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SYFY WIRE Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons' next book is a wicked, whimsical exploration into the Feywild

By James Grebey
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight D&D

The idea of a “fairy-tale ending” means something a little different in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, a game where fairies have their own entry in the Monster Manual. But, this fall, the iconic tabletop game will debut a new adventure, The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, that plunges DMs and players alike into what an official announcement dubs the “wicked whimsy of the Feywild” for the first time in Fifth Edition. 

The book — the first of many announcements to come during D&D’s “Week of Legend Lore” event — is still largely shrouded in mystery. It hit shelves on Sept. 21, though fans will get a chance to learn a lot more about it in about a month during D&D Live, a big streaming event. That will take place on July 16 and 17, but until then, we can gain some insights into what to expect from the adventure. 

The Wild Beyond the Witchlight D&D

The cover for The Wild Beyond the Witchlight promises an ominous carnival atmosphere with a creepy clown and a looming, imposing-looking enforcer-type character. The adventure will take players into the Feywild, a key part of D&D lore that hasn’t been fully developed in the current fifth edition of the game. Traditionally, the Feywild is an alternate plane of existence that mirrors and overlaps the material world. It’s a place of perpetual twilight that’s full of both enticing beauty and terrible dangers. Time works differently inside the Feywild, and those who leave may find what they thought was a brief venture instead lasted years — assuming they’re even able to leave at all. In short, it’s a good place for a magical and eerie adventure. 

The standard cover was illustrated by Tyler Jacobsen. The alternate cover, which depicts a Displacer Beast, one of the Feywild’s many bestial inhabitants, was made by Hydro74. 

Although that’s about it as far as official details go, it seems likely that The Wild Beyond the Witchlight will mark the official debut of some new D&D developments that have been available for playtesting for a couple of months. In March, Wizards released an Unearthed Arcana (their name for playtest material) called “Folk of the Feywild,” introducing four new playable races: fairy, hobgoblin of the Feywild, owlfolk, and rabbitfolk. It’s not a guarantee that all four of these races will make it to the final book, and they will probably be a least slightly different in their final form than they are as playtest material.

(There are also recent Unearthed Arcana relating to dragon-inspired subclasses and character options, though it feels less likely that they are related to the Fey-centric Wild Beyond the Witchlight.)

More information about The Wild Beyond the Witchlight will be available during D&D Live, which takes place on July 16 and 17. The book itself will come out on Sept. 21. Look for more D&D announcements all this week, right here.