Wizards of the Coast has buffed the Dragonlance playtest contest in Dungeons & Dragons ahead of its appearance in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen later in 2022. The Dragonlance campaign setting is returning to D&D in an unusual way, as it will come back in both an adventure book and a board game, with players taking part in the War of the Lance.
The content of the new D&D books is often spoiled ahead of time, as Wizards of the Coast releases Unearthed Arcana articles with playtest material for player options, such as races, backgrounds, feats, and subclasses. The return of Spelljammer was spoiled in an Unearthed Arcana article, as was Ravenloft. The Unearthed Arcana articles have also hinted at the concepts featured in brand new books, with an article featuring fairy races revealing that a Feywild book was on the way, which turned out to be The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.
The Dragonlance setting's return was hinted at in Unearthed Arcana, in an article titled "Heroes of Krynn". Wizards of the Coast has released a revised version of the article, which can be read on the official Wizards of the Coast website. A new video on the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel has revealed the reasons behind these changes, with Lead Designer Jeremy Crawford discussing why some of the Dragonlance options were altered.
"Heroes of Krynn" featured a single new Dragonlance race, with the kender returning to D&D 5e. The new version of the kender is now closer to how they're portrayed in the Dragonlance novels, as they are now immune to the frightened condition, rather than having an advantage on saves against the condition. D&D's kender race is stronger now, thanks to player feedback. They have lost the Kender Ace ability, which let them pull a random item out of their bag, and it has been replaced with a bonus skill proficiency. The kender's Taunt ability has now been tweaked so that its penalty doesn't apply if the attacker goes for the kender, but they can now use Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for their bonus, rather than just Charisma.
The Knights of Solamnia and Mages of the High Tower backgrounds and Feats have also been improved. It was also revealed that all Dragonlance characters will receive a bonus Feat at character creation and again at level four, in order to reflect the harsh environment of the world of Krynn at the start of the War of the Lance. The only part of the original Unearthed Arcana article that hasn't been changed is Dragonlance's Lunar Magic sorcerer subclass, as players are satisfied with how it functions in the game. It's interesting to see how the upcoming Dragonlance content is being tweaked ahead of Shadow of the Dragon Queen, as it's hinting that players will need all the help they can get against the dragon armies.
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen and Dragonlance: Warriors of Krynn will launch in late 2022.