D&D 5E So Much Witchlight Art!

During a video this weekend, WotC's Chris Perkins, Ari Levitch and Kate Irwin took a look a The Wild Beyond the Witchlight. You can watch the video below, but if you can't, EN World member @darjr has kindly collated a bunch of screenshots of the incredible variety of art within, along with some notes.

• The Feywild is a brighter reflection of the world like the Shadowfell is dark one. Prismeer is an archetypal domain.
• It's very easy to get lost. Time and space can bend or twist.
• No combat is required.
• Rules of the feywild include rules of reciprocity and ownership.
• Archfey Zybilna (sp?) is missing, so this domain of delight has splintered into Hither, Thither, and Yon.
• The carnival is a gateway to a plan of emotion, the feywild.
• More whimsical nature with a twist of wikedness. Inspiration, Willy Wonka, James and the Giant Peach.
• All the maps are by Will Doyle and Stacey Allan who worked closely early on with Chris Perkins.

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[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Well, unless things go HORRIBLY wrong, you shouldn't need to fight her.

View attachment 143557

Thanks for the less blurry version. (Interesting how they didn't name her spellcasting ability "Innate Spellcasting", like they normally do for similar features to that. Also interesting on how alignment is back.)

She is a powerful foe, if the party ever has to go against her. (She's also tied for second-highest CR Humanoid creature in the game with the Drow Matron Mother, beaten by Halaster Blackcloak from Dungeon of the Mad Mage, who is CR 23.) Edit: Missed the Fey tag, so ignore this last bit. However, she is the highest CR fey in the game now. Interesting . . .

Edit: The "(Wizard)" tag is also interesting, especially since she's not actually a Wizard, spellcasting-wise. This is the first "Class as Tag" monster we have in 5e, as of yet, which may take awhile for me to get used to, but I think I could grow fond of it.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Also interesting on how alignment is back.

It's back, but it's different. Now it includes things like "Any Alignment," or "Typically Chaotic Evil" for example. Individuals seem to have alignments as normal.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

It's back, but it's different. Now it includes things like "Any Alignment," or "Typically Chaotic Evil" for example. Individuals seem to have alignments as normal.

That seems like a reasonable compromise to me. I'd prefer for it to not be there in the first place (although, I could see it being there for individuals), but this at least appeases the people who want it.

 

[darjr]

Well, unless things go HORRIBLY wrong, you shouldn't need to fight her.

View attachment 143557

Horribly wrong, like having players in the game running PC's?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Horribly wrong, like having players in the game running PC's?

Yeah, knowing my players, if I ran them through this campaign, they would definitely try to fight Iggwilv whenever she shows up.

 

[FryMinis]

To fight her, you'd basically need a party of those chaotic neutral murder hobos that just attack literally ever NPC and just jack up every game. Even evil characters probably wouldn't attack her...in context of the story.

 

[Scribe]

It's back, but it's different. Now it includes things like "Any Alignment," or "Typically Chaotic Evil" for example. Individuals seem to have alignments as normal.

Well maybe I'll buy this after all.

A shame about the Fairy size though.

 

[Demetrios1453]

It's back, but it's different. Now it includes things like "Any Alignment," or "Typically Chaotic Evil" for example. Individuals seem to have alignments as normal.

Honestly, that's how it should have been all along. I'm actually very pleased with this version.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Edit: The "(Wizard)" tag is also interesting, especially since she's not actually a Wizard, spellcasting-wise. This is the first "Class as Tag" monster we have in 5e, as of yet, which may take awhile for me to get used to, but I think I could grow fond of it.

That caught my eye, especially after reading the stat block, expecting to see something like the usual "Iggwilv is a 20th Level spellcaster and has the following wizard spells prepared:" followed by a spell list - which obviously isn't there and has seemingly been replaced by a simpler list. There have been some rumblings by DMs that having a full spell list in a stat block takes up too much room and requires too much work looking up the spells, and I've seen requests here and elsewhere that it should be simplified a bit. I'm wondering if they've adopted that line of thinking in this and future stat blocks. I mean, I like the full spell lists, but NPCs are treated differently than PCs, and most combats are well over before all but the lowest level NPC spellcasters can use up their spell slots, so I could live with it if they are doing this...

 

[Demetrios1453]

D&D Beyond has the Jabberwock stats/info up as a sneak preview:

Beware the Jabberwock! The Burbling Dragon Arrives in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

It's pretty nasty for a CR 13. And of course it has a vulnerability to vorpal swords.


Edit: Started up a new thread for it on its own.