Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 JohnLynch Sep 24, 2008 8:18:21	Unlike my minimalist conversion thread, this one is intended for those who want to incorporate (or discuss how WotC may incorporate) 4e races and classes into Dark Sun and don't mind large, sweeping changes to the setting and history in order to do so. The PHB races are: * Elf (included in original Dark Sun) * Eladrin * Half-Elf (included in original Dark Sun) * Dwarf (included in original Dark Sun) * Human (included in original Dark Sun) * Dragonborn * Tiefling * Halfling (included in original Dark Sun) * Gnome * Goliath * Half-Orc * Shifter The MM playable races are: * Bugbear * Doppleganger * Githyanki * Githzerai * Gnoll * Gnome * Goblin * Hobgoblin * Kobold * Minotaur * Orc * Shadar-Kai The Campaign Book races are: * Genasi * Drow * Warforged The PHB Classes are: * Cleric * Paladin * Wizard (included in original Dark Sun) * Warlock * Fighter (included in original Dark Sun) * Ranger (included in original Dark Sun) * Rogue (included in original Dark Sun) * Druid (included in original Dark Sun) * Barbarian (included in original Dark Sun) * Sorcerer (included in original Dark Sun) * Bard (included in original Dark Sun) While the Campaign Book classes are: * Swordmage * Artificer Now of course not everything has to be included in your version of Dark Sun, but I've provided it for those who would want to include everything (I know the first thing I did when I read Dark Sun was to see which races I could include without breaking established canon in too obvious ways).
#2 JohnLynch Sep 24, 2008 8:21:52	Here's my revisionist conversion. If it isn't obvious by the length of the post, I'm quite fond of those over the minimalist approach ;) The current year is Year 61 under the Free Year calendar. The world has moved on from events in the Revised Boxset, however its still as harsh as it once was. Changes to History * 82nd King's Age to 84th King's Age – Rajaat spends much time attempting to discover magic. During this time he attempts many endeavours including experiments with the Elemental Chaos. Many of his experiments left people stranded in the Elemental Chaos with entire villages being sent as his experiments failed. Eventually he succeeded in creating tieflings which were originally imbued with what would become Warlock magic. * 84th King's Age, Year 19 - After nearly two centuries of experiments Rajaat discovers the basics of magic, but is nearly killed in the process. After recovering he leaves the Jagged Cliffs and travels to the Pristine Tower to refine the magic process, creating Wizardry magic (defiling magic) and Warlock magic (preserving magic). The Green Age ends. * 147th King's Age, Year 74 – Sacha of Arla, 1st Champion of Rajaat fails in eliminating the kobolds. * 148th King's Age, Year 22 – Sielba succeeds in exterminating the pterrans. * 148th King's Age, Year 53 – Kalid-Ma succeeds in exterminating the tari. * 150th King's Age, Year 46 – Lalali-Puy succeeds in exterminating the aarakocra. * 155th King's Age, Year 12 – Daskinor, 14th Champion of Rajaat fails in eliminating the goblins. * 162nd King's Age, Year 13 – Keltis succeeds in eradicating the lizardfolk from Athas. Races These are the changes and additions to the races. Dragonborn are simply dray while goliaths are half-giants. Elves, Eladrin and Drow With Androponis killing all of the elves he could find during the Cleansing Wars they needed to hide. Some hid underground and those who didn't return to the surface after the Cleansing Wars ended would evolve into drow. A much smaller group discovered a way to move to another plane that resembled Athas during the Blue Age. They fled there and would become eladrin. Drow have created cities underneath the surface of Athas and lived free from the rule of the Sorcerer Kings on the surface. As a rule the drow cities are dominated by women, although men who are intelligent enough can rise in power. From requirement they are a very militaristic society so they can provide for themselves the materials they need while also keeping their cities safe from the dangers of the Underdark. They would periodically conduct raids on merchant trains and so gained the reputation of being evil. With the discovery that some of the sorcerer kings were dead the drow began raiding small towns themselves, however they were careful not to over-raid an area and to leave enough for the hardiest to survive so that the town could be raided again in the future. However over the years eventually some trade between drow and the merchants began to open up and some drow will even venture onto the surface and into cities specifically to trade. Only a few drow cities have begun to learn the advantages of trading with others instead of simply fighting and as such a drow on the surface who isn't immediately stealing and killing is an extreme oddity and will be met with much curiousity and fear. In the Feywild the eladrin society had been able to live quite properously and peacefully however it was always hampered by the fact that there was very little land. As such they began experimenting with traveling to other planes in an attempt to find a peaceful land they could expand to. In Free Year 15 one such experiment stranded a group of eladrin on Athas. These would-be settlers have had an extremely tough time in the harsh environment. They mostly live in Tyr in what has become known as the Eladrin Quarter. In encountering elves they were extremely surprised to learn that they speak the same language with some eladrin beginning to suspect that Athas is where they originally came from. Dragonborn With Dregoth's plan to become the dragon thwarted by some players and him instead killed, New Guisteinal was without leadership. However the dragonborn were quick to step in and quickly gained control over the entire city. Initially they ruled it as a harsh miltaristic society and were completely xenophobic of all outsiders, however as time passed some began questioning this position and even ventured out into the world to see it for themselves. Tiefling Tiefling were created from human stock by Rajaat in his attempts to discover magic. They were the sole success of the experiments and were imbued with what would be known as Warlock pacts. Over time they lost this natural magic, however they retained their physical appearance which sets them apart from the humans they once were. Gnomes When the elves fled to the Feywild so did a number of gnomes. Gnomes were also involved in the experiments that led to the stranding of eladrin on Athas. Although they live in the Eladrin Quarter in Tyr, their number is much less then that of the eladrin and so they are often overlooked. Shifters After the racial purge lycanthropy infected some of the races, but predominantly humans. Over time it no longer became infectious and instead they became a new race. Lalali-Puy captured some of the lycanthropes and attempted to restore them to the humanity of their ancestors. However her experiments were only a partial succeess with the creation of shifters. The shifters were welcomed to stay in Gulg but they retained their evil natures from when they were lycanthropes and so those that did were eventually executed. Over the years shifter tribes slowly went from being evil to simply being tough with them often living as raiders. It took Ages before some would choose to live in cities. Doppleganger When murmurings of revolution began long ago Abalach-Re began experiments on humans to create the perfect spies. These would become doppleganger and allowed her to delay the revolutionists up until her death. Now the doppleganger move throughout Athas with most oblivious to their existence. Genasi In Year 25 of the Free Year calendar descendants of the humans who were sent into the Elemental Chaos by Rajaat all those Ages ago found a portal that would allow them to journey to Athas. These creatures known as genasi were changed by their time in the Elemental Chaos and have become imbued with the power over the elements themselves. Except for the water genasi, they found the environment in Athas to be much more friendly then the ever-changing Elemental Chaos with its milew of dangers, and so they began building a city for themselves in the ruins of Yaramuke. It has become a cosmopolitan city as the trading Houses have quickly offered their services to the genasi. Warforged With the sorcerer-kings dead and preserver magic becoming more accepted, experiments have begun being conducted on new ways to use magic safely. These experiments created sentient golems known as the Warforged. Their creator's intention was that this race would serve in Tyr's army, however the first Warforged killed the creator and then went on to create a small army of Warforged. In the cover of night they moved through the city to the Ziggaraut where they hid until the next day. They went on to take control of the mammoth building and demanded that they be given their freedom or else they would take the city for themselves. After intense negotiations Rikus was able to convince the Warforged that they would indeed have their freedom. Now the Warforged live in Tyr along with a few in other cities as free citizens. Classes These are the changes and additions for classes. Clerics and Paladins During the Age of the Sorcerer Kings divine power was kept under strict control of the sorcerer kings. It was erronously believed that the sorcerer kings gave their templars their abilities. However in truth it was the belief and dedication to the sorcerer kings which gave the templars their abilities. When their sorcerer king died, this belief was shattered and so they lost their abilities. In the years following the death of Dregoth, many philosophies were born. The most dedicated to these philosophies began developing new powers and so access to divine power was given to anyone who wished it. Warlocks Warlocks were first created in Rajaat's experiments as the abilities imbued into tieflings. He would go on to develop this magic and would then teach it to any who wished to learn. In earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons this type of magic was called preserver magic. Wizards When Rajaat developed the magic of Warlocks he also discovered the magic of Wizards. This he taught only to a select few as it had the side-effect of damaging the environment. In earlier editions of Dungeons & Dragons this type of magic was called defiling magic. Swordmage and Artificer With the sorcerer-kings dead and preserver magic becoming more accepted, people began researching magic to learn new ways in which to harness it. Swordmages and Artificers were some of the ways that were developed from this research. General Tyr storms have become an accepted part of life, much as tornadoes and earthquakes are in real life. Although largely because all attempts to stop it have failed. Atzetuk has become a true leader to his people, although he has never become a sorcerer-king, and instead plans to leave the crown to his daughter. This decision has been met with favourably among the people, although there are those who plot to gain the throne for themselves. --- What do people think? And what changes would you make to include the 4e races?