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

[Yaarel]

@Minigiant

The current Faerun books seem to diminish the Dragonborn of Tymanther and downplay them elsewhere. Despite this, I still expect future Forgotten Realms settings to feature them prominently, because they are a popular species. Maybe they are still deciding the best way to do this.

The wetlands of the Mere of Dead Men on the Sword Coast can support towns of Dragonborn that are native to planet Toril. These Dragonborn could resemble a legless slithering Lindorm. By contrast, the Dragonborn from Tymanther resemble a scaly human with dragon head. Their different forms could be why they sometimes arent mentioned together. For the Mere Dragonborn, I would emphasize european adder colors for the ancestries: Black, Silver, and Brass.

Officially the Mere of Dead Men features Black Dragon, Lizardfolk, Giant Snake, Hydra, and Behir, so any native Dragonborn fit right in, and may have always been there. Visibility in the Mere is poor because of fog and overgrowth of island trees, and travelers try hard to avoid its dangers.

I realize, you want Forgotten Realms to officially emphasize Dragonborn in the Sword Coast. This might be a way to do it that isnt too jarring to the old school Forgotten Realms.

 

[Minigiant]

By that argument, playing a Dragonborn is compulsory, and the minimum party size is ten, since the only way Dragonborn are going to be visible at all times is if there is one in the party.

And it’s not just species, your town needs at least one representative of every subclass and every background too

No.

What I am saying is that in a significantly large civilization or organization or occupation, the 5.5e assumption is that every species and class would be represented in it as a recognizable percentage UNLESS the DM has a in world reason why not or the group has an easily inferred reason which the Players would assume (aka no warlock in an organized religion).

Basically

If you write an adventure in a major town or city and have 20 named NPCs and

1) those 20 names NPCs are encompassed by only 5 of the 10 PHB species
2) the DM only describes people of 5 of the 10 PHB species
3) the DM does not explain overtly or subtly why the people there only has 5 of the PHB species
and
4) the game is not of a published setting that explains why the town or city only has 5 of the 10 PHB species

then it isn't following the vibes and zeitgeist of the 2024 version of 5th edition.

 

[Minigiant]

I realize, you want Forgotten Realms to officially emphasize Dragonborn in the Sword Coast. This might be a way to do it that isnt too jarring to the old school Forgotten Realms

I actually don't want FR to emphasize Dragonborn for those reasons.

What I want is for people to stop saying Forgotten Realms is a 5.5e style setting because it doesn't embrace the style of 5.5e. it allows Dragonborn and Goliaths as playable species but it doesn't truly embrace the idea. It just now started giving Gnomes and Halflings love. But Forgotten Realms is really a human, elf, orc, and dwarf setting.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No.

What I am saying is that in a significantly large civilization or organization or occupation, the 5.5e assumption is that every species and class would be represented in it as a recognizable percentage

And this is utterly nonsense that you are making up out of thin air. There is absolutely nothing in any 5.5 content to support this ridiculous statement.

Indeed, the opposite is true - 5.5 is heavily asymmetric. I.e no one apart from the PCs has a class at all.

 

[Maxperson]

@Minigiant

The current Faerun books seem to diminish the Dragonborn of Tymanther and downplay them elsewhere. Despite this, I still expect future Forgotten Realms settings to feature them prominently, because they are a popular species. Maybe they are still deciding the best way to do this.

I see a flaw in your logic.

 

[Maxperson]

If you write an adventure in a major town or city and have 20 named NPCs and

1) those 20 names NPCs are encompassed by only 5 of the 10 PHB species
2) the DM only describes people of 5 of the 10 PHB species
3) the DM does not explain overtly or subtly why the people there only has 5 of the PHB species
and
4) the game is not of a published setting that explains why the town or city only has 5 of the 10 PHB species

then it isn't following the vibes and zeitgeist of the 2024 version of 5th edition.

You keep asserting that without any written back up whatsoever. I on the other hand provided 5.5e PHB rules that contradict your currently baseless assertions. Do you have anything to back up your assertion other than feels?

 

[Maxperson]

And this is utterly nonsense that you are making up out of thin air. There is absolutely nothing in any 5.5 content to support this ridiculous statement.

And it's flat out contradicted as the very first thing in the character creation section. It's the thing the designers felt was most important to be seen.

 

[Minigiant]

And this is utterly nonsense that you are making up out of thin air. There is absolutely nothing in any 5.5 content to support this ridiculous statement.

Indeed, the opposite is true - 5.5 is heavily asymmetric. I.e no one apart from the PCs has a class at all.

It's not the content it's the mentality.

That is my entire point.

We are continuously making content for old editions as new edition content and simply converting it rather than making content for this new edition.

There is only one official setting made specifically from the ground up for 5th edition. And it shared its background with another game:

Strixhaven.

There are zero official settings design specifically from the ground up for the 2024 version of the physician.

ZERO.

Everything is a conversion.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's not the content it's the mentality.

That is my entire point.

We are continuously making content for old editions as new edition content and simply converting it rather than making content for this new edition.

There is only one official setting made specifically from the ground up for 5th edition. And it shared its background with another game:

Strixhaven.

There are zero official settings design specifically from the ground up for the 2024 version of the physician.

ZERO.

Everything is a conversion.

Sure, the “official setting” is homebrew (same as 1st edition). People can buy a pre-made setting, but why reinvent the wheel? Unless you can come up with something massively original and innovative the last thing the world needs is yet another GenericFantasyland.

And Stryxhaven? That would have been fine as a Wizard University to drop into an existing setting, instead of a setting so new it wasn’t even half baked.

 

[Minigiant]

Sure, the “official setting” is homebrew (same as 1st edition). People can buy a pre-made setting, but why reinvent the wheel? Unless you can come up with something massively original and innovative the last thing the world needs is yet another GenericFantasyland.

And Stryxhaven? That would have been fine as a Wizard University to drop into an existing setting, instead of a setting so new it wasn’t even half baked.

That's not my argument.

Let's go out of species.

A DM invites me to his game. He says that we are starting at fifth level.

I make a wizard. I choose as a some of my prepared spells the spells Counterspell and Dispel Magic.

Is the DM supposed to tell me that his game is different from the base assumption of the game and does not have enough enemy spell casters that the Counterspell and Dispel Magic spells which are straight out of the player's handbook would not be good choice?

Or does he let me prepare and leave them in my prepared spells and never allow me to cast them because he doesn't have enemies spell casters?