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

 

[Micah Sweet]

this ship has sailed... we are getting a reimagined Dragon Lance... there is no "leave it alone"

The ship has sailed either way. Are they describing the Cataclysm the way you want them to in the new book? Is there a reasonable chance that they'll do another DL book any time soon?

 

[mamba]

except again good intentions with evil acts or deeds are evil

too simplistic, as I said. In the mind of the Kingpriest the act is not evil.

As an example: Ogres are evil, therefore killing all ogres is good.

correct and there is A LOT of room for grey in the real world... not really what we got in krynn though

there is a lot more of that than you are evidently seeing

yeah I don't think I am the one cherry picking

you have one sentence and a lot of opinion to go by, sounds pretty much like cherry picking

 

[Maxperson]

wait you think saving the town/city/village is boreing? what do YOU do to level up?

I think ONLY saving towns and villages would be boring.

okay but you have reasons right? it's not just "Hey lets go loot this grave yard?"

Usually. It really depends on the characters and campaign. Most of the time we're the heroes. Sometimes we're not heroes or villains, so looting an old long lost tomb is in the cards. Very rarely we're an evil group. Very rarely.

why would you have to? does your DM often have vampires and wights that are NOT attacking you or others? If so what are they doing?

I'm talking about if we sneak up on them. We're going to ambush them, not wait for them to attack so we can claim self-defense against undead monsters.

 

[Maxperson]

then why is it that the good people good priests that outnumbereed and out powered evil (tiliting the scale) couldn't stop the evil?

Good can be blind to evil. This is a common trope in fantasy.

again, show it... how did good cause it

By being too powerful in the world. Krynn requires balance. Good and evil must be equal.

 

[mamba]

what goal post? this isn't a game... no one should be trying to 'score points'

figure of speech, are you not familiar with it ?

 

[Veltharis ap Rylix]

The ship has sailed either way. Are they describing the Cataclysm the way you want them to in the new book? Is there a reasonable chance that they'll do another DL book any time soon?

To be fair, this is primarily an adventure book, not a setting guide, so while I doubt it would happen anytime soon (probably not before the 2024 revamp, at least), I could see a proper Dragonlance Campaign Setting being in the cards provided interest is high enough.

Like how Curse of Strahd paved the way for Van Richten's.

 

[Velderan]

this ship has sailed... we are getting a reimagined Dragon Lance... there is no "leave it alone"

And what has been presented so far that you think it will be closer to something you might not object to vs. how it was presented? The marketing and promo stuff all seem to pretty well align with how things have been explained, just not in as great of detail. I'd be completely surprised if a 224 adventure book goes to great lengths to rewrite basic foundational world lore.

The reimagined part seems to be who can be a knight/mage of high sorcery, where did the floating citadels come from, what was Lord Soth's involvement, and how did clerics show up in Kalaman. Things that the adventure will actually firsthand dive into.

 

[Maxperson]

I am questioning the 'too much good is bad' part of the cosmic balance.\

Take it up with the High God.

"The High God created the twenty-one lesser gods to be its servants in the plan for Krynn. When the mortals were created, Ionthas tried to take control of the world and its fate, beginning the All-Saints War as the gods wrestled for the fate of the mortals. One camp, led by Takhisis, held that mortals should be the slaves of the gods and tried to exert their influence to control them. The opposing camp, led by Paladine, said they should do as the High God instructed and guide the mortals, and realize that the mortals were gifted with the potential to grow and change and eventually become better and brighter than the gods themselves, and this faction wrestled with the evil gods to stop them from gaining control of the mortals. The gods of neutrality took neither side, and did nothing more than tend their responsible areas. Eventually, the High God intervened and declared thus: It is the High God, and they were all as nothing compared to it. It was pleased with Paladine and his fellows, for they adhered to the spirit as well as the letter of the High God's instructions. It was displeased with Gilean and his camp, for they adhered only to the letter, but it would permit them their seeming neutrality, even though all they did would be to the High God's purpose. And it was mightily displeased with the gods of Evil, who sought to rise above themselves. However, it would permit them their efforts, for they made a balance with the other two, a balance that anchored the world--and the balanced could be changed, but the change must come from within, from the mortals themselves and not be forced upon it by the gods."

So the Kingpriest forcing imbalance via godly power, and the other clerics of the good gods gaining dominance for good, was a violation of the High God's instructions. It had to be balanced, because it did not come from the mortals.

 

[Velderan]

To be fair, this is primarily an adventure book, not a setting guide, so while I doubt it would happen anytime soon (probably not before the 2024 revamp, at least), I could see a proper Dragonlance Campaign Setting being in the cards provided interest is high enough.

Like how Curse of Strahd paved the way for Van Richten's.

Agreed. If this book sells well enough, with them already announcing next year's slate of book we're probably looking at DL being explored as a campaign setting around OneD&D's release in 2024 at the earliest. Probably later though if this sells well.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Take it up with the High God.

"The High God created the twenty-one lesser gods to be its servants in the plan for Krynn. When the mortals were created, Ionthas tried to take control of the world and its fate, beginning the All-Saints War as the gods wrestled for the fate of the mortals. One camp, led by Takhisis, held that mortals should be the slaves of the gods and tried to exert their influence to control them. The opposing camp, led by Paladine, said they should do as the High God instructed and guide the mortals, and realize that the mortals were gifted with the potential to grow and change and eventually become better and brighter than the gods themselves, and this faction wrestled with the evil gods to stop them from gaining control of the mortals. The gods of neutrality took neither side, and did nothing more than tend their responsible areas. Eventually, the High God intervened and declared thus: It is the High God, and they were all as nothing compared to it. It was pleased with Paladine and his fellows, for they adhered to the spirit as well as the letter of the High God's instructions. It was displeased with Gilean and his camp, for they adhered only to the letter, but it would permit them their seeming neutrality, even though all they did would be to the High God's purpose. And it was mightily displeased with the gods of Evil, who sought to rise above themselves. However, it would permit them their efforts, for they made a balance with the other two, a balance that anchored the world--and the balanced could be changed, but the change must come from within, from the mortals themselves and not be forced upon it by the gods."

So the Kingpriest forcing imbalance via godly power, and the other clerics of the good gods gaining dominance for good, was a violation of the High God's instructions. It had to be balanced, because it did not come from the mortals.

Sounds a lot like Iluvatar and the Valar from the Silmarillion. Iluvatar told Melkor that no matter what he did, he could not truly work against His plans, and ultimately he shall prove but to be His instrument. The actions of evil are incorporated into the divine plan.