WotC Dragonlance: Everything You Need For Shadow of the Dragon Queen

WotC has shared a video explaining the Dragonlance setting, and what to expect when it is released in December.

World at War: Introduces war as a genre of play to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Dragonlance: Introduces the Dragonlance setting with a focus on the War of the Lance and an overview of what players and DMs need to run adventures during this world spanning conflict.

Heroes of War: Provides character creation rules highlighting core elements of the Dragonlance setting, including the kender race and new backgrounds for the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery magic-users. Also introduces the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer subclass with new spells that bind your character to Krynn's three mystical moons and imbues you with lunar magic.

Villains: Pits heroes against the infamous death knight Lord Soth and his army of draconians.

Notes --

• 224 page hardcover adventure
• D&D's setting for war
• Set in eastern Solamnia
• War is represented by context -- it's not goblins attacking the village, but evil forces; refugees, rumours
• You can play anything from D&D - clerics included, although many classic D&D elements have been forgotten
• Introductory scenarios bring you up to speed on the world so no prior research needed

 

[mamba]

but what was the reason for no orcs? just cause they didn't show up until then? was there a reason even a theme?

that they never existed in the first place, that is as good a reason as them having been wiped out Dark Sun style

Also that their role is filled by Draconians…

 

[Dire Bare]

I consider the feel of a setting to be a major part of it, so for us old timers it does impact the setting in a major way. For new players it wouldn't make a difference, because they don't really know the old setting.

Dude, I am an old-timer. Read Chronicles when I was in middle school, when the books were first released.

And there are youngsters who care about canon and trivia. I have a buddy my age, whose son (currently in college) has a group that argues D&D canon all the time, stuff that goes back to the white box . . . .

It's not about how old you are, or how long you've been a fan, or what entry point into a franchise you took . . . . it's simply some folks care about small, trivial setting details and some don't.

How you enjoy Dragonlance is all good, and how you run your own modern DL campaign is all good . . . . but the official published game has to roll with the times. There is no good reason why WotC should cater to the fan subset who deeply cares about the trivial details . . .

Of course, when we get down to the details . . . what NEEDS to be included (or excluded) and what is okay to jettison . . . that can get subjective and that's okay.

In a War of the Lance campaign, having spellcasters be present in the adventuring party but brand-new to the setting is an important setting detail. Draconians being a major "bad-guy" opponents is important. Goblins vs orcs? Not important. No drow hanging out deep underground while the war rages on the surface? Not important. Spellcasting rangers and paladins? Why not, the "original" DL party (Companions of the Lance) had spellcasters, why couldn't rangers and paladins develop those powers as the gods return to Krynn?

 

[Velderan]

and you know what makes it way better... not to have a god level NPC (or 10) walking around your setting. (in my example it was symbul not even elminster but same thing)

The novels can have god powered elminster, but imagine a setting box/book that stated him as a 8th level lore bard (keeping him as both arcane and divine and martial abilities) and said his long life was a mystic boon, and he was a chosen that had silver fire and some immunities... he could STILL be the sage, he could still be a fun NPC... but even 1st level PCs aren't looking to him to solo a fight.

Why would 1st level PCs be asking Elminster to solo a fight for them..? That sounds like either a problem with meta gaming at that table or the DM doing a bad job of understanding the characters' backstories enough to provide a hook to get them involved.

Yeah.. I'm done trying to reason with you. This conversation makes me thankful for my table where none of the things you're mentioning have ever been issues. It really sounds like you've had some really awful experiences if these are actual arguments from things you've experienced.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

that they never existed in the first place, that is as good a reason as them having been wiped out Dark Sun style

Also that their role is filled by Draconians…

what is the 'role' of a race though? Orcs are different across different worlds. Since they are not mindless minions of the darkness anymore (not that I think they really were) what do draconians have to do with orcs?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Why would 1st level PCs be asking Elminster to solo a fight for them..? That sounds like either a problem with meta gaming at that table or the DM doing a bad job of understanding the characters' backstories enough to provide a hook to get them involved.

great... you keep blaming DMs for inventions of the books, think about that.

Yeah.. I'm done trying to reason with you. This conversation makes me thankful for my table where none of the things you're mentioning have ever been issues. It really sounds like you've had some really awful experiences if these are actual arguments from things you've experienced.

and I am greatful that you aren't there to insult the DMs

 

[GMforPowergamers]

In a War of the Lance campaign, having spellcasters be present in the adventuring party but brand-new to the setting is an important setting detail. Draconians being a major "bad-guy" opponents is important. Goblins vs orcs? Not important. No drow hanging out deep underground while the war rages on the surface? Not important. Spellcasting rangers and paladins? Why not, the "original" DL party (Companions of the Lance) had spellcasters, why couldn't rangers and paladins develop those powers as the gods return to Krynn?

this very much this.

If the party finds (or has a member) that is a teifling or an orc, but they are just a race in the world how does that upset the dynamic of the war were the gods are returning?

and Rangers and Palidens and Druids were in the setting already.

 

[mamba]

the difference is the audience can not effect the movie or comic book... in an RPG the audience is also the player WHO can directly interact with the story and out of story even directly talk to the 'controller' (writer in movie/comic DM in game) and say "hey, wait, where was elminster?"

My answer would be ‘you do not know where he was, feel free to ask him the next time you see him’ (which probably is never…)

 

[Micah Sweet]

what is the 'role' of a race though? Orcs are different across different worlds. Since they are not mindless minions of the darkness anymore (not that I think they really were) what do draconians have to do with orcs?

What role to you want them to have? Because, "I want to play an orc in Dragonlance" isn't good enough for me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

this very much this.

If the party finds (or has a member) that is a teifling or an orc, but they are just a race in the world how does that upset the dynamic of the war were the gods are returning?

and Rangers and Palidens and Druids were in the setting already.

Where did they come from? Everyone else on Krynn has an actual origin, in the setting.

 

[Velderan]

Of course, when we get down to the details . . . what NEEDS to be included (or excluded) and what is okay to jettison . . . that can get subjective and that's okay.

I think a key thing people may be overlooking is the scope of the book. There's a lot they probably won't get into because they just don't have to with the adventure being set in Kalaman. I'd really be surprised to see them comment one way or the other on races that were specifically excluded (orc, drow, halfling, lycanthropes) from previous editions and instead focus on what is there in the small part of the world the adventure takes place in. People who are familiar with the existing lore can run Dragonlance the way they've always done it and people who aren't can run the adventure presented with half-orc PCs because it doesn't say you can't make them.