Dragonlance Dragonlance Reflected in D&D5

[DMZ2112]

My amazing FLGS D&D5 group will be finished with Lost Mine of Phandelver in a few weeks. We've already finished the main story but I'm giving them the opportunity to hit some of the side quests they did not take care of earlier. Once all is said and done, they'll each get an official Adventurers-League-ready version of their 5th-level character to take elsewhere, should they wish to, and we're going to move the campaign into Dragonlance.


This is a departure for me, because I haven't run a campaign set in an established canon for years. My usual MO is homebrewed settings, but something about the makeup of this group – two 20-somethings who started playing in D&D4, two guys in their late 30s returning to the game for the first time since the late '80s, and four people brand new to tabletop D&D one of whom is nine years old – made me think an official D&D setting would be most appropriate.


This led me to the need to describe the character creation elements of the Dragonlance setting in the D&D5 ruleset. I'm not calling it a conversion, because eventually, someone somewhere is going to come along and do a real conversion, and it's not going to look anything like this. My goal was threefold:

• Keep the PHB as useful and relevant as possible.
• Don't confuse anyone with the need to reference lots of additional rules.
• Don't create a race when a subrace will do; a class when an archetype will do; an archetype when a background will do.

It's also worth noting that I'll be running in the closing years of the War of the Lance, so I am working primarily from the AD&D2 Tales of the Lance boxed set with some additional information from the D&D3 books. For better or for worse, I don't really care for the rules direction of the D&D3 War of the Lance book.


Here's what I came up with in brief:


Dwarves, elves, half-elves, humans, and tieflings are unchanged.


Draconians are dragonborn subraces, as follows:

• Baaz: +1 Con, +1 AC
• Bozak: +1 Wis, free Wizard cantrip (Wis casting attribute)
• Kapak: +1 Dex, bonus action to coat weapon with single-use venom (DC 10 Con save or 1d6 damage)

No other dragonborn subraces are available.


Traditional tinker gnomes are rock gnomes with the Sage background, although there is no background requirement associated with the race. Forest gnomes are not available.


Half-orcs are half-ogres or minotaurs

• The half-ogre is identical to the standard half-orc.
• The minotaur is a half-orc subrace that substitutes +1 Wis for +1 Str, automatic success on Wisdom (Survival) checks when navigating for Relentless Endurance, and the ability to do 1d6 damage on a shove for Savage Attacks.

Kender are a halfling subrace with an additional +1 Dex, immunity to fear, and the ability to use the Bard's Cutting Words ability once per long rest. No other halfling subraces are available


I didn't bother coming up with a plan for the irda or gully dwarves; if anyone expresses interest I will be surprised and delighted and will have to think fast.


The Handler is a Rogue archetype identical to Thief except that it does not get Sneak Attack dice, instead receiving a number of Bardic Inspiration dice equal to the lost Sneak Attack dice. These dice are only usable on the Handler and recharge on a long rest. Additionally, when using the Fast Hands ability, Handlers make all associated checks with advantage.


Sorcerers and Warlocks are automatically Renegade Mages; only Wizards are eligible for membership in the Orders of High Sorcery. Bards, Eldritch Knights, and Arcane Tricksters are generally beneath the concern of the Towers unless they make destabilizing magic their business. Membership in the Orders of High Sorcery is further defined by a faction (ranks: Student, Apprentice, Wizard(ess), Archmage, Delegate; alignment restricted by Order)


Priests and paladins are members of a Holy Order of the Stars, which is defined by a faction (ranks: Acolyte, Priest(ess), Patriarch/Matriarch, Apostle, Prophet; alignment restricted by Order)


Knights of Solamnia are defined by a faction (ranks: Squire, Novice, Knight, Lord/Lady, Master/Mistress; restricted to LN, LG, NG) as well as by multiclassing:

• Knight of the Crown (Battle Master Fighter; requires Squire rank)
• Knight of the Sword (Cleric of War [Kiri-Jolith]; requires 4th-level Knight of the Crown and Novice rank)
• Knight of the Rose (Paladin of Devotion [Paladine]; requires 4th-level Knight of the Crown, 4th-level Knight of the Sword, Knight rank, and the Noble background; grants the Inspiring Leader feat at 1st-level Paladin)

EDIT: Increased Solamnic Knight level requirements to 4th level to accommodate feat gains.

All other classes are unchanged.

Any thoughts for me?

 

[Bupp]

I've not much experience with Dragonlance, besides whatever was published in Dragon and Dungeon back in the day.

I do like your thoughts here:

Keep the PHB as useful and relevant as possible.

Don't confuse anyone with the need to reference lots of additional rules.

Don't create a race when a subrace will do; a class when an archetype will do; an archetype when a background will do.

Good advice no matter what you are home brewing.

 

[Raunalyn]

I have already begun my 5e Dragonlance campaign. I can give you a few things that I did...if you like them, you can borrow them

Looking at your Draconians, I have one small disagreement on the Bozaks. They are your mage-like Draconians, so giving them a bonus to Int or Cha makes more sense than giving them a bonus to Wis.

For wizards, I went a similar route. I even put together how High Sorcery would work.

When a robed mage's moon is in High Sanction (a full moon), they gain more power from their connection to their moon. In game terms, this means that they can cast spells as if they are one level higher. This does not grant them new spells, however, but it does allow them to cast lower level spells in a higher level spell slot.

For example, the moon Solinari is currently in High Sanction. A 4th level white robed mage would be able to cast spells as a 5th level mage, gaining the extra 3rd level spell slots. He doesn't gain access to the Fireball spell, but he will gain the capability to cast Burning Hands in a 3rd level spell slot if he so chooses.

But, in all things there must be balance. When their moon is in Low Sanction (a new moon), then they effectively cast spells as if they were one level lower. This means that they could lose access to their highest level spells (a 5th level mage would cast spells as a 4th level mage, losing access to 3rd level spell slots).

For Knights, I went a bit different that yours. I created a subclass for fighters called Knights of the Crown. Since Crown knights are kind of the "base" class of the knighthood, they would be the foundation for the other orders. I then created a few feats that were only eligible to be taken by the Knight subclass. These feats would add features of the Sword or Rose knights, but the character would still gain features of the Crown knight. I have one party member who has just joined the knighthood...the Crown knight base class is working well, so we'll see what happens if he decides to progress to the other orders.

If you're interested, I can post some of my notes.

 

[jrowland]

I'd further restrict wizards to the appropriate school based on which tower affiliation (evocation is Black, abjuration is white, etc. - iirc)

 

[gribble]

I'd further restrict wizards to the appropriate school based on which tower affiliation (evocation is Black, abjuration is white, etc. - iirc)

The old school "schools" were kind of all over the place (separate conjuration/summoning, separate invocation/evocation, etc), and by the looks of it the relevant restrictions (actually a list of allowed schools) were likewise kind of messy.

Looking at that list, I think the closest and most sensible fit for the 3e/5e schools is:
Abjuration: white only
Conjuration: available to all
Divination: available to all
Enchantment: white & black only
Evocation: white & red only
Illusion: red & black only
Necromancy: black only
Transmutation: red only

Gives everyone the same number of schools, and matches pretty closely.

 

[DMZ2112]

Thanks for the comments, guys, it's nice to hear what other folks are thinking.

I have already begun my 5e Dragonlance campaign. I can give you a few things that I did...if you like them, you can borrow them

Looking at your Draconians, I have one small disagreement on the Bozaks. They are your mage-like Draconians, so giving them a bonus to Int or Cha makes more sense than giving them a bonus to Wis.

I had a good reason for doing this and I can't for the life of me remember why, now. Tales of the Lance specifically refers to bozaks as being "the most cautious" of the draconians, and good commanders, but they still have a higher Int than Wis. In any case, point acknowledged.

For wizards, I went a similar route. I even put together how High Sorcery would work.

When a robed mage's moon is in High Sanction (a full moon), they gain more power from their connection to their moon. In game terms, this means that they can cast spells as if they are one level higher. This does not grant them new spells, however, but it does allow them to cast lower level spells in a higher level spell slot.

This is definitely true to older editions, but I've always felt like "cast like you're a different level" poses an unnecessary bookkeeping challenge. As a big Planescape fan, this stuff was all over that material, with clerics losing levels incrementally the further they were from their deity's plane.

As you note, the boost does not grant the knowledge of additional spells, so all the Wizard is really getting is increased flexibility and possibly a small power bump. What's more, this advantage is not the same at every level. Some levels the Wizard will get a free higher-level spell slot -- on other levels they'll just get extra slots from the levels they already have.

So between normal conditions, high sanction, and low sanction, that's three levels for which the Wizard needs to keep track of unique spell slot loadouts, and every time he levels up, all three change. Too much for my players, I think.

For high sanction, I'm just granting advantage on all spell attacks (I), disadvantage on all enemy saves versus (II), and all spells that can be cast in higher level spell slots function as though they are being cast using a slot one level higher (III). For low sanction, the opposite. I recognize that spells knocked below their starting level will require some jiggery.

I'm considering partial benefits and penalties for waxing and waning (I during waxing crescent; I and II during waxing gibbous; I, II, and III during full; and then the inverse penalties, increasing as the moon wanes) but that might still be too much bookkeeping.

For Knights, I went a bit different that yours. I created a subclass for fighters called Knights of the Crown. Since Crown knights are kind of the "base" class of the knighthood, they would be the foundation for the other orders. I then created a few feats that were only eligible to be taken by the Knight subclass. These feats would add features of the Sword or Rose knights, but the character would still gain features of the Crown knight. I have one party member who has just joined the knighthood...the Crown knight base class is working well, so we'll see what happens if he decides to progress to the other orders.

I would be interested in reading what makes your Knight of the Crown different than the other fighter subclasses. I would have reservations about implementing a system like this because it locks down player feat choice which is a big deal for me. I would still want Knight players to be able to customize their Knights.

I'd further restrict wizards to the appropriate school based on which tower affiliation (evocation is Black, abjuration is white, etc. - iirc)

The old school "schools" were kind of all over the place (separate conjuration/summoning, separate invocation/evocation, etc), and by the looks of it the relevant restrictions (actually a list of allowed schools) were likewise kind of messy.

This is sticky in the new paradigm, because as it stands there's nothing a Wizard can do in D&D5 to restrict their access to any school of magic. The idea of forbidden schools is no longer a thing, so while in AD&D2 it was not a big deal for any given Wizard to not have access to certain types of spell, it has become an issue in D&D5.

I don't know how balanced against each other the schools of magic are in D&D5 -- they were certainly not well balanced against each other in AD&D2, and there was a reason for them to be, which is part of why I am skeptical about the validity of this strategy (then or now, but particularly now).

What's more, I expect D&D5 to self-regulate in this arena. In a system where every Wizard is a specialist, Necromancers looking to join the White Robes are going to be rare. Similarly, the Black Robes tell really offensive Abjurer jokes at their parties. I don't feel the need to chisel these restrictions in stone because I think the combinations of Order and school that don't make sense are unlikely to arise, and if they do, there's probably a great roleplaying reason for it.

 

[Raunalyn]

Thanks for the comments, guys, it's nice to hear what other folks are thinking.

This is definitely true to older editions, but I've always felt like "cast like you're a different level" poses an unnecessary bookkeeping challenge. As a big Planescape fan, this stuff was all over that material, with clerics losing levels incrementally the further they were from their deity's plane.

As you note, the boost does not grant the knowledge of additional spells, so all the Wizard is really getting is increased flexibility and possibly a small power bump. What's more, this advantage is not the same at every level. Some levels the Wizard will get a free higher-level spell slot -- on other levels they'll just get extra slots from the levels they already have.

So between normal conditions, high sanction, and low sanction, that's three levels for which the Wizard needs to keep track of unique spell slot loadouts, and every time he levels up, all three change. Too much for my players, I think.

For high sanction, I'm just granting advantage on all spell attacks (I), disadvantage on all enemy saves versus (II), and all spells that can be cast in higher level spell slots function as though they are being cast using a slot one level higher (III). For low sanction, the opposite. I recognize that spells knocked below their starting level will require some jiggery.

I'm considering partial benefits and penalties for waxing and waning (I during waxing crescent; I and II during waxing gibbous; I, II, and III during full; and then the inverse penalties, increasing as the moon wanes) but that might still be too much bookkeeping.

Yep, that was one of my ideas as well. I presented one of my players (a big DLance fan) this solution along with the more true-to-oldschool solution...he felt the oldschool alternative was more viable. The rest of my players agree. I have yet to see if the book-keeping is going to be an issue.

I would be interested in reading what makes your Knight of the Crown different than the other fighter subclasses. I would have reservations about implementing a system like this because it locks down player feat choice which is a big deal for me. I would still want Knight players to be able to customize their Knights.

I can certainly see the reservations about the feat choice. Unfortunately, I couldn't see any other way to provide the feel of the KoS through classes. Also consider that fighters get a lot more feats, and the feats are now crunchier, tastier, and more filling. 2 (or more) crunchy feats can provide the feel of the KoS with a minor trade-off.

Here is my KoS (note that all starting KoS are Crown knights);

Knight of Solamnia (Fighter sub-class)

Strength in Honor
At 3rd level, when a fighter chooses this path, he gains the ability to use the focus and knowledge gained from the Oath and the Measure and his honorable path to strengthen his resolve. As a bonus action, until the end of his next turn, the Knight has advantage on all Strength checks and Strength Saving Throws, as well as advantage on all Melee Attacks. He cannot use this ability until he has a short or long rest. At 7th level, he can do this twice before taking a short or long rest, and at 15th level, he can use it 3 times before taking a short or long rest.

Honorable Will
At 7th level, the Knight gains advantage on any saving throw to resist Charm or Compulsion effects due to his devotion to Honor and the Oath and the Measure.

Aura of Courage
At 10th level, the Knight becomes immune to all fear effects. In addition, all allies within 10 feet of the Knight gain advantage on any saving throw to resist fear effects.

Heroic Initiative
At 15th level, the Knight has advantage on initiative rolls..

Crown of Knighthood
At 18th level, the Knight gains advantage on all saving throws. In addition, he can focus on his devotion to Honor and receive resistance to piercing, bludgeoning and slashing damage for one minute. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Strength modifier.



Knight of the Sword (Feat)
Prerequisite: Knight of Solamnia Martial Path, 6th level

Increase your Strength or Charisma by 1 point, to a maximum of 20.

Turn the Unholy: As an action, you can use your devotion to the tenants of light and purity to banish undead and unholy creatures. Each fiend or undead within 30 feet of you that can see you must make a Wisdom Saving Throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus. This is similar to the Paladin Turn the Unholy ability. You cannot use this ability again until you have a short or long rest.

Smite Evil: When you hit an evil creature with a melee weapon attack, you can choose to deal 2d8 extra radiant damage to the target. If the creature is not evil, this ability has no effect. This ability cannot be used again until you take a short or long rest.


Knight of the Rose (Feat)
Prerequisite: Knight of the Sword Feat

Increase your Strength or Charisma by 1 point, to a maximum of 20.

Rallying Cry: As an action, the Rose Knight can utter a powerful shout that grants courage and strength to his allies. All allies within 30 feet gain advantage on their next roll, whether it's a saving throw, ability check or attack roll. In addition, their base speed increases by 5 feet until the end of your next turn. Any enemy within 30 feet must make a Wisdom saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + your Charisma modifier + your proficiency bonus or be Frightened until the end of your next turn. This ability cannot be used again until you have taken a short or long rest.

Inspire Greatness : The Rose Knight can inspire greatness in all willing allies within 30 feat. To inspire greatness, the knight must speak, and the creature must be able to hear the knight speak. A creature inspired with greatness gains 2 hit dice worth of temporary hit points (these are not actually used). This ability cannot be used again until the knight has a short or long rest.

Note: I'm still balancing the subclass. So far, it's not OP, but my party is only 3rd level.

 

[jrowland]

This is sticky in the new paradigm, because as it stands there's nothing a Wizard can do in D&D5 to restrict their access to any school of magic. The idea of forbidden schools is no longer a thing, so while in AD&D2 it was not a big deal for any given Wizard to not have access to certain types of spell, it has become an issue in D&D5.

I don't know how balanced against each other the schools of magic are in D&D5 -- they were certainly not well balanced against each other in AD&D2, and there was a reason for them to be, which is part of why I am skeptical about the validity of this strategy (then or now, but particularly now).

What's more, I expect D&D5 to self-regulate in this arena. In a system where every Wizard is a specialist, Necromancers looking to join the White Robes are going to be rare. Similarly, the Black Robes tell really offensive Abjurer jokes at their parties. I don't feel the need to chisel these restrictions in stone because I think the combinations of Order and school that don't make sense are unlikely to arise, and if they do, there's probably a great roleplaying reason for it.

I'd agree, but that is certainly moving away from the setting. I know if I was playing a wizard in a DL setting, I'd want to know what picking a tower gives me/takes away...I'd expect it. As it stands it does nothing other than roleplaying. Which is fine. In fact...perhaps all you really need is a "Tower of High Sorcery" background. That might be enough, or if you want more oomph, select a spell for each level 1-9 for each tower as "bonus spells" that they can add to their spellbook (well, if they can get to the tower). Black Robe might add some exclusive warlock spells, white robe some exclusive cleric (sans healing) etc to further emphasize the difference. You could even add 1 or 2 spells per level that are banned (ie politically forbidden by the tower, but not necessarily impossible to cast). This last is kind of minor really given the number of potential spells at each level, but banning animate dead from white robe wouldn't be too much of a stretch (although, like you say, it could add to the RP potential...banning allows you to cast it, but if your caught...perhaps a robe change is in order! or worse!)

anyhoo, my 2cp, FWIW, YMMV, etc etc

 

[gribble]

This is sticky in the new paradigm, because as it stands there's nothing a Wizard can do in D&D5 to restrict their access to any school of magic. The idea of forbidden schools is no longer a thing, so while in AD&D2 it was not a big deal for any given Wizard to not have access to certain types of spell, it has become an issue in D&D5.

I'm not sure why? There's nothing inherent to 5e that says you can't have a rule that wizards of a particular type can't learn spells from certain schools... at least no more so than in previous editions. Admittedly there may be some balance issues if the number of spells for each school vary widely (across all levels), but that's likely no more of an issue than in prior editions.

I did think of one thing actually - presumably this would replace standard school specialisation (much like in older editions), and wizards don't get that til 2nd level. It could be problematic if a wizard already knows spells from a now banned school... do they replace them, lose access to them, or simply keep them and just not be able to learn new ones?

What's more, I expect D&D5 to self-regulate in this arena. In a system where every Wizard is a specialist, Necromancers looking to join the White Robes are going to be rare. Similarly, the Black Robes tell really offensive Abjurer jokes at their parties. I don't feel the need to chisel these restrictions in stone because I think the combinations of Order and school that don't make sense are unlikely to arise, and if they do, there's probably a great roleplaying reason for it.

Fair enough, though I do think that it takes away some of what makes Dragonlance, well, Dragonlance. And I think it's almost required to have some drawbacks if you're going to be doling out corresponding bonuses (or maybe not if the default assumption is everyone is a wizard from the towers of high sorcery). But if the above works for you then great! As you say, at the very least it could introduce some good RP hooks.

 

[DMZ2112]

Yep, that was one of my ideas as well. I presented one of my players (a big DLance fan) this solution along with the more true-to-oldschool solution...he felt the oldschool alternative was more viable. The rest of my players agree. I have yet to see if the book-keeping is going to be an issue.

I'm going to want to say this a bunch of times in this post, so I'm just going to say it once here and you can all infer it later on: I'm not running for big Dragonlance fans -- I was a little surprised to learn that none of my players had /any/ prior experience with the setting when I proposed it. So I'm making these decisions in a vacuum where player feedback is concerned. If these guys were Dragonlance fans I would absolutely be taking their interests into account. Sounds like you're doing it right to me.

Here is my KoS (note that all starting KoS are Crown knights);

Thank you for posting that!

This last is kind of minor really given the number of potential spells at each level, but banning animate dead from white robe wouldn't be too much of a stretch (although, like you say, it could add to the RP potential...banning allows you to cast it, but if your caught...perhaps a robe change is in order! or worse!)

Oh, I am absolutely on board with this. Regardless of what the rules permit, a White Robe casting evil spells has a lot to answer for if anyone sees them. And Solinari is always watching...

I'm not sure why? There's nothing inherent to 5e that says you can't have a rule that wizards of a particular type can't learn spells from certain schools... at least no more so than in previous editions. Admittedly there may be some balance issues if the number of spells for each school vary widely (across all levels), but that's likely no more of an issue than in prior editions.

I'm afraid I disagree. You can modify a system however you like, obviously, but you can't just assume that your changes won't have a ripple effect on other aspects of the system. In general, D&D5 does not support sacrifices of any kind as a part of character generation. I would be wary of any modification that introduces them.

Fair enough, though I do think that it takes away some of what makes Dragonlance, well, Dragonlance. And I think it's almost required to have some drawbacks if you're going to be doling out corresponding bonuses (or maybe not if the default assumption is everyone is a wizard from the towers of high sorcery). But if the above works for you then great! As you say, at the very least it could introduce some good RP hooks.

I'm not providing any straight advantages for being a Wizard of High Sorcery except for membership in the faction and a mandatory dangerous solo adventure before 5th level with a guaranteed magic item reward. Moon magic is as much a disadvantage as an advantage. Being a renegade mage is only a roleplaying disadvantage -- because the Towers are out to recruit you by force.