D&D 5E Fantasy Styles

[Parmandur]

That's actually in one of the DMG previews on the WOTC site, actually; off-hand Greyhawk and Dark Sun are S&S, Dragonlance is Epic, and all of the othe Prime Materials are Heroic.

Doesn't mention Ravenloft in that section, which would be Horror, pretty obviously, nor Planescape & Spelljammer which are both...odd.

 

[pukunui]

That's actually in one of the DMG previews on the WOTC site, actually; off-hand Greyhawk and Dark Sun are S&S, Dragonlance is Epic, and all of the othe Prime Materials are Heroic.

Oh right, I forgot about that. Thanks.

 

[Zardnaar]

Not to sure about Elric. Epic or Sword and Sorcery lol.

I prefer Sword and Sorcery I suppose out of the options.

 

[pukunui]

Not to sure about Elric. Epic or Sword and Sorcery lol.

I have to admit I'm not familiar with Elric. Wikipedia cited it as an example of S&S, though.

I prefer Sword and Sorcery I suppose out of the options.

I think my preferred style is primarily standard heroic fantasy with lashings of swords & sorcery and dark fantasy. Think Dragon Age.

 

[I'm A Banana]

As the DMG Defines them...

• Heroic Fantasy is close to "generic D&D" as exemplified by FR: multiple races, adventurers as "ordinary" people who rise to extraordinary challenges, having adventures that revolve around going into dungeons and coming back with loot. It is noted that this is "based on medieval norms," but it's not exactly clear what they mean by that, as FR has powerful and influential women who aren't dubbed witches, and they also use Eberron as an example of heroic fantasy. So aside from that, normal people of various races doing dangerous things for heroic and selfish reasons = Heroic Fantasy.
• Sword and Sorcery is noted of having a strong "decadent and corrupt magical civilization of wizards vs. tough and powerful simple noble warriors" vibe. Greyhawk and Dark Sun are both mentioned as Sword and Sorcery D&D settings. Strong pulpy flavor born out of genre-defining early fantasy titles.
• Epic Fantasy is good vs. evil, the most strongly Tolkienesque. Close bands of friends and characters driven by emotional (sometimes romantic) goals who save the world from evil. Dragonlance is the granddaddy mentioned here.
• Mythic Fantasy is a "gods and ancestors" style, with powerful demigods who shape the world, working against the machinations of rival divinities, and based in legends like the Greek myths.
• Dark Fantasy is what you might call Gothic, with stories about monsters and the horror of fighting them (or becoming them). Ravenloft is mentioned. Noted as being more of a "mood" that you cultivate at the table than something that you need a lot of rules for.
• Intrigue mentions that it's about politics, machinations, assassinations, and interpersonal relationships. A few novels are mentioned. I honestly feel like this is a good fit for most PS campaigns as well, since shaping belief is about changing minds and the occasional back-alley murder.
• Mystery puts a focus on puzzles, problem-solving, and investigation. Mentions a few novels. Probably would work well in Eberron, with its pulp vibe.
• Swashbuckling is ships and rogues and high Charisma on the High Seas. Mentioned as being more about social interaction than a typical campaign. I might be able to see PS as a flavor of this as well -- if you run it through a blender of jaded disaffection and put people in portals rather than on tropical islands, perhaps.
• War is a campaign about the movement of armies, high-level strategy, and the occasional diplomatic foray. The War of the Lance novel series is mentioned. I imagine Birthright having a strong strain of this.
• Wuxia is Asian martial-arts movies. Refluffing is mentioned as the main way to get this theme (teleportation = giant leaps; climbing = leaping up walls; samurai = oath of devotion; oath of vengeance = Chinese wuxia hero; ninja = Way of Shadow, etc.). Includes a list of alternate weapon names.
• Crossing the Streams talks about science fiction and science fantasy, all Barrier Peaks and Ed Greenwood's dinners with Elminster (also referencing Alice in Wonderland in that section? weird.). Basically, an official, "it's cool to have lasers in D&D if you want, guys." Spelljammer would also presumably fit here.

There's probably room to quibble, and I think individual tables kind of do their own things a lot, but it's interesting to have these sort-of-formalized and all presented as fun ways to run D&D. Can't really object to that! And smart to put them in the DMG, where a DM can determine what sounds fun to them and run with it.

Doesn't mention Ravenloft in that section, which would be Horror, pretty obviously, nor Planescape & Spelljammer which are both...odd.

"Weird Fantasy" is definitely A Thing (ah, Bas Lag!), but the DMG list clearly isn't exhaustive, and it mixes and matches various types and flavors in each of the settings (even if each of the settings is primarily defined by a certain style).

Also, a little surprised a genre like "Spell Punk" or the like didn't make it in -- 3e overall and PS and to a certain degree Eberron all sport that style. But there's only so many pages, I suppose.

 

[Raith5]

Not to sure about Elric. Epic or Sword and Sorcery lol.

I prefer Sword and Sorcery I suppose out of the options.

The thing for me is that S&S is heavily on moral ambiguity with magic being powerful. Both Conan and Elric also had this anti Lord of the Rings vibe where heroism has no place. Even Gary Gygax's Gord series (which I liked as a kid) had a bit of this in it.

I have to say this thread makes me want to see the Greyhawk setting released for 5e with the S&S factor dialled up a bit!

 

[Ravenheart87]

People talking about sword & sorcery, without mentioning Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar books? How dare you!

 

[Duganson]

With this in mind where, then, would Terry Pratchett's Disc World series go? I only ask because I'm borrowing heavily from him for my next campaign.

 

[pukunui]

With this in mind where, then, would Terry Pratchett's Disc World series go? I only ask because I'm borrowing heavily from him for my next campaign.

Depends on if we're talking pre-Sourcery or post. There's a marked shift around that book where the world changes from a medieval swords & sorcery setting to a setting that has been slowly evolving through its own industrial revolution and experiencing all sorts of social progressiveness (goblins are now people too!).

 

[Beleriphon]

Depends on if we're talking pre-Sourcery or post. There's a marked shift around that book where the world changes from a medieval swords & sorcery setting to a setting that has been slowly evolving through its own industrial revolution and experiencing all sorts of social progressiveness (goblins are now people too!).

Its moved a good degree past its original fantasy novel pastiche and satire into a more broad social satire using a vaguely fantasy inspired world. They have trains, postal services, and paper money (backed by an army of golems instead of gold) now in Ankhmorpork.

If anything I'd say its a heavy dose of crossing the streams, although the earlier novels were funny sword and sorcery stories more than anything.