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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[Scribe]

And Mormon doctrine doesn't promote that idea, anyways.

I think you'll find that the doctrine has shifted quite a bit in the last 40 odd years.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I think you'll find that the doctrine has shifted quite a bit in the last 40 odd years.

I highly doubt that you were taught that Atheists would be sent to Outer Darkness growing up. Because that's the Mormon equivalent of the Wall of the Faithless.

And, regardless of what you were taught, that doesn't change the fact that saying "people deserve eternal torture for not worshipping a flawed pantheon" is evil.

 

[Scribe]

I highly doubt that you were taught that Atheists would be sent to Outer Darkness growing up. Because that's the Mormon equivalent of the Wall of the Faithless.

I'm not sure that it is, because we in the real world, operate on faith. I've never seen God, spoke to God, or seen what would in our world be (anything a Cleric does) a Miracle. Thats the difference with a Fantasy setting where your local cleric, may actually have a factual chat with their God.

And, regardless of what you were taught, that doesn't change the fact that saying "people deserve eternal torture for not worshipping a flawed pantheon" is evil.

Flawed, by who's definition though?

I mean lets be honest, we all know that the odds of anyone shifting their position in a large way, is a number essentially approaching 0. I will say, that at least from my perspective, a setting which operates on assumptions that are not "2022 NA Morality Approved" has generated more interesting discussion than I've seen in some time here.

That to me, is what settings SHOULD do. They should not just be 'standard D&D, slot in your character out of 60 options, put your stats where you want, culture? Who cares, lets go.'

Settings should reflect a different look, a different view, and it needs to actually ask something.

In that regard, even though I dont like a few things here or there, I appreciate at least that DL was unaltered, to the point of at least providing an interesting question or 2, or 3 to think about.

And despite our disagreements, I appreciate the discussion @Levistus's_Leviathan @Faolyn.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Were the Elves just as quick to accept the return of the "Good" Gods as the other races in the novels? Because, IMO, I feel like they would be an ideal candidate for Dragonlance's "antitheistic" faction. They're old enough to remember the Cataclysm. It's just logical that they would be more inclined to reject the gods that had a part in it.

I think it's something elves would welcome: those upstart and overpopulous humans getting smacked down. It's the sort of thing elves in other settings get up to off their own bat.

And, as per the 5e definition of chaotic good, "good" is whatever they want it to be.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I highly doubt that you were taught that Atheists would be sent to Outer Darkness growing up. Because that's the Mormon equivalent of the Wall of the Faithless.

And, regardless of what you were taught, that doesn't change the fact that saying "people deserve eternal torture for not worshipping a flawed pantheon" is evil.

Either:
1) God exists and make the rules, in which case they get to say what "good" and "evil" are, and can do whatever they like to anyone who gives them the brush off; or

2) God does not exist. No one makes the rules, and no one defines an objective measure of "good " and "evil".

Either way, you are wrong.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

Either:
1) God exists and make the rules, in which case they get to say what "good" and "evil" are, and can do whatever they like to anyone who gives them the brush off; or

2) God does not exist. No one makes the rules, and no one defines an objective measure of "good " and "evil".

Either way, you are wrong.

No, absolutely not. Good and Evil can exist independent of gods, especially in p polytheistic settings. Murder is bad and evil whether or not a god says it is.

As I said earlier, I don't believe that good and evil exist as cosmic concepts in the real world, but they are precisely that in D&D and I do think Good and Evil exist in the real world in relation to human existence. Murder is evil. Rape is evil. Genocide is evil. Abuse is evil. Taking advantage of others for your own benefit is evil. Things can be "evil" or objectively bad without a god objectively existing and telling you what to do.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No, absolutely not. Good and Evil can exist independent of gods, especially in p polytheistic settings.

No, they can't, because some entity has to define and police them.

Murder is bad and evil whether or not a god says it is.

According to the D&D definitions of good and evil, murder is just fine. Which makes sense for a game which is all about killing stuff.

As I said earlier, I don't believe that good and evil exist as cosmic concepts in the real world, but they are precisely that in D&D and I do think Good and Evil exist in the real world in relation to human existence. Murder is evil. Rape is evil. Genocide is evil. Abuse is evil. Taking advantage of others for your own benefit is evil. Things can be "evil" or objectively bad without a god objectively existing and telling you what to do.

Sure. That's your personal, subjective definition. My definition of "evil" includes "trying to impose your own definition of evil on other people".

 

[Demetrios1453]

Yeah, that seems dumb. IMO, if the Elves knew their role in the Cataclysm (and they should have at least suspected, if not known, due to the Gods leaving after the Cataclsym), they wouldn't/shouldn't have worshipped them.

Most elves in the setting lived far enough away from Istar to be only minimally affected. They just closed their borders and carried on mostly the same as before. And they did get mad - at humanity as a whole whom they blamed the whole mess on. It's a lot easier to get angry at and blame individuals and groups that are tangible and actually present in the flesh than ineffable beings who are beyond mere mortals' senses....

 

[AnotherGuy]

And if the Wall of the Faithless was problematic enough to be errata-ed out of 5e canon, then something similar should happen with Dragonlance.

I'm surprised that people do not see the opportunity for story-telling that exists with something like the Wall of Faithless, whether you for or against it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I'm surprised that people do not see the opportunity for story-telling that exists with something like the Wall of Faithless, whether you for or against it.

Neverwinter Nights 2: Masks of the Betrayer.