Wizards of the Coast revealed a slew of new information about what’s coming for DnD next year, and one thing is clear – everyone will get a major power buff. A PAX Unplugged panel streamed on December 1 announced (among other things) a level-20 Vecna campaign, tournament adventures, and multiple monsters with challenge ratings of 20 or above.
DnD campaigns rarely go above level ten because it becomes tricky to challenge a player who’s had that many DnD levels ups. As such, level-20 campaigns are a rarity. But the DnD release schedule for 2024 has one right out the gate, with Vecna: Eve of Ruin set to release sometime next year.
Next year is Dungeons and Dragons’ 50th anniversary, and Wizards plans to celebrate this with – as game designer Chris Perkins put it in Friday’s stream – “ multiple events that celebrate play”. One of these involves Descent into the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth, a DnD one shot that revives a classic first-edition adventure. This comes with rules for tournament scoring – so we assume anyone looking for a challenge should start gearing up.
The next version of the Monster Manual also seems like it’ll be a site of immense power. Lead rules designer Jeremy Crawford promises several new DnD monsters with CR 20 or higher. Few details have been revealed about the new Monster Manual, but Crawford did name drop ‘The Blob of Annihilation’ and ‘The Arch Hag’.
While it’s part of the new generation currently known as One DnD, it’s not clear if we’re actually getting the Monster Manual in 2024. Only the new Player’s Handbook was confirmed, which will overhaul the core rules, along with DnD classes, DnD races, DnD backgrounds, and more.
For more recent D&D news, here’s the latest playtest material. Player’s Handbook Playtest 8 brought a welcome Monk playtest update, as well as Barbarian Brutal Strikes, buffed healing spells, and a beefy new version of Conjure Minor Elementals.