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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Dragonblade" data-source="post: 1469023" data-attributes="member: 2804">I may have got carried away a little, but I love Dark Sun. Back in the day when Dark sun was around, the setting was created first and the rules were changed to fit the setting.This is the way it should be for every setting. I don't think the rules should be arbitrarily changed, but they should always be made to serve the needs of the setting. Dark Sun was originally like this.Now its the other way around. Dark Sun has been remade to serve the rules without any consideration as to whether it makes sense or not. When I opened up my Dragon and read that article, I felt like Clark Griswold getting his Jelly of the Month club letter: "If this isn't the biggest bag over the head, punch in the face..."  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" /> For example, Arcane spellcasting is supposed to rare. The reason its rare is because out of control magic use has decimated the planet. The sorcerer kings hunt down non-sanctioned mages upon penalty of death, and the common people hate and fear magic users so much that if they see a mage he better run for his life so he isn't stoned or hacked to death by a mob.This feeling was completely disregarded in Noonan's version. Bard's casting spells completely changes not only what the original Dark Sun bard was like, but further erodes some of the uniqueness of the setting.Paladins are the same way. People who know me, know that I love paladins. I'm right up there with the SHARK crowd of seeing the paladin as that paragon of holy warrior badassness, clothed in gleaming plate mail and riding forth to smite the enemies of their god and church. Very appropriate for D&D games based on a pseudo-European setting. Not for Dark Sun.I can appreciate balance as much as the next person. I'm not saying the Bard class shouldn't be compensated for lack of spellcasting. Heck, adding psionic abilities and powers would have been fine. Or you could give half-giants a high ECL to offset their enhanced Strength and toughness. But to deliberately water them down in the name of balance or so that they can be played at level 1 is just so utterly wrong and stupid, I am at a loss as to describe how I really feel without exploding into expletives and profanity. Its the revised Dark Sun setting strength chart fiasco all over again. Half-giants are NOT the equivalent of a half-orc!! I could go on but I think you all get where I'm coming from.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f641.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":(" title="Frown    :("  data-smilie="3"data-shortname=":(" /></blockquote>

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