As I have told everyone when 5th Ed released, I was kind of over the new editions of D&D. I had not played a game since 3.5, and took one look at 4th and decided it wasn’t the game I image001wanted to play anymore. With this release, I have devoured each new book with delight. Every time a box shows up in the office with an all familiar shipping address, I get excited… because it means that I get to dig into another 5th Edition book.
As a sourcebook, this is Sword Coast is great. I love the Realms. We tend to play a lot on the Coast and have been looking for something to spice up some of the other books. I need all the help I can get, since my group takes more twists and turns than any published adventure can actually handle… if it did, the book would end up being a thousand pages.
There is a decent amount of information in this book. It boasts updated maps and the current status of the realms after the Spellplague and the second Sundering. New backgrounds for characters such as City Watch, Clan Crafter, Faction Agents, Far Traveler, ect. As for new character options for playing in the Realms there are tons.
Duergar subrace traits
Svirfneblin subrace traits
Half-Elf variants
Tiefling variants
Human ethnic/regional languages
Path of the Battlerager (Barbarian subclass)
Path of the Totem Warrior — Elk and Tiger (Barbarian subclass options)
Arcana Domain (Cleric subclass)
Purple Dragon Knight (Fighter subclass)
Way of the Long Death (Monk subclass)
Way of the Sun Soul (Monk subclass)
Oath of the Crown (Paladin subclass)
Mastermind (Rogue subclass)
Swashbuckler (Rogue subclass)
Storm Sorcery (Sorceror subclass)
The Undying patron (Warlock subclass)
Bladesinging (Wizard subclass)
The Guide will be a handy tool for players who are interested in learning more about The Sword Coast and The Forgotten Realms, which feature in the Neverwinter and The Sword Coast Legends games.