Yaarel
He Mage
It is the Players Handbook itself that needs to be inclusive of players from different cultures to ensure they have a safespace and feel comfortable.
D&D 5E "Doom Sun" − reconstructing a 5e Dark Sun setting for the DMs Guild
LuisCarlos17f
Legend
The right word in D&D wouldn't be monotheism but "monolatry", when you accept the existence of different deities but you only wordship one.
en.wikipedia.org
* Why not to add any thing like the "living idols" from al-Aquadim?
forgottenrealms.fandom.com
Monolatry - Wikipedia
* Why not to add any thing like the "living idols" from al-Aquadim?
Living idol
Living idols were animated, semi-intelligent statues of stone, presumably created to serve as foci of ancient religions in Zakhara. Beyond this, they could be found in some areas of the Domains of Dread. As of 1367 DR, they were sometimes worshiped by small cults, who empowered the idols with...
forgottenrealms.fandom.com
MonsterEnvy
Legend
Well in the Realms it's generally accepted to give prayers to different gods depending on the situation. It's fairly rare to take one as a patron above all others.The right word in D&D wouldn't be monotheism but "monolatry", when you accept the existence of different deities but you only wordship one.
Monolatry - Wikipedia
* Why not to add any thing like the "living idols" from al-Aquadim?
Living idol
Living idols were animated, semi-intelligent statues of stone, presumably created to serve as foci of ancient religions in Zakhara. Beyond this, they could be found in some areas of the Domains of Dread. As of 1367 DR, they were sometimes worshiped by small cults, who empowered the idols with...
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
The core rulebooks have to appeal to the broadest possible audience.
You are describing a potential niche. That belongs is some other publication - such as a setting book.
I just picked up Ravnica at the library. On a fast pass, you might find that treatment of gods (or god-less-ness) similar to your expressed preference.
Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
It does.
"Many people in the worlds of D&D worship different gods at different times and circumstances."
Many, not all.
And...
"Your DM determines which gods, if any, are worshiped in his or her campaign."
"If any" means that it's possible to have no gods in D&D. The players get told in the PHB that gods aren't forced on them and that it's a DM's choice whether to have them or not.
Yaarel
He Mage
Literally, two words is hardly support. But it is notable.
Yet, if the DM is the one who determines what religious traditions exist in the setting, then Players Handbook has no business mentioning any religions at all.
All content relating to specific kinds of religions belong in the DMs Guide as part of DM worldbuilding.
All cosmology belongs in the DMs Guide as part of worldbuilding. Not in the Players Handbook. Even spells that imply cosmology like Astral Projection, Contact Other Plane, Planeshift, and so on, probably do better in the DMs Guide, in a list of cosmological spells.
If the DM and players choose to buy an official setting, such as Dark Sun, or Forgotten Realms, they use its adventure guide together, verbatim. But the Players Handbook needs to be more open-ended and more supportive of the world that the DM is building.
Remathilis
Legend
This thread was more interesting when it was about Not-Athas.
I think it would be interesting to see if there is some ideas that could be lifted off Doomspace to be used back on Dark Sun. Admittedly, there is scant info in the book, but you never know. Moreover, I think you could use ideas from Dark Sun in Doomspace if you need to flesh it out some.
Assuming you're just going to use Doomspace just for the module, what Dark Sun influence would you add back?
I think it would be interesting to see if there is some ideas that could be lifted off Doomspace to be used back on Dark Sun. Admittedly, there is scant info in the book, but you never know. Moreover, I think you could use ideas from Dark Sun in Doomspace if you need to flesh it out some.
Assuming you're just going to use Doomspace just for the module, what Dark Sun influence would you add back?
Maxperson
Morkus from Orkus
It lets the players know that options exist and the DM is the one to ask to find out.
The DM is the one who determines everything that is possible with the world. And I disagree with you entirely about the PHB having no business mentioning religions at all. The game sets up the defaults, but supplies ideas on how things to both the players and the DM.
By letting the players know that things can change, it gives them encouragement to ask the DM for such a change. Often DMs just go with the default and haven't considered other possibilities. If the player sees those words, he can say to the DM, "I would like to be a cleric of a cosmic force or philosophy or something. Often the DM will say yes. Sometimes he will say no.
No. This is false The game must set up defaults and then allow the DM to change them. A game that forces the DM to worldbuild from the ground up is one that will fail. A great many DMs have too much going on in their life to build that much.
And all races, because someone might be offended at elf, halfling or dragonborn. And all classes, because even "cleric" implies some sort of religion. Sorcerer and wizard imply magic, and that can be offensive to some people, too. Fighters imply violence, and many are offended by violence. Weapons imply violence, too.
In short, if we go with what people out there could and would be offended by, there is basically no PHB at all and the DM has to build everything and write up for the players what is in the game.
What has to be done is what they do. Set up the defaults and let people who would be offended at religions know that not all D&D games have them, so they can find a DM that fits their needs. Nothing more should be done on that front.
LuisCarlos17f
Legend
In the 4th Ed, in Dragon Magazine #395 There was an article about "primal spirits" from Athas: Forest Father, Silver Wind, the Spirit Khanate and Stone Brother. Maybe they are fey lords ruling wasteland domains in the "Lands within the Wind".
Somes players could be very interesting into their PCs becoming the new living deities funding a new pantheon.
* The psiforged are warforged created by psionic powers. The living contructs may be "OP" in Athas because these as PC races don't need water, food, and they shouldn't be worried about extreme temperatures. Some DM could allow them in DS, but with a condition, suffereing an area effect like the Disquiet from White Wolf's Prometheus: the Created.
* We are talking about how should be the right cooking of a recipe, but in the kitchen the cooks do it in their own way. Maybe one is right for a table but wrong for other. It is really subjetive.
* After the Chaos War in Dragonlance the divine magic couldn't work like before. I wonder if the mysticism from Dragonlance could work in Athas.
* Are 5e paladins possible in Athas if now they aren't necesarially linked to deities?
* Don't you miss the psionic ardent class? and the lurk? I guess now in the 5e they would be recycled as subclasses. What a pity! Could the wilder a psionic sorcerer subclass?
Somes players could be very interesting into their PCs becoming the new living deities funding a new pantheon.
* The psiforged are warforged created by psionic powers. The living contructs may be "OP" in Athas because these as PC races don't need water, food, and they shouldn't be worried about extreme temperatures. Some DM could allow them in DS, but with a condition, suffereing an area effect like the Disquiet from White Wolf's Prometheus: the Created.
* We are talking about how should be the right cooking of a recipe, but in the kitchen the cooks do it in their own way. Maybe one is right for a table but wrong for other. It is really subjetive.
* After the Chaos War in Dragonlance the divine magic couldn't work like before. I wonder if the mysticism from Dragonlance could work in Athas.
* Are 5e paladins possible in Athas if now they aren't necesarially linked to deities?
* Don't you miss the psionic ardent class? and the lurk? I guess now in the 5e they would be recycled as subclasses. What a pity! Could the wilder a psionic sorcerer subclass?
Shardstone
Hero
That's been what a lot of this thread was about, outside of the god talk. All my posts are about what I'd add back to Fyreen from Athas, such as Dragon-Kings
Similar Threads
