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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 9737111" data-attributes="member: 7635">How does the setting promote heroic play? I ask this in genuine curiosity. From an outsider perspective, it doesn't. (Or, didn't, pre 4e). I compared to classic Ravenloft because Ravenloft is superficially similar (grim setting, evil overpowers good) but while Ravenloft doesn't provide carrots to play good-PCs (most goodly-aligned options are weakened or not available) it strongly uses sticks to encourage non-evil behavior (Evil play invokes Powers checks, which corrupt the PC to eventually become a NPC monster). So while on paper it was easy to see a Necromancer was more powerful than diviner, the necromancer was going to fast-track his own destruction just through regular use of his abilities. Hence, while Good was objectively an inferior option in the short run (less power), it was superior in the long run (your character wasn't going to become an irredeemable monster). What is stopping Dark Sun characters (especially characters like templars or defilers) from being outright bastards? Preserving is viewed as weaker than defiling (how much weaker it actually was in the rules has been debated), paladins were anathema to the setting (both from the No Gods element and the whole idea of a noble heroic crusader not fitting). What carrot encourages heroic PCs, what stick dissuades evil ones? The best I got is "if they discover you are a defiler, you are shunned or hunted" which I feel ends up either being a nothingburger (there is little a horde of NPCs can do you a sufficient level party) or collapsing the whole campaign (Thok got us kicked out of the third City-State in a row. Why do we travel with this guy?)I've seen some people in this thread float the idea that PCs who are intentionally gimping themselves are somehow more heroic because they choose the weaker path. Noble and all, but the game isn't exactly rewarding sacrifice, especially when Dark Sun is billed as harsh survival and life is cheap. Which again begs the question why would you pick the noble path the even the slightly-less-noble path earns you far greater odds? I'm genuinely curious what Dark Sun does to encourage heroism or at least dissuade rat-bastardry.</blockquote>

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