D&D 5E (2014) 5e has everything it needs for Dark Sun

[Steampunkette]

It's quoted from the 2e Darksun book. Every rock formation. I think it's safe to assume that there are greater and lesser spirits, and the druids would serve the greater ones.

Again, "Every Rock Formation" doesn't specifically mean that it has it's own spirit. Only that it is protected by a spirit.

Though there is another thing to note: "Unique geographic features are guarded by spirits when druids serve" Not "That" druids serve. Or "Which" druids serve. -When- Druids serve.

Does the Druid's presence somehow impart genius loci? Does their oath to protect a unique geographic feature result in a spirit traveling to that location to guard it?

 

[Sithlord]

The dark sun bard should just be a rogue subclass.

 

[cbwjm]

The dark sun bard should just be a rogue subclass.

I'd drop the bard class and use the rogue class, probably wouldn't even worry about a unique subclass. Give a rogue the entertainer background and you more or less have the classic Athasian bard.

 

[Sithlord]

I'd drop the bard class and use the rogue class, probably wouldn't even worry about a unique subclass. Give a rogue the entertainer background and you more or less have the classic Athasian bard.

I would tweak the assassin class and give them performance and entertainment skills. And i would have features that help charisma based skills in general. I always say the dark sun bard as the charismatic entertainer that people loved and was a deadly assassin after the show is over. No subclass does that well. As currently written most would have charisma as a dump stat. Not all mind you.

 

[Steampunkette]

Ignoring for DM fiat, there is no rule in D&D for losing your class powers. Not for clerics, druids, paladinr or warlocks. It's a fine house-rule, and it's kinda implied sorta-in Oathbreaker paladins, but RAW there is no mechanic in play that takes away your spellcasting.

Which is part of the problem with this exercise; we're still applying definitions to spellcasting that no longer is universally applicable. When Dark Sun was created, there were only two Spellcaster groups: Priest and Wizard so it was easy to lump everything arcane into the Wizard group and everything Divine under Priest. Likewise, 3e precisely defined Arcane and Divine as having innate qualities (like Arcane Spell Failure or Divine Focus components) and 4e lived and died by power-source and role. But 5e has no such structures and even less consistency.

Dark Sun is going to have to force that structure onto 5e, and it's not going to be an easy fit. It will either have to do that class by class (and ignore areas where power-source changes, like the aberrant mind or divine soul) or do so by subclass and be outdated the minute a new book with subclasses in it is released. Neither is as clean as the older editions, but that's the price we paid for having 14 classes try to do the job of 30+ from editions past...

I recognize there's no rule in 5e for losing class powers (There obviously was in previous editions) I'm saying for Dark Sun.

I sincerely don't think it's a "Problem" and I don't think it will be a difficult fit. Just label specific classes Arcane, Divine, Primal, Psionic, Cromulent, or whatever other term the designers think is appropriate and then...

Well really that's it.

Going subclass by subclass would definitely cause a hassle... so just... don't. No need to. No reason to. If a DM decides "That's a stupid decision and Divine Soul Sorcerers should be Divine Casters" then it gets houseruled and everyone's happy. Or do! And then let people use what you've put down as a guideline going forward. Doesn't -really- matter, in the end.

This isn't massively complex, it's just quickie labeling that can be done as part of a few pages of a book where the fluff for each class is described as it pertains to Athas.

 

[Steampunkette]

I would tweak the assassin class and give them performance and entertainment skills. And i would have features that help charisma based skills in general. I always say the dark sun bard as the charismatic entertainer that people loved and was a deadly assassin after the show is over. No subclass does that well. As currently written most would have charisma as a dump stat. Not all mind you.

Classes of Athas (Dark Sun) | Player’s Guide for Fifth Edition

Interested in playing a Dark Sun campaign for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition? Here are the class options converted to 5e D&D.

dmdave.com

DM Dave to the rescue! He created a Bard Subclass for Rogues that gets Distracting Performance, Jack of all Trades, Poison Master, Enthralling Performance, and Stunning Performance.

Plus proficiency in perform/instruments/stuff.

Work's already done and a half.

 

[Sithlord]

Classes of Athas (Dark Sun) | Player’s Guide for Fifth Edition

Interested in playing a Dark Sun campaign for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition? Here are the class options converted to 5e D&D.

dmdave.com

DM Dave to the rescue! He created a Bard Subclass for Rogues that gets Distracting Performance, Jack of all Trades, Poison Master, Enthralling Performance, and Stunning Performance.

Plus proficiency in perform/instruments/stuff.

Work's already done and a half.

Thank you. I may like this better than what wotc does if there is plan is another kitchen sink setting. Which doesn’t bother me. I modify everything to suit my needs.

 

[ChaosOS]

I would tweak the assassin class and give them performance and entertainment skills. And i would have features that help charisma based skills in general. I always say the dark sun bard as the charismatic entertainer that people loved and was a deadly assassin after the show is over. No subclass does that well. As currently written most would have charisma as a dump stat. Not all mind you.

Assassin Rogue + Entertainer background just... does that. Infiltration Expertise & Imposter are both extremely social oriented. The main gap is the actual poisons, which... is just a general 5e gap.

 

[Sithlord]

Assassin Rogue + Entertainer background just... does that. Infiltration Expertise & Imposter are both extremely social oriented. The main gap is the actual poisons, which... is just a general 5e gap.

I don’t really give a darn about backgrounds. Just a terrible system in general. Let people pick their own skills and design their fluff as they see fit. I want a robust athasian bard designed to have charismatic features integrated in the class. Now that link to what DM Dave did for his homebrew bard. That is beautiful. I will use that. Hell I’ll use that in other settings. That is sweet.

although a quite good build and post for many others.

 

[Maxperson]

Again, "Every Rock Formation" doesn't specifically mean that it has it's own spirit. Only that it is protected by a spirit.

Though there is another thing to note: "Unique geographic features are guarded by spirits when druids serve" Not "That" druids serve. Or "Which" druids serve. -When- Druids serve.

Does the Druid's presence somehow impart genius loci? Does their oath to protect a unique geographic feature result in a spirit traveling to that location to guard it?

So I went and dug out the monstrous compendium and looked up spirit of the land.

"A Spirit of the Land is a powerful being that inhabits the various geological features (mountains, hills, rock formations, hotsprings, river beds, winds, skies, etc.) of Athas."

"A spirit of the earth is perhaps the strongest of the spirits, since the earth is always present. On an individual basis, a spirit of a rocky outcropping in a sandy waste may be threatened if someone begins to break up the rock."

Note how it separates those features, including rock formations, and gives them a spirit of the land. My interpretation would seem to be the correct one. It even specifies rocky outcropping explicitly having an individual spirit.

It also implies through it's language that the spirits are there, but prefer to work with druids and almost never talk to anyone other than a druid or cleric.