Dragonlance Dragonlance Adventure & Prelude Details Revealed

Over on DND Beyond Amy Dallen and Eugenio Vargas discuss the beginning of Shadow of ther Dragon Queen and provide some advice on running it.

Running a Session Zero for Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

When starting a new adventure, it's a good idea to get on the same page as your party. Here's how to run a session zero for the upcoming Dragonlance adv...

www.dndbeyond.com

This epic war story begins with an invitation to a friend's funeral and three optional prelude encounters that guide you into the world of Krynn. Amy Dallen is joined by Eugenio Vargas to share some details about how these opening preludes work and some advice on using them in your own D&D games.

There is also information on the three short 'prelude' adventures which introduce players to the world of Krynn:

• Eye in the Sky -- ideal for sorcerers, warlocks, wizards, or others seeking to become members of the Mages of High Sorcery.
• Broken Silence -- ideal for clerics, druids, paladins, and other characters with god-given powers.
• Scales of War -- ideal for any character and reveals the mysterious draconians.

The article discusses Session Zero for the campaign and outlines what to expect in a Dragonlance game -- war, death, refugees, and so on.

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[DarkCrisis]

I don't why they'd "have" to do anything. They can reimagine huge parts of old settings if they feel like it.

But how much do they “reimagine” before it’s just something different using the name for sales purposes?

 

[Velderan]

But how much do they “reimagine” before it’s just something different using the name for sales purposes?

Basically. At what point do you just call it a wash and create a new setting that could address problematic elements at creation?

 

[overgeeked]

But how much do they “reimagine” before it’s just something different using the name for sales purposes?

Two things, 1) Dragonlance has always changed from book to book, edition to edition. 2) The ship of Theseus.

 

[Faolyn]

How is it presented there?

Alignments are only for supernatural creatures, and with them it's written as a trait that say "the monster radiates a Chaotic/Evil/Good/Lawful aura." Intelligent monsters are treated as people and almost none of them are written as inherently evil--and those few creatures that are depicted as being more evil than not, it's still made clear within the body of the text that good, or at least neutral groups of them exist.

As an example, boggards--Level Up's version of bullywugs--are given to a lot of infighting and warring amongst themselves, but this means that peaceful non-boggard communities may get caught up in the middle of it, simply because they're between two groups of boggards. Thus, boggards are shown as being destructive without turning them into another race of raiders who just want to hurt humans. So you can treat them as monsters to be killed, or you could try to get them to find peace with each other, or you can find a way that they can go to war with each other without harming the helpless villagers stuck between them.

 

[Scribe]

As an example, boggards

I opened my copy to that page as well, funny.

I also had a flip through MotM yesterday, and it seems that Wizards kind of went the same way? I mean the Orc write up is...well wildly different now to say the least.

Do you have it? If so, thoughts?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I opened my copy to that page as well, funny.

I also had a flip through MotM yesterday, and it seems that Wizards kind of went the same way? I mean the Orc write up is...well wildly different now to say the least.

Do you have it? If so, thoughts?

I haven't read the orc entry in MotM. What's it say?

 

[Velderan]

Alignments are only for supernatural creatures, and with them it's written as a trait that say "the monster radiates a Chaotic/Evil/Good/Lawful aura." Intelligent monsters are treated as people and almost none of them are written as inherently evil--and those few creatures that are depicted as being more evil than not, it's still made clear within the body of the text that good, or at least neutral groups of them exist.

As an example, boggards--Level Up's version of bullywugs--are given to a lot of infighting and warring amongst themselves, but this means that peaceful non-boggard communities may get caught up in the middle of it, simply because they're between two groups of boggards. Thus, boggards are shown as being destructive without turning them into another race of raiders who just want to hurt humans. So you can treat them as monsters to be killed, or you could try to get them to find peace with each other, or you can find a way that they can go to war with each other without harming the helpless villagers stuck between them.

It's been a bit since I flipped through it, but things like that are what I liked about VGtM. Sections like the goblinoids described goblin society in a way that made them more interesting and definitely not simply cannon fodder to throw at low level PCs. Pretty sure they were still described largely as evil, but effort was at least put into making them more complex.

 

[Faolyn]

I opened my copy to that page as well, funny.

I also had a flip through MotM yesterday, and it seems that Wizards kind of went the same way? I mean the Orc write up is...well wildly different now to say the least.

Do you have it? If so, thoughts?

No, because I already have Volo's And Mordy's Tome of Foes, so I didn't really feel the need to spend more money on the same thing.

Edit: Are orcs in MotM as a monster or as a player race?

 

[AnotherGuy]

Two things, 1) Dragonlance has always changed from book to book, edition to edition. 2) The ship of Theseus.

Good grief what a smart little thief!
This guy stole Matthew Mercer's talking style, he is just not as crisp clear as Mercer.

 

[Scribe]

I haven't read the orc entry in MotM. What's it say?

Edit: Are orcs in MotM as a monster or as a player race?

Player, I think you'll like it.