D&D 5E Dark Sun doesn't actually need Psionics

[toucanbuzz]

I think Dark Sun works better without Preservers. All magic defiles, period. Preservers were a cop-out so people could still play mages and not have to grapple with the consequences of defiling magic. They watered down the setting from "every mage hurts the world" to "only evil mages hurt the world".

It will really depend on players for this instance then. Maybe the best bet for defile magic is to give two options; one that shows defiling as a norm and defiling as a bonus. Let the group decide.

A major theme of Dark Sun is struggle and sacrifice, and its magic is a direct reflection. There is no such thing as something for nothing. And, to understand defiling is to understand its origin. When Rajaat invented magic, he "defiled" by drawing energy from life. His original experiments warped life, but didn't destroy it. See Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs.

When he spread knowledge of magic (with a very dark agenda in mind), he only taught "preserver" magic. Rajaat, by this time, had already discovered how to cast spells in such a way as to obliterate life and in turn gain great power. This "defiling" he kept closely to himself and his most loyal followers. Once he had found his "Champions," he stopped teaching preserver magic and turned to his Master Plan. See Defilers and Preservers. However, magic kept being taught, and by accident, untrained wizards found out how to defile. This eventually lead to the Cleansing Wars (Rajaat's champions vs. every other wizard), and it wasn't even close. And, the source book also details that since Rajaat, other sources of magic have been discovered: the Sun (how Rajaat made his Champions and dimmed the sun itself), the Black (you give more than you get), the Grey (links to the dead), and (later) the Cerulean Storm.

So, magic doesn't defile unless the wizard makes a conscious decision to take more than is needed. It doesn't mean "preservers" are always good. Those who defile might have good intentions and believe currently saving a child is more important than saving a tree (even though that tree will save more lives 10 years down the road, a neutral perspective in many ways).

My 5E DS conversion aims to capture this dilemma, this constant temptation. And, that's what defiling needs to be. That constant temptation. If it's a gimmick, it won't adequately explain the lure.

 

[nevin]

A major theme of Dark Sun is struggle and sacrifice, and its magic is a direct reflection. There is no such thing as something for nothing. And, to understand defiling is to understand its origin. When Rajaat invented magic, he "defiled" by drawing energy from life. His original experiments warped life, but didn't destroy it. See Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs.

When he spread knowledge of magic (with a very dark agenda in mind), he only taught "preserver" magic. Rajaat, by this time, had already discovered how to cast spells in such a way as to obliterate life and in turn gain great power. This "defiling" he kept closely to himself and his most loyal followers. Once he had found his "Champions," he stopped teaching preserver magic and turned to his Master Plan. See Defilers and Preservers. However, magic kept being taught, and by accident, untrained wizards found out how to defile. This eventually lead to the Cleansing Wars (Rajaat's champions vs. every other wizard), and it wasn't even close. And, the source book also details that since Rajaat, other sources of magic have been discovered: the Sun (how Rajaat made his Champions and dimmed the sun itself), the Black (you give more than you get), the Grey (links to the dead), and (later) the Cerulean Storm.

So, magic doesn't defile unless the wizard makes a conscious decision to take more than is needed. It doesn't mean "preservers" are always good. Those who defile might have good intentions and believe currently saving a child is more important than saving a tree (even though that tree will save more lives 10 years down the road, a neutral perspective in many ways).

My 5E DS conversion aims to capture this dilemma, this constant temptation. And, that's what defiling needs to be. That constant temptation. If it's a gimmick, it won't adequately explain the lure.

Exactly. Defiling is like making a pact with Hell or the Demon lords. Lots of benefits up front but the bill always comes due. Think of Defiling as the Road to hell, Wide and Paved with good intentions. I'd say that most who become the darkest defilers didn't start out with that intention.

The flip side is that great story arc of that pure magic user who never takes that power that just sits there like fresh baked chocolate chips every moment of every day.

 

[nevin]

A great argument for why D&D doesn't need rangers too.

LMAO

or barbarians, or Cavaliers, or Paladins and even Clerics. I've seen a similar argument on why D&D shouldn't have gods. <shrug>

 

[nevin]

I agree with your premise. To my mind, the central conflict in Dark Sun is that magic is bad, and its continued use by the sorcerer-kings is actively destroying the world. Not having an alternate source of supernatural power makes concepts like the Veiled Alliance and preservers in general more compelling.

It also helps to center the dichotomy between arcane magic (dangerous, but compelling if controlled) and divine magic (service to the land itself).

It doesn't even have to be a Dichotomy. Life is a random thing even in Dark sun. Even in darksun maybe 3% of the population have psionics, probably .5% have magic of anysort. The Dragons Kings have gathered most of the power. The veiled alliance and other groups fight with what life has given them. They have what they have by the accident of thier birth. Not because they have a choice in it. Only the Players get a choice.

 

[squibbles]

the reason the world is in the devastated and dying state that it is, is because powerful people abused a resource that they knew was killing the world so they could become the kings of its desiccated husk.

That is a beautiful turn of phrase which, in my opinion, perfectly encapsulates the essence of Darksun. I think this discussion would have benefited if that line were part of its starting point.

I think psionics adds to the depth and flavor of the setting, but it is not a crucial element. It's more like how all domestic animals are reptiles or giant bugs.

Your comment exposes something noteworthy.

Its quite curious to me how many posters have mentioned psionics in Darksun as a trope of post-apocalyptic fiction. That's not quite right. Psionics are also a trope of Sword and Planet fiction--as are novel domestic animals and dying worlds (not to mention large green multi limbed tharks, ahem... thri-kreen). Darksun borrows A LOT from Barsoom, and I'm mildly surprised how smoothly that flew under the radar here.

I agree with OP that psionics really aren’t necessary to the themes of Darksun. They do arguably provide a thematic counterpoint to arcane magic, an alternative route to power that comes from within and requires discipline but doesn’t harm the world. But preserving magic does that too. You could lose either without harming the setting’s themes as long as you kept the other (and to be honest, I kinda think the existence of preserving magic harms the themes a little bit.) But, theme isn’t everything, and psionics do inform Dark Sun’s tone quite a bit. That’s why the strongest (IMO) arguments in favor of them point out that they serve to make the world weirder, and tie into tropes of super-powered mutants in similar post-apocalyptic fiction. They’re important to the feel of the setting, even if they don’t really matter to its message.

I’d love it if while they were at it, they took steps to characterize preservers as well-meaning but ultimately ineffectual

I think both systems can work well together, despite being thematically redundant. Psionics could be a way of influencing the world that is useful but limited in important respects (it doesn't conjure clone bodies and magnificent mansions), while arcane magic could be an overwhelmingly potent, versatile, and environmentally destructive source of power. Preserving could be a have-it-both-ways outlook which tries to take the best of arcane magic without causing harm that, at bottom, is a lie and self-deceptive rationalization--preservers would destroy the planet, It'd just take them a while longer.

The verisimilitude of the setting falls apart if there are other equally powerful magics though. Druids and elemental clerics (and any other nonsense that 5e adds) need to be significantly weaker than defilers for it to make sense that everybody important, knowing the horrible consequences, chose to defile the planet.

 

[Zardnaar]

I would rather do a Darksun inspired world without psionics over removing Psionics from Darksun.

Big part of the world.

I don't think Meals and co are drunk enough to remove psionics from Darksun.

 

[Staffan]

So, magic doesn't defile unless the wizard makes a conscious decision to take more than is needed. It doesn't mean "preservers" are always good. Those who defile might have good intentions and believe currently saving a child is more important than saving a tree (even though that tree will save more lives 10 years down the road, a neutral perspective in many ways).

IMO, this removes one of the main drawbacks of being a defiler: the lack of subtlety. A defiler should be more powerful magically than an equal-level preserver, but it's super obvious when they cast spells because there's a great big black circle around them.

Ideally, defiling should be an option for preservers who need an extra boost, but if you do it enough you become a defiler. It's a bit like the Force in that way – the Dark Side is happy to help out a Light Side user in a tight spot, but it exacts a toll for doing so, and if you do it enough the Light Side will stop responding.

I've seen a similar argument on why D&D shouldn't have gods. <shrug>

This is Dark Sun we're talking about, which doesn't have gods. This is the best treatment of the divine in any D&D setting. The second best is Eberron, where gods may or may not exist, but you can certainly get power from faith in them anyway.

The verisimilitude of the setting falls apart if there are other equally powerful magics though. Druids and elemental clerics (and any other nonsense that 5e adds) need to be significantly weaker than defilers for it to make sense that everybody important, knowing the horrible consequences, chose to defile the planet.

Druids and clerics are limited by the need to make pacts for their power. This both imposes restrictions on them, and limits how many you can have.

There's also the unspoken conceit that the player-facing rules need not be how things work for everyone. It's easy to say that while for a PC, advancing as a cleric, preserver, or defiler is roughly equally easy, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a dozen defilers for each preserver or cleric around.

 

[briggart]

A major theme of Dark Sun is struggle and sacrifice, and its magic is a direct reflection. There is no such thing as something for nothing. And, to understand defiling is to understand its origin. When Rajaat invented magic, he "defiled" by drawing energy from life. His original experiments warped life, but didn't destroy it. See Windriders of the Jagged Cliffs.

When he spread knowledge of magic (with a very dark agenda in mind), he only taught "preserver" magic. Rajaat, by this time, had already discovered how to cast spells in such a way as to obliterate life and in turn gain great power. This "defiling" he kept closely to himself and his most loyal followers. Once he had found his "Champions," he stopped teaching preserver magic and turned to his Master Plan. See Defilers and Preservers. However, magic kept being taught, and by accident, untrained wizards found out how to defile. This eventually lead to the Cleansing Wars (Rajaat's champions vs. every other wizard), and it wasn't even close. And, the source book also details that since Rajaat, other sources of magic have been discovered: the Sun (how Rajaat made his Champions and dimmed the sun itself), the Black (you give more than you get), the Grey (links to the dead), and (later) the Cerulean Storm.

So, magic doesn't defile unless the wizard makes a conscious decision to take more than is needed. It doesn't mean "preservers" are always good. Those who defile might have good intentions and believe currently saving a child is more important than saving a tree (even though that tree will save more lives 10 years down the road, a neutral perspective in many ways).

My 5E DS conversion aims to capture this dilemma, this constant temptation. And, that's what defiling needs to be. That constant temptation. If it's a gimmick, it won't adequately explain the lure.

This may be one of the things that changed with the revised boxed set, but I think the jihad against preservers came before and was distinct from the Cleansing Wars. After the jihad, Rajaat selected his Champions and started the Cleansing Wars, but by that time the few remaining preservers had already gone into hiding. Besides, wizards were either human, elf or half-elf, so I don't think the Champions faced a lot of arcane opposition, with the possible exceptions of Albeorn.

 

[grimslade]

I like Umbran's sandwich analogy. Can you make a Reuben without corned beef? Sure. You can make it with turkey, but it stops being a Reuben and becomes a Rachel. Similarly, you can make Dark Sun without psionics, but it stops being Dark Sun and becomes something else.
Psionics is the native supernatural power on Athas. Magic is the alien supernatural. The Sorcerer-Kings are a blend of Defiler and Psionicist. The flora and fauna of Athas can harbor powers of the mind. It is the weird fantasy portion of Dark Sun. Everything is more dangerous than it appears. Weapons are weaker than in traditional settings. Wizards are weaker unless they destroy the world a bit more. Gods? Dead. Psionics brings back a little of that power lost.
Also, the fact that they boosted ability scores into the 20s and started at level 3.

I believe the setting loses a major core strength and identity without psionics, especially, without wild powers. WotC is not interested in breaking the form of 5E. Dark Sun was a divergence for 2E. I don't believe we will see a Dark Sun setting. We may see an adventure but it will be a pale ghost of Dark Sun, a sad desert version of the Sword Coast. The Core handbooks will be maintained. So can you have Dark Sun without psionics? Sure. Some people may even like it, but it will not be the scorched world of Athas.

 

[toucanbuzz]

This may be one of the things that changed with the revised boxed set, but I think the jihad against preservers came before and was distinct from the Cleansing Wars. After the jihad, Rajaat selected his Champions and started the Cleansing Wars, but by that time the few remaining preservers had already gone into hiding. Besides, wizards were either human, elf or half-elf, so I don't think the Champions faced a lot of arcane opposition, with the possible exceptions of Albeorn.

Yeah, my bad. Rajaat went to war against preservers first and had chosen his students primarily from races he had found were most susceptible to his philosophies.

Linking this all back to the original idea - do we need psionics - it's all an integral part of the lore. Even psionics was an aberration, a side effect of the war between the githyanki and githzerai. It's something that, unlike everything else on Athas, doesn't beholden you to another. If you're a wizard, the magic demands a cost of life force. If you're a warrior, someone demands your fealty. If you're a cleric, you're tied entirely to the elements. A templar to the sorcerer king. And so on. But psionics...it's all you. That purety, in some ways, allows it to function openly as an accepted part of the world while everything else is often viewed with suspicion and/or fear.