Summary
Dungeons and Dragonsjust introduced Asteria, the first canonically autistic character in the history ofD&D. This groundbreaking hero acts as a narrator inThe Book of Many Things, the next majorDungeons and Dragonssourcebook.
The Book of Many Thingsis a new resource inspired by the Deck of Many Things–one of themost infamous magic items inDungeons and Dragonshistory. Like Fizban and Tasha have in previous releases,The Book of Many Thingshas an in-universe narrator to provide commentary, this time in the form of Asteria.
Who is Asteria in Dungeons and Dragons: The Book of Many Things?
Asteria is the warrior-princess featured on the cover ofThe Book of Many Things, and is the woman responsible for creating the original Deck of Many Things. According toan interviewDungeons and Dragonssharedwith designer Makenzie De Armas, Asteria’s autism caused her to chafe against her father’s rigid expectations. Eventually, she befriended Euryale the medusa–both because of their kindred spirits and Asteria’s tendency to avoid eye contact. The unbreakable bond between the two, and Asteria’s defiance of fate, are major factors that eventually led to the creation of the Deck of Many Things.
This new heroine is a powerful Paladin, with herDungeons and Dragonsstat blockset at a Challenge Rating of 18. However, more than her might, Asteria’s grounded story is what has drawn the attention of many players. Though she has become immortal through the defiance of the god of Fate and the Deck of Many Things, Asteria is a relatable character, especially to players with autism: in her personal notes throughout The Book of Many Things, she reveals that she fights with wax earplugs, forgets to eat, and becomes overstimulated during certain harrowing challenges.
“We fought. I survived. I couldn’t speak for days afterwards.”
De Armas is autistic herself, which informed much of her design of the heroine. She went out of her way to ensurethe newDungeons and Dragonscharacterwould not simply be a stereotype, and would be handled in a realistic, inclusive way. Asteria’s autism is not played as a joke, but rather simply as a part of her existence. De Armas explained that, though the word “autism” does not directly appear in the text, it does not make it any less a part of her identity.
“The editorial team made the final call to not include the language, and I think it was ultimately for the best because we’re not autistic baiting, which is the thing I really wanted to avoid. I didn’t want to be like, she’s autistic and then nothing happens of it. Or we’re hinting that she’s autistic and it’s subtly there, but plausible deniability. I was very pleased to know that, even if in the text it’s not explicitly stated for reasons of avoiding roleplaying stereotypes, we’re more than happy to still be like, no, she’s autistic. We made her autistic.”
The physical edition ofThe Book of Many Things, which includes goodies like a physical copy of the Deck of Many Things, was delayed until November 14. That said, the book itself will be available digitally on October 31, so players wishing to read more about Asteria can do so very soon.
Dungeons and Dragons
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
