D&D 5E Eberron: Rising from the Last War Coming For D&D In November

A new D&D campaign setting has appeared on Amazon -- Eberron: Rising from the Last War. It's slated for November 19th, at $49.99.

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Explore the lands of Eberron in this campaign sourcebook for the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

This book provides everything players and Dungeon Masters need to play Dungeons & Dragons in Eberron—a war-torn world filled with magic-fueled technology, airships and lightning trains, where noir-inspired mystery meets swashbuckling adventure. Will Eberron enter a prosperous new age or will the shadow of war descend once again?

• Dive straight into your pulp adventures with easy-to-use locations, complete with maps of floating castles, skyscrapers, and more.

• Explore Sharn, a city of skyscrapers, airships, and noirish intrigue and a crossroads for the world’s war-ravaged peoples.

• Include a campaign for characters venturing into the Mournland, a mist-cloaked, corpse-littered land twisted by magic.

• Meld magic and invention to craft objects of wonder as an artificer—the first official class to be released for fifth edition D&D since the Player’s Handbook.

• Flesh out your characters with a new D&D game element called a group patron—a background for your whole party.

• Explore 16 new race/subrace options including dragonmarks, which magically transform certain members of the races in the Player’s Handbook.

• Confront horrific monsters born from the world’s devastating wars.

There is an alternate cover for game stores:

WotC's Jeremy Crawford confirmed that "The book incorporates the material in "Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron" and adds a whole lot more."

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Remathilis]

I was appalled at the version of "Dark Sun" that they released for 4th Edition. Athasian Paladins? Seriously? Ugh. (Although the idea of making Templars a type of Warlock actually was pretty inspired.) Shoehorning all of the 4E classes and races into Athas really defiled (pun totally intended) the setting, to the point where they didn't seem to understand the world, or more likely they just didn't care and were only using the "Dark Sun" visuals as a cosmetic gloss. There are plenty of settings where Dragonborn and Tieflings just do not fit, and trying to cram them in just because someone made the bad decision to include them as default races in the PHB is not a good idea.

The problem here is that the original Dark Sun barely resembles D&D. It uses the same xp tables and thac0 systems, but it's races, classes, equipment, magic, monsters and tone are completely alien to the rest of D&D. To Whit: a Greyhawk elf, a Realms elf, an Ebberon elf, a Dargonlance elf, a Ravenloft elf, and even a Ravnica elf all have the same mechanics based on the PHB. A Dark Sun elf resembles them as much as an Keebler elf does; totally different in terms of look, tone, and mechanics.

The problem is that do to that radical shift in everything from elves to magic to dragons, there is surprisingly little that overlaps with the core rules. In 2e, where settings had tons of support, that was fine. They could make custom races, classes, spells and monsters to augment the core rules. Since 4e though, setting support is limited; a setting might at best get 1-2 books tops. So that leaves a few possible options:

1. Force the setting to accept more of the core rules to maximize the potential abilities for expansion. That means finding room for newer races and most classes and monsters, just re-themed to fit the setting

2. Accept that a setting like Dark Sun will be extremely limited; most of the gaps removed from the game for not fitting would not be filled due to time and space concerns. DS might get a psionic class, but the book can't possibly make a spell-less bard, gladiator class, and Templar class to fill the holes carved but removing bards, monks and clerics. Or that most of the MM is basically useless with only maybe a dozen new monsters to fill the void.

3. Here me out: make it a separate spinoff game that is compatible with 5e. Give it a PHB that rewrites the classes and races appropriately, has appropriate equipment section, and just reprints some of the important area of the PHB (combat and spells) with tweaks to fit. Then do a Monster Manual new creatures and updated art and lore. Then do a DMG/setting guide that covers all the DM stuff and magic/psionic items. Make it all self contained so that the core books aren't needed, but a DM can use stuff form it as they want. Want Goliath's or dragonborn? The DM can import them from the appropriate books, but if he doesn't he has enough using these three DS core rules to run for a long time.

Honestly, 3 makes the most sense if you are keeping true to 2es tone and deviations. 1 is basically 4e's version redux, and 2 is the worst of both worlds but is the only way to keep the original feel in a 1 book supplement. The choice comes down to what is most important.

 

[Parmandur]

The problem here is that the original Dark Sun barely resembles D&D. It uses the same xp tables and thac0 systems, but it's races, classes, equipment, magic, monsters and tone are completely alien to the rest of D&D. To Whit: a Greyhawk elf, a Realms elf, an Ebberon elf, a Dargonlance elf, a Ravenloft elf, and even a Ravnica elf all have the same mechanics based on the PHB. A Dark Sun elf resembles them as much as an Keebler elf does; totally different in terms of look, tone, and mechanics.

The problem is that do to that radical shift in everything from elves to magic to dragons, there is surprisingly little that overlaps with the core rules. In 2e, where settings had tons of support, that was fine. They could make custom races, classes, spells and monsters to augment the core rules. Since 4e though, setting support is limited; a setting might at best get 1-2 books tops. So that leaves a few possible options:

1. Force the setting to accept more of the core rules to maximize the potential abilities for expansion. That means finding room for newer races and most classes and monsters, just re-themed to fit the setting

2. Accept that a setting like Dark Sun will be extremely limited; most of the gaps removed from the game for not fitting would not be filled due to time and space concerns. DS might get a psionic class, but the book can't possibly make a spell-less bard, gladiator class, and Templar class to fill the holes carved but removing bards, monks and clerics. Or that most of the MM is basically useless with only maybe a dozen new monsters to fill the void.

3. Here me out: make it a separate spinoff game that is compatible with 5e. Give it a PHB that rewrites the classes and races appropriately, has appropriate equipment section, and just reprints some of the important area of the PHB (combat and spells) with tweaks to fit. Then do a Monster Manual new creatures and updated art and lore. Then do a DMG/setting guide that covers all the DM stuff and magic/psionic items. Make it all self contained so that the core books aren't needed, but a DM can use stuff form it as they want. Want Goliath's or dragonborn? The DM can import them from the appropriate books, but if he doesn't he has enough using these three DS core rules to run for a long time.

Honestly, 3 makes the most sense if you are keeping true to 2es tone and deviations. 1 is basically 4e's version redux, and 2 is the worst of both worlds but is the only way to keep the original feel in a 1 book supplement. The choice comes down to what is most important.

From what they have said, a Dark Sun book will be #2.

 

[Remathilis]

From what they have said, a Dark Sun book will be #2.

That's a shame. It will be a setting that at most has 9 races, 7 classes (with 1-2 subs each), and 100 monsters. It might align with what was in 2e's vision of the setting, but it will be more limited than Ravnica.

 

[Parmandur]

That's a shame. It will be a setting that at most has 9 races, 7 classes (with 1-2 subs each), and 100 monsters. It might align with what was in 2e's vision of the setting, but it will be more limited than Ravnica.

Limitations can be good. Mearls went into detail on the Happy Fun Hour one week as to what would be in Dark Sun in terms of Race & Class, saying they might have a sidebar telling people they can bring in other stuff if they want, but Dark Sun is a limited and focused Setting and genre.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Bitbrain]

That's a shame. It will be a setting that at most has 9 races, 7 classes (with 1-2 subs each), and 100 monsters. It might align with what was in 2e's vision of the setting, but it will be more limited than Ravnica.

Which would be perfectly fine with me.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Remathilis]

I mean this in all seriousness ... do you play Dark Sun? Are you a fan of the setting?

Same with Greyhawk. Are these settings that you have played before and love?

Dark Sun: played yes; fan no. My perception might be skewed by the DM I had, who ran the setting as an exercise in sadomasochism. I like pulpy "Conan the barbarian" type media, but the 2e version didn't click. It felt it was trying too hard to not be D&D, like it was ashamed to be called that. Ironically, I liked the 4e presentation a lot, but I didn't like 4e enough to play it.

As for Greyhawk, yes played; fan Neutral. I came into the setting at the end of 2e, so my exposure is "The Adventure Begins"/Living Greyhawk Gazetteer stuff. I played many of the classic modules (in 2e) and 2e Return to modules, and the later Vecna Trilogy, as well as ran Return to Temple of Elemental Evil. That said, while I have nothing against the setting, it doesn't reach my top 3 (Eberron, Planescape, Ravenloft), I liked the setting well enough based on what I've experienced.

That said, I still think there is room in both settings to grow.

 

[Remathilis]

Which would be perfectly fine with me.

I have the perfect setting for you: the only option for PCs are human fighter, and the only monster is orcs. Viva la creativity!