D&D 5E The Bible Is A New 5E Setting

The Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible is a 5E setting and adventure set in the first century AD.

The 350-page book, created by Bible enthusiasts, included four new lineages, a range of subclasses, and an adventure for character levels 1-10, along with a full first-century AD setting with locations like the Library of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, NPCs, and monsters such as giants, seraph serpents, angels, and demons. The adventure itself involves a search for three missing Magi.

It's $25 for a PDF, or $39 for a hardcover.

The Adventurer's Guide to the Bible for 5E

A fifth edition campaign setting with new rule options for players and GMs, and a full adventure for characters of levels 1 - 10.

www.kickstarter.com

Cleopatra is dead. Rome and Parthia struggle for control of the Fertile Crescent in a bid for world domination, while local politics in the Middle Kingdoms become increasingly divisive. The prophecies of the so-called “Messiah” have long been forgotten, and an ancient Evil lurks in the shadows, corrupting the hearts of humankind. Three of the wisest mystics known as the “Magi” travelled to Bethlehem following a star they believed to be a sign. They never returned. Hope grows dim as the world descends into darkness. What we need are answers... and those brave enough to seek them.

This isn’t the first biblical era setting for D&D, although it might be for 5E. Green Ronin released Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era for 3E over a decade ago.

 

[MGibster]

Why is this noteworthy among all the thousands of 5E Kickstarters?

Because of the subject matter I think. Here in the United States in the 1980s, Evangelical Christian leadership was largely opposed to role playing games like AD&D on the grounds that it encouraged demon worship, anti-social behavior, and led to suicide. It's not so common to see a fantasy RPG designed to appeal specifically to young Christians who regularly attend bible study.

 

[Mallus]

Jesus Christ, my group should run a campaign using this.

Some of us have read the Bible cover to cover, as if it were the PHB!

 

[humble minion]

I (who am not a Christian) backed this. Given the authors are pastors etc and they come from a particular worldview, the product is obviously going to share that worldview. But on the other hand, so does any product that draws inspiration from real-world history or themes. I bought The Islands of Sina Una a while back, for instance, and one of the flaws in that otherwise excellent product is that the picture it draws of fantasy pre-colonial Philippines is so perfectly idyllic and peaceful that there's very little conflict, danger, or drama for PCs to get involved in!

As for the product itself, I'm not a massive fan of the anachronistic cover art, but the way the developers have answered questions in the kickstarter comments indicates that there's a lot of serious thought and reseach put into it. I have a considerable amount of faith (hah!) that this will turn out to be a pretty useful sourcebook on first-century Palestine and neighbouring areas, even if for home games people might want to prefer to re-insert clerics of non-Abrahamic pantheons etc. But who doesn't mess with written settings in their home games, after all?

And as i posted in the Satanic Panic thread on the other board - for D&D players, this is what victory looks like. The best kind of victory - where rather than being brutally beaten down, the opposing side drops their weapons and joins you because your side is more fun. The satanic panic was the best part of 30-40 years ago, nobody takes it seriously any more - and now we have a bunch of pastors, Christian youth camp leaders etc, enthusiastically putting together a D&D setting of their own. Good for them. And, if it brings more people into the hobby - good for us too.

 

[Voadam]

The big question is do they stat up Jesus and can we fight him to take all his fat loot?

And before anyone complains I'm Polytheistic and the Gods I worship have been statted up in past editions so you can fight them and take their loot (which I'm fine with, it's just a game), so it's only fair I get to cast lightning bolt at Jesus.

Lightning bolt, eh?

You really want to set up the line "Jesus saves, and takes half damage!" don't you.

 

[reelo]

I kind of wonder if it'll have all the infanticide, incest, slavery, rape, and genocide that the source material has ...

 

[TrippyHippy]

Also, weren’t the Nephilim the same thing as the Giants in the Bible?

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I kind of wonder if it'll have all the infanticide, incest, slavery, rape, and genocide that the source material has ...

Yeah, the source material sure could have used some sensitivity readers! (Also, editors, the amount of continuity errors is totally crazy.)

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

I admit I failed Theology in high school... but I don't recall any actual Spartans in the Bible. Did I miss a chapter or something?

They are mentionned in the first book of the Maccabees, where the reader is informed that Spartans descend from Abraham, among other things.

 

[Stormonu]

Whelp, I think this is going to fit my wife's campaign world. She's been poring over the Glory of Rome and Age of Heroes 2E sourcebooks, with a focus on the Christian aspects so this is like doing all the work for her.

Not going to lie, having suffered through the Satanic Panic, never thought I'd see this so I'm kinda interested in and might incorporate some of it for my homebrew.

 

[humble minion]

Also - one thing that stood out for me was in the art samples on the kickstarter page, the only two who were not very distinctly dark-skinned were the Spartan subclass illustration (understandable - Greek skin tones and Palestinian skin tones are different) and the illustration for the Giant lineage.

Which to me is another indication that these guys are taking a history-first rather than a whitewashed modern-political-religion-first approach to the book.