The much-anticipated Spelljammer announcement has flown in from Wildspace! This new collection, titled Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, will contain three books and will be available on August 16th, 2022. If you're looking for a taste of Spelljammer before then, the prequel adventure series, Spelljammer Academy, will be available at no cost to all D&D Beyond users until the book's release.
The contents of the Spelljammer: Adventures in Space collection will include:
- Astral Adventurer’s Guide will give players and Dungeon Masters everything they need to use the Astral Plane as a campaign setting. This includes backgrounds and races for player characters, spells, magic items, information on spelljamming ships, and more!
- Boo’s Astral Menagerie provides Dungeon Masters a bestiary of over 60 spelljamming friends and foes, including space clowns, “vampirates,” murder comets, giant space hamsters, solar and lunar dragons, and much more!
- Light of Xaryxis contains an adventure designed for characters of levels 5–8 that will allow Dungeon Masters to take their players into the realm of the Astral Plane and beyond!
What Is Spelljammer?
Spelljammer is a setting that has garnered a lot of hype over the years. It was initially introduced as a campaign setting in the second edition of D&D, where it got a name for itself as a fun, quirky, and downright bizarre sci-fi/fantasy crossover.
There hasn’t been any official content released for the Spelljammer setting in the third and fourth editions of D&D, so this announcement is huge because it means that the current generation of D&D players will get to take their adventures into the beloved realm of Wildspace.
One of the biggest draws for Spelljammer is its unique and accessible take on interstellar travel. Adventurers seeking treasures and glory in Wildspace use “spelljamming” vessels—which closely resemble nautical ships—to set sail out of their planet’s atmosphere and across the Astral Sea. This open-air approach is certainly an interesting take on spacefaring vehicles but allows for magnificent views, interesting mechanics, and the potential for swashbuckling battles against space pirates.
Speaking of space pirates, Spelljammer is also known for its colorful cast of creatures that you’ll meet in your adventures across the cosmos. We’ve seen a number of these creatures teased in the upcoming Spelljammer: Adventures in Space collection, like the giant space hamsters.
Play With Spelljammer Creatures Today!
You can access 10 new Spelljammer monsters today by checking out Monstrous Compendium Volume One: Spelljammer Creatures, which is now available on D&D Beyond! This compendium contains five new and five returning creatures, including the asteroid spider and the eldritch lich. These creatures won't appear in Boo’s Astral Menagerie and are available to all D&D Beyond users. Sign up today to start using them in your combat encounters!
The Multiverse at Your Fingertips
A key focus for Spelljammer is the ability for players to travel to other D&D worlds. Supposedly, every D&D world exists out in the ether of the Astral Plane. Those who brave Wildspace and beyond can journey to lands outside the boundaries of their universe that were inaccessible prior to the mechanics of Spelljammer.
This can open up endless opportunities for groups looking to get a fresh take on their campaign. Has your party completed the events of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist? Perhaps they are given a spelljamming vessel as a reward (Easter egg alert: there is a spelljammer somewhere in Waterdeep) and plans to blast off for the techno-magical setting of Eberron.
Maybe you want to live out some of your favorite sci-fi movies with a fantasy twist? A Prometheus-style adventure can pit your party against puppeteer parasites in a horrifying psychological thriller. Or, you could lean into a nautical-inspired treasure hunt à la Treasure Planet. The boundaries of what Spelljammer can provide are about as vast as the multiverse itself; the only limit is your imagination!
If you’re looking to dip your toes into Spelljammer, definitely pick up your copy of Spelljammer Academy, a free introductory adventure series available on D&D Beyond.
Preorder Spelljammer: Adventures in Space
Spelljammer: Adventures in Space will allow your players to journey beyond the stars to visit alien worlds, encounter unique creatures, and plunder loot from across the cosmos. You can preorder Spelljammer: Adventures in Space before it lands on August 16th, 2022, to receive exclusive perks, including digital dice, when the book releases.
What is D&D Beyond?
D&D Beyond is the official digital toolset for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons. Players who join D&D Beyond can quickly create characters and take them on the go with the D&D Beyond App. You can even roll dice directly from your character sheet using the app or from your browser. The toolset handles all of the math to make playing the game easy. DMs will find tools to build and run combat encounters, manage their campaigns, and create and discover homebrew content.
D&D Beyond is free to join, but if you sign up for a subscription, you'll be able to create unlimited characters and even share books you've purchased with players in your campaigns (Master-tier only).
Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022This could be done without a retcon....
1st, WOTC didn't bother to talk to Jeff Grubb at all about this version of Spelljammer, that was a missed opportunity and would be a better product had they involved him
2nd, This "fix" :Hey Spelljammer fans, you can now take your vessels into the Astral Plane! New locations, new encounters, new monster for you to explore. All the old canon and lore are here with a 5th edition update."
I guess we at least get Planescape light...
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022So lets have both!
How about giving Spelljammers access to the Astral Sea without a major recon or changing a core concept of Spelljamming. Win-win.
High hopes, low expections.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Yessssss 🤘
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022I wonder with nautical ships and travel vessels if dnd beyond will add customisation to homebrew ships with this patch?? I’ll be excited for that instead of using monster sheets! Otherwise this still looks amazing with lunar and solar dragons :)
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022I see it will be available on roll20 with Ship descriptions and deck plans (please be usable quality)
I already have a 5E HB running (I liked the way spell slots can boost ship maneuvers). I bet my Rules & Ship Assets are superior
after tactical (ranged) combat we group our tokens on the deck and move them together with the ship for personal combat Boarding & Ramming
Then using rollable ship deck plans as tokens our characters can work their way below decks without changing maps.
Hoping for the best, expecting... to continue with my HomeBrew $50 poorer.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Thanks for the free adventure! I am looking forward to reading it!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022I can't really say what I think about Spelljammer. It's certainly unique, but the whole "high fantasy in space" trope doesn't really appeal to me. I like my fantasy to be more "traditional", I guess. That's just my opinion.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022I am so very excited for this set, after the endless parade of M:TG and Critical Role tie-ins. I'm glad to see that Wizards has decided not to take themselves too seriously with the update -- Spelljammer was always gonzo, and gonzo it shall remain. Three cheers for all of the old Star Frontiers races being playable right off the bat. Huzzah!
Speaking as an old grognard who bought his first Spelljammer boxed set in a Waldenbooks in 1989, I could not be more pleased that the setting has moved to the Astral Sea. The phlogiston was classic AD&D2 design -- mistaking complexity for depth. I hope also to see that powering a spelljammer no longer requires all of the daily resources of a dedicated spellcaster! Spelljamming the Astral was a great D&D4 decision that I am glad to see persist in D&D5.
I am sorry to hear that some folks are sad about no longer being able to slowly turn to wood after their wizard dies in explosive-rainbow-soup space. Meet me at the Laughing Beholder, and I'll buy you a pint and encourage you to re-evaluate your life choices.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022This is quite fortuitous for me. I’ve been trying to make the Spelljammer rules work in 5e to do “CONSTRUCTS IN SPACE” (said in a booming announcer voice with copious echo effects) where a bunch of Warforged retrofit a Warforged Colossus for Spelljamming. My players will face dragons on the rings of Siberys and then off to fame and danger. Now I get someone else to do the rules for me AND it hits close to my birthday!
I literally ran around my little office space screaming like a Beatles fangirl. Very, very excited for this!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Space hamsters!!!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Cool.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Aaaaaaaaaa! I can't wait!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022"Can we all just agree this is gonna be awesome" yeah thats how they churn crap out. I'm not just gonna assume they are going to provide anything I want anymore even if I hope they do, I expect to be disappointed now after the books they've put out over the last year or so. Strixhaven alone was such a massive missed opportunity I can't be hyped for another book that seems like it's going to be similarly over hyped and then under deliver.
also fyi, mobile formatting on this site sucks
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 22, 2022Can we please get a small update on here when this releases that lets us make our own homebrew vehicles similar to how the monster homebrew works? It'd be awesome to finally get to design your own ship and update it the statblock as gets more upgrades.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022Fixed that for yah! :)
Looking forward to what comes out. I've enjoyed the 5e versions of most of what Wizards has put out so far. Currently on a side adventure for Ghosts of Saltmarsh campaign for my FLGS player. I'll have to see what they want to do when we finish the hardback.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022I generally prefer a serious high fantasy, gothic horror, or Lovecraft campaign, with the occasional bit of humour from the players. That being said, if got a different group of friends who want batsh*t crazy levels of comedy in their games, and this looks perfect for it. It may not be my usual cup of tea, but vampirates and giant space hamsters sound hilarious, so I'll likely be grabbing it anyway.
I never played Spelljammer in previous editions. Do I care that some bits of lore may be changed? No. As with anything else in the game, just modify it as you see fit. Sod the canon (not cannon), it's your cosmology.
Edit: My apologies, they're not giant space hamsters. They're GIANT SPACE HAMSTERS!!!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022Warforged don't need air, food, or water, making them the perfect Spelljammer crew.
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022Second this!
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022Yeah, for the amount of content, this should be only $30USD, like Xanathar´s, or for this to cost $50USD each book should have at least 80 pages
-
View User Profile
-
Send Message
Posted Apr 23, 2022It isn't that simple, though. As a 40-something, sure, I look at vast swathes of D&D5, wave my hand, and say, "No, this will not do," but these books are not and should not be written for 40-somethings. As a 10-year-old I wasted a ton of time and energy trying to reconcile Spelljammer's deeply awkward and heavily mechanical Victorian conception of outer space with how I knew outer space worked as a child of the '70s. I couldn't justify it to myself, let alone my players, but it must have been right because it came from TSR and TSR did not make mistakes. That's a lot of unnecessary stress, and it was pretty common during the AD&D2 era.
Maybe kids are more savvy today, I don't know. I kind of doubt it, despite conventional wisdom. I want Wizards to get this lore right so that the kid who turned 10 in December 2021, and lacks the confidence and experience to doubt Wizards' competence, doesn't have to second guess themself.
As a secondary point, all house rules require some degree of player compliance, which isn't guaranteed and can be hard to come by in certain parties.