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

 

[Ixal]

Adventurers are in every setting, as are magic of some sort, magical artifacts, knightly orders, death knights, sorcerous/wizardly orders, minotaurs, high priests, elves, dragon orbs, ogres, gnomes, dwarvs, and halflings. Slight variations on those themes doesn't really present a core for a setting. I can tell you the cores for Eberron, Dark Sun, Birthright, Al-Qadim and Ravenloft, but not for Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk.

What's unique about Dragonlance that could serve as the core?

When you ignore everything then of course there is no core.
Has Dark Sun a core? According to you no. Every setting has dragons, mighty wizards, deserts, nomads, ect.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Certainly everything doesn't have to defined for a setting to be coherent. But in my opinion, those things that have been defined should stay that way.

Really? "Things that have been defined should stay that way"? So the Vistani should stay as racist caricatures of the Romani people? Absolutely nothing should be done to remove the problematic elements of Dragonlance? The tropes that didn't age well shouldn't be fixed to modern audiences? Because all of those things are "defined", and many settings benefit from having "defined" things change.

And I'm not saying Eberron isn't "coherent". I just think that it doesn't have a true "core" because of its built-in customizability.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Has Dark Sun a core?

Grimdark post-apocalyptic magic dystopian world where all the villains are humans that caused the climate disaster that ended/ruined the world.

 

[Alzrius]

Grimdark post-apocalyptic magic dystopian world where all the villains are humans that caused the climate disaster that ended/ruined the world.

Actually, Rajaat (the setting's big bad evil guy) is a pyreen, not a human.

 

[Ixal]

Grimdark post-apocalyptic magic dystopian world where all the villains are humans that caused the climate disaster that ended/ruined the world.

Many settings are grimdark and apocalyptic, have vile humans and a ruined world. If Dragonlance has no core with its theme for balance, draconians, the war of the lance ect. then Dark Sun also has none.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Fixed it. I've never cottoned to the Irda whenever they've shown up in the tales. I would also say that the Gully Dwarves are not a part of what defines Dragonlance - remove them or replace them and very little is lost, beyond some horrifically ableist tropes. Whereas removing the Tinker Gnomes or Solamnic Knights changes the world dramatically.

Other than that, I suppose that the Cataclysm needs to be added to that list.

I suppose the story of the Companions and the Companions themselves, the Moons & Magic, Dragonlances, the Solamnic Knights, Lord Soth, the Towers of High Sorcery, the Minotaurs, the King Priest of Istar, the names Silvanesti Qualinesti Kagonesti Dimernesti and Dargonesti, The Dragon Orbs, the Irda, Tinker Gnomes, Gully Dwarves, Kender

 

[Maxperson]

When you ignore everything then of course there is no core.

I'm ignoring nothing. What is "core" to Dragonlance that isn't in pretty much every other setting?

Has Dark Sun a core? According to you no.

ROFL I say it does and you say according to me no. Did you even read my post?

 

[Maxperson]

Grimdark post-apocalyptic magic dystopian world where all the villains are humans that caused the climate disaster that ended/ruined the world.

Dark Sun is chock full of unique or semi-unique core. Defiling, psionics as the centerpiece, unique dragon types, avangions, unique elves, dwarves, etc., lack of metal, super harsh environment, unique classes/subclasses, and much more.

 

[Ixal]

I'm ignoring nothing. What is "core" to Dragonlance that isn't in pretty much every other setting?

ROFL I say it does and you say according to me no. Did you even read my post?

You say that it does, but using your "logic" that when it exists anywhere else it can't be a core it does not.

 

[Maxperson]

You say that it does, but using your "logic" that when it exists anywhere else it can't be a core it does not.

Again, no. Read my post after the one you just quoted.