Spelljammer Spelljammer in D&D 5e Speculation: How Will the Setting Be Changed?

Urriak Uruk

Gaming is fun, and fun is for everyone
Well, it looks like the people predicting that the Phlogiston would get replaced by the Astral Sea were right. I also was a bit incorrect in specific predictions on what monsters probably wouldn't appear in this release. I really didn't think that monsters like the Fractine and Goon Balloon would get updated to D&D 5e, but they're included in the new Spelljammer Monsters PDF. Maybe some of the more gonzo monsters will be included in the main monster book after all.

I assume these are new too?

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Weiley31

Legend
As much as I want my anime Bunny Girls to appear alongside my anime Slime girls for my Spelljammer: Adventures in Space campaigns, I see the Lunar Sorcerer sadly not appearing in this book. Shadows of the Dragon Queen yes, unless it got the axed.

But at least my anime Bunny Girls on their moon rock asteroid cities can use the Moon Domain cleric subclass from Taldore the Campaign Setting: Reborn for maximum flavor value. Xanathar gave us the Samurai subclass already so the martials are covered there.
 



darjr

I crit!
Well, it looks like the people predicting that the Phlogiston would get replaced by the Astral Sea were right. I also was a bit incorrect in specific predictions on what monsters probably wouldn't appear in this release. I really didn't think that monsters like the Fractine and Goon Balloon would get updated to D&D 5e, but they're included in the new Spelljammer Monsters PDF. Maybe some of the more gonzo monsters will be included in the main monster book after all.
But what I’d they are not in the three book set? Technically they are not in it…..
 




Jer

Legend
Supporter
It's also interesting how they haven't mentioned the Scro at all. Maybe they're dropping them, or just replacing them entirely with just normal Orcs?
IIRC the scro were tied up with the Unhuman War backstory, and I suspect they're leaving that stuff on the cutting room floor.

(I was re-reading my Spelljammer recently and I'd forgotten how ... genocidal the elves were in that backstory.)
 

James Gasik

Pandion Knight
Supporter
IIRC the scro were tied up with the Unhuman War backstory, and I suspect they're leaving that stuff on the cutting room floor.

(I was re-reading my Spelljammer recently and I'd forgotten how ... genocidal the elves were in that backstory.)
Yes please, no Elven Space Navy. It's not that I didn't like Elven ships, but the idea that Elves everywhere are united in this genocidal, racist, Space Force always made me cringe.
 



Levistus's_Leviathan

5e Freelancer
Yes please, no Elven Space Navy. It's not that I didn't like Elven ships, but the idea that Elves everywhere are united in this genocidal, racist, Space Force always made me cringe.
I actually always liked the Elven Imperial Navy. Especially how their "ships" differed from everyone else's (being made of plants, and all). Using them as a sort of colonialist, genocidal faction was a pretty interesting take on Elves in the setting, in my opinion.
 

JEB

Legend
I actually always liked the Elven Imperial Navy. Especially how their "ships" differed from everyone else's (being made of plants, and all). Using them as a sort of colonialist, genocidal faction was a pretty interesting take on Elves in the setting, in my opinion.
Maybe the Imperial elves will be a subset of the new astral elves? As long as non-colonialist elves are an option, don't see why we can't have both (or more).
 

Micah Sweet

Level Up & OSR Enthusiast
IIRC the scro were tied up with the Unhuman War backstory, and I suspect they're leaving that stuff on the cutting room floor.

(I was re-reading my Spelljammer recently and I'd forgotten how ... genocidal the elves were in that backstory.)
Nothing in my knowledge of fantasy says elves can't be racist jerks.
 


James Gasik

Pandion Knight
Supporter
Nothing in my knowledge of fantasy says elves can't be racist jerks.
No and in fact, if you ever read the Complete Elves' Handbook, you'll see this is a common theme in 2e. But I never really cared for it. Elves with planet-killing weapons, scouring space of the goblinoid/orc threat, while in the actual planets, they hang out in tree villages and hide out from everyone?

They even hinted that Elves who hit their age cap and go off to distant lands (ala Tolkien) actually go into SPACE! There was a lot of zany, bonkers stuff in Spelljammer, and I liked a lot of it, but this one just irked me.

I mean, if someone else likes it, that's great, but I can live without it. More militaristic British hippo men with guns instead please!

Though yes, Elven ships did look cool. And I liked the Guyvers.
 

Levistus's_Leviathan

5e Freelancer
No and in fact, if you ever read the Complete Elves' Handbook, you'll see this is a common theme in 2e. But I never really cared for it. Elves with planet-killing weapons, scouring space of the goblinoid/orc threat, while in the actual planets, they hang out in tree villages and hide out from everyone?

They even hinted that Elves who hit their age cap and go off to distant lands (ala Tolkien) actually go into SPACE! There was a lot of zany, bonkers stuff in Spelljammer, and I liked a lot of it, but this one just irked me.

I mean, if someone else likes it, that's great, but I can live without it. More militaristic British hippo men with guns instead please!

Though yes, Elven ships did look cool. And I liked the Guyvers.
🤷‍♂️

We have very different tastes, I guess. I personally really like my elves as "elitist assholes that think they're superior to everyone else, sometimes going so far to basically be Nazis." I like the Thalmor/Altmer from the Elder Scrolls, I like Vulcans, I like Aereni/Tairnadal Elves from Eberron, the Elves from the Inheritance Cycle, and the Elven Imperial Navy from Spelljammer. It just makes sense to me that a race that lives for such a long time, was literally formed from the blood of a god (at least, they believe they were), and values magic, knowledge, and beauty as much as the Elves do would end up being elitist Elven-Supremacists bent on conquering the world/eradicating "lesser" species.
 
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James Gasik

Pandion Knight
Supporter
🤷‍♂️

We have very different tastes, I guess. I personally really like my elves as "elitist assholes that think they're superior to everyone else, sometimes going so far to basically be Nazis." I like the Thalmor/Altmer from the Elder Scrolls, I like Vulcans from Aereni/Tairnadal Elves from Eberron, the Elves from the Inheritance Cycle, and the Elven Imperial Navy from Spelljammer. It just makes sense to me that a race that lives for such a long time, was literally formed from the blood of a god (at least, they believe they were), and values magic, knowledge, and beauty as much as the Elves do would end up being elitist Elven-Supremacists bent on conquering the world/eradicating "lesser" species.
Now if we had a Drow Space Navy, I could get on board with that. The Dark Elves are often elven stereotypes at their worst. But hey, making a race that's normally "good" and amping them up to 11 to make them "morally grey" is a perfectly acceptable practice. I didn't care for this interpretation, but that doesn't mean it can't work.

How does that saying go? If you live long enough, you get to live to see yourself become the villain?
 


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