Homebrewing Athas - A Different Dark Sun

Dark Sun is up there among my favorite intellectual properties as far as settings go. It is a brutal world, slowly dying as its sun bloats and burns ever hotter in the sky. For thousands of years, terrifying dictators dominated the few known cities left on the face of the scorched world, and you could either live a short life as a slave in relative safety or live a shorter life out in the dunes with a modicum of freedom.

And yet, the setting had its own... quirks. I won't get too deep into them here, but there is a convoluted progression of canon history (I know, I know, no one is forced to use it, but I hate messing with established works) where the halflings are actually a progenitor race and were masters of weird quasi-science-fictiony biomanipulation, and there was... I'm just going to not get into it much further. It's complicated and kind of strange even for D&D, in my opinion. To each their own.

It was odd enough that its fourth edition reincarnation did away with (or at least glossed over) much of that and instead focused on the meat and potatoes of the setting, the Tyr Region, and its attendant sorcerer-kings. The implied uber-big-bad was the obscenely powerful Dragon of Tyr, once known as Borys of Ebe. Using a mixed arsenal of overwhelming brute force, magical supremacy, and psionic dominance, this guy was designed to wreck your day.

He'd come around to the city-states every few years and demand a levy from them -- mostly slaves and metal -- which he then took back to his literal volcano death island out in the Silt Sea. Unfortunately for him, his one-time comrades are the rulers of those city-states, and they want the same thing the Dragon has -- ultimate power.

You see, in Dark Sun, arcane spellcasters have a tendency to defile the land around them when they cast their spells, unless they exert a measure of self-control. Like the Force, though, the Dark Side is a quick and easy path to power, so bad guys tend not to care. They can eventually choose a route of ultimate ascension that turns them (slowly) into dragons -- the only such creatures of the setting.

Anyway, the shadow of this guy hung over the Tyr Region for thousands of years as people clung to their crapsack world existence. Then in some books, he and a bunch of the sorcerer-kings get killed off like chumps and things get marginally better.

Well I ain't having none of that. If I'm gonna run some Dark Sun, I need my horribly depressing world back while not needing to "correct" people on what I want to use for canon. What's my answer?

Time skip forward one hundred years, that's what!

Things seemed better, at least for a while. Some of the city-states are now legitimately free -- others collapsed into anarchy without a powerful monarch to protect (and dominate) them. When you have societies that dwell in enforced-ignorance for thousands of years, it turns out handing them the keys to the kingdom doesn't always end well. Sometimes the wicked templars take command, or sometimes slave revolts just out and out annihilate cities.

Over the next few entries, I'm going to talk a bit about my homebrew for Athas and mix in some systemic crunchy goodies to go along with each entry. I'll talk a bit about the history of the subject I'm addressing, as well as shedding some light on the reasons for any changes I deem necessary to make.

And maybe by the time I'm done, we'll have an official book announced that includes final psionics rules, since it's so bloody important to the setting.

Until next time!

Dark Sun Cleric Domains

A few months ago I took a crack at working up some 5th Edition Dark Sun rules. I was sidetracked by creating an actual document for my Birthright conversion, so I didn't get back to Dark Sun until last night while dreaming of warmer locations.

I'm a wuss and I hate the onset of winter. And winter itself. And snow. And the Maryland Lasagna -- layers of ice, sleet, snow, and slush topped with road grime.

Anyway, I finished up the cleric domains and figured I'd throw them up here for visibility and feedback. I'm not really sold on the Water cleric domain yet. It's lacking something. The others feel pretty standard and useful, and they all share a 17th level ability, just flavored differently. I may whip up alternate ones for Sun, Rain, Silt, Magma, et cetera, once I get around to it.

These are probably (and unintentionally) similar to other attempts, but they feel right. I'm also aware I haven't picked domain spells for them yet, that will come in a later iteration.

Air

Fangs on the Wind. When you choose this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency in all martial ranged weapons.

Channel Divinity: Redirection. At 2nd level, the air cleric may use their Channel Divinity as a reaction when they are targeted by a melee or ranged weapon or spell to impose disadvantage upon the attack. If the attack hits regardless, they gain resistance to the damage from the attack as powerful air currents cushion the blow.

Channel Divinity: Ignore Air. Upon reaching 6th level, the air cleric may expend their Channel Divinity to ignore the presence of air for 1 minute. The cleric is not subject to the effects of high winds or extreme temperatures (though they still suffer damage from fire or supernaturally cold sources) and do not need to breathe for the duration of this effect.

Charged Strikes. At 8th level, the air cleric treats any ranged weapon they use in combat as magical and deals an additional 1d8 points of lightning damage on successful attacks with such weapons.

Inescapable Gale. At 14th level, the air cleric may attack any creature they can see with their ranged weapon attacks, regardless of range, without suffering disadvantage from distance.

Form of Air. When the air cleric reaches 17th level, they may use their bonus action to polymorph into an air elemental. This form lasts for one minute or until the cleric uses a bonus action to return to their normal form. You revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. The cleric cannot use this ability again until they complete a short or long rest.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of an air elemental. You retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the elemental. If the elemental has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the elemental’s bonus instead of yours.
• When you transform, you assume the elemental’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form.
• You may cast cleric spells that you have prepared. You can communicate with air elementals even if you do not speak Primordial.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the elemental is physically capable of doing so. You cannot use any special senses unless the elemental also possesses them.
• You can choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space or merges into your new form. The elemental cannot wear armor or wield weapons, or use equipped and attuned magical items. Equipment that merges with your form has no effect until you leave the form.

Earth

Strength of Earth. When you select this domain at 1st level, you gain proficiency in heavy armor and all martial melee weapons.

Channel Divinity: Unstoppable. At 2nd level, the cleric may use their Channel Divinity as a reaction when struck by any effect that causes them to become paralyzed, prone, or restrained, or when affected by any force or ability that would move them against their will. The cleric immediately shakes off the effect as if it never happened.

Channel Divinity: Ignore Earth. At 6th level, the cleric may use their Channel Divinity to ignore the presence of earth for 1 minute. They can pass through walls or floors made of dirt, stone, or sand, and ignore damage from non-magical weapons made of any kind of stone or metal.

Heavy Blows. Upon reaching 8th level, the earth cleric treats any weapon made of stone (but not obsidian) that they wield as magical and deals an additional 1d8 points of damage with any attack made while wielding such a weapon. When you reach 14th level, the damage increases to 2d8. This extra damage is of a type corresponding with the weapon’s normal damage type.

Form of Earth. When the earth cleric reaches 17th level, they may use their bonus action to polymorph into an earth elemental. This form lasts for one minute or until the cleric uses a bonus action to return to their normal form. You revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. The cleric cannot use this ability again until they complete a short or long rest.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of an earth elemental. You retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the elemental. If the elemental has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the elemental’s bonus instead of yours.
• When you transform, you assume the elemental’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form.
• You may cast cleric spells that you have prepared. You can communicate with earth elementals even if you do not speak Primordial.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the elemental is physically capable of doing so. You cannot use any special senses unless the elemental also possesses them.
• You can choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space or merges into your new form. The elemental cannot wear armor or wield weapons, or use equipped and attuned magical items. Equipment that merges with your form has no effect until you leave the form.

Fire

Obsidian Armaments. When you select this domain at 1st level, you are considered proficient in any weapon crafted from obsidian.

Touch of Flame. You know the produce flame cantrip, and it does not count against any of your cleric spell selections.

Channel Divinity: Ignite. At 2nd level, the cleric may use their Channel Divinity as a reaction when inflicting fire damage from any spell, weapon attack, or other ability they possess. They may pick any single target affected by one of these sources, and force it to make a Wisdom saving throw against their spellcasting DC or be engulfed in flames. At the beginning of the creature’s turn, they suffer 1d8 points of fire damage, and may repeat the saving throw at the end of their turn to end the effect. This damage increases to 2d8 at 6th level, 3d8 at 11th level, and 4d8 at 16th level.

Channel Divinity: Ignore Flames. At 6th level, the cleric can expend their Channel Divinity to ignore the presence of fire for 1 minute. They can stride through flames, walk across the surface of lava (quickly), or stand in the breath of a fire drake and suffer no damage. The cleric and their equipment are immune to all fire damage during this time.

Igneous Armaments. Upon achieving 8th level, the fire cleric treats any obsidian weapon they wield as magical and deals an additional 1d8 points of fire damage with any attack made while wielding such a weapon. When you reach 14th level, the damage increases to 2d8.

Form of Flame. When the fire cleric reaches 17th level, they may use their bonus action to polymorph into a fire elemental. This form lasts for one minute or until the cleric uses a bonus action to return to their normal form. You revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. The cleric cannot use this ability again until they complete a short or long rest.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of a fire elemental. You retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the elemental. If the elemental has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the elemental’s bonus instead of yours.
• When you transform, you assume the elemental’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form.
• You may cast cleric spells that you have prepared. You can communicate with fire elementals even if you do not speak Primordial.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the elemental is physically capable of doing so. You cannot use any special senses unless the elemental also possesses them.
• You can choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space or merges into your new form. The elemental cannot wear armor or wield weapons, or use equipped and attuned magical items. Equipment that merges with your form has no effect until you leave the form.

Water

Flow Like Water. When you are unarmored or wearing light armor, you may add your Wisdom bonus to your AC. You may also benefit from the use of a shield.

Channel Divinity: Sustain. At 2nd level, the cleric may use their Channel Divinity to stave off the effects of dehydration for a number of Medium-sized creatures equal to their Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). The cleric concentrates for one minute and then touches each creature they wish to affect. The affected creatures are treated as though they received a sufficient quantity of drinking water for the day. You may instead sustain two Small creatures as though they were one Medium creature, one Large creature as though it were two Medium creatures, one Huge creature as though it were three Medium creatures, or one Gargantuan creature as though it were four Medium creatures.

Channel Divinity: Ignore Water. At 6th level, the water cleric may use their Channel Divinity to ignore the presence of water or silt for 1 minute. During this time, they can ignore the effects of currents and pressure, may breathe while submerged in any liquid that is composed primarily of water or silt, and gain a swim speed of 40 feet.

Potent Spellcasting. At 8th level, the water cleric adds their Wisdom modifier to the damage of any cleric cantrip.

Form of Water. When the water cleric reaches 17th level, they may use their bonus action to polymorph into a water elemental. This form lasts for one minute or until the cleric uses a bonus action to return to their normal form. You revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. The cleric cannot use this ability again until they complete a short or long rest.

While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

• Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of a water elemental. You retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the elemental. If the elemental has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the elemental’s bonus instead of yours.
• When you transform, you assume the elemental’s hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form.
• You may cast cleric spells that you have prepared. You can communicate with water elementals even if you do not speak Primordial.
• You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the elemental is physically capable of doing so. You cannot use any special senses unless the elemental also possesses them.
• You can choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space or merges into your new form. The elemental cannot wear armor or wield weapons, or use equipped and attuned magical items. Equipment that merges with your form has no effect until you leave the form.

Another Birthright Conversion Update

Today I've completed version 0.4.0 of the Birthright 5E conversion document. You can find it here.

I've added conversions for all core rule book realm spells and plan to add a few more of my own design. I reviewed a number of the ones from the Book of Magecraft and the Book of Priestcraft and found them unsuitable for my conversion purposes -- many of them introduce additional crunch into an already mechanics-heavy bolt-on for 5th Edition, and I wasn't too keen on making this even more impenetrable for those who want to use it.

It's also approaching a whopping 100 pages. Yowza!

Hope it's useful for people, and I'd love to hear any about any feedback or bugs you might find in it. I haven't had the opportunity to get a group together to playtest any of it, particularly the quick battle-resolution mechanics. If anything seems obtuse or irrelevant, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

As always, I don't intend to package this (or anything else I convert) up for sale on the DM's Guild for obvious reasons. Enjoy it!

Dungeon Design in the Published Adventure Module

NOTE: There will be mild spoilers for the Curse of Strahd adventure contained below. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read any further.

Today I'd like to talk about a topic that reared its ugly head in the most recent sessions of my Ravenloft game. It's mostly just me kvetching and being annoyed with myself for not trusting my instincts. But first, a couple bits to know about how the game is structured.

1. The party is comprised of coworkers and meatspace friends, and we gather in my living room every Tuesday evening (at least when work and life do not suplex us with responsibilities).
2. I am using Curse of Strahd's chassis, but have some significant changes particularly as they relate to where certain places are located, what populates them, and what the rewards are.
3. Exploration and combat are run via Roll20, Chromecasted to my TV screen so that everyone can see. This is extremely handy, as an aside, and I can't recommend it enough even though it adds time to my session prep.

So the game has been running very well so far. The party is diverse and interested in their characters, though they lack much in the way of healing (the paladin is the only healer-type). The paladin is acting as their meat shield as well, since he is running Oath of Blood from this DM's Guild piece. It's overpowered in my opinion, but that's neither here nor there and it works for the game due to the party's composition.

The group is exploring the Amber Temple, where (at least in my campaign) the Tome of Strahd is being kept by a secretive cult of Vecna-worshipping lesser liches. It is the first big dungeon from the module that they have experienced, and despite my preparations, I lacked the foresight to consider the following absurdity.

Note the preponderance of secret doors in close proximity.

This section of the temple became the source of excessive scene-breaking and disbelief from this pack of 20+ year veteran gamers. 

Whether or not the situation was a "realistic" portrayal of hidden doors and sliding panels to protect an incredibly secret section of the dungeon, the scene-breaking and dice-rolling that occurred to find and trigger the mechanisms for each door turned the session from a tense prowl through undead-infested corridors (a lesser lich is still a lich) into a laugh riot as the party stood in disbelief as they found yet another secret door, ten feet in front of the last secret door.

Sure, there are things that the DM can do to gloss over or otherwise minimize the number of absurdities, but it shocks me how this particular dungeon was designed so poorly. Along with the hodgepodge of random enemies (an arcanaloth in the statue head?) that may or may not have made into into my version, it really struck me how the Amber Temple fell extremely flat with my group.

Particularly because we used a virtual tabletop in the form of Roll20, and the six or seven hours it took me to reconstruct the Amber Temple with its passages and dynamic lighting volumes, this dungeon veers towards being too messy for actual play. There is a complicated-to-display split level in the largest main chamber, hilariously improbable number of secret doors in close proximity, and many more elements that make this dungeon very difficult to use.

I work on video games for a living, so it's a very important part of my job to ensure that experiences we create for players are challenging and enriching, but not overburdened with excessively gratuitous elements that are ripe for mockery. Level design is a very important and valued skill in that field. 

Those skills translate directly to dungeon design in tabletop games, but the pace of progression through tabletop game's dungeon is far slower and possesses a greater number of variables. The Amber Temple here would probably belong reasonably well in a video game dungeon; you get through the challenges more quickly and the act of looking for secret door triggers is (generally) less annoying and rolled into the experience. 

Around the gaming table, it's just a mess.

Once the players laughed off the fourth secret door they found, an expectation was created that all of the rooms would be like this from here on out. As you can imagine, that slowed down exploration to a crawl, and the mood went from one of creeping dread to abject mockery of the liches for installing so many secret doors ("Do you think they installed a secret door leading to the privy? That has to be annoying late at night when you come home drunk and can't find the bathroom.").

I don't have many answers for why this particular dungeon ended up like that. Maybe it wasn't adequately playtested. Maybe I missed some crucial bit of information in the revealing and activating of the secret doors that would make it less silly. Even Castle Ravenloft itself doesn't have that degree of secret door absurdity, with an almost unchanged layout from the original incarnation as an old school dungeon with all of the weird crap that goes with that. I'm going to trust a bit less in the module's dungeon design from now on and trust my gut on changing it around for use at my table.

Again though, maybe I missed something? Could I have done something differently? I've been doing this DMing thing for a while, but it's very possible I made a terrible mistake somewhere that allowed the mood-breaking. Of course, moving forward, we all know to bring it back to home base and return to our well-roleplayed party on its quest to defeat Strahd, so the diversion was only temporary.

Okay, kvetching over!

Not Dead Yet!

I'm still around. Life and work conspired to drain creativity immensely, but I will be back this weekend -- my first free one in a couple months -- to talk about more Birthright stuff as well as dungeon design in published adventures.