It's Dark Sun

[Rechan]

I hope they can balance out the half-giants, because Medium sized half-giants simple do *not* cut it at all, they have to be Large.
*scratches head, usnure of balance on that*

Cough.

 

[Rechan]

The PHB3 doesn't need to have the DS races in it. For the simple fact that, if they were DS specific races, they'll likely be in the Player's Handbook. But easily portable (as before them the Genasi, Drow, Changelings, Warforged, etc).

 

[I'm A Banana]

The PHB3 doesn't need to have the DS races in it. For the simple fact that, if they were DS specific races, they'll likely be in the Player's Handbook. But easily portable (as before them the Genasi, Drow, Changelings, Warforged, etc).

Very true.

Though I think the question that will generate more message board insanity is this:

Dragonborn have dragonboobs. Will thri-kreen have bugaboobs?

I kid.

 

[Baron Opal]

The thing is, the disconnect from the planes is pretty important to me for the feel of the game... The idea of Athas as an isolated world where there are no angels or demons or outsiders, only forces, is key to the brutality of it. There's nothing to relate to, no mirror you can hold up, nothing alongside this world. There is this world -- this blasted hellscape -- and nothing else.

I agree on the disconnect and its importance. However, there were gods at one time, presumably good and evil ones. With the actions of the Sorceror Kings tearing the plane away from other influences, would a good "Dark Sunning" of those races be the decendants of trapped outsiders? A poiniant artifact of what has been lost?

 

[Rechan]

Though I think the question that will generate more message board insanity is this:

Dragonborn have dragonboobs. Will thri-kreen have bugaboobs?

I kid.

They'll have a thorass.

 

[Shroomy]

I think that 4e DS will use the World Axis cosmology, the MotP says as much, but that it will be extremely difficult to get to the other planes (perhaps there's some sort of penalty to the related skill checks, etc.). The dominions in the Astral Sea will probably be lifeless ruins.

 

[Shroomy]

They'll have a thorass.

Groan....

 

[Baron Opal]

Dragonborn have dragonboobs. Will thri-kreen have bugaboobs?

Yes, but only the queen.

 

[A Passing Maniac]

They'll have a thorass.

As a wise man once said, "I like bug butts and I cannot lie..."

 

[I'm A Banana]

I agree on the disconnect and its importance. However, there were gods at one time, presumably good and evil ones. With the actions of the Sorceror Kings tearing the plane away from other influences, would a good "Dark Sunning" of those races be the decendants of trapped outsiders? A poiniant artifact of what has been lost?

That's interesting and perhaps palatable as an explanation. I don't think it should be that important, though. Tieflings don't need to be mentioned in a big way anywhere in DS. There's precedence for this: Dragonborn and tieflings don't make a big splash in Eberron, either. They can be there if you want them, but the core books don't need to assume them. A paragraph in the campaign guide about how you might rationalize them works fine (and "descended from a time before time when the gods were still present" works pretty OK).

There are still bigger problems, I think, the warlock and the teleportation stuff (such as with the Eladrin). The warlock might be solved with the arcane power source being a "defiling" power source, though: the pact isn't an inherent part of the mechanics, and warlock abilities that aren't Star-Pact or Infernal-Pact related make plenty of sense.

Of course, you could just treat warlocks like the tieflings: assume they don't exist unless you make them exist.

Teleportation is wonky, but can probably be re-fluffed as sort of an "infinite shift" instead maybe?

But a lot of those cause some cascading issues...I dunno.

it will be extremely difficult to get to the other planes (perhaps there's some sort of penalty to the related skill checks, etc.).

Does it have to be possible at all in anything more than a theoretical way? Like an out-of-race dragonmark, there doesn't have to be any rules prohibiting it, but the campaign doesn't need to assume that PC's are going to go on planar adventures, either.