Ravnica Table of Contents & More

Thank you.

 

[Rossbert]

Mostly I need the monster stat blocks, and am curious what the official take on some of the magic items are, though I didn't notice bamsticks or pendriks in there

 

[Jester David]

Yes, if you dislike the guilds this is not the setting for you.

Just like Dark Sun is not for people who dislike psionics and you have to like an age of sail/spacefaring style game for Spelljammer. If you dislike magitech and dragonmarks Eberron doesn't have much unique for you.

If you dislike the core concept of a setting I absolutely don't recommend you play it. My brother can't play Eclipse Phase at all because he struggles with transhumanism.

The City of Guilds created and regulated by the Guildpact of the Guildmasters is very much about guilds, if you don't want to engage with it to some degree you probably will be happier with some other setting. Fortunately there is decades of material for several settings for D&D and dozens to hundreds of premade settings if you are open to adapting from other RPGs, many of them would require minimal conversion as a bonus.

You're right about Spelljammer, which is a one-note setting of Age of Sail spaceships. There's a lot of factions and locations and funkiness, but if you dislike Victorian style magical spacesailing, then the setting won't appeal to you.

Dark Sun isn't just psionics, but campaigns in a post-Apocalyptic ruined world. For the most part, you can squint and ignore psionics; a monster casting a "spell" works largely the same if it is psionic or arcane. Instead, you can focus on slave uprisings, life in a gladiatorial pit, caravan guards through the wastes, helping a small village survive and find water, loyal soldiers of a Sorcerer King waging war on another city-state, and the like. There's a fair amount going on.
But, if you don't like the core concept of "D&D with harsh survival in a hostile, unfamiliar world" then, no, you won't like it.

Eberron is ridiculously large.
If you don't like either the dragonmark houses or magitech you can still delve into giant ruins in Xen'Drick hunting forgotten relics, or scavenge for lost lore in the ruins of a town scourged during the last war, or deal with new revelations in the Draconic Prophecy, delve through the wilderness looking for dragonshards that will fetch high prices, fight against the Quori and invasion from Sarlona, hunt for the cause of the Day of Mourning, work against the freeing of the Lords of Dust from Khyber, or serve as agents of a kingdom trying to prevent the resumption of the Last War. All that and so very, very much more. And that's just the adventure concepts from someone who only read the 3.5e Campaign Setting.
It's a great example of what a campaign setting should be. Five people what their top three things about Eberron are and you'll end up with a dozen different answers. Because the setting book doesn't try and tell you want you should be playing in the setting, it gives you a buffet of options. It's an example of how you design a campaign setting in the modern day rather than the early one-not settings of 2nd Edition.

Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica is a stark contrast. From the description of the back cover of GGtR there's only the one campaign concept for every campaign: you're agents of one or more guilds. That's comparable to setting-ettes like Council of Wyrms or Ghostwalk.

 

[Rossbert]

That is valid, and I am being a degree disingenuous. For comparison purposes I am somewhat pretending I don't know about any publications for a setting beyond the first one (I may have had a lot of Dark Sun stuff cross my desk this month).

 

[Parmandur]

You're right about Spelljammer, which is a one-note setting of Age of Sail spaceships. There's a lot of factions and locations and funkiness, but if you dislike Victorian style magical spacesailing, then the setting won't appeal to you.

Dark Sun isn't just psionics, but campaigns in a post-Apocalyptic ruined world. For the most part, you can squint and ignore psionics; a monster casting a "spell" works largely the same if it is psionic or arcane. Instead, you can focus on slave uprisings, life in a gladiatorial pit, caravan guards through the wastes, helping a small village survive and find water, loyal soldiers of a Sorcerer King waging war on another city-state, and the like. There's a fair amount going on.
But, if you don't like the core concept of "D&D with harsh survival in a hostile, unfamiliar world" then, no, you won't like it.

Eberron is ridiculously large.
If you don't like either the dragonmark houses or magitech you can still delve into giant ruins in Xen'Drick hunting forgotten relics, or scavenge for lost lore in the ruins of a town scourged during the last war, or deal with new revelations in the Draconic Prophecy, delve through the wilderness looking for dragonshards that will fetch high prices, fight against the Quori and invasion from Sarlona, hunt for the cause of the Day of Mourning, work against the freeing of the Lords of Dust from Khyber, or serve as agents of a kingdom trying to prevent the resumption of the Last War. All that and so very, very much more. And that's just the adventure concepts from someone who only read the 3.5e Campaign Setting.
It's a great example of what a campaign setting should be. Five people what their top three things about Eberron are and you'll end up with a dozen different answers. Because the setting book doesn't try and tell you want you should be playing in the setting, it gives you a buffet of options. It's an example of how you design a campaign setting in the modern day rather than the early one-not settings of 2nd Edition.

Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica is a stark contrast. From the description of the back cover of GGtR there's only the one campaign concept for every campaign: you're agents of one or more guilds. That's comparable to setting-ettes like Council of Wyrms or Ghostwalk.

So, the best comparisons I can think if are, firstly, Shadowrun, and secondly, Star Trek Adventures.

Ravnica is basically low-tech (no computers), high-magic Shadowrun. It's a Rennisance-Punk setting with all-powerful Megacorps that are in control of everything.

In Star Trek Adventures, PC generation is entirely focused on Star Fleet careers. There are other people in the universe, but someone coming to a Star Trek game is essentially saying that they want to be in Star Fleet.

There are three main audiences for this book, in my estimation:

1.) Folks who want to play in the exact setting of the novels and short fiction. This is covered by the Tenth District material, and the Guild material.

2.) Folks who want to play with the Guild setup and world, but be away from the beaten path of the fiction. Guild material and procedural tables fill this need.

3.) Homebrewers who want to pick the book over for spare parts. Monsters, PC crunch, Reknown system tweaks, stated out factions with unusual philosophies and tables fill this need.

Personally, I'm in category 3, and they had me sold at "playable Centaurs." But I'm an easy sell, honestly.

 

[gyor]

So, the best comparisons I can think if are, firstly, Shadowrun, and secondly, Star Trek Adventures.

Ravnica is basically low-tech (no computers), high-magic Shadowrun. It's a Rennisance-Punk setting with all-powerful Megacorps that are in control of everything.

In Star Trek Adventures, PC generation is entirely focused on Star Fleet careers. There are other people in the universe, but someone coming to a Star Trek game is essentially saying that they want to be in Star Fleet.

There are three main audiences for this book, in my estimation:

1.) Folks who want to play in the exact setting of the novels and short fiction. This is covered by the Tenth District material, and the Guild material.

2.) Folks who want to play with the Guild setup and world, but be away from the beaten path of the fiction. Guild material and procedural tables fill this need.

3.) Homebrewers who want to pick the book over for spare parts. Monsters, PC crunch, Reknown system tweaks, stated out factions with unusual philosophies and tables fill this need.

Personally, I'm in category 3, and they had me sold at "playable Centaurs." But I'm an easy sell, honestly.

Category (4) those who want to poach the races and subclasses for use in the Forgotten Realms. FR has Centaurs, Minotaurs, Loxodons (Loxo), Goblins.

Circle of Spores Druid makes a good druid for darker gods and druids of the Shadowfell.

Order Domain is good for any lawful God.

Vedelken and Simic Hybrid are in FR, but both scream creations of the Creator Races. Vedelken could be a descendant of the Batrachi and the Simic Hybrids could be the result of Batrachi and Sarrukh experimentation, both where known to use magic to merged different creates to create new ones, as well as mutating themselves, and mixing their own genes with their creations. That is how they created Doppelgangers, Bullywugs, Tako, Lizardfolk, Pterafolk, Nagas, Yuan Ti, Abashi, and more.

Even many of monsters can be poached. Use Angels to fill out roles within ranks of the servants of the Gods. Thay would totally be open to creating Thrulls.

Felidar, servants cat linked deities like Sharess, Nobanion, Anhur, Ra, and Nature Deities like Silvanus, Chauntea, Lurue, Malar (in the case of Fallen Felidars), Mielikki.

Demons come in endless variety, so that is a no brainer.

Undead could be produced by any sort of necromancer.

Hypersonic Dragons could be refugees from Abeir. Pit Dragons might be usable as Grey Dragons depending on stats.

The NPCs are harder to use, but some might still be useful in FR, especially templates.

Only the really the Bracers of Illusion would likely be setting neutral enough to use in FR for magic items. Cod be wrong.

Any knew types of Dryads fit into the Feywild and Get filled regions as well.

Some of the other monsters could fit too, I'd have to see them first.

 

[gyor]

They won't. Settings get one book now. I'd be surprised it get even one AP.

Sadly true. It's a great edition whose one weakness is a huge lack of ambition so it never reaches it's potential.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

It isn't a book for anyone needs. In previous iterations of the game it wouldn't have been well recieved. But now people are starved for content, and will accepte anything. Even those who say they do not need content cause they can make it up (why buy it if you can come up with guilds yourself? ).

Thats not how it works. The Guilds are a part of the worlds Lore. There are only 10 of them. And they determine nearly everything.

You are pretty much complaining about something you have no idea about.

 

[gyor]

That is even less sensical. It like buying the Old Grey Box and having only Suzail described.

I think the 10th district is bigger then Suzail, but your point is well taken. MtG settings are more Settingettes as someone mentioned, then full settings. In fact 5e really doesn't do full Campaign Setting Guides anymore, even FR didn't get one.

Honestly I don't know what to tell you. I'm getting it for the races, the subclasses, and the Beastiary, although I will enjoy the Guilds sections as well and the 10th district Map.

Still it's impossible to fully gage the value of a book by it's ToC, I made that sort of mistake with the SCAG.

I don't think it is a setting I would use all the time, maybe once in a while, or as crossover in other campaigns, unlike FR where the options are endless.

 

[gyor]

That is even less sensical. It like buying the Old Grey Box and having only Suzail described.

Thats not how it works. The Guilds are a part of the worlds Lore. There are only 10 of them. And they determine nearly everything.

You are pretty much complaining about something you have no idea about.

I think the idea is that maybe they should have expanded the setting beyond the capital region, and maybe explored more locations and cultures. If you read the novels the guilds are the dominate force and the world government of the plane, but most people are still guileless, and the guilds don't control everything, there are organizations outside the guilds, religions, and cultures that predate the guildpact. And there have been revolts against the guilds. And guilds were even dissolved for a time.

Its like the government departments, they determine an aweful lot, from infosteuxture, to schools, hospitals, the military, even in some cases religion (like in Iran). But no where does it nearky determine everything.

 

[Kramodlog]

I think the 10th district is bigger then Suzail, but your point is well taken. MtG settings are more Settingettes as someone mentioned, then full settings. In fact 5e really doesn't do full Campaign Setting Guides anymore, even FR didn't get one.

Honestly I don't know what to tell you. I'm getting it for the races, the subclasses, and the Beastiary, although I will enjoy the Guilds sections as well and the 10th district Map.

Still it's impossible to fully gage the value of a book by it's ToC, I made that sort of mistake with the SCAG.

I don't think it is a setting I would use all the time, maybe once in a while, or as crossover in other campaigns, unlike FR where the options are endless.

The funny thing is that I already used Ravnica's parts in previous campaigns. I had a necromancer grow hallucinogenic mushrooms on zombies in the sewers of a city. That was the Golgari Swarm influence.

In a village I had a ghost council of the village's founders run things. That des the Orzhov Syndicate influence.

I also had an ecumenopolis (In ruins) as a moon that orbited a gas giant with many habitable moons. Granted that was more Narnia inspired.

The point is, Ravnica is old(-ish) and I already used its parts.