I am planning to run a Dark Sun one shot and am looking for advice on the rules I have written for it. I have no intention to start a longer campaign and will be GMing for players who do not know the setting well, if at all, so the rules changes from baseline 5e need to be pretty minimal. I know several folks out there have done something similar. I like Toucanbuzz's stuff a lot, but I also have my own ideas and goals, and would like to build on the D&D 5.5 rules and Psion UA.
Character Creation: *My intent is to make the iconic Dark Sun options available using existing 5.5 material, and to make PCs physically tougher overall.
Defiling and Arcane Magic: *My intent is to make Defiling classes obviously stronger than other spellcasting classes, but make preserving a BIG limitation, so that it's always mechanically attractive to Defile. Defiling should be basically without consequence for an arcane caster who has chosen to embrace environmental destruction and social ostracism, but be a huge and persistent dilemma for a caster comitted to Preserving. The "I'm about to die so I'll defile just this once" problem should come up a lot.
Weapons and Armor: *I want the equipment list to communicate information about the setting; it's one of the simplest ways to do that. I know that prior editions of Dark Sun generally had swords and armor be constructed of special materials to get around Dark Sun's limitations on metal, but I think that's a huge waste of the metal is scarce premise. I DON'T want there to be normal longswords, but they're obsidian longswords, or normal plate armor, but it's braxat hide plate armor.
...and that's it. What are your thoughts? I'm happy to hear suggestions and ideas about how others have played Dark Sun in 5e, but I'd really appreciate feedback on these specific rules, especially the defiling rules. Are the defiling rules too punitive? I'd also appreciate feedback on the decision to ban or not ban Clerics, Paladins, and Rangers. Also, is even this amount of custom rules too much?
Thanks!
Character Creation: *My intent is to make the iconic Dark Sun options available using existing 5.5 material, and to make PCs physically tougher overall.
Due to the fraught everyday struggle to survive in the blasted world of Darksun PCs are naturally tough:
- Add +2 to Strength
- Add +2 to Dexterity
- Add +2 to Constitution
- Use the maximum HP value for the first two levels
Professions and society are entirely different in Darksun, PCs do not use backgrounds, instead:
- Increase any ability score by 2 and a different one by 1, or increase any three ability scores by 1.
- Gain proficiency in any two skills.
- Gain proficiency in any one tool.
- Gain a Wild Talent (using the Psion UA) instead of an origin feat.
Some species are modified:
- Elf—Elves may only choose the Wood Elf lineage. Elves can ignore one level of exhaustion. Elves may choose to gain proficiency in Sleight of Hand as part of their Keen Senses feature.
- Halfling—Halflings may make a bite attack that, on a successful hit, deals damage equal to 1d4 plus Strength modifier.
- Mul—Muls also have Advantage on saves against poison due to their dwarven heritage. They otherwise use the same species features as PHB 2024 orcs.
- Thri-Kreen—available as per Astral Adventurer's Guide.
Some classes are modified:
- The Psion class is available.
- Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Wizards, Arcane Tricksters, and Eldritch Knights are Defiling (sub)classes and use the defiling rules below.
- Druid wildshape options are restricted to animals that could plausibly be found in Dark Sun.
- I'm considering removing Clerics, Paladins, and Rangers as an option. I know they were an option in 2e Dark Sun, but I don't think the 5e versions of them go well with the setting without my making a bunch of alterations that are gonna be too complicated.
Defiling and Arcane Magic: *My intent is to make Defiling classes obviously stronger than other spellcasting classes, but make preserving a BIG limitation, so that it's always mechanically attractive to Defile. Defiling should be basically without consequence for an arcane caster who has chosen to embrace environmental destruction and social ostracism, but be a huge and persistent dilemma for a caster comitted to Preserving. The "I'm about to die so I'll defile just this once" problem should come up a lot.
Arcane magic in Darksun is both more potent and more destructive than it is in most D&D settings. Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Wizards, Arcane Tricksters, and Eldritch Knights gain the following benefits and penalties when they cast arcane spells.
- Arcane spells you cast have +2 to DC and +2 to Attack rolls. This applies to all spells regardless of which hit die option (see below) is used.
- To cast a leveled arcane spell you need to spend a hit die in addition to a spell slot. You have three options for how you acquire this hit die.
- You can spend one of your own hit dice.
- You can steal the hit die from a large plant or patch of small plants, which instantly kills them and desiccates them into gray ash.
- You can attempt to steal the hit die from another living creature, dealing 1D8 necrotic damage to it. But, if you choose this option, the creature may make a Charisma save against your spell DC. And, if the save succeeds, the spell fails and you lose the spell slot.
Option 1., spending your own hit dice, is called Preserving, it has no special consequences, except the expenditure of the hit die.
Options 2. and 3. are called Defiling. If you Defile—even a single time—psychics and spell casters will be able to see it in your aura for the rest of your life. If you defile more than 10 times in a month, it will permanently change your appearance, blackening your sclera, forming a faint red haze around your body, gradually cracking open your skin to reveal dark scales.
There are two exceptions to the defiling rules:
- When a spell is cast as a ritual, it does not gain the benefits or suffer the penalties above.
- Spells gained from species, Wild Talent, or other non-arcane-spellcasting features do not gain the benefits or suffer the penalties above.
Addition: this one shot will be played with 4th level PCs, so this rule is not relevant, but spells of 4th level or higher would require expenditure of two hit dice, deal 2d8 necrotic damage when used with option 3., and require a tree or patch of large plants for option 2.
Weapons and Armor: *I want the equipment list to communicate information about the setting; it's one of the simplest ways to do that. I know that prior editions of Dark Sun generally had swords and armor be constructed of special materials to get around Dark Sun's limitations on metal, but I think that's a huge waste of the metal is scarce premise. I DON'T want there to be normal longswords, but they're obsidian longswords, or normal plate armor, but it's braxat hide plate armor.
- All edged weapons break, and become unusable, when an unmodified 1 is rolled for an Attack. If the weapon would still hit the target, it deals its normal damage for that attack before breaking.
- Melee edged weapons made of iron roll a larger die for their damage, add +1 to their Attack rolls, and do not have a chance to break. Melee weapons made of bronze are just as rare and expensive as iron weapons and do not have a chance to break, but do not deal increased damage or have a bonus to their Attack rolls.
- Ranged weapons that use ammunition made of metal do an extra +1 damage.
- Weapons that use a lot of metal, like Greatswords, Rapiers, and Longswords are rare or unavailable.
- Some armor is widely available: Padded Armor, Leather Armor, Studded Leather, Hide Armor, Scale Mail (scale is constructed from bone chunks or animal scales), Shields.
- Some armor is available using rare and expensive special materials like mekillot shell pieces: Breast Plate, Half Plate.
- Heavy armor is simply not available.
...and that's it. What are your thoughts? I'm happy to hear suggestions and ideas about how others have played Dark Sun in 5e, but I'd really appreciate feedback on these specific rules, especially the defiling rules. Are the defiling rules too punitive? I'd also appreciate feedback on the decision to ban or not ban Clerics, Paladins, and Rangers. Also, is even this amount of custom rules too much?
Thanks!
