Dragonlance Dragonlance Creators Reveal Why There Are No Orcs On Krynn

Talking to the Dragonlance Nexus, Dragonlance creators Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman revealed why the world of Krynn features no orcs -- in short, because they didn't want to copy Tolkien, and orcs were very much a 'Middle Earth' thing.

Weis told Trampas Whiteman that "Orcs were also viewed as very Middle Earth. We wanted something different." Hickman added that it was draconians which made Krynn stand out. Read more at the link below!

Why are there no Orcs in Krynn? Weis and Hickman give us the answer! - Dragonlance Nexus

Dragonhelm gets the scoop from Weis and Hickman on why there are no orcs in Krynn. Read More

dragonlancenexus.com

 

[Kai Lord]

A Dragonborn character could be the interesting result of all those polymorphed Silver Dragons and the mortal men they fall in love with.

 

[Micah Sweet]

A Dragonborn character could be the interesting result of all those polymorphed Silver Dragons and the mortal men they fall in love with.

Absolutely, as long as you're cool with that one-of-a-kind oddity issue.

 

[Minigiant]

Do you have a response to the "ASIs are no longer connected with race" argument made in response to one of your previous posts?

Dragonlance- was created before 5th edition.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Dragonlance- was created before 5th edition.

But the new book is going to use 5e rules.

 

[Maxperson]

Anyhow, Dragonlance was published five years before Spelljammer. It's a 1E setting; there was no assumption of "everything's connected" when it was made.

That's not true. The 1e Dragonlance book says in multiple places that you can get to Dragonlance from other settings. It's very clear about that.

 

[Dire Bare]

If you allow non-native races via spelljamming/planescaping, then you will also allow them to be clerics of alien (non-Krynnish) gods? As the Krynn gods are not "there" at first, could this not become highly problematic?

Or will there then have to be some meta-explanation as to why No Divine powers work even for alien clerics from off world?

You are overthinking things. Add anything you want to your Dragonlance campaign, it's trivially easy.

If you want to add a racial option not present in the canon, the "spelljamming/planescaping" option is just that, ONE option. I'd just add them into the fabric of the campaign. Want to play an orc, a goliath, a tiefling in my Dragonlance campaign? Sure, we'll find a way to make it work without the need to say, "You are a visitor from another world . . . ."

Same with class options that didn't exist when Dragonlance was first created. It's very easy to find a way. If you are playing a Dragonlance campaign BETWEEN the Cataclysm and the War of the Lance, then you are doing something very focused (no divine magic) that requires conversation and buy-in with your players. But really, the upcoming book and most folks DL campaigns take place DURING the War of the Lance, when clerics return to Krynn. If a player wants to play a cleric, who cares if Goldmoon hasn't found the Blue Crystal Staff yet? Your PC's god just "activated" them around the same time, maybe even a little before.

If you want to have a character who is a visitor from another world . . . that's the least creative and interesting option, IMO, but okay. If they are a cleric of a non-Krynnish god, you have all sorts of options. Again, are you playing BEFORE the War of the Lance and the return of clerics? If not, it's not really a problem. If so, any cleric is a problem, off-world or no. Why do you have to go through mental gymnastic to explain why the follower of Paladine can't cast spells, but the follower of Lathander can? Just rule, "no divine magic" in your campaign. You don't need to give player's a reason, as it would be a mystery to the characters. But maybe the High God restricts divine connections from deities not in the Krynnish pantheon.

So, so easy . . . .

 

[Kai Lord]

If a player wants to play a cleric, who cares if Goldmoon hasn't found the Blue Crystal Staff yet? Your PC's god just "activated" them around the same time, maybe even a little before.

Yep, especially considering that Krynnish gods of good aren't all-powerful, at least compared to rival gods. Therefore it would make sense that they'd have contingencies (ie player characters in another part of the continent) should the Heroes of the Lance fail to help Goldmoon acquire the Disks of Mishakal.

 

[AnotherGuy]

Add anything you want to your Dragonlance campaign, it's trivially easy.

This, really. The table is yours.

 

[Velderan]

Same with class options that didn't exist when Dragonlance was first created. It's very easy to find a way. If you are playing a Dragonlance campaign BETWEEN the Cataclysm and the War of the Lance, then you are doing something very focused (no divine magic) that requires conversation and buy-in with your players. But really, the upcoming book and most folks DL campaigns take place DURING the War of the Lance, when clerics return to Krynn. If a player wants to play a cleric, who cares if Goldmoon hasn't found the Blue Crystal Staff yet? Your PC's god just "activated" them around the same time, maybe even a little before.

That's the exact reason I've felt like people are wrong saying DL is super restrictive if you keep the Companions' adventure as being canon when there's nothing that says anything your PCs do can't be equally important. Using the most recent novel as a storyline idea, there's a character who PRIOR to the start of the War began seeing visions of things that would come to pass. Later she connected that it was actually the goddess Chislev showing her important events as a warning so why can't a similar event happen in your campaign except the PC actually connects the source of the visions and reconnects with a deity that isn't Paladine, Takhisis, or Mishakal? Canon at your table doesn't have to reflect official WotC approved canon and in most cases probably shouldn't if it doesn't suit your players.

 

[Wolfram stout]

You are overthinking things. Add anything you want to your Dragonlance campaign, it's trivially easy.

If you want to add a racial option not present in the canon, the "spelljamming/planescaping" option is just that, ONE option. I'd just add them into the fabric of the campaign. Want to play an orc, a goliath, a tiefling in my Dragonlance campaign? Sure, we'll find a way to make it work without the need to say, "You are a visitor from another world . . . ."

Same with class options that didn't exist when Dragonlance was first created. It's very easy to find a way. If you are playing a Dragonlance campaign BETWEEN the Cataclysm and the War of the Lance, then you are doing something very focused (no divine magic) that requires conversation and buy-in with your players. But really, the upcoming book and most folks DL campaigns take place DURING the War of the Lance, when clerics return to Krynn. If a player wants to play a cleric, who cares if Goldmoon hasn't found the Blue Crystal Staff yet? Your PC's god just "activated" them around the same time, maybe even a little before.

If you want to have a character who is a visitor from another world . . . that's the least creative and interesting option, IMO, but okay. If they are a cleric of a non-Krynnish god, you have all sorts of options. Again, are you playing BEFORE the War of the Lance and the return of clerics? If not, it's not really a problem. If so, any cleric is a problem, off-world or no. Why do you have to go through mental gymnastic to explain why the follower of Paladine can't cast spells, but the follower of Lathander can? Just rule, "no divine magic" in your campaign. You don't need to give player's a reason, as it would be a mystery to the characters. But maybe the High God restricts divine connections from deities not in the Krynnish pantheon.

So, so easy . . . .

Yes, I am overthinking that. I agree that the visitor from another world is the least interesting option. As a DM, I would have several ideas ahead of that one to pitch to a player who wanted a race not covered.

But I was playing around with the idea in my head, and the more I thought (ie the more I over thought) the spelljammer character the more issues I had with it. I decided (for myself) that the emphasis on the relationship between the gods and the people of Krynn makes Dragonlance a bad fit for most types of spelljamming/planescaping campaigns.

For the record, as a DM I would just build in a community of orcs (or other race) "just over that next hill" and let the play decide if they ever come into any closer focus.