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

[Paul Farquhar]

I would not have included White Plume in the first place. Whichever ones I would include, I would have updated similar to what they did with the Infinite Staircase however, rather than taking something that is a pretty poor adventure to begin with and not changing anything about it, just updating some stat blocks and some maps.

Nostalgia should not be the only reason to take a look at an adventure, even if it might be a consideration when it comes to which adventures get selected.

I would argue that White Plume is historically important as the first of its kind, and it’s ripples are still felt.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I would argue that White Plume is historically important as the first of its kind, and it’s ripples are still felt.

That's an argument for it being in some sort of historical preservation project, like Goodman Games' OAR series, rather getting sort of reprinted (new maps, new stats, etc.) in a very simple WotC book.

(And, re: OAR, White Plume Mountain is one where the multiple printings of the adventure are distinct, with the famous Erol Otus map not appearing until later printings, for instance.)

 

[mamba]

I would argue that White Plume is historically important as the first of its kind, and it’s ripples are still felt.

I don’t care about historical importance, when I take a plane I’d certainly avoid the Kitty Hawk Flyer at all cost, even if it was historically important.

Not sure I am feeling any ripples either.

 

[Burnside]

Re: Thay, At the first D&D Direct in 2023, WotC announced a Red Wizards-focused adventure was coming in 2025 (presumably as a “timely” follow up to the movie) but the project seemed to get scrapped (possibly related to the departure of Chris Perkins) and a kinda half-baked fragment of it, Hold Back the Dead, got dumped for free on DNDBeyond in 2024. I don’t think anything is coming on that front this year.

 

[bergec]

Either (but expecially Thay) would have to be far beyond Tier 1.

Given that all of the campaign adventures for the various campaign settings in Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn top out at Level 7-9, I wonder if a Thay campaign book might not in fact be focused on Tier 3 and 4 play. Those are the tiers where, according to the DMG's guidance, characters move our of their local region into world-spanning plots.

 

[GarrettKP]

Given that all of the campaign adventures for the various campaign settings in Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn top out at Level 7-9, I wonder if a Thay campaign book might not in fact be focused on Tier 3 and 4 play. Those are the tiers where, according to the DMG's guidance, characters move our of their local region into world-spanning plots.

There are adventures in Adventures of Faerun as high as level 13. Multiple in the 12-13 range, in fact.

 

[bergec]

There are adventures in Adventures of Faerun as high as level 13. Multiple in the 12-13 range, in fact.

I know, I was referring specifically to location ones.

 

[Stormonu]

Maybe I'm weird, but I'd love to see an upgraded version of Heroes of the Borderlands with sturdier character boards and handouts, even more handouts, actual miniatures, etc.

Does B&G do silver/gold/platinum versions of the basic sets? That’s be a great place to do that IMHO.

And, for the record, I greatly enjoy White Plume, including the TotYP version.

 

[Burnside]

Maybe I'm weird, but I'd love to see an upgraded version of Heroes of the Borderlands with sturdier character boards and handouts, even more handouts, actual miniatures, etc.

The thing with this is that the Heroes of the Borderlands base box as it's currently produced has a $50 price point. Beadle & Grimm's Dragon Delves DM Vault, for example, which is roughly the same level of physical product as Heroes of the Borderlands if not slightly LESS stuff, is priced at $120.

If the exact same Heroes of the Borderlands product sold by WotC was sold by Beadle & Grimm - exactly how it currently is - the price point would be about $120, not $50. That was one of the first things I thought of when I got Heroes of the Borderlands and saw how much stuff is in that box - "Beadle & Grimm would charge $120-$150 for this".

I'm speaking as somebody who

a) is a fan of Beadle & Grimm and owns lots of their products
and
b) doesn't actually like Heroes of the Borderlands except for the awesome maps

...that, purely from a physical content and robustness standpoint, Heroes of the Borderlands $50 box is like already at the level of a lower-tier Beadle & Grimm set, maybe even a Silver set. I don't think they'd really make it that much better. The maps & handouts & DM screen it already has are every bit as good as B&G would produce. B&G doesn't do cards & pog tokens (thus far). You'd get a couple more non-paper handout props and pull-out art for all the monsters. That's about it. I'd say the same for Stranger Things: Welcome to the Hellfire Club (which I love).

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Within the past 5 years, having run both Tamoachan and White Plume due to nostalgia feelings about them (none of which my players shared) I found them both to be tricksy adventures with little internal consistency. At least Tamoachan I tied into my campaign by loosely connecting it to Chauntea, and planting the pyramid in the middle of the Evermoors. And then I made the flavor be all about Chauntea having beef with Lolth and visa versa.

White Plume was harder to logical-ize, and in fact after finishing it, I ran out of... steam and that campaign ended within 4-5 sessions.

And because I'm a nut this way, now I'm going to be running the Tamoachan group through Tsojcanth. I found the Infinite Staircase version to be WAAAAY better than the og, which I also own.

All of which to say, re-doing Giants again as a single chapter in an overall lvl 3-15 Against Lolth campaign would be great, if done well. There are some echoes though with STK and Out of the Abyss and even Descent into Avernus.