Character Themes
The Dark Sun Campaign Setting presents a new character option: a theme. All six characters included in this adventure have it. A theme is a career, calling, or archetype not tied to a particular class or role. Just as race or class helps to identify you, a theme serves to refine your place in the world. You might be an elf rogue, but are you an elf rogue dune trader, an elf rogue nomad, or an elf rogue who spies for the Veiled Alliance? Each theme offers a different twist on a basic concept. If a background details how or where your character grew up, theme describes how and why your character became a hero.
A theme embraces characters of any class. For example, many templar characters are warlocks, but a templar who serves chiefly as commander of the sorcerer-king’s troops could be a warlord, whereas a templar who is part of the sorcerer-king’s secret police might be a rogue. Similarly, gladiator characters are often fighters – but barbarians, battleminds, rangers, rogues, or warlords can be just as successful in the arena. “Templar” and “gladiator” are themes that, although particularly appropriate for warlocks and fighters respectively, extend beyond the warlock and fighter classes.
Combat in Dark Sun presents new perils now that you have to worry about whether or not your weapon will break during combat. Since Athas is a world where metal is extremely rare, weapons are made of inferior materials. But just because your weapon may break doesn’t mean that you need to take it easy. Rule for reckless breakage present players with a new dynamic to consider during combat. Here is the sidebar from the page 8 of the adventure.
Weapons of Inferior Materials
Metal is so scarce on Athas that most armaments are made of bone, wood, or stone. These substances are weaker than metal and fracture more easily. A broken weapon is at best an improvised weapon. Damaged magic weapons loose their enhancements, properties, and powers until repaired. The following option simulates the relative fragility of nonmetal weapons, making combat more unpredictable and exciting.
Reckless Breakage: When you roll a natural 1 on an attack roll, your weapon has a chance to break. You can accept the result, automatically missing the attack as usual, but keeping your weapon intact. Alternatively, you can reroll. Regardless of the reroll result, a nonmetal weapon breaks once the attack is complete. A metal weapon breaks only if you roll a natural 5 or lower on the reroll. This rule gives you a say in whether a weapon breaks. You can play it safe and except the errant attack, or you can attempt to avoid a miss by risking your weapon.
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1 2 3 Next »More good stuff. Thanks.
I like the weapon breakage - classic Dark Sun.
I am both excited and a bit worried about DS 4e -- Epic tier 4e doesn't seem right to me in Dark Sun, and I'm interested how they approach that subject.
Keep the sneak peeks coming.
Shoot!. I was going to keep that rule a secret until D&D:E started! I've already been advertising your blog on my meetup site for all players to get some insights about Dark Sun from other perspectives.
I like the idea of the breakage rule, but not the execution of it. Why would anybody ever want to reroll an attack with a bone weapon if it's going to break right away?
Seems to me they should have made non-metal weapons break if your second roll is a natural 5 or less and metal weapons break on a natural roll of 2 or less. Then you're playing the odds instead of it being 100% certainty. I just find it pointless as is because I feel you'll only see 1 person in your lifetime use that rule and then they'll be upset afterwards because they still missed and now they have an improvised weapon.
Epic is actually built into old Dark Sun with high level psion/mages, clerics, and druids being able to transform their very incarnations.
I am hoping to see Dragon, Elemental and the the other transformation paths being released as epic destinies.
.-= Phaezen´s last blog ..Dark Sun Previews =-.
The eloquence of the weapon breakage rules escapes me also. Perhaps Metal breaks on a 5 or less and bone or stone on a 10 or less would be better. I can't see any of my players breaking a weapon on purpose if they don't have to.
Dark Suns flavor is starting to tempt me quite a bit with the unfolding of the Dungeons Master reports and the PvP/Penny Arcade pod casts at Insider. I imagine everyone involved with the new season of Encounters is very excited.
Just getting more and more excited for D&D Encounters; now I'll have to go! But I do wonder about the proofreading on this stuff; quite a few little errors in the character sheets, and here there's an "except" instead of "accept". I guess the Encounters are using a draft version of the rules, which is okay - nothing like a bit of extra last-minute playtesting!
.-= Ben McKenzie´s last blog ..Science gives us monsters =-.
@misticknight232
I agree, but it only says that magical weps lose powers and stuff. What about non magical ones? Will it have no effect?
Yea, I'm really intrigued by the Themes for Characters, and got to experience it when I went to PAX East and played the Dark Sun Preview. I look forward to seeing what all they have to offer Characters with the full release.
.-= Neuroglyph´s last blog ..Review of DDS1: Temple, Castle and Wilderlands by Zodiac Gods Publishing =-.
Partly it will depend on whether or not "broken" mundane weapons are irreparably damaged and how much effort it takes to repair them (can you do it during a short rest? An extended rest? Does it cost money or even take days?), but I could definitely see intentionally breaking my weapon if it gave me another shot at hitting with an important daily or encounter power, especially if I have a backup to see me through the rest of the encounter (or can quickly pick one up from a fallen combatant).
Anyone else notice that the tiefling character didn't have the tiefling errata applied? Oops.