D&D 5E (2014) The Bible Is A New 5E Setting

The Adventurer’s Guide to the Bible is a 5E setting and adventure set in the first century AD.

The 350-page book, created by Bible enthusiasts, included four new lineages, a range of subclasses, and an adventure for character levels 1-10, along with a full first-century AD setting with locations like the Library of Alexandria and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, NPCs, and monsters such as giants, seraph serpents, angels, and demons. The adventure itself involves a search for three missing Magi.

It's $25 for a PDF, or $39 for a hardcover.

The Adventurer's Guide to the Bible for 5E

A fifth edition campaign setting with new rule options for players and GMs, and a full adventure for characters of levels 1 - 10.

www.kickstarter.com

Cleopatra is dead. Rome and Parthia struggle for control of the Fertile Crescent in a bid for world domination, while local politics in the Middle Kingdoms become increasingly divisive. The prophecies of the so-called “Messiah” have long been forgotten, and an ancient Evil lurks in the shadows, corrupting the hearts of humankind. Three of the wisest mystics known as the “Magi” travelled to Bethlehem following a star they believed to be a sign. They never returned. Hope grows dim as the world descends into darkness. What we need are answers... and those brave enough to seek them.

This isn’t the first biblical era setting for D&D, although it might be for 5E. Green Ronin released Testament: Roleplaying in the Biblical Era for 3E over a decade ago.

 

[Alzrius]

It did in the old testament, the Egyptian Priests' Divine magic worked, it's just that Moses was a higher level so his magic worked better.

Which is saying something when you consider that Jannes and Jambres (the names of those two sorcerers) were able to overcome archangels in a fight.

 

[Weiley31]

Which is saying something when you consider that Jannes and Jambres (the names of those two sorcerers) were able to overcome archangels in a fight.

I see they were both experts in Wrestling Techniques.

 

[Umbran]

The current moral panic comes from "diversity".

Mod Note:
The current dogwhistle attempting to dismiss discussion without addressing the content is "moral panic". Such stuff is not consistent with our inclusivity policy. So, it is time t relieve you of the necessity of responding further in the thread.

 

[Tonguez]

From their comments page re warlocks:


And re clerics, magic etc:

Which is saying something when you consider that Jannes and Jambres (the names of those two sorcerers) were able to overcome archangels in a fight.

yeah trying to say that 'magic' is a broad term that covers miracles too is a cop-out and speak to the major issue of trying to model "divine miracles" in a RPG, especially in the Dnd Class&Level system.

The reason Moses and the other Prophets can do wonderous acts and not be accused of 'witchcraft' is because they are channeling faith to invoke an Act of God, and God isnt limited by level or vsm components.

The Witch of Endor summons up the dead, the Egyptian magicians call on false gods, even Jannes and Jambres are relying on talismans to empower them, the Righteous dont do those things - they just pray and God acts.

The problem is how do you measure Faith in an RPG or put a limit on 'Unlimited Miracle/wish'

 

[CleverNickName]

Hmmmm...it'll be interesting to see how this goes over...

Right now they're 400% funded ($21k) after 5 days, and they have unlocked 7 of their 11 stretch goals. The most heated discussion in their Comment section involves the historical timeline. So far so good!

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

The problem is how do you measure Faith in an RPG

White Wolf did it in their Hunter supplements for the World of Darkness. A cross, or other holy symbol, did basically nothing in the hands of someone with low Faith. But if the wielder has a high Faith score, that cross will do to vampires what the folktales say it should. It is the person' strong belief and will that powers it, not the existence of an actual god.

 

[humble minion]

Right now they're 400% funded ($21k) after 5 days, and they have unlocked 7 of their 11 stretch goals. The most heated discussion in their Comment section involves the historical timeline. So far so good!

Yeah, they'd be happy with how it's going, but money-wise it's shaping as a low to mid-range kickstarter unless there's some massive fundraising spike at some point. Not that there's anything wrong with that, or course!

Their initial target (and the price point for the print backer levels) was very low for this sort of project, compared to projects of similar size and scope. Planegea, for instance, charged nearly twice as much for the hardback, had an initial funding target three times as high, and by the end of the campaign, had raised over a quarter of a million. This one is only at $20k four days in, and the earliest days of a kickstarter tend to be where the bulk of the money comes from. Some of that savings will presumably come from fulfilling through Drivethru PoD, at a somewhat lower and cheaper print quality. As for the rest - to be honest i suspect it's a passion project and a lot of contributors are working for low rates or gratis out of enthusiasm or personal religious conviction.

 

[Ancalagon]

Also - one thing that stood out for me was in the art samples on the kickstarter page, the only two who were not very distinctly dark-skinned were the Spartan subclass illustration (understandable - Greek skin tones and Palestinian skin tones are different) and the illustration for the Giant lineage.

Which to me is another indication that these guys are taking a history-first rather than a whitewashed modern-political-religion-first approach to the book.

history first? But this is set near the time of Jesus - there are no spartans then?

No whitewhash? The Spartans were brutal slave owners - even the other greeks (who were not great in that regard) thought so. I don't want to play a slaver.

 

[humble minion]

history first? But this is set near the time of Jesus - there are no spartans then?

No whitewhash? The Spartans were brutal slave owners - even the other greeks (who were not great in that regard) thought so. I don't want to play a slaver.

Sparta around this time is kinda funny (in a darkly ironic way). Their real power had been broken hundreds of years prior, the whole area was ruled by the Romans. But Sparta was allowed to keep running itself in a small way, kept alive basically as a theme park for wealthy Romans who'd bought into all the same myths so many today do, about the stern asceticism of the Spartans, their courage, their discipline, and their peerless warrior ethic, etc etc blah blah blah. The Romans brought their disappointing shiftless youth on pilgrimages to Sparta to try to instil some backbone, when said youths would much prefer to be lounging on divans being fed honeyed dormice and playing the lyre.

So you COULD play a spartan in 25AD, even a conventionally-armed and clad one. THey certainly still existed, even if they didn't actually fight any more. You'd just be completely anachronistic, and you'd more likely be a bard play acting for the tourists than a serious warrior.

As for slavery - everyone in this period is a slave society. Romans, Parthians, Egyptian and Jews (both under the umbrella of their Roman conquerors), etc etc. It'll be interesting to see how the book handles it.

 

[Yaarel]

Gotta say, when I first saw this thread, I was...not expecting good things. I'm a Christian myself and try to be relatively serious about my faith, but I know how easy it is for "Christian entertainment" stuff to rapidly go off the deep end.

But, having read the Kickstarter campaign stuff now, it sounds reasonably okay. Faithful to the material without insisting upon the material, if that makes sense.

Hard to say how the larger community should embrace this product and it's creators. Game as educational/indoctrination tool. Have to keep an eye on it.

For any ideological settings, including religious settings, the problem is coercion.

As long as the setting is descriptive, rather than prescriptive, it should be be fine. Even interesting.

If players get into a particular concept or feature, then great. And if they dont, then also great.



Heh, and this applies to any setting.

I love 5e. At the same time, I find myself hating the Forgotten Realms cosmology ( ≈ Planescape), because it is too prescriptive. The 5e Players Handbook feels too heavy-handed about specific cosmological assumptions.

Personally, I want the core rules, especially the player-facing Players Handbook, to be more kitchen-sink about cosmological assumptions, with only a suggestive gentle touch overall. It can offer a few alternative examples if helpful. The core rules need to be as setting neutral as possible.

The DM is the one who is responsible for the cosmology. The setting that the DM chooses to play, is where to go into detail about how the cosmology functions. Indeed, where players play heroes, the DM plays the entire cosmology as a kind of character.

The DM can purchase a setting cosmology, or ideally homebrew ones own.



The Adventurers Guide to the Bible. I see this product − if done well − and inclusively − as a great option among the many different kinds of settings that D&D 5e can do well.

It's amusing. I am curious to see if this is the creation of enthusiasts or of experts. If it's enthusiasts, don't expect either historical or biblical accuracy. If it's experts, I am expecting an attempt to coax a square peg through the eye of a needle.

So true.