Spelljammer Spelljammer Shows Up In The Wild - Check Out The Tables of Contents

Copies of Spelljammer are starting to show up. Mike Long of Tribality is in receipt of the books and has tweeted some photos!

 

[Charlaquin]

All three of you misunderstand me (which might be a good reason to NOT do it, as it seems that it could cause much confusion).

I don't mean "destroy Dark Sun"!

I mean set Dark Sun in the past. You then RELEASE Dark Sun, taking place eons earlier than "current" D&D. This is why it's inaccessible. It's "A Long Time Ago in A Wildspace Far Far Away".

That might be an option, but I think you’re right about the misunderstandings of your suggestion being a good indication that it wouldn’t go over well.

 

[Charlaquin]

Sorry. I don't see the huge difference. Destroy Dark Sun is still destroy Dark Sun. Yes, release Dark Sun and set it in the past of the current D&D game "timeline". Got it. You're still destroying Dark Sun in the "present". That's the problem. I'd rather they not do that. It makes things pointlessly complicated.

I would also rather they not do that, for the record.

 

[Charlaquin]

I'm not surprised at all Dark Sun is the cameo. You can't release a Dark Sun conversion without psionics, and they haven't managed to make a version that fits the setting.

Eh, before Van Richten’s Guide people would have said you can’t release a Ravenloft conversion without a Core. I think Dark Sun with psionics as feats and subclasses would do fine.

 

[Charlaquin]

I think WotC intended to include Dark Sun as a cameo here (as evidenced by the map that was hastily removed from DDB) but they ended up filing off the serial numbers.

Which is probably for the best. I don’t think whatever they would have done with it in this book would have been satisfying to most folks who want Dark Sun (to put it mildly).

 

[Charlaquin]

Glad I'm not the only one who sees the importance of a Barsoom type planet! I am building my own home system but there will be a "fantasy Mars" and it sounds like a lot of the Dark Sun monsters will go nicely there, as well as a "fantasy Venus" of sultry jungles and swamps and lush forests. Home to the nice elves.

That sounds awesome!

 

[Micah Sweet]

Eh, before Van Richten’s Guide people would have said you can’t release a Ravenloft conversion without a Core. I think Dark Sun with psionics as feats and subclasses would do fine.

Of course, you all know I think they shouldn't have done that.

What's the opposite of preaching to the choir?

 

[Remathilis]

My guess is they're looking to 2024 and beyond. In two years' time they won't need to have that advice as the core books will be updated to include them.

They could have added a line akin to "If your background doesn't grant a feat, select from [specific list]" to cover the bases of all the backgrounds that doesn't grant a feat and probably won't be updated any time soon (like setting specific or module specific ones).

 

[Charlaquin]

Of course, you all know I think they shouldn't have done that.

What's the opposite of preaching to the choir?

I mean, I know you wouldn’t like Dark Sun without dedicated psionics rules, but that doesn’t mean they can’t, which is what you said. I don’t even think it’s a barrier at this point. If anything is preventing them from releasing it, it’s fear of potential backlash to some of the “edgier” elements of the setting.

 

[humble minion]

I of course reserve the right to change my mind after seeing the book, but to me this looks a lot like the death knell for any prospect of DS as an official 5e setting. They've failed a couple of times to come up with a psionicist class they're happy with, and the handling of slavery is going to be a tricky call to make. And now a very Dark-Sunny world makes an appearance in the Spelljammer campaign, and a bunch of classic Dark Sun monsters in the Spelljammer monster supplement? Yeah, this is what it would look like if WotC threw in the towel on DS 5e but just wanted to throw a couple of easter eggs out there to feed the nostalgia engines.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Does anyone else think that it's weird that there's so few high level monsters? Why are those Ancient Dragons so weak compared to the main ones? Where's the Lunar and Solar Great Wyrms? Why aren't there some of the more powerful classic spelljammer monsters (living stars/planets, gammaroids, etc)?

Don't get me wrong, I like all of the monsters that are included, they just seem a bit underlevel to me.

We may get a Monstrous Compendium Spelljammer Creatures Vol 2.