D&D 5E Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide & Monster Manual (link) 1.9

toucanbuzz · Feb 3, 2020

toucanbuzz submitted a new resource:

Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide - Conversion of Dark Sun rules to 5E

A long-term project converting AD&D's Dark Sun to 5E, utilizing resources from 3rd edition resources (athas.org, Dragon magazine), innumerable homebrew projects, 4E material, and years of experience playing the setting. The goal was to preserve the 3 pillars of the setting: (1) unique and flavorful races, (2) psionics, and (3) defiling.

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toucanbuzz · Feb 6, 2020

toucanbuzz updated Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide & Monster Manual (link) with a new update entry:

Dark Sun campaign guide updates

v1.7

Typographical errors

Table of Contents, adjusted for changes

Front page art changed

Psionics, added Psionic rules link to the Korranberg Chronicles on DMs Guild. The best I've found thus far that creates an independent system, with 2 new psionic classes, 3 subtypes (fighter, monk, rogue), monsters, NPC stat blocks, and a reasonable list of talents (core psionic power) and their augments (enhancements to core powers once those core powers are activated). For those...

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toucanbuzz · Mar 8, 2020

toucanbuzz updated Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide & Monster Manual (link) with a new update entry:

v1.8

Tightened up some language, removed some redundant language

Half-giant, removed double vitality optional rule (too powerful), hp trait restored to 2 per level

Backgrounds: Outlander feature modified (advantage on forage checks instead of automatic)

Optional rules: cleaned up several, vitality restored at CON modifier per long rest, not 1+ CON

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toucanbuzz · Mar 8, 2020

toucanbuzz updated Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide & Monster Manual (link) with a new update entry:

Dark Sun update

v1.8

Tightened up some language, removed some redundant language

Half-giant, removed double vitality optional rule (too powerful), hp trait restored to 2 per level

Backgrounds: Outlander feature modified (advantage on forage checks instead of automatic)

Optional rules: cleaned up several, vitality restored at CON modifier per long rest, not 1+ CON

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toucanbuzz · Mar 11, 2020

toucanbuzz updated Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide & Monster Manual (link) with a new update entry:

v.181

Updated druid wild shape list to match fixes to monster manual.

Changed errata that druids do assume the entire stat block of creatures (RAW), including innate powers such as psionic. This fits with the Crag Cat (SKT) which had supernatural features and maintains the CR of the creature.

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Evybrueh · May 8, 2020

toucanbuzz said:
toucanbuzz submitted a new resource:

Dark Sun 5E Campaign Guide - Conversion of Dark Sun rules to 5E

Read more about this resource...

hi, we are starting a new campaign using your guide (thanks!!!) and we are having a discussion about darkvision in the races of Athas. Only dwarves have the feature and the others (even thri-kreen) show no information about it... was it intentional?

toucanbuzz · May 8, 2020

Evybrueh said:
hi, we are starting a new campaign using your guide (thanks!!!) and we are having a discussion about darkvision in the races of Athas. Only dwarves have the feature and the others (even thri-kreen) show no information about it... was it intentional?

Awesome! Taking away darkvision for elves and half-elves was intentional when balancing racial features. The in-game rationale could be explained by the mutations that permeate all the races, combined with Rajaat's cleansing war. This isn't canon as the original 2E elves had infravision (there's an interview with Troy Denning where they wanted to make Dark Sun extremely alien but had to tone it down to appeal to the default D&D player). Ultimately, it adds to the alien feel that the elves of Athas have virtually nothing in common with their Realms counterparts other than their ears. They have strayed or evolved or become something totally different.

Kreen were trickier because the Thri-kreen of Athas supplement went into detail on their antennae, which allowed them in principle to navigate some forms of darkness by sensing changes in air pressure, but it was way too messy of a mechanic, and it wasn't vision. (In AD&D terms, they mitigated any penalty from darkness or blindness by 1). It might be better suited for a Racial Feat, maybe developed antennae, that offset the disadvantage caused by being unable to see, within a certain range.