D&D 5E The Bible Is A New 5E Setting

The Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible is a 5E setting and adventure set in the first century AD.

The 350-page book, created by Bible enthusiasts, included four new lineages, a range of subclasses, and an adventure for character levels 1-10, along with a full first-century AD setting with locations like the Library of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, NPCs, and monsters such as giants, seraph serpents, angels, and demons. The adventure itself involves a search for three missing Magi.

It's $25 for a PDF, or $39 for a hardcover.

The Adventurer's Guide to the Bible for 5E

A fifth edition campaign setting with new rule options for players and GMs, and a full adventure for characters of levels 1 - 10.

www.kickstarter.com

Cleopatra is dead. Rome and Parthia struggle for control of the Fertile Crescent in a bid for world domination, while local politics in the Middle Kingdoms become increasingly divisive. The prophecies of the so-called “Messiah” have long been forgotten, and an ancient Evil lurks in the shadows, corrupting the hearts of humankind. Three of the wisest mystics known as the “Magi” travelled to Bethlehem following a star they believed to be a sign. They never returned. Hope grows dim as the world descends into darkness. What we need are answers... and those brave enough to seek them.

This isn’t the first biblical era setting for D&D, although it might be for 5E. Green Ronin released Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era for 3E over a decade ago.

 

[humble minion]

A lot of it goes to simply printing more copies, I suspect. Exceeding your stretch goals means you have lots of backers, and they all want their stuff - and I believe that a heavy majority of RPG kickstarter backers back at a print tier.

And in projects like this, which use drivethrurpg for printing/fulfilment, DTRPG will take a sizeable cut for that service too.

 

[Steven K]

I can't remember the name off-hand, but I remember there being a Biblical campaign setting for 3.X, probably 3.0. The main thing that stuck with me was how beefy the feat to be a Judge was, like Samson - if I remember right, it was +8 to a stat, and some other things, with of course drawbacks.

Well, depends on the judge, I guess, but it isn't really surprising. Samson had super strength and battle prowess, and Samuel was a true prophet (everything he said came to pass) with at least one miracle to his name (he made thunder while the sky was clear, once, to emphasise a point, not much compared to Elijah or Elishah, but it's something). Then you had some who were war heroes and generals, like Jepthah, Gideon, the guy who killed 800 enemy combatants, etc. Others were comparatively peaceful, well respected community leaders like Deborah (also a prophetess), and the guy whose name escapes me at the moment who was quite wealthy and also had thirty sons whom he sent around Israel on thirty donkeys, more or less subordinate judges deputised to act in his place, I assume. Then you have Ehud, who volunteered to carry tribute to an enemy king, pretended he had a secret message, stabbed the king when they were alone, calmly walked out of the castle while the servants were too embarrassed to knock on the bathroom door when the king was taking too long, then just went home and told everyone to prepare for war. Personally, he's my favourite.

 

[Steven K]

Also, weren’t the Nephilim the same thing as the Giants in the Bible?

No. And also yes. But Goliath and his ilk were not the Nephilim mentioned in the early chapters. He was just a big boy, and some of the other big boys had six fingers. Mutants, the lot of them, but still entirely human. Whereas nephilim were... something else. Something that got shift translated to giants in English at some point along the way.

 

[Steven K]

I'm not sure the fine line there really matters...

No, it's a pretty clear distinction. Aslan straight up says to some of the kids, 'in your world I go by a different name, you must learn to know me there as well'. There is no way to take that allegorically.

 

[Steven K]

I view both Jacob and Rebecca as tricksters. Leah is more innocent, and puts up with shananigans.

Uh... really? You forget about the whole pretending to be Rachel on the night of her and Jacob's wedding. On the night thereof, catch my drift? As in, Jacob found out the morning after. Sure, daddy was the driving force, but I think she was pretty complicit in what went down. Jacob and Rachel courted for seven years as per Jacob's agreement, and Leah snuck in at the last second and switched places with her sister by wearing a veil as expected by local tradition. So... yeah, not exactly difficult to see why Jacob liked her less, after that, is it?

 

[Yaarel]

Uh... really? You forget about the whole pretending to be Rachel on the night of her and Jacob's wedding. On the night thereof, catch my drift? As in, Jacob found out the morning after. Sure, daddy was the driving force, but I think she was pretty complicit in what went down. Jacob and Rachel courted for seven years as per Jacob's agreement, and Leah snuck in at the last second and switched places with her sister by wearing a veil as expected by local tradition. So... yeah, not exactly difficult to see why Jacob liked her less, after that, is it?

Actually, it was probably Rachel who talked Leah into doing that wedding night stunt. Compare the quick-thinking of Rachel to hide the household idols.

Rachel is an awesome trickster, and she uses her powers for good.

 

[Yaarel]

No, it's a pretty clear distinction. Aslan straight up says to some of the kids, 'in your world I go by a different name, you must learn to know me there as well'. There is no way to take that allegorically.

I would still consider that an allegory, albeit, unusual in the sense that the allegorical story itself has the allegory say, "I am an allegory of so-and-so".

 

[Alzrius]

I would still consider that an allegory, albeit, unusual in the sense that the allegorical story itself has the allegory say, "I am an allegory of so-and-so".

According to Aslan's Wikipedia entry, Lewis himself said otherwise:

"If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however, he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, "What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?" This is not allegory at all."​

 

[Yaarel]

No. And also yes. But Goliath and his ilk were not the Nephilim mentioned in the early chapters. He was just a big boy, and some of the other big boys had six fingers. Mutants, the lot of them, but still entirely human. Whereas nephilim were... something else. Something that got shift translated to giants in English at some point along the way.

The Nfilim mean something like a "sacred corpse", namely, a sacred ancestor in the context ancestor veneration. These specific ancestors were thought to be descendants of the Elohim. In this sense, even the living descendants of these sacred ancestors are also called Nfilim.

My archeological perspective tends to assume that "Elohim", divinity, refers to the invention of polytheism during the Bronze Age, representing a local shift from animism to polytheism. Mainly, venerated human leaders acquire ceremonial worship from servants.

However, the biblical perspective (especially Psalm 82), seems to be these Elohim are originally righteous humans who do the Divine will. The Divine blessed them, and made them powerful, but they abused their power.

 

[Yaarel]

According to Aslan's Wikipedia entry, Lewis himself said otherwise:

"If Aslan represented the immaterial Deity, he would be an allegorical figure. In reality however, he is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, "What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia and He chose to be incarnate and die and rise again in that world as He actually has done in ours?" This is not allegory at all."​

To some degree, the story about the human Jesus is an allegory of the immaterial Deity. Then the story of the animal Aslan is an allegory about Jesus.