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

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I agree and I would also point out that it is useful from the DM side as well: the Orc enemies fill out a useful niche for 2nd level and 5th level adventurers that are too high level for goblins, but there aren’t enough bugbears and hobgoblins to fill out.

I really am going to start something now... Hobgoblins are one of those monsters that makes CR a joke. The follow the reverse rule of Ninjitsue, if you have 1 alone, it is most likely right on it's CR. If you put many together they QUICKLY become way higher. Worse is putting 2 archer hobgoblins with low CR swarm monsters (I don't mean swarms per say, kobolds or goblins work too) and they can take down parties many levels above the threat.

I will say my Hobgoblin empire is pretty much a TPK waiting to happen if you are not allied or at least nice and respectful to them.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I'm on a bit dodgy territory trying to speak for someone else (who I don't always agree with), but I think the "evidence" they were going off was personal experience of the changes to Ravenloft, which they were really unhappy about, to say the least.

That is more or less my position. I am fine with the Theros solution, but I was more strident about my position when we started. Blame the aforementioned strong feelings about new Ravenloft.

Look, proof that people's opinions can shift on the internet due to reasoned discourse! And I thought I'd seen everything.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I really am going to start something now... Hobgoblins are one of those monsters that makes CR a joke. The follow the reverse rule of Ninjitsue, if you have 1 alone, it is most likely right on it's CR. If you put many together they QUICKLY become way higher. Worse is putting 2 archer hobgoblins with low CR swarm monsters (I don't mean swarms per say, kobolds or goblins work too) and they can take down parties many levels above the threat.

I will say my Hobgoblin empire is pretty much a TPK waiting to happen if you are not allied or at least nice and respectful to them.

The Hobgoblin Empire has existed in just about every one of my homebrews.

 

[Ixal]

I want the book to neither confirm nor deny the presence of Orcs and other races that were traditionally not a part of Dragonlance.

Why? The only thing that does is defining the setting better? Why are you so fixated on leaving it open and not mention that race X does not exist in setting Y? If someone wants to houserule that they no matter what the book says.
Do you believe that the new D&D players are unable to houserule unless given permission? Is restricting something some sort of sacrilege when its not a statement for or against whatever?
Your insistence on the setting not being allowed to restrict races makes no sense at all.

 

[Maxperson]

The only way goblins, hobgoblins and orcs differed from each other in 1st edition is goblins averaged 3.5 hp, orcs averaged 4.5 and hobgoblins averaged 5.5.

And the point is that the 0-1st level ordinary folks where completely overwhelmed by a monstrous foe. That's why heroes where required. So including monsters that even commoners could beat rather undermined the effect. I don't think there is anything weaker than a hobgoblin in DL1. Toade (who first appears in DL2) was a goblin, but he was a non-combatant character.

That's why there were goblins/hobgoblins(replacing orcs) that commoners could beat and the heroes still fought, and draconians(new monster not replacing orcs) that needed heroes, because they greatly outstripped commoners, unlike orcs.

 

[Maxperson]

There is a war on.

And there are no wars on in any other universe? Oh, wait, they happen in pretty much every universe. What's the point again?

To an extent, this is built into the setting. It's always been a hard railroad built around a single narrative.

And yet it was hugely popular and successful.

Popular and successful because it had limited races, classes and monsters, had unique mechanics(high sorcery mechanics) and illusion disbelief, and revolved around finding and using awesome lances that could beat dragons!

With every option available, the limitations that gave the setting its feel, and the reduction of Dragonlances to be barely better than some magic swords, eliminates a lot of that.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Why? The only thing that does is defining the setting better?

A setting is no less "defined" or cohesive with specific races explicitly defined than it is without that.

Why are you so fixated on leaving it open and not mention that race X does not exist in setting Y? If someone wants to houserule that they no matter what the book says.
Do you believe that the new D&D players are unable to houserule unless given permission? Is restricting something some sort of sacrilege when its not a statement for or against whatever?

A good, experienced DM will always change a setting to better suit their table. However, that is a skill that takes learning and new DMs are easily influenced by the Rules as Written.

Your insistence on the setting not being allowed to restrict races makes no sense at all.

Yes, it does. What doesn't make sense to me are the people that insist that making it clear that Orcs and other races are banned is somehow core to the identity of Dragonlance. You do not need to have that explicitly stated in a book if you're already familiar with Dragonlance and it won't benefit games to have that be stated.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Popular and successful because it had limited races, classes and monsters, had unique mechanics(high sorcery mechanics) and illusion disbelief, and revolved around finding and using awesome lances that could beat dragons!

I very much doubt that Dragonlance is successful because of it's limitations. It's not like settings that don't set hard limits are any less popular (FR, Eberron, Planescape).

I'd expect that the main reason that Dragonlance is popular is because of the novels.

 

[Maxperson]

That's not at all what I'm saying. I'm saying that the book doesn't need to ban the races especially because it might be more fun at certain tables of newer players. The "quirks" might not actually be as important as setting purists believe/pretend they are.

They shouldn't be banned. It should just be made clear that these races are not on Krynn and so to play one needs the DM's permission for that PC to have come from another setting to Krynn.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

They shouldn't be banned. It should just be made clear that these races are not on Krynn and so to play one needs the DM's permission for that PC to have come from another setting to Krynn.

Why? Why does that need to be clear? That's not necessary. It just doesn't need to mention them. None of the recent setting/adventure books mention any of the races and their roles in the setting. The book doesn't need to say anything about them.