D&D 5E 5e has everything it needs for Dark Sun

[Remathilis]

4e Dark Sun was ~200 pages

4e Dark Sun also used the Artificer, Bard, Druid,
Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard from the PHB as is. And they had a dozen additional classes to use that could replace the Cleric and Paladin, something WotC seems deathly afraid of in 5e.

My point is that if WotC comes into conflict between character options and "The Lore", the Lore is getting chucked into the rubbish bin with a half-dozen former darklords of Ravenloft. You will see DS specific subclasses, but if you think your seeing a spell-less bard, you're going to be disappointed.

 

[Rikka66]

something WotC seems deathly afraid of in 5e.

They haven't released a setting that's really tested them on the class list front, though.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

… but if you think your seeing a spell-less bard, you're going to be disappointed.

The 1e/2e spell-less bard’s cultural role in the Tablelands was a nifty concept, but cramming that role onto the bard class was eye-rollingly dumb back then. In 5e the role is best filled by the Assassin with an entertainer background.

 

[Remathilis]

They haven't released a setting that's really tested them on the class list front, though.

Nor will they.

They are making that increasingly clear. 4e Dark Sun has all classes but the divines. Ravenloft is open to all classes and races despite former limits in 2e. Ravnica and Theros had a golden opportunity to ban classes that were too "D&D" for MTG and didn't ban a single subclass. If WotC had any gumption to ban class options, they'd have stuck thier toe in during one of these. They don't. The best they've done is MTG specific races. They didn't even try to ban full plate and rapiers from the Ancient Greece settings.

Nor will they with Dark Sun.

 

[see]

Druid: Probably cut, or significantly changed to essentially function as a "Specialized Elemental Cleric". Wild Shape gets big nerfs, or removed entirely.

Huh? Why in Athas would anyone do any of that?

Druids were the dominant PC priest type in original Dark Sun, with major access to the Sphere of the Cosmos and an elemental sphere, plus minor access to a second elemental sphere, and the full set of AD&D 2nd Edition PHB druid powers including druidic shapechange. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water and the later revised set modified the power list slightly, but they still got druidic shapechange.

 

[Minigiant]

4e Dark Sun also used the Artificer, Bard, Druid,
Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard from the PHB as is. And they had a dozen additional classes to use that could replace the Cleric and Paladin, something WotC seems deathly afraid of in 5e.

My point is that if WotC comes into conflict between character options and "The Lore", the Lore is getting chucked into the rubbish bin with a half-dozen former darklords of Ravenloft. You will see DS specific subclasses, but if you think your seeing a spell-less bard, you're going to be disappointed.

My point is the whole core if the lore runs on bans or alterations.

If WOTC is afraid to ban classes and races or make a book with 5+ subclasses, they can't make a Dark Sun worth buying that even looks or feels like Dark Sun.

 

[Maxperson]

You will see DS specific subclasses, but if you think your seeing a spell-less bard, you're going to be disappointed.

They can apply defiling and preserving to Bardic magic.

 

[Steampunkette]

Huh? Why in Athas would anyone do any of that?

Druids were the dominant PC priest type in original Dark Sun, with major access to the Sphere of the Cosmos and an elemental sphere, plus minor access to a second elemental sphere, and the full set of AD&D 2nd Edition PHB druid powers including druidic shapechange. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water and the later revised set modified the power list slightly, but they still got druidic shapechange.

1) Because they were still Priests. 3e/4e/5e Druids are a whole other creature entirely.
2) Druids couldn't shapeshift 'til level 10 in 2e Athas and it was a big franging deal when they unlocked it.

Heck... some of their starting 2e abilities actually look a lot like 5e Ranger stuff. Favored terrain? Check. Able to hide crazy good in that Favored terrain? Check! Able to talk to animals and plants but only in their Favored terrain? Check!

Druids, today, just aren't like Druids back then. But, then, I suppose that's really not important if it's the class that changed rather than the narrative... Still gonna be fuckin' weird for a level 2 Druid to transform into a Zatal and hotstep it across the desert.

 

[see]

1) Because they were still Priests. 3e/4e/5e Druids are a whole other creature entirely.

It was convenient to make them part of the "priest group" as part of the way 2nd edition was organized, sure. But while that sort of organization went away in 3rd edition, the amount of actual change over the years to the druid hasn't been particularly high compared to what happened to any other class that was first introduced in 0e D&D.

2) Druids couldn't shapeshift 'til level 10 in 2e Athas and it was a big franging deal when they unlocked it.

As it was a big deal for druids in every other AD&D 2nd edition setting, even if they got it at 7th. Moving it down level-wise in 3rd was precisely because it was their unique power yet took so long to get (and because the Shapeshifter kit from the Complete Druid's Handbook demonstrated it could be made available at low level without huge issues).

 

[Steampunkette]

It was convenient to make them part of the "priest group" as part of the way 2nd edition was organized, sure. But while that sort of organization went away in 3rd edition, the amount of actual change over the years to the druid hasn't been particularly high compared to what happened to any other class that was first introduced in 0e D&D.

As it was a big deal for druids in every other AD&D 2nd edition setting, even if they got it at 7th. Moving it down level-wise in 3rd was precisely because it was their unique power yet took so long to get (and because the Shapeshifter kit from the Complete Druid's Handbook demonstrated it could be made available at low level without huge issues).

Druids had lots of other things that made them unique among full casters in 2e. Like the ability to learn various Fey languages, identifying animals, plants, and pure water at a glance, passing through what would now be difficult terrain without issue, and being immune to Fey Charms.

There was plenty of room to expand on Druids in those veins while keeping them humanoid spellcasters 'til later. But they decided to make most of those Spells or hand them to Rangers as class features and were left with only Wild Shape for Druids as a class soooo...

I still think it was the bad choice, 3 editions later...

Anyway. I said at the bottom of the post you dissected that I guess it's not actually that important because the class's function is what changed rather than their narrative.