Have you ever wished you could get some of the Wizards of The Coast’s Unearthed Arcana material in hardcover print? Well you’re in luck! Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, releasing later this year, is that and more. The book looks to collect subclasses from Unearthed Arcana, normalize previous mechanics from other Eberron settings for use in 5e, add new spells and magical items, and collect a whole bunch of new rules for dungeon masters. In short, we’re very excited for this book!
A Subclass Super Cut
Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything is said to contain a whopping 22 subclasses from the greatest hits of past Unearthed Arcana. This puts it near the top of list for having more subclass rules in one spot than almost any other supplement.
While these won’t be new, they will be more polished than when previously released; Unearthed Arcana material is designed specifically for Wizards to test out things they might want to use. By gathering these up into an official supplement, these subclasses will be more firmly cemented into gameplay and likely be more balanced than in their first incarnations.
Another option purportedly coming are rules for the creation of custom starting traits for your characters. Rather than being confined to the hard-set rules of predetermined races, you’ll instead be able to create a custom lineage through this new rule system. While it sounds like this may be rife for abuse and min maxing, we’re hopeful it comes with some balancing mechanics to make it mesh with gameplay.
Group Patrons Minus the Eberron Specifics
Back in Eberron: Rising from the Last War a mechanic for having a group patron was established that allows dungeon masters to create an NPC or core ideal that consolidates and ties the group of adventurers together. This is something that dungeon masters do all the time and it gives us an additional lever to pull in the storytelling process.
However, in Eberron: Rising from the Last War they devoted a staggering 38 pages to this idea, which was both refreshing and inspiring. In Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything we will see this concept picked back up and effectively de-Eberroned, which we are hoping means that it will be adapted for general use throughout DnD 5e. Even if this section ends up smaller than the original it will be a valuable add to the book.
Fresh Ink: Magic Tattoos
While Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything promises to add new spells and artifacts, we’re most excited about the mention of magical tattoos. Very little information has been given about this feature, but if it’s similar to the originally released Unearthed Arcana, it’s an intriguing element. Very rarely do we get access to new magical rule sets and item creation for scrolls, potions, and other artifacts in DnD is generally lacking. So, the thought of getting a new set of rules for magical anything is always something to look forward to.
Make Contact
The book also promises new rules around “…supernatural environments, natural hazards, and parleying with monsters…” which for any Warlock or Druid fans out there is likely to be exceptionally fun. The whole concept of communicating with monsters has been relatively weak in past installments of DnD rules and often the most heinous monsters around only had a single path forward: combat.
Depending on how these rules are presented we might see some amazing new ways to go about non-combat interactions with monsters in the game. As a fan of odd environments and the unknown in general, we can think of a ton of ways that this could be used in storytelling and gameplay.
Beyond just the monster talk, the hint at supernatural environments and natural hazards has some very witchy vibes to it. These of course echo the cover art, presumably of Tasha herself looking very witchy indeed. While the book is set to release in November, it is a bit sad that we’re likely to miss some excellent rules for spooky Halloween sessions.
A Robin for Every Batman
NPC Sidekicks are another feature on the table in this installment of optional rules. While we’re not 100% sure how that will manifest, it sounds like we will be getting NPCs with simple classes that can be controlled by the DM. This goes a long way to help with reducing barriers to entry for the game by allowing for smaller groups of players to still get by in the game. NPC sidekicks will be able to supplement smaller player groups and may even make two-player games a more feasible option.
Puzzles, But in What Form?
The piece we’ve heard the least about at this time is the Puzzle aspect of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. We’re hoping for a lot of fun, accessible, and easy to augment puzzles because puzzles are one of the most time consuming things to create and balance in DnD. While we know the book will contain a section devoted to puzzles we’ll just have to wait and see what form it takes when the book is released later this year.
Wizards Announced Pre-orders Available
While the book is slated to release on November 17th, Wizards of the Coast has made preorders of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything available on Amazon and through other book stores. At the time of writing the book is currently on sale via pre-order at Amazon 40% off of list price. For a book we’re excited to snap up, we’re happy to see the sale as it makes it easier to add the book to our collection when it comes out.
Alternate Covers Available
While both covers look amazing, Wizards also announced that alternate covers will only be available via pre-order from local games stores. We’re big fans of this; supporting local games stores is something we also believe in. The major downside here is for anyone who doesn’t have a game store in their area and cannot get the alternate art cover. But we would recommend calling your nearest store and seeing if they can deliver a pre-order to you if you are out of the immediate area.
Excited for the Release
With only a few months until the book is out, we can’t wait to see all the changes it brings to the table. There’s sure to be a lot to love and we’re excited to see the unique flavor that Tasha’s narration brings to its pages. Be sure to get in a pre-order if you’re after a discounted price and keep your eyes peeled for the book coming later this year.
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Happy DMing!