Xanathar's Guide to Everything, released in 2017, is a sourcebook for Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition.
Official synopsis[]
Content[]
Development and release[]
Development[]
In development, Xanathar's was codenamed Midway, after the decisive World War II naval battle. The name referenced D&D's rivalry with Paizo's Pathfinder roleplaying game. Lead designer Mike Mearls believed that Paizo would release a second edition of Pathfinder in 2017 in order to regain the market leadership position it had enjoyed prior to the 2014 release of D&D 5e. Xanathar's was designed to counter this by strengthening D&D.Pathfinder ultimately did not release its 2e until 2019, at which point D&D had solidified its market share.[1]
Release[]
A limited-edition alternate cover by Hydro74 was released as an exclusive for hobby stores.
Reception and influence[]
Critical reception[]
The book reached #1 best seller in the hardcover non-fiction category, according to Publisher's Weekly.[2]
Xanathar's Guide to Everything won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement of the Year in 2018.[3]
Influence on later works[]
The timing of Xanathar's, three years after the release of D&D 5e, led to the decision to release a similar book three years after that, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020).[1]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Obviously, that didn't happen. Also, the 3 year cadence of supplements was driven by Xanathar's. It was code named Midway after the battle of Midway. I projected that, to claw back market share, Paizo would need to launch Pathfinder 2 in 2017. Xanathar's was our counter play." Tweet.
- ↑ "Xanathar’s is the #1 best seller in non-fiction. Take that, Pioneer Woman!" Tweet.
- ↑ Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Retrieved 2019-12-17.