D&D 5E Upcoming D&D Tidbits: Phandelver, Book of Many Things, Venger, & More!

D&D Beyond has shared some more tidbits of information about upcoming products, including this summer's new Phandelver campaign, and information about Vecna, Planescape, and spring's Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, and more.

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Here are the highlights:

• In the 2024 Vecna adventure, you will visit various worlds.
• Art by Brian Valezer and Kent Davis from fall 2023's Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants was shared (see below), along with art from the Phandelver campaign by José Manzanedo. There was additional art from Planescape and more which you can see in the video.
• The new Phandelver book will include the existing adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver in the first half and then continue on to higher levels from there.
• They're reimagining Planescape for today's audience--honouring the roots then expanding.
• More cards are being added to the Deck of Many Things in winter 2023's Book of Many Things. A new product type--a deck of cards and an accompanying book. The book digs into the history of the deck and its cosmic place as a force of chaos. It contains player and DM content.
• Venger, the villain from the 1980s D&D cartoon who will be featuring in an upcoming storyline and WotC's Chris Perkins might have hinted he is actually a Red Wizard--'a redder Red Wizard' was the phrase used.
• Many of the various bad guys in the League of Malevolence appeared in the D&D cartoon series -- Kelek, Warduke, etc.

Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants (art by Brian Valezer)

Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants (art by Kent Davis)

Phandelver Campaign (art by José Manzanedo)

Book of Many Things (art by Craig J. Spearing)​

 

[skinnydwarf]

Venger being a red wizard makes me have a crazy theory (Spoiler for D&D movie, and the upcoming Phandelver adventure if I'm right):

 

[dave2008]

My players have already completed Lost Mines of Phandelver and moved on to other adventures. I'll have to figure out how to handle this, since I was looking forward to a new campaign. It doesn't seem like playing it again would work out for this group. How are you guys planning to deal with this?

That would depend on how the new book expands the setting. I would like to revise the original in a way the leads into the new material. Hard to know how to do that until I have the book.

 

[R_J_K75]

The new Phandelver book will include the existing adventure Lost Mines of Phandelver in the first half and then continue on to higher levels from there.

Absolutely unacceptable and pathetic. If I want the first adventure I'll buy that, if I want the campaign book I'll buy that. Inserting an existing adventure into a new product to fill page count is lazy and uninspired and why I lost interest and respect for WotC era D&D.

 

[SkidAce]

Absolutely unacceptable and pathetic. If I want the first adventure I'll buy that, if I want the campaign book I'll buy that. Inserting an existing adventure into a new product to fill page count is lazy and uninspired and why I lost interest and respect for WotC era D&D.

Where can we buy Lost Mines?

 

[Parmandur]

Absolutely unacceptable and pathetic. If I want the first adventure I'll buy that, if I want the campaign book I'll buy that. Inserting an existing adventure into a new product to fill page count is lazy and uninspired and why I lost interest and respect for WotC era D&D.

Yeah, TSR and particularly Gary Gygax would never have done something like this...

Note, "half" doesn't sound exactly accurate, because Loat Mines is a short module, proba ly more like a fifth or sixth.

 

[R_J_K75]

Where can we buy Lost Mines?

In the August 2014 Starter Set

 

[Parmandur]

In the August 2014 Starter Set

That box has been discontinued and off of store shelves for nigh a year now.

The module is free to all on Beyond, but not everyone likes using digital versions.

 

[jerryrice4949]

Oh, man, I am a gigantic Lost Mines fanboy. I am all in favor of them disseminating it by whatever means possible. Let's see one of those fun cartoon dungeon maps with it on it!

My group found Lost Mines incredibly average. It was fine but there was nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy about it. Felt like adventures I homebrewed as a teen.

 

[jerryrice4949]

This may all be old news, but it's new to me.


The new Phandelver book will include Lost Mines in the first half and then continue on to higher levels from there.

I'm probably the only one who was worried about this, but I love Lost Mines and didn't want it to be a digital-only freebie. It should be available to people in hard copy when WotC in 2030 once again decides to update their website and all their digital content from before that point vanishes.

And more cards are being added to the Deck of Many Things in the Book of Many Things, which feels like -- in part -- a way to screw over the folks selling decks on Etsy, since the new cards likely won't be in the SRD any time soon. Gotta buy that Gale Force 7/Wizkids/Hasbro version for the real prop!

Perkins calls the movie a "bonafide hit."

Venger is apparently a Red Wizard, and not just a wizard dressed in red.

I am sure the move to add cards to the Deck of Many Things has zero to do with Etsy or similar kickstarted versions. Maybe after a couple decades it could use a refresh and expansion.

 

[Parmandur]

My group found Lost Mines incredibly average. It was fine but there was nothing particularly interesting or noteworthy about it. Felt like adventures I homebrewed as a teen.

I think it works so well because it is so simple and straightforward: utterly fantastic beginner module.

My wife ran it for the Fourth of July in 2014, never having DMed before, never having played 5E before (obviously), and with no prep time spent at all. It worked.