Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Im assuming Spirit Guardians is the new name for the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian from Tasha’s and the Mystic Brews is the updated Drunken Master Monk from Xanathar’s. Seems odd to see three pretty popular and iconic subclasses being updated to 5.5 in a WoW cross over book but I’m definitely not complaining about a new Swashbuckler Rogue
Agreed. Like it, hate it, or “meh” it, this is one of the riskiest and most experimental line ups we’ve had from D&D in a long time. Not only have we got a setting we thought was too far to ever be revisited but it’s their first experiment with “this really isn’t for kids” by releasing it shrink wrapped with age restrictions. That’s followed up with an experiment to get people other than WotC releasing official campaigns which is a bold move, and then cross overs with other iconic franchises which isn’t to my taste but is an interesting way to try and expand the people playing by offering them an instantly recognisable hook.
I have nothing at all against a Warcraft book for those interested in that world. However, I'm definitely not a fan of making what sounds like important setting-neutral content part of that book.
Wow that is some really exciting news to me!!!!!!
I can't wait for new content for DRAGONLANCE, GREYHAWK, and DARK SUN! especially as a Rated 18+ adult setting so it can embrace the concept more fully so and be less bound in chains......
My takes are mixed on this:
Overall I'm more excited about D&D Beyond and it's ongoing development. I just don't hope they make a habit of using UB books to deliver 'core' game options
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I like that we has Hickman and Weis in Dragonlance, they are the creators and their books in 3e era where great, but i would hope for Ed Greenwood instead of Salvatore for FR. At least Manganiello setting is a new setting.
I am not sure we can pass judgment on whether the product will be “problematic” until we see the final product. Simply having mature themes and difficult content does not mean the product is “problematic” - it just means that more care needs to be had to ensure the setting makes it very clear “this is bad, we’re not condoning this, y’all are supposed to be the heroes fighting against it.”
From where I am sitting, there’s a lot of evidence to assume this book is in pretty good hands. We know a major reason Perkins and Crawford stepped down is because they felt they were not the right stewards to take on difficult themes. We know the new design team has a diverse background and history of taking on complex themes, including through the lens of those with oppressed ancestry. I am optimistic they built a team explicitly to take on content like this, and am very curious on if they can deliver.
That's my biggest complaint too. I was going to probably buy the WoW book so having the Swashbuckler in there isn't as big a deal as it might be for me but if they'd included that in say the Star Wars book I'd be much more disgruntled at having a well loved and pretty iconic subclass in a book I won't be buying no matter what. I know they've said they're looking at some form of piece meal purchases returning so maybe we'll get one of those $5 player packs containing these things but even if they did that depending how they carve it up we could be looking at a relatively useless book still being cheaper than buying it bit by bit
As I said above for all the fanfare the Icons bit of the keynote was very light on actual announcements. Salvatore might be involved because the only FR thing coming of this is more novels, same with Hickman and Weis just releasing more Dragonlance novels now the legal hassles have been tied up. I don't remember anything actually saying that any of them besides Gygax was going to be doing setting books for their respective areas of expertise
Hopefully they release more information about how they're handling it. (But I do think there's a good chance they'll do it "well.")
Yeah, I really don't like that they're putting updated 5.5e versions of existing 5e subclasses and stuff like that in these things without releasing them in general D&D books first.
pronouns: he/she/they
Rewatching the bit about the updated DDB app and a little worried by the comment “we don’t want the app to replace the books at your table” when I’m sure that I’m not alone in wanting the app to do exactly that. I want a search function so I don’t need to look up rules, I want good listings so I can look up monsters on the fly rather than carry round the monster manual, my players use the app to download and read books I’ve shared. I’m a little worried they’re hyper focusing on the app as character sheet aspects of its use and ignoring all the other functions it gets used for
I had a similar reaction, particularly with seeing that the Swashbuckler would be in the book.
I do think the Warrior of the Mystic Brews fits the WoW book, though. I have no experience with WoW itself, but I remember the Pandaran Brewmaster from Warcraft 3.
One thing I noted by its apparent absence: a book for all the recent Villainous Subclasses. Is that something still further down the line? After 3 UAs, it doesn’t seem likely that they’d just be abandoning them.
Seems like WOTC is moving in the direction of making the current (5.5e) D&D game system into a general system for playing any RPG, e.g., WoW, Star Wars, etc. Kind of a generic game system. I wish WOTC had announced a new setting with an OSR-ish feel, which is the direction they've been promising. Instead we're getting refurbished versions of old settings, i.e., Dark Sun, Greyhawk, Dragonlance. I am, however, looking forward to the Crown of the Witch Queen and the new post-UA Psion... what about those Villainous subclasses???
Started playing AD&D in the late 70s, took a 40 year hiatus, re-started with 3.5 and 5e in 2023
It seems likely that we'll see them in a Tasha's style collection at some point, along with other stuff that was released in setting books.
I like them updating the subclasses. I don’t like them being placed in a setting book that I otherwise wouldn’t buy. (I’m sure some people are excited for it, and I’m happy for those people, but WoW isn’t my cup of tea.)
But I guess they have been working on packaging things on beyond do maybe I can just pick those up some other way.
Yeah but realistically that will be several years down the road and in the mean time they're locking setting neutral and popular updates behind books that aren't even core D&D books but instead cross overs that a lot of people don't want
Yeah, this is the problem I have with it. I am fine with these crossover things existing, but it seems like in some ways they're making them more of a priority than the core D&D stuff, which feels backwards and short-sighted.
pronouns: he/she/they
And now, an excited ramble.
As we get confirmation of Dark-Sun, I can't help but be nervous.
I have been wanting it for so long, but now that it is here, I can't tell which of its warts are best removed, and which are best left as story objectives to shave off myself.
(I have been clear that I want a world that I can systematically make better through fantasy violence against Vile rulers and building mutual aid networks because i have a thing about turning terrible places into bastions of hope for the downtrodden through positive action. Punk's not Dead Y'all.)
It might be a love for Robert E Howard's Conan, Arthur Machen's Zothique cycle, and just general nostalgia, but i WANT it. I just don't know what i want FROM it.
I am going to just say here, that any disappointment I feel from it will likely be on me and my muddled expectations, barring another Hadozzee incident.
It is a 叶公好龙 * situation.
*: "Lord Ye loves dragons." A four-character saying that means "You are obsessed with something until you actual encounter it" derived from a Dragon obsessed lord who ran screaming from his home when a dragon actually decided to visit his house. (I also wanted to see if the forums could handle Han-Zi.)
As for Greyhawk, I never cared about Greyhawk in the past but have come to realize I was actually missing out on a lot, so getting to see it for the first time has me pretty pumped.
Not Sick of the Realms, just want to go to other places. Hoping that Mystara and maybe Phyrexia are in the future. Who doesn't want to beat up the fantasy Bio-tech borg in a Body Horror hellscape?
Oh, no one but me.... Still excited.
He/Him. Loooooooooong time Player.
The Dark days of the THAC0 system are behind us.
"Hope is a fire that burns in us all If only an ember, awaiting your call
To rise up in triumph should we all unite
The spark for change is yours to ignite."
Kalandra - The State of the World