Dark Sun needs a Psionic Class.
Not -just- some subclasses for Rogues, Sorcerers, and Fighters. Not -just- Wild Talents. But all three.
It's -the- setting for Psionics.
It'll also need a whole lot of different systems and class changes. Bards, for example, aren't spellcasting minstrels in Dark Sun. They're Assassins. You'd need more than a "Subclass" to take away their spellcasting and put Extracts into play. Travel mechanics that actually matter, or at least a way to make food/water much more narratively important and impactful. Defiling and Preserving wouldn't just be Wizard Subclasses. Preserving takes -longer-. 2e Spellcasting had each spell take a number of initiative counts equal to it's level before it went off, remember? Preservers spent WAY MORE TIME casting a spell before it finally took effect.
Part of why Defiling was so attractive. It was -faster- and ensured your enemies were still in Fireball Formation when the spell went off.
Honestly... 5e would need a big book to bring Dark Sun back in a meaningful way.
Not -just- some subclasses for Rogues, Sorcerers, and Fighters. Not -just- Wild Talents. But all three.
It's -the- setting for Psionics.
It'll also need a whole lot of different systems and class changes. Bards, for example, aren't spellcasting minstrels in Dark Sun. They're Assassins. You'd need more than a "Subclass" to take away their spellcasting and put Extracts into play. Travel mechanics that actually matter, or at least a way to make food/water much more narratively important and impactful. Defiling and Preserving wouldn't just be Wizard Subclasses. Preserving takes -longer-. 2e Spellcasting had each spell take a number of initiative counts equal to it's level before it went off, remember? Preservers spent WAY MORE TIME casting a spell before it finally took effect.
Part of why Defiling was so attractive. It was -faster- and ensured your enemies were still in Fireball Formation when the spell went off.
Honestly... 5e would need a big book to bring Dark Sun back in a meaningful way.