D&D 5E (2014) Mearls on other settings

[Mercule]

I believe that I am qualified to state that Spelljammer is essentially DnD in Space.

Yes, but there's the underlying question about whether adding giant space hamsters fundamentally changes the context in which D&D exists as D&D.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes, but there's the underlying question about whether adding giant space hamsters fundamentally changes the context in which D&D exists as D&D.

Anyone else own a near mint copy of Spelljammer boxed set or is it just me?

 

[Obryn]

Just becuase it did not exist in 2E doesn't mean I would automatically exclude it. A criteria to exclude a race on Darksu would be if it contradicted the major themes of Darksun, those being.

Survival
Environment
Slavery
Brutality
Magic Ruins the world
Everything is psionic.
Lack of metal

Those are probably the main ones .

Races I would exclude from Athas as player options (some might be there as NPCs or to be discovered eg Dray)

Any of the extinct ones (Gnomes, Orcs , Kobolds etc). Fine; that's an original setting conceit
Dragonborn (Athas does not have the traditional D&D Dragons, Dragonas are very rare, Dragonmen should not be there) Leaving aside dray and interpretations
Anything living construct (as PC option). Warforged for example don't need to sleep, breathe, eat, drink (ignores environmental/survival aspect of the setting) Less a big deal at higher levels
Extraplanar creatures (Tiefling, Aasimar) Athas is cut off from traditional D&D cosmology. Elemental creatures could be an exception. Demons are there, and a whole adventure is about an extraplanar invasion. Also, you're ignoring reskinning and stuff like the background of the Gith.
Anything metalic or heavily water based. Agree there
Anything with spell like abilities as a PC race. Change them to psionically-based
Most anthromorphic furries (Minotaurs, Tabaxi etc). Darksun lacks a lot of mammal based life forms. Depends; again, reskinning ain't a problem.
Plant races Change to cactus when appropriate

Classes
Arcane classes that are not wizards maybe Sorcerers depending on edition (3E sorcerer while boring had no bloodlines). They rewrote the 2E bard for a reason magic is hard. I think you're focusing too much on 2e-isms
Any class that gets around the themes of Darksun- Monks for example (unarmed combat is to good on a depleted world). On the contrary, that's why monks make sense.
Time travel based classes (chronomancers) Okay

Yeah, I think you are missing the point.

You're focusing entirely on how Dark Sun deprotagonizes the PCs and ignoring all the ways in which it sets them up to be heroes. I added some notes up above, but you're missing how the original setting made the characters extremely powerful and gave them a setting ripe for heroism.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah, I think you are missing the point.

You're focusing entirely on how Dark Sun deprotagonizes the PCs and ignoring all the ways in which it sets them up to be heroes. I added some notes up above, but you're missing how the original setting made the characters extremely powerful and gave them a setting ripe for heroism.

Logically Monks kinda make sense but they get around the inferior weapons thing.

Something like a Sorcerer could maybe work on DS with a DS subclass (as long as they follow the defiling rules) but he Dragon Sorcerer should be out and DS is not that big on wild magic.

 

[Lichemaster]

This tells me one of 3 Options,
1. They will exclusive contract out each setting? example R.Baker studio's will get sole rights to Eberron, Weis sole rights to publish Kyrnn. (those are examples, the license may go to any company).
2. Dungeon and/or Dungeon Magazine will come back, my guess in digital form.
3. WotC hires/contracts more writers and expands.

Either option will make me happy, just do it WotC!

 

[Zardnaar]

This tells me one of 3 Options,
1. They will exclusive contract out each setting? example R.Baker studio's will get sole rights to Eberron, Weis sole rights to publish Kyrnn. (those are examples, the license may go to any company).
2. Dungeon and/or Dungeon Magazine will come back, my guess in digital form.
3. WotC hires/contracts more writers and expands.

Either option will make me happy, just do it WotC!

Or they outright bury something. Bruce Heard wanted to do a 5E Mystara and he got shot down.

 

[Bolares]

Reading this thread I'm under the impression that almost everyone is focused on how they feel the update should be done, based on their preference. To me the job of a game designer who is updating a setting to a new sourcebook should be giving options that make the seeting available to most of the players. Thats done, in my opinion by trying to make most of the core options available, and stating that if you are unhappy with their adaptation you should disregard that option, presenting, maybe in a side bar, what would be considered "vanilla" for this setting.

The process of adaptation should be made with this questions in mind, in this consecutive order:

-Does this option fit unchanged in the setting?
If the answer is yes than use it as it is, if not go to step 2.

-How can if change the theme or mechanics of this option to fit it in the setting?
I think this is the main point of the argument, but it feels important, from a game design point of view to try and adapt an option to the setting, because there could be a player that wants to play some version of this option in the setting.

-If there is no practical way to adapt an option you should exclude it from the adaptation. But then you should explain to the player why it is that their favorite option isn't available in the setting, and then point them to a possible replacement.

 

[MoonSong]

I also have no interest in D&D being done only one way. I just happen to feel the exact same way about campaign settings. I'm not interested in Eberron or any D&D setting I'll play countless campaigns in being kept in a vacuum-sealed box, pristine and preserved for eternity. Ironically, for all the "nothing is canon, time never marches forward" purity inherent in Eberron, the setting actually thrives on this by providing dozens of mysteries without answers. Every campaign of Eberron should feel like a different world, but still distinctly Eberron in itself. An Eberron not cluttered by thousands of +1 swords and wands of magic missile can still be distinctly Eberron but potentially presents its own twists (with the added benefit of not throwing off 5e's maths any).

But the magic items are an important part of the Eberron experience. I know many people enjoy long tortuous campaigns where the end reward is a single potion of jumping, but IMO that isn't the point of Eberron, Eberron is a place where the fun comes from actually using those endless wands and enchanted swords, not from getting them.

Why bother then? If the world isn't going to grow to accept new options or find ways to make the PHB options work, you don't need more than a short conversion doc to update the mechanic.

Here is all the 5e Eberron you'll ever need.

That's still lacking a magic item economy and an artificer that looks and moves like an actual artificer from day 1.

Something like a Sorcerer could maybe work on DS with a DS subclass (as long as they follow the defiling rules) but he Dragon Sorcerer should be out and DS is not that big on wild magic.

IMO the claws and the scales and all that monster stuff is a distraction from the core of the sorcerer. And the core subclasses are lame anyway. Give a couple of appropriate subclasses and the sorcerer totally fits in Dark Sun.

 

[Jer]

Anyone else own a near mint copy of Spelljammer boxed set or is it just me?

Mine got far too much use in the early 90s to be called "near mint". Maybe "good". Or "well used".

 

[Bolares]

About Eberron magic itens, Keith Baker has mentioned some time ago that much change wouldn't be needed to adapt to 5e, because yes there are more magic itens in Eberron, but they are the low level ones, Eberron is not necessarily High magic, its WIDE magic, there is a lot of it, but most is low level, and that should be the case for magic itens also. Make weak magic itens more comom (maybe changing uncommom itens to commom) but leave the high level ones as it is...