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

 

[Stormonu]

Differences?

Dragonlance

• Kender. They’re no more PHB halflings than Tolkien elves are PHB elves
• Draconians. Dragonborn don’t explode on death, have wings, nor born of corrupted eggs
• Dragonlances. Riders flying dragons show up in many campaigns, but DL adds the magical dragonlances that aren’t present in other words.

Forgotten Realms

• Spellfire. We have a whole thread on it
• Phaerim. A secret empire made of these alien creatures
• Shades. A whole empire of undead in command of flying cities
• Evermeet. Stolen from Tolkien, but not in any other D&D world

Greyhawk
- The Scarlet Brotherhood. I don’t know of any other neo-nazi Suel monks in any other D&D world

 

[Velderan]

I'm really curious how difficult the encounters are in this book, since Jeremy Crawford made it a point of saying they're harder than what we've previously typically seen to justify the feat being given to players at level 1.

Also related to this video, I now feel compelled to work the phrase "knightiest knight" into a session at some point.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Show me the 1e abilities that match or come close to the Tolkien elves from my post.

go ahead and do your own homework

Really? Going toe to toe with archangels, and needing multiple Balrogs to kill them isn't in the text?

a human can do that at 14th or 15th level in D&D... anyone can

Nothing other than Tolkien's writing anyway. You should do some research on them before you laugh at me. You'd learn something about Tolkien's elves and the gifts that they are born with.

no you should go do some research

 

[Remathilis]

There was some learning. Things like the songs of power were innate. Elven singing has power, but you could get better at it. Skill with weapons and such was learned, but much easier to be good at it due to the insanely high ability scores. The only thing really keeping elves from being Mary Sues was the fact that they were prone to tragedy. Bad things happened to them in their pride and arrogance.

Considering the only weakness a classic Mary Sue has is that it is her curse to be so perfect and misunderstood, I say that still tracks.

 

[Maxperson]

go ahead and do your own homework

I have. They don't exist.

a human can do that at 14th or 15th level in D&D... anyone can

We're talking about Middle Earth, not D&D. In Middle Earth no human was capable. Even the best of the humans only faced orcs and trolls.

 

[Maxperson]

Considering the only weakness a classic Mary Sue has is that it is her curse to be so perfect and misunderstood, I say that still tracks.

Tolkien elven tragedy is much worse than being "misunderstood."

 

[GMforPowergamers]

We're talking about Middle Earth, not D&D. In Middle Earth no human was capable. Even the best of the humans only faced orcs and trolls.

and again, the way we show case that in D&D (every edition) is level... so in 5e terms the named 'hero' elves are high level...

now if you want to show me an elven newborn fighting a balrog I will admit defeat...

 

[GMforPowergamers]

btw tolkien is clear that it IS NOT telepathy but the understanding of all things... just so we all know

 

[Maxperson]

and again, the way we show case that in D&D (every edition) is level...

False. In D&D racial abilities and bonuses are a thing, so you can in fact showcase racial abilities and bonuses as....................................racial abilities and bonuses. In fact, to do anything else is to not be true to what Tolkien's elves were.

so in 5e terms the named 'hero' elves are high level...

In addition to being born with the abilities I laid out. You don't get to move inherent abilities that Tolkien's elves were born with to being gained by level and still call them Tolkien's elves.

now if you want to show me an elven newborn fighting a balrog I will admit defeat...

Nah. I'll just leave you believing that Tolkien's elves had +1 dex, -1 con, infravision, 90% resistance to sleep and charm spells and the ability to notice secret doors 33% of the time while walking past one.

 

[mamba]

they outright said they are keeping that any caster can join towers

Anything else also would make zero sense

and It is not the test of before... and they say it's based on a mix of harry potter and dune, can't wait for that to hit the fan.

and they call out that the players get to help the DM make the adventure for the test (sure a lot wont like that)

Not sure what a mix of Harry Potter and Dune even means, and given that the test was always custom to the PC taking it, I see no harm in having a discussion