The Races and Classes chapters have undergone some changes. You will find that thri-kreen and half-giants no longer have racial hit dice, and there have been significant revisions to the DS specific classes, i.e. bard, gladiator and templar. One of the key features of the new gladiator is Gladiatorial Performance, which is an arsenal of different abilities unlocked by the gladiator’s level and Perform progression. Templars now have access to all spells on their spell list, vastly improving their versatility, and they gain domains from the Player’s Handbook depending on their Sorcerer-Monarch. Bards also have a few new tricks up their sleeves centered around speed, poisons and secrets. We have also included a selection of prestige classes, which provide additional information and supersede the versions found in the Prestige Class Appendices.
The Magic and Psionic chapters have been greatly expanded. We have converted a lot of second edition spells and powers, in addition to writing brand new ones, and all spells and powers include illustrative descriptions. Cleric domains have been revamped, with the biggest change being that armor proficiencies are no longer tied to domains, but part of the core cleric class, and overall the domains should be more balanced now. The Magic and Psionics chapter now also features information on the Athasian cosmology. Feats and Skills are in new chapter called Heroic Characteristics, and include a great number of new feats along with updates such as language revisions, expanded use of the Warcraft skill, and Survival skill modifiers when foraging for food and water on Athas. Equipment has been expanded to include chapters on magical and psionic items – and the artifacts of Athas, such as the Dark Lens.
For those fans who have requested more setting specific information, your prayers have been heard. The Core Rules now include a chapter on the city-states and other important locations – including Kurn, Eldaarich and Saragar. We have also included a chapter with suggestions for how to play games set in other eras of play, such as the Blue Age and the Green Age. You will also find stats on key DS personas such as Agis, Rikus and Sadira of Tyr, and a host of generic and sample NPCs for added DM convenience. DMs will also note that the Monsters chapter has a completely new and extended format, and the selection of monsters will be familiar to those who own the original Dark Sun campaign boxed set. There is also a new chapter with information on important organizations such as the Order and the Veiled Alliance. Finally, we have included a chapter on how to run Athasian campaigns in the atmosphere we believe defines Dark Sun.
While we start the process of illustrating the final version of Dark Sun 3 Core Rules, we encourage you to provide feedback through the playtest form on the athas.org website. We are primarily interested in reports on typos and such; the rules set will not be altered at this point – you had the previous six revisions to suggest changes to that.
Download DS3 R7: http://www.athas.org/products/ds3/documents/109
Thanks a lot
I love the feel of the fonts and colouring.
This has a lot of information packed in.
All in all it seems pretty awsome
My only 'feedback' would be the bookmarks would be better if they matched the contents page imo
First sentence of the section
Deep in the wastes of Athas a white marble castle of white constantly spews a stream of water....remove word in italics
Cerulean Storm
The storm has been raging since FY 10, and it shows no signs of venting its energy any time soon. change to
The storm has been raging since FY 10, and it shows no signs of abating any time soon. My reasoning is the storm is currently venting it's energy, it just isn't stopping.
In the Memeory Shrine under special abilities
If the subject has had him memories altered, then his complete and correct memories are restored, but only as long as he remains in the garden. Change word in italics to his
The Mud Palace, second sentence
The entire mudflat is populated by horrid monsters, the like of which have never seen before outside this basin...change word in italics to likes
The Star Rock
One of many mesas in the western portion of the Broken Deep, Star Rock has its name for the unnamed structure built on its crumbling surface.
I don't like this sentence, I would change it to
One of many mesas in the western portion of the Broken Deep, Star Rock is named for the ancient structure built on its crumbling surface.
That's all I have time for now since I already accidentally deleted this reply a few times before posting.
I'd be happy to render future services in exchange for info into SotDL:D I found something interesting under the Star Rock entry, the Hour of Blue Sun. I guess that proves Rajaat was indeed powerful enough to change the color of the sun GLOBALLY.
I am reading and for the most part, with one major quibble, liking it. The populations of the city states seem to be the same low populations that we have seen in the veiled alliance accessory. For example, a mere 15 000 people in Tyr. Such small populations cannot maintain or establish the types of complex societies, nor the various social classes or castes, described in the text you provide.
Thats allways been thay way since 2nd edition though. A lot of D&D source material is unrealistic.
The question is... do we remain consistant with the official lore, or alter it to be more realistic?
As for my own games i assume a far bigger population than that regardless of what is written :p
Thats allways been thay way since 2nd edition though. A lot of D&D source material is unrealistic.
The question is... do we remain consistant with the official lore, or alter it to be more realistic?
As for my own games i assume a far bigger population than that regardless of what is written :p
I am pretty sure it is only one accessory, the veiled alliance, that gives population numbers. Everything else contradicts those numbers. Surely common sense can prevail.
As a general rule they are roughly balenced against each other with magic getting ahead slighty due to a handful of overpowered spells and more splatbooks having more new spells than psionic powers.
Add in DS rules on arcane users being hunted and the fact that very few creatures have power resistence and psioics can conveniently ignore magic resistence i can be extremely difficult for a DM to design encounters Psions can't easily blow through.
Feats:
Hard as rock
One prerequisite is "Die hard". So there is no need for "Furthermore, you have a 30% chance per round of becoming stable on your own when you are dying", because you automatically become stable (diehard).
Psionic schooling and Improved hidden talent
Why is a non-psion able to learn/improve psi without taking psi-classes and psi-characters are not?
I would suggest to add something like this to psionic schooling: "Additionally, all non-psi-class levels count as 1/2 psi-class level. Your attribute modifier now grants you bonus power points based on your new manifester
level (XPH 18). If you had more than one manifesting class, you must decide to which class you add the new levels for the purpose of determining bonus power points per day."
Example: A character ist psychic warrior 6, gladiator 4. He counts as manifester level 8, gains extra power points for level 8 and ist able to spent up to 8 power points per power cast.
Another questions: What happens if a character takes improved hidden talent and greater hidden talent and take an psi class later on?
Jump charge
You have to use two psionic focusses to get the advantage, isn't?
First for using jump-charge and second for using psionic fist/weapon.
In this case, you have to be epic (epic psionic focus), or you have to take another two feats: Psicrystall affinity and pricrystall containment.
In my eyes, this is very expensive.
Jump charge should include psionic fist/weapon in case for psionic focus.
Other:
Psionic powers
I am missing the description of "Aging" (Egoist discipline power, level 3).
This should be on page 177 (right side), between "Accelerate" and "Alter Self, psionic".
Layout
Page 43 (right side): "Dragons Fury" (Perform-ability of the gladiator) has to be in a new line. As it is, it's in the stanza of "Threatening Glare".
Page 177 (left side): There is no space between the power Death field and the headline "4th-level Psychic Warrior Powers"
I'll give my opinion, too.
Psionic schooling and Improved hidden talent
Why is a non-psion able to learn/improve psi without taking psi-classes and psi-characters are not?
I would suggest to add something like this to psionic schooling: "Additionally, all non-psi-class levels count as 1/2 psi-class level. Your attribute modifier now grants you bonus power points based on your new manifester
level (XPH 18). If you had more than one manifesting class, you must decide to which class you add the new levels for the purpose of determining bonus power points per day."
Example: A character is psychic warrior 6, gladiator 4. He counts as manifester level 8, gains extra power points for level 8 and ist able to spent up to 8 power points per power cast.
Another questions: What happens if a character takes improved hidden talent and greater hidden talent and take an psi class later on?
The rationale is that the character is no longer a wild talent once they have taken a "learned" approach to the Will and Way. Future development in psionics would be represented by advancement in the psionic class they delved into or the Practiced Manfester feat from Complete Psionic.
The reasoning for not allowing the feat to work with characters who have manifester classes is prevent potential abuse. It would be a no brainer for a multi-classed wilder to take this feat otherwise.
Admittedly, we could better clarify what happens when a character with IGT takes a manifester level other than completely losing access to the feat's benefits. To borrow from your suggestion,it could be characters with IGT who latter takes a level in a psionic class no longer receives bonus power points but retains the bonus power points they have already gained via this feat.
The rationale is that the character is no longer a wild talent once they have taken a "learned" approach to the Will and Way. Future development in psionics would be represented by advancement in the psionic class they delved into or the Practiced Manfester feat from Complete Psionic.
The reasoning for not allowing the feat to work with characters who have manifester classes is prevent potential abuse. It would be a no brainer for a multi-classed wilder to take this feat otherwise.
You only gain extra power points (no additional powers or higher power-levels) and you are able to boost your powers up to the new "manifester level". That's the same as improved hidden talent.
I don't see why the wilder would drastically improve by gaining this.
A level 10 Wilder, 10 fighter (for example) would have "psi-level" 15. So he gains extra power points for 5 levels (that are 12 power points with an attribute of 20; he has already 88 by class) and he would be able to cast powers with power points costs of 15.
That's great: He is able to add 6 power points to his level 5 powers instead of 1 additional power point. So he is able to use all meta-feats with them, or boost them with augmentation.
Is this abusing?
My reason for this feat:
I created an cleric-npc (level 8) with improved and greater hidden talent. So he was psi-level 4 and was able to cast one lvl 1 and one lvl 2 power.
After that I created a psychic warrior/bard NPC. Level 4 Bard and level 4 Psychic Warrior.
Cleric: 10 Power Points (because of high CHA), able to cast one lvl 1 and one lvl 2 power - and he is able to spend 4 power points per cast.
Psychic Warrior: 13 Power Points (same attr-mod as cleric), able to cast three lvl 1 and one lvl 2 power - and he is able to spend 4 power points per cast.
In fact, the cleric has only two lvl 1 powers and 3 power points less than the Psychic Warrior. On the other hand the Cleric can choose powers from any power-lists.
The cleric improves with every 2 level he gains - the psychic warrior only if he takes Psychic Warrior levels.
the psychic warrior has trained more in the Way than the cleric, but he is not able to improve?Admittedly, we could better clarify what happens when a character with IGT takes a manifester level other than completely losing access to the feat's benefits. To borrow from your suggestion,it could be characters with IGT who latter takes a level in a psionic class no longer receives bonus power points but retains the bonus power points they have already gained via this feat.
Case 1: The "manifester-level" from IHT would stay the same for the (G)HT-Powers until his psi-class-level is higher. If that happens, his psi-class-manifester level becomes his new IHT-manifester level.
Case 2: The IHT-manifester level improves furthermore.
In case 1, the character focus' his training to his new powers and does not improve his (G)HT-Powers.
In case 2, he traines the Way and because of the better understanding of the way, his (G)HT-Powers certainly improves too.
What happens if he takes non-psi-classes after taking psi-classes?
I have no idea how to rule it.
I really like IHT and GHT, because so everyone is able to has some stronger psionic powers. But it is very difficult if someone doesn't use it the way it was meant.
I think Chris (Nahumck) might be the main author of these new fluff additions.
It depends. Chris did most of the planes and other ages of play, while band2 did most of life on athas. You can blame me for the rest. :D
I really like IHT and GHT, because so everyone is able to has some stronger psionic powers. But it is very difficult if someone doesn't use it the way it was meant.
Mastryrial,
Here's what I'd suggest (Some pulled from your suggestions):
A character with IHT who later takes a psionic class no longer gains bonus power points for Charisma but retains the power points they have already obtained thru the feat. The character may no longer spend additional feats to take GHT. Their IHT manifester level no longer increases.They may continue to manifest their wild talent powers at their GHT manifester level until their psionic class level exceeds their IHT manifester level. At which point the character manifests their hidden talent powers as a manifester equal to their psionic class level.
I did the Cleansing Wars stuff. Some of the stuff I got from Secrets of the Deadlands. Which are you referring to?
Basically that. There were alot of names I was vaguely familiar (if that) with that is all.
If anyone has any questions about that section, drop them on me.
I did a lot more DS art after that one, so yer welcome ot use them ;)
http://www.silverblades-suitcase.com/darksun/index.htm
trying to decide between a DS, Spelljammer or an orc pic for my next work.
guess I better to a portrait aspect pic to fit on a verticla page, most of my stuff is landscape for slapping on my monitor as wall papers ;)
Has there been any talk on book cover art yet?
Are we reading this spell wrong? It seems awefully overpowered for a 5th level spell.
Ranged touch attacks aren't that hard to make.
If I were a 19th-level caster, there are bunch of other spells I'd be casting before resorting to Quietstorm.
Even worse its probably going to slow down combat alot. Roll all those dice, 7 attack rolls, etc etc etc. Its also a
With that said, if people are still concerned I'd recommend lowering the initial number of rays from seven to four with the max number of rays that can be fired at 19th-level being nine and even up the level of the spell to being 6th.
Using your suggested 4 initial rays, this sets your begining maximum potential down to a reasonable 16d6 damage (comparatively) if focused upon a single target.
Either that, or eliminate the ability to target all rays at a single individual.
As for modifying it, fine, just remember it has to be consistant with it's use in Prism Pentad.
I am reading and for the most part, with one major quibble, liking it. The populations of the city states seem to be the same low populations that we have seen in the veiled alliance accessory. For example, a mere 15 000 people in Tyr. Such small populations cannot maintain or establish the types of complex societies, nor the various social classes or castes, described in the text you provide.
If the class/caste distinctions were placed artificially, and enforced, as I believe they were (I haven't read a DS book in a decade), I think they could get away with a population as small as a a few hundred.