D&D 5E Thoughts on a Darksun Cleric

[Zardnaar]

At a simple level a 5E cleric for Darksun just need 4 domains- Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

However with the how far you can deviate from core rules I think you can rewrite the phb slightly.

In 2E clerics had minor access to the Cosmos spere which was every priest spell level 1-3.

In 5E I would let them cast every phb cleric spell level 1-5. This also means domains can be used.

For level 6+ I would have 4 cleric spell lists for each of the elements. There's a few 2E spells that can be converted, 3.5 elemental domains to borrow from, spells from Xanathars to use and arcane spells one can borrow.

The elemental domains can work as normal outside Darksun but on Athas clerics don't have the higher level PHB spells.

I would also retcon away/ignore the paraelemental stuff.

 

[Coroc]

At a simple level a 5E cleric for Darksun just need 4 domains- Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

However with the how far you can deviate from core rules I think you can rewrite the phb slightly.

In 2E clerics had major access to the Cosmos spere which was every priest spell level 1-3.

In 5E I would let them cast every phb cleric spell level 1-5. This also means domains can be used.

For level 6+ I would have 4 cleric spell lists for each of the elements. There's a few 2E spells that can be converted, 3.5 elemental domains to borrow from, spells from Xanathars to use and arcane spells one can borrow.

The elemental domains can work as normal outside Darksun but on Athas clerics don't have the higher level PHB spells.

I would also retcon away/ignore the paraelemental stuff.

Yep that is the way to go, but please correct your typo, you surely meant ...minor access to the cosmos sphere.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yep that is the way to go, but please correct your typo, you surely meant ...minor access to the cosmos sphere.

Derp done.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I was actually having some thoughts about how to use the magic classes for Dark Sun without having to cut any, and thought it may be a good idea to create some subclass concepts to make each of them work.

I'll say these are ideas rooted in lore and not mechanics; I don't know how to make any of them work yet.

• Templar (Paladin or Cleric): Servants of the Sorcerer Kings who gain their magics from their power.
• Dracon (Warlock): Made deals, willingly or not, with one of the three dragons of the world (Borys, Kalid-Na, or Dregoth).
• Defiler (Wizard): Their magic destroys the land, and gives them more dragon-like corrupting traits the more it is used.
• Preserver (Sorcerer): Their magic heals the land, and gives them strange, radiant-manta traits as they use it.

 

[neogod22]

I was actually having some thoughts about how to use the magic classes for Dark Sun without having to cut any, and thought it may be a good idea to create some subclass concepts to make each of them work.

I'll say these are ideas rooted in lore and not mechanics; I don't know how to make any of them work yet.

• Templar (Paladin or Cleric): Servants of the Sorcerer Kings who gain their magics from their power.
• Dracon (Warlock): Made deals, willingly or not, with one of the three dragons of the world (Borys, Kalid-Na, or Dregoth).
• Defiler (Wizard): Their magic destroys the land, and gives them more dragon-like corrupting traits the more it is used.
• Preserver (Sorcerer): Their magic heals the land, and gives them strange, radiant-manta traits as they use it.

Perservers should still be wizards too, but sorcerers should fit under the preserver tree since their magic comes from innate knowledge. I think using the quicken metamagic ability should be a defiling ability fir them though.

The biggest thing in Dark Sun though is psionics. That has to be implemented in the game. I guess you can use the most up-to-date version of the Mystic class since it has the Wild Talent feat. Which should be a free feat everyone gets at level 1.

 

[Zardnaar]

Darksun should probably trim some classes.

Warlocks don't really fit at least as PC options. Sorcerers as well.

 

[cbwjm]

I always felt that later additions to the setting would fit well as sorcerers. Like the cerulean storm kit could be a sorcerer, unaffected by perserving/defiling mechanics as they draw upon the power of the storm. This might be the only sorcerer that I would allow in a Dark Sun campaign.

I thought 4e's take where only the martial, arcane, primal, and psionic power sources were available was a neat way to customise it, but that might not quite work with 5e since there are cleric-like classes. I would probably still remove the paladin although if all the paladins in the setting were templars dedicated to a sorcerer-king, that would also be cool.

 

[Arnwolf666]

I think it would be easier to have dark sun clerics just be Clerics that choose only between 4 domains: fire, earth, water, or air and leave it at that. Makes it alot simpler and keeps with the motif.

I think the simplest thing for the sorcerer is just make them the psionics. Just create new archetypes for them that don’t use verbal somatic and material components and You have your psion.

 

[Zardnaar]

I always felt that later additions to the setting would fit well as sorcerers. Like the cerulean storm kit could be a sorcerer, unaffected by perserving/defiling mechanics as they draw upon the power of the storm. This might be the only sorcerer that I would allow in a Dark Sun campaign.

I thought 4e's take where only the martial, arcane, primal, and psionic power sources were available was a neat way to customise it, but that might not quite work with 5e since there are cleric-like classes. I would probably still remove the paladin although if all the paladins in the setting were templars dedicated to a sorcerer-king, that would also be cool.

Yeah the new arcane classes really only make sense as NPCs or post prism pentad.

 

[Zardnaar]

I think it would be easier to have dark sun clerics just be Clerics that choose only between 4 domains: fire, earth, water, or air and leave it at that. Makes it alot simpler and keeps with the motif.

That's the easy way, for now using light, life, nature,tempst for fire, water, earth clerics and air clerics.