Spelljammer Dark Sun confirmed? Or, the mysterious case of the dissappearing Spelljammer article...

[Maxperson]

Let's you cast that class's spells without using a component pouch. You know, what it says in the class description?

Quote me the page that's on, because I don't see in the wizard class description in my PHB.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Quote me the page that's on, because I don't see in the wizard class description in my PHB.

Can't tell if being deliberately obtuse to wind me up and get me banned:

Spellcasting Focus​

You can use an arcane focus (see the Adventuring Gear section) as a spellcasting focus for your wizard spells.

 

[bedir than]

Am I understanding this correctly? The existence of arcane focus means Dark Sun is confirmed?

 

[JEB]

My favorite settings were Ravenloft, Planescape, and Spelljammer, and I honestly paid very little attention to any other setting outside of the monsters, because I'm obsessed with monsters. Also, I never bought any adventures prior to 5e and I've only read a handful of novels and some of the comics (the ones put out by TSR).

So it's fair to say, then, that the 5E Realms and Eberron largely carrying on the old lore, with some minor changes, did not make those books unappealing to you. Because it wasn't familiar territory.

 

[Maxperson]

Can't tell if being deliberately obtuse to wind me up and get me banned:

There is literally nothing there that is a rule saying anything other than a wizard can use one. It literally directs you outside of the wizard class to find the rules about what an arcane focus does, making them NOT wizard class rules. I'm not being obtuse, it seems like you're trolling me by saying that the rules are in the wizard class description when they are not.

The RULES are on page 151 of the PHB and page 203 of the PHB, and these rules are as follows.

Page 151: An arcane focus is a special item-an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand-like length of wood, or some similar item designed to channel the power of arcane spells."

Page 203: "A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5, "Equipment") in place of the components specified for a spell."

There are no rules for the focus in the wizard section other than a wizard can use one.

 

[Maxperson]

Am I understanding this correctly? The existence of arcane focus means Dark Sun is confirmed?

I thought I established that it was Latveria confirmed.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Page 203: "A character can use a component pouch or a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5, "Equipment") in place of the components specified for a spell."

This is a rule.

Page 151: An arcane focus is a special item-an orb, a crystal, a rod, a specially constructed staff, a wand-like length of wood, or some similar item designed to channel the power of arcane spells.

This is fluff*. 5e does not define a meaning for "arcane spells". You are inferring a meaning from other editions, but there is none in 5e. If you try to work back and deduce the meaning of "arcane spells" then you would come to the conclusion that ONLY wizard, sorcerer and warlock spells are arcane, since these are the only classes that can benefit from an arcane focus. There is no mechanical effect of this sentence. You cannot use it to say "my eldritch knight can cast arcane spells, therefore I can use an arcane focus to channel the power of my spells". Rules have in game consequences. Fluff does not.

Here is the difference between rules and fluff: As per rules, a bard can use a lute as a spellcasting focus, whilst also holding a sword in their other hand. Since it is not possible to play a lute one-handed, by RAW, the bard does not have to play the lute to cast a spell. The DM can insist that bard free up their other hand to play the lute, because that makes more sense in the narrative. But that is fluff, not rules.

*Compare: "This armor consists of a coat and leggings (and perhaps a separate skirt) of leather covered with overlapping pieces of metal, much like the scales of a fish.". Fluff, not rule. It has no mechanical effect, and there exists scale mail that does not fit this description (dragon scale).

 

[Faolyn]

So it's fair to say, then, that the 5E Realms and Eberron largely carrying on the old lore, with some minor changes, did not make those books unappealing to you. Because it wasn't familiar territory.

Yes.

But if they had been radically changed, it also wouldn't have bothered me--just like how VGR doesn't bother me.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

So it's fair to say, then, that the 5E Realms and Eberron largely carrying on the old lore

This isn't really true though, is it? SCAG pretty much rolls back or ignores all the spellplague stuff from 4e.

 

[JEB]

This isn't really true though, is it? SCAG pretty much rolls back or ignores all the spellplague stuff from 4e.

It reverses the Spellplague - mostly - but it doesn't ignore it and pretend it never happened. SCAG's Realms is the same Realms from 4E, and 3E, and 2E, and 1E, just updated with metaplot changes. Unlike Ravenloft, which reboots the setting from scratch, and only nods to old lore as Easter eggs.