D&D 5E (2024) Unconfirmed Dark Sun World Book

[Zardnaar]

Yeah. Dark Sun had a number of splatbooks and lore from various adventures. A players understanding of Dark Sun can differ notably depending on which books one happened to have. (Nevermind the old school approach to modify and tweak the game.)

Thus we only had the OBS back in the day.

These days I'll allow earth, aire fire, water and dune trader. Ask for anything else.

 

[Zardnaar]

His lore implies that Orcs are in some way innately Evil.

I've never taken Orcs as evil. At least inherently. They're generally from an evil culture mostly due to Gruumsh.

 

[Yaarel]

I've never taken Orcs as evil. At least inherently. They're generally from an evil culture mostly due to Gruumsh.

Tareks dont have to care about any of that. Tareks can be the Gruumsh-never-happened Orc culture.

 

[Zardnaar]

Tareks dont have to care about any of that. Tareks can be the Gruumsh-never-happened Orc culture.

All orcs are dead though. Not sure if Tareks are even in the OBS.

Theyre different when you read up on them.

Orcs shouldn't exist. Isolated pocket of survivors (been done with lizard men) maye or as a mutant.

DS concept was not typical fantasy. No orcs is a big part of that.

Reptile and insect races make more sense along with Genasi if youre adding new stuff.

 

[Yaarel]

Theyre different when you read up on them.

Probably, the Tarek can use the 2024 Orc mechanics seamlessly. Only the setting flavor needs a doublecheck.

 

[Zardnaar]

Probably, the Tarek can use the 2024 Orc mechanics seamlessly. Only the setting flavor needs a doublecheck.

They probably wont make Tareks a thing. More likely to retcon Orcs in.
. I dont think they get the original appeal of Darksun. Being the anti high fantasy was exactly the point.

 

[bedir than]

They probably wont make Tareks a thing. More likely to retcon Orcs in.
. I dont think they get the original appeal of Darksun. Being the anti high fantasy was exactly the point.

what evidence is there that the people who have never spoken or written about their implementation of Dark Sun do not understand Dark Sun?

 

[Staffan]

No it doesn't.

The original printing of the 5e PHB had some rather unflattering descriptions of half-orcs, and under the heading "The Mark of Gruumsh" said, among other things: "Half-orcs are not evil by nature, but evil does lurk within them, whether they embrace it or rebel against it."

There was also this gem in the section on alignment: "The evil deities who created other races, though, made those races to serve them. Those races have strong inborn tendencies that match the nature of their gods. Most orcs share the violent, savage nature of the orc god, Gruumsh, and are thus inclined toward evil. Even if an orc chooses a good alignment, it struggles against its innate tendencies for its entire life. (Even half-orcs feel the lingering pull of the god's influence.)"

This got changed at some point before 5.5e – I'm not sure when, to be honest. But it's pretty clear that the original intent of the 5e rules was that orcs, goblins, and so on were if not strictly speaking always evil, as close to it as doesn't matter, due to the influence of their creator gods.

 

[Yaarel]

Here is one image (of various images) of a 2e Orc.

Here is an image of a Dark Sun Tarek.

For the purpose of the Dark Sun setting, I would argue the 5e Orc is more like the Dark Sun Tarek than like the 2e Orc.