D&D 5E What do you need for Dark Sun that is already out there?

[cbwjm]

I'd probably grab the mystic UA, even if not all of it is used, there should be some stuff in it that should be suitable for the psionic side of things.

 

[see]

You may need defiling rules.

My quick-and-dirty defiling rules:

1. By default, an arcane caster is a preserver, just like every 2E preserver used the core AD&D wizard rules.
2. A preserver can choose to defile when casting an upcastable spell. When one does so, plants die in a 10 foot * spell level of slot used radius of the caster, and the spell's power is increased as if the caster used a one-level-higher slot.
3. An arcane caster can choose to be a "true" defiler. A true defiler always kills plants, even when using spells that can't be upcast. In addition to the extra power when using upcastable spells, a true defiler gets a bonus daily* spell slot of highest castable level or 5th level, whichever is lower.

*Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with defiler warlocks here.

Defilers are of course hated and feared for the destruction they wreak. Since preservers can choose to defile to upcast and may well do so when they consider it an "emergency", even inhabitants of Athas who know and care about the difference between preservers and defilers may be wary of preservers.

(These rules were inspired by A. the fact that the mechanical advantage of being a defiler in 2e was faster class progression, which for a wizard mostly translated into more powerful spellcasting, and B. the 4e Arcane Defiling power. They also have some resemblance to the system in the article "The Preserver's Choice" in Dragon #202, which was not a conscious influence, but which I probably read when it first came out in 1994.)

 

[Haplo781]

I have everything I need for Dark Sun.

In 4e.

 

[overgeeked]

Web DM did a Kickstarter for Weird Wastelands. It’s Dark Sun will the serial numbers filed off. It’s in pre-order now. The most recent update suggests early 2023 for release. It includes a psion class.

 

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

How did you handle survival in the desert? Or was that not a focus in your game?

Personally, I think 5e is a bad fit for DS. Depending on what someone wants from the setting, they may find it in 5e, but I think the general lack of serious danger, poor support for wilderness adventure, and ubiquitous magic all tend to undermine the setting's themes. But then, I don't think 2e was a great fit, either... Maybe Pathfinder, or some OSR system?

Magic is easy to take out and 5e can be really dangerous if you want it to be

 

[cbwjm]

Magic is easy to take out and 5e can be really dangerous if you want it to be

Yeah, there are some spell adjustments to make, some are as simple as making goodberry consume its spell components so that you can rely on the druid or ranger constantly casting it for food.

 

[Delazar]

For your consideration, my minimalistic rules to play Dark Sun in 5e. We played a 2-years campaign with it, worked like a charm!

And it was before the Aberrant Sorcerer came out, which is what I would use for psions now instead of Mystics.

Here

 

[TheSword]

Lots of good suggestions. I think a lot of homebrew stuff can be implemented on a case by case basis as the PCs come across it in game. That’s the advantage of a campaign rather than a setting. I can just develop what I need for this campaign rather than trying to cover all eventualities and alignments of players.

Luckily the group with be good/shades of grey, and defiling will be implemented for them as a narrative option in play.

I’m leaning towards just using sorcerer for psion and encouraging all players to take magic initiate once for wild talents.

 

[overgeeked]

I’m leaning towards just using sorcerer for psion and encouraging all players to take magic initiate once for wild talents.

That's one way to go. To me psionic wild talents shouldn't be limited to that one feat. Basically anything in the game could be explained as a psionic wild talent. Tough, Observant, Polearm Master, a level in rogue, levels in warlock, etc. But that's going from the old 2E Psionicist book. The easiest way to do that in 5E, I think, is one free feat. Magic Initiate doesn't cover all the options.

 

[cbwjm]

Just thinking more about the mystic UA, if you wanted to have wild talents, you could ignore the class and use all of the various disciplines as wild talents, perhaps granting a small amount of psi points at 1st level and getting a small amount of extra psi points as you level allowing for the players to slowly unlock more of the disciplines powers. A feat could be included that allows you to choose an additional discipline and gain additional psi points equal to half your level of something similar. There would be enough diverse effects that no player should end up with the same powers and then the psion becomes a repeatable feat to gain access to more powers.