Dragonlance 4E Campaign

[RTGoodman]

Recently I've been re-reading some of my various Dragonlance novels and want to play a game set during the War of the Lance era (since it's my favorite part of Krynn's history). I've really been enjoying 4th Edition lately, so I thought I might see if I could throw a 4E War of the Lance campaign together (probably Play by Post, since I can't wrangle my IRL group together for longer than 30 minutes a week or less).

I'm trying to come up with a list of rules to mimic the War of the Lance era and to just have some general houserules. For instance:

Races Available: Human, Silvanesti and Qualinesti Elves (Core Elf + Racial Feat, probably), Half-Elf, Dwarf, Kender (Halfling, maybe with some alternate abilities), and maybe Minotaur. Probably no Gnomes, and definitely no Tieflings or Dragonborn.

Classes Available: Fighter, Ranger, Rogue, Warlord, Wizard (at the beginning, at least). Warlock doesn't fit thematically (though Wizards may be able to multiclass to pick up Warlock powers), and Paladin and Cleric don't exist without the gods (though they'd be available for multiclassing or new characters after the gods return). Artificers don't fit, and neither do Swordmages (except maybe for Elves, who I think have canonically combined martial combat and magic).


...But that's all I've got for now.

Is there anything else that anyone can think of that might be necessary for a 4E War of the Lance-era campaign? I know I'll have to probably homebrew up some monsters (Draconians and their death throes) and maybe PPs (Lord Knight of Solamnia or something), but I'm not worried about that as much yet. Also, you think it'd be cool to try to do the actual Dragons of Autumn and so on campaigns, or just do another campaign during the era? I haven't decided yet, so I thought I might get some input.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Paladins work just great - in fact, they're pretty much the class for Solamnic Knights, gods or no gods. Plate armor and the ability to issue various challenges to enemies?

I've mocked up kender myself (and a bunch of draconians, but formatting those blocks is a pain; on that note, pardon the lazy lack of formatting below):

Kender
As halflings, but replace the power second chance with the power taunt, below, and add Kender Weapon Proficiency.

Kender Weapon Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the hoopak.

Taunt Kender Racial Power
Your loud and insulting observations enrage your target.
Encounter - Charm
Minor Action Ranged 10
Target: One creature
Attack Charisma +2 vs. Will
Increase to +4 bonus at 11th level, and +6 bonus at 21st level.
Hit: You pull the target one square, and the target is marked (save ends). If the target cannot hear or understand you (for instance, it is deaf or you do not speak its language), it is unaffected.
Sustain Minor (Hit): The target is pulled one square.

Superior Melee Weapons
Weapon Prof. Damage Range Price Weight Group Properties
Hoopak +2 1d6 10/20 21 stl 8 lb. Staff, sling Small

[Colmarr]

Silvanesti and Qualinesti Elves (Core Elf + Racial Feat, probably)

For what it's worth, the Forgotten Realms player's guide uses Eladrin to represent high elves, rather than Elves. I don't quite remember the culture of the Qualinesti and Sylvanesti, but IIRC both are closer to high elves than wood elves.

You may want to consider using Eladrin rules for your Dragonlance elves.

[Tsotha-lanti]

It'd be a pretty huge chance, though, for Silvanesti Elves to suddenly be able to teleport around. I suppose replacing the power with something more appropriate would work.

[Behold_the_Void]

Silvanesti and Qualinesti are thematically more Eladrin. You could reflavor the teleport to them just moving really swiftly into position.

Normal elves are better for the Kagonesti.

[RTGoodman]

It'd be a pretty huge chance, though, for Silvanesti Elves to suddenly be able to teleport around. I suppose replacing the power with something more appropriate would work.

That's exactly why I just used Elves, though I guess if I could find a suitable replacement I could use Eladrin for the non-Kagonesti Elves. Any suggestions on that?

Regarding Paladins - I guess I could use them, but I'd probably get rid of all the Implement powers and maybe change all Radiant powers to do normal (weapon) damage instead. I don't think it'd be a huge nerf, either, since there's not a lot of undead/Radiant-vulnerable monsters in Krynn (at least, not that I'd use yet).


EDIT: And now that I actually look for it, there's a Races of Ansalon 4E Conversion PDF HERE that has exactly what I want as far as races go.

[kc0bbq]

It's definitely a good chance to refluff the existing classes.

Has anyone come up with a good way to handle lunar phases for mages? I guess you could just ignore it.

[RTGoodman]

Has anyone come up with a good way to handle lunar phases for mages? I guess you could just ignore it.

I'd probably use the same little cycle of phases as laid out in the 3.x DL Campaign Setting. To determine the effects, I'd probably say that whenever your patron moon is waxing you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls with certain Arcane powers, and when your moon is waning you take a -1 penalty on attack rolls with those same types of spells. The spells affected would be as follows:

White Robes: Arcane spells with the Radiant keyword, and maybe Healing and one more.
Red Robes: Arcane spells with the Illusion keyword and maybe others I can't think of now (Thunder? Force?)
Black Robes: Arcane spells with the Necrotic, Fear, or Charm keywords.

(I'm not big on knowing about the Wizards of High Sorcery, so I'm not sure which keywords fit with each color. The above seemed, okay, though. Suggestions?)

[Kaihaku]

Huh, an older setting where the Dragonborn race can be used and actually makes sense.

Dragonborn = Draconians?

[Tsotha-lanti]

Huh, an older setting where the Dragonborn race can be used and actually makes sense.

Dragonborn = Draconians?

Not even remotely. None of them have breath weapon (except "advanced" draconians, I guess; it's a feat available in 3.5), and there's five distinct species with fairly different abilities.

That, and they're not meant to be PCs anyway (unless you're playing Fourth Age/Age of Mortals).

[Kaihaku]

Not even remotely. None of them have breath weapon (except "advanced" draconians, I guess; it's a feat available in 3.5), and there's five distinct species with fairly different abilities.

That, and they're not meant to be PCs anyway (unless you're playing Fourth Age/Age of Mortals).

Oh, come on, it's remote. Seems easier to adapt Dragonborn in five ways and change one ability than create five new creatures. I wasn't really thinking of them as PCs.

Sigh. I wonder what a Mystic would look like in 4e...

[RTGoodman]

Draconians and Dragonborn are only alike in that their dragony-looking folk so I GUESS you could just swap the fluff around, but I don't think that's the best option. Really, not all of them should just have +2 STR, +2 CHA and the rest of the Dragonborn traits.

Since they're not going to be PCs anyway, I'll probably just do them all as different monsters that are similar but have different powers.

[Tsotha-lanti]

Oh, come on, it's remote. Seems easier to adapt Dragonborn in five ways and change one ability than create five new creatures. I wasn't really thinking of them as PCs.

Not really, since the Dragonborn don't resemble draconians in any aspect.

Here's some draconians; still no formatting because I am a lazy ass. (I also seem to have forgotten to do Kapaks. Go figure.)

Baaz Draconian Level 2 Brute
Medium natural humanoid (Dragon) XP 125
Initiative +3
Senses Perception +0; darkvision
HP 43; Bloodied 21; see also death throes
AC 14; Fortitude 15, Reflex 14, Will 12
Speed 6 (8 while charging); see also wing glide
Longsword (standard; at-will) Weapon
+5 vs. AC; 1d8+3 damage.
Death Throes (when reduced to 0 hit points by a melee weapon attack)
Targets attacker; +3 vs. Reflex; the target is stunned (save ends). If the target drops the weapon (a free action), the effect ends immediately, but the weapon cannot be recovered until after combat. Upon death, a baaz turns into stone.
Wing Glide (immediate interrupt, when falling; at-will)
The draconian takes no damage from the fall, and can fly 2 squares per 10 feet fallen.
Alignment Evil
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Athletics +11, Bluff +8
Str 17 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 8 (+0)
Con 13 (+2) Int 8 (-1) Cha 10 (+1)
Equipment longsword


Sivak Draconian Level 7 Soldier
Medium natural humanoid (Dragon) XP 300
Initiative +8
Senses Perception +3; darkvision
HP 80; Bloodied 40; see also death throes
AC 23; Fortitude 20, Reflex 19, Will 17
Speed 5 (7 while charging), fly 5
Bastard Sword (standard; at-will) Weapon
+14 vs. AC; 1d10+6 damage, and the target is marked until the end of the sivak's next turn.
Tail Slap (standard; at-will)
+12 vs. Reflex; 1d10+5 damage, and the target is knocked prone.
Death Throes (when reduced to 0 hit points) Necrotic
Close burst 1, targets enemies; +10 vs. Will; 3d8+5 necrotic damage, and the target is weakened (save ends).
Change Shape (minor, within a round of killing a Medium or Large humanoid; at-will)
The sivak assumes the shape of the humanoid it has just killed. Other creatures can attempt an Insight check (opposed by the sivak's Bluff check) to pierce the disguise. The sivak gains a +20 bonus to its Bluff check.
Teamwork
The sivak gains a +2 bonus to AC while at least one draconian ally is adjacent to it.
Alignment Evil
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Bluff +11, Endurance +13
Str 20 (+8)Dex 16 (+6)Wis 10 (+3)
Con 16 (+6)Int 10 (+3)Cha 13 (+4)
Equipment scale armor, bastard sword

[Kerouac]

I'm running a Dragonlance 4E campaign right now, but we haven't actually started in on the War quite yet... we're doing some baby adventuring/rule learning first. Here's the basic ideas I put down and they seem to be doing well so far...

Spoiler

Show

Restricted Classes and Races
Race: Dragonborn
Race: Tiefling
Class: Cleric
Class: Warlock

Races:

In this campaign setting there are three primary “Elven” races and societies- Silvanesti, Qualinesti , and Kagonesti. Silvanesti and the Qualinesti are the classic “high” elves, whereas the Kagonesti are the Eladrin of the world.

The Qualinesti elves are of a proud and noble bloodline that chose to leave their ancestrally earned lands to forge their own destinies. They dwell in the golden, lush forest of Qualinesti and many live in the shining capital of Qualinost. The Qualinesti are ruled by the Speaker of the Sun, who must be of the bloodline of Qualinesti's founder, Kith-Kanan. who resides in the Tower of the Sun. In both weight and stature they stand between their two cousins, and have sun-kissed skin tones and hair that ranges from honey-brown to golden blonde. All Qualinesti receive a +2 bonus to all Diplomacy checks and a -1 to all Intimidate checks.

The Silvanesti elves are the most arrogant and cold, yet regal of the bloodlines, descendants of an unbroken line of kings for over 3000 years. When the ancient elven homelands fell into darkness, Silvanos led his people into a new land, where they flourished even after their Qualinesti and Kagonesti kin broke apart during the Kinslayer Wars. They reside in one of the most sprawling and ancient forests in all of Krynn and in the heart is the capital, Silvanost which is home to both the Speaker and the Tower of the Stars. Tallest of their kin, they have skin so fair that it almost seems to radiate pure, white light, and their hair colour can range from a snowy white to the deepest black. They received +2 bonus to all Intimidate checks and a -1 to all Bluff checks.

The Kagonesti are commonly referred to as Wilder Elves, due to their more feral connection to the Feywild and seemingly primitive lifestyle. While their Silvanesti and Qualinesti kin are certainly more connected to the Feywild than the other races, they have also chosen to band together into cities and nations and embrace comforts and progressive society instead of a simple way of living. The Kagonesti may outwardly seem to be backwards or perhaps even barbaric to other elves, but they are still a proud and passionate people who embrace the mystery and natural order of the world around them. They have deeply tanned skin with brown to dark hair that often has a reddish cast. They adorn their muscled yet surprisingly slender bodies with intricate tattoos and brandings. The Kagonesti have no formal leadership. Due to their appearance and mannerisms, Kagonesti receive a -2 penalty in all social situations with their Silvanesti and Qualinesti cousins, with the exception of Intimidate, where they receive a +2 bonus. They also receive a -2 penalty to Streetwise checks. However, due to their closeness to both the Feywild and the natural world around them, they receive a +2 bonus to all Arcane and Nature checks.

In addition to the diversity of the Elves, the Dwarven Kingdom have their own subdivision. The two factions are the Hill Dwarves and the Mountain Dwarves, who have been at odds since the Cataclysm forced the Mountain Dwarves to close their mountain fortress of Thorbardin to all of the world, including their kin who lived in the nearby hills. Very few Mountain Dwarves can be found amongst the other races, and even Hill Dwarves are rather and gruff stand-offish until you have earned their respect, but a meeting between the two kinfolk is sure to end in a drunken brawl. Within each of the two Dwarven Kingdoms there exist several clans, all competing for dominance and rule.

Classes:

Paladins either pledge themselves to an ideal, may be a squire to a Sword Knight of the Knights of Solamnia. Squires who serve the ideals and standards upheld by the Solamanic Knights may petition to officially become a knight after they have procured a sponsor and have submitted to knightly testing. Only humans and half-elves may become Knights of Solamnia.

Paladins who pledge themselves to an ideal may pledge to the following ideals, each corresponding to an alignment:

Good and Lawful Good: Unity, Inspiration, Discipline*, Restoration, Majesty, and Wisdom
Unaligned: Nature*, Knowledge*, Creation/Invention, Enterprise, Battle*, and Persistence*.

Depending on which ideal a Paladin pledges himself to, his source of “divine damage” may be a keyword other than Radiant and those ideals are marked with an *.

Wizards of Ansalon are largely respected, but always feared. Very few people outside of the realm of arcane arts understand that wizards derive their powers from the three moons in the sky- white, red, and the unseen black moon – each of which confer an alignment and philosophy onto their order. The phases of the moon themselves have an effect on a wizard's power, conferring upon the arcane practitioner extra power at the moons zenith while hindering the magic of the other moons.

But the cost of this power comes with a heavy price... all mages who wish to advance in their art must make a commitment to the arts that could in fact cost them their very lives. A test of loyalty, arcane skill, and ultimately their very beliefs determines the moon to which they gain their power through. Those who do not take this test must either walk away from magic or further their education in secret, always in danger of being hunted down by the Conclave.

Warlords of Ansalon are either high ranking generals of city-states and royal armies, or they're squires to either the Order of the Crown or the Order of The Rose within the Knights of Solamnia. Squires who serve the ideals and standards upheld by the Solamanic Knights may petition to officially become a knight after they have procured a sponsor and have submitted to knightly testing. Only humans and half-elves may become Knights of Solamnia.

Yeah, I know it's got some fudged bits, but as there is no official 4E Dragonlance setting and that's the game I really wanted to run, I went for it.

[Learnedguy]

Shouldn't the Artificer class work perfectly as a Gnome-only (unless "raised by wolves gnomes" scenario) class?

And refluffing the warlock class should be very easy, shouldn't it? I'm not certain it even needs refluffing. I mean, it's not as if Dragonlance forbids demon worshipping, does it?