I hope is they do a setting book that requires more then just a rewrite of forgotten realms, Greyhawk, Dragon Lance and such like that do not need a book. Things like Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer these require a book due to the extreme differences between the game worlds.
Do I think the upcoming book will have anything to do with Al-Qadim? Not at all. Would I like it to? Hell yes I would.
I agree, it is extremely unlikely for Zakhara or Kara-Tur to come to 5e any time soon. I would like it if they did, but it's probably not going to happen soon.
I hope is they do a setting book that requires more then just a rewrite of forgotten realms, Greyhawk, Dragon Lance and such like that do not need a book. Things like Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer these require a book due to the extreme differences between the game worlds.
Yes, there are settings that are easily translated to 5e without any new source books because of them being very similar to normal D&D (Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara, a couple others). Dark Sun can't come to 5e until we have good psionics, much like Eberron couldn't come until we had the Artificer. Planescape is fairly easy to translate to 5e, but there's enough different with it that we don't need a whole bunch of new rules, just information on the planes and Sigil. Spelljammer is the hardest of the 3 to translate to 5e, just because we had basically no information in 5e how it works up until Dungeon of the Mad Mage and Ghosts of Saltmarsh/Descent into Avernus were released.
Of some of the 3 most requested campaign settings for 5e, there are levels of difficulties translating them to 5e that Wizards of the Coast would have to do in order to properly bring them to the current edition of the game. Here's the 3 "most" requested campaign settings, and why they'd be difficult to bring to 5e (not ranked in any particular order):
Dark Sun
Planescape
Spelljammer
Dark Sun is difficult to bring to 5e because of psionics. The setting requires psionics to function. No psionics=no Dark Sun. You can't have Dark Sun if we don't have proper psionics rules. The recent UA for psionics are proof that Wizards of the Coast wants to bring psionics to 5e. Unfortunately, they have dumped the Mystic, and are possibly dumping the concept of a psionic based class as a whole, resorting to subclasses and spells to use as psionics in 5e. The community seems to have mixed feelings on the execution of this, many people praise Wizards for adapting psionics to an existing system, others would like them to make a psionic based class that is a spellcaster, others would like them to create a whole new system for psioinics to be used in this psionic class (I fall into the last category). Dark Sun is difficult because Wizards of the Coast is still developing 5e psionics rules, and they need to have a proper psionic system before they delve into Dark Sun. There are a few other things that Dark Sun has that most other settings don't, like Thri-Kreen and half-dwarves, but races are fairly easy to design in 5e. There should possibly be a Templar subclass for Warlocks or Clerics, and maybe a defiler/preserver Wizard, but that would be fairly easy to reskin certain existing subclasses. So, overall, Dark Sun is the second hardest setting to translate to 5e.
Planescape is difficult to translate to 5e because of one key thing: Maps. We already have an existing map of an Outer Plane, or at least a layer of one, Avernus the first layer of the Nine Hells. The thing is, there are hundreds of layers of the Outer Planes (the Abyss has 666+ layers), and if/when they make a planescape book, they're likely going to have to include maps of at least the first layer of each outer plane. This could be troublesome, as there are 20 planes of existence that could use maps, along with Sigil and the Outlands (though, maybe not Sigil, as it has shifting streets, and probably can't be mapped.) So, for the planescape book, they'd probably have to include a few races that are planar themed, such as; aasimar, tiefling variants, genasi, rogue modrons, shadar-kai and eladrin, maybe celestial eladrin, satyrs, centaurs, possibly some other planetouched that can function similar to dragonmarks, and maybe some new planar feats. There's a bit of information that would need playtesting (we've seen what happens when subclasses aren't playtested, they always screw up in some way, like the strange wording of the Echo Knight and Chronurgists, and the brokenness of Bladesingers and Battleragers.) So, planescape is fairly easy to translate, as we already have a bunch of planar monsters from Volo's Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Vol. 1. They do need some more monsters in the form of celestials, more modrons, possibly some more archfiends (like Dispater, Mammon, Asmodeus, the General of Gehenna, Lolth, archags and so on), some more Slaad and Slaadlords (like Ygorl), some Archfey, more powerful Shadowfell creatures, and other such creatures. Planescape is the easiest of these 3 to translate to 5e, but there are some things that would probably need to be added to make a great Planescape book. (also, I have speculated that Xanathar's 2.0 will be the planescape book because of all the planescape themed subclasses and spells)
Finally, Spelljammer. Spelljammer is easily the hardest of the 3 listed settings to be translated to 5e, just because of how the setting as a whole functions. Most simple, Spelljammer isn't a setting, it is every setting (at least every setting with a crystal sphere). Basically, most settings published through D&D history exist in a solar system that is surrounded in a huge crystal sphere. These crystal spheres float on a giant rainbow ocean named the Phlogiston, and you can travel from one crystal sphere to another, basically journeying from the Forgotten Realms to Dark Sun or Greyhawk or Dragonlance. Most 5e campaign settings aren't in a Crystal Sphere in canon, like Eberron, Ravnica, Theros, Wildemount (which may have one, but it isn't detailed), Ravenloft isn't in a crystal sphere either. The only canon 5e campaigns setting contained in a crystal sphere are Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk is only canon because of Saltmarsh. There are also rules needed on spelljamming vessels, which should be easy to translate to 5e now that we have vehicle rules. They'd also have to design a bunch of new races for the spelljamming races, rules for generic spelljamming helms (there is a spelljamming helm in Dungeon of the Mad Mage, but it is the most powerful type of spelljamming helm, so they'd need proper rules for weaker versions, which shouldn't be difficult), rules for space combat (a basic version is included in Dungeon of the Mad Mage), rules for new weapons, explanations for crystal spheres, a map of Spelljammer and a few crystal spheres (the basic ones, like Realmspace, Krynnspace, and Greyspace), and a whole bestiary of spelljamming monsters (like astereaters, scro, more giff, more mind flayers and beholders, autognomes, and many many others). So, basically, spelljammer is the most difficult campaign setting to translate to 5e, period. There is no campaign setting more difficult to make a source book for than Spelljammer. None. There's way too much information needed to be compiled into a Spelljammer book. I don't see a spelljammer book coming out any time soon. My best guess for when it would come, if it comes, is in 5 years at the least.
This is just my breakdown of the 3 most requested pre-existing d&d campaign settings.
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Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Do I think the upcoming book will have anything to do with Al-Qadim? Not at all. Would I like it to? Hell yes I would.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
I hope is they do a setting book that requires more then just a rewrite of forgotten realms, Greyhawk, Dragon Lance and such like that do not need a book. Things like Dark Sun, Planescape, Spelljammer these require a book due to the extreme differences between the game worlds.
I agree, it is extremely unlikely for Zakhara or Kara-Tur to come to 5e any time soon. I would like it if they did, but it's probably not going to happen soon.
Yes, there are settings that are easily translated to 5e without any new source books because of them being very similar to normal D&D (Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara, a couple others). Dark Sun can't come to 5e until we have good psionics, much like Eberron couldn't come until we had the Artificer. Planescape is fairly easy to translate to 5e, but there's enough different with it that we don't need a whole bunch of new rules, just information on the planes and Sigil. Spelljammer is the hardest of the 3 to translate to 5e, just because we had basically no information in 5e how it works up until Dungeon of the Mad Mage and Ghosts of Saltmarsh/Descent into Avernus were released.
Of some of the 3 most requested campaign settings for 5e, there are levels of difficulties translating them to 5e that Wizards of the Coast would have to do in order to properly bring them to the current edition of the game. Here's the 3 "most" requested campaign settings, and why they'd be difficult to bring to 5e (not ranked in any particular order):
Dark Sun is difficult to bring to 5e because of psionics. The setting requires psionics to function. No psionics=no Dark Sun. You can't have Dark Sun if we don't have proper psionics rules. The recent UA for psionics are proof that Wizards of the Coast wants to bring psionics to 5e. Unfortunately, they have dumped the Mystic, and are possibly dumping the concept of a psionic based class as a whole, resorting to subclasses and spells to use as psionics in 5e. The community seems to have mixed feelings on the execution of this, many people praise Wizards for adapting psionics to an existing system, others would like them to make a psionic based class that is a spellcaster, others would like them to create a whole new system for psioinics to be used in this psionic class (I fall into the last category). Dark Sun is difficult because Wizards of the Coast is still developing 5e psionics rules, and they need to have a proper psionic system before they delve into Dark Sun. There are a few other things that Dark Sun has that most other settings don't, like Thri-Kreen and half-dwarves, but races are fairly easy to design in 5e. There should possibly be a Templar subclass for Warlocks or Clerics, and maybe a defiler/preserver Wizard, but that would be fairly easy to reskin certain existing subclasses. So, overall, Dark Sun is the second hardest setting to translate to 5e.
Planescape is difficult to translate to 5e because of one key thing: Maps. We already have an existing map of an Outer Plane, or at least a layer of one, Avernus the first layer of the Nine Hells. The thing is, there are hundreds of layers of the Outer Planes (the Abyss has 666+ layers), and if/when they make a planescape book, they're likely going to have to include maps of at least the first layer of each outer plane. This could be troublesome, as there are 20 planes of existence that could use maps, along with Sigil and the Outlands (though, maybe not Sigil, as it has shifting streets, and probably can't be mapped.) So, for the planescape book, they'd probably have to include a few races that are planar themed, such as; aasimar, tiefling variants, genasi, rogue modrons, shadar-kai and eladrin, maybe celestial eladrin, satyrs, centaurs, possibly some other planetouched that can function similar to dragonmarks, and maybe some new planar feats. There's a bit of information that would need playtesting (we've seen what happens when subclasses aren't playtested, they always screw up in some way, like the strange wording of the Echo Knight and Chronurgists, and the brokenness of Bladesingers and Battleragers.) So, planescape is fairly easy to translate, as we already have a bunch of planar monsters from Volo's Guide to Monsters, Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, and Mordenkainen's Fiendish Folio Vol. 1. They do need some more monsters in the form of celestials, more modrons, possibly some more archfiends (like Dispater, Mammon, Asmodeus, the General of Gehenna, Lolth, archags and so on), some more Slaad and Slaadlords (like Ygorl), some Archfey, more powerful Shadowfell creatures, and other such creatures. Planescape is the easiest of these 3 to translate to 5e, but there are some things that would probably need to be added to make a great Planescape book. (also, I have speculated that Xanathar's 2.0 will be the planescape book because of all the planescape themed subclasses and spells)
Finally, Spelljammer. Spelljammer is easily the hardest of the 3 listed settings to be translated to 5e, just because of how the setting as a whole functions. Most simple, Spelljammer isn't a setting, it is every setting (at least every setting with a crystal sphere). Basically, most settings published through D&D history exist in a solar system that is surrounded in a huge crystal sphere. These crystal spheres float on a giant rainbow ocean named the Phlogiston, and you can travel from one crystal sphere to another, basically journeying from the Forgotten Realms to Dark Sun or Greyhawk or Dragonlance. Most 5e campaign settings aren't in a Crystal Sphere in canon, like Eberron, Ravnica, Theros, Wildemount (which may have one, but it isn't detailed), Ravenloft isn't in a crystal sphere either. The only canon 5e campaigns setting contained in a crystal sphere are Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk is only canon because of Saltmarsh. There are also rules needed on spelljamming vessels, which should be easy to translate to 5e now that we have vehicle rules. They'd also have to design a bunch of new races for the spelljamming races, rules for generic spelljamming helms (there is a spelljamming helm in Dungeon of the Mad Mage, but it is the most powerful type of spelljamming helm, so they'd need proper rules for weaker versions, which shouldn't be difficult), rules for space combat (a basic version is included in Dungeon of the Mad Mage), rules for new weapons, explanations for crystal spheres, a map of Spelljammer and a few crystal spheres (the basic ones, like Realmspace, Krynnspace, and Greyspace), and a whole bestiary of spelljamming monsters (like astereaters, scro, more giff, more mind flayers and beholders, autognomes, and many many others). So, basically, spelljammer is the most difficult campaign setting to translate to 5e, period. There is no campaign setting more difficult to make a source book for than Spelljammer. None. There's way too much information needed to be compiled into a Spelljammer book. I don't see a spelljammer book coming out any time soon. My best guess for when it would come, if it comes, is in 5 years at the least.
This is just my breakdown of the 3 most requested pre-existing d&d campaign settings.
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms