Just discovered Dark Sun -- have questions!

[Spatula]

Hell, the original boxed set didn't have Pterrans or Aarokocra, either, does that mean the revised one shouldn't have them?

Aarokocra are in the original boxed set.

Pterrans are just an additional intelligent humanoid race. Adding them to the setting doesn't really change anything that came before. "oh look, here's this culture/race that we didn't previously know about."

With sorcerers, though, there are conceptual problems with adding them into Dark Sun, which Eric Anondson covered upthread.

 

[Spatula]

You guys almost make it sound like Dark Sun is more appropriate as a setting for a different game than D&D.

Not this again.

 

[Spatula]

But it sounds like you're telling me that I can just skip the novels and read the revised setting document to get all the goods.

Yes, the revised box set contains all the info revealed in the Prism Pentad.

Well, the setting's out of print. Did you mean you wanted the mysteries to never be nailed down? 'Coz if there was no solution to the mysteries, that would defeat the purpose of having the mysteries. The whole purpose of them is to give GMs plot hooks for things the PCs might want to investigate.

That doesn't mean it needs to be nailed down "officially." Especially in a world like Dark Sun, where the characters have no real way to ever know the world's true past. Publishing the secret setting background just allows for nod-and-wink gameplay between the DM and the players who've read the setting material. Though really, my objection is that it was all a complete unknown in the original box set, an empty space for the DM to fill with what ever he wanted if he chose to go down that path. Then, a year or so later, they revealed everything. If it was all in there from the start, I wouldn't have minded so much.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Both cast spells in the same way and both draw upon plant energy in an obvious manner.

If they are preservers, there is no visible sign they are drawing on plants. Don't discount the need for wizards to spend a significant portion of every day sequestered from the public preparing his spells. During the average campaign, this obviously will rarely enter as a factor in the regular session. But just like the danger of the Athasian environment rarely enters regular game sessions when PCs take common sense precautions, needing privacy to prepare daily spells is one more disadvantage wizards have which sorcerers won't. It takes one slip up and the PC is toast, which is why ought not be looked over as a significant disadvantage.

A sorcerer preserver casting a spell will be seen to draw upon plant energy the same as a wizard does and a sorcerer defiler will create an ash radius just the same, so both wizards and sorcerers would be at risk from mob justice.

Which is why I suggested getting rid of the Eschew Materials, Silent Spell, and Still Spell feats puts sorcerers and wizards on nearly the same level of danger in Athas, if the PC is a preserver. Requiring Athasian sorcerers to gain spells only from a spellbook or scroll is another significant alteration to that class from the Core rules, further proving why Dark Sun is inappropriate for Core D&D rules without important, even if only small, changes.


Regards,
Eric Anondson

 

[Mark Hope]

If they are preservers, there is no visible sign they are drawing on plants.

Defilers and Preservers (and the novels too, iirc) states that "tendrils of bright green energy" flow into the preserver (and defilers, too) from surrounding plant life when casting a spell. I'd imagine that not all DMs use this piece of setting-flavour, but it always struck me as an interesting addition. I am reminded of a few scenes where Sadira goes to some length to conceal this flow of energy in the novels and enjoy the idea that PC arcane spellcasters face similar problems.

Requiring Athasian sorcerers to gain spells only from a spellbook or scroll is another significant alteration to that class from the Core rules, further proving why Dark Sun is inappropriate for Core D&D rules without important, even if only small, changes.

Well, I'd say you could come up with a number of possible sources for DS sorcerers' spells without any significant impact on the class or the setting. It's a nebulous area of flavour that seems quite malleable to me. But I agree that, overall, the Core D&D rules need tweaking on a number of points to make them suitable to DS games.