D&D 5E (2024) WotC Should Make 5.5E Specific Setting

[Reynard]

For a moment there, I thought you were going to mention the City of Doors.

I mean, that works too.
The tendency to want some species be rare and others common is leftover nonsense from previous editions, beholden to "realism" in a world that doesn't warrant it.

 

[Remathilis]

For me? I would say that the PHB races are the bare minimum. I wouldn't worry too much about all those other races - there has to be a cut off somewhere. But, telling a new players whose just started playing D&D, "Oh, you want to play that from the PHB? Ok, now, without any real knowledge of the setting or D&D in general, make up a back ground for that character that fits into the existing setting that we're playing" is a non-starter.

Part of that issue is that D&D is crap at onboarding new players in the Lore of D&D. D&D has no fixed world to explain the world with. You read the PHB about elves and you an very basic idea of what an elf is, but not a lot on how they fit into the world. Even 3e (which gave us info on religion and elven monoculture) still didn't say "elves hail from Celene (or Evermeet)" etc. You still need a fourth book to explain what an elf in Forgotten Realm/Eberron/Greyhawk is. Contrast that with the elf section in Pathfinder which explains what an elf in Golarion is, and if the DM wants to change his setting from Golarion then he can pull out the setting book.

The only edition that had the right idea was 4e. Whatever your opinions on Nerath/Points of Light is, you gotta admit that the PHB gave you info on what an elf in Nerath is.

Sure, you can make a character that's connected to the Zhentarim, but, you have to make it up entirely on your own because the setting tells you zero about how your character fits into that organization. Oh, and you will never, ever meet another character of your species in that organization, so, your only choice is to play a fish out of water character. Those other characters who belong to the same organization - oh, don't worry about them, they only get to choose from dozens or more backgrounds and leverage all sorts of setting material. You? You get to make it up on your own. Good luck!

Part of that is demographic, but I think a part of that is also on the DM. I mean, I ran a very long Eberron campaign and nobody ever met a Kalshatar, despite them being a very important part of the setting. Part of that was on the setting books (unless you are on Sarlona, kalashtar aren't common and there are few prominent kalshatar NPCs) and part of that was on me (I could have taken any number of NPCs, from commoners to named important characters I made, and made them kalshatar).

I don't disagree that settings don't need more aasimar, goliaths and dragonborn NPCs. I think they need more non-evil orc and drow NPCs as well. I think they could have added far more towns and villages full of those species. I wouldn't mind some more NPCs that are from other books as well (like tabaxi or such).

 

[Minigiant]

5.5e would make a good War setting with an accompanying strategy PC or mobile game.

How do you beat Dragonborn Legion with Empire of Orc?

 

[Zardnaar]

Why not? Having Dragonborn around would make their appearance not so unusual and note worthy. They'd want them wandering around 1) because they are vain and they made dragonborn in their own image to be seen, and to reduce the threat to them if someone does notice their appearance.

The Dragon tie in was super secret. The last thing they would want would be Dragonborn wandering around that could be tied to them.

They retconned the Dray who were basically hidden away top secret. They emerged later in the timeline. The timeline most fans don't like (after the prism pentad).

If you want a somewhat faithful adaption Athas specific surface DM discretion on using them.

 

[Zardnaar]

The Dray were in the 2e Monstrous Manual (Terror of Tyre 2). If I recall correctly, the sorcerer-king Dregoth the lich created the Dray. This is enough to establish a presence of Dragonborn within Dark Sun. They might be identical to Dray - or maybe even originate similarly from an other sorcerer-king.

They were added later. They shouldn't be available in classic era timeline.

WotC coukd advance the tinelibe sure but then youre in the weakest part of Darksun.

4E shoehorned them in. The Dragon was the only dragon and terrifying. At least public knowledge.

It undermines large chunks of the appeal of the setting. Adding in Genasi is less disruptive, fits the setting and similar beings were hinted at in the lore.

 

[Maxperson]

The Dragon tie in was super secret. The last thing they would want would be Dragonborn wandering around that could be tied to them.

Exactly! That's why they need the Dragonborn to be visible. It keeps the secret even if someone sees them partially transformed. You are not seeing that the Dragonborn being out there it makes the Sorcerer-kings safer, not less safe.

 

[Zardnaar]

Exactly! That's why they need the Dragonborn to be visible. It keeps the secret even if someone sees them partially transformed. You are not seeing that the Dragonborn being out there it makes the Sorcerer-kings safer, not less safe.

Makes the Dragon less unique.

Dragonborn would be like defilers. Murdered by the nearest mob imho.

Rather than shoehorn them in they're a mutant. Unique no culture imho.

Unless you're free year 10 or whatever.
Its like an Aztec in Europe 1482. Yes they exist but.....

Well Dray exist. Mechanically theyre not Dragonborn. It was a lazy decision made by clueless designers. The people who cratered D&D and almost got it sold off

 

[Maxperson]

Makes the Dragon less unique.

How? Dragonborn =/= Athasian Dragon. Not even close.

Dragonborn would be like defilers. Murdered by the nearest mob imho.

Not with support by the Sorcerer-Kings. They'd be Templars, not victims.

 

[Zardnaar]

How? Dragonborn =/= Athasian Dragon. Not even close.

Not with support by the Sorcerer-Kings. They'd be Templars, not victims.

The Dragn. Unique. Think of it as Satan personified on Athas. Have you read the older material?

Dragonborn would be satan personified and would raise suspicion if the Sorcerer Kings protected them. SKs really dont want people knowing certain things. Or even thinking along those lines.

 

[Maxperson]

The Dragn. Unique. Think of it as Satan personified on Athas. Have you read the older material?

That Dragon isn't unique. There is only one that has fully transformed, but every Sorcerer-King is somewhere along the process of transforming into another one.

Dragonborn would be satan personified and would raise suspicion if the Sorcerer Kings protected them. SKs really dont want people knowing certain things. Or even thinking along those lines.

Dragonborn look a lot less like the dragon than a lizard. People wouldn't make that connection. The transformed dragon isn't in any way humanoid or color coded like Dragonborn are.