dark sun sorcerer kings

Adventurer Join Date: 3/20/2017 Posts: 16 Hey Warlock fans, I'm working on a 5e homebrew for a Dark Sun campaign. The original Dark Sun Boxed Set released in 1991 presented the base setting details wherein the Tyr Region is on the verge of revolution against the sorcerer-kings. The halflings' civilization came to an end and most of them withdrew from the world and spiraled into savagery. Each creature of the sorcerer-king/queens choice that is within 120 feet of the sorcerer-king/queen and aware of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. His power is still great, although waning. This version also provided rules and setting details for the new third edition player character races such as elans and maenads. Athas has no deities and no formal religions other than the cults created by the sorcerer-kings. Be sure to grab a copy if you havent already. Rajaat's ultimate desire was to exterminate all races except the halflings and return Athas to the splendor of the Blue Age. The sorcerer-kings and queens rose to power long ago through unchecked arcane might. All his Templars are women, and they may or may not all be his wives. The process of creating the Champions turned the sun from yellow to red. Though the campaign concluded in January 2013 at Winter Fantasy, adventures can be requested from Baldman Games. Andropinis is actually the rightfully elected ruler of Balic, a position he has held for over nine Kings Ages. If a plant creature or a magical plant is in the area, it must make a DC 19 Constitution saving throw with disadvantage, taking 8d8 necrotic damage on a failed saving throw or half as much damage on a successful one. Champions of Rajaat | Dark Sun Wiki | Fandom [28], Looking back at the setting, Chris Wilson writing for Time describes the world as a good candidate for television adaptation, "a richly imagined world" with "traces of Dune mixed with Jedi-like powers and a healthy side of murderous human-sized praying mantises". Tectuktitlay is a vile and tempestuous man whose favorite pastimes are human (or demihuman) sacrifice and basking in the worship he requires of his people. That target must succeed on a DC 21 Intelligence saving throw. Still, while Hamanus templars believe he is a god. The 2e Dark Sun epic level sourcebook, Dragon Kings, talks briefly about some key sorcerer-kings and their dragon level (all 20+) in the Introduction. [46] Besides their cleric-like abilities, templars also have special abilities that allow them to govern and control the population of their city-states. 5E Dark Sun: Preserver and Defiler Arcane Traditions : r/DarkSun Kalak appears old and frail, but has the grip of a trained warrior. Andropinis interferes little with the elected assemblys governance of day-to-day life in his city. Socially outgoing and possessed of a powerful intellect Andropinis is known to greatly enjoy sparring in words with able opponents. No mention is made of the events of the Prism Pentad. [24]:5 Slavery is commonplace, gladiatorial duels provide entertainment for the elite, and death permeates the culture. You're done! So that increases a bunch of things. The Wanderer discovers the lost halflings of the Jagged Cliff, as well as the psionic utopians of the Mind Lords of the Last Sea. Because the Proficiency Bonus of the creature seems to be an 8, indicating a creature of CR 25 yet you have the sorcerer king listed as CR 24. [38]:89 [39] While it retains its connections to the Inner Planes, access to the Transitive Planes and Outer Planes is nearly impossible. As classes changed in subsequent editions these were also reconciled with the setting. The majority of project members were new to TSR, though not necessarily to the industry (Winter having worked at GDW). [15] For example, the thri-kreen and aarakocra were originally monsters. As rain falls only once per decade in some areas, water is more precious than gold. When these rumors and theories are sufficiently pervasive to support civil unrest, usually once per generation, Nibenay himself emerges to quash the disobedience personally. [16][17] The final release was Psionic Artifacts of Athas (1996) though two books, Dregoth Ascending and Secrets of the Dead Lands were rumored to have been near completion to the point that early versions were reportedly given to some GMs at the 1997 Gen Con Game Fair before the line ended. Dark Sun differs further in that the game has no deities, arcane magic is reviled for causing the planet's current ecological fragility, and psionics are extremely common. Currently, there are only three sorcerer-kings in the Tablelands. It breathes its last gasps as water turns to silt, grasslands become . These city-states tightly control the few remaining reservoirs of fresh water, the food supply, and other precious resources such as obsidian or iron. As a result, wizards and other arcane casters are despised and must practice in secret. In May 2004, David Noonan wrote a brief update for the setting for the 3rd edition rules. Dark Sun's extensive metaplot spans several fictional ages into its past and is described by a fictional narrator called the Wanderer who presents an in-game account of Athas's history in their Wanderer's Journal. The traditional fantasy races and character classes were altered or omitted to better suit the setting's darker themes. [31]:17 There is some contention within the source material as to whether or not there were ever deities in the setting. At-Will Spell. Everything about the sorcerer-king/queens lair and its surrounding city reflects its ego and keen mind, from the architecture to the servants. These were later expanded in the setting-specific sourcebook The Will And The Way. Numerous novels have been based in the Dark Sun setting. The sorcerer-king uses one of its at-will spells (innate or otherwise). A creature that fails its saving throw takes 36 (8d8) slashing damage plus 36 (8d8) fire damage and is blinded for 1 minute. Brutes had the same game statistics as the, There are no gods in Athas so clerics gain their powers by making pacts with elementals (earth, fire, water, air) or paraelemental (sun, silt, magma, rain) of the. Others, such as shamans, clerics, and druids, cast spells using primal magic as opposed to divine magic. Teleport (Costs 2 Actions). The light of the Pristine Tower burned away the brown tide but also changed the planet. The book will include 4 new adventures, new campaign settings, new monsters, new magic items, and more! Lalali-Puy seems to uphold an almost druidic sense of reverence for nature. Created by the sorcerer-king Dregoth in the city-state Giustinal, most were destroyed along with their city-state. Intelligent, reptiloids dwelling in the Hinterlands west of the Ringing Mountains. All of Nibenays Templars are women, and they encourage worship of their husband-ruler. (The rules for defiler wizards appear in Dragon #315, and additional monsters in Dungeon #111). Daskinor, the mad king of Eldaarich, happily uses his name from the cleansing wars. athas.org published unrelated source materials in 2007 for Dark Sun under the open game license. [15], Arcane magic draws its power from the life force of plants or living creatures, with the potential to cause tremendous harm to the environment. Using the power of the Pristine Tower to harness the energy of the yellow sun, he transformed these 15 into his Champions. [20], This version was heralded as a return of the feel of the original 1991 boxed set taking the setting back before the events of the Prism Pentad. Sorcerer king 5e stat block : r/DarkSun Abalach-Re, Queen of Raam Votes: 2 3.0% Andropinis, King of Balic Votes: 7 10.6% Hamanu, King of Urik Votes: 19 28.8% Kalak, King of Tyr Votes: 14 21.2% Lalali-Puy, Queen of Gulg Votes: 5 7.6% Nibenay, King of Nibenay Votes: 14 21.2% Whatever titles Oronis held have disappeared into the wastes, as most believe his city will. Some Dray speak of their Creator, a former Sorcerer-King who transcended to godhood. In some cases, they cannot be truly killed, but can be stripped of power. Dark Sun is an original Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. In 4th edition there are many arcane classes, so defiling became an at-will power applicable when using daily arcane powers. Finally, the warrior king Hamanu presides over militaristic Urik to the north. A creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a success. At least something like https://www.5esrd.com/database/creature/skeleton-warrior/ would be mildly annoying. This full adventure previewed new material from the campaign setting.[59]. Making matters worse, her relations with the other Sorcerer-Kings are no better than her relations with her own people. Dark Sun | Dungeons & Dragons Lore Wiki | Fandom She peaceably accepted the leadership of Gulg from her people, although they believe it took the sacrifice of 1000 people to bind her to a mortal form. Magic on Athas | Dark-Sun-bergen Wikia Sorcerous Origins you will have instant access to your previous versions. Often, they lived near the city in a fortified palace bustling with minor officials. In truth, House Azeth wields more power in the city than he does. Legendary Resistance (3/Day). Without proper deities, clerics derive their powers from such as the forces of the Inner Planes, or in 4th edition, the Elemental Chaos. [49][50] The Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Expanded and Revised published in 1995 included psionic rules as part of the core boxed set, which were intended to replace The Complete Psionics Handbook rules. A special feature in Dragon magazine No. . His citizenry barely knows him to exist at all, as it is his way to spend all of his time within his walled off inner city. Each of the major city-states in the setting have organizations that teach or regulate psionics in that region. The sorcerer-king/queen has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. [7], Reviewers of the fourth edition release of the setting were largely favorable. For example, in 2nd edition, defilers were a separate wizard class. [14], Contributors to this project at its beginnings included Rich Baker, Gerald Brom, Tim Brown, Troy Denning, Mary Kirchoff, James Lowder, and Steve Winter. From the Sorcerer's Skull: Dark Sun: The Shadow King of Nibenay - Blogger TSR worried about this concept, wondering how to market a product that lacked any familiar elements. In the hundreds of years he has held the position, Andropinis usurped whatever power the other branches of the government once held, although those branches still exist. This spell also causes a tremendous earthquake creating the Great Rift, a passage to the previously unknown Crimson Savannah and the alien Kreen Empire. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw. All of the remaining city-states, except Tyr, are ruled by the sorcerer-kings. A sorcerer-king/queen encounter in its lair has a CR of 26 (90,000 XP). That seems to have changed recently, as rumors of corruption in the Templarate abound. If the target is thrown at another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone. And for good reason: Tectuktitlay collects from the people at large when the war prisoner slave pens run short of victims to fulfill his indulgence. Half-giants can only mate with other half-giants. With such abounding threats from both inside and outside her city, her continued rule of Raam appears to be in danger of coming to an end. In 3rd edition sorcerers are almost unheard of, though in the Paizo adaptation they suffer an even greater stigma than wizards. Freemen can find themselves wearing shackles in a brief moment of misfortune. [31]:716. At the very least, everyone . Magic Resistance. It was a rules-only conversion that provided everything needed to play in the Dark Sun world through the non-epic levels. Sorcerer Kings/Queens (Dark Sun) | New Threat for Fifth Edition A sorcerer-king/queen lives within its palace in a city that sees it as a divine being. [2] This trend continued with the adventure modules tying directly into Denning's fiction and vice versa. At the point the source material lays out for play the beginning of the Age of Heroes when the sorcerer-king's hold on the Tyr Region has recently been challenged with the assassination of Kalak of Tyr in a slave rebellion led by Rikus, Agis, Neeva, Tithian, and Sadira. [55][56][57] The setting was a "reimagining" of the 2nd edition setting, returning to the time immediately after Tyr became a free state. For those who know of such things, the Levy is still collected from Dregoth, a sign that even transcendence is not enough to limit the influence of the Dragon. The claim he still lives, deep in the bowls of Athas itself. Personalities and Backgrounds of Athas (Dark Sun) | Player Guide for Even Hamanu is forced to take note of the might, and constant activity, of Drajs armies, busy as they are collecting people for sacrifice. ", "Review: Dark Sun Campaign Setting by Wizards of the Coast", "Five Fantasy Epics That Would Have Made for Better TV Than Game of Thrones", Defilers and Presrevers: Wizards of Athas, "Defilers and Preservers: The Wizards of Athas (2e)", "Dungeons & Dragons: 10 Most Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (And the Next Campaign Setting is )", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Product (Dark Sun Campaign Setting)", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Product (Dark Sun Creature Catalog)", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Product (Marauders of the Dune Sea)", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Eight Characteristics of Athas)", "The Wizards Community > Dungeons and Dragons > Forum > D&D Encounter Season 2", "Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Event (Game Day)", "Will 'Dungeons & Dragons' Bring Back the Dark Sun Campaign Setting? Enjoy! They are immortal in the sense that they cannot die of old age or non-magical disease. These adornments are in stark contrast to his dying city. Regardless of the origins of her power, she is the most openly detested of all the rulers of the City-States of Athas. Never mind the monsters; failing to take enough water on a desert crossing can be fatal." [15], Dark Sun races were distinctly different from those found in other campaign settings as the designers purposefully went against type. An invasion of the Kreen Empire was also being considered, according to Melka, along with the mystery of the Messenger and a product on the Silt Sea. On a successful saving throw, a creature takes half as much damage and isnt blinded. Most of Athas is an empty desert, interrupted by a handful of corrupt city states controlled by power-mad sorcerer-kings and their spell-wielding lackeys. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Only a single dragon exists in all of Athas, a monstrosity whose appearance heralds disasters of catastrophic proportions. Get BroadSword #1 now for 10% off the cover price! Due to the scarcity of natural resources, few wizards have access to books made of paper pages and hard covers; instead, they record their spells with string patterns and complex knots. Borys; Kalak; Abalach-Re; Lalali-Puy; Andropinis; Hamanu; Dregoth; Nibenay (Sorcerer-King) All items (10) # A . Nobody trusts anybody. [2][7] In the 1990s, fans formed multiple mailing lists, fan sites, and discussion boards concerning the setting. All can use defiling techniques to power their magic, but not all do so. The loss of true gods created a fault in the world that allowed for the potential for arcane magic, which Rajaat discovers; the remainder of the metaplot up to the modern era is similar to 2nd edition. Lalali-Puy, Goddess of Forests, The Oba of Gulg. [1][3][4][5] Dark Sun's designers presented a savage, magic-ravaged desert world where resources are scarce and survival is a daily struggle. They were nature-masters and life-shapers, able to produce anything they needed by manipulating the principles of nature itself. All rights reserved. Themes proved very popular and were widely adopted in other settings. The setting was chosen because designer James Wyatt felt that the setting's grittier, action oriented feel was a good fit for the fourth edition rules and because the setting demonstrated that Dungeons and Dragons games could go beyond the tropes and themes of standard medieval fantasy. The assumption is that whoever you meet in Dark Sun is a spy for a sorcerer king's templars, a slaver, a thief, or wants to eat you. As such, she may be the only Athasian monarch with the genuine support and admiration of her subjects. Oronis | Dark Sun Lore Wiki | Fandom They also do not organize into churches, collect followers, and are allowed to carry edged weapons. The sorcerer-king/queen can then cast a spell of 3rd-level or lower. The sorcerer-king's defilers are feared and hated far and wide. Elves in this setting prefer to live in the moment and attempt to avoid hard work or drudgery as much as possible. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creatures turn. It's like having a rewind button for your campaign. Dark Sun is an original Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. However, any arcane caster may choose to defile at any time. Sorcerer-Kings | Dark Sun Wiki | Fandom Pterrans have a shamanistic culture and believe themselves to be the planet's chosen children. , so there's nothing to lose. [35]:76, In 2008, Athas.org released a new edition of the Dark Sun campaign setting for the 3.5 rules. [1] Dark Sun featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take on traditional fantasy role-playing. [22], The fourth edition setting strayed far less from the core rules than its AD&D counterpart. His inspiration drew partly from Den by Richard Corben and the fiction of Clark Ashton Smith. The reason for the cosmological isolation is never fully explained. [29] John Baichtal of Wired described Athas as "the swords and sorcery equivalent of Mad Max: a desert world where water, steel and kindness are in short supply, where magic destroys the environment and the kings and queens are exclusively evil. Reddit, Inc. 2023. [9][10][11][12][13], TSR released the second edition of Battlesystem, its mass-combat ruleset, in 1989. Dark Sun's second edition metaplot was advanced through its novels and adventure modules. The sorcerer-kings are the rulers of the city-states that are the sole remaining known major outposts of civilization in the blasted hellscape of Athas. Welcome, to the world of the Dark Sun. Did you mean to make the CR 24 or 25? Contained deep within the Elemental Chaos is the Abyss. His Templars viciously stamp out other beliefs, although he does not demand reverence or ritual from his people. It regains all its spent sorcery points when it finishes a long rest. As with previous editions, Athas sits close to the Elemental Chaos and the planet has a special connection to these planes. TSR eventually relented after fan outcry and established a formal fan site dedicated to Dark Sun fan creations. Frightful Presence. He does nothing to thwart or encourage his belief. Charlie24601 1 yr. ago Athasian elves are not benevolent forest dwellers but hostile tribal nomads with savage dispositions and a deep distrust of outsiders. [Dark Sun] What Are The Sorcerer-Kings Like? [Archive] - Giant in the Rather, Abalach-Re claims to be the earthly clergy of a divine being called Badna. He then retreats back to his sanctum, content to leave matters in the hands of his priesthood until the current generation forgets and the cycle repeats. The Green Age gave way to the more recent Red Age, a time of profound war and strife that left the world a blasted, desolate waste. One of their number, Rajaat, would bring about sweeping changes to Athas. [31]:11 Desperate to save themselves and Athas from the brown tide, the halflings built the Pristine Tower, a powerful talisman that could harness the energies of the sun. During this era TSR began to expand metaplots in other settings, such as Forgotten Realms, but Dark Sun pioneered the matching of fiction and adventure modules to engender and advance metaplots. The reviewer also observed: "Life on Athas is particularly tough and short. Mechanical differences abound, but reflect the 4th edition rules. A common way to start a Dark Sun campaign is with the player characters as slaves. Prior to the line's cancellation, designer Kevin Melka claimed that another halfling product, a book on the dwarves, and a book on the Order were part of his official proposals for 1997. Give him at least a ring of protection and a +3 magic weapon. These included in-depth looks at certain aspects of the setting including certain classes, such as gladiators, clerics, and psions; the races native to Athas, such as elves or thri-kreen; and more detailed setting information, such as the city-state of Tyr, the Veiled Alliance, and the different slave tribes. This hands-on approach extends to more than just the games. Templars known to have displeased The Tyrant usually ended their lives as part of the Levy. Raams Great Vizier is a neurotic and paranoid woman. In some cases, they cannot be truly killed, but can be stripped of power. Further, Tectuktitlays penchant for sacrifice has made a viciously efficient war-mongering machine of his military. Shhh! He vetoed the directive. Throughout July and August, excerpts were published as free content on the D&D Insider web site. With a population of 2000, it is the smallest City-State on Athas. Dark Sun th Edition Players Handbook Page 1 Dark Sun Player's Handbook For the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons . Then, in a single night, every living being of the city disappeared, including its ruler, who styled himself as a god of death. Initially released in 1991, Dark Sun was a post-apocalyptic campaign setting that took the rules of D&D and spun them into something bleak. Former humans changed into a race of powerful psions. [24]:16, A side-bar briefly describes the true history of Athas, which differs slightly from the original. D&D: An Adventurer's Overview of Dark Sun [31]:716[32]:224,279. Almost without exception, every king or queen was a powerful Defiler who had risen to his or her position through the unprincipled use of magical and psionic abilities. On a failure, a target takes 13 (3d8) bludgeoning damage and is flung up to 20 feet away from the sorcerer-king/queen in a direction of the sorcerer-king/queens choice. As miserable as its people may be, Draj prospers because of, not despite The Father of Life. The AD&D source material seems to suggest that there weren't ever any gods involved with Athas, while the 4th edition setting leaves the option open, more explicitly stating that the gods were destroyed or driven away by malevolent elemental spirits. Halflings are the oldest race on Athas with a culture dating back to the distant past. In 1990 the company began pre-production on a new campaign setting that would use this ruleset, the working title of which was "War World." The wake of the creation of the Cerulean Storm and the earthquake that caused the Great Rift results in powerful storms and destructive aftershocks. His Templars are the only people to move freely between Nibenays private inner city and the larger City-State over which he presides. There are even cases where the current sovereign is credited with founding the city. You should check them out. This version took place three hundred years after the last published setting details and sought to return the setting's metaplot to something closer to the original boxed set. Half-giants are magically generated human-giant hybrids created by the sorcerer-kings as slave soldiers. Thats *very* solid at this level. There are seven city-states, each (at least in the beginning) ruled by a Sorcerer-King. This is a land of blood and dust, where mysterious singing winds call travelers to slow suffocation in the Sea of Silt, and selfish kings squander their subjects' lives building gaudy palaces and elaborate tombs. Due to a scarcity of metal, weapons and armor are made from natural materials such as bone, stone, wood, carapace or obsidian. About 3,500 years before the current age,[31]:13 Rajaat assigned each of his Champions a race to exterminate and the ensuing years of struggle were known as the Cleansing Wars. The sorcerer-king can use its Frightful Presence. Each PC gained one theme that together with race and class helped define the character. No law rules the blasted wastes of Athas, except the laws carved by blades or shaped by magic. They are immortal in the sense that they cannot die of old age or non-magical disease. [67] Mearls noted that, at the time, Wizards of the Coast decided not to release the Mystic on its own because the class would not be needed "until we do Dark Sun. The cosmology for the original setting consists of the prime material plane and two other transitive planes: the Gray and the Black. Many noble houses are represented on the monarch's advisory council by . I can think of three good options if a player wanted to be a Templar. He warned that it would take "a skilled DM to handle the subtleties of the setting, not to mention the psionics rules and the fine points of the new races and character classes, but it s worth the effort. Dune Traders were a new character class specific to the 2nd edition Dark Sun setting, introduced in the separate. Many people have been working on conversions and I haven't been satisfied with any particular Wizard conversion. Psionics are an important part of the setting. Each of the sorcerer-kings is a powerful defiler, using magic to prolong his or her life to near-immortality. Psions and psionic classes of various types were always available depending on the edition. Attack. I'm less sure how to flavor. The sorcerer-king/queen targets up to three creatures it can see within 30 feet of it. Sorcerer Kings & Queens / Champions : DarkSun 12 Posted by u/AccordLands 10 months ago Sorcerer Kings & Queens / Champions Question So do you run that all the Sorcerer Kings and Queens were Champions of Rajaat? Wherever they travel they leave behind a swath of ashen destruction. Besides their native psionic powers and defiling magic, they were imbued with immortality and the ability to draw magical energy from living creatures through the use of obsidian orbs. His escape would spell doom for all of them, so the former Champions selected Borys as Rajaat's warden. Clerics and other divine spellcasters were particularly affected by the setting; the lack of true gods meant that divine spellcasters were radically different from the standard D&D counterparts. Rich Baker first communicated various likely changes to the setting via his Blog at wizards.com.

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