Back on a high note

Back from a two month hiatus where all things DnD whizzed by completely under my radar. Just my luck that smack dab in the middle of this time there would come a flurry of information released. So much new stuff has come out that I hardly know where to begin.

But, in the spirit of what amounts to a "new beginning" I'm going to focus on the positives.

Although it's a tad late (only a few months!) there were several positives in the Worlds & Monsters book.

It's true. I really like everything they're doing with the cosmos in DnD.

Gone are the days of unwieldy planes tied to the "alignment wheel". No more bizarre rules and quirks that add nothing to the game session. Okay, the Astral plane was interesting but I always had a hard time picturing it in my head. A silvery ether that you will yourself to move through isn't exactly roleplay friendly. Certainly not to the extent of a haunted forest with it's crunch of dried leaves underfoot, or a musty tomb with cobwebs swaying on a mysterious breeze.

Then there are the planes with the "characters take x amount of damage every round unless they are protected by y" rules. Let's face it. If your character doesn't have that protection then going there is akin to a death trap. And if you do have the protection needed, then the rule becomes nothing but a minor annoyance.

So, I for one, welcome the arrival of the Feywilde and the Shadowfell and the Elemental Chaos. The remodeled Astral plane strikes me as much more accessable and easier to picture. I'm not even bothered by the loss of the Blood War between the demons and devils, with both sides being seperated to neutral corners, so to speak.

On the monster side, I'm thrilled to see that alignment is being pushed into the background. While the idea of a lawful good red dragon is still a little alien to me, it's a change that I welcome.