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

 

[cbwjm]

You would be incorrect.

Dragonlance Adventures (1E product), p. 49

View attachment 265472

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?

I think it's actually referring to elves in the PHB, not UA. Note that it also has additional clarifications in the book, been a while since I've flipped through it but I'd expect that it clarifies that darks elves are those that the other elves have exiled from their societies.

Though who knows, it might also bring up drow, but I feel like that is unlikely.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

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:

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.

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).

That was Ed Greenwood’s error. He also seemed convinced Dalamar lived in the Underdark.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

You would be incorrect.

Dragonlance Adventures (1E product), p. 49

View attachment 265472

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?

Lol it says if you are a halfling you turn into a kender. Traumatic indeed…

 

[QuentinGeorge]

I’m pretty sure in Chronicles, Sturm, Gunthar, and Derek are all described with moustaches in the text.

 

[Stormonu]

I think it's actually referring to elves in the PHB, not UA. Note that it also has additional clarifications in the book, been a while since I've flipped through it but I'd expect that it clarifies that darks elves are those that the other elves have exiled from their societies.

Though who knows, it might also bring up drow, but I feel like that is unlikely.

Flipping through the book further, I think you may be right. Back in the day, I and my group always interpreted it being about drow though.

 

[pemerton]

Flipping through the book further, I think you may be right. Back in the day, I and my group always interpreted it being about drow though.

@cbwjm is right about this. "Dark elf" in the DL context - at least in 1987 - means a renegade or exiled elf. It's closer to JRRT's usage in the Silmarillion.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I think it's actually referring to elves in the PHB, not UA. Note that it also has additional clarifications in the book, been a while since I've flipped through it but I'd expect that it clarifies that darks elves are those that the other elves have exiled from their societies.

2nd this and @pemerton's post.
Dalamar was such an elf.

 

[wellis]

Tanis in the novels has something called elvensight. Was that some form of infravision?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Tanis in the novels has something called elvensight. Was that some form of infravision?

Yes. Half-elves had infravision back in the day. I wish it still existed as a lesser form of darkvision (or replaced darkvision. That would be cool too).

 

[GMforPowergamers]

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.

we used to lable it Thac0 and Adjusted Thac0 and we just cut the box in half...

so like I have +2 from str and +3 weapon mastery and a +1 sword for a total +6 to hit but my thac0 is 19 I would write 19/13 in the thac0 box