Dragonlance Lunar Sorcery: A Preview from Shadow of the Dragon Queen

WotC has posted a preview from the upcoming Shadow of the Dragon Queen on D&D Beyond, diving into the Lunary Sorcery subclass.

Traditionally magic in Krynn has been represented by the Wizards of High Sorcery, who owe their allegiance to one of the black, red, or white moons (and gods) of magic. Sorcerers weren't around in D&D when Dragonlance was created.

Lunar Sorcerers also draw power from the moons, based on the moon's phase (Full, New, Crescent). You choose the phase each day (though at later levels you can do so more often). The subclass gets a lot of spells (15 additional spells!)

Lunar Sorcery Sorcerer Preview From Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Harness the power of the moon with the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer! Here's a look at the versatile features granted by this celestial subclass.

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[Faolyn]

The metaplots of 2e are what drew me to gaming and my love of lore. That's a good reason right there as far as I'm concerned.

Out of curiosity, how often did your games actually follow the metaplots? Did you only use official adventures? Did you ever have to change a homebrew adventure because the metaplot of the setting changed?

 

[Micah Sweet]

What about them do you specifically like?

I like the stories. I like being able to play at different points in a setting's history and having that matter. I like being rewarded for doing my research (I'm a history enthusiast by education, and an educator by trade).

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

I like the stories.

You can have those just as easily without metaplots.

I know there haven't been a lot of D&D novels lately, but that's a different issue. Be upset about them not making novels that often. Not about the metaplots being removed.

I like being able to play at different points in a setting's history and having that matter.

You can do that without official metaplots. I've done that. My Descent into Avernus campaign happened "canonically" 30 years after my table's Waterdeep Dragon Heist-Dungeon of the Mad Mage campaign.

I like being rewarded for doing my research (I'm a history enthusiast by education, and an educator by trade).

You can also do that without metaplots.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You can have those just as easily without metaplots.

I know there haven't been a lot of D&D novels lately, but that's a different issue. Be upset about them not making novels that often. Not about the metaplots being removed.

You can do that without official metaplots. I've done that. My Descent into Avernus campaign happened "canonically" 30 years after my table's Waterdeep Dragon Heist-Dungeon of the Mad Mage campaign.

You can also do that without metaplots.

For your first point, it would be nice if the stories continued through novels, but as you say that isn't really happening so that option is closed to me.

The problem with your second point is that your history is entirely based on your own table's history; it has no outside perspective and requires that you have several campaigns under your belt to have meaning, which then only has meaning to you and your group.

As to your third point, what research can you do if the world exists in (from a perspective outside your own table) perpetual stasis?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

For your first point, it would be nice if the stories continued through novels, but as you say that isn't really happening so that option is closed to me.

And your problem with that change isn't metaplots. It's the small amount of stories that have been coming out. Luckily, we're getting quite a few in the next few years (the ones for the movie, the rest of the Dragonlance trilogy, isn't there another Drizzt book?).

The problem with your second point is that your history is entirely based on your own table's history; it has no outside perspective and requires that you have several campaigns under your belt to have meaning, which then only has meaning to you and your group.

I don't need my table's experience to be shared by another table. The fun at my table is where I get the enjoyment from the game, not from other people at other tables having the same experience.

As to your third point, what research can you do if the world exists in (from a perspective outside your own table) perpetual stasis?

Eberron has been in perpetual status time-wise, but has gotten tons of expansions through the decades. Keith Baker has his blog, the dozens of Eberron books (none of which have advanced the timeline), the novels (which also don't advance the timelines), and so on. I've done a ton of research for Eberron over the past 4ish years, but none of that has been dependent on the setting having a metaplot. And the world still grows as time goes by.

My point is that the things you think you like metaplots for aren't actually dependent on metaplots. You don't need them for the stories, or research, or for a continuous timeline at your table. Unless your fun is dependent on other people around the world understanding what happens at your table, there's no reason to like metaplots over the Eberron approach (note: I don't mean the setting, you don't have to enjoy the setting Eberron in order to admit that it's approach to canon is superior to the 2e metaplot approach).

 

[mamba]

And metaplots are terrible for the game, which is why WotC hasn't used them since the publishing of 5e.

How is starting in a different established location a metaplot ?

 

[Levistus's_Leviathan]

How is starting in a different established location a metaplot ?

? I don't understand what you're saying and doubt that you understand the post you're quoting.

 

[cbwjm]

Metaplots can be good, I don't think I'd find the forgotten realms as interesting without the time of troubles. Without the metaplot of dragonlance, we'd never have the age of mortals which I felt was a great advance on the dragonlance setting.

 

[MostlyHarmless42]

No. Metaplots are bad for settings and the hobby. You can have the exact same stories that you like having with metaplots as you can without them (the Eberron approach). Even good metaplots are bad for the settings they're made for (they give more homework for newer players/DMs).

Metaplots are bad for the game. If you like the stories that come with them, read the books. The setting's canonical timeline doesn't have to advance for those stories to exist. WotC can publish War of the Lance-era Dragonlance setting/adventure books until the ends of time with all stuff after the War of the Lance being non-canon, and the novels will still exist and you'll still get the same enjoyment from them.

Metaplots are bad even when the stories they make are good. There is no advantage to having a metaplot that isn't possible without one. There is no reason to have them. And they often ruin the settings they're a part of.

Except that this is just factually wrong for D&D 5e for that specific time period. War of the Lance or immediately after it does not work with the rules of the 5e players handbook without making a bunch of sweeping changes that will just annoy setting purists anyway. To name just what I can think of off the top of my head:
1) No bards, sorcerers, or warlocks. And Rangers, paladins, and druids are if-y because all the magic comes from gods.

2) No half-orcs, tieflings, drow elves, or halflings (except whatever new kender rules come out). Nor ANY races from Volos/Mortenkainens or any other 5e books.
2a) Dragonborn would also not be allowed during war of the lance, though could possibly be allowed after, but unless we're allowing 3.5 or age of mortals content it's metallic colors only.

3) No magic users can have spells except wizards in any game during the beginning of the war of the lance or before it.

We could of course, ignore all this and change the setting so we can have all of these options back on the table, but again I doubt most purists would like it. It's also again arguably what Age of Mortals is. Obviously there's still no half-orcs or drow, but the lore was expanded to explain why the other types of characters exist.

 

[NaturalZero]

Must every world be McDonalds?

Sometimes taking things away from a setting just gives you McDonald's, but with a broken ice cream machine.