Dragonlance DRAGONLANCE LIVES! Unearthed Arcana Explores Heroes of Krynn!

The latest Unearthed Arcana has arrived and the 6-page document contains rules for kender, lunar magic, Knights of Solamnia, and Mages of High Sorcery.

In today’s Unearthed Arcana, we explore character options from the Dragonlance setting. This playtest document presents the kender race, the Lunar Magic sorcerer subclass, the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery backgrounds, and a collection of new feats, all for use in Dungeons & Dragons.

Kender have a (surprisingly magical) ability to pull things out of a bag, and a supernatural taunt feature. This magical ability appears to replace the older 'kleptomania' description -- "Unknown to most mortals, a magical phenomenon surrounds a kender. Spurred by their curiosity and love for trinkets, curios, and keepsakes, a kender’s pouches or pockets will be magically filled with these objects. No one knows where these objects come from, not even the kender. This has led many kender to be mislabeled as thieves when they fish these items out of their pockets."

Lunar Magic is a sorcerer subclass which draws power from the moon(s); there are notes for using it in Eberron.

Also included are feats such as Adepts of the Black, White, and Red Robes, and Knights of the Sword, Rose, and Crown.

News Archive | Dungeons and Dragons

Read the full archives of Dungeons & Dragons news, Sage Advice, Unearthed Arcana, and D&D Studio Blogs.

dnd.wizards.com

 

[Parmandur]

What’s the deal with Gully Dwarves? They’re, like, really dumb or something, right?

Dumb, cowardly, foolish, and used as comic relief. Not just in the story, the other Dwarves use them as jesters in universe. Because they are simple.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

Not thrilled that the Knights of Solomia and the Tower Mages are backgrounds, would have preferred subclasses.

I thought about this and then I realized with the way the tower of high sorcery is basically the only legal way to play a mage in the setting, you would end up basically saying “only these three subclasses are accepted in the setting and if you are anything else, you are a renegade”. Having them as feats or back grounds provides a mechanical benefit without restricting a major choice in character building (that was my justification I guess)

 

[Stormonu]

I thought about this and then I realized with the way the tower of high sorcery is basically the only legal way to play a mage in the setting, you would end up basically saying “only these three subclasses are accepted in the setting and if you are anything else, you are a renegade”. Having them as feats or back grounds provides a mechanical benefit without restricting a major choice in character building (that was my justification I guess)

Having High Sorcery or Knights be a patron would have been the better way to go, I believe.

Even back in 1E, you had a couple of levels (3 I think) of wizard before you had to visit the Tower. That fits more with it being a subclass to me, and if it’s a background - how do characters that pick up their first levels in Wizard down the road ever become a High Sorcery wizard?

 

[Mind of tempest]

Like a race of mentally handicapped Gollums with beards.

Offensive on several levels, in practice.

I heard them described as the cockroaches of the setting. Intended to be a comedic race of pathetic dwarves, it’s an extremely problematic portrayal.

twenty say they stop existing.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I don't agree at all. It has nothing to do with creativity, and everything to do with a decision to make things work in any setting. No place does that imply no creativity.

Dragonlance flat out doesn’t have Drow or Orcs (and Half-Orcs).

Dark Sun has Half-Dwarves.

Should they lose less of what makes the setting different and incorporate those species? Thus making it more generic?

 

[Weiley31]

how do characters that pick up their first levels in Wizard down the road ever become a High Sorcery wizard?

Gain Ranks Up with the Patron or Faction.

 

[Remathilis]

What’s the deal with Gully Dwarves? They’re, like, really dumb or something, right?

You know that one kid in school that was developmentally challenged and that the class bullies picked on, mocked and once forced to eat glue because they thought it was funny?

Imagine that as a race.

 

[Weiley31]

Dragonlance flat out doesn’t have Drow or Orcs (and Half-Orcs).

Dark Sun has Half-Dwarves.

Should they lose less of what makes the setting different and incorporate those species? Thus making it more generic?

It already happened. Your new character you started just now while reading this post is now a Drow Lunar Sorcerer.

 

[Charlaquin]

You know, it occurs to me that if you need a reason for Kender having random stuff in their pockets all the time, you could say it’s an expression of halfling luck. Similar to the explanation in the UA but less overtly magical - gold doesn’t magically materialize in their pockets, they just have one of those moments - you know the ones I mean, where you reach into your pocket and there’s a $5 bill in there you’d forgotten about, maybe it’s been through the wash, but it still spends just the same.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You know, it occurs to me that if you need a reason for Kender having random stuff in their pockets all the time, you could say it’s an expression of halfling luck. Similar to the explanation in the UA but less overtly magical - gold doesn’t magically materialize in their pockets, they just have one of those moments - you know the ones I mean, where you reach into your pocket and there’s a $5 bill in there you’d forgotten about, maybe it’s been through the wash, but it still spends just the same.

As I said, there are ways to make this more elegant. But instead they went the lazy magic/Feywild path, or as I call it, "the WotC way".