4个需要成为未来Unearthed Arcana主题的D&D设定

Unearthed Arcana (UA) playtesting for Dungeons and Dragons has been incredibly exciting lately, with new content typically focused around certain areas of interest long-time players of the TTRPG will recognize. From official content on the magical region of Thay, Ravenloft, Greyhawk, and Athas (Black Sun) to playtesting themed around The Underdark specifically, D&D creators have centered their attention on well-known areas of the game’s long history of lore. That being said, some of the most popular regions in D&D have been absent, but that doesn’t mean they can’t return for new 5.5e rules as themes for fresh content updates.

Many players are used to seeing The Forgotten Realms and Faerun as part of D&D 5th Edition, even in its newest 5.5e form with new rule books and expansions since 2024. However, this new content has opened up opportunities to broaden adventures outside the normal settings of the game, with refined subclass options themed around certain areas like those seen in the two UA documents focused on the Underdark alone. Some have wondered if D&D will be creating more UA around more fan-favorite areas to eventually turn that playtesting into official content, as players could see in the recent Ravenloft: The Horrors Within and Arcana Unleashed books.

4. The Nine Hells

There have already been hints that more UA focused or themed around The Nine Hells are coming, as we saw with the “Villainous” subclasses revealed in playtesting before the Underdark documents. That Villainous testing had a Fighter subclass called the Hell Knight, which was fairly underwhelming compared to some of the other options in that UA. That being said, this is something designers at Wizards of the Coast could rectify by focusing entirely on playtesting themed around the Nine Hells, the place of the eternal Blood War between devils and demons.

Players already have a fondness for The Nine Hells and its multiple layers of torment, largely due to adventures like 5e’s Descent into Avernus, where players have to rescue a whole city sinking into the first part of the region. The archdevils in the Hells are incredibly compelling, as are the landscapes they shape with their lawful evil intent. Devil contracts are consistently a fun story beat used in D&D, and can be the subject of new adventures in a full-length campaign similar to Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall. Having more stories in one of D&D‘s deadliest locations would no doubt attract all kinds of players, even if the upcoming Black Sun content shares similarities to the Hells in many ways.

For a basic UA reflective of the two Underdark documents, a Nine Hells themed playtesting could give players multiple archetypes like the Hell Knight to work with. Perhaps a Sorcerer whose parent was a devil gives them unorthodox magic, or maybe there is some type of Barbarian whose rage comes directly from a signed contract with a powerful devil. Classic subclasses from base 5th Edition could also come back, such as the Wildfire Druid, to fit this theme too. Playable devil species like Cambions or Merregons could also flesh out this type of UA, giving players tons of new character options to try in their games.

3. The Feywild

An equally chaotic region to The Nine Hells is The Feywild, a landscape in D&D that acts as the opposite to The Shadowfell where Ravenloft and other dark environments lie. The Feywild is full of faeries and satyrs, playful sprites, and a place where fairy tales come to life, for better or worse. This is a setting in D&D with nearly endless possibilities, from a fun-filled romance drama in the high fey courts to a folk horror adventure featuring hags and redcaps that turn things nightmarish in an instant. Nothing ever quite makes sense in The Feywild, with its charms and manipulations over emotions being a strong contender for unorthodox content for D&D to expand on.

There have been multiple adventures about The Feywild in 5e, such as the popular The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, a Level 1-8 adventure about the magical Witchlight Carnival in the domain. Any UA centered around The Feywild has chances to mimic what that adventure added to the game, including playable races like the rabbit-like Harengon or the small, pixie-sized Fairy species for players to choose for their characters. Other classic D&D options from earlier 5e could come back too, including subclasses or character races tied to The Feywild in some way.

Given the many variances in tone The Feywild offers, there can be far more ideas for what content the setting might bring. The darker side of The Feywild could inspire sinister subclasses like the College of Whispers Bard, allowing it to come back under new 5.5e reworks. At the same time, brand-new archetypes could emerge from this setting too, including ones that have never been tied to The Feywild in the past. Seeing how a Paladin could act like a knight in shining armor similar to old fairy tales through a Feywild related Oath might be a fun way to broaden the potential of the region to feel fresh, but different.

2. The Radiant Citadel

One of the most underrated settings in D&D, in my opinion, is The Radiant Citadel, from the aptly named Journeys through the Radiant Citadel anthology book from base 5e. This book focuses on a city set deep within the mysterious Ethereal Plane, a desolate landscape of mists and secrets that most characters have no knowledge of. The Radiant Citadel itself is a city spun around a massive Auroral Diamond, located near a destructive vortex that could swallow the civilization at any time. This alone is an interesting enough setup to center a new adventure or character options that match that landscape’s tone.

Being placed in the Ethereal Plane could give players tons of unique origins and abilities, especially when you realize that The Radiant Citadel has gemstones acting as portal vessels to realms across the standard Material Plane. Secret societies here use information as their most valuable trade, so perhaps the “theme” of Radiant Citadel UA is making character options focused less on combat and more on the roleplaying aspects of D&D. Ideas of ancestry, maintaining strange biology, and harnessing the strange healing properties of the Ethereal Plane’s gemstones could all be avenues that inspire new, interesting content for the ever-evolving TTRPG.

1. The Abyss

The Abyss is perhaps one of the largest settings in D&D, but often one that is rarely explored except in rare instances. Despite the fact that The Abyss is a realm of pure chaotic evil with 999+ layers, its presence has only really been felt in the Out of the Abyss 5e adventure, which largely takes place in the Underdark rather than The Abyss itself. While players don’t need to have an adventure in a place they’d almost certainly perish in, seeing more influence of the birthplace of demons could be another way to flesh out the more malicious sides of D&D‘s expansive multiverse.

There are already instances of Wizards of the Coast showing more interest in The Abyss, just like they did with the Hell Knight in previous UA for that setting. The Demonic Sorcery subclass was introduced in Villainous playtesting as a spellcaster who could call upon the many demon lords of The Abyss for extraordinary power. This chaotic option could adjust their magic in random ways, in ways far more destructive than the class’ normal routes. This could be brought forth again in other Abyss-themed subclasses for D&D, with Fighters, Rangers, Clerics, Warlocks, or other classes finding some way to tap into the demon homeland for strange features and abilities of their own.

There are many great settings in the vast world of D&D that could be the centerpiece for new content, either as a driving theme or a backdrop for a new adventure. With Greyhawk returning in the TTRPG’s planned roadmap, the likelihood of other nostalgic areas of the game coming back are high, even beyond the parameters of what was solidified in 5th Edition. For Dungeons and Dragons, any setting will do as long as it is interesting enough to inspire great gameplay and story ideas from all kinds of players.

What setting from D&D‘s history do you want to see be the theme of a new UA or expansion? Let us know in the comments below!