D&D 5E "Doom Sun" − reconstructing a 5e Dark Sun setting for the DMs Guild

[Yaarel]

But yeah, in campaign-setting-era Athas, clerics are as broken as everything else in the place. You wanted to be a cleric, your choices were either to strike a deal with inhuman elemental spirits, or bind yourself to service to an evil sorcerous tyrant who can grant quasi-clerical powers due to a ritual performed on them by their even more evil tyrannical creator...

If beholden to 2e mechanics, then the classes are unambiguous:

2e = 5e
Cleric = Cleric
Templar = Cleric (!)
Druid = Druid
Defiler = Wizard
Preserver = Wizard
Dragon = Wizard/Psion
Avangion = Wizard/Psion

But 5e isnt 2e. 2e mechanics is a blunt instrument. 5e has more nuanced options, and can probably do a better job of 2e Dark Sun than 2e can.

There is much interpretive leeway.

In my reading, the Cleric reveres the "elemental plane", not any particular elemental. Obviously, the Cleric can form alliances and understandings with powerful elementals, but the Cleric spells need not depend on them.

Oppositely, the Druids form personal relationships with various "spirits of the land". These "spirits" are actually "geographic features", like a particular mountain (earth) or an oasis (water). The Druids and elementals become a community, sometimes even a family. The Druid protects them, and viceversa.


I see
• 5e Clerics whose cosmic powers are elements and positivity.
• 5e Druids of Land, Wildfire, Moon, and maybe new circles.

I am torn about Templar. Cleric, Paladin, and Warlock are good choices. With regard to mechanics, Paladin feels the best choice. With regard to flavor, Warlock feels the best choice. Cleric is a solid choice. The Templar wields Negative magic, but can heal. Cleric works, but the Templar is a bit more of a brute than a Cleric typically is. Paladin is great muscle. But flavorwise, a self-serving Warlock who both despises and ass-kisses the sorcerer-king is spot on. But if a Warlock, it would need to swap the spell list with the Cleric spell list, including healing and so on.

The spells need to be divine, because the sorcerer-king pretends to be a god. It is a thing.

Part of the 2e flavor is, the Templar is dependent on the sorcerer-king for divine spells. The sorcerer-king can and does deny the Templar spells, to prove who the boss is, and sadistically. But this arbitrary denial of character features is bad form in 5e, because it can feel violating or abusive. (Which in this case, of course, it is!)

To roleplay this kind of relationship, I would rather the player character features be off-limits to the DM. Instead: for a player who wants to play a Templar, the sorcerer-king gives one an impressive magic item − that the player can become dependent on, and that the sorcerer-king can turn off at will.

For the sorcerer-king, the Sorcerer class didnt exist in 2e. The sorcerer-king is a Wizard. Moreover, the setting themes of the destruction of the natural environment, requires the "magic" to be technological, artificial, and exploitative. It is definitely "wizardly" magic. Sorcerous magic feels to natural. It might be possible to flavor reflavor the Sorcerer as a humanoid who uses magi-tech to artificially transmogrify ones own body, by means of magi-tech, into a draconic Monstrosity. The higher the level, the more monstrous. The Sorcerer spell list seems spot on.

With the appropriate reflavoring rewriting the classes from scratch:

Preserver = Wizard
Defiler = Sorcerer

 

[Maxperson]

Yes. IIRC the 1995 version takes into account the sweeping changes made to the 1991 version by the Prism Pentad novels.

I don't think I ever saw that version. I have the 1991 version and the Dragon Kings book.

 

[pukunui]

I don't think I ever saw that version. I have the 1991 version and the Dragon Kings book.

I only have the original box and the Gladiator's handbook (with its black pseudo-leather cover).

The cover of the box 1995 looks like this:

(note the use of the Papyrus font ... ugh)

 

[Yaarel]

There's an easier way to do this. Make backgrounds of the four elements, and make a 1st and 4th level feat. THen yo ucan be any domain, and you achieve that domain through use of an element. You are the Knowledge of Water, the War of Flame, the Trickery of Air, the Life of Earth. Much cleaner imo

Actually, that is a good idea. But the background adds many spells to the spell list. This can balance because it give spells known, not spell slots, so the benefit is versatility not raw power. But it would be enough new spells to raise eyebrows!

 

[Shardstone]

Actually, that is a good idea. But the background adds many spells to the spell list. This can balance because it give spells known, not spell slots, so the benefit is versatility not raw power. But it would be enough new spells to raise eyebrows!

Its Athas. We start strong, and we start SERIOUS around here.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I'd make the sorcerer kings work like the Heroic Boons of Theros or the backgrounds from Stryxhaven, which grant a Magical Initiate-ish Feat + an extended spell list if you have slots.

Or

Thematically speaking, the Templars would make great warlock with a Patron akin to the Genie, in which you pick one specific sub-patron.

But I prefer the background route, because many archetypes (Zealot barb, Soulknife rogue, Whisper or Glamour bard, Conquest paladin or Order cleric) would make sense for a Darksun Templar.

 

[Charlaquin]

2e ELEMENTAL CLERICS
The Clerics organize into four sacred communities. Each dedicates themselves to one of the four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. Each is an ancient way of life.

The sacred worldview reminds me somewhat of reallife Daoism, where yang and yin are two sacred elements that all existence is made out of. The goal of Daoism is the dao, which is neither the yang nor the yin, but rather is the holistic, lifegiving, harmony when yang and yin optimize between each other. In the Dark Sun fantasy setting, the four elements are the sacred elements that all material existence is made out of. The goal of the Dark Sun Clerics is the Positivity, which is neither of these four elements, but rather is the holistic, lifegiving, harmony when all four optimize between each other.

Toward harmony, each sacred community attunes themselves to one of the four elements. There is an earth community, a water community, an air community, and a fire community. Each community, as a community, optimizes between the other communities − to empower each others strengths and to cover for each others weaknesses. They become the reconnection of all four elements together, into a harmony that allows Positivity to happen.

But everything changed when the fire community attacked.

 

[Charlaquin]

I'd make the sorcerer kings work like the Heroic Boons of Theros or the backgrounds from Stryxhaven, which grant a Magical Initiate-ish Feat + an extended spell list if you have slots.

Or

Thematically speaking, the Templars would make great warlock with a Patron akin to the Genie, in which you pick one specific sub-patron.

But I prefer the background route, because many archetypes (Zealot barb, Soulknife rogue, Whisper or Glamour bard, Conquest paladin or Order cleric) would make sense for a Darksun Templar.

Personally, I’d make an Oath of the Templar subclass for paladins and a Sorcerer-King patron for warlocks. If you wanted to do a lot of work, you could make each Sorcerer King a different patron, but I think a single general one would suffice.

 

[humble minion]

I am torn about Templar. Cleric, Paladin, and Warlock are good choices. With regard to mechanics, Paladin feels the best choice. With regard to flavor, Warlock feels the best choice. Cleric is a solid choice. The Templar wields Negative magic, but can heal. Cleric works, but the Templar is a bit more of a brute than a Cleric typically is. Paladin is great muscle. But flavorwise, a self-serving Warlock who both despises and ass-kisses the sorcerer-king is spot on. But if a Warlock, it would need to swap the spell list with the Cleric spell list, including healing and so on.

The spells need to be divine, because the sorcerer-king pretends to be a god. It is a thing.

Part of the 2e flavor is, the Templar is dependent on the sorcerer-king for divine spells. The sorcerer-king can and does deny the Templar spells, to prove who the boss is, and sadistically. But this arbitrary denial of character features is bad form in 5e, because it can feel violating or abusive. (Which in this case, of course, it is!)

To roleplay this kind of relationship, I would rather the player character features be off-limits to the DM. Instead: for a player who wants to play a Templar, the sorcerer-king gives one an impressive magic item − that the player can become dependent on, and that the sorcerer-king can turn off at will.

I suspect that if WotC makes 5e DS, PC templars simply won't be a supported option.

But if I was doing it:

Background: Templarate

Skill proficiencies: Investigate, Intimidate
Tool proficiencies : something or other goes here
Feature: you are granted a Templarate Medallion by your patron sorcerer-monarch

Magic Item: Templarate Medallion

This medallion is personalised to you, and forges a connection between you and your patron sorcerer-monarch. It acts as both an arcane focus and a holy symbol for you. Your sorcerer-monarch can contact you telepathically at will, can cast Scrying on you at will with no saving throw allowed, and can use your senses at will as per the Beast Sense spell with unlimited range and no requirement that you be willing. You can also telepathically contact your sorcerer-monarch at will, though it is rarely a good thing to come to the attention of your King, and you'd better have a GOOD reason. In addition, you learn spells from the following table according to your sorcerer-monarch. You can cast these spells once each per day, and if you have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic features you can also cast them with spell slots. These spells always count as spells known and spells prepared for you. Wearing this medallion openly marks you as a servant of your sorcerer-monarch, which may draw strong reactions from others. [table of spells goes here]

Sorcerer-kings can personally empower warlocks, clerics (of appropriate domains), and paladins (with the tenets of the oaths rewritten) to serve them, but they can also have psionicists and fighters etc in their service. It just makes the templarate more interesting, flexible, and varied. One thing I'd require though, is that in DS, power comes from somewhere. Any divine spellcasting class (a class who can use a holy symbol as a focus) must explicitly either choose a sorcerer-king to follow, or must pact with the elemental spirits.

 

[Shardstone]

I'd make the sorcerer kings work like the Heroic Boons of Theros or the backgrounds from Stryxhaven, which grant a Magical Initiate-ish Feat + an extended spell list if you have slots.

Or

Thematically speaking, the Templars would make great warlock with a Patron akin to the Genie, in which you pick one specific sub-patron.

But I prefer the background route, because many archetypes (Zealot barb, Soulknife rogue, Whisper or Glamour bard, Conquest paladin or Order cleric) would make sense for a Darksun Templar.

This idea + feats is the cleanest idea imo.