Tasha's Cauldron of WOW-verything

I had the opportunity to chat with Jeremy Crawford about their new book, Tasha's Guide to Everything, and there's really no way to describe it other than: wow.

It's easily the biggest Fifth Edition rules expansion since Xanathar's Guide to Everything, and what they've included sounds incredible.

According to Jeremy Crawford, the book includes "new feats, class options, traits, lineages, [customizable] races, group patron options, magic tattoos, new magic items (including spellcasting focuses for all classes), new spells, magical environments, and [generally] more levers that people can use to customize their characters than even Xanathar's Guide."

If that paragraph doesn't give you chills, check your pulse, because you may be dead inside (or you may not be a fan of D&D...)

One of the main elements of the new books is a revised trait or lineage system. This is going to allow players to more effectively customize their characters. It will allow players to take some of their race traits and swap them with others; a dwarf with keen eyes? Why not! It's your game, play it how you want.

That was the overriding design objective for the book according to Crawford: giving players the freedom to play their way and not be bound that any archetype that may exist.

Tasha's will also include: a revised Artificer, with some new infusions and the armorer subclass

new subclasses for EVERY class in the game

new features for every PHB class

new spells, including mind sliver, Tasha's Caustic Brew and Tasha's Otherworldly Guise

new magic items, including a spirit catching artifact Tarokka Deck

new spellcasting foci for all classes (magic items that serve as a focus)

new feats

new magical tattoos

new magical environments, like a mimic colony and enchanted spring

new primal beast companions for the Beastmaster class

new psionics system, including the Aberrant Mind subclass

new group patron options

Tasha's won't include new races, but this is a LOT to unpack.

Perhaps one of the elements that isn't getting a lot of attention is the addition of new features for every PHB class. New features allow players to play old classes in a new way, which gives life to old content, without releasing fully new content.

It's actually quite smart and it'll be curious to see how its implemented.

Tasha's also includes the sidekick rules that were first introduced in the D&D Essentials Kit and allows players to play as the warrior, expert, or spellcaster sidekick classes, for those who want a "chill" D&D experience, according to Crawford.

The potential of this book is incredible.

It releases in stores (with an alternate cover in game stores only) on November 17th.

-------

All images copyright Wizards of the Coast unless otherwise indicated.