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

[Older Beholder]

Other than the general idea of D&D in space and some of the ship design, I can't think of anything that is so beloved from the original setting that it couldn't be changed/ updated / improved. Personally I thought 'Shadow of the spider moon' was the coolest take on the setting, so I'm hoping they really go to town with new ideas if we ever get it.

I'm all for the Planescape cross-over that's been speculated for a while now, although this seems less likely to me now than it has previously.

 

[Yaarel]

How did the 2e phlogiston interact with the ethereal plane?

I view the ethereal plane as the physical but immaterial forces of the material plane.

Feywild is the Positive Ethereal, Shadowfell is the Negative Ethereal, and the ethereal plane itself is a mix.

In any case, a 5e spelljammer shift might relate to Fey and Shadow similar to the way a 2e one did the ether.

 

[Parmandur]

But I love the idea of planejammer…..

Just don't feel it: Spelljammer is for physical travel, Planescape is for outer dimensions.

 

[Yaarel]

I think they'll get completely rid of the phlogiston and use the Astral plane to connect everything.

Maybe say the "aster" of the astral plane and the phlogiston are the same thing? In other words, phlogiston is the stuff that thoughts are made out of.

It seems clear, the astral plane is the means to go from one setting to an other via the astral plane.

There is a "note" from Tasha mentioning humorless Mordenkeinen coming from Greyhawk via the astral.

 

[JEB]

Personally, I'm fine with them dropping some/most of the more "out there" monsters from those compendiums, because some of them are so bizarre that I just don't think they work well in a campaign or D&D, but I do hope that some of them make it. Stuff like the Infinity Vine, Astereater, and Dracon. The Firelich could be cool, too. Or, at least one of those "living comet" monsters that the setting has.

My favorite Spelljammer creature was the clockwork horror, which is one I could see making a comeback (they're basically the Replicators from the Stargate franchise, except they appeared first). Others I was fond of (but are less likely to return) are the plasman, spiritjam, and survivor.

 

[overgeeked]

On the one hand, I'm not likely to buy any 5E Spelljammer that brings it back as something barely recognizable (as they did with Ravenloft) and upsets a significant segment of veteran Spelljammer fans.

Honestly, I'm such a nut for the setting as long as it has enough mechanics to make even the vague idea of Spelljammer work (just to save me the trouble), I'll likely buy it. Either way, I'll keep on using the fluff from 2E.

On the other hand, they can and should update the Spelljammer setting for modern audiences, especially to iron out any rough spots that might not hold up (like the aperusa).

When it comes to updating things I'm a bit more conservative. If it's not mostly the same, it's not worthwhile for the fluff. Mechanics, it's more about saving me the time or having to print out / photo copy the relevant pages from PDFs or ancient physical books.

And I think they can do so without losing the things that made Spelljammer great to veteran fans. The majority of the updates @AcererakTriple6 listed should be quite compatible with the old setting.

I'm torn, honestly. I wouldn't want it tamed or watered-down. Like this:

Personally, I'm fine with them dropping some/most of the more "out there" monsters from those compendiums, because some of them are so bizarre that I just don't think they work well in a campaign or D&D, but I do hope that some of them make it. Stuff like the Infinity Vine, Astereater, and Dracon. The Firelich could be cool, too. Or, at least one of those "living comet" monsters that the setting has.

Removing the "out there stuff" would be a deal breaker. That's a large part of the draw. I know the tagline is "D&D...in SPAAAACE!" but if that's all it is...the exact same races, monsters, classes...only in space. Damn, that's dull. Ships powered by space hamsters is the cool part. Crystal Spheres and the weird, absurd, crazy stuff is the cool part. The Phlogiston is the cool part. Remove those and it's like the '60s or '70s without the psychedelics. There's no point. The more bizarre the better.

 

[Demetrios1453]

My favorite Spelljammer creature was the clockwork horror, which is one I could see making a comeback (they're basically the Replicators from the Stargate franchise, except they appeared first). Others I was fond of (but are less likely to return) are the plasman, spiritjam, and survivor.

Actually, Jeff Grubb has stated that the clockwork horrors were based on the Daleks from Doctor Who, just changed in form enough as to not cause any copyright issues. It becomes fairly obvious once you dig into their hierarchy and origin story, as well as their weapons (one type uses jets of steam like the '60s movie Daleks did, while others use lightning and disintegration beams like the TV Daleks did)...

 

[Raduin711]

Personally, I'm fine with them dropping some/most of the more "out there" monsters from those compendiums, because some of them are so bizarre that I just don't think they work well in a campaign or D&D, but I do hope that some of them make it. Stuff like the Infinity Vine, Astereater, and Dracon. The Firelich could be cool, too. Or, at least one of those "living comet" monsters that the setting has.

The Dracon, as far as player character races go, feels like it is treading ground that the Dragonborn have already covered, and in a less troublesome way. Because I don't see a whole lot of nostalgia for this race out there, I just don't think it would be missed.

 

[JEB]

Actually, Jeff Grubb has stated that the clockwork horrors were based on the Daleks from Doctor Who, just changed in form enough as to not cause any copyright issues. It becomes fairly obvious once you dig into their hierarchy and origin story, as well as their weapons (one type uses jets of steam like the '60s movie Daleks did, while others use lightning and disintegration beams like the TV Daleks did)...

Well, now I like them even more. Well done.

 

[overgeeked]

One thing I really hope they change is the lack of cannons on Spelljammer ships. I know the Phlogiston. I like the Phlogiston. I hope they keep the Phlogiston. But I hope they make the air pocket generated by a Spelljammer helm push the Phlogiston away, allowing ships to have cannons. Because come on. You can't have Age of Sail pirates in space without the cannons. It's just silly otherwise.