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Dark Sun Conversion - manifesto
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<blockquote data-quote="Staffan" data-source="post: 1189084" data-attributes="member: 907"><p><strong>Races</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">Dark Sun’s races differ in many ways from regular D&D races. Not only are several strange races added, those that do exist in regular D&D have been changed in many ways.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Dwarves</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">The most important part about the dwarf is the focus, the single-minded devotion to one task. Athasian dwarves also lack many of the traditional abilities of dwarves, including combat bonuses against certain opponents and powerful resistances.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Elves</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">The most defining trait for the elves is their running. Other than that, Athasian elves are quite similar, mechanically, to their counterparts in other settings.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Half-elves</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">Self-reliance is the half-elf’s major trait. The animal companion might not be that important, however.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Half-giants</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">Half-giants are big, lumbering brutes that tend to adjust their way of life to those around them. The alignment-changing mechanic works poorly considering 3e’s view of alignments as effects (acting in a Good fashion makes your alignment Good), as opposed to 2e’s view of alignments as causes (since your alignment is Good, you act in a Good fashion). The main question I face with half-giants is just how far I will push ignoring balance – half-giants as described in the original rule books definitely ought to be given a level adjustment in 3e terms (huge bonuses to physical abilities as well as Large size). The doubling of hit dice, however, is in no way necessary. Their size and resilience will be adequately explained by their Con adjustment, and possibly having racial hit dice. Note that since they are affected by spells like <em>hold/charm person</em> in 2e, they should probably be considered Humanoids rather than Giants.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Halflings</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">The main trait for the halfling is the “sneaky savage” aspect. Rules-wise, Athasian halflings do not differ all that much from regular halflings. In 2e, they got major bonuses against magic and poison, but I think in 3e their general save bonus ought to be enough. Also, there is the issue of halfling magic. In the original box set, halflings were capable of being preservers specializing in illusion. Though I don’t like using the novels as arguments, this is borne out by Nok and other members of his tribe using preserving magic in <em>The Verdant Passage</em>. However, in the Revised box that ability was retconned out. Me, I am allowing halfling preservers, and don’t see any particular need to limit them to being illusionists.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Muls</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">A mul is big, strong, not terribly bright or personable, and can work for a long time. Their “special ability” of getting to choose to be considered either human or demi-human regarding level limits and multi/dualclassing is irrelevant considering 3e’s more relaxed approach to these.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Thri-kreen</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">Thri-kreen is another race that is problematic to convert, because quite frankly they were overpowered in 2e. Defining traits are: alien mindset, non-humanoid, multi-armed, thick chitin exoskeleton, less need of water. They will either need to be reduced in power, or be given a level adjustment. One solution might be racial levels, as in Arcana Unearthed. That would also explain the differences between a starting PC thri-kreen and a “monster” thri-kreen – the “monster” is simply one that only has racial levels. Worth thinking about.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'">Aarakocra and Pterrans</span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana'"><span style="font-size: 10px">I’m leaving these out of the discussion for the moment, since they were only added in the Revised box set.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'"></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Staffan, post: 1189084, member: 907"] [b]Races[/b] [size=3][font=Times New Roman][font=Verdana][size=2]Dark Sun’s races differ in many ways from regular D&D races. Not only are several strange races added, those that do exist in regular D&D have been changed in many ways.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Dwarves[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]The most important part about the dwarf is the focus, the single-minded devotion to one task. Athasian dwarves also lack many of the traditional abilities of dwarves, including combat bonuses against certain opponents and powerful resistances.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Elves[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]The most defining trait for the elves is their running. Other than that, Athasian elves are quite similar, mechanically, to their counterparts in other settings.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Half-elves[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]Self-reliance is the half-elf’s major trait. The animal companion might not be that important, however.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Half-giants[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]Half-giants are big, lumbering brutes that tend to adjust their way of life to those around them. The alignment-changing mechanic works poorly considering 3e’s view of alignments as effects (acting in a Good fashion makes your alignment Good), as opposed to 2e’s view of alignments as causes (since your alignment is Good, you act in a Good fashion). The main question I face with half-giants is just how far I will push ignoring balance – half-giants as described in the original rule books definitely ought to be given a level adjustment in 3e terms (huge bonuses to physical abilities as well as Large size). The doubling of hit dice, however, is in no way necessary. Their size and resilience will be adequately explained by their Con adjustment, and possibly having racial hit dice. Note that since they are affected by spells like [i]hold/charm person[/i] in 2e, they should probably be considered Humanoids rather than Giants.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Halflings[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]The main trait for the halfling is the “sneaky savage” aspect. Rules-wise, Athasian halflings do not differ all that much from regular halflings. In 2e, they got major bonuses against magic and poison, but I think in 3e their general save bonus ought to be enough. Also, there is the issue of halfling magic. In the original box set, halflings were capable of being preservers specializing in illusion. Though I don’t like using the novels as arguments, this is borne out by Nok and other members of his tribe using preserving magic in [i]The Verdant Passage[/i]. However, in the Revised box that ability was retconned out. Me, I am allowing halfling preservers, and don’t see any particular need to limit them to being illusionists.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Muls[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]A mul is big, strong, not terribly bright or personable, and can work for a long time. Their “special ability” of getting to choose to be considered either human or demi-human regarding level limits and multi/dualclassing is irrelevant considering 3e’s more relaxed approach to these.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Thri-kreen[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]Thri-kreen is another race that is problematic to convert, because quite frankly they were overpowered in 2e. Defining traits are: alien mindset, non-humanoid, multi-armed, thick chitin exoskeleton, less need of water. They will either need to be reduced in power, or be given a level adjustment. One solution might be racial levels, as in Arcana Unearthed. That would also explain the differences between a starting PC thri-kreen and a “monster” thri-kreen – the “monster” is simply one that only has racial levels. Worth thinking about.[/size][/font] [b][font=Verdana]Aarakocra and Pterrans[/font][/b] [font=Verdana][size=2]I’m leaving these out of the discussion for the moment, since they were only added in the Revised box set.[/size][/font] [/font][/size] [/QUOTE]
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