D&D 5E D&D Needs New Settings

[Mind of tempest]

Bland isn't a good word to describe ANY of the Magic settings, both those released for D&D and those that haven't yet.

Lacks depths or a proper root it does not feel like a proper setting in which you could write books about for the next 30 years.

 

[TwoSix]

Lacks depths or a proper root it does not feel like a proper setting in which you could write books about for the next 30 years.

I know a subset of the fandom wants that kind of depth, but I don't think that's really what the bulk of players want.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I know a subset of the fandom wants that kind of depth, but I don't think that's really what the bulk of players want.

depth depends on how you us it, you never need to know anything about most of the forgotten realms to play in it but it is nice to have if you want it or need it.

ideally just not TFR.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

Lacks depths or a proper root it does not feel like a proper setting in which you could write books about for the next 30 years.

I think that's because it hasn't existed for 5 editions and had books written about it for the last 30 years.

 

[Mind of tempest]

I think that's because it hasn't existed for 5 editions and had books written about it for the last 30 years.

it was desighed as a setting to contain things, as it was made for a card game it is diifcult to explain but there i not something there which should be.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You can do this (somewhat) already in Eberron, but on the continent of Riedra.

Have they ever really covered Riedra in depth?

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

Have they ever really covered Riedra in depth?

 

[Mind of tempest]

question what sort of concepts need to have a setting to really work, be focused on or just do not fit at present?

 

[Faolyn]

Something that speaks to the aesthetics and social ethics of cartoons like Adventure Time and the new She-Ra.

A setting written from the ground up by and for people whose primary fantasy touchstone isn’t rooted almost exclusively in late medieval Europe and her myths.

A setting where the good guys are fighting against “civilized” imperialism.

Something more Planetary Romance/Science Fantasy, maybe?

 

[Faolyn]

For something sorta new I'd say Spelljammer. NOT to connect other settings with, or indeed have a FREAKIN' thing to do with any other setting, but to exist as an isolated new setting all of it's own. I don't want to play Spelljammer to play Forgotten Realms, or Dragonlance, or Greyhawk, etc. I want to play Spelljammer to PLAY SPELLJAMMER.

I've always wanted to do a Spelljammer thing that was more akin to regular Sci-Fi/Space Opera, in a way. It would involve the following:

Each planet with intelligent life on it would only have a tiny number of sentient species, or even just one. There could be hints that these species were spread out by a Precursor race or something, which is why you might find dragons or elves on different worlds. Like in most SF, most of these people aren't spelljamming-capable, leading those who are sometimes fighting over what to do with "groundlings." Many of the spelljamming people have numerous colony worlds. Spacefaring races have formed federations and alliances, of course--but based on worlds and spheres, not necessarily races, leading to conflict between members of the same species.

The outer and inner planes wouldn't really be a thing. Fiends and celestials could be some of those Precursor races, with (as one possibility) celestials being rare individuals scattered about and fiends gathering on Hellworlds, from which they occasionally strike out like Firefly's reavers. Other things like modrons or slaad would just be rather weird intelligent species. As a side effect, the gods would be distant and you couldn't planeshift to meet them. Additionally, each world would have its own Feywild and Shadowfell (if those places were included in this setting). Some worlds have a heavy presence of one or the other, leading to fruitful garden worlds and desolate shadow worlds.

Elementals would be just strange forms of life found on other worlds. Rocky and otherwise lifeless and/or airless worlds would be filled with earth elementals; water worlds would have water elementals; gas giants would have air elementals; stars would have fire elementals.

There would be wormholes--possibly with actual worms in them, because it's D&D--that might connect some crystal spheres, allowing for another way of travel.