Dungeons & Dragons Releases New Unearthed Arcana Subclasses, Strongly Hinting at Dark Sun

Wizards of the Coast has released four new D&D subclasses for playtesting, all of which have heavy thematic ties to the post-apocalyptic Dark Sun setting. The four subclasses, released as "Apocalyptic Subclasses," include the Circle of Preservation Druid, the Gladiator Fighter, the Defiled Sorcerer, and the Sorcerer-King Patron Warlock. Although not stated outright, the Gladiator and Sorcerer-King Patron are explicit nods to the Dark Sun setting, set in a ruined world ruled by Sorcerer-Kings where gladiatorial fights were common.

The Circle of Preservation Druid creates areas of preserved land that grants buffs to those who stand upon it. The Gladiator adds secondary Weapon Mastery properties to their attacks, with bonus abilities. Notably, the Gladiator uses Charisma as its secondary stat. The Defiled Sorcerer can expend its hit dice to amp up damage to its attacks and can also steal the life of its targets to deal additional damage. The Sorcerer-King Patron gains a number of abilities tying into tyranny and oppression, with the ability to cast Command as a Bonus Action without expending a spell slot, causing targets to gain the Frightened Condition, and forcing those who attack them to re-roll successful attacks.

The survey for the subclasses goes live on August 28th.

 

[occam]

This thread has shown me a lot of people apparently have either forgotten or homebrewed what preserving and defiling meant.

I think the narrative (that arcane magic always defiled, even if you tried your best to minimize that) was so compelling, that over time people's memories have prioritized it over the actual mechanics. Which I get; it's a cool narrative, which twists the usual D&D assumptions, and has become only more relevant over time to how people might feel about some real-world issues.

 

[occam]

But that wouldn’t create the same visceral feeling that walking the responsible path requires real, meaningful sacrifice. If giving up defiling just brings you to the normal, expected level of power, then it fails as an allegory. It’s just “the dark side is a path to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.” Which is fine for a simple morality play like Star Wars, but doesn’t hit the way Dark Sun can and IMO should.

Except that, as demonstrated by numerous posts in this thread, it clearly did. The Dark Sun mechanical baseline, i.e. the thing that worked like normal D&D magic, was preserving magic. Defiling magic has always provided some advantage, or at least a gamble for advantage, over baseline magic. And yet, decades later, people still remember it working in the opposite way, to the point of misremembering the actual mechanics. The narrative of defiling as the baseline and preservation as a weaker alternative has held sway. IOW, the allegory succeeded, and the message hit as intended. Why wouldn't it do so again?

 

[Mournblade94]

lol

Why? If Ravenloft and Dragonlance showed anything, there is just no WAY they do Dark Sun in a way to satisfy anyone.

If it turns into some hopepunk mockery of itself, I will laugh for a day straight.

It will have the name Dark Sun. And the map. I dont get why people want updates not true to the source. Maybe they'll get it right but this creative team was not around for Dark Sun and i predict theyll sanitize it for "modern sensibilities. Like hope punk. Opposite of the setting. But hope punk is popular now.

 

[Mournblade94]

Then hopefully they dont call it Dark Sun just to pull on some nostalgia sales.

This is what I worry about most. Dark Sun on name only. Not sure why people would care about that.

There wont be any Half dwarves and half giant will become Goliath.

 

[Charlaquin]

but it works better as a game.

Not necessarily. Players would have access to the power the combat math expects them to. It just comes at a cost. Some cosmetic damage to the surrounding environment is all it would take to be at the expected power level.

Also, in world there is no distinction between the two, preserving is weaker than defiling, who can say which of the two is ‘normal’.

If everyone made $1000 a month for defiling or $800 with preserving, that is the same as $1250 and $1000 respectively. That $1000 is the norm on some other planet you never heard of changes nothing about the consequences / benefits / prices of goods of either option on yours

The difference is what the combat math expects. $800 dollars a month vs $1000 is significantly different than $1000 vs $1200 when the cost of living is $900 a month.

 

[Charlaquin]

Except that, as demonstrated by numerous posts in this thread, it clearly did. The Dark Sun mechanical baseline, i.e. the thing that worked like normal D&D magic, was preserving magic. Defiling magic has always provided some advantage, or at least a gamble for advantage, over baseline magic. And yet, decades later, people still remember it working in the opposite way, to the point of misremembering the actual mechanics. The narrative of defiling as the baseline and preservation as a weaker alternative has held sway. IOW, the allegory succeeded, and the message hit as intended. Why wouldn't it do so again?

The narrative landed on a conceptual level. I’m suggesting making the mechanics reflect the narrative so as to make it land on a visceral level. Make players feel it as well as read about it.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

If this is "strongly hinting" at Dark Sun, maybe I need to be less subtle when I'm flirting. Because if this were flirtation, it would be me running up to an attractive person and planting a big ol' kiss on the mouth, and then walking off to get a drink.

Sure, I didn't say I'm into them....but it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure this one out.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Yeah, it’s the Star Wars brain poison talking. Arcane magic in Dark Sun is a very on-the-nose allegory for fossil fuels, and fossil fuels aren’t a temptation to ultimate power, they’re a basic everyday convenience we take for granted and will very much feel like tying one hand behind our back to wean ourselves off of (which is why it’s becoming so doubtful we ever will). Or, if you like, imagine a world where the dark side has won, and every force user is introduced to it first, as a matter of course, such that sticking solely to the light side would very much feel like tying one hand behind your back so you can be a good person. Making the baseline level use of magic automatically defile is how you would replicate that feeling via gameplay.

I’ve heard that “clean magic” is superior and doesn’t effect the environment at all.

 

[Weiley31]

If this is "strongly hinting" at Dark Sun, maybe I need to be less subtle when I'm flirting. Because if this were flirtation, it would be me running up to an attractive person and planting a big ol' kiss on the mouth, and then walking off to get a drink.

Sure, I didn't say I'm into them....but it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure this one out.

Is that drink BEFORE or AFTER you get kneed in the crotch or tasered/pepper sprayed?

 

[Mournblade94]

Honestly I am enjoying all of these options. The sorcerer is a great option for anyone who wants a darker more necromantic option. The gladiator gives you some options like the battle master while feeling unique and the patron works perfectly for any draconic or opposing power as your patron. Even without the Dark Sun setting all of these options feel like they could fit in any world you dropped them into.

Yes. And they would be better in a new world rather than letting this creative team make a sanitized version of Darksun.