Spelljammer Spelljammer Shows Up In The Wild - Check Out The Tables of Contents

Copies of Spelljammer are starting to show up. Mike Long of Tribality is in receipt of the books and has tweeted some photos!

 

[Yaarel]

Personally I rather like the idea that a preserver, in a moment of weakness, could turn to defiling ... kind of like how a Jedi can, perhaps inadvertently, call on the dark side of the Force when overcome by powerful emotions. (That is to say, I like the idea of defiling being an ever-present temptation one must struggle to resist, rather than a deliberate - and seemingly irreversible - choice one makes early in their adventuring career.)

In most of the 5e threads about Dark Sun we've had the past few years, defiling as a constant choice to do or avoid (rather than a single irrevocable one) seems to be the most popular option.

Yeah that is why I am kinda neutral about the 5e mechanics for preserving/defiling.

If I am going by the 2e mechanics, the answer is unambiguous. It is a 5e feat. Done.

However, 1e and 2e can divorce "roleplay" from mechanics to a remarkable degree. Often the flavor is ascendant − even flatly in denial about the crunch, when portraying a character.

So, when translating 2e into 5e, both the mechanics and the narrative are equally important but might brightly contradict each other.

Besides, what matters is 5e must be fun − and balance as well.

Judging by the original setting, only a Defiler might hypothetically have a choice between defiling or not. The Preserver only preserves. Also, the Preserver is the "normal" Wizard. The Defiler is doing something spicy.

No matter what, what matters for 5e is 5e. However one decides to interpret it, it needs to be fun in the context of 5e, and still somehow balance alongside other D&D characters, including Preserver.

 

[Faolyn]

While I can't say I know anything about the Dark Sun metaplot, when speaking of the elements, don't forget that at some point they brought in the para-elementals: sun, rain, silt, and magma, and there seemed to be paraelemental clerics as well. Personally, I prefer the para-elementals to the elementals, at least as foci for worship.

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah that is why I am kinda neutral about the 5e mechanics for preserving/defiling.

If I am going by the 2e mechanics, the answer is unambiguous. It is a 5e feat. Done.

However, 1e and 2e can divorce "roleplay" from mechanics to a remarkable degree. Often the flavor is ascendant − even flatly in denial about the crunch, when portraying a character.

So, when translating 2e into 5e, both the mechanics and the narrative are equally important but might brightly contradict each other.

Besides, what matters is 5e must be fun − and balance as well.

Judging by the original setting, only a Defiler might hypothetically have a choice between defiling or not. The Preserver only preserves. Also, the Preserver is the "normal" Wizard. The Defiler is doing something spicy.

No matter what, what matters for 5e is 5e. However one decides to interpret it, it needs to be fun in the context of 5e, and still somehow balance alongside other D&D characters, including Preserver.

How about a Feat, which can switch things up, like the Eladrin Race does...?

 

[Yaarel]

How about a Feat, which can switch things up, like the Eladrin Race does...?

I am comfortable with forcing a mechanical choice between preserving or defiling at level 1. For me a feat works. Gain a feat to know how to exploit the destruction of plants − each time choose whether to use it.

 

[vecna00]

The rules in the box don’t match the fiction in the novels. You’re either, or according to the rules. But in the fiction you have to choose with every spell cast whether you defile or preserve.

So, how about Spelljammer? I hear that’s coming out soon.

To come back to this, because I know I saw it in print somewhere. In Defilers and Preservers of Athas, there are rules to do both. However, if you try to defile more than once during a given experience level, you risk sliding to full-time defiler status.

 

[darjr]

 

[darjr]

 

[darjr]

 

[Mind of tempest]

gods I hate amongus.

 

[darjr]

gods I hate amongus.

Sus!