Днд руководство ксанатара

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Cover
Authors	Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, Robert J. Schwalb, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Matt Sernett
Genre	Role-playing games
Publisher	Wizards of the Coast
Publication date	15 November 2017
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	192
ISBN	978-0-7869-6612-7

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything is a sourcebook for the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published in 2017. It acts as a supplement to the 5th edition Dungeon Master’s Guide and the Player’s Handbook.

Contents[edit]

The book adds a variety of options for both players and Dungeon Masters along with marginalia by the Xanathar of Waterdeep.^[1][2]

• Chapter 1: Character Options^[3]
  • Includes 31 new subclasses, 2 or 3 for each of the twelve character classes.
  • A variety of character background ideas such as origins and life events.
  • New racial feats.^[4]
• Chapter 2: Dungeon Master’s Tools^[3]
  • Revisits and expands on traps and downtime activities rules.
  • In-depth coverage of tool proficiencies and spellcasting.
  • A new magic items sections expands the DMG and adds new minor items.
  • Includes a variety of other DM tools such as random encounters and simultaneous effects.^[4]
• Chapter 3: Spells^[3][4]
• Appendix A: Shared Campaigns^[4]
• Appendix B: Character names
  • Includes nonhuman names as well as real-world and real-world inspired human names.^[4]

Publication history[edit]

Much of the information in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything was developed through the public «Unearthed Arcana» playtest and several character subclasses were previously published in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.^[5] During the Extra Life 2017 fundraiser in November 2017, free excerpts from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything were released as PDFs when different reward tiers were hit.^[4] The book was released on November 21, 2017. An exclusive edition with an alternate art cover by Hydro74 was pre-released to select game shops early in November 2017.^[2][6]

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Expansion Gift Set, a boxed set, contains Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse (2022) along with new printings of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (2020); it was released on January 25, 2022. An exclusive edition, with white foil alternate art covers by Joy Ang, is only available through local game stores.^[7][8]

Reception[edit]

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything won the 2017 Origins Awards for Best Role-Playing Game Supplement and Fan Favorite Role-Playing Game Supplement.^[9]

In Publishers Weekly’s «Best-selling Books Week Ending December 4, 2017», Xanathar’s Guide to Everything was #1 in «Hardcover Nonfiction».^[10] Publishers Weekly highlighted that the book «sold nearly 45,000 copies» as a new release.^[11] ICv2 underscored that these numbers originate from BookScan and include point of sale «data from most chains and online retailers, but not most [Friendly Local Game Stores]». Scott Thorne, for ICv2, highlighted two interconnected reasons for the high sale numbers: first, «WotC has a huge untapped market out there for D&D player-targeted books and Xanathar’s Guide is the first ‘official’ […] player-oriented book released by WotC in almost two years. With that level of pent-up demand, it is no surprise that sales of the book took most stores, and WotC, by surprise». And second, Amazon sale discounts since «unlike some other gaming manufacturers, which have started protecting the value and price of their books though a MAP, a customer can, when it comes back into stock, order Xanathar’s Guide from Amazon for $29.95, a 40% discount. One Amazon seller even has the book, as of this writing, listed at $19.30 with shipping, a whopping 61% off».^[12]

In Polygon‘s review, Charlie Hall wrote «like Volo’s Guide to Monsters, which was released late last year, Xanathar’s has a narrator named Xanathar. He’s a beholder — a multi-eyed, floating monster from D&D lore — who just happens to be a powerful crime lord in the city of Waterdeep. Think Jabba the Hutt, but with disintegration rays shooting out of its eyestalks. Nearly every page of the book is annotated with little quips and observations. Unfortunately, the humor of those narrative snippets fell flat for me. Xanathar’s voice, as applied in this book, feels a bit too modern. He sounds more like a cranky Redditor than a fantastical crime boss. Luckily, the bulk of the content in the book is outstanding. In my estimation, it’s the first must-have new book from Wizards of the Coast since the latest edition of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. […] Up front, there are more than 30 new subclasses for players to choose from. They include some vital and popular builds from previous editions of the game, like the Cavalier and the Samurai. But they also include some brand new versions of classic character classes that will liven any newly-formed party. […] Best of all, WotC has instilled all of these new subclasses with strong role-playing hooks. These aren’t just stat-blocks with new art, but rather inspirations for storytelling in and of themselves. That being said, most players will have no need for the remainder of the book. Chapters two and three are mostly for Dungeon Masters, and include a host of new tools and tables».^[13]

Rob Wieland, for Geek & Sundry, wrote that «backgrounds in Fifth Edition offer a good place to start talking about the history of characters, but coming up with a full background for a character can be a little intimidating for someone that’s never done it before. Xanathar’s Guide has a few class-specific elements that can help like tables for a bard’s worst performance or the vice a rogue likes to indulge in, in between adventures. It also has a big section full of tables that determine important character details like siblings, upbringing and other points that can help sketch a character backstory during play. There’s a running gag that all D&D characters are orphans that were born, grew up and became adventurers, but with this section, characters get a skeleton of a backstory to help shade how they react in play».^[14]

Richard Jansen-Parkes, for the UK print magazine Tabletop Gaming, wrote that «in many ways the slightly unfocused air of XGtE is a reflection of how modern games – both tabletop and digital – are no longer static products, eternally fixed at version 1.0. It was clearly shaped by community feedback and directly addresses many of the questions and concerns that regularly crop up in Reddit threads and Twitter feeds. […] In many ways, the fact that the new rules feel fun without seeming over-powered is perhaps the book’s biggest success of all. […] There are a few things that appeal to the power gamers out there, but this is always going to be the case and none of them seem to make any existing abilities or characters completely obsolete. Indeed, plenty of the content doesn’t have any impact on the gameplay whatsoever, such as a guide for generating character backstories or long tables of random names for the DM to consult when players insist on speaking to everyone in the tavern. The best way to describe XGtE, perhaps, is that it upgrades your experience to D&D 5.1. It’s a huge content update that tweaks things here and there, presented with all the usual top-notch design and writing work we’ve come to expect from the D&D team. Arguably some of the rules clarifications should be presented as errata or an update to the existing core books rather than requiring you to buy a new one, but when that’s the biggest complaint going you know you have a success on your hands».^[15]

Rollin Bishop, for Comicbook, wrote that «though the supplement’s name does it no favors, it’s mostly a reprinted collection of an online article series with some added depth. Having it all in one physical place, however, is helpful. Even so, the game of D&D technically only requires three books: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. But if there’s a fourth book every tabletop group should pick up, it’s probably Xanathar’s. In terms of usefulness, Xanathar’s is arguably equally useful to both players and Dungeon Masters. The first and third chapter are heavily player focused while the middle chapter is specifically all about tools for the DM to use. That includes sections on sleep, random encounters, traps, and more. If you’re familiar with the Unearthed Arcana books from previous modern editions, this treads similar territory for 5th Edition. The question most groups will likely be asking themselves is whether the $49.95 MSRP is worth the sticker price».^[16]

In a review of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything in Black Gate, Howard Andrew Jones said «It’s a great 5E book, maybe even an essential one. Giving it 4.5 out of 5 isn’t quite fair to all the excellence within. Maybe 9.5 out of 10 would give you a better sense of its value. In other words, it’s not a B, or a B+, it’s an A, right on the border of A+.»^[17]

Viktor Coble listed Xanthar’s Guide To Everything as #8 on CBR‘s 2021 «D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks» list, stating that «unlike a lot of the other books in 5e, it is a lot more versatile. Not only does it have the feeling of a campaign plot hook, but it also offers a lot of new subclasses, spells, and tools for new ways to play and understand the game.»^[18]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official product page on Wizards of the Coast’s D&D website
• Free excerpts (PDFs) released as rewards during the D&D Extra Life 2017 fundraiser:

• $10k Reward: Sample list of random encounters
• $15k Reward: Sample list of suggested character names
• $20k Reward: Sample life events for characters
• $25k Reward: List of new wizard spells
• $30k Reward: Subclass preview
• $40k Reward: Table of Contents

Tasha’s Cauldron and Xanathar’s Guide are wonderful ways to spice up a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, but which is the best to use?

Dungeons & Dragons‘ successful Fifth Edition has streamlined the world’s most popular tabletop RPG to create an accessible entry point for new adventurers, and there is a lot of fun to be had in campaigns that rely upon the base source books. Experienced players yearning for the breadth and complexity of earlier editions, however, or those who are simply eager to have as many options as possible will likely want to run some supplementary tomes. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything are two of the most appealing options.

But why choose? Many experienced Dungeon Masters will undoubtedly incorporate both expansions into their campaigns, but the sheer number of new subclasses, items, mechanics, and spells included in each book could prove difficult track and balance. The array of character creation and customization options on offer may also be overwhelming for players who have only ever experienced vanilla 5E, and Wizards of the Coast gives Dungeons and Dragons players one more reason to choose between the two.

D&D has an official format of play known as the Adventurers League. Like Magic the Gathering’s different seasonal card bans and additions, this unique format places certain strictures on what supplementary rules can be applied to a given game. Players who participate in this officially sanctioned format can earn special rewards within a given competitive season, so there is some incentive to color within the lines when crafting a campaign. Ultimately though, the decision should boil down to what will bring the most fun to the table.

A Goal-Oriented Approach

Both Tasha’s and Xanathar’s contain a wealth of new subclasses, spells, and mechanics. Despite these commonalities, each guide lends itself to accomplishing certain goals. While each book contains new items, only Tasha’s includes new magic items. Xanathar’s, on the other hand, has 30 new subclasses, whereas Tasha’s provides access to the Artificer class and just under 30 new subclasses. Xanathar’s gives DMs many more options for expanding and customizing random encounters emphasizing deep combat, while Tasha’s includes new locales and puzzle options, emphasizing exploration.

It is also worth noting that Tasha‘s is the newer book, including long-awaited rules for customizing racial traits and character backgrounds. But because it is newer, it can be more expensive ($45 to $50) than Xanathar‘s ($30) unless players manage to secure a deal.

The Best of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything

To begin with, Xanathar’s introduces the borderline-broken Hexblade subclass to Warlocks—essentially, the DnD equivalent to Dante from Devil May Cry. Hexblades gain a number of powerful options at their first level, including Hex Warrior, which bestows proficiency in medium armor, shields, and martial weapons, as well as the ability to use Charisma as a damage modifier in place of Strength. The signature ability of the Hexblade grants players the ability to curse targets, bestowing a damage bonus, expanded critical range (a rarity in 5E), and health recovery when Hexblades kills their cursed target. This is all on top of expanding the Warlock’s usual array of toys. The Hexblade is also a tempting multiclass option, benefiting almost any class that scales off of Charisma.

Xanathar’s offers many other compelling subclasses (including the Cavalier, Arcane Archer, and Samurai options for Fighter), but its real strength are the expanded rulesets available for DMs. Those struggling to come up with compelling random encounters should pick up Xanathar’s post-haste, as it breaks down encounters by biomes, providing food for thought on combat in a wide variety of specific environments. And devious DMs who relish watching their party squirm will get a kick out of the ten pages devoted to developing traps.

That’s not to say that Xanathar’s is solely focused on fights and peril, however. There is also an expansive section on activities for players to pursue during downtime between adventures, which is a great way to foster bonds between party members and make a campaign feel more immersive and real.

The Best of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

It’s important to note, that since Tasha’s is brand new, players are still experimenting with its offerings and as a result, its metagame is still in flux. So players who are determined to min/max stats and come up with absolutely brutal builds may be better off working with the known quantities Xanathar’s represents. That said, Tasha’s has some truly magical options for a few classes, including the Ranger. While Rangers are an awesome class thematically-speaking, there is no denying that 5E has been less kind to them, mechanically, than certain other hybrid classes. With the vanilla ruleset, would-be Aragorns often end up straddling the middle ground between Druid and Fighter with fewer advantages and a less distinct identity than either.

Enter Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and the distinctive, powerful Swarmkeeper subclass. Swarmkeepers do exactly what their name implies: controlling a sentient legion of insects and bugs to assail their foes and protect themselves. Another notable subclass is the Soulknife for Rogues, which may provide players with the best opportunity to role-play a Phantom Thief in DnD. (Ironically, the mind-infiltrating Soulknife is more like Persona‘s Phantom Thief than the death-bonded Phantom Rogue subclass, which is also included in Tasha’s.) Clockwork Soul sorcerers are another powerful addition that can provide lots of fun.

Tasha’s greatest toy, however, might be the optional rules for customizable backgrounds and racial traits. Players looking to kill everything in their path generally prioritize stats in character creation, but experienced players know that a finely tuned background can make all the difference in quality roleplaying.

In terms of DM tools, Tasha’s provides a number of useful rulesets to flesh out natural (and unnatural) disasters and NPCs with specific roles, such as sidekicks, and party patrons. The greatest boon by far, however, is the wealth of example puzzles at the end of the book. Puzzles are a great way to encourage party cooperation, vary the pacing of a game, and have players make use of more fringe skill sets. Designing them, however, is a non-trivial endeavor. Even though players with DM experience may be familiar with the example puzzles themselves, the book’s offerings can be used as rough frameworks for developing original challenges unique to the campaign.

Dungeons & Dragon’s supplemental rulebooks, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, are available now.

MORE: 10 TV Show Episodes Based on D&D

The beholder Xanathar—Waterdeep’s most infamous crime lord—is known to hoard information on friend and foe alike. The beholder catalogs lore about adventurers and ponders methods to thwart them. Its twisted mind imagines that it can eventually record everything!

Xanathar’s Guide to Everything is the first major expansion for fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons, offering new rules and story options:

• Over twenty-five new subclasses for the character classes in the Player’s Handbook, including the Cavalier for the fighter, the Circle of Dreams for the druid, the Horizon Walker for the ranger, the Inquisitive for the rogue, and many more.
• Dozens of new spells, a collection of racial feats, and a system to give your character a randomized backstory.
• A variety of tools that provide Dungeon Masters fresh ways to use traps, magic items, downtime activities, and more—all designed to enhance a D&D campaign and push it in new directions.

Amid all this expansion material, Xanathar offers bizarre observations about whatever its eyestalks happen to glimpse. Pray they don’t come to rest on you.

Beauty and guile are in the eyes of the beholder!

On the Cover
Xanathar gazes lovingly upon its pet fish. Indeed, this cover, painted by Jason Rainville, features a great many of Xanathar’s treasures and secrets. Can you find them all?