Dragonlance Dragonlance: Solamnic Knights & Mages of High Sorcery Preview

WotC has shared another preview of the upcoming Dragonlance setting/adventure with a look at backgrounds and feats for Solamnic Knights and Mages of High Sorcery.

Feats include Squire of Solamnia and Initiate of High Sorcery. Interestingly, one prerequisite is "Dragonlance Campaign", which implies that the feats can't be used outside that setting.

Dragonlance Backgrounds and Feats: Answer the Call as Knights and Mages

Will you join the Knights of Solamnia or the Mages of High Sorcery? Each offers a unique background and feats for Dragonlance characters. Get a sneak pe...

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Stormonu]

I'm just feeding the point @darjr made, but wasn't THAC0 a static number based on your level and then you added your bonuses from stats, weapon enchant, or specialization directly to your roll?

Base THAC0 was based on your class and level, but you generally added in all the bonuses ahead of time so you didn't have to calculate it on the fly, though you could if you wanted to (torture yourself). Since monster's stats were rarely pointed out (vampires, ogres, trolls and giants being exceptions), they just used the base THAC0 without modifiers (despite having high Strength and such). Hand them a magic weapons and you were supposed to modify THAC0 to account for it.

 

[Velderan]

Base THAC0 was based on your class and level, but you generally added in all the bonuses ahead of time so you didn't have to calculate it on the fly, though you could if you wanted to (torture yourself).

I think we mostly did it the way you're describing but that's more of a house rule to speed up play. Official character cards were more like the attached example from the 2E module Flint's Axe where they didn't modify the THAC0 based on a higher STR score.

Since monster's stats were rarely pointed out (vampires, ogres, trolls and giants being exceptions), they just used the base THAC0 without modifiers (despite having high Strength and such). Hand them a magic weapons and you were supposed to modify THAC0 to account for it.

Looking at the 2E Monster Manual stat block for Death Knight, it has a THAC0 of 11 with 9 HD which should be a THAC0 of 12 if you were considering them as a 9th level warrior. It also notes they have 1 attack with a +3 bonus which matches the +3 sword they're described as having, so even there they don't seem to be adjusting THAC0 based on strength or weapon enchant.

 

[bulletmeat]

Any mention of an attack bonus from mustaches in there?

 

[Azzy]

The 1e Death Knight:

 

[Stormonu]

I think we mostly did it the way you're describing but that's more of a house rule to speed up play. Official character cards were more like the attached example from the 2E module Flint's Axe where they didn't modify the THAC0 based on a higher STR score.



Looking at the 2E Monster Manual stat block for Death Knight, it has a THAC0 of 11 with 9 HD which should be a THAC0 of 12 if you were considering them as a 9th level warrior. It also notes they have 1 attack with a +3 bonus which matches the +3 sword they're described as having, so even there they don't seem to be adjusting THAC0 based on strength or weapon enchant.

Funnily enough, because they're a "monster", apparently that's why his THAC0 is 12, instead of being based on a warrior. Other than that, you seem to be correct, which is just weird looking at it 20+ years later.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I suspect that a portion of the "Solamnic Knights have mustaches" thing comes from Larry Elmore. If you look at his illustrations around that time, a ton of the human men he depicts have mustaches.

Also, mustaches seem to be "popular":

 

[wellis]

I'm not sure if you're joking, but his THAC0 of 12 equates to a +8 to hit bonus in 5E (and he could hit himself on a 12 or better, so not too hard to do )

I know nothing of how THAC0 works beyond that armor, weapons, and bonuses are supposed to lower it and that you want it to either hit 0 or in the negatives to have a character that can barely be hit by enemies or attacks.

I suspect that a portion of the "Solamnic Knights have mustaches" thing comes from Larry Elmore. If you look at his illustrations around that time, a ton of the human men he depicts have mustaches.

Probably. Sturm had a mustache, and considering how he pretty much is the archetypical Knight of Solamnia (even if he actually wasn't one fully), and how popular mustaches seem to have been, perhaps people misread it as mustaches being a requirement.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I know nothing of how THAC0 works beyond that armor, weapons, and bonuses are supposed to lower it and that you want it to either hit 0 or in the negatives to have a character that can barely be hit by enemies or attacks.

Probably. Sturm had a mustache, and considering how he pretty much is the archetypical Knight of Solamnia (even if he actually wasn't one fully), and how popular mustaches seem to have been, perhaps people misread it as mustaches being a requirement.

Eh? Elmore did a lot of Dragonlance art, and the only moustaches were on the knights, including Sturm.

Obviously not counting the beards…

 

[wellis]

Eh? Elmore did a lot of Dragonlance art, and the only moustaches were on the knights, including Sturm.

I'm saying it could be that we typically think of Sturm or Huma when thinking of Solamniac knights, and that mustaches are/were common with them, that it mutated into "all Knights of Solamnia must have mustaches."

I've been trying to look for mustache mentions in the Heroes of the Lance and it's difficult.

Though hilariously I found an instance of "drow" being used in Dragons of Autumn Twilight in the section where they visit an old elven king's tomb:

Even as they fell back, the darkness in the treasure room took shape, coalescing into the coldly beautiful, distorted features of a female drow-an evil elf of ages past, whose punishment for crimes unspeakable had been execution. Then the powerful elven magic-users chained her spirit, forcing her to guard forever the king's treasure. At the sight of these living beings, she streched out her hands, craving the warmth of flesh, and opened her mouth to scream out her grief and her hatred of all living things.

While I recall evil elves in Krynn being called dark elves, I also recall that drow as a distinct subrace/subspecies aren't a thing in the setting.

Which did make it humorous in The Wizards Three when Raistlin's apprentice would sometimes visit and call himself a drow (I suspect the writer forgot they weren't an actual race there and more just a nickname you could say).

 

[Stormonu]

While I recall evil elves in Krynn being called dark elves, I also recall that drow as a distinct race/subspecies aren't a thing in the setting.

You would be incorrect.

Dragonlance Adventures (1E product), p. 49

note "Player's Handbook", (which in this case, probably is referring to Unearthed Arcana) which has Drow as the only player dark elves.

<EDIT> Oh wow, "no orcs" - is that where that is first mentioned?