D&D Beyond has just unveiled its new “Drops” program: weekly “drops” of extra rules, VTT items, and more for subscribers at any tier.
D&D Beyond launched a whole new initiative aimed at rewarding subscribers. It’s the second major initiative we’ve seen roll out this year; the first being the new ‘Seasonal’ approach to D&D. But Drops won’t always be on-theme for the season, which is good for those out there who might not care about, say, Ravenloft.
What is it? In a nutshell, it’s extra stuff for subscribers. Whether extra rules (like new backgrounds or spells) or items for Maps (like tokens or stickers or scenic vista ‘Reveals’), there’s something for everyone, be they player or DM. As long as they’re a subscriber at either the Hero or Master tier.
Each drop is full of new stuff, with smaller weekly drops giving people reasons to check in with D&D Beyond every Thursday. But the first Thursday of every month sees a larger monthly Drop. That means that today, the first-ever D&D Beyond Drop is a big one, with more than 500 different “items.”
D&D Beyond Drops “Drops.” Drops’ Drop? Drops DROPS!
That headline up there is for you had had and buffalo buffalo enjoyers. For everyone else, let’s get into some of the finer details. Because D&D Beyond drops is more than just an add-on for subscribers. In a press briefing WotC outlined that these Drops could be a home for stuff that doesn’t have a whole book around it, suggesting a “Wild West Wizard” as an example. Even the D&D Beyond post about Drops highlights this.
“We believe all content should serve a clear purpose. The goal of D&D Beyond Drops content is to make it easier and more fun to prep and play your weekly games […] Players are looking for more creativity and expressiveness. Over time, we want to get weird and inventive with the player options delivered in DDB Drops – the kind of content that doesn’t make sense in a book.”
And that last part is real interesting. Because there used to be the policy of “nothing gets released without a place for it to live.” That was a sentiment expressed by Jeremy Crawford (and many of the other former heads at the D&D team). And that sentiment was partly why, despite seeing a few different playtest versions of the Psion and the Mystic classes, exploring different psionic power types 5th Edition never saw an official version of either.
Does that mean I think that D&D Beyond is going to release a whole new class via D&D Beyond Drops? It’s hard to say for sure, but I will say it doesn’t seem likely, given that a big new class is a huge reason to get a new book. And WotC says that Drops is meant to complement the books rather than replace them: “the books remain the heart of D&D, and Drops fills in the everyday building blocks that help weekly prep & play.”
Especially since the bulk of the first offering is digital assets for use in D&D Beyond Maps. Of the 500+ new items, the vast bulk are Image Reveals, Maps, and cosmetic assets for your D&D Beyond account. Though there are new feats, and new spells. Let’s take a look.
What’s In The Drop?
As we said, the first D&D Beyond Drop is a doozy. As long as you’re using D&D Beyond Maps. But even if that’s not how you play, I think there’s still plenty to enjoy here. Here’s what you can find for Maps if you’re a Hero or Master Tier subscriber:
- 125 Maps – These are collected from older editions (mostly 4th) and are added directly to the Maps browser where you’ll find them in the new ‘Subscription Library’ section categorized by area and biome
- 250 Image Reveals – These are images you can “reveal” to other players in Maps; if you’ve never used one it’s the digital equivalent of holding up a picture in the book so that everyone can see the vista/monster/item you’re describing
- 10 Stickers – These are Nature and Terrain features for use in Maps
- All Existing Subscriber Perks – D&D Beyond had previously releasing new cosmetic items like character sheet backdrops and digital dice on a monthly basis to subscribers, now these are all available in the new content library
What if you don’t use Maps? Or D&D Beyond as your main place to play? Well there’s less to enjoy here. But you’ll still find a whole new Background, the Pact Seeker, which lets you strike a deal with an extraplanar entity without having to be a Warlock. This sets you up for taking Planar Pact Feats, and conveniently enough, there are five new Feats, two of which are Planar Pact Feats: Infernal Pact and Fey Pact.
You’ll also find five new spells. Which are really old spells from earlier editions. Including Astral Flood, Buzzing Bee, and the downright Biblical Sticks to Snakes.
Of course there’s already an outline for next month. Which includes four new monsters, five new maps, and six as-yet-unspecified “player options.” And here we find the sticking point, which you can see in the discussion of D&D Beyond Drops, whether that’s on reddit or in the comments of the announcement post on D&D Beyond. Because the player options are only available on an individual subscription basis. Even if you have a Master Tier subscription.
Normally Master Tier subscribers can share their stuff with anyone who is in a campaign with them. That’s the whole point – it was designed for DMs to be able to share the stuff their players need with their players. But the new player options via D&D Beyond Drops aren’t shareable. If you want to be a Pact Seeker, you’ll have to have your own subscription. And you’ll have to remain subscribed for as long as you want to use it.
Naturally this gets the hackles of players up – and with good reason. WotC has done a lot to lose the goodwill of its community in recent years (the OGL saga being a huge one). But maybe there’s an option to acquire things from drops in a Compendium style release in the future. For now, the program is new, and player/DM feedback is welcome!
Check out D&D Beyond Drops at the link below!
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