Unearthed Arcana is the test kitchen for new content that could be coming to Dungeons & Dragons in later sourcebooks and official adventures. Wizards of the Coast is constantly putting out new subclasses, feats, backgrounds, and settings for players to experiment with, from "Mages of Strixhaven" to "Travelers of the Multiverse." However, the latest playtest content, "Heroes of Krynn," isn't actually new; instead, it's a tease for an official Fifth Edition release of a fan-favorite D&D setting: Dragonlance.
Dating all the way back to 1984, Dragonlance started as a series of fantasy novels and adventure books developed by Traci Hickman. The work was picked up by D&D's parent company (at the time Tactical Studies Rules), and Hickman was tasked with creating a series of adventure modules based around Dragons. He created 14 modules, each one based on a different colored dragon, and released them to passionate fans at gaming conventions throughout the '80s. Since then, Dragonlance has only gained more fans and more momentum.
Each edition of Dungeons & Dragons comes major changes, like overhauling the magic system or erasing entire classes from the Player's Handbook. One of the worst transitions was the one to Fourth Edition, which was quickly scrapped so developers could try again in 5e. In an attempt to salvage 4e early on, Wizards oftThe Coast removed anything it deemed superfluous and tried to focus on what the core of D&D. That meant saying goodbye to certain races, classes, and settings, like the richly storied world of Dragonlance.
However, with the explosive popularity of D&D in recent years, thanks in part to Critical Role and Acquisitions Incorporated, Wizards has been cranking out adventure after adventure, the latest being Call of the Netherdeep. Still, despite all the new content and crossovers with properties like Critical Role and Magic: The Gathering, "Heroes of Krynn" shows that the company is also eyeing older content and listening to fan requests.
While there are plenty of players who have managed to recreate Dragonlance and other cut settings like Spelljammer in 5e, fans have continuously asked for an official release of Krynn. Though "Heroes of Krynn" is not official D&D canon yet, it's very likely that players will be able to take part in the War of the Lance and worship the Old Gods again as part of their D&D campaign in the nearfuture.
"Heroes of Krynn" introduces players to a new race, the Kender, people of short stature, innate magical abilities, and with a passing resemblance to elves. It also features a new subclass, two new backgrounds, and 10 new feats. For players familiar with the complex world of Dragonlance, this is a small taste of everything that could be included in an official D&D module, but it's a start. The playtest holds no story content or lore, but it does provide the building blocks for players to experiment with new mechanics.