D&D General 1991 Dark Sun Setting Overview and Speculation

[squibbles]

The existence of a giant crater-like ring could at the minimum imply the existence of the astronomical phenomena that make craters. But more than that, it is a nod towards the sorts of sword and planet fiction that have inspired Dark Sun. I’m thinking of Barsoom.

It doesn’t have to be a published reason for why “civilizations” are clustered inside the crater, there could be any number of options open to DMs, like after the Cleansing Wars we’re over the Sorcerer Monarchs settled within the crater to “start over”, but outside the crater the rhul thaun halflings and their kreen and other desert survivors dominate. Or, the Cleansing Wars destroyed the planet but the Sorcerer Monarchs did not win and had to retreat within the protective mountains of the crater.

I could dig it if Dark Sun leaned heavier into its Barsoom inspirations. Kreen dominating beyond the crater would certainly have a green martians roaming dead sea bottoms vibe. If I'm being honest, I like that better than the Crimson Savannah.

We have to remember the time travel was oficially canon in DS, and this means the possibilities of alternate timelines where you can customize to your linking.

Wait, really? Where does that crop up?

I have to wonder, though--do Dark Sun fans want to deal with armies and mass battles? From what I've seen, the draws appear to be the Mad Max-y post-apocalypse-ness plus biotech and psionics and mutants and stuff like that, illustrated (by Brom, of course) in a planetary romance style.

Perhaps not, I can only speak for myself.

I'm thinking of the intensified conflict more as background context for PCs to get involved in at higher levels if they want. It'd be a way to foreground defiling and the vehicle driven parts of the mad-max milieu, as well as making the world the PCs live in dynamic. The reason I like it is that it would allow Dark Sun civilizations to have the scale that lots of the setting materials want for it to have. The too big armies listed in the 1991 set, the unfeasibly large draft animals, the spectacular monumental buildings--at larger levels of social organization, those things make more sense.

But, in fairness, that's just one answer to the 'what would make new areas significantly different from the Tyr region' issue you posed. I would welcome other novel and interesting responses to that question.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

About the time-travel in Athas:

Somebody from the future travelled to the past to warn, but the (future) Mind-Lords of the Last Sea thought the fate couldn't be avoided and then they chose only to save their region.

I understand the coherence in the lore is very important, but this also should be flexible for the homebred changes. If I want there is a crossover with Jackandor, or a new demiplane is discovered but this has been colonized by a mixture or a previous wave of explorers from Athas and also from Krynn (from the alternate timeline where Raistlin caused the apocalypse). Or I can add drows as elves slavered by the shadow-spiders, or shardminds, living constructs, whose weak point is the erosion by the termical change day-night (added to necrotic aura by defiling magic). Or I can say the dromites are possible in Athas because sorcerer-kings tried to create new slave races. Or the dark lady of Kalidnay returns to Athas becoming ruler of the death lands.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Actually, with dark gifts and the theros heroic gifts or how they are called, you can easily create a wild talent along those lines, and if you don't want that just get an extra feat.
Also the sorcerer (not the aberrant mind, but something along those lines) would make a fine psion (with a seperate spell list and subtle spell for free).

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

If WotC doesn't publish the mystic class, then this will be by Dreamscarred Press, or somebody using an adaptation of the ocultist classes from Pathfinder. If the warlock is a core class, why not the mystic?

The sorcerer could be possible in Athas if arcane is replaced with divine or primal magic.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

The sorcerer could be possible in Athas if arcane is replaced with divine or primal magic.

I'm pretty sure divine and primal magic doesn't exist in Athas either. It's just psionics.

 

[Faolyn]

I'm pretty sure divine and primal magic doesn't exist in Athas either. It's just psionics.

There are clerics, but they're clerics of the elements, not of gods.

Magic exists, but it drains the life force out of nature, causing further desertification.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

There are clerics, but they're clerics of the elements, not of gods.

Magic exists, but it drains the life force out of nature, causing further desertification.

Right right... would we still call it divine magic though if it is calling the elements?

 

[Rikka66]

4e had primal magic, which was non-defiling but involved contacting the super angry and scarred nature and elemental spirits of Athas. I liked it, but it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Also has sorcerer's with arcane magic, so while you could lean on the Abberant Mind as the main Athasian version, they are possible in Athas without being divine or primal as well.

 

[Faolyn]

Right right... would we still call it divine magic though if it is calling the elements?

If the elements had achieved a godlike status among the people, then sure. Something doesn't have to be intelligent to be a god, after all.

 

[June Soler]

Although I would love to have a Dark Sun reboot. However with the zeitgeist of the current era we live some of the core elements will either have to be removed or downplayed to a point that the feel of the setting will not be the same. But I am a Dark Sun originalist and really dislike most of what came out of revised and the specifics of the Rajaat/SK's war/timeline as well as the PP novels outcome (which I enjoyed reading). If these parts are included I would prefer their mentioning be as vague as possible to leave open to individual GM interpretation.

Also a soft time reboot perhaps 40 or 50 years ahead so that some Athasians are alive to remember the events but most adults of the era ( Free Year 1 to Free Year 10) have died off. Therefore creating some room for haziness in survivor memories.

To answer your question I, and I'm sure many other fans have had these ideas that other SK's do exist elsewhere and others cities do exist. I'm Sure there is an Elemental Arch-Cleric in charge of a sun worshipping city-state. I pushed a document a while back on the Dark Sun FB group regarding some differences from canon. (attached)

So yes I'm all for a different section of Athas, One that is Beyond the Horizon!