Five new D&D books in 2023 will go back to Phandelver and discuss the origins of a notorious deck of cards
All books will be published under the previously announced higher price tag.
Dungeons & Dragons might be a rough year away from unveiling its new set of core rulebooks, but that isn’t stopping the release calendar from slowing down. Five new adventures and sourcebooks will drop before the end of 2023, including a return to where 5th Edition all began and a tome dedicated to those scaly, eponymous monsters.
Wizards of the Coast recently announced that the price of physical books would need to increase in order to offset the billion-dollar company’s cost of printing and shipping books to fans and hobby shops. Starting with Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants, all price tags on hardcover adventure sourcebooks will increase to $59.95. Publisher Wizards of the Coast has not stated whether the three new sourcebooks planned for mid-2024 will also cost this much.
Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants arrives first on August 15th, notably later than the originally announced “spring 2023” street date. Part of a series of books focusing on a timeless creature or entity from the D&D franchise, Glory of the Giants dives deep into the culture and taxonomy of these massive humanoids. Character options will accompany a bestiary with 76 entries encompassing different giants and their creations across a broad challenge rating spectrum.
The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons drops the same day as Bigby’s treatise on giants, August 15th, and runs closer to a field guide - critically, it’s all description and does not contain any rules text or stat blocks for use in the game. New variations and artwork will provide groups a fresh perspective on this classic monster, detailing their habitats, behaviours, and who often muscles in for a territorial dispute. This is definitely a gift for the fantasy dorks in your life and not a table-side resource.
Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk, releases on September 19th and will solve a grand mystery you might not even know exists. First introduced in 5E’s inaugural adventure, Phandelver will now be the setting of an expansive campaign taking characters from 1st to 2th level as they reveal the purpose of all those strange obelisks that have cropped up in several published adventures over the years. Return to the beginning to see how time has treated the inhabitants of Faerun’s most notable village.
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse takes players to Sigil, the City of Doors on October 17th. The Planescape setting has been languishing in D&D’s portfolio of worlds for a white but will get a star treatment in the form of three books - setting guide, bestiary and sprawling adventure. Like the classic computer game from 1999, Sigil’s many weird factions and position at the crossroad of infinite worlds will play a central role in whatever emperils the multiverse this time.
The Deck of Many Things, releasing on November 14th, will be both a reprinting of every player’s favourite chaotic artefact as well as a guidebook explaining the magic deck’s origins and history. The 22 cards can be used within the game as intended - drawn to impart a random and often calamitous effect - or at the table as an oracle tool for creating and fleshing out adventures. An additional 44 cards will let groups customise the Deck of Many Things to their liking.