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]

Long, flowing mustaches ARE a visual theme for the Knights of Solamnia. But having it be a requirement? That all knights must sport such staches? That's dumb world-building. I'm not even sure it's actually canon, that all knights in the Dragonlance canon have had those twirlers.

Well, the Star Wars equivalent is the padawan braid. Then's there's the samurai and their chonmage (topknot). Wouldn't call the Solomnia mustache "dumb world-building" when there's several such stylistic themes in fantasy and the real world.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Funny you should mention that regarding Dragonlance...

There's a couple setting breaking points for me over the years that have made me stop following continuity:

• Forgotten Realms after the Time of Troubles (I use the gray box and will never use the Time of Troubles)
• Ravenloft and the Grand Conjunction (and don't get me started about Vecna...)
• Greyhawk after the Greyhawk Wars (just didn't see the point - another case of TSR pushing the metaplot to ruffle feathers)
• Dragonlance from Dragons of Summer Flame onward (Just never got into it and what came after)
• Dark Sun's second boxed set (it just went in a direction that trivialized the Tyr region)
• Planescape's Faction War (what a way to destroy the whole campaign)
• L5R's Rokugan after the Scorpion Coup (things just started getting weird with the disappearing emperor and all)

90's-style Metaplot: Not Even Once

Edit: to stop the obvious smartacre response: I know not all of these were from the 90's. The 90's was just the height of the terrible metaplotitis disease that afflicted many RPGs, leaving the population riddled with Stones and Sam Haights, and suddenly learning your spellcater was aiding a demon. Have your RPG inoculated against metaplot today.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Long, flowing mustaches ARE a visual theme for the Knights of Solamnia. But having it be a requirement? That all knights must sport such staches? That's dumb world-building. I'm not even sure it's actually canon, that all knights in the Dragonlance canon have had those twirlers.

It’s not and hardly universal. But it is troubling they don’t even use it in the art. It’s like the image of the “mages of high sorcery”. None of them look remotely like Krynnish wizards to me and I haven’t said that about any of the depictions from 1e to 3e, novels or gaming materials.

 

[Vaalingrade]

Well, the Star Wars equivalent is the padawan braid.

Do... we really want to hold Star-Midichlroians-Jedican'tlove-gassuddenlymatters-Wars up as a defense against something being called 'dumb worldbuidling'?

Also, not all padawans were from a species capable of producing hair, so the point remains, that there's members without the rattail I rocked in 4th grade.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

It’s not and hardly universal. But it is troubling they don’t even use it in the art. It’s like the image of the “mages of high sorcery”. None of them look remotely like Krynnish wizards to me and I haven’t said that about any of the depictions from 1e to 3e, novels or gaming materials.

What, they look exactly like they are supposed to. They have the Red, White, and Black

 

[DarkCrisis]

Not everyone likes facial hair, even if they can grow it without issue.

I wouldn’t want to buzz my head if I joined the marines and yet…

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Do... we really want to hold Star-Midichlroians-Jedican'tlove-gassuddenlymatters-Wars up as a defense against something being called 'dumb worldbuidling'?

Also, not all padawans were from a species capable of producing hair, so the point remains, that there's members without the rattail I rocked in 4th grade.

Like the easiest thing is just saying “It’s traditional for male knights to grow a moustache, but not required.”

 

[Vaalingrade]

I wouldn’t want to buzz my head if I joined the marines and yet…

Are you... like able to grow one (or more) moustaches on command?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I wouldn’t want to buzz my head if I joined the marines and yet…

No everyone can grow facial hair, also it’s much easier to shave hair than it is to grow it. It makes more sense as a tradition than as a requirement.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Are you... like able to grow one (or more) moustaches on command?

And are all men in Dragonlance able to grow mustaches? Or is that a technique that the Knights of Solamnia are trained to have?