D&D turns 45, and D&D 5e turns 5. Did I say it was turning 6 in the Geek Native podcast? Oops.
The traditional gift to give your husband or wife to celebrate 45 years of marriage is sapphire. So, Wizards of the Coast have made some sapphire dice that will set you back a cool $299.99.
Keen? You can join the rush here.
The dice go on sale at 11 am Pacific Time, November 21st.
Wizards of the Coast will only make 1,974 (D&D was published in 1974) sets of these dice, and even though they cost $300, I suspect they’ll sell out.
Made by Level Up Dice, the set has two d20s, one d12, two d10s, one d8, four d6 and d4. That’s a robust collection.
After squinting at the pictures, I think it’s one of the two d20s (not an additional one) that’s special. How special? It has a lab-grown sapphire embedded into it.
Nathan Stewart, VP of the D&D Franchise at Wizards of the Coast tells us;
When the D&D team realized the sapphire is the traditional anniversary stone for both five years and forty-five years, and that adding a laboratory-created sapphire to a twenty-sided die wouldn’t jeopardise the integrity of a roll, we couldn’t pass up the chance to make something really cool to celebrate the milestones
The team put together a fun product for our fans that includes art and newly updated stats for sapphire dragons, making these classic dragons ready for play in your next D&D session.”
After a quick Google to check-up on any ethical considerations on “lab-grown” sapphires, I can tell you that sapphires are actually rarer than diamonds, and so were one of the first gemstones to be synthesised. This same research shows me it’s useful to whether you’re buying a natural or grown sapphire, but chemically and physically, they’re the same thing in. They have the same atomic structure.
Your thoughts? Join the banter below or start us off with an insightful observation?