WotC Dragonlance: Everything You Need For Shadow of the Dragon Queen

WotC has shared a video explaining the Dragonlance setting, and what to expect when it is released in December.

World at War: Introduces war as a genre of play to fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

Dragonlance: Introduces the Dragonlance setting with a focus on the War of the Lance and an overview of what players and DMs need to run adventures during this world spanning conflict.

Heroes of War: Provides character creation rules highlighting core elements of the Dragonlance setting, including the kender race and new backgrounds for the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery magic-users. Also introduces the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer subclass with new spells that bind your character to Krynn's three mystical moons and imbues you with lunar magic.

Villains: Pits heroes against the infamous death knight Lord Soth and his army of draconians.

Notes --

• 224 page hardcover adventure
• D&D's setting for war
• Set in eastern Solamnia
• War is represented by context -- it's not goblins attacking the village, but evil forces; refugees, rumours
• You can play anything from D&D - clerics included, although many classic D&D elements have been forgotten
• Introductory scenarios bring you up to speed on the world so no prior research needed

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Again, you're either misreading me, or misrepresenting my argument. I don't want the new book to include orcs. I also don't want it to outright exclude the possibility of the DM including them. Rule 0.

You are fine then. Because the DM can always add them if they want them.

And the book shouldn't say whether or not any of those races are banned.

It won't. It will say, under half orc "orcs are not native to Krynn", just as it will say, under halfling "Lightfoot and Stout halflings are not native to Krynn". That's guidance about the setting, not a rule that cannot be broken.

??? Orcs have always been a part of Eberron. And I'm aware that they can homebrew them. I'm saying that homebrewing the setting to the table's preferences should be encouraged.

Sure. I would strongly advise you against making your Krynn a generic hodge-podge indistinguishable from the Forgotten Realms. Or to save you money and not buy a setting that is clearly not the sort of thing you like, but I can't stop you doing what you want, and nor can WotC.

You are young, you will learn.

 

[Ixal]

Again, you're either misreading me, or misrepresenting my argument. I don't want the new book to include orcs. I also don't want it to outright exclude the possibility of the DM including them. Rule 0.

??? Orcs have always been a part of Eberron. And I'm aware that they can homebrew them. I'm saying that homebrewing the setting to the table's preferences should be encouraged.

You changed the Eberron orcs from how the setting books say they should be. The same way a DM can add orcs to Krynn even though the setting book says they do not exist. Same process, same amount of effort. Adding them officially in the books does not offer any advantage and would only devalue Dragonlance as a whole.

 

[Velderan]

Honestly, Tasslehoff's Pouches of Everything really beat WotC to the punch on this one. They would likely have gotten my money despite my misgivings if a superior product hadn't come along first.

Even though I already had the PDF printed, 100% I'll buy TPoE when it goes back up on DMs Guild even if it's just new art. Such a good book.

 

[Velderan]

Again, you're either misreading me, or misrepresenting my argument. I don't want the new book to include orcs. I also don't want it to outright exclude the possibility of the DM including them. Rule 0.

??? Orcs have always been a part of Eberron. And I'm aware that they can homebrew them. I'm saying that homebrewing the setting to the table's preferences should be encouraged.

So the Theros/Ravnica language would be fine? Nowhere does it say no, but provides what is typical without a situation like a Planeswalker coming from another land.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

It won't. It will say, under half orc "orcs are not native to Krynn", just as it will say, under halfling "Lightfoot and Stout halflings are not native to Krynn". That's guidance about the setting, not a rule that cannot be broken.

That is if it mentions Half-Orcs whatsoever. Which I don't think it will. Strixhaven, Ravenloft, and Spelljammer all did not discuss any of the game's races in those settings beyond the ones introduced in those books.

Sure. I would strongly advise you against making your Krynn a generic hodge-podge indistinguishable from the Forgotten Realms.

Whether or not orcs are banned would not significantly alter my opinion of the setting.

Or to save you money and not buy a setting that is clearly not the sort of thing you like, but I can't stop you doing what you want, and nor can WotC.

This is the first 5e book in awhile that I haven't preordered because of my mixed feelings over Dragonlance. I'm definitely going to wait until the book comes out to see if I'm going to get it.

You are young, you will learn.

I already know that. You don't need to condescend, I've been playing 5e for about a quarter of my life. I'm familiar with the game and what I'm free to do at my table. But a lot of other newer players and DMs don't know that or haven't played the game for long enough to learn that.

 

[FrozenNorth]

Because at this point in time, half-orcs are a core race and goblinoids and kobolds aren't. Which means everyone has access to orcs. Not everyone has access to the books or digital content that includes stats for the other races. When I went to D&D Beyond and clicked on "goblin," it told me I'd have to spend $24 to get the stats, currently on sale from $30. I doubt it'll be much cheaper come Cyber Monday or Winter Holiday Of Choice time. Sure, there are ways to get that information for free, but we all know that most of those ways are on the naughty list. You simply can't assume that everyone has access to every race's stats.

I agree and I would also point out that it is useful from the DM side as well: the Orc enemies fill out a useful niche for 2nd level and 5th level adventurers that are too high level for goblins, but there aren’t enough bugbears and hobgoblins to fill out.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

So the Theros/Ravnica language would be fine? Nowhere does it say no, but provides what is typical without a situation like a Planeswalker coming from another land.

Exactly. I've referenced those books multiple times in this thread as an example of the type of setting building that I'd prefer to see. But there were setting-purists insisting that it needs to mention that the races aren't native to Krynn, for some reason.

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

You changed the Eberron orcs from how the setting books say they should be.

??? No, I didn't. When did I ever say that I've changed how Orcs work in Eberron.

The same way a DM can add orcs to Krynn even though the setting book says they do not exist. Same process, same amount of effort. Adding them officially in the books does not offer any advantage and would only devalue Dragonlance as a whole.

And you are still not listening to the words that I'm writing.

Let me get this straight because it's clearly not worked the first dozen times I've said it.

I want the book to neither confirm nor deny the presence of Orcs and other races that were traditionally not a part of Dragonlance. I want the book to focus on explaining the races and monsters that have traditionally existed there (Dwarves, Elves, Draconians, etc), but to ignore the existence of everything else. Just don't mention them. This lets DMs that want to include Orcs and any of the other D&D races they want in the setting but also accommodates the traditional version of the setting.

That's it. That's all that I think the book should do. Just ignore the existence of races not normally found in the setting.

What I was pushing back against in this thread were the few people that were insisting that WotC not outright stating that Orcs don't exist there somehow makes the setting worse. I don't think it does. I think that the setting purists that are complaining about the newer book not banning certain races are making a molehill and tilting at windmills.

That's my position. That's been my position for several dozen pages, or however long this ridiculously overblown tangent has been going on.

My position is not and has never been "the new book should add Orcs and Harengon and every other D&D race to the world!". It's "this book shouldn't say anything about whether or not they exist at all".

 

[Paul Farquhar]

That is if it mentions Half-Orcs whatsoever.

It will, because most of the PHB races are significantly different in Krynn. As well as halflings, elves are significantly different in culture, if not mechanics. Dwarves too. So there will need to be an entry for each PHB race explaining how it differs from core rules. In the same way Wildemount does for example.
Our Elves Are Different - TV Tropes

Which I don't think it will. Strixhaven, Ravenloft, and Spelljammer all did not discuss any of the game's races in those settings beyond the ones introduced in those books.

That's because in those settings those races are the same as in the PHB. In settings where they are different: Eberron, Wildemount, Dragonlance; there are entries for each PHB race explaining the differences.

I already know that. You don't need to condescend, I've been playing 5e for about a quarter of my life.

I've played D&D for 78% of mine. I used to think I knew everything too.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Just don't mention them.

Do you not think it will look a bit odd when the section on races includes entries for everything in the PHB apart from half orcs?