In some of the background for the setting, its actually implied that the Elves were all wiped out on Athas, and that the Elves that are on Athas were actually led there by Coraanu Star Racer, so the Butcher of Elves could have been successful. It was also stated in 2nd edition that Athas is the world the Thri Kreen likely originated on. Originally the setting was just going to have humans and some other strange races, but TSR convinced the designers of "War World" (as the setting was called when it was being conceived) that they needed dwarves, halflings and elves. Dwarves stayed mostly the same despite losing the hair, but the Elves gained lifespans similar to humans, the need to sleep and became desert runners, while the halflings became savages and the former masters of a water world.
For the Dragonborn, they don't really fit in with the setting and its lack of standard dragons, so I converted the dray. The elves of the setting sleep, have no special abilities concerning magic, and are so different that they really need to be their own race. Same for the Halflings of the setting - they have little in common with the ones in the players handbook. The dwarves of the setting just need their own subrace, not a total overhaul.
Aarakocra are quite different on Athas and New World Vultures are some of my fave animals, so I converted them. As for the half - giants, they need twice as much food and water as a human does and got no bonuses to abilities relating to strength, and balancing them will be
very hard, but not impossible. The Goliath were refluffed as the Half Giants in the 4th edition, but looking at EE, could be put as a secretive and reclusive race in the Ringing or the White Mountains without too much trouble.
For the Thri - Kreen, I've seen some homebrew, but not any that seemed to be based on the ones detailed in
Thri - Kreen of Athas, and I've done a version that comes in at 7.5 on the Musicus scale by my judgement, but thats just me. I'll look over it tonight.
The Pterran and Ssurran are easy to convert, and I made the Ssurran a PC race as the lore of the setting paints them as traders between the North and the Tablelands.
As for the classes, Paladins and Warlocks have to go, as they don't fit the setting. Same for Sorcerers - their role could be taken by the Wilder. Monks exist in the setting, but only in Nibenay. As for Psionics, I'm busy expanding the
Psionic rules here with consent of the original author. Druids stay in, as they are an important part of the setting alongside the elemental clerics.
I've started rules for Survival, and also arcane magic by altering the spells to fit the setting (The Astral and the Outer Planes are blocked by The Gray, and spell components need to be altered) as well as rules for Preserving and Defiling. In the original setting, Preserving was harder than Defiling, and I would like to keep that.
Here is what I've got for Classes so far. Ones in Italics Ill be working on.
Barbarian
Berserker
, Animal Aspect, Primal Guardian, Ravaged Spirit.
In the 4th edition, they had a path in which a character could seek out the most insane spirits that had been driven mad by the destruction of the land via Arcane magic, and act as the conduit for their rage. The Ravaged Spirit will be based on that. Primal Guardian was also from the 4th edition. Animal Aspect will be a setting specific version of the Totem Warrior, and Berserker stays the same.
Bard
Academy of The Way
Bards became full casters in 5e, so Psionics will replace Magic, and as bards are notorious for their mastery of poison, that will play a huge part in this class.
Cleric
Cleric Domains -
Sun Flare, Burning Eyes, Rolling Thunder, Mountains Fury, Living Waters, Earthen Embrace, Broken Sands, Dead Heart, Ill Wind, Fiery Wrath
Clerics in the setting worship and serve the Elements, so these will be the domains that can be chosen by clerics.
Druid
Circle of Ral and Guthray, Pact of the Elements
Circle of Ral and Guthray will be a setting specific version of the Moon Druid, while Pact of the Elements will be based on the kits included in the 2nd edition sourcebook
Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Fighter
Battle Master, Champion,
Defender
The Defender will be inspired by the toolkits from the second edition.
Gladiator
Arena Champion, Jazst, Montare
In 3.5, gladiator was a separate class distinct from the fighter and the Barbarian, and as gladiatorial games are such a huge part of the setting, this can be justified as a separate class from fighter.
Monk
Exalted Path, Serene Bliss
The original setting had few monks, concentrated in the city of Nibenay (which was inspired by the Khymer civilization).
Psion
This will probably be a slightly rejigged version of the
Psion here, and Im working on more psionic talents to build on the original authors work.
Psychic Warrior
War Mind, ChakakThis will be a half caster as in 3.5, with two Archetypes.
Ranger
Beast Master,Hunter,
Reaver
The Reaver will be a setting specific path inspired by the kit from the Gladiators Handbook, dedicated to tracking down and subdueing very dangerous beasts for use in gladiatorial games
Rogue
Thief, Assassin,
Dune Trader, Trickster of The Way
The Dune Trader class will be a spiritual successor to the Trader class in the original campaign setting, and Trickster of The Way is a psionic setting specific version of the Arcane Trickster.
Templar
This will probably be a rejigged Paladin.
Wilder
This is the replacement for the Sorcerer in the setting, the Psionic equivelent.
Wizard
Preserver, Defiler, Shadow Wizard, Necromancer
Both the Preserver and the Defiler use energy from life to power spellcasting, but the Defiler destroys plant life in order to fuel spells, while the Preserver uses only the amount they need. Shadow Wizards use The Black (Equivalent to the Plane of Shadow) to fuel their spells, while Necromancers use The Gray (the plane of the dead) to gain energy.
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