I think you were actually allowed to bring some companions with you, or maybe just a second? Not sure, but I remember I had the two wizards in our party do the test together with the rest of the party, and I run them through a Dungeon Magazine scenario titled "the anvil of time". It was a blast, I still remember it after 13 years.
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Dragonlance Dragonlance: Is it possible to run a Dragonlance game using the current core rules and material?
- Thread starter Corpsetaker
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QuietBrowser
First Post
I think part of what we need to give you the best answers, OP, is to know exactly when in the diffuse Dragonlance Timeline you want to game.
In the iconic War of the Lance time segment, to my admittedly limited knowledge, you can still roughly divide it into Early War (no Divine Magic) and Late War (Divine Magic). Post-War of the Lance adds even more complications.
Because it's what I know best, I'll focus on the War of the Lance segment of the timeline.
Common Races:
Human
Dwarf: Both Mountain Dwarf and Hill Dwarf are viable options. There is a Dark Dwarf clan that roughly corresponds to the Duergar, but these were isolationists and, I think, aligned to Takhisis during this point in time, so DM discretion applies.
Elf: High Elves (Silvanesti) and Wood Elves (Kargonesti) both exist in Krynn at this point in time. Drow do not exist in Krynn - "Dark Elf" is an elf-exclusive Background that would need to be homebrewed. You could also consider adding homebrewed Dimernesti (Aquatic Elf with Otter shapeshifting) and Dargonesti (Aquatic Elf with Dolphin shapeshifting) abilities, but these were isolationist races and did not contribute overmuch to the events of the War.
Gnome: Use the Rock Gnome stats plus fluff to represent Minoi (Krynnish Tinker Gnomes).
Kender: Either homebrew a new subrace for Halfling, homebrew a new race entirely, or mandate that all "Krynnish Halflings" must be Chaotic aligned Lightfoot Halfling Rogues.
Half-Elf: Rare, but still a noted member of the "common" races of Krynn.
Forbidden Races:
Half-Orcs & Orcs: There are no orcs on Krynn.
Dragonborn: These do not exist on Krynn.
Draconian: At the time of the War of the Lance, these are all slaves to the Dragon Armies. A DM may, at their discretion, allow for defectors or redeemed captives, but this would be very unusual.
Lizardfolk/Kobolds: These races live on a different continent to Ansalon, as far as I'm aware.
Rare Races:
Goblinoid: All three tribes of goblinoid exist on Krynn and have some freedom, but at the time of the War, they are mostly draftees to the Dragon Armies.
Half-Goblin: The Krynnish equivalent to the Half-Orc; flavor-wise and ability-wise it's very different to the Half-Orc, so it would need to be homebrewed. I have a draft of this I've been trying to get critiqued.
Goliath: Use stats from this race to represent Ogres or, perhaps better suited, Half-Ogres. As with Goblinoids, these are mostly slaves to the Dragon Armies at the time of the War of the Lance.
Minotaur: Use the stats from the Waterborne Adventures UA, as it's explicitly based on the Krynnish Minotaur. However, these are slave-soldiers of the Ogres at this time, so whilst they aren't invested in the Dragon Armies, defectors/escapees are rare.
Common Classes:
Barbarian
Fighter: Due to Krynnish lore, DMs may want to ban access to the Eldritch Knight subclass, due to the Towers' simultaneous stranglehold on magic and cultural disdain for "arcane dabblers".
Ranger: You will need to either handwave their spell-like abilities as "feats of knowledge, not magic", use the Non-Caster Ranger, or replace with the Scout subclasses for Fighters & Rogues.
Rogue: As per the Eldritch Knight, the Arcane Trickster may warrant banning.
Wizard: Outcast vs. Member of the Towers of High Sorcery is best handled as a custom Background and the aforementioned Tradition-restrictions (Divination/Abjuration for White Robes, Conjuration/Evocation for Red Robes, Illusion/Necromancy for Black Robes) - membership in the Towers basically amounted to superior specialist bonuses, so they don't warrant a new Tradition. Maybe a Prestige Class, though. Additionally, given their lore of doubling as priests of the Lunar/Magic Gods, Theurges with the right Domains could also work as High Sorcerers.
Banned Classes:
Druid: To my knowledge, these don't exist in Krynn until after the Chaos War, although you could argue them as an alternate form of Nature Cleric once the gods return.
Sorcerer: These don't exist on Krynn until after the Chaos War.
Restricted Classes:
Cleric: These do not exist until the gods return in the latter part of the War of the Lance. You may want to consider replacing them with Favored Soul Sorcerers, given the Favored Soul is analogous to the Mystic and the Mystic would better fit the "spontaneously imbued with power" fluff of the First Returned.
Artificer: If not banned outright, refluffing this as non-magical and restricting it to Tinker Gnomes would exemplify the Minoi's status as mad inventors.
Knights of Solamnia:
From all that I know about these, I see no reason to give these any particular homebrewing content. Lore-wise and mechanics wise, prior to the Gods' Return, they work just fine as Human Fighters (Banneret, Knight or Cavalier) with either the Noble Background (established family) or, perhaps, the Criminal Background (fallen families like the Brightblades). Once the gods return, their return to grace is represented by the ability to start multiclassing as Paladins (Oath of Devotion).
In the iconic War of the Lance time segment, to my admittedly limited knowledge, you can still roughly divide it into Early War (no Divine Magic) and Late War (Divine Magic). Post-War of the Lance adds even more complications.
Because it's what I know best, I'll focus on the War of the Lance segment of the timeline.
Common Races:
Human
Dwarf: Both Mountain Dwarf and Hill Dwarf are viable options. There is a Dark Dwarf clan that roughly corresponds to the Duergar, but these were isolationists and, I think, aligned to Takhisis during this point in time, so DM discretion applies.
Elf: High Elves (Silvanesti) and Wood Elves (Kargonesti) both exist in Krynn at this point in time. Drow do not exist in Krynn - "Dark Elf" is an elf-exclusive Background that would need to be homebrewed. You could also consider adding homebrewed Dimernesti (Aquatic Elf with Otter shapeshifting) and Dargonesti (Aquatic Elf with Dolphin shapeshifting) abilities, but these were isolationist races and did not contribute overmuch to the events of the War.
Gnome: Use the Rock Gnome stats plus fluff to represent Minoi (Krynnish Tinker Gnomes).
Kender: Either homebrew a new subrace for Halfling, homebrew a new race entirely, or mandate that all "Krynnish Halflings" must be Chaotic aligned Lightfoot Halfling Rogues.
Half-Elf: Rare, but still a noted member of the "common" races of Krynn.
Forbidden Races:
Half-Orcs & Orcs: There are no orcs on Krynn.
Dragonborn: These do not exist on Krynn.
Draconian: At the time of the War of the Lance, these are all slaves to the Dragon Armies. A DM may, at their discretion, allow for defectors or redeemed captives, but this would be very unusual.
Lizardfolk/Kobolds: These races live on a different continent to Ansalon, as far as I'm aware.
Rare Races:
Goblinoid: All three tribes of goblinoid exist on Krynn and have some freedom, but at the time of the War, they are mostly draftees to the Dragon Armies.
Half-Goblin: The Krynnish equivalent to the Half-Orc; flavor-wise and ability-wise it's very different to the Half-Orc, so it would need to be homebrewed. I have a draft of this I've been trying to get critiqued.
Goliath: Use stats from this race to represent Ogres or, perhaps better suited, Half-Ogres. As with Goblinoids, these are mostly slaves to the Dragon Armies at the time of the War of the Lance.
Minotaur: Use the stats from the Waterborne Adventures UA, as it's explicitly based on the Krynnish Minotaur. However, these are slave-soldiers of the Ogres at this time, so whilst they aren't invested in the Dragon Armies, defectors/escapees are rare.
Common Classes:
Barbarian
Fighter: Due to Krynnish lore, DMs may want to ban access to the Eldritch Knight subclass, due to the Towers' simultaneous stranglehold on magic and cultural disdain for "arcane dabblers".
Ranger: You will need to either handwave their spell-like abilities as "feats of knowledge, not magic", use the Non-Caster Ranger, or replace with the Scout subclasses for Fighters & Rogues.
Rogue: As per the Eldritch Knight, the Arcane Trickster may warrant banning.
Wizard: Outcast vs. Member of the Towers of High Sorcery is best handled as a custom Background and the aforementioned Tradition-restrictions (Divination/Abjuration for White Robes, Conjuration/Evocation for Red Robes, Illusion/Necromancy for Black Robes) - membership in the Towers basically amounted to superior specialist bonuses, so they don't warrant a new Tradition. Maybe a Prestige Class, though. Additionally, given their lore of doubling as priests of the Lunar/Magic Gods, Theurges with the right Domains could also work as High Sorcerers.
Banned Classes:
Druid: To my knowledge, these don't exist in Krynn until after the Chaos War, although you could argue them as an alternate form of Nature Cleric once the gods return.
Sorcerer: These don't exist on Krynn until after the Chaos War.
Restricted Classes:
Cleric: These do not exist until the gods return in the latter part of the War of the Lance. You may want to consider replacing them with Favored Soul Sorcerers, given the Favored Soul is analogous to the Mystic and the Mystic would better fit the "spontaneously imbued with power" fluff of the First Returned.
Artificer: If not banned outright, refluffing this as non-magical and restricting it to Tinker Gnomes would exemplify the Minoi's status as mad inventors.
Knights of Solamnia:
From all that I know about these, I see no reason to give these any particular homebrewing content. Lore-wise and mechanics wise, prior to the Gods' Return, they work just fine as Human Fighters (Banneret, Knight or Cavalier) with either the Noble Background (established family) or, perhaps, the Criminal Background (fallen families like the Brightblades). Once the gods return, their return to grace is represented by the ability to start multiclassing as Paladins (Oath of Devotion).
mach1.9pants
Hero
Just a note on Druids, they certainly exist and are mentioned in Book 1, though not fleshed out in anyway:
Gilthanas "Druids in the woods tended my injuries. From them, I learned that many of my
warriors were still alive and had been taken prisoner. Leaving the druids to bury the
dead, I followed the tracks of the dragonarmy and eventually came to Solace."
Gilthanas "Druids in the woods tended my injuries. From them, I learned that many of my
warriors were still alive and had been taken prisoner. Leaving the druids to bury the
dead, I followed the tracks of the dragonarmy and eventually came to Solace."
QuietBrowser
First Post
My apologies. Although that really emphasizes just how little thought was ever honestly given to the origins and positions of druids in past editions/settings - given their own access to curative magics, you'd think druidism would have taken off in popularity after the Cataclysm!
To make amends for my lore failure, here are my current draft efforts at homebrewing Half-Goblin, Dargonesti and Dimernesti racial stats. They might be useful to the OP or anyone else interested in 5e Dragonlance.
Elf Subrace: Dargonesti
Also known as “Deep Elves”, Dargonesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of dolphins or porpoises.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Amphibious: A Deep Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Deep Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Deep Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Deep Elf can only assume one form through this trait: a dolphin (VGtM: 208).
Elf Subrace: Dimernesti
Also known as “Shoal Elves”, Dargonesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of otters.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Amphibious: A Shoal Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Shoal Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Shoal Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Shoal Elf can only assume one form through this trait: an otter. Use the stats for a Weasel (MM:340), but give it a Swim Speed of 30 feet and the Hold Breath (15 mins) racial trait.
Half-Goblin
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Sneaky Git: A half-goblin is automatically proficient in Stealth.
Me Mind's Me Own: A half-goblin has Advantage on Wisdom saves vs. Fear and Charm effects. Additionally, it has Advantage on counter-checks against Intimidation and Persuasion attempts.
Nimble Escape: A half-goblin can Disengage or Hide as a bonus action on its turn.
To make amends for my lore failure, here are my current draft efforts at homebrewing Half-Goblin, Dargonesti and Dimernesti racial stats. They might be useful to the OP or anyone else interested in 5e Dragonlance.
Elf Subrace: Dargonesti
Also known as “Deep Elves”, Dargonesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of dolphins or porpoises.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Strength
Amphibious: A Deep Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Deep Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Deep Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Deep Elf can only assume one form through this trait: a dolphin (VGtM: 208).
Elf Subrace: Dimernesti
Also known as “Shoal Elves”, Dargonesti are one of the two races of Aquatic Elf native to the world of Krynn, distinguished by their ability to shapeshift into the forms of otters.
Ability Score Increase: +1 Intelligence
Amphibious: A Shoal Elf can breathe both air and water.
Aquatic: A Shoal Elf has a Swim speed of 30 feet.
Shapeshifter: A Shoal Elf has the ability to transform into the shape of an animal, a trait it can use once per long rest. This follows all of the rules of Druid Wild Shape, except that a Shoal Elf can only assume one form through this trait: an otter. Use the stats for a Weasel (MM:340), but give it a Swim Speed of 30 feet and the Hold Breath (15 mins) racial trait.
Half-Goblin
Ability Score Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, +1 Charisma
Size: Medium
Speed: 30 feet
Vision: Darkvision
Sneaky Git: A half-goblin is automatically proficient in Stealth.
Me Mind's Me Own: A half-goblin has Advantage on Wisdom saves vs. Fear and Charm effects. Additionally, it has Advantage on counter-checks against Intimidation and Persuasion attempts.
Nimble Escape: A half-goblin can Disengage or Hide as a bonus action on its turn.
pkt77242
Explorer
Actually it works really well as a background. You could home brew a class but it doesn't have to be that way. If I did it as a background though I would probably create some feats for Knights of the Rose to take. If the campaign takes place after the God's return (or before they left) then a Paladin works well for Knights of the Sword.
Why do you think that they have to have their own class?
cbwjm
Seb-wejem
They did think of druids in past editions. I recall in 2e that they were heathen priests and had no spellcasting ability as they didn't follow the gods. With third edition, I believe they could be a follower of a handful of gods with influence over nature such as the evil sea goddess Zeboim.
Nice write up on the races. I think the elves came out similar to mine although I believe I allowed the shapeshift once per short rest.
Zardnaar
Legend
The Knights of Takhisis had their own class. I don't think they need their own class either just wondering what classes best represent them in 5E and if those classes should be exclusive to those organisations.
Then you'll be glad to know that none of your speculations as to my motives have any relation to my goals.
I actually asked the question because I was curious as to whether it was answerable. I haven't seen anyone articulate a thing that would prevent running a Dragonlance game. Yes, the setting has mechanics that might require that a GM make a ruling as to those mechanics. So what? I'm running a game where the paraelemental plane of lightning was tragically destroyed, so no lightning-type magic works. Poof, problem solved. I didn't need a special rulebook or something to do that.
It sounds like you really want to know how people would go about implementing specific mechanics, which is a very different question from "is it possible to run a Dragonlance game?".
Harsh words! I incorporated the moon-based WoHS into my GH Rolemaster game, with rules for tracking power and moon charts to keep track of phases with the passage of time, etc.
I don't know that I'd do it again, but 25 years ago it seemed like the height of gaming sophistication!
I think the random roll can have the problem that - depending on how exactly you handle calendars and the passage of time in your game - it can lack the certainty and predictability of that sort of astronomical phenomenon.
This was an issue in the RM game I mentioned - if the players get to choose the timing of their adventures, they can exploit the power-ups while minimising the downside!
If you're worried about this, at a minimum I would suggest the penalties weigh more heavily than the bonuses (eg in HS the base for DCs is 9 rather than 8, in Waning it is 7, in LS it is 6).
Another option might be that cantrips are unlimited when Waxing, unlimited and get some sort of +1 buff in HS, but are limited to INT per short rest (or something like that) in Waning, and INT long rest in LS.
Agreed. Necro and enchanters Black. Abjurers White. Transmuters Red.
In the DL Adventures hardback, I think both White and Red can use evocation, but personally I think that fits better with the flavour of Red than White. And then White can have conjuration (which I think maybe they shared with Black in DLA?).
Illusion maybe Red or Black. Divination is all 3 in DLA, but making it White only would probably be reasonable: it seems to fit better with a "white wizard" flavour.
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