D&D 5E How would you wish WOTC to do Dark Sun

[R_J_K75]

So if you ever wanted to see Elminster in a loincloth and chest harness this is the version for you!

No one should ever see this.

 

[Danzauker]

Lore-wise: Total reset to the status quo as of the original boxed set. Do not contradict any lore that was revealed during/after the PP, but also do not make it official.

This is really the only way to satisfy a) the people who enjoyed the Prism Pentad and were fans of later-released lore, and b) those of us who despise the PP and the whole Rajaat backstory. Give us the mysteries and unexplored possibilities, and let us choose in our own campaigns how to resolve them.

Mechanics-wise: Work within the 5E framework where possible and don't get hung up on nitpicky details. Defiler and preserver are wizard traditions, templar is a warlock patron, each element is a cleric domain. For paladins, explain that they are unknown in the setting and require DM approval to play; provide suggested backstory options like "I am the last of a secret order" and "I'm trying to follow a code I learned from ancient books."

Psionics must exist, but I don't think it's vitally important to have a stand-alone psion class. The setting works fine without it.

Develop a fleshed-out system for survival challenges, where the wilderness itself becomes a deadly foe. This will probably require either banning the "camping spells" like goodberry and Leomund's tiny hut, or putting limitations on them such that they can't sustain you over the long term.

I like almost all.

I like the templar to be a refluffed warlock, I also approve being open to non canonic classes and races with strict DM approval.

I'm not so sure that different traditions would suffice to make defiling and preserving different enough. If I were to really be bound to use existing 5E as much as possible I'd refluff sorcerers as defilers and wizards as preservers, just to make them mechanically different, but it's just an idea.

I have to admit, on top of that, that the idea of the act of defiling a sort of temptation, a step to the Dark Side (or better, Path Sinister) always attracted me, even if not strictly canon. Maybe defiling = bonus metamagic feats and a sort of "taint" score would work.

Regarding the psion class I'd say it's a must for the setting, just as thri-kreen and half-giants. Then, again, the sorcerer could be refluffed for this purpose.

 

[Danzauker]

Pretty much just the FR except all the artwork is done by Brom. So if you ever wanted to see Elminster in a loincloth and chest harness this is the version for you!

If it's drawn by Brom I'll take anything.

Plus, I've already seen Zardoz, so...

 

[Nebulous]

Dark Sun has a lot of exclusions coupled with altered versions of existing races and a lot of unique stuff, with a heavy emphasis on psionics. "Not your daddy's D&D" was its whole schitck. No version of the setting that doesn't focus on those aspects is worthy of the name IMHO.

Yeah, the whole idea was that "this isn't the DnD you're used to" and I don't know if the current designers can pull that off. I am really enjoying Curse of Strahd but it definitely doesn't "feel" like 2e Ravenloft. Not nearly enough gloom and despair. For 5e to feel like Dark Sun they'd have to have a unique psionics system and not just a copy of other stuff they've already done.

 

[Nebulous]

Based on other ideas in this thread, a revised Players Handbook for Darksun that rewrites much of the core 5e PH. I doubt they would ever do such a thing though.

 

[Nebulous]

Athas is dead.

5e Dark Sun takes place on a different dying world.

lol they would just turn the Sword Coast into a desert and place it there!

 

[R_J_K75]

...a revised Players Handbook for Darksun that rewrites much of the core 5e PH

I don't see how they could do Dark Sun without doing a re-write. There's different races, classes, backgrounds, possibly skills, feats, money, equipment, spellcasting systems, psionics abilities and spells just to name a few.

 

[jayoungr]

lol they would just turn the Sword Coast into a desert and place it there!

Everybody said they'd do that to Ravenloft, but they didn't.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Everybody said they'd do that to Ravenloft, but they didn't.

True, but the Barovia they went with is very different from earlier depictions. Beyond that, I loved the 2e (and 3e with Arthaus) campaign setting, but WotC and I parted on that back in late 3e with Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. They only care about rehashing the original module every edition. Different Barovias, but still just the Strahd show.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Dark Sun MC had the Ruvkova, which could conceivably be retconned into being Genasi.