The last D&D sourcebook of the year is coming next week. Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos is and isn’t what you think. Yes, it’s the latest spin-off/mash-up of Magic: The Gathering following Mythic Odysseys of Theros and the Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica. Yes, it’s your chance to go to college–magic college. No, it’s not the D&D take on Hogwarts–that was a kids’ school, college is for adults. Interesting enough, Strixhaven is also not a college for the purpose of training you to be a wizard, warlock, or mage.
The new Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition adventure Mythic Odysseys of Theros has an inspired twist on the mythology and real world of the Ancient Greeks, creating a bit of a mirror fantasy setting that is still nicely footed in that world. The new campaign, which arrives online and in game shops July 21, has a very different look and feel from your typical D&D sourcebook. You’ll harken back to when you first imagined living among a pantheon of dueling Gods, and encountering your first images of hydras, hippocamps, krakens, and chimera (or watched Clash of the Titans). And a book full of some enticing new maps will keep you absorbed in hours of roleplay this summer, even if you’re needing to make it all work with your friends over Zoom instead of in person.
Wizards of the Coast has two new books available just in time for Christmas gameplay. Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica is the first time Dungeons & Dragons has formally issued a crossover with the realms of Magic: The Gathering. Ravnica, first introduced in 2005 in Magic: The Gathering’s Ravnica: City of Guilds and again in 2012 in Return to Ravnica, is a vast plane and a diverse cityscape, where ten guilds battle for power, wealth, and influence.
The sourcebook includes detailed chapters on the ten guilds: Azorius Senate, Boros Legion, Cult of Rakdos, Golgari Swarm, Gruul Clans, House Dimir, Izzet League, Orzhov Syndicate, Selesnya Conclave, Simic Combine, and sections on Creating Adventures, Treasures, and Friends and Foes. Guildmasters’ Guide to Ravnica includes a key focus on the Tenth District of the city, which includes adventure opportunities for all ten guilds. It boasts six new playable species, plus a new cleric domain, a new druid circle, backgrounds, and an expansive bestiary.
The second year-end release, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage serves as part two of the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure (reviewed here). The Waterdeep saga continues where Dragon Heist ended, taking characters beyond the fifth level all the way to 20th level should they explore the entirety of Halaster’s home. Players will find a tavern called the Yawning Portal in the city of Waterdeep, named after a pit in its common room. Not explored in Tales from the Yawning Portal, at the bottom of the pit is a dungeon known as Undermountain, the domain of the mad wizard Halaster Blackcloak. It is here where monsters, traps, and mysteries abound in 23 dungeons, along with the refuge of Skullport. You’ll also find Stardock, the asteroid that orbits Toril, and new magical items like the Dodecahedron of Doom, plus Halaster and eleven other monsters not included in the Monster Manual.
