haze and stillness every 500 year or so.