D&D 5E Speculation thread! Vecna? Giants UA?

[Paul Farquhar]

Well, that's fair: still gotta build.on pretty thin evidence either way. And a setting is plausible.

Fizban's 2: This time it's Giants is far more plausible.

And a "primordial" setting is implausible, for mechanical reasons.

I think there are better odds that the next setting book is Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

It does make sense for a Primordial themed book (given that Dinosaurs are linked with Priomordiasl directly), which is to say, Giant themed. They are linked in D&D Lore...written by the guy who is leading this UA.

Primordials... the folks who lived on the Material Plane before dragons fought them... the prehistoric war that led to the age of mortals... seems pretty First World to me. And James Wyatt also wrote the First World lore too.

No, I feel like the pet is a giant.

I think you are projecting what you want to see onto the flimsiest of evidence. But hey, believe whatever you want to believe. Just don't come crying to me when you are disappointed.

See, I find this funny because no one thought a giant book was coming. But as soon as one UA with the title "Giant" comes out, folks jump to the idea that an entire sourcebook on giants is coming. Seems like a red herring when one of them isn't very giant themed.

The evidence to me for First World;

• Giants and Dragons have in lore ruled the Material Plane before mortal civilizations.
• One of the subclasses is called Primeval, and based on the video supposed to be dinosaur themed.
• James Wyatt wrote the First World lore, probably has an upcoming book, and they like to tease future books in older ones.
• We know the D&D team is focused on settings and is working on entirely new ones.

 

[dave2008]

And a "primordial" setting is implausible, for mechanical reasons.

What do you mean by a primordial setting and why would it be mechanical implausible?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Seems like a red herring when one of them isn't very giant themed.

All of them are giant themed. Giants do not have to be humanoid.

folks jump to the idea that an entire sourcebook on giants is coming.

Because it's logical for other reasons. We know WotC like to put out a sourcebook (that is not a setting or adventure) every year, therefore we know one is coming in 2023. There isn't really room for another rules book before the big 2024 do-over, which leaves us with "monster book". Fizban's was very successful, so it makes sense to repeat the format. After dragons the next big (and somewhat lacklustre) monster group is giants (including giant animals).

The evidence to me for First World

First World is not primordial.

Giants and Dragons have in lore ruled the Material Plane before mortal civilizations.

There is no mention of giants in anything we have seen about the First World.

One of the subclasses is called Primeval, and based on the video supposed to be dinosaur themed.

But it's not. It's "you get a large pet" themed. There is nothing to connect it to dinosaurs other than the suggestion that your large pet may take that form. Which has always been an option for beastmasters.

• James Wyatt wrote the First World lore, probably has an upcoming book, and they like to tease future books in older ones.
• We know the D&D team is focused on settings and is working on entirely new ones.

Certainly they are working on further settings, as well as further adventures and further monster books. But there is nothing to suggest the First World, which is not primeval, is one of them.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

What do you mean by a primordial setting and why would it be mechanical implausible?

I'm assuming people are talking about a dinosaurs and cavepeople setting.

The big mechanical issue is the equipment list. Which gets reduced to clubs, spears, daggers, shortbows, leather and hide armor. And therefore is a major indirect nerf to fighters (and paladins, but they are still OP, so we don't care about them).

The second issue is literacy. How do wizards work before written language? They can't all be runecrafters.

 

[Minigiant]

I'm assuming people are talking about a dinosaurs and cavepeople setting.
The big mechanical issue is the equipment list. Which gets reduced to clubs, spears, daggers, shortbows, leather and hide armor. And therefore is a major indirect nerf to fighters (and paladins, but they are still OP, so we don't care about them).

The second issue is literacy. How do wizards work before written language? They can't all be runecrafters.

Yeah. So far WOTC has been hesitant to creating a setting that heavily breaks from the math and mechanics of the Basic Rules.

So I'd expect metal plate armor knight riding dinosaurs before I see cavepeople, runepriests, and rogues with bone shanks.

 

[JEB]

The second issue is literacy. How do wizards work before written language? They can't all be runecrafters.

Funny, until you mentioned that, it didn't occur to me that runecrafters could be pre-literacy wizards. Now the "prehistoric setting" idea seems more plausible. (Though that doesn't mean we're not also getting a giant book, they've done mixed-product UAs before.)

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Funny, until you mentioned that, it didn't occur to me that runecrafters could be pre-literacy wizards. Now the "prehistoric setting" idea seems more plausible. (Though that doesn't mean we're not also getting a giant book, they've done mixed-product UAs before.)

You could say "all wizards are runecrafters", but that would be a much much bigger deviation from the standard rules than anything WotC have shown a willingness to do. It's 3PP territory.

 

[Minigiant]

Funny, until you mentioned that, it didn't occur to me that runecrafters could be pre-literacy wizards. Now the "prehistoric setting" idea seems more plausible. (Though that doesn't mean we're not also getting a giant book, they've done mixed-product UAs before.)

Runes are only level 1 spells ATM.

That's the issue. You need new spell, weapon, and armor lists and rules to do a Prehistoric setting well. Things WOTC. Have been avoiding from in 5e.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The first world can't be a new setting because this was destroyed or fragmented, but maybe one of the planes is very close to the original piece.

The poem of the "Elegy of the first world" says the humanoids, created by the deities, weren't there when it was created. The humanoids and deities are from a "no-first world".

Of course the giants can tell a different story.

WotC will have to show something about "our dinosaurs(+ prehistoric beasts) are different" to avoid others to sell their own dinosaurs toys.

It shouldn't be only based in Vikings, Celts and North-Europeans but also in other tribal cultures from other places. When I was a little child and the Far West still was popular the native Northamericans are awesome. To use this as source of inspiration shouldn't be reported as disrespectful cultural appropiation but as a homage or tribute.

Could gnomes use "speak with animals" to tame giant badgers to face giants and megafaun?

Maybe the arcane magic caused some "magic pollution" with an effect as ashes-snow, and now they have to hunt the preys who can eat the mutant flora. Something like the survival videogame "Scavengers".

* The future "Vecna's Book of Vile Darkness" could tell something about the dark domains Cavitius-Tovag, but adding vashars (evil humans) and jerrens (very evil halflings).