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

Hussar said:

Are they forbidden from being from the Ten Towns? Is it absolutely carved in stone that they MUST be from parts unknown? That they absolutely must not have any connection to anyone within the Ten Towns?

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No, but the population of the Ten Towns is even less than Phandelver, only a few hundred people in total. You cannot have significant populations of each of the ten PHB species. If there were even numbers of each that would work out at about 50 of each. But we know the majority population of the Ten Towns is overwhelmingly human. So that means no more than around 10 individuals of each other species.

Paul Farquhar said:

No they are a complete unknown to nearly everyone they meet whilst adventuring.

That would be the Shire if you are a hobbit.

You haven’t read Lord of the Rings, have you?

There are exactly two halflings outside of the Shire - on the entire planet. And only one is actually a relative. And they don’t know anything about the places they visit, aside from Frodo who has read a little in books and seen some maps. They don’t even know the truth about their own home, that it is protected by rangers.

Gimili doesn’t encounter any other dwarves after setting out on his adventure for that matter either, and the only dwarf place he passes through turns out to be not what he expected to find at all.

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i'm not just talking about the hobbits who are intentionally, specifically out of place (but not totally entirely foreign) to greater middle earth, i'm talking about the whole fellowship, men, dwarves and elves included, and so what if the only other dwarf place turns out to be a goblin infested tomb, moria was still there and was still significant to him as a dwarf, and erebor exists, and i'm sure a dozen more places exist in the expanded universe that i'm not aware of, the point is being a dwarf means something in middle earth, being a man or elf means something in middle earth, you have friends and foes, history, allegiances and grudges, what about that are you not getting?

Paul Farquhar said:

No, but the population of the Ten Towns is even less than Phandelver, only a few hundred people in total. You cannot have significant populations of each of the ten PHB species. If there were even numbers of each that would work out at about 50 of each. But we know the majority population of the Ten Towns is overwhelmingly human. So that means no more than around 10 individuals of each other species.

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In the Ten Towns arctic setting, there can be an enclave of Silver/White Dragonborn nearby, perhaps in a glacial cave. Neighboring but isolationist from the Towns.

BenjaminPey said:

In Rime of the Frost Maiden, there are two Goliath settlements (with an interesting feud between the two), a tiefling commune, and several isolated Dragonborn. (Three, IIRC: Torvus, an inn keeper and this guy counselor at the prison.)

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Which means both Goliaths and tieflings are significantly over-represented in terms of population averages. A couple of hundred dwarves at Kelvin’s Cairn as well. At 3, Dragonborn are about right, wouldn’t expect to encounter more than that. Elves are pretty underrepresented in terms of global population.

CreamCloud0 said:

i'm not just talking about the hobbits who are intentionally, specifically out of place (but not totally entirely foreign) to greater middle earth, i'm talking about the whole fellowship, men, dwarves and elves included, and so what if the only other dwarf place turns out to be a goblin infested tomb, moria was still there and was still significant to him as a dwarf, and erebor exists, and i'm sure a dozen more places exist in the expanded universe that i'm not aware of, the point is being a dwarf means something in middle earth, being a man or elf means something in middle earth, you have friends and foes, history, allegiances and grudges, what about that are you not getting?

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For Dragonborn, the places of nostalgia would be the nests of Ancient Dragon individuals who are personal ancestors and who may still be alive.

I understand the need (or the desire, rather) from someone to have some kind of hooks and strings baked in the setting to attach their characters to, but is a monocultural settlement the only way? Even if the setting's lore kinda prohibit it?

Tieflings are supposed to appear in other species' families. Thus the tiefling's commune in Rime, the tiefling "hidden in a farm" by the Gralhund fmaily or the three tieflings urchins hanging around together in Dragon Heist are the best way to illustrate what a tiefling "family" would look like, and it's well illustrated in the various official adventures.

It's less clear for Dragonborn (or I didn't pay enough attention, that's possible; I kind of dislike Dragonborns), but they are supposed to be a people in exile without any land nor town, IIRC. So "not having a settlement of their own" is kinda their thing.

BenjaminPey said:

It's less clear for Dragonborn (or I didn't pay enough attention, that's possible; I kind of dislike Dragonborns), but they are supposed to be a people in exile without any land nor town, IIRC. So "not having a settlement of their own" is kinda their thing.

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although, if you did make a 'made for 5e' setting, they wouldn't need to keep being that.

zakael19 said:

Legacy of the Crystal Shard has a ton of the deep north setting stuff, iirc Rime just recycled most of it verbatim.

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Can I take a second to point out that the Ten Towns lore has been recycled three times (Legacy, Rime, and now Adventures in Faerun) and people have griped about that, and yet when they go and change things people gripe about that too?

Yaarel said:

In the Ten Towns arctic setting, there can be an enclave of Silver/White Dragonborn nearby, perhaps in a glacial cave. Neighboring but isolationist from the Towns.

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Frankly, that would be far too many for a supposedly human dominated setting. With the Goliaths and tieflings and dwarves, and halflings in the Towns, and goblins, and frost giants, you are making humans a minority species.

Paul Farquhar said:

Frankly, that would be far too many for a supposedly human dominated setting. With the Goliaths and tieflings and dwarves, and halflings in the Towns, and goblins, and frost giants, you are making humans a minority species.

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But this Dragonborn community wouldnt be part of the Human community. They would be neighboring governments. Presumably, there would also be nondragonborn species that are members of this Dragonborn culture.