D&D 5E Let's Discuss Arcana of the Ancients

[Reynard]

I picked this up on a whim as an early birthday present for myself, after almost backing the original Kickstarter but deciding against it since Numenera ultimately disappointed me.

I have only managed the do a shallow skim of the majority of the book but overall I like what I see. I have to dig deeper into the mechanics but it looks like cyphers fit pretty naturally into the D&D paradigm.

I have been reading the Crooked Hills adventure more carefully and I really, really like it. It's interesting, it is clearly written with easily accessible GM information and I like the way it ramps up the weird as the PCs get drawn deeper in. I am considering running it as a sidequest in my Rine of the Frostmaiden campaign.

What are your thoughts on AotA?

 

[Mind of tempest]

I heard about a spider from that book.

 

[Aldarc]

I picked this up on a whim as an early birthday present for myself, after almost backing the original Kickstarter but deciding against it since Numenera ultimately disappointed me.

I have only managed the do a shallow skim of the majority of the book but overall I like what I see. I have to dig deeper into the mechanics but it looks like cyphers fit pretty naturally into the D&D paradigm.

I have been reading the Crooked Hills adventure more carefully and I really, really like it. It's interesting, it is clearly written with easily accessible GM information and I like the way it ramps up the weird as the PCs get drawn deeper in. I am considering running it as a sidequest in my Rine of the Frostmaiden campaign.

What are your thoughts on AotA?

Utterly disappointed, but from the other side of the equation. I was expecting something more like Numenera with types (i.e., nanos, jacks, glaives), focuses, and the like converted to 5e and not just D&D wholesale inserted into the Ninth World with some science fantasy adornments.

 

[SkidAce]

I really like it , I add the tech to my standard dnd game in places/certain campaigns. Fits well.

Would also work as the main campaign setting.

 

[Reynard]

I really like it , I add the tech to my standard dnd game in places/certain campaigns. Fits well.

Would also work as the main campaign setting.

I did not pcik up Beneath the Monolith. That's the actual setting book, right? Is there anything in there largely missing from AotA?

 

[GlassJaw]

I like it a lot. Chaositech was my favorite Monte book from the 3ed days and AotA is definitely along those lines.

It's totally out there - tons of wacky stuff you can pillage for a Spelljammer or planar campaign.

Note that I have zero knowledge of Numenera; I'm viewing AotA as a purely "stand-along" 5E resource.

 

[Zaukrie]

Big fan so far. If/when I can get my campaign re-launched, this is going to be used A LOT.

 

[Reynard]

I have been running Rime of the Frostmaiden and find it kind of bland, so I am going to put Crooked Hills in as a side trek and recast Nethyr as far more ancient and magitechnological. I may even say that the Crystal Shard is actually an ancient intelligence along the lines of the Singing Monolith.

 

[GlassJaw]

Big fan so far. If/when I can get my campaign re-launched, this is going to be used A LOT.

Is your campaign based on AotA specifically?

 

[Zaukrie]

Is your campaign based on AotA specifically?

No. A Stargate like campaign...but instead of Earth it is a dying world and the PCs (and others) are going world to world looking for a safe place to move as many of the People as possible before it is destroyed. Many of the worlds will have AotA aspects to them. And, their off world base will be one such world. The Gods can't tell them which worlds are best, because they are so busy (using their power) to keep the world from being destroyed ....or something like that.