D&D 5E Any story/flavor tweaks you'd like to see?

[Boarstorm]

I also want Jim Butcher to reboot Dragonlance (there's enough timetravel tomfoolery in that setting to justify it). This was something that was in the works and Butcher had worked on some notes, but when he found out that neither Hickman nor Weis were consulted, he dropped out. Apparently, he was going to base Raistlin on Dr. Gregory House.

I'd pay to see that book. But I admire the level of professional respect that showed.

 

[Shemeska]

This was something that was in the works and Butcher had worked on some notes, but when he found out that neither Hickman nor Weis were consulted, he dropped out.

I have a amazing amount of respect for him for that.

 

[Howndawg]

I would like to see them truly grasp the differences between Greyhawk and the Realms. Too often, Greyhawk is seen as being just like the Realms, only with different kingdoms, different gods, and easier to pronounce names. But the differences are more subtle. The Realms are highly detailed, Greyhawk has a lot of fill in the blanks. In the Realms, the fantastic is just around the corner, in Greyhawk, the farther away you get from civilization, the weirder things get. There are probably more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

 

[Remathilis]

I would like to see them truly grasp the differences between Greyhawk and the Realms. Too often, Greyhawk is seen as being just like the Realms, only with different kingdoms, different gods, and easier to pronounce names. But the differences are more subtle. The Realms are highly detailed, Greyhawk has a lot of fill in the blanks. In the Realms, the fantastic is just around the corner, in Greyhawk, the farther away you get from civilization, the weirder things get. There are probably more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

Maybe its just me, but I've always viewed Greyhawk as much more "gray" in morality compared to the Realms. Forgotten Realms is about Heroes fighting Villains, whereas Greyhawk is about adventurer's surviving in a strange fantasy world. If I were going to separate them thematically, I'd make FR more akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Greyhawk more Game of Thrones.

 

[Stormonu]

Bring back Spelljammer in some form. I don't care if we're left sailing the void or astral seas, I love the idea of D&D in space.

I'd also like to see the return to Jakandor - that was a very interesting non-europe midieval setting where good and evil were very much "from a certain point of view".

And finally, I want to see Birthright come back, if nothing other than an Axis & Allies sort of rule Cerullia boardgame.

 

[Dausuul]

1) I want Vecna back as a fearful ancient lich who may or may not still exist; not as a god.

2) I'd like to see Eberron kept separate from the Great Wheel cosmology.

3) I'd like to see the differences between settings (FR, Greyhawk, Eberron, etc) emphasized, not smoothed out.

I would like to see them truly grasp the differences between Greyhawk and the Realms. Too often, Greyhawk is seen as being just like the Realms, only with different kingdoms, different gods, and easier to pronounce names. But the differences are more subtle. The Realms are highly detailed, Greyhawk has a lot of fill in the blanks. In the Realms, the fantastic is just around the corner, in Greyhawk, the farther away you get from civilization, the weirder things get. There are probably more, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

Hell yes to all of these.

Other changes I'd like:

• Another setting search like the one that produced Eberron. I'm no fan of steampunk/magipunk, but Eberron is a really innovative setting, one of the best produced for D&D. It is also, as far as I know, the last new setting produced for D&D, and that was ten years ago. Time for some new blood!
• Modularize the planes. That is, describe each plane without reference to any others, then have a section on cosmologies that suggests different ways of hooking the planes together--as well as leaving the option to "roll your own." So if you want, you can have Pandemonium, the Nine Hells, and Elysium, but junk the rest of the Great Wheel, and it won't have any impact on the three planes you keep (admittedly, a little finessing would be required to handle things like the Blood War, but it could be done).
• Have archvillains with more interesting motives and personalities than "power-hungry megalomaniac," and put them front and center in major adventures. Renegade angels brutally purifying humanity in preparation for the final conflict with Hell (they think it's necessary, and maybe they're right). A ruthless archmage willing to destroy the world so he can be be reunited with his lost son*. A goblin prophet who believes his people have been crapped on by the gods and intends to redress the balance, in alliance with a whimsical lich whose primary motivation is indulging his sadistic sense of humor**.
• This is venturing more into mechanics territory, but I'd like at least one sourcebook that really develops monstrous PC options, including rules and guidelines for running a campaign around PC vampires, dragons, trolls, etc. And I don't mean dhampyrs or dragonborn or anything like that--I mean actual vampires and dragons. Obviously the whole thing would be stamped with a big ol' "Use At Your Own Risk" for the DM.

[SIZE=-2]*"Once Upon a Time" is a great place to look for villains with unusual motives.
**"Order of the Stick" ain't bad, either.[/SIZE]

 

[Abstruse]

Maybe its just me, but I've always viewed Greyhawk as much more "gray" in morality compared to the Realms. Forgotten Realms is about Heroes fighting Villains, whereas Greyhawk is about adventurer's surviving in a strange fantasy world. If I were going to separate them thematically, I'd make FR more akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Greyhawk more Game of Thrones.

I've always seen it as kind of the opposite. There's a lot more shades of grey in Forgotten Realms than in Greyhawk. Greyhawk tends to be good-versus-evil, while Forgotten Realms is more like Good-but-has-an-agenda versus good-but-has-a-different-agenda versus evil-but-has-another-agenda versus neutral-but-has-an-agenda-aligned-with-the-second-good-and-the-evil and so on.

 

[Klaus]

ETA: Besides, I'm doing a lot more fiction these days. I'd love to develop (or just be involved in) a new RL line, but it could prove tricky to schedule.

I know someone who could help!

 

[Klaus]

I've always seen it as kind of the opposite. There's a lot more shades of grey in Forgotten Realms than in Greyhawk. Greyhawk tends to be good-versus-evil, while Forgotten Realms is more like Good-but-has-an-agenda versus good-but-has-a-different-agenda versus evil-but-has-another-agenda versus neutral-but-has-an-agenda-aligned-with-the-second-good-and-the-evil and so on.

Let's put it this way: FR's Gandalf analogue is a Good character that summons heroes to fight evil. Greyhawk's Gandalf analogue is a true neutral manipulator who keeps both Good and Evil from getting the upper hand.

 

[Abstruse]

Let's put it this way: FR's Gandalf analogue is a Good character that summons heroes to fight evil. Greyhawk's Gandalf analogue is a true neutral manipulator who keeps both Good and Evil from getting the upper hand.

That's just two characters though. Mordenkainen and Elmister aren't the entirety of their respective settings. Greenwood specifically designed Forgotten Realms to look like Good vs Evil but is more like Grey vs Evil. I mean of all the Forgotten Realms After-School Clubs out there, which would you call the "good guys"?

(Also, shout out to whoever coined that term, I love it!)