D&D 4E Do you really want Greyhawk and Dragonlance for 4e

[Dragonhelm]

Eh... they could do a moon mechanic for WoHS, sure, but I think otherwise just be a Mage and you're good enough.

Though perhaps a WoHS theme to go along with the various arcane classes might offer something new.

Less clear for Knights of Solamnia, but you could probably even peg them as Knight, Cavalier, and Paladin for Crown, Sword, Rose. That could be interesting.

Or Cavalier, Paladin, Paladin w/ Warlord, depending how much you wanted to emphasize things.

Here's how I pictured the KoS:

Crown: Fighter (Knight) - Soldiers.
Sword: Paladin (Cavalier) - Holy warriors.
Rose: Warlord - Leaders, commanders.

At the end of the day, putting aside all the mechanics, it boils down to this simple combo.

 

[Dragonhelm]

[*]3 new races (or at least racial variants): Kender (Halfling), Draconian (Dragnoborn), and Irda (Deva?)

Irda physically resemble the deva, but mechanically resemble the changeling.

[*]Additional support for Minotaurs

Yes!

[*]A setting without Drow, Tieflings, or Half-Orcs.

I hate to tell you this, but tieflings exist in DL. They make an appearance in Price of Courage. Drow existed in the module Wild Elves from 2e, but most fans do not consider that to be canon.

[*]A great opportunity for new setting-specific character themes (e.g., Knights of Solamnia, Wizards of High Sorcery, Tinker Gnomes, Servant of a True God). This is something I thought was well done in Neverwinter.

I am very excited by the theme possibilities. I'd like to write some up, but my schedule has not been very cooperative.

[*]Possible new mechanics for aerial mounted combat.
[/LIST]I could also see Dragonalnce introducing some sort of high-drama mechanic, since the setting has strong elements of romantic fantasy. No idea what that would look like.

Where Dragonlance excels is in story. This is one of the major draws of the setting. Mechanics that have a lot of story flavor would be most welcome.

 

[Dragonhelm]

I might be interested in seeing a 4E Greyhawk or Dragonlance product if they set it in a region of the world that has never been explored/dealt with before, and so distant from the Flanaess/Ansalon as to essentially qualify it as a separate world. But I still think it'd be best to explore new worlds, make new classic adventures, and otherwise add to D&D's legacy of great settings and adventures rather than constantly re-inventing the wheel.

What would you guys think about a 4e Taladas?

Or, what about a vision of Dragonlance where Ansalon is still the focus, but Taladas (and the fan continent of Adlatum) are easier to travel to, thereby offering more real estate to explore?

 

[Scribble]

What do you define as "over-saturate" when it comes to flavor that's in a book?

The 3rd edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide and Lost Empires of Faerun were wonderful books.

As I mentioned above, if say they talk about a mysterious tower somewhere from which nearby residents often see glowing blue lights emanating in the night-

Give me a description of the tower, maybe who owns it, but don't tell me what causes the lights.

In short- leave something for me the DM to flesh out.

 

[GameDoc]

I hate to tell you this, but tieflings exist in DL. They make an appearance in Price of Courage. Drow existed in the module Wild Elves from 2e, but most fans do not consider that to be canon.

All the better. That's two less things from the core rules the DM has to worry about denying players.

 

[GameDoc]

Here's how I pictured the KoS:

Crown: Fighter (Knight) - Soldiers.
Sword: Paladin (Cavalier) - Holy warriors.
Rose: Warlord - Leaders, commanders.

At the end of the day, putting aside all the mechanics, it boils down to this simple combo.

If I recall correctly, knights could also be promoted into the next higer order (Crown to Sword, Sword to Rose). Would that be accounted for by multiclassing?

 

[GameDoc]

I have been thinking about the "what era?" issue for Dragonlance.

I think some excellent pionts have been made that the novels sort of define the setting and make it hard for PCs to change the course of history the way they can in other settings.

When last I played in Dragonlance (2e), our adventuers were set following the Legends trilogy and we all enjoyed it. The novels we loved were recent history so there were plenty of "easter eggs" for those of us who read the novels. Of course, our group never aspired to epic adventures. We were happy just to enjoy the adventures.

I could see a campaign book set during the the Chronicles and/or Legends period where the characters can do anything BUT interact with the major exploits of the Heroes of the Lance. That doesn't mean they can't do great things. The War was fought on many fronts. You could do something like this:

Herioc Tier: Your adventures in the days leading up to the War of the Lance. Krynn was very much a Points of Light setting at that time.

Paragon Tier: Your adventuers during the war. Do you join the cause or try to keep out of it? If the former which side? If the latter, you'd have to use your skills as an adventurer to deal with what's going on around you. Are you really going to let those Draconians push you around, even though you're neutral in the conflict? How do you and your companions get out of a burning town that's ground zero for a battle between Knights of Solamnia and a Dragon Highlord?

Epic Tier: Your adventures following the war. Kitiara is rebuilding Thaksis' army. Do the Knights employ you to thwart her efforts? Hard to build a Dragon Army when poweful heroes go around slaying dragons and descovering/destroying Draconian hatcheries. There's a new archmage in the tower at Palanthas and he needs adventurers to acquire some legendary items. Very dangerous work, sub-epic characters need not apply.

Just some thoughts. I know it may not be everyon's cup of tea.

Starting to wish I had the time to develop this for home use.

 

[Dragonhelm]

All the better. That's two less things from the core rules the DM has to worry about denying players.

I probably shouldn't mention, then, that shifters would probably be out since lycanthropes don't exist in Dragonlance. Of course, one can change that fluff.

If I recall correctly, knights could also be promoted into the next higer order (Crown to Sword, Sword to Rose). Would that be accounted for by multiclassing?

Right, you can stay in your order or progress to a higher order. So you can be a Crown Knight, or move up to Sword. From there, you can remain a Sword, or move up to Rose.

You can account for that through multiclassing or hybrid classes, or you can just stick with your base class and roleplay it.

For example, let's say you wanted to play a Rose Knight who exemplified the best of the Knighthood. You start out playing a warlord. You know that before he becomes a Rose Knight, he must pass through the orders of the Crown and Sword. As a warlord, he already has everything he needs to represent being a Crown Knight. As he progresses into Sword, he can take a paladin multiclass feat or perhaps skill training in religion. Then he can advance to Rose.

I think some of it, too, revolves around roleplaying. Perhaps you are playing a paladin who wants to become a Sword Knight. He starts out in the Order of the Crown, and his superiors quickly realize he has a higher calling. One quest later, and he's ripe for being a Sword Knight. While we can use rules items to represent the character here, we don't need to.

Hope that helps.

 

[Scribble]

Why not make the knights a theme instead?

As you gain new theme swaps and such the choices you made indicated what order you were in?

 

[CasvalRemDeikun]

Why not make the knights a theme instead?

As you gain new theme swaps and such the choices you made indicated what order you were in?

That is what I intend to do. A theme for Fighters, Paladins, Warlords and Clerics that gave the flavor of the KoS. Basically, you would just be a Knight of Solamnia with the theme, then you could progress the a PP for each Order.