D&D 5E WotC Announces An Impending Announcement: New Setting, Storyline

Early this week, WotC announced on Twitter that today there would be some kind of announcement on their Twitch channel. Those who heard that announcement and tuned in were treated to an announcement that the new storyline will be announced at a live event in June.

The press release announcing the impending announcement also mentions a new setting, as well as the storyline, so it sounds like it might not be set in the Forgotten Realms (or maybe is in a new region - to 5E - of the Realms, such as Icewind Dale). The adventure and the setting might be the same thing, or they might be completely different things. Recently, WotC has released a bunch of settings: Eberron, Ravnica, Wildemount, and the upcoming Theros.

Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline

The new storyline specifically will be revealed at 12pm PST (8pm GMT) on Thursday, June 18th.

The June event will raise money for Comic Relief, and will feature celebrities including Brandon Routh (Superman), and will preview the brand new storyline. It takes place June 18th-20th. Other names involved include Felicia Day, Deborah Ann Woll, Amy Acker, David Harbour, Matthew Lillard, and more.

​

 PRESS RELEASE

---

RENTON, WA – May 21, 2020 – People all over the world continue to stay safe by staying home, but that doesn’t mean the adventuring has to stop. Dungeons & Dragons is more popular than ever because it allows people to weave compelling stories together even when they’re physically apart through online videoconferencing. Now, Wizards of the Coast brings the stars to this virtual table with D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage. An amazing cast of characters led by expert storytellers preview the latest D&D storyline with live gaming sessions, all while raising money for Red Nose Day to help the most vulnerable children across the US and around the world, who have been so affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.The adventure begins 10:00am PT on June 18, 2020 and will run through June 20, 2020 at dungeonsanddragons.com.

D&D Live 2020: Roll w/ Advantage features big personalities playing elves, wizards and fighters to accomplish quests using their imaginations. Funny people like Brian Posehn, Kevin Sussman and Thomas Middleditch will work together to solve problems or, more likely, cause some hilarious new ones. WWE ® Superstars Xavier Woods ®, Tyler Breeze ®, Ember Moon ®, Alexa Bliss ® and Dio Maddin ® will contend with beefcake destroyer Jeremy Crawford, a.k.a. Principal Rules Designer for D&D. Deborah Ann Woll will lead a group of actors in improvising a way to help people in a fantasy world not that different from ours. And principal D&D writer Chris Perkins takes players

Fans of D&D will learn all about the new setting and storyline as well as accompanying new products plus tons of unique gameplay available on June 18, 2020. D&D Adventurers League has four new short adventures everyone can enjoy. By donating a small amount to Red Nose Day, fans will have access to sign up for D&D sessions with players around the world! During #DnDLive2020, fans will also be able to choose the character best suited to help the region through Reality RP, a mashup of fantasy storytelling, community engagement, and reality television.

 

[Parmandur]

It's not all about feeling. They wouldn't ever do 2 versions of one thing with just mechanical changes if they don't have UA for mechanical changes.

The changes were even more in flavor than mechanics. The Theros oriented Revived Rogue became a mystical Shadowfell Rogue, for instance. They weren't balance adjustments, they were reconceptions.

 

[Parmandur]

Also recall that there something like ten Subclasses tested for Xanathar's that didn't make the cut. They do not put out UA material expecting it all to go in a book: they test to find out what goes in a book.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Probably didn't meet the threshold, otherwise they would be in Theros. DOA.

Again, no reason why they would put these in Theros or plan it for that.

Lurker is DOA, the Aberrant Mind got a second chance, so 1.

No, the fact that we haven't seen another Lurker doesn't mean that it's abandoned. They only ever revised 5 subclasses for XGtE in UA, and more than 5 subclasses made their way into the book.

They were pretty clear that the Onomancer is dead explicitly in the Psionics UA recently. The other two are also probably DOA, since they weren't in Theros

Onomancer is dead, but they said they will probably "explore the themes" of it in other UA.

Two of these are DOA, but Revived has a scone chance now as a phantom. So, 2.

Rune Knight and Swarmkeeper aren't dead. They can only release 1 UA a month with this new batch, and normally 3-4 subclasses in them. Hold your horses, the fact that we haven't seen all of these in another UA proves absolutely nothing.

These were apparently the single best received UA test ever, so will undoubtedly be in the Q4 targeted product.

Yes, I agree with this 1 thing.

So, this brings us to 15 active possibilities. Not all will make it. For comparison, SCAG had 11.5 Subclasses (with the Totem Barbaran variants). This book they are working on could easily have fewer options than SCAG.

Except, if they learned anything from the SCAG, it's that the book failed, and hard. They know the pattern now. Setting books have a little bit of everything, and players-books have more options so that they will buy them.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Also recall that there something like ten Subclasses tested for Xanathar's that didn't make the cut. They do not put out UA material expecting it all to go in a book: they test to find out what goes in a book.

But, a lot of them were never playtested twice. They only ever published one "Revised Subclasses" for the XGtE UA set.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

The changes were even more in flavor than mechanics. The Theros oriented Revived Rogue became a mystical Shadowfell Rogue, for instance. They weren't balance adjustments, they were reconceptions.

I wasn't referring only to that. Artificers sucked in mechanics, so they were dropped for a couple years until they developed a more balanced class. Everyone loved the theme of the Lore Wizard, but it was broken as hell, so they dropped it.

 

[Parmandur]

Again, no reason why they would put these in Theros or plan it for that.

No, the fact that we haven't seen another Lurker doesn't mean that it's abandoned. They only ever revised 5 subclasses for XGtE in UA, and more than 5 subclasses made their way into the book.

Onomancer is dead, but they said they will probably "explore the themes" of it in other UA.

Rune Knight and Swarmkeeper aren't dead. They can only release 1 UA a month with this new batch, and normally 3-4 subclasses in them. Hold your horses, the fact that we haven't seen all of these in another UA proves absolutely nothing.

Yes, I agree with this 1 thing.

Except, if they learned anything from the SCAG, it's that the book failed, and hard. They know the pattern now. Setting books have a little bit of everything, and players-books have more options so that they will buy them.

SCAG is a very successful book, that still sells actively. It is not the most beloved book among the enfranchised player base, but it is not a failure by any measure. SCAG has been in print as long as the 3.5 Core rulebooks, and is still selling! That's success in this world.

We've reached the end of the road for testing for the Fall book by now. They aren't doing a new UA this month, and the book's contents are likely set as of the final survey results.

 

[Parmandur]

But, a lot of them were never playtested twice. They only ever published one "Revised Subclasses" for the XGtE UA set.

Yes, precisely, hence why I never expect to see these other options in a book.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

They did not playtest the first giant group of subclasses last year for Theros. There were way too many, and they would have to have dropped way too many of them. This can be debated forever, but the fact that you believe that since we haven't received a new UA version for a lot of those subclasses means that they are dropped is a fallacy. Many UA for XGtE were dropped. Many UA for XGtE were never put in UA twice and still made their way into the book.

The fact we haven't seen them twice proves nothing, even if you insist that they were meant for Theros (which they weren't)

 

[Parmandur]

I wasn't referring only to that. Artificers sucked in mechanics, so they were dropped for a couple years until they developed a more balanced class. Everyone loved the theme of the Lore Wizard, but it was broken as hell, so they dropped it.

Did people love the theme of the Lore Wizard? If that was so, we'd have seen another go at it, I'm sure.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Yes, precisely, hence why I never expect to see these other options in a book.

No, you misinterpreted that. I was saying, a lot of them that made their way into XGtE never were playtested twice in a UA.