D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[pawsplay]

It's time to bring back a version of Mystara.

• Weapon masteries
• Cloudier alignment and moral issues
• Bright color palette
• High medieval + Leonardo da Vinci technology level
• Furries
• Nostalgia characters like Bargle the Infamous
• Lots of weird subclasses
• Orcs as a player species
• Fun with alternate cosmology!
• It's so old, the keepers of the canon can mount no effective resistance to setting revisions

 

[Hussar]

Guess we just have had two vastly different experiences.

I'm not really sure how. I'm looking at the adventures. They don't have dragonborn in them. If your experience is that there were lots of dragonborn (or any for that matter) then your DM added them. They aren't in the adventure.

 

[Hussar]

There is a dragonborn NPC in Hoard of the Dragon Queen somewhere between Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter.

I don't think that contradicts my point. I was told there are "lots of" dragonborn NPC's in the module. Unless "one" is a definition of "lots of" that I was previously unaware of, I'd say that my point rather stands.

 

[TiQuinn]

I'm not really sure how. I'm looking at the adventures. They don't have dragonborn in them. If your experience is that there were lots of dragonborn (or any for that matter) then your DM added them. They aren't in the adventure.

Except someone literally just contradicted that statement earlier. So I don’t know what else to say to you about the issue you’re having.

 

[Minigiant]

Nothing in this would induce me to invest in that setting. I have Greyhawk in the DMG, I have Wildemount, I have the recent Realms books (which are as close to my ideal, in terms of information and structure as settings, as I have seen in my lifetime). I even have some of the earlier 5e Ebberon stuff. Unless this putative setting book does something new and interesting, I do not see myself as a potential buyer.

The 5.5e setting should not just be a traditional setting with the newer classes and species in it. It also do a style of play that is not heavily supported.

Like I would do a 5.5 a setting that is heavily based on political intrigue. Between adventures and dungeon drugs you go into the City and deal with all of the different factions and those many factions could be of many different species and classes and though every species in class is tied to different factions so you're class and species choice in your group would get you access to different people easier than other ones. Species might not be tied to a specific patron God and the deities in the world might fight over the favor of different species and classes


Like some orcs might reverse Gruumsh but others might worship Gruumsh's brother. LG Shmuug. And Orcs are split in societal examples of the CE destructive raider and the LG fanatical protectors.

Or the 4 warlock pacts being 4 minor religions jockeying for converts to eventually elevating their Patron to godhood. The Fairy King being on the cusp with all his fey wanderers, ancients paladins, and fey warlocks out there adventuring to give him good PR. Whereas it's a poorly kept secret that fiendlocks are tithing souls for Big A's ascension but fiendlocks are cheap artillery during a war.

 

[Remathilis]

I think the unique flavor of the Nentir Vale is that the heroes are in a world where the great Empires are all gone - bad and good. Civilization is still recovering, and the heroes will be basically agents that can help this recovery come along in some form. The Points of Lights that exist need defending and to be connected, and the secrets of the previous Empires might be scattered throughout the world, be it for personal riches, for helping one of the PoL, or for building a new Empire.
And I think the interesting part is that it's also a bit the same on the opposing side - the villains might still need to make a name for themselves and carve out their empire. There might be dangers everywhere between the points of light, but it's not organized. In a way, it's a setting of opportunity to shape the world and become a historical - if not mythical - figure.

I think that is different from Greyhawk, Eberron or Forgotten Realms because those are still full of large kingdoms and empires, and the evil and good empires and factions are well-defined. It's also not something like Ravenloft where evil is ruling the world (or at least the corner Ravenloft is set in?), or Dark Sun, where evil Dragon Sorcerors or what they are called rule and the world is dying.

I could possibly see Nerath as a "from the ashes" type setting, but you'd have to walk a fine line to avoid it being grimdark. I still wish we had gotten a consolidated book before 4e burnt out.

 

[Scribe]

but you'd have to walk a fine line to avoid it being grimdark.

Why avoid the greatest genre?! Lean into it!

 

[Minigiant]

I'm not really sure how. I'm looking at the adventures. They don't have dragonborn in them. If your experience is that there were lots of dragonborn (or any for that matter) then your DM added them. They aren't in the adventure.

We've had 10 years of 5e Dragonborn but we still don't have generic warriors who can breathe fire and thus an official adventure with and encounters of 10 warriors who can AOE burn you down.

Seriously. DMs

a militaristic Dragonborn faction that you can plop down in any point as a short or long term antagonist group is so good for adventure design you do not even know.

The PURE JOY of dropping a Breath Weapon 5+ turns in a row.

 

[Zardnaar]

We've had 10 years of 5e Dragonborn but we still don't have generic warriors who can breathe fire and thus an official adventure with and encounters of 10 warriors who can AOE burn you down.

Seriously. DMs

a militaristic Dragonborn faction that you can plop down in any point as a short or long term antagonist group is so good for adventure design you do not even know.

The PURE JOY of dropping a Breath Weapon 5+ turns in a row.

You csn do tgat with CR3 helhounds.

 

[Minigiant]

You csn do tgat with CR3 helhounds.

Hellhounds need to recharge.

Dragbonborn have PB breath weapons and you can vary the damage types