AEG Dark Sun?

[Torque]

Please pardon my lack of understanding, but how is this different other than in semantics? It is still harder to be a preserver than a defiler. The only difference is that defilers are the baseline instead of being above the baseline.
[/B]

The difference is that preservers, as the "good guys", are the ones that are far more likely to be a PC that is part of an adventuring party. As such, it is important that their power level is roughly equivalent to characters of other classes but the same level so that they are not overshadowed by them. Since defilers are usually NPCs, this balance is not as important for them, so giving them an advantage does not hurt any party dynamics.

I am not familiar with the specifics of the new rules since I have not tried to do a Dark Sun campaign in 3E yet. However, if they have made given defilers power equivalent to the core wizard, and preservers a handicap, then a given preserver will be a less valuable member of a party. Since wizards are balanced against the other classes that make up the party, a character with less power than a core wizard will not be a completely viable choice for an adventurer.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

I am not familiar with the specifics of the new rules since I have not tried to do a Dark Sun campaign in 3E yet. However, if they have made given defilers power equivalent to the core wizard, and preservers a handicap, then a given preserver will be a less valuable member of a party. Since wizards are balanced against the other classes that make up the party, a character with less power than a core wizard will not be a completely viable choice for an adventurer.

What they did, if I understand it correctly, is to give wizards one more feat. That feat can be used for any magic-related feat. Or it can be used to purchase the Preserver feat.

So, preservers use their extra feat to become preservers--and, thus, are still pretty much on the same level as wizards. Defilers use their extra feat to gain power--the lure of defiling.

 

[Staffan]

Please pardon my lack of understanding, but how is this different other than in semantics? It is still harder to be a preserver than a defiler. The only difference is that defilers are the baseline instead of being above the baseline.

The difference comes in regards to other classes, in that this is a depowering of wizards as a whole.

I myself see the disadvantage of preservers and defilers being different classes. The logic of 3E is that you are not stuck in one class, requiring obtuse methods of leaving the class behind. for the same reason one cannot be an Evoker/Transmuter in 3E (two sides of the same wizard), being a defiler/preserver should not be possible. Why can't a defiler learn to preserve? Why can't a preserver simply cast everything she knows out the window and turn to a path of evil and darkness?

In the game material (at least the early material), preserving and defiling implies different methods, not just that defiling means less work. Something like defiling requiring steps A, B, and F while preserving requiring steps A, C, D, E and F. At least that's the way I see it, ignoring the Prism Pentad. In order to take a shortcut, you must know where the shortcut is.

A defiler will eventually become evil, if not evil at the start.

Yes, but there's nothing that says a preserver is good. There are plenty of other reasons why one could wish not to destroy the local ecology each time one casts a spell.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Okay, I'll say this: No-one is forcing anyone to use the "official" 3E conversion of Dark Sun. There is quite a counter-movement on the WOTC boards, where people offer constructive criticism about the official conversion, and the athas.org group takes from it what they feel fits their vision of the setting. They don't require people to use their system, and in fact praise the alternatives suggested by the counter-movement.

That said, here's something to consider for the system the athas.org team is using: I love the Dark Sun setting not because of the clunky 2E rules, but because of the sense of wonder I got from reading the Prism Pentad. Unfortunately, 2E wasn't set up to handle all the stuff in the setting. The athas.org stuff, I could see the rules fitting the scenes from the books. It might need some fine-tuning here or there (to which they readily admit), but it's darn interesting.

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I also was a much bigger fan of the novels than the RPG, of course part of the problem there was none of my friends would play dark sun. I would love to see 3E Dark sun, hopefully they can figuer out somthing for wild talents as the psionic heavy, is a important part of the over all theme.

Man, i gotta read those books again, Agis of Asticles was the coolest!

 

[Welverin]

Wild Talents

My brothers idea for wild talents is to give characters the psionic template. Admittedly it would need some modifications, but it works better than giving every character one level of psion and is more fitting than a single 0 level power.

 

[frankthedm]

slavery

I hope That AEG won't follow TSR"s 2e mentality of "Get slavery out of Dark Sun" The stink of politicle correctness almost made me wan't to burn my Revised darksun box set.

 

[Wild Karrde]

why won't someone pick up dragonlance? WHY!?

Hopefully by now you've seen the news on the front page if not check it out. Morrus posted some interesting info you fans of Dragonlance might care to read

 

[Aaron L]

Huh?

 

[Greatwyrm]

Re: slavery

I hope That AEG won't follow TSR"s 2e mentality of "Get slavery out of Dark Sun" The stink of politicle correctness almost made me wan't to burn my Revised darksun box set.

Apparently slavery is no longer a taboo topic in 3E. Kenzer's Kingdom's of Kalamar has slavery in at least two kingdoms, IIRC. And as Kenzer's ads say, it's official.

As a side note, if they didn't like slavery, why on earth did they make all those magic and psionic powers that essentially made other beings your slave? Dominate, Thrall, Charm.