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.

 

[TheSword]

Really interesting thread. Just goes to show how much interest there would be if/when the setting is released. There are great conversions out there already @touc to name one. But I would love to see all the art, maps, and 3pp that comes with a big Wizards release. Not to mention the interest that could rekindle in the setting from players.

I really hope if it makes the cut @Steampunkette considers releasing some 3pp stuff for it.

There is a lot of discussion on specifics, how will slavery be dealt with, what happens when a Templar turns on their patron? Could someone play a species believed to be extinct? All good discussions but nothing out of the ordinary decision making that any table makes when this stuff happens in the game. The setting doesn’t need to explicitly permit or forbid this stuff. The table can decide.

I am really interested to know…

• How psionics will be handled including wild talents, and if we will see a bespoke class in the way that Eberron produced the artificer.
• How materials will be handled including- bone, stone, metal etc.
• How defiling and preserving will be implemented.
• Whether there will be an adventure campaign as an example of Dark Sun done really well.

The minutiae story stuff doesn’t really bother me one way or another. DMs have always been able to drill down or expand on specific elements if that floats their boat.

Exciting times!

 

[Steampunkette]

I am really interested to know…

• How psionics will be handled including wild talents, and if we will see a bespoke class in the way that Eberron produced the artificer.

https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/ua/the-psion/mXCPWlh2yy5tBKqP/UA2025-ThePsion.pdf

• How materials will be handled including- bone, stone, metal etc.

Probably either ignored/handwaved or straight up -damage/-AC

• How defiling and preserving will be implemented.

Archetypes for Sorcerer and Druid.

• Whether there will be an adventure campaign as an example of Dark Sun done really well.

Oh, probably.

 

[humble minion]

Whether there will be an adventure campaign as an example of Dark Sun done really well.

I think it's a given that an adventure will be a large proportion of the product, given how recent WotC products have been structured. As for the 'done really well' - well. we can cross our fingers I suppose. This is the same WotC that gave us a Planescape adventure that went to exactly one plane other than Sigil, after all.

I could wish we get a DS setting book product comparable to the excellent Rising from the Last War, but it seems WotC doesn't do those any more. Still, there'll be something I can mine regardless. I hated the SotDQ adventure too, but my group is now heading into tier 2 on a Dragonlance campaign that used its first Vogler scenes as a springboard before veering off elsewhere, and the whole things is going very well indeed.

 

[TheSword]

I think it's a given that an adventure will be a large proportion of the product, given how revent WotC products will be structured. As for the 'done really well' - well. we can cross our fingers I suppose. This is the same WotC that gave us a Planescape adventure that went to exactly one plane other than Sigil, after all.

I could wish we get a DS setting book product comparable to the excellent Rising from the Last War, but it seems WotC doesn't do those any more. Still, there'll be something I can mine regardless. I hated the SotDQ adventure too, but my group is now heading into tier 2 on a Dragonlance campaign that used its first Vogler scenes as a springboard before veering off elsewhere, and the whole things is going very well indeed.

Not a given I don’t think. We didn’t for Eberron, Greyhawk or Ravenloft (COS was already a long time out at that point and wasn’t linked to the wider setting)

The Planescape book is exactly what I would hope for. A good mix of setting/bestiary, players options, and adventure. 1/3 1/3 1/3. A tight product that doesn’t try to be all things to all people but gives a relatively deep dive into a city or two of the table lands with a broader overview for the rest.

Let DMs Guild pick up specific cities or locations beyond that.

 

[TheSword]

https://media.dndbeyond.com/compendium-images/ua/the-psion/mXCPWlh2yy5tBKqP/UA2025-ThePsion.pdf

Probably either ignored/handwaved or straight up -damage/-AC

Archetypes for Sorcerer and Druid.

Oh, probably.

My gut feeling is that it will differ from the UA, maybe not a lot. Not sure why.

Could you be tempted to release any of the material you wrote for your Sins of the Scorpion Age for a Dark Sun setting?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

They might say "Use Orc stats for Muls" it would be lazy, but I don't think this time they haven't completely ruled out using as much as possible from the PHB.

 

[Steampunkette]

My gut feeling is that it will differ from the UA, maybe not a lot. Not sure why.

Could you be tempted to release any of the material you wrote for your Sins of the Scorpion Age for a Dark Sun setting?

Barring a -substantial- shift in circumstances, I do not have the finances to put out a setting from the sheer amount of artwork required!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

They might say "Use Orc stats for Muls" it would be lazy, but I don't think this time they haven't completely ruled out using as much as possible from the PHB.

To this daring suggestion I can only offer Kenny Loggins' immortal words:

Highway to the danger zone
Gonna take it right into the danger zone
Highway to the danger zone
Ride into the danger zone

In short maybe don't ever ever for any reason don't do it ever ever ever compare orcs, a race that has been long-associated with racism with muls a race that has been long associated with American South-style slavery and thus racism. This is absolutely crossing the streams of racist implications. I know orcs aren't racist anymore, I get it, but come on man. We don't need to "ride into the the danger zone"! Let's just not! Let's stop outside the racism danger zone and have a picnic!

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The Athasian orcs are the tareks, who "evolutioned" to survive the cleasing wars, like other races.

Now I am imaginin the brown tide that caused the end of the blue age wasn't really a true accident, but a sabotage like part of a secret conspirancy by divine powers against "Patriarch Ocean" (telling the true name of a deity is a serious taboo in Athas). Rajaat isn't a true pyreen but he was created by other power, or maybe he was tainted. His goal is the return of the blue age to resurrect Patriarch Ocean. Maybe the gods could be defeated by the primal powers because before they suffered a serious wear by a previous divine civil war. This could explain the reason because the Athasians don't want to pray to deities. They can believe their existence but they distrust them. The word for this is maltheism.

Other option is the brown tide was intentional by an unknown power, and all that tainted water was teletransported to be used like a poison against some life-drainer power style Galactus. Then if this theory was true, the cataclysm of the brown tide never could be avoided by ever time-traveler.

* If there is incarnum in Athas, a soulborn could be like a paladin subclass or templar, and the incarnate class for 5e could be a remix of 3.5 vestige binder and 3.5 incarnate class, about "I have got my own divine spark and now I fight for the ascension of my own avatar".

* Other idea is the Athasian version of the plane of the mirrors. This is linked to the time-travelers this bizarre and weird zone is the product of a confrontation of different chronomancer factions, something like a nuclear post-apocalipse but by fault of time-travelers. Some altered timelines could be true utopies but the History was rewritten because other nation was to be the main superpower.

 

[mamba]

The RP thing is totally meaningless waffle because it's just not how 5E does XP. It's like getting mad because 5E doesn't have THAC0 or something. It doesn't support your argument at all.

so if someone played one of the ‘exterminated’ races, how would they get their XP bonus for playing according to how they fit into the world?

To me the 5e text actively encourages using ‘banned’ races while the 2e text actively discourages it (rather than just being silent).

If you think it is all the same because DM’s can do whatever they want regardless of what the text says, be my guest. But then the actual text for pretty much anything becomes irrelevant