A new Unearthed Arcana article for Dungeons & Dragons is hinting that the Spelljammer campaign setting is returning in the future. Spelljammer combines magic with space travel, as players fly around the galaxy in arcane-powered spaceships while exploring new worlds or becoming interstellar pirates.
The Spelljammer campaign setting debuted in the days of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It was revealed that the D&D campaign worlds were contained within crystal spheres. The titular spelljammer was the name of a type of ship that was controlled via magic, with the ability to travel and survive through the void of space. It was possible for players to travel between crystal spheres and visit the different D&D campaign worlds using a spelljammer, bying the need for portals or spells that allow for planar travel.
Spelljammer didn't get the recognition it deserved in the days of AD&D, as it was a little too weird and different from the standard fantasy fare that players were used to. There has been a demand for a new version of Spelljammer in Dungeons & Dragons in recent years, one which shores up the rules and makes the ship/interstellar aspects easier to understand. D&D has featured references to Spelljammer in 5e, such as a Mind Flayer ship appearing in Baldur's Gate 3, but it has yet to return in any official capacity as a campaign setting.
D&D Spelljammer: The Interstellar Races Are Returning
It seems the era of the crystal spheres is set to return. The latest three classic D&D campaign settings are returning, and it certainly seems that Spelljammer will be one of them.
The Unearthed Arcana articles have revealed the existence of books in the past. Fans knew that a Feywild book was on the way when fairies and humanoid rabbits appeared as playtest material. The fairies and harengon races eventually appeared in The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, which was an adventure set in the Feywild. The Unearthed Arcana article that introduced dhampir and construct characters suggested that a gothic horror module was on the way, which turned out to be Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. The return of the Giff and the Hadozee is the smoking gun that Spelljammer fans have waited decades for, and it will be exciting to sail the stars once again in Dungeons & Dragons.
Source: Unearthed Arcana
