D&D 5E 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.

 

[Yaarel]

It seems like kind of an oddly specific timeframe for the setting. If it's for Christians, then Jesus isn't really a thing yet and it would have made more sense to do something starting around 100 AD instead. If it's old school old testament, I would have set it far earlier.

But maybe it's just my style, years or even decades pass over the course of a single campaign. I'm not particularly interested in the setting (I'd rather pick up the Theros book) but it feels limiting for grander stories. There would be a lot to mine from the persecution of Christians era to the beginnings of the modern church.

The time period takes place after the Magi and before the Tora-teaching activity by Jesus. Judging by the chronology that I prefer, somewhere between 1 BCE and 30 AD.

During this period, Romans severely persecuted Israel (including Judea and the Galil, as well as Samaria). Even Jesus’s own family suffered persecution, and had to flee from Herodos who was a personal friend of Augustus the Roman Emperor, and was puppet government for the Roman Empire.

Also, this time period is the world that Jesus himself grew up in. He studied the Judaism of this time period. It is a chance for Christians to become more familiar with the humanity of Jesus, as a person, rather than the dehumanizing mythification of him.



For gaming purposes, it probably is better if Jesus doesnt show up yet. Because statting him can be theologically difficult for some Christians. Personally, I would just stat Jesus up as a normal human, Jewish (proto) rabbi, in the tradition of Hilel. Hilel himself is also a descendant of David, and the two families might even have been related to each other.

In any case, a game like this can be an opportunity for Christians to explore and maybe even connect with the social identity that Jesus himself had.

 

[Oofta]

The time period takes place after the Magi and before the Tora-teaching activity by Jesus. Judging by the chronology that I prefer, somewhere between 1 BCE and 30 AD.

During this period, Romans severely persecuted Israel (including Judea and the Galil, as well as Samaria). Even Jesus’s own family suffered persecution, and had to flee from Herodos who was a personal friend of Augustus the Roman Emperor, and was puppet government for the Roman Empire.

Also, this time period is the world that Jesus himself grew up in. He studied the Judaism of this time period. It is a chance for Christians to become more familiar with the humanity of Jesus, as a person, rather than the dehumanizing mythification of him.



For gaming purposes, it probably is better if Jesus doesnt show up yet. Because statting him can be theologically difficult for some Christians. Personally, I would just stat Jesus up as a normal human, Jewish (proto) rabbi, in the tradition of Hilel. Hilel himself is also a descendant of David, and the two families might even have been related to each other.

In any case, a game like this can be an opportunity for Christians to explore and maybe even connect with the social identity that Jesus himself had.

If you set it after the crucifixion you don't need to worry about Jesus as an NPC either. Of course you could run into apostles, which I'm not sure is better.

But again, it's probably just because of how I run my campaigns, I'm sure you could shift the timeline one way or another fairly easily.

 

[ART!]

If you set it after the crucifixion you don't need to worry about Jesus as an NPC either. Of course you could run into apostles, which I'm not sure is better.

But again, it's probably just because of how I run my campaigns, I'm sure you could shift the timeline one way or another fairly easily.

This begs the question: what if Jesus is born (or dies), say 5 years earlier, or 5 years later? 10? 20? 50? 100? Regardless of the historicity of the NT, alternate timelines for the rise (or lack thereof) of Christianity could be pretty interesting.

 

[Tonguez]

If you set it after the crucifixion you don't need to worry about Jesus as an NPC either. Of course you could run into apostles, which I'm not sure is better.

But again, it's probably just because of how I run my campaigns, I'm sure you could shift the timeline one way or another fairly easily.

According to Luke there were 70 Apostles sent out, and I think it would be kinda cool for characters to meet with them - especially the more obscure ones like Phillip or even the likes of Priscilla and Aquila.

I’d even be fine with NPC Apostles as quest givers and even as PCs - eg the Apostle Thomas sent Thaddeus to heal King Agbar in Edessa, setting up a journey adventure

 

[Ancalagon]

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.

The "spartha as a tourist trap" is indeed how they end, and yes, I can imagine a young spartan becoming weary of this and going on adventure, this is totally a legit character concept...

buuuuuuut does it need a subclass? And why the Spartan vs dozens of other historical warriors from the era? This tells me it's probable that they took it because they think "Spartans are cool and noble!" But they are not - they are despicable

Yes, slave ownership is common at the time (and by that time, the power of Sparta being broken, they are no longer doing this because they can't), but in the 600-300 year BC range (their "main" era), they were were brutal. Other slave owning greeks (who were not very nice to their slaves either) thought that the Spartans took it way too far.

Collections: This. Isn’t. Sparta. Part II: Spartan Equality

This is Part II of our seven part look at Sparta (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, Gloss., Retrospective). Last week we took a look at our sources for Sparta and then examined the Spartan child-training…

acoup.blog

 

[bulletmeat]

If you set it after the crucifixion you don't need to worry about Jesus as an NPC either. Of course you could run into apostles, which I'm not sure is better.

But again, it's probably just because of how I run my campaigns, I'm sure you could shift the timeline one way or another fairly easily.

Well, technically to the lore, he would be stated as a normal human, right? If the PCs were to kill Jesus it doesn't matter, he would still be coming back.

Some interesting campaign ideas for after the crucifixion could be either the PCs are the ones to originally crucified Jesus and are cursed, looking for redemption or even Jesus returning right after & the PCs dealing with the apocalypse.

Ironically the very first time I played D&D it was a christian style fantasy setting where we fought numerous demons and eventually defeated the devil (not through battle but w/holy relics). It's gonna feel like '89 again...

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Aside from all the other stuff about Spartans that people have mentioned, I would be very uncomfortable playing one, if I even could at all, because of the documented "relationships" the adult soldier had with his underage trainee/squire/name I can't remember. Not to make light of it, but it would be a class that fits some Catholic priests or the members of NAMBLA.

 

[bulletmeat]

Aside from all the other stuff about Spartans that people have mentioned, I would be very uncomfortable playing one, if I even could at all, because of the documented "relationships" the adult soldier had with his underage trainee/squire/name I can't remember. Not to make light of it, but it would be a class that fits some Catholic priests or the members of NAMBLA.

Be the exception, the Spartan that defied the idea.
Also, I believe this was not exclusively a Spartan or Catholic priest issue. The problem is beyond specific religions or cultures.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Not to make light of it, but it would be a class that fits some Catholic priests or the members of NAMBLA.

Mod Note:

That right there is VERY inflammatory, and relies on a stereotype that ignores actual crime statistics. Don’t repeat that mistake.

 

[JoeBright]

That thread title is P. T. Barnum levels of intruiging; it certainly got me to click and see what this was.

This way to the Egress!