A dedicated DnD and Magic: The Gathering fan has created a 100-page setting book for MTG’s Japan-inspired cyberpunk world of Kamigawa. Now he’s planning to produce more DnD plane guides, with the Norse world of Kaldheim reportedly just around the corner.
Inspired by writer James Wyatt’s official Plane Shift supplements, which brought a number of Magic planes to roleplaying tables, DnD and Magic fan Gabe dreamt up ‘A Planeshifted guide to Kamigawa Neon Dynasty’. This PDF, spanning 99 pages, comes complete with loads of new races, monsters, spells, backgrounds, and more – including Phyrexian easter eggs. And of course, as per Wizard’s fan content policy, it’s all available for free.
“When the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty set dropped, I was very excited about the world and its lore, and was wondering if there were plans for a Plane Shift or official release for it,” says Gabe, a 29-year-old freelance visual designer living on the East Coast, USA. “That’s when I learned the Plane Shift series was discontinued. With no word on a planned Kamigawa book, I just decided I would make it myself!” However, when he started out, drawing up a few races like Kappa and Moonfolk, Gabe had no idea how much content he would go on to make.
The trickiest part of turning Magic worlds into D&D settings, the designer says, is coming up with stat blocks for a plane’s many unique creatures. “Balance is one thing, but finding flavorful ways to reinterpret Magic cards can be tricky, since in comparison the cards are often very simple,” he explains.
But Gabe says the time and effort spent on Kamigawa was well worth it. “I’m a designer by trade and a creative at heart, and I absolutely love world-building,” he says. He adds that it feels great to turn Wizard of the Coast’s creations into something more people can enjoy. “They create these beautiful worlds of rich lore, and characters, and monsters; and to take that and make it something people can engage with and roleplay in, it’s a really rewarding experience.”
Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons have had tons of official crossovers in recent years. Magic players got their fill of 5e fun with Adventures in the Forgotten Realms and Battle for Baldur’s Gate, while the MTG planes of Strixhaven, Theros, and Ravnica were each made into official DnD settings.
Gabe finds that the two hobbies compliment each other nicely, each one allowing its fans to find unique playstyles and ways to express themselves. “At the end of the day, people play D&D to sit around a table and have fun with their friends, and Magic is another great way to do that,” he says.
Having had such a blast making Kamigawa, Gabe realised he was nowhere near done. “Once I started, I knew I would keep going and make guides for other Magic planes that hadn’t gotten the D&D treatment yet”.
He’s released previews for Kaldheim races and spells, and plans to have an entire PDF for that Norse mythology-inspired plane out within the week. “I’m also working on guides for New Capenna, and for Tarkir at the request of the community, and I would love to visit other planes like Eldraine, Llorwyn-Shadowmoor, and Shandalar,” he says.
After that, it’ll be time to take on the original Plane Shift booklets, and see if they’re in need of an update…