# Dragonlance Covers (Warning - Big Images)



## Morrus (Mar 21, 2003)

overs kindly sent by Johnny Svindland of RPG United.


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## Morrus (Mar 21, 2003)

2


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## Morrus (Mar 21, 2003)

3


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## Morrus (Mar 21, 2003)

4


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## Morrus (Mar 21, 2003)

5


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## Oni (Mar 21, 2003)

Nifty!


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## Ranger REG (Mar 21, 2003)

I like cover #2, #3, #4, and #5. The rest ... eh, not really eyesore. I can tolerate them.


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## Alzrius (Mar 21, 2003)

I'm ecstatic over the first cover (as people may have guessed from my comments over in meta when Morrus was making a banner based on that pic)! It looks really great, and I think perfectly sums up what we can expect from the _Age of Mortals_ sourcebook (I'm hoping it'll explain the disparity between the end of _Dragons of Summer Flame_ given the explanation for the War of Souls).

Cover number two looks pretty good also! It's very evocative of the feel of the dragon overlords from the Fifth Age (though its odd to see a blue flying across what appears to be The Devestation, since that was Malys's territory), which is probably among the best choices for a DL monster book.

The third one I'm not so fond of. I never really liked that depiction of some of the companions. I would come down on that pic harder, but since it is of the companions though, it really does belong on the DM's screen, even if I do think the art could have been better.

I don't really have an opinion on the fourth cover. It just doesn't do anything for me one way or another, especially given that we have no knowledge of how apt it is for the product, since we don't know what it's about.

The last one brings a smile to my face. How could it not? It's Raistlin and Dalamar, and the pic of them is superbly done. While Raistlin alone isn't necessarily evocative of the Towers of High Sorcery, him and Dalamar together certainly is. Still, I have some mild reservations about this product. I bought _The Last Tower_ for the Fifth Age game, and while it was certainly a good product, then, like now, I just didn't see the point. While the Towers are certainly interesting and mysterious, I just can't see there being enough of that interesting material to warrant its own product about it (not unless they chart out every single room and then some, which is boring). Of course I'll buy the product, and I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised, but still.

The only other thing that comes to mind looking over them is that this is the first time we'll have products with cover art that was cover art for other products. I know I've seen that artwork on previous DL material, and its quite odd to see it as cover material again, jarring almost.

Just my initial thoughts.


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## Ranger REG (Mar 21, 2003)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> *
> The third one I'm not so fond of. I never really liked that depiction of some of the companions. I would come down on that pic harder, but since it is of the companions though, it really does belong on the DM's screen, even if I do think the art could have been better.*



I beg to differ. That's an Elmore artwork, from my time. When _Dragonlance_ first became popular. Nevertheless, it is a timeless piece of art.  

You telling me it could have been better is like looking at _Star Wars_ Original Trilogy and say it could use an update.


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## Alzrius (Mar 21, 2003)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> *I beg to differ.*




Go ahead and differ. I'm not engaging you in a debate, I'm stating my opinion, which isn't right or wrong, nor subject to correction. _Degustabus non est disputandum_ after all. While I appreciate that you want to correct my obviously wrong thinking  it really isn't needed here.



> *That's an Elmore artwork, from my time. When Dragonlance first became popular.*




This is where I take a page out of Psion's book: No points for nostalgia, or for it being a "big name". 



> *Nevertheless, it is a timeless piece of art.*




Your opinion of "timeless", not mine.



> *You telling me it could have been better is like looking at Star Wars Original Trilogy and say it could use an update.   *




Forget an update, I think it should be totally redone. The dragon looks like a hissing lizard, Tanis looks like a Native American, not a half-elf, and that dragonlord in the armor...well, I think my feelings on the art are clear here.

That's my opinion of it. If you don't agree, then you don't agree, but don't try and tell me why I'm incorrect.


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## Ranger REG (Mar 21, 2003)

Oh, and what does a half elf supposed to look like? Personally, the dragons are far better than the ones in 3e _MM,_ and easier to ride on. The dragonarmor is pretty good and menacing. It has an apparent utilitarian function to the design. The same goes for the Solamnic Knight dragonarmor, if you have ever seen it.  

Sad how this generation treat _D&D._ Methink they don't deserve it all.


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## Eternalknight (Mar 21, 2003)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> *
> That's my opinion of it. If you don't agree, then you don't agree, but don't try and tell me why I'm incorrect. *




I don't think he was trying to do that.

Love all of the covers!  Dragonlance got me into D&D, so I'm excited!


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## Oni (Mar 21, 2003)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> *Sad how this generation treat D&D. Methink they don't deserve it all.   *







That's just silly.


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## Alzrius (Mar 21, 2003)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> *Oh, and what does a half elf supposed to look like?*




Is this the part where I say "not like that"? I don't think that's a good depiction of Tanis. That's it.



> *Personally, the dragons are far better than the ones in 3e MM, and easier to ride on. The dragonarmor is pretty good and menacing. It has an apparent utilitarian function to the design. The same goes for the Solamnic Knight dragonarmor, if you have ever seen it.  *




The operative word there being "personally". That's all your opinion. I disagree with pretty much all of it. The difference is I'm not going to get into a debate trying to change your mind. You think what you want, and let me think what I want.



> *Sad how this generation treat D&D. Methink they don't deserve it all.   *




Oh now that's real conducive for not turning this into something truly sordid.   How does my disagreeing with you translate into treating D&D badly? How does not thinking a piece of artwork is that good mean I don't deserve D&D at all? And finally, what on Earth makes you think you're qualified to say who "deserves" D&D and who doesn't.

The bottom line here is that I just posted my opinion, and you started telling me why I was wrong. Opinions, REG, cannot be wrong. That's why they're opinions. This debate is, quite literally, pointless. Let's just let it go.


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## Ranger REG (Mar 21, 2003)

Actually, I'm pulling his chains, *EternalKnight.*  

Like I said, when _Dragonlance_ first appeard in the 80's, that got me really hooked into _AD&D._ So the images of Elmore's arts are one of the best I've seen. That and my 1980's _D&D_ boxed sets.

It's good of Sovereign to reuse Elmore's arts as tribute to him and to bring back the old fans while welcoming new ones.


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## John Crichton (Mar 21, 2003)

I have read all of one DL novel in my time (and I have read many fantasy-fiction books).  I like the idea of using the Elmore art.  It will distinguish it even moreso from other campaign settings for 3e.  I've have to read some more DL, now...


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## Eridanis (Mar 21, 2003)

I must have missed some news; I thought Tracy was going to be involved with the new DL setting.

Alzrius, the reason #3 looks so strange is that it's one of the (four?) original concept paintings done by the TSR team 'way back in'81 or '82. If you like, you could find a copy of "The Art of Dragonlance", and it will tell you more on how the look of the characters evolved over time. (One of the comments I remmeber about this particular painting is that it made Tas look like a young child, something that was altered over the course of time.)

Ranger REG: Step outside and take a deep breath. You live in Hawai'i, after all.  To paraphrase Emerson, every generation must have its own connection to the originals.

It's cool they're reusing the art, but I hope that's all they'll reuse. Ars longa, vita brevis!


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## Apok (Mar 21, 2003)

They all look great, and I admit I'm no huge Elmore fan.  Can't wait to check these out.


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Mar 21, 2003)

I love, no worship Elmore, Parkinson, & Caldwell's art that was done around the time of the first two trilogies.    I used to have the Art of Dragonlance book...but I lost it.


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## Drakron (Mar 21, 2003)

The following post is the result of my undying hate for those "so called heroes of the lance" ...

Agh, if I buy those books I have to put  up with those brainless idiots and their moronic offspring (that is a very good reason of why some people sould be neutered).

I hope those horrible pictures dont show up, I am trying not to allow my utter dislike for those so called "heroes" (idiots would be a better name) to prevent me to take a shoot at DragonLance (and long the setting is not a huge advertisement to the "exploints" of those brainless morons in the novel line) since I like to try something more classic D&D and with Greyhawk in life support system ...


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## Flexor the Mighty! (Mar 21, 2003)

What was so moronic about the first trilogy?   Rather good IMO.  I never read anything past the Raistlin & Cameron trilogy though.


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## Drakron (Mar 21, 2003)

Well, those characters just anoyed the hell out of me ... 

Its a personal thing, its nothing about the quality of the books ... just that I personaly really hate those characters and their actions.


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## Leopold (Mar 21, 2003)

still hate DL as much as i despise FR. maybe the dragons will be 1/2way useful...


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## Crothian (Mar 21, 2003)

THe books were good when I was in high school, but they just lacked something on the rereads.


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## Jody Butt (Mar 21, 2003)

This is the kind of artwork I like to see on RPG products . . . something that stirs the imagination . . . unlike the pathetic D&D corebook covers.

Sovereign Press will definitely be getting my gaming dollars.


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## Olive (Mar 21, 2003)

I've always had a rreal soft spot for the first dragon lance trilogy. never was much for the other stuff, and totally lost interest after a while. i'd be into playing a post war iof the lance game but thats about it. are SS going to publish books to allow me to do that?


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## Ravellion (Mar 21, 2003)

Crothian said:
			
		

> *THe books were good when I was in high school, but they just lacked something on the rereads. *



I disagree. I found them to be of near literary quality (not the fist trilogy, the second one). My teacher agreed for all I can tell. Got a good grade.

Rav


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Wow... we display the images at GAMA and BAM! Here they are 

Okay, the covers for Age of Mortals and the Towers of High Sorcery are the final image covers. The other three are product mock-up covers for distributors, we are waiting for the artwork on them. One of them will definitely be a brand new Elmore, one of them will be a brand new Easley, and the third... we'll announce at a later date 

Either way, I'm glad to see the buzz surrounding these! It's definitely heartwarming to know that our hard work is already beginning to pay off! Hopefully, we won't disappoint!

Sincerely,

Christopher Coyle


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## Jody Butt (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *One of them will definitely be a brand new Elmore, one of them will be a brand new Easley, and the third... we'll announce at a later date
> *




A brand new Easley . . . my mouth is watering.


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *Either way, I'm glad to see the buzz surrounding these! It's definitely heartwarming to know that our hard work is already beginning to pay off! Hopefully, we won't disappoint!*



I can't wait, Chris.  Is Age of Mortals a box set?


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Oh, and that first Age of Mortals painting by Stawicki is *awesome.*


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *
> I can't wait, Chris.  Is Age of Mortals a box set? *




Nope, Age of Mortals is a 224-page full color product, the first of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion Books. The idea is to make the books as high a quality as what people would expect from Wizards of the Coast products.

Dragonlance is written by those of us at Sovereign Press and other highly talented individuals, a collaborative project. Although Tracy is not currently directly involved with the product line (he's extremely busy with his new series, the Canticle of Bronze, which I know I cannot wait for!), he is involved in as much as he can currently be. We keep him up to date on what we're working on, we try our hardest to make sure that he's fully involved  He's even written the forward for the Dragonlance Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast!

Here's a rough idea of our product schedule for the year, pending the release of the DLCS:

August, 2003
*Age of Mortals - Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion*: 224 pages of full colored goodness, bringing Dragonlance from the beginning of the Fifth Age to the world as it stands at the end of the War of Souls.

September, 2003
*Dragonlance Dungeon Masters' Screen*: A full-color screen packed with all sorts of useful information for DL DMs!


October, 2003
*Key of Destiny - Age of Mortals Campaign, Volume 1*: The first of a three part mega adventure, this story has been carefully scripted out to ensure that the players of the game will have an impact on the world for years to come! Yet, no pesky pregenerated player characters that make players feel like they have to play someone else 

November, 2003
*Bestiary of Krynn*: Another full color product, this bestiary will be cram packed with all sorts of monsters unique to the Dragonlance setting!

December, 2003
*The Towers of High Sorcery*: Details on all the five, yep all five, Towers of High Sorcery throughout the Ages, hints on things to come, prestige classes, more magic and artifacts than you can shake a stick at!

February, 2004
*Specter of Sorrows – Age of Mortals Campaign, Volume 2*: The second part of the epic adventure, taking the players deeper and deeper into an intrique that will shake the entire world!

Now, granted, things could change, but we'll be busting our collective butts in order to make sure everything gets there as planned!  'course, we're always more than willing to answer what questions you may have, so fire away 

Christopher Coyle


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## Jody Butt (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Nope, Age of Mortals is a 224-page full color product, the first of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion Books. The idea is to make the books as high a quality as what people would expect from Wizards of the Coast products.
> 
> ...




Sounds great.  I must have them ALL!!

The Dragonlance products are the only RPG products in 2003 that I am eagerly anticipating . . . finally, some good artwork!  (Please <b>don't</b> give us iconic sorcerers in leg-buckle costumes, fighters wearing weird spiked armour, and alien-looking elven wizards.)


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *'course, we're always more than willing to answer what questions you may have, so fire away *




Well, okay then.  

1.  What about game material for the 4th Age (War of the Lance period)?  Or other ages, such as the Age of Huma?

2.  Will there be any Prestige Classes specific to certain races?

3.  What are the 3E ability adjustments for a Kagonesti elf?   

4.  Will Dragonlance be fully 3.5e compliant?

5.  What levels will the Age of Mortals mega-adventure take characters through?

6.  Will Wayne Reynolds be doing any of the interior art for the Bestiary?

I wondered if this was going to be a one-shot sourcebook.  I am _so_ impressed that Sovereign is making such an indepth commitment to the world of Krynn.


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## Drakron (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> ... The idea is to make the books as high a quality as what people would expect from Wizards of the Coast products ...
> 
> *




That low?

Wny not try to make the books at S&S quality?


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## Vocenoctum (Mar 22, 2003)

Will the books have enough stuff to indoctrinate/ update someone that hasn't touched a book since the original Dragonlance?


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Jody Butt said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Sounds great.  I must have them ALL!!*



Agreed.  Absolute *must* haves for me.  All of them.


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## Chauzu (Mar 22, 2003)

OK, I'm a little lost. Are these pictures of covers for the 3E DL, or are we just taking a look at the good ol' art?


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

_1.  What about game material for the 4th Age (War of the Lance period)?  Or other ages, such as the Age of Huma?_ 

The War of the Lance era is our next DLCS Companion  From there, we've planned to start exploring other eras as well! 

_2.  Will there be any Prestige Classes specific to certain races?_

Most definitely, fun for everyone!

_3.  What are the 3E ability adjustments for a Kagonesti elf?   _

Can't say yet  They are done, but gotta wait a little while before I spill any spoilers.

_4.  Will Dragonlance be fully 3.5e compliant?_

Yes! Despite some claims to the contrary, Dragonlance will be one of the very first products fully 3.5 compatible!

_5.  What levels will the Age of Mortals mega-adventure take characters through?_

The idea is to take characters roughly from 1st level through 20th!

_6.  Will Wayne Reynolds be doing any of the interior art for the Bestiary?_

*hrms* We haven't started gathering artists for the Bestiary yet, but soon, I'll be choosing artists for the book!

On to the next questions 

Christopher Coyle


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Drakron said:
			
		

> *
> 
> That low?
> 
> Wny not try to make the books at S&S quality? *




*LAUGHS!*

Well... let's just say that all the books will have a distinctive Dragonlance style that will make them stand out from the pack. How's that? 

Christopher Coyle


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## Gaius (Mar 22, 2003)

What's this Age of Mortals all about?  I stopped following the Dragonlance chronology right about the time the gods left Krynn and the SAGA system came out.  I think that would be the Fifth Age.  It would have been the whole shebang when Sturm's son was a knight of Takhisis and all that jazz.  

So what's the Age of Mortals?  I don't know about the War of Souls.  Are the gods back?  Three moons in the sky?  Magic is working correctly again?  Armies of evil dragons?  I know people have mentioned dragon overlords and whatnot.  What's up with that?  Someone bring me up to speed.  My interest in Dragonlance died when its heroes did.

Gaius, who thinks that the depiction of the Heroes of the Lance has always been spot-on


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Vocenoctum said:
			
		

> *Will the books have enough stuff to indoctrinate/ update someone that hasn't touched a book since the original Dragonlance? *




Oh yes, most definitely. Our goal from the very beginning was to take two unfortunately rather distinct fan bases, the "4th Agers" and the "5th Agers" and try to bring them together. Yet, every day it seems that there are still new people learning to love Dragonlance, and we definitely don't want them to feel left out. We tried to put more than enough into the game that even someone who hasn't read any of the books could very easily play, and yet hopefully, be inspired enough to want to read the books 

Christopher Coyle


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## Tyler Do'Urden (Mar 22, 2003)

Okay, count me DROOLING...

Finally, it looks like we're seeing some works that LOOK like the D&D that I know and love, not a glorified computer game. (The FR materials have done a good job too, but if the insides look as good as the outsides, these will take the cake).

And I'm getting that adventure epic- I can't wait to hit the roads of Krynn again...


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Chauzu said:
			
		

> *OK, I'm a little lost. Are these pictures of covers for the 3E DL, or are we just taking a look at the good ol' art? *




Two of the covers are the actually covers. The other three covers are production mock ups for distributers and the book trade, so that there's an image to go with the blurb in catalogues 

Christopher Coyle


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Gaius said:
			
		

> *What's this Age of Mortals all about?  I stopped following the Dragonlance chronology right about the time the gods left Krynn and the SAGA system came out.  I think that would be the Fifth Age.  It would have been the whole shebang when Sturm's son was a knight of Takhisis and all that jazz.
> 
> So what's the Age of Mortals?  I don't know about the War of Souls.  Are the gods back?  Three moons in the sky?  Magic is working correctly again?  Armies of evil dragons?  I know people have mentioned dragon overlords and whatnot.  What's up with that?  Someone bring me up to speed.  My interest in Dragonlance died when its heroes did.
> 
> Gaius, who thinks that the depiction of the Heroes of the Lance has always been spot-on *




Oh boy. *laughs!* I opened a can of worms here... okay.... how about this....


S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

P

A

C

E


Okay... to not give away any HUGE spoilers, it's basically like this.

Yes, the Gods have returned with a vengeance.

Yes, the Three Moons once more grace the skies.

Some of the Dragon Overlords have been killed, but their depredations remain.

The minotaurs have finally forged an army strong enough to start striking against the continent.

The elves (all of the surface elves) are now a people without a home. All of them are now homeless wanderers, searching for a new nation.

To find out more... *begins to plug the novels, which are now all out in paperback!* ... read Dragons of a Fallen Sun, Dragons of a Lost Star, and Dragons of a Vanished Moon.

The world has changed, but there is now more than ever a need for heroes, with plenty of stories to be told!

Christopher Coyle


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## Olive (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *<snip spoilers>*




see that sounds like a dragonlance i could get my teeth into!

do i have to read all the 5th age stuff to get the new trilogy?


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## Tuerny (Mar 22, 2003)

One of my major complaints with previous versions of the Dragonlance settings is that it seemed to be more of a "novel" setting than a "campaign" setting. That is it seemed that all the big and important things were being done by the novel characters rather than being left to be resolved by players in home campaigns.

Will this be continuing for the Age of Mortals?

What I mean is you mentioned homeless elves and armies of minotaurs but if I decide to purchase the book and run a Dragonlance campaign am I going to find in the next novel that the situations that I was working into my campaign have been invalidated?

I mean, I am well aware that I could just ignore the novels, but that takes away from some of the benefits of using a published campaign setting. 

So what is it?


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Olive said:
			
		

> *
> 
> see that sounds like a dragonlance i could get my teeth into!
> 
> do i have to read all the 5th age stuff to get the new trilogy? *




No, not really, as the novel brushes upon a lot of the important events as some of them are resolved.  Of course, I do advice reading the novels, but then of course, that's just me  I tend to read everything I can get my hands on.

And, to simultaneously answer the next comment...



> One of my major complaints with previous versions of the Dragonlance settings is that it seemed to be more of a "novel" setting than a "campaign" setting. That is it seemed that all the big and important things were being done by the novel characters rather than being left to be resolved by players in home campaigns.
> 
> Will this be continuing for the Age of Mortals?
> 
> ...




One of the purposes of the War of Souls trilogy was to reaffirm the fact that the world of Krynn is a vast place, with plenty of huge events unfolding across the world. Although the storyline was resolved, there were a *TON* of threads left hanging... the homeless elves, the minotaur empire, the fate of the Knighthoods, the future of the Towers of High Sorcery with the return of High Sorcery, lots of things. With Margaret helping to spearhead our side of things, as well as maintaining ties with the novel side of things, we are going to work very hard to balance the two. You may see things in the novel influence things in the game and vice versa, without stepping too far into each other's specialities. One of the events at the end of the War of Souls Campaign trilogy of adventures will have a MAJOR impact on the world, it will influence the novels, giving the players the sense that their actions are truly changing the world, without having to play out the roles dictated by pregenerated characters.

*blinks* Man, it's late... methinks I'm beginning to babble... I hope that answered your concern... if not, I'll try again tomorrow 

Christopher Coyle


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## The_lurkeR (Mar 22, 2003)

Thanks for the info Stormprince, I had no interest in the upcoming DL books until I read this thread.


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> **hrms* We haven't started gathering artists for the Bestiary yet, but soon, I'll be choosing artists for the book!*




I highly recommend Wayne Reynolds!  Did you know that Wizards of the Coast let go their entire in-house art staff?  Let that be to Dragonlance's benefit!  Todd Lockwood, Sam Wood, Wayne Reynolds, Brom!  But above all, Stawicki, Stawicki, Stawicki.  

*Nothing* in 1st Edition D&D could compare to Dragonlance art, let those days return!



			
				Stormprince said:
			
		

> *On to the next questions *




Okay...   

1.  Will there be Regional feats ala Forgotten Realms?

2.  Prestige Class for archers?  Elven archers?   

3.  I'm just starting to read the War of Souls trilogy.  Will this actually spoil some of the events in the Age of Mortals mega-adventure?  If I were to play through the adventure, and want maximum enjoyment, would you recommend I wait till after I've played through it to read War of Souls?

Thanks for the teasers!


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Okay, next questions! 

*1.  Will there be Regional feats ala Forgotten Realms?*

Nope, instead of creating a thousand and one "brand new" feats, we've created some very specific Dragonlance feats, ones very specific to the races and characters of Krynn 

*2.  Prestige Class for archers?  Elven archers?   *

Not in the first two products, the DLCS or the AoM. There are quite a few prestige classes, but there are also rules on how to make the prestige classes in the Dungeon Master's Guide and other products fit in Krynn.

*3.  I'm just starting to read the War of Souls trilogy.  Will this actually spoil some of the events in the Age of Mortals mega-adventure?  If I were to play through the adventure, and want maximum enjoyment, would you recommend I wait till after I've played through it to read War of Souls?*

No, not at all! The Age of Mortals mega-adventure is tied into the AoM Companion, which is set six-months _after_ the events of the War of Souls! So, definitely enjoy the novels!!!

Christopher Coyle


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## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

The_lurkeR said:
			
		

> *Thanks for the info Stormprince, I had no interest in the upcoming DL books until I read this thread.  *




Awesome! 

I know that there many people out there that feel that the time for Dragonlance has long since passed. Some people never liked Dragonlance to begin with. 

Well, I like to think of this as a completely revitalized Dragonlance, one that's undergone an incredible neo-genesis. (Man, I've always wanted to use that in a sentence!) 

Is Dragonlance for everybody? Well, as much as I might like to think so, it would be foolish to beleive that one can please all of the people all of the time. (Although even that won't keep me from trying ) But, Dragonlance is about to celebrate it's 20th anniversary, which should say something!

Christopher Coyle


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## Kai Lord (Mar 22, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *The other three are product mock-up covers for distributors, we are waiting for the artwork on them. One of them will definitely be a brand new Elmore, one of them will be a brand new Easley, and the third... we'll announce at a later date  *



I'm guessing Easley will get the Bestiary, and hopefully Elmore will do the DM's screen, leaving the three epic Age of Mortals mega-adventures to Matt Stawicki.

Stawicki has redone both the Chronicles and the Legends trilogies, as well as being the vision of the War of Souls.  He *is* the current look of Dragonlance.  For an adventure trilogy, it would only seem right that Stawicki's talent grace the covers, giving his distinct vision to the trials which the players will face.

EDIT:  And just for further clarification, there will be *two* DL hardcover sourcebooks released in August, correct?  The Dragonlance Campaign Setting Sourcebook (not pictured in this thread but I believe the cover will have a Stawicki painting of Laurana riding a gold dragon), _plus_ the Age of Mortals Companion Sourcebook?


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## Drakron (Mar 22, 2003)

Well my interess in using DragonLance will only happen if DragonLance stands out _without the use of the novel line_.

Reason is simple, I do not belive I sould buy and read novels to understand the playing world as presented in the game books or the future development of the world.

I belive that DragonLance setting suffered from just that, the world was always being changed because the novels keep the timeline making rather large jumps into the future and any development in DragonLance only happened because the novels did something (and usually something "world altering) and that end up making the setting more a "companion product" to the novel line that a stand alone product leading to players to move into other settings.

Also I would like that the world remains consistent, I dislike re-writting the world history without some very good reasons and I dislike even more contradicting events on books, if supplement says "x happened y years ago" it sould remain "x happened y years ago" and if some some reason it have to be change then it sould also be explained why it was changed.


----------



## Ruvion (Mar 22, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Stormprince_
> One of the events at the end of the War of Souls Campaign trilogy of adventures will have a MAJOR impact on the world, it will influence the novels, giving the players the sense that their actions are truly changing the world, without having to play out the roles dictated by pregenerated characters.




Just a thought...

...on what this MAJOR impact may be...
...
...
SPOILER
...
...
...
...
...
...
SPOILER (concerning the War of Souls trilogy)
...
...
...
...
...
...
...could it be the birth of a new dark god of ultimate badness à la tradition of Takhisis?   This world seems to lack a god of all consuming darkness and evil (namely the head of the evil gods) after the events of the War of Souls trilogy...it is simply crying out for a replacement. 

Then again, the world is lacking a god of goodness (but then Dragon Lance was a world that had the forces of Evil always on brink of consuming the forces of good)...


----------



## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *
> I'm guessing Easley will get the Bestiary, and hopefully Elmore will do the DM's screen, leaving the three epic Age of Mortals mega-adventures to Matt Stawicki.
> 
> Stawicki has redone both the Chronicles and the Legends trilogies, as well as being the vision of the War of Souls.  He is the current look of Dragonlance.  For an adventure trilogy, it would only seem right that Stawicki's talent grace the covers, giving his distinct vision to the trials which the players will face.
> ...




I'm not gonna say yet who's doing what, you'll just hafta wait for that one 

And yes, both the DLCS from WotC, and the Age of Mortals Companion, from Sovereign Press, will be released at the same time 

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Drakron said:
			
		

> *Well my interess in using DragonLance will only happen if DragonLance stands out without the use of the novel line.
> 
> Reason is simple, I do not belive I sould buy and read novels to understand the playing world as presented in the game books or the future development of the world.
> 
> ...




Well, we're trying to move forward in a completely new and different direction. We can't make the novels stop, nor would we want to. But, instead of one trying to completely dictate the direction the other takes, we're trying to work in tandem to ensure that things move much more smoothly, without any more abrupt jumps forward in time.

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Stormprince (Mar 22, 2003)

Ruvion said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Just a thought...
> 
> ...




You'll just have to wait until the third adventure comes out to see what's going on  No spoilers! *bwahahahahahahahahahas!*

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Kai Lord (Apr 2, 2003)

Another question I meant to ask, will DL have level caps?  The original DL rules under 1E prohibited advancement beyond 18th level.  Will the new DL support Epic Level play?


----------



## TalonComics (Apr 2, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 6.  Will Wayne Reynolds be doing any of the interior art for the Bestiary?
> 
> *hrms* We haven't started gathering artists for the Bestiary yet, but soon, I'll be choosing artists for the book!
> ...



_

Hey Christopher! What llustration style are you guys going to be looking for? Full color, gray scale or B&W illustrations?

~D_


----------



## Shadowlord (Apr 2, 2003)

> I know that there many people out there that feel that the time for Dragonlance has long since passed. Some people never liked Dragonlance to begin with.




And some ppl, like me, are eager to start and learn the new setting. So far it sounds perfect! Very romantic and such... can't get better. So long as the novels don't get restricting.


----------



## Wolf72 (Apr 2, 2003)

whew ... at least they're not going to come out to quickly together ... I might even be able to buy a couple of them from talon 

*wolf needs to get full time employment first*


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 2, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *Another question I meant to ask, will DL have level caps?  The original DL rules under 1E prohibited advancement beyond 18th level.  Will the new DL support Epic Level play? *




We have long since decided to drop that particular rule. Our products will *completely* compatable with 3.5, which should eventually include the updated Epic Level rules, although as of right now, we are not focusing specifically upon a single product with such rules...not yet, anyways. 

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 2, 2003)

TalonComics said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Hey Christopher! What llustration style are you guys going to be looking for? Full color, gray scale or B&W illustrations?
> 
> ~D *




Well, according to the last glance I took at our product schedule, right now, as far as I am aware, all of our products currently, with the exception of our adventures, will most likely be full color, but don't quote me on that  I do know that the Bestiary will almost certainly (95% probability) be full-color.

Christopher Coyle
Art Director


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 2, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *
> 
> And some ppl, like me, are eager to start and learn the new setting. So far it sounds perfect! Very romantic and such... can't get better. So long as the novels don't get restricting.
> *




*grins* Great to hear, Shadowlord!  I love the thought of new inductees into Dragonlance, and I'm truly hyped for the release of the products this fall, because I believe that we are going to surprise a number of people with just how much effort has gone in to creating Dragonlance 3rd Edition...we're working very, very closely with the authors to ensure that the gaming world and the novel world will meld together as seemlessly as humanly possible, without making it feel that one is guiding the other.

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Synicism (Apr 2, 2003)

What, no Draconians?!

J/K - the covers look fantastic. Though I do hope that the Dracos ala Doom Brigade and sequels will be available in the game.


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 2, 2003)

Synicism said:
			
		

> *What, no Draconians?!
> 
> J/K - the covers look fantastic. Though I do hope that the Dracos ala Doom Brigade and sequels will be available in the game. *




In the DLCS, two draconian races are presented as PC races, with plans on a sourcebook to cover them, and the others, in much greater detail 

Christopher Coyle


----------



## Flexor the Mighty! (Apr 2, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *
> I'm guessing Easley will get the Bestiary, and hopefully Elmore will do the DM's screen, leaving the three epic Age of Mortals mega-adventures to Matt Stawicki.
> 
> Stawicki has redone both the Chronicles and the Legends trilogies, as well as being the vision of the War of Souls.  He is the current look of Dragonlance.  For an adventure trilogy, it would only seem right that Stawicki's talent grace the covers, giving his distinct vision to the trials which the players will face.
> ...




He's talented but I prefer Elmore's covers.   I recently decided to re-read the Chronicles after all these years and found I lost my copy of DOAT!  The Shock! The Horror!  Alas I couldn't find a used copy so I bought a new one.   Good art but when I close my eyes and picture Tanis, Goldmoon, or Sturm I get the picture of DOAT's original cover.    At least it's not Lockwood, great talent but I can't get into his design choices or his Dragons.   Easley's dragons will always reign supreme for me.  Until I see someone do them better that is.


----------



## Salthanas (Apr 4, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> We have long since decided to drop that particular rule. Our products will completely compatable with 3.5, which should eventually include the updated Epic Level rules, although as of right now, we are not focusing specifically upon a single product with such rules...not yet, anyways.
> 
> Christopher Coyle *




Greetings Chris

  I was wondering if your comments above were anything to do with a rumour I heard that there was going to be a product that dealt with the Legends series and Raistlin's ascent to power to challenge the Dark Queen. Is such a product scheduled and will it make use of the epic level rules?

yours sincerely Salthanas


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Salthanas said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Greetings Chris
> 
> ...




Yes, there is a product scheduled for release in 2004 that will deal with Legends...and that's all I'm saying about it right now... mainly because that's a year away and we're still working on the War of Souls/Fifth Age/Post-War of Souls era! 

Christopher


----------



## Shadowlord (Apr 4, 2003)

Stormprince, what's your favorite aspect of the new DL to be released? 
Is it how the novels & gameworld mesh together (or don't), is it the art, is it how you incorporated the world in a d20 system, is it a product we don't know about yet...?


----------



## Ruvion (Apr 4, 2003)

I bet I can answer that question better than Chris...He likes all the aspects of the new DL...isn't that right Prince?!? 

I bet you this new revamp that DL is getting is really going to revitalitze the setting as never before.


----------



## Son_of_Thunder (Apr 4, 2003)

*Thank You Sovereign Press*

Chris,

I just wanted to give a hearty congratulations on the work you've done so far. Dragonlance has always been number 1 in my book and the release of the setting this year is my most highly awaited.

I can't wait to re-enter Krynn again.

Can you tell me if the minotaurs (as written for DL) are different than the MM variety?

Also, I assume the Irda are written up as well (as they have always been my favorite race from DL)?

Thanks for your time,

Son of Thunder


----------



## Henry (Apr 4, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *Oh boy. *laughs!* I opened a can of worms here... okay.... how about this....
> 
> [SNIP]
> 
> ...




After years of others speaking in tongues, you just broke out and spoke plainly.

Thank you. This is a Dragonlance I could be interested in again.


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *Stormprince, what's your favorite aspect of the new DL to be released?
> Is it how the novels & gameworld mesh together (or don't), is it the art, is it how you incorporated the world in a d20 system, is it a product we don't know about yet...? *




As a whole? I'm truly psyched about everything. That may seem like a cop out, but I'm really liking the path that things are currently heading down. The novels and the games are beginning to explore brand new territory--territory that I think will truly go a long way towards revitalizing interest in Dragonlance as a whole.

Personally, I'm excited about writing the mega Dragonlance campaign adventures. It's not like writing a novel that could hit the New York Times Bestsellers list, but just the scope of the adventure, the impact it will have upon Krynn, and the story elements behind the adventure give me as big a thrill as if I were writing a series of novels 

Christopher


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

*Re: Thank You Sovereign Press*



			
				Son_of_Thunder said:
			
		

> *Chris,
> 
> I just wanted to give a hearty congratulations on the work you've done so far. Dragonlance has always been number 1 in my book and the release of the setting this year is my most highly awaited.
> 
> ...




Yes, the minotaurs are very different than the ones in the MM...they had to be 

And yes, they are...the Irda were always one of my favorite races as well 

Christopher


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Ruvion said:
			
		

> *I bet I can answer that question better than Chris...He likes all the aspects of the new DL...isn't that right Prince?!?
> 
> I bet you this new revamp that DL is getting is really going to revitalitze the setting as never before. *




*snickers* You almost took the words right outta my mouth 

And you're right, Ruvion, that's what we're shooting for!

Christopher


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Henry said:
			
		

> *
> 
> After years of others speaking in tongues, you just broke out and spoke plainly.
> 
> Thank you. This is a Dragonlance I could be interested in again. *




Awesome, Henry! Look forward to seein' ya on Krynn! 

Christopher


----------



## Shadowlord (Apr 4, 2003)

> The novels and the games are beginning to explore brand new territory--territory that I think will truly go a long way towards revitalizing interest in Dragonlance as a whole.




I hope DL won't go in the same direction of what happened to FR. FRCS is not only a beautiful book, FR is a fabulous world (or was) but it has become too "mainstream" and lost its magic.  I hope DL won't become another "Hollywood".

As for the adventures: that's what's currently lacking in FR. A beautiful world can only be so beautiful without those epic adventures which catch its feel. So keep those coming for DL!


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I hope DL won't go in the same direction of what happened to FR. FRCS is not only a beautiful book, FR is a fabulous world (or was) but it has become too "mainstream" and lost its magic.  I hope DL won't become another "Hollywood".
> 
> As for the adventures: that's what's currently lacking in FR. A beautiful world can only be so beautiful without those epic adventures which catch its feel. So keep those coming for DL!  *




Nah, I don't think there needs to be any fear of DL going "Hollywood-mainstream..." after all, we don't have Drow or Orcs, which do seem to be the current rage right now  

Even though Dragonlance is nearly 20 years old now, I can't help but thinking of it as a fresh, untouched setting.   It's because that there was a belief that Dragonlance wasn't "mainstream" enough that Sovereign Press gained the license for it...despite the amount of sales for Dragonlance books, but that's another story entirely!

The adventures that we have planned for Dragonlance are meant to be epic in scope. They are meant to feel that characters are truly involved in something important, something that has an impact, without ever feeling that they are just doing something that's already been done before. 

Christopher


----------



## Shadowlord (Apr 4, 2003)

Great!! 

Now, let the man do his job so we all can benefit of that great setting soon.


----------



## Davelozzi (Apr 4, 2003)

I haven't paid much attention to Dragonlance in many years, but this sounds like good stuff.  I'll definately check it out.


----------



## Orias (Apr 4, 2003)

Ranger REG said:
			
		

> *Sad how this generation treat D&D. Methink they don't deserve it all.   *



I hate people like you.


----------



## Flexor the Mighty! (Apr 4, 2003)

Wait a second!  So there is no "master sourcebook" that details all the eras in terms of games stuff, classes, races, etc?   So if I want to play a War of the Lance era game I have to wait...what over a year until you put out a specific book for that era?   DOH!!!!!!


----------



## Kai Lord (Apr 4, 2003)

Keep in mind there are two hardcover sourcebooks scheduled for release in August, Flexor.  The "Dragonlance Campaign Setting" sourcebook and the "Age of Mortals" sourcebook.  I believe the former _is_ the all-purpose resource, with the latter being the first in a series of hardcovers that more deeply address the different ages of Krynn.


----------



## Stormprince (Apr 4, 2003)

Flexor the Mighty! said:
			
		

> *Wait a second!  So there is no "master sourcebook" that details all the eras in terms of games stuff, classes, races, etc?   So if I want to play a War of the Lance era game I have to wait...what over a year until you put out a specific book for that era?   DOH!!!!!!
> 
> *




Well, the Dragonlance Campaign Setting is meant to enable those in the know to instantly dive into roleplaying Dragonlance in any era of play. In the book is basically almost everything you need to play in any era, with a primary focus on the "modern" day, but an entire section on the War of the Lance era.

We are going to put out books that specifically zoom in on specific eras, going into greater detail on the specifics of the era. The Age of Mortals, the War of the Lance, etc. 

Christopher


----------



## Flexor the Mighty! (Apr 4, 2003)

I get it now.  I was confused for a second.   

If you look at my INT & WIS you will understand why.


----------



## Kai Lord (May 28, 2003)

Hey Chris,

I noticed on a previous thread you mentioned there will be a Dragonrider PrC (way cool).  Does that mean its open season on what PrC's you can reveal?

I assume we'll have:

Dragonrider
Knight of Solamnia
Knight of Neraka
Wizard of High Sorcery

Am I correct?  Any others you can share?  Tinker?  Handler?  Mystic?


----------



## talinthas (May 28, 2003)

For those of us who have stuck with the setting through all its incarnations and deaths, these books are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I quiver with joy just thinking about them =)

DRAGONLANCE FOREVER!


Of course, we have new and interesting problems post WoS, like the affect on the oceans with the stopping of the blood sea and the changing of the moons....

And Sirrion. 
Or the flood of Tarsis.
Or the location of Teyr.

And on and on.

BTW, is sovpress accepting submissions? There is a lot of DL to be covered =)


----------



## Jürgen Hubert (May 28, 2003)

Will the continent of Taladas be covered in the upcoming books?


----------



## Stormprince (May 28, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *Hey Chris,
> 
> I noticed on a previous thread you mentioned there will be a Dragonrider PrC (way cool).  Does that mean its open season on what PrC's you can reveal?
> 
> ...




Yes to the first four prestige classes, plus the Legion of Steel and a few other "surprise" prestige classes. For the most part, we tried avoiding racial specific prestige classes in this particular book as there just wasn't enough room for everything that we wanted to do! Plus, we introduce the Mystic base class )

There is also an entire section on Gnomish Invention Creation, which is one of my favorite parts of the book.

But, right now, I can't reveal too much of what's in there, as it is WotC's book, so I'm sure they'll be releasing some information in the not too distant future 

Christopher


----------



## Stormprince (May 28, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *For those of us who have stuck with the setting through all its incarnations and deaths, these books are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  I quiver with joy just thinking about them =)
> 
> DRAGONLANCE FOREVER!
> 
> ...




When it comes to submissions, Jamie Chambers is the person to get a hold of when it comes to writing and I'm the person to contact for artwork 

Christopher


----------



## Stormprince (May 28, 2003)

Jürgen Hubert said:
			
		

> *Will the continent of Taladas be covered in the upcoming books? *




Taladas is briefly touched upon, but no depth is given to it at this time. The focus for these first books is for the "mainstream" Dragonlance... and since we have to cover multiple Ages and periods, and since the two continents are VERY different, we're focusing on Ansalon first.

In the future, we will probably explore the "Otherlands" in greater detail, including Taladas, the Dragon Isles, the Isle of the Irda, the homeland of the Brutes (Tromek), etc., but for now, we're really trying to catch the (D&D) game up with everything that's happened in the novels, so we're working on things based around that. First Ansalon, then other lands.

Christopher


----------



## talinthas (May 28, 2003)

Thanks for all the info Chris.  I do have a request though.  Please start filtering some of this info to the Mailing list and newsgroups, so as to stimulate discussion again =)

I met margaret on her booksigning tour last week, and we had a great conversation, and she reccomended i send in some stuff to you guys, so once i polish it all i will. 


Thanks again for bringing the lance back to life =)


----------



## Stormprince (May 29, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *Thanks for all the info Chris.  I do have a request though.  Please start filtering some of this info to the Mailing list and newsgroups, so as to stimulate discussion again =)
> 
> I met margaret on her booksigning tour last week, and we had a great conversation, and she reccomended i send in some stuff to you guys, so once i polish it all i will.
> 
> ...




*grumbles* Mailing List >.<

I've been off the list for quite awhile now! I got "booted" once when my email account bounced a few emails...and though I've sent in multiple requests, I haven't been put back on the 'list, so I'm a bit bitter 'bout that... not that I miss the usual vitrol that's so often flung about, but that's neither here nor there... I've gotten pretty good at holdin' my tongue when required 

Awesome  Once you get it all polished, feel free to send it to Jamie for review... he deals with Dragonlance, I'm the Sovereign Stone guy  I get to write and edit and art direct and all that fun stuff, but he gets to deal with all the bureaucracy 

Christopher


----------



## talinthas (May 29, 2003)

heh.  i'm gonna be nice and not mention the fact that you sent a few flying loads of aformentioned vitrol my way during that short span you had on the list  

Suffice to say, things have gotten a lot better.  Its just that us fans are reaching for anything we can get, like raist and the key of knowledge.  Sometimes, the only way is to become evil. =)

In anycase, i'll be sure to send in a sample to Jamie.  Thanks for being available here.  It makes a fan feel like he has access  .


----------



## Stormprince (May 29, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *heh.  i'm gonna be nice and not mention the fact that you sent a few flying loads of aformentioned vitrol my way during that short span you had on the list
> 
> Suffice to say, things have gotten a lot better.  Its just that us fans are reaching for anything we can get, like raist and the key of knowledge.  Sometimes, the only way is to become evil. =)
> 
> In anycase, i'll be sure to send in a sample to Jamie.  Thanks for being available here.  It makes a fan feel like he has access  . *




I was reactionary... translation, I only responded when I felt that I could not hold my tongue because someone else was already being unconcerned with what they said...or they were outright rude and wrong  After all, I try and remain professional when on message boards and lists.

That said, it's not a problem at all  I like PR, and it's very cool to see people interested and pumped for the new DL line! 

Christopher


----------



## D-Man (Jun 1, 2003)

Will Irda be available as a playable race from the get go?

Dargonesti/Dimernesti?  (sea elves)

Half-ogres?

What about Dragons?  I think it would be cool if players could play as Silvara/Mirror type characters.

Will the gods of Krynn offer new domains to clerics?

Will there be templates for "chosen" people of the gods, like Mina?

Will there be Item Creation rules for the Device of Time Journeying?   

Any new core classes other than the Mystic?

I loved the old table in the DL hardcover detailing how to determine what is found in a kender's pockets.  Will a similar table exist in the new sourcebook?

Any races that have a +2 Cha?


----------



## Stormprince (Jun 1, 2003)

*Will Irda be available as a playable race from the get go?*

Yes 

*Dargonesti/Dimernesti?  (sea elves)*

Yes 

*Half-ogres?*

Yes 

*What about Dragons?  I think it would be cool if players could play as Silvara/Mirror type characters.*

Nope, not as of yet 

*Will the gods of Krynn offer new domains to clerics?*

Yep 

*Will there be templates for "chosen" people of the gods, like Mina?*

Not as of yet...but, we have an entire sourcebook planned on the Gods...

*Will there be Item Creation rules for the Device of Time Journeying?   *

Nope, artifacts don't receive creation rules 

*Any new core classes other than the Mystic?*

Not in the DLCS, but... 

*I loved the old table in the DL hardcover detailing how to determine what is found in a kender's pockets.  Will a similar table exist in the new sourcebook?*

Not a diehard table, not in the book, nope...but there is a section on Kender Pouches, yes 

*Any races that have a +2 Cha? *

You'll just hafta wait and see  As the DLCS is a WotC product, we're not the ones that are allowed to release teasers or promos from it... so, I'd start harrassing WotC if you want some teasers 

Christopher


----------



## D-Man (Jun 2, 2003)

Awesome.  Thanks for the replies Chris.  A few more questions...   

Knights of Solamnia ride metallic dragons and Knights of Neraka ride chromatic dragons.  Does that leave anything for the Legion of Steel?

Are "afflicted" kender any different mechanically than normal kender?

Can clerics choose the High God as a patron deity?  What about Chaos?

Do wielders of "wild magic" or necromancy get their own core classes or prestige classes in the Age or Mortals book?

Will there be a Dragon Overlordrider prestige class?   

Is much detail given on taking a Test of High Sorcery?

Hmmm, more as I think of them...I can't wait!


----------



## Stormprince (Jun 2, 2003)

*Awesome.  Thanks for the replies Chris.  A few more questions...  *

You're welcome...so, here's a few more answers 

*Knights of Solamnia ride metallic dragons and Knights of Neraka ride chromatic dragons.  Does that leave anything for the Legion of Steel?*

Dragon and riders are more an aspect of alignment than anything else...historically, it was metallics with the KoS and chromatics with the KoN...the Legion was created during the Fifth Age as a freedom fighting/rebel organization against the Dragon Overlords...they have allied themselves, on occassion, with dragons that set themselves against the Overlords.

*Are "afflicted" kender any different mechanically than normal kender?*

Just in a few minor details... 

*Can clerics choose the High God as a patron deity?  What about Chaos?*

Nope...both of those high powers are not concerned with Individuals, which prevents them from bestowing power upon lesser beings...

*Do wielders of "wild magic" or necromancy get their own core classes or prestige classes in the Age or Mortals book?*

Sorcerers and Mystics are dealt with in the DLCS...and yes 

*Will there be a Dragon Overlordrider prestige class?   *

*laughs!* Well...there is a dragon rider prestige class...but no one's had the gumption to ride an Overlord ;P

*Is much detail given on taking a Test of High Sorcery?*

Some detail is given, but more depth will be given on the Tests of High Sorcery in the upcoming _Tower of High Sorcery_ sourcebook 

*Hmmm, more as I think of them...I can't wait!  *

Awesome  The wait's almost over! 

Christopher


----------



## Dthamilaye (Jun 2, 2003)

*.*

Thank you for all this info, Stormprince.

I probably won't be going to play DL as we have enough to do in Greyhawk already. Of course, no one knows what happens when my players reach about 25th-30th level and we end the adventuring in GH.

However, I am definitely going to buy the main book and probably some sourcebooks too, just to get me up to speed with the situations and happenings in DL. I read every novel until about the Dwarven nations(?) trilogy and then stopped as the books really were not so great anymore. So I have missed everything that happened after War of the Lance .

I hope you really put some good history sections in the books that give out info about what were the main points that happened during each time.

One question I would have too:
1) I have the old Dragonlance campaign sourcebook (ADD 1st ed?). I loved the alignment system there. The alignment was a bar from good to evil and DM followed the actions of each player and assigned them points for either side according to their actions. This way the player could really suddenly change from good to neutral, with some penalties etc.
Do you incorporate this system to DLCS? If not, is there any info, how one could house-rule this system in DL?´
For me, this was one of the very fundamental differencies in DL compared to FR/GH. Alignment was really followed all the time.

(Another was the level limit, but that has been scrapped, and it probably will be ok like that. I'm curious to see how you are explaining the Raistlin vs Thakhisis(spelling...) match...  )


----------



## Stormprince (Jun 2, 2003)

*Re: .*



			
				Dthamilaye said:
			
		

> *Thank you for all this info, Stormprince.
> 
> I probably won't be going to play DL as we have enough to do in Greyhawk already. Of course, no one knows what happens when my players reach about 25th-30th level and we end the adventuring in GH.
> 
> ...




Not a problem at all, Dthamilaye! I enjoy discourse!  (Some say too much, actually, but that's neither here nor there!)

As you're not the only person out there who stopped reading Dragonlance after a certain point (which varies, for some it was after Legends, for others, it was after reading _Dragons of Summer Flame_), and because the sense of history is really one of the cornerstones of Dragonlance, we made sure to do as exhaustive a history as possible. In the DLCS, there's a timeline stretching from "the beginning" to the "current date." In _Age of Mortals_, we zoomed in on the era ranging from the end of the Chaos War to the end of the War of Souls and modern day, the "Fifth Age of Krynn," and went in to much greater detail on the history. Along with the geography section, various sidebars, NPC statistics, and the wealth of other information in the book, there should be enough for anyone who hasn't read any of the newest novels to still be able to play in, and enjoy, the current time of Krynn!

Christopher


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## Perun (Jun 2, 2003)

Hmmm... you said "surface elves" in one of your posts, Stormprince. These would be the three main subraces of Ansalon, right? 

What would the non-surface elven subraces be? Is it just Dimernesti and Dargonesti? Or is this an indication of some new elven subrace? 

Now, you've already said no drow in the DL (although one of the first three novels explicitly mentions a drow, IIRC it says that a banshee is a spirit of an evil drow female or somesuch, it's in the part when the heroes enter Pax Tharkas, but I could be wrong on the exact location), but perhaps there's another one lurking below in the DL Underdark (which, IIRC, wasn't greatly detailed in any of the previous editions, althoug we know it does exist, and even has that barbaric offshoot of the mind-flayers)?


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## talinthas (Jun 2, 2003)

well, The Dark Queen and Riverwind The Plainsman both reference underground elves (who arent drow), and the Otherlands supplement has evil sea elves....


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## Stormprince (Jun 2, 2003)

Perun said:
			
		

> *Hmmm... you said "surface elves" in one of your posts, Stormprince. These would be the three main subraces of Ansalon, right?
> 
> What would the non-surface elven subraces be? Is it just Dimernesti and Dargonesti? Or is this an indication of some new elven subrace?
> 
> Now, you've already said no drow in the DL (although one of the first three novels explicitly mentions a drow, IIRC it says that a banshee is a spirit of an evil drow female or somesuch, it's in the part when the heroes enter Pax Tharkas, but I could be wrong on the exact location), but perhaps there's another one lurking below in the DL Underdark (which, IIRC, wasn't greatly detailed in any of the previous editions, althoug we know it does exist, and even has that barbaric offshoot of the mind-flayers)? *




There are no "subterranean" elven races in Dragonlance, unless you do count the two sea elf races. (Although, there are some elven "offshoots" that do live underground...but they are not drow!)

The mention of the "drow" in Pax Tharkas, in Dragons of Autumn Twilight, mentions that it is the spirit of a deceased _dark_ elf, which has come to mean something completely different in Dragonlance than it does elsewhere. Dark elves on Krynn are outcast elves from one of the "primary" elven races (Silvanesti, Qualinesti, Kagonesti, Dargonesti, and Dimernesti). That one instance of the word "drow" is an archaic "oops" that has now become one of those little "easter eggs" in Dragonlance.

There was one adventure (although I do hesitate to mention it) that did have "true" drow in it...but basically, the long and short of it was that they were "Spelljammed/Planar" in origin. True drow are NOT native to Krynn. Except for the one adventure (which we do not consider canonical) and for the one mention of the word in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (where it is used synonimously to mean "dark elf" and NOT the subterranean dwelling dark-skinned, white-haired 'outcast' elves made popular in the Forgotten Realms and now found in almost every other world in the known universe), there are NO drow on Krynn. 

As for the barbaric offshoots of the Mind Flayers, known as the Yaggol, they were first introduced in the Taladas box set. They were originally also true Mind Flayers, who used their planar travel abilities to find Krynn, and found themselves trapped because of the derth of psionic power on Krynn. Their descendants 'devolved,' losing their vast mental powers, although retaining their hunger for brains 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 2, 2003)

see, that leads to a good question.  Just how much of these otherworldly things will the new DL have around?

Honestly, i love the taladas box set more than pretty much anything related to DL, so i do hope the yaggol stay =)

But at the same time, we don't need soth's tarrasque hanging around....


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## Shard O'Glase (Jun 2, 2003)

A question you maybe can't answer.

After the war of souls how is magic handled?

the gods are back so standard 4th age D&D style magic should be back.  But who still knows it except a few really old people and elves.  So who can teach it?

And does mysticism and sorcery or whatever they were called(I forget even though I just finished the war of souls trillogy a few days ago) still exist?  The souls are gone, but the gods are back so I don't know.


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## Stormprince (Jun 2, 2003)

Shard O'Glase said:
			
		

> *A question you maybe can't answer.
> 
> After the war of souls how is magic handled?
> 
> ...




Okay, first...it's only been about 40 years between the Chaos War and the War of Souls, so there are still a surprising number of individuals still around that remember the Orders, not the least of which are Dalamar and Jenna...along with all those stubborn elves who refused to give it up. Also consider that those wizards who either couldn't, or wouldn't, switch to sorcery would have clung to their teachings religiously...imagining waking up one day and all of a sudden, the spells that you studied each day, even knowing that the magic may never return, are suddenly blazing brightly in your mind...or the young grandson, who was taught these "meaningless" phrases and 'folk magic' suddenly discovers that his grandsire wasn't a brainless coot after all when that 'folk chant' suddenly creates a blazing spread of flame blasting from his fingertips...the books and the knowledge are all still around...it's not like they have to start from scratch like the original founders of High Sorcery had to...

As for Sorcery and Mysticism...well, the cat's out of the bag! Now try and put it back! The two are out there and for the foreseeable future, aren't going anywhere...although, the original Orders of High Sorcery were founded because the Gods of Magic believed that the wild sorcery may prove too cataclysmic in the hands of untrained mortals...so it may only be a matter of time before a new pogram is instituted...and sorcerers are a notoriously fractitious bunch!

Basically, what I'm saying is that there are TONS of rich roleplaying opportunities abound with the differences between High Sorcery and Wild Sorcery, between Clerical magic and Mysticism...although game mechanics are one thing, it's the flavor of the world that makes things truly rife with roleplaying hooks! It's one of the things that really makes Dragonlance something interesting!

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 2, 2003)

wait, the game mechanics are going to be the SAME THING????


Whoa.  Thats a rather important detail =)


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## Stormprince (Jun 2, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *wait, the game mechanics are going to be the SAME THING????
> 
> 
> Whoa.  Thats a rather important detail =) *




Actually, I can't discuss the spell mechanics 'cept to say that they're not the same thing  But, that's a WotC thing, so 'til they give the go ahead, I can't explain in any true depth... 

Christopher


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## Olive (Jun 2, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *and NOT the subterranean dwelling dark-skinned, white-haired 'outcast' elves made popular in the Forgotten Realms and now found in almost every other world in the known universe), there are NO drow on Krynn. *




Just a short point: the drow you describe are orringiallyfrom Greyhawk... hardly surprising then that the oringial campaign world has influenced so many.


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## CrusaderX (Jun 2, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *True drow are NOT native to Krynn. Except for the one adventure (which we do not consider canonical) and for the one mention of the word in Dragons of Autumn Twilight (where it is used synonimously to mean "dark elf" and NOT the subterranean dwelling dark-skinned, white-haired 'outcast' elves made popular in the Forgotten Realms and now found in almost every other world in the known universe), there are NO drow on Krynn.
> *




No drow?  Well hey, that right there is a good enough reason to roleplay on Krynn.  

Count me in as a DragonLance fan who simply stopped reading after the Legends Trilogy.  I loved Legends, but I fell out of the DL loop for awhile.  And years later, the things that I heard about the novels after Legends kept me away from DragonLance as a whole.

But I'm still very nostalgic for the setting, so I'll be checking out the DLCS.  I've always thought that there was a ton of untapped potential to be found on Krynn.


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## Stormprince (Jun 3, 2003)

Olive said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Just a short point: the drow you describe are orringiallyfrom Greyhawk... hardly surprising then that the oringial campaign world has influenced so many. *




Yep, Valley of the Drow and all of that  But because of Drizz't's popularity, and the current line of "Forgotten Realms Drow novels" (Because there sure ain't enough drow novels out there!) have created a small, but growing misconception that the drow originated in the Forgotten Realms (in the newcomers, that is, who haven't done a dearth of research into the matter).

Basically, it was decided long ago (although there have been a few writers and designers with other ideas) that there did need to be something more than "cosmetic" differences between the worlds...the word 'drow' meant 'dark elf,' hence the note in _Dragons of Autumn Twilight_. It ranks up there with the hauberk-wielding guard of Tarsis 

Christopher


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## D-Man (Jun 3, 2003)

I skipped all the 5th Age stuff and went right to War of Souls so I'm not sure how Mystics were portrayed prior to the last trilogy.

They wield divine magic from the "power of the heart", correct?  And they are more contemplative and less combat oriented than clerics?

Do they occupy a specific niche or are they essentially clerics without deities?


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## Stormprince (Jun 3, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *I skipped all the 5th Age stuff and went right to War of Souls so I'm not sure how Mystics were portrayed prior to the last trilogy.
> 
> They wield divine magic from the "power of the heart", correct?  And they are more contemplative and less combat oriented than clerics?
> 
> Do they occupy a specific niche or are they essentially clerics without deities? *




*hrms*

Theoretically speaking, mystics are to clerics as sorcerers are to wizards 

Basically, mystics are individuals who have turned their focus inwards, drawing upon the energy within them to accomplish some of the same things that clerics can. Instead of having clerical domains, they have spheres that they have focused upon. In playtest, they've been received pretty well! 

Christopher


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## D-Man (Jun 3, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> *hrms*
> 
> ...



That's cool.  Since 3e came out I wished they made a divine caster who casted her spells spontaneously.  Basically, as you mentioned, a divine answer to the Sorcerer.  Not sure if that's how you have Mystics set up, but they sound cool.  Almost like psionicists.


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## Stormprince (Jun 3, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *
> That's cool.  Since 3e came out I wished they made a divine caster who casted her spells spontaneously.  Basically, as you mentioned, a divine answer to the Sorcerer.  Not sure if that's how you have Mystics set up, but they sound cool.  Almost like psionicists. *




In a way, that's kind of how I view mystics... Krynn's answer to psionics, since Krynn doesn't allow for psionicists (by the core rules, anyways...though there's always home-tweaked!).

Although mysticism was only truly "discovered" in the Fifth Age, while sorcery was "rediscovered," it is certainly possible that some few people throughout history somehow tapped into that inner reserve of power, but without any formal training, were never really able to develop it.

If you look at some of the design notes and original information about the Silvanesti elves, you discover that they once possessed _telepathy_, but it had faded over the years until only some of House Royal possessed the power. Given the Silvanesti embracement of the Orders of High Sorcery, over time, anything that wasn't High Sorcery was probably ignored until it faded away.

During the turbulent times of the Fifth Age, however, the raw need for something to replace the "lost" (however temporarily) magic allowed for mysticism to once more begin flourishing.

Christopher


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## D-Man (Jun 3, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> In a way, that's kind of how I view mystics... Krynn's answer to psionics, *



Very interesting stuff.  In the novels, how did Mystics approach combat?


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## Aaron L (Jun 3, 2003)

Looks really good.  But they aren't going to keep using steel pieces as currency, are they?  That was always so dumb.


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## jonesy (Jun 3, 2003)

> Looks really good. But they aren't going to keep using steel pieces as currency, are they? That was always so dumb.




Yes they are. Why dumb?


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## Stormprince (Jun 3, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *
> Very interesting stuff.  In the novels, how did Mystics approach combat? *




*hrms* Mystics are sort of strange...because of the way that the SAGA system did things, it was possible for a lot of "cross-classing" going on, hence a lot of people with limited sorcery or limited mysticism abilities...so, in the novels, pure mystics are fairly rare. Those that were inclined to pure mysticism/sorcery tended to rely on their magic...and there are spheres of mysticism that focus on enhancing physicality...

Guess you could say that mystics are a little more combat ready than a sorcerer, but their magic tends to be more subtle in application than sorcery.

Christopher


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## Stormprince (Jun 3, 2003)

Aaron L said:
			
		

> *Looks really good.  But they aren't going to keep using steel pieces as currency, are they?  That was always so dumb. *




Nope, we're still using the "Steel Standard." It was established as a standard for the time from the Cataclysm to the modern era. There's a good, long explanation for the steel standard in the DLCS. Every game world has its own "system" for naming money...ours just happens to have a slightly different look  But, in the end, when it comes down to the "mechanics" of it all, 1 steel piece = 1 gold piece, so there's no need for new tables or charts. 

Christopher


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## Abel Kane (Jun 4, 2003)

I like the whole saying of "He ate his pay" meaning that he took a sword in the gut. I like the steel currency. It's no big deal, I suppose, one way or the other but it's the little things that give DL its own unique flavor and add to versimilitude... glad to hear that these 'Krynnisms' are with us for the forseeable future.


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## Stormprince (Jun 4, 2003)

Beladan said:
			
		

> *I like the whole saying of "He ate his pay" meaning that he took a sword in the gut. I like the steel currency. It's no big deal, I suppose, one way or the other but it's the little things that give DL its own unique flavor and add to versimilitude... glad to hear that these 'Krynnisms' are with us for the forseeable future. *




Yep, they're all there! 

Krynn has always had a certain distinctness, a uniqueness that set it apart from either the Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk. Some people like these distinctive pieces, others don't, but we're definitely keeping with them...it's what makes Dragonlance...Dragonlance! 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 4, 2003)

we were discussing this on the list, and came to the conclusion that after the cataclysm, gold pieces lost value because the country they were based around was currently at the bottom of the blood sea.  People needed something more useful to use as currency, and steel has multiple purposes.

Eventually modern countries evolved and started minting their own steel pieces, with the backing of the weight of their treasury.  So its not that blacksmiths and knights are the richest people out there, so much as minted steel is valuable because the nation says it is.


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## Abel Kane (Jun 4, 2003)

I tend to agree. In the dark days following the Cataclysm, steel blades would be far more valuable than golden trinkets - and that would have translated into a reversal of the typical understandings of wealth. This would have become the norm and lead to the situation you describe where a 'modern' nation would simply back the steel pieces with it's own treasury.

Nifty, methinks!


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## Vocenoctum (Jun 4, 2003)

jonesy said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Yes they are. Why dumb? *




For myself, the part that was stupid was that a weapon smith would accept 15 steel pieces (in 1st edition, that was 1.5 pounds of steel, in third edition, even less) in return for a nice 4 pound longsword.

There has to be a trade value item, certainly, but something with an inherent worth like Steel gets a little silly to me.

I mean, how many steel pieces does 1 pound of steel cost?

Add to that, the steel piece was accepted because it was useful. So it's not unlikely that melting down coins WAS part of the intention.


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## talinthas (Jun 4, 2003)

i'd almost suggest that steel pieces arent made of steel any more, so much as they are just called steel pieces.  I'm assuming that governments arent stupid enough to allow their currency to be melted down like that.

Maybe a copper/steel mix or something to make it so that its not worth milling or melting the coin down for its steel value.  At the same time, aristocrats could invest in steel futures and stuff.

I always told tracy and margaret that Krynn needed a well thought out economy =)


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## Stormprince (Jun 4, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *i'd almost suggest that steel pieces arent made of steel any more, so much as they are just called steel pieces.  I'm assuming that governments arent stupid enough to allow their currency to be melted down like that.
> 
> Maybe a copper/steel mix or something to make it so that its not worth milling or melting the coin down for its steel value.  At the same time, aristocrats could invest in steel futures and stuff.
> 
> I always told tracy and margaret that Krynn needed a well thought out economy =) *




Well, originally, the idea was that "steel pieces" were to represent the ephemeral nature of wealth, as steel was more valued than gold during the Age of Despair...a great concept, but one that doesn't easily transfer itself well...

The way that I kind of view it is this: making pure steel isn't an easy process, requiring quite a bit of smelting, mixing in the right amounts of copper (I believe, but my mind's not all here today, so I could be wrong) with iron, and getting out the impurities. If the steel was treated in a special way, such as the folding process used in the crafting of katanas, or mixed with a different alloy to make it useless as a weapon (if it's melted down, it loses its qualities, or the like). A single steel coin could represent twice its weight in actual steel. 

Steel is not the oddest currency, not even in our own world. Everything from salt to sea shells have been used. The thing to remember is that in most medieval-type socieites, money is actually uncommon, most trade is done through bartering...which doesn't really translate well into a game... I mean, how many eggs = a chicken, how many chickens = a sword? 

All in all, it's a flavor thing. Just as sea shells or coins threaded along strings have represented wealth in other times and places here on earth, in Ansalon, steel coins (whatever their ration of "steel" is) represent a certain amount of monetary value in trade goods. Remember, you're not only purchasing the material in the weapon (such as using steel coins to pay for a steel blade), but you're also paying the craftsman or merchant a portion of the profits as well...which is why it takes 15 steel pieces to buy a 4 lbs. steel sword...

Christopher


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## Vocenoctum (Jun 4, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *All in all, it's a flavor thing. Just as sea shells or coins threaded along strings have represented wealth in other times and places here on earth, in Ansalon, steel coins (whatever their ration of "steel" is) represent a certain amount of monetary value in trade goods. Remember, you're not only purchasing the material in the weapon (such as using steel coins to pay for a steel blade), but you're also paying the craftsman or merchant a portion of the profits as well...which is why it takes 15 steel pieces to buy a 4 lbs. steel sword...
> 
> Christopher *




Right, it's a flavor thing, but it's still silly 
If Dragonlance went to the Seashell standard, I'd also call that silly.

If a 1e Steel Piece (1/10th of a pound) was equal to a silver piece, maybe it'd work, but with 3e being 50 coins to a pound, that 15steel pieces isn't even a half pound of steel for the 4 pound longsword, not including construction.

And since creating the sword costs half (so 7.5 steel pieces) the weaponsmith is actually quite the magician 

But, I agree, it's all for flavor so it really doesn't matter. And, it really only conflicts when buying metal weapons and such.

I still call it Silly though


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## talinthas (Jun 4, 2003)

Question for ya, Stormprince.  We know that in 3.5e, the gnome favored class is bard.  In DL, however, gnomes are often tinkers/thinkers.  Given that you said you only added one base class (the mystic), how will tinkers be represented, or are gnomes gonna be bards here as well?

Also, will the post WoS era, and the fact that anyone can be a mystic or sorceror, allow gnomes and dwarves and kender to become casters?


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## Stormprince (Jun 5, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *Question for ya, Stormprince.  We know that in 3.5e, the gnome favored class is bard.  In DL, however, gnomes are often tinkers/thinkers.  Given that you said you only added one base class (the mystic), how will tinkers be represented, or are gnomes gonna be bards here as well?
> 
> Also, will the post WoS era, and the fact that anyone can be a mystic or sorceror, allow gnomes and dwarves and kender to become casters? *




As Krynn's gnomes are different from "typical" gnomes, no Bard is not their favored class, nor is Illusionist...and that's all I can really say on that for the moment 

Yes, gnomes, dwarves, and kender can become spellcasters.

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 6, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *Yes, gnomes, dwarves, and kender can become spellcasters.
> 
> Christopher *




I recently had a discussion about this on the Wizard's Dragonlance boards. From everything I have ever read in DL sourcebooks, Kender cannot be wizards and I really really doubt that the Wizards of High Sorcery would allow a Kender to go around casting spells.

I admit that my games are all 4th age (post War of the Lance) and that the 5th age may be different, but surely Kender are not going to be wizards or sorcerers are they?

Looking forward to the new books, keep them coming.


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## Stormprince (Jun 6, 2003)

DragonLancer said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I recently had a discussion about this on the Wizard's Dragonlance boards. From everything I have ever read in DL sourcebooks, Kender cannot be wizards and I really really doubt that the Wizards of High Sorcery would allow a Kender to go around casting spells.
> 
> ...




Well...*grins crookedly* See, that's one of the things I can't really go into too much detail on, as it's in the WotC book...there is a special rule about Kender wizards, which makes it slightly more difficult for them to cast arcane magic...

In the 5th Age, any one could potentially use mysticism or sorcery...so, looking at that, we tweaked things slightly...

As for Kenders joining the Orders of High Sorcery...that will be up to the Orders, once they are reestablished.

Christopher


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## Illithidbix (Jun 6, 2003)

_Exits lurker mode_

Out of curiosity has there been any influence/inspiration from the (in)famous Kencyclopedia? Either in rules or background behind the Kenders (and the Gnomes etc), is our favourite race of kleptomaniatic midgets given any special treatment (besides chucked into Jail then released outside the city walls the next day)?

For example, are Handlers just treated as rogues or do they get a special prestige class? (Because everyone knows that Kenders think stealing is wrong…)

Umm, small point, but just how big is the Dragonlance Campaign Setting book? I’ve seen 240 pages mentioned somewhere but everywhere else says 320…  are their any worries of crippling postal workers?

And is everything on schedule as far as release dates are concerned (e.g 1st of August)? Will other countries (namely the UK) have to wait long for shipping? Or is that a clerical issue... which is going to cause problems if the gods have buggered off..


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## Stormprince (Jun 6, 2003)

Illithidbix said:
			
		

> *Exits lurker mode
> 
> Out of curiosity has there been any influence/inspiration from the (in)famous Kencyclopedia? Either in rules or background behind the Kenders (and the Gnomes etc), is our favourite race of kleptomaniatic midgets given any special treatment (besides chucked into Jail then released outside the city walls the next day)?
> 
> ...




Woo, lots of questions here....let's see...

Kender: For the DLCS, I wrote the kender section...so anything there you can actually blame utterly and completely on me (and the editors at WotC). I'm actually one of those annoying people that have always loved kender, so although I didn't access Sean MacDonald's brilliant Kencyclopedia for my work, I do acknowledge that he is one of the foremost experts on kender and greatly respect the sheer amount of love that he's put into his project...actually, I'll be talking with him pretty soon about some work he did do relating to kender... 

Although this book, last we checked, was 320 pages long, there just was not enough room to put everything that we really wanted to into it...so there aren't any racial-specific prestige classes...those, instead, will be addressed in a different book...the Races of Krynn, along with Handlers, Tinkers, the Kirath, etc.

As far as I am aware, everything is still defintely on track for August 1st release...the DLCS is a WotC product, and their UK distribution is done through Esdevium, so it should be out on time...we also distribute through Esdevium, as well as a few other distributors, so it's all gold (er...steel?)! 

They'll be shipping straight to distributors as soon as they are off the presses, so it's all in the hands of the shippers after that...and your local game store 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 6, 2003)

heh.  i'm going to have one of the Whitestone council guys pick one up for me at gen con and have everyone sign it =)


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## Snifferdoo (Jun 6, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Illithidbix_
> 
> *
> Out of curiosity has there been any influence/inspiration from the (in)famous Kencyclopedia? Either in rules or background behind the Kenders (and the Gnomes etc), is our favourite race of kleptomaniatic midgets given any special treatment (besides chucked into Jail then released outside the city walls the next day)?
> ...




Ooooo my pointed ears are burning.   Thanks for all the praise Chris! 

And as far as kender wizards go. I have a theory on why it has always been thought that kender could not cast spells. It was a nasty rumor started by the Wizards of High Sorcery to prevent us kender from learning magic! But the kender is out of the bag and nothing can stop kender wizards now (excpet perhaps a point blank fireball exploding in their face quite by accident). If you want to read the full explanation of kender wizards you can find it here. 

"Kender in 3E! That's even better than kender in 3D! Heh"


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## Kai Lord (Jun 7, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *those, instead, will be addressed in a different book...the Races of Krynn, along with Handlers, Tinkers, the Kirath, etc.*



_drools_


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## Abel Kane (Jun 7, 2003)

Kipper/Sean,

Just a quick note to say I've always liked your take on Kender mages. It seemed to me to be rational and logical. I will be particularly interested to see what Chris has done with them - being another one who thinks they are just great in any campaign.

Bela


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## Stormprince (Jun 7, 2003)

Well, I won't go into what I wrote up for them, but I can tell you about my old Dragonlance character...

*bwahs to himself as he prepares to unleash his own 'character story' instead of have one unleashed on him!*

I talked one of my old DMs into letting me play a kender wizard. He was never allowed to take the Test, although he certainly tried his hardest to get them to accept him! He never "borrowed" anything, except when he was running low on components...female barbarians wearing furry bikinis, doncha know! Just add an amber rod and viola!

*snickers*

He was a renegade, had a problem concentrating long enough to cast his spells as he could be easily distracted, but he was a blast to play 

Christopher


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## sword-dancer (Jun 7, 2003)

Will there be one KoS PrC whop cover all three orders?
Or will there be a PRC for every order tailored?


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## Stormprince (Jun 7, 2003)

sword-dancer said:
			
		

> *Will there be one KoS PrC whop cover all three orders?
> Or will there be a PRC for every order tailored? *




As the training between the different orders are extremely different, we decided it was wisest to go with the multiple prestige classes. Now, metagame thinking-wise, it is kind of annoying to have a character that is a Fighter 5/Knight of the Sword 5/Knight of the Crown 3/Knight of the Rose 1 (that takes a lot of space), but they do represent very different paths.

And, as they are the dark mirrors of the Knights of Solamnia, the Knights of Takhisis are done the same way: Knight of the Lily, Knight of the Thorn, Knight of the Skull.

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 7, 2003)

/anal 
you meant Crown 5/sword 3/rose 1 right?


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## Stormprince (Jun 7, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> */anal
> you meant Crown 5/sword 3/rose 1 right?  *




Not necessarily, you can progress to a Sword 5 while still being a Crown 3, I just had them out of order P

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 7, 2003)

heh.

btw, if you have a minute, go through the recent archives of the mailing list and look at our moons discussion.  I just want to know your thoughts on what me and weldon came up with =)

http://oracle.wizards.com/scripts/wa.exe?A1=ind0306a&L=dragonlance-l#5


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## sword-dancer (Jun 7, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> As the training between the different orders are extremely different, we decided it was wisest to go with the multiple prestige classes. Now, metagame thinking-wise, it is kind of annoying to have a character that is a Fighter 5/Knight of the Sword 5/Knight of the Crown 3/Knight of the Rose 1 (that takes a lot of space), but they do represent very different paths.
> 
> Christopher *




Thanks

Thats good news, very good news!

Thorsten


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## woodelf (Jun 8, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> 
> Nope, Age of Mortals is a 224-page full color product, the first of the Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion Books. The idea is to make the books as high a quality as what people would expect from Wizards of the Coast products.
> *




I hope you'll aim higher than that--WotC is a pretty mediocre standard, as D20 products go.  ;-)

Not *just* being a smartass--i think you'll manage it.  Sovereign Stone has always been much better content (ideas and layout, at least) than the WotC books i've read, and the realistic artwork you're talking about is head-n-shoulders above the heavily-stylized art of D&D3E.  (This despite the fact that i really can't stand Elmore dragons--too anthropmorphic for my taste. But everything else the 3 of them touch is golden.)


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## Ruvion (Jun 8, 2003)

I do not think steel pieces as currency is silly...just as we use monies made of papyrus (even though our modern society is far advanced, D&D society with its magic replacing technology is very advanced as well)...nope not silly at all (although I remember there this one time, at band cam...err...where some Canadians were *gasp* melting the nickel (5 cent) because nickel was valuable at that time).

...or was it copper...I cannot remember which. Heh.


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## Stormprince (Jun 9, 2003)

woodelf said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I hope you'll aim higher than that--WotC is a pretty mediocre standard, as D20 products go.  ;-)
> 
> Not *just* being a smartass--i think you'll manage it.  Sovereign Stone has always been much better content (ideas and layout, at least) than the WotC books i've read, and the realistic artwork you're talking about is head-n-shoulders above the heavily-stylized art of D&D3E.  (This despite the fact that i really can't stand Elmore dragons--too anthropmorphic for my taste. But everything else the 3 of them touch is golden.) *




Well, we'll just put it at the fact that we are working our bloody hardest to ensure that our Dragonlance line is of the highest quality we can possibly make it. This is truly a labour of love, so we want to ensure that it has every possible chance...we really have poured ourselves into the books, particulary in completing the DLCS and Age of Mortals to make sure that they would be available in their full-color, hardbound glory by August 

Christopher


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## jonesy (Jun 9, 2003)

How are the maps going to be handled? As in, are we going to get giant foldout maps with the DLCS? Or in the age specific source books?


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## talinthas (Jun 9, 2003)

No cool huge maps in the DLCS, but potentially a new atlas will be coming out.
This is from what margaret told me at the book signing.


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## DragonLancer (Jun 9, 2003)

Currently I am using the Ansalon map from the Tales of the Lance 2nd ed box set, but its on its last legs. I was really hoping for a pullout 4th age map.

Any chance we can get something like that in a future product?


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## Stormprince (Jun 9, 2003)

jonesy said:
			
		

> *How are the maps going to be handled? As in, are we going to get giant foldout maps with the DLCS? Or in the age specific source books? *




Okay, now here's the tricky part... we designed a map for inclusion in the DLCS, and the last we heard, there was supposed to be one...but to be perfectly honest, we haven't received our proofs yet, so we can't tell you for positive sure.

The map in the DLCS should reflect the current affairs of the world, and we did provide them with our desire to have a map that reflects both the 4th Age and the 5th Age, but if not we will probably include a 4th Age map with our _War of the Lance_ companion.

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 9, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *The map in the DLCS should reflect the current affairs of the world, and we did provide them with our desire to have a map that reflects both the 4th Age and the 5th Age, but if not we will probably include a 4th Age map with our War of the Lance companion.
> 
> Christopher *




Thats good news. Thanx.


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## talinthas (Jun 9, 2003)

frankly, i dont care WHAT age the map is in, so long as it is as detailed as the totl map. That is hands down the best map ever made for DL.


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## Stormprince (Jun 10, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *frankly, i dont care WHAT age the map is in, so long as it is as detailed as the totl map. That is hands down the best map ever made for DL. *




It's not _quite_ that detailed...there's no random encounter locations and not every magical site is highlighted, but we tried to make sure that just about every place ever mentioned in novels or game products found its way on the map, with plenty of 'locations' that sound like interesting adventure locales: such as the Tower of Magius...

Christopher


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## AmerginLiath (Jun 11, 2003)

As someone whose DL campaign is in its 7-8th real year and has progressed from 352 AC to now 38 SC, I'm REALY excited by this new campaign setting!  (And a vote of praise for the old Elmore art -- the new stuff's nice, but its not quite the same...)

A few questions, if you don't mind more being asked...

1. How many books is Sovreign looking at doing a year? I imagine even DL fanboys like me might get empty poskets real quick if it keeps up. Is there an idea about how many books you're looking at in the current term (no need to give details, just an idea...)

2. Will the future HOLY ORDER OF THE STARS book contain D&DG-style info for the DL gods? At least can we expect more details than in the older books for RPing the gods and their agents in campaigns?

3. Are there places for druids and monks (my two favorite DL characters was a druid of Sirrion in the War of Chaos and a monk of Majere in the 5th age) in the new DL setting? Back in the day, those two were written out pretty much...

I'm sure they'll be more...


----------



## Stormprince (Jun 11, 2003)

AmerginLiath said:
			
		

> *As someone whose DL campaign is in its 7-8th real year and has progressed from 352 AC to now 38 SC, I'm REALY excited by this new campaign setting!  (And a vote of praise for the old Elmore art -- the new stuff's nice, but its not quite the same...)
> 
> A few questions, if you don't mind more being asked...
> 
> ...




Some of Elmore's new stuff is pretty awesome, at least in my opinion...just wait until you see what else he has in store 

1. We're doing about 9 books/releases in a year...some big, some small...each year has a "theme." This year, it's the present Age...next year, it will focus quite a bit on the "War of the Lance" era...

2. Yep, the gods will be explored in great detail! I worked quite a bit on the gods, both in the DLCS and in the Age of Mortals, and there's a lot of gaps that desperately need to be filled, so the "other" gods are finally going to receive some in-depth coverage.

3. Yep, check out the DLCS! 

Christopher


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## Triumph (Jun 11, 2003)

I'm curious about the Sea Elves.  Are Dimernesti/Dargonesti magic-users all renegades or do they actually come out of the water to take the Test?  Its hard to picture Dargonesti doing this.

Speaking of Dargonesti, are they an evil race of elves or generally good?

Will there be stats for Sirines, like the blue girl (who could turn into a bear IIRC) whom Caramon befriended during his stint as a gladiator in Legends?


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## woodelf (Jun 11, 2003)

Ruvion said:
			
		

> *(although I remember there this one time, at band cam...err...where some Canadians were *gasp* melting the nickel (5 cent) because nickel was valuable at that time).
> 
> ...or was it copper...I cannot remember which. Heh. *




Well, US pennies are ~95% nickel, and US nickels (and dimes and quarters) are ~95% copper.  Dunno if that's true for Canadian coins.


----------



## DragonLancer (Jun 11, 2003)

Triumph said:
			
		

> *Will there be stats for Sirines, like the blue girl (who could turn into a bear IIRC) whom Caramon befriended during his stint as a gladiator in Legends? *




Sirines have already been printed in 3rd edition. You can find the stats for them in the Monster Manual 2.


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## jonesy (Jun 11, 2003)

> I'm curious about the Sea Elves. Are Dimernesti/Dargonesti magic-users all renegades or do they actually come out of the water to take the Test? Its hard to picture Dargonesti doing this.




I don't believe there has ever been any actual contact between the wizards conclave and the sea elves. Either the conclave hasn't even tried to find out about them, or they have had enough problems on land not to bother.


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## Stormprince (Jun 11, 2003)

Triumph said:
			
		

> *I'm curious about the Sea Elves.  Are Dimernesti/Dargonesti magic-users all renegades or do they actually come out of the water to take the Test?  Its hard to picture Dargonesti doing this.
> 
> Speaking of Dargonesti, are they an evil race of elves or generally good?
> 
> Will there be stats for Sirines, like the blue girl (who could turn into a bear IIRC) whom Caramon befriended during his stint as a gladiator in Legends? *




Well, as the sea is technically much larger than the continent, I always figured that there were "satellite" organizations of the Tower...a few Dargonesti/Dimernesti have gone to the Towers in the past and brought back the teachings to their people...they have developed their own Tests, rituals, and the like....you figure, as a people of the sea, they truly feel the tides of the moons. *hmmms* I think that I might write up an article on the Sea Elves and the Towers...

The Dargonesti are "good" elves, as are the Dimernesti...they are just even more reclusive and reticient than even the other elven peoples. 

There are stats for Sirines in the Monster Manual two. However, we may go into more detail on them in one of our later products...just keep an eye out 

Christopher


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## woodelf (Jun 11, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *The way that I kind of view it is this: making pure steel isn't an easy process, requiring quite a bit of smelting, mixing in the right amounts of copper (I believe, but my mind's not all here today, so I could be wrong) with iron, and getting out the impurities. If the steel was treated in a special way, such as the folding process used in the crafting of katanas, or mixed with a different alloy to make it useless as a weapon (if it's melted down, it loses its qualities, or the like). A single steel coin could represent twice its weight in actual steel.
> *




well, an iron-copper alloy would be pretty crappy, i'd wager--i don't think they mix very well.  [edit: cursory search can only turn up one modernt copper-iron alloy, and itas 97% copper, used for semiconducters,etc.] Though i think they'd be pretty easy to separate, because they have very different melting points, so it wouldn't be much of a measure to keep people from using the iron in coins for other purposes.

Anyway, strictly speaking, steel is just iron + carbon (originally from charcoal or soot).  However, most steels have other elements in them, with nickel  being one of the most common--can't say i've ever heard of copper benig used.


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## Razuur (Jun 11, 2003)

Dark Knights of Takhisis?

Who are they?  They sound pretty cool.

I never read much beyond the two trilogies, and plan on picking up the DL CS am importing Ansalon to my Homebrew world...

The Knights of Takhisis must have come way later, eh?

Sort of an antithesis to Solamnic Knights?

Razuur


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## Stormprince (Jun 11, 2003)

Razuur said:
			
		

> *Dark Knights of Takhisis?
> 
> Who are they?  They sound pretty cool.
> 
> ...




The Dark Knights (who started as the Knights of Takhisis and then evolved into the Knights of Neraka) were created at the bequest of the Queen of Darkness in the years leading to the Chaos War. They are indeed the dark mirror of the Solamnic Knights.

The Dark Knights have three orders:

The Knights of the Lily: the dark warriors.
The Knights of the Skull: the warrior-priests of Takhisis.
The Knights of the Thorn (Gray Robes): the warrior-wizards that drew upon all three moons through their goddess.

They were founded by Ariakan, the son of the Dragon Highlord Ariakas and the Sea-Queen Goddess, Zeboim, who had been captured by the Solamnic Knights during the War of the Lance. During the time he spent with them, he learned of their codes and used them to form the basis of a new knighthood, dedicated to ultimate law (and evil), which would become necessary to truly stop the mad god, Chaos (Dragons of Summer Flame). Unfortunately, Ariakan died during the Chaos War, and with the absence of the gods, the Vision left the Dark Knights. Over time, they began to degenerate, until now they are an organization of tyrants that care for little more than power (Ariakan, although evil, had a somewhat 'nobler' vision, but it died with him).

Christopher


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## AmerginLiath (Jun 11, 2003)

1. Are the Dargonesti and Dimernesti higher than ECL 0, with their shapeshifting abilities?

2. Will there be much info on the cities of Ansalon ? The books have made good use of them, and I'd love to adventure in Palanthus, Sanction, or Gwynned...

3. Are there plans for clerical prestige classes for the different gods (I liked the classes in FR's FAITHS AND PANTHEONS)?

4. Will there be a discussion of what MM (and other books) creatures are/aren't present on Krynn?

5. Any take on the concept of Krynnspace or the solar system beyond Krynn (such as the moons and the other planets)?

6. Are we ever going to see pictures of the other gods beyond the major ones we see pop up on occassion?


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## Stormprince (Jun 11, 2003)

*1. Are the Dargonesti and Dimernesti higher than ECL 0, with their shapeshifting abilities?*

Yep 

*2. Will there be much info on the cities of Ansalon ? The books have made good use of them, and I'd love to adventure in Palanthus, Sanction, or Gwynned...*

Count on it! We're definitely exploring the world in much greater detail! Expect to find out far more about the world than anyone ever knew before!

*3. Are there plans for clerical prestige classes for the different gods (I liked the classes in FR's FAITHS AND PANTHEONS)?*

Most definitely!

*4. Will there be a discussion of what MM (and other books) creatures are/aren't present on Krynn?*

Yep, all that and more will be covered in our Bestiary of Krynn.

*5. Any take on the concept of Krynnspace or the solar system beyond Krynn (such as the moons and the other planets)?*

Nope, as far as we are "officially" concerned, we're not dealing with Spelljammer what-so-ever, just as we are not "officially" dealing with Ravenloft or mentioning Oerth or Toril...the world is a much different place now, as of the events that occured in the Chaos War and the War of Souls.

*6. Are we ever going to see pictures of the other gods beyond the major ones we see pop up on occassion? *

Yep! Once more, you can count on it! I think that Dragonlance has a great pantheon, and the "other" gods are more than overdue for their own time in the spotlight.

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 11, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *
> Nope, as far as we are "officially" concerned, we're not dealing with Spelljammer what-so-ever, just as we are not "officially" dealing with Ravenloft or mentioning Oerth or Toril...the world is a much different place now, as of the events that occured in the Chaos War and the War of Souls.
> 
> Christopher *




Does that mean then that we still have Lord Soth in this incarnation of DragonLance, and that the nonsense of him being nabbed by Ravenloft didn't happen?

Please say that we still have him.


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## Shard O'Glase (Jun 11, 2003)

ummn don't read the war of souls....

Not that he's in ravenloft but.


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## DragonLancer (Jun 11, 2003)

Shard O'Glase said:
			
		

> *ummn don't read the war of souls....
> 
> Not that he's in ravenloft but. *




Oh dear... now you've gone and done it. Whats happened to him?

Don't tell me they killed him off as well.


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## D-Man (Jun 12, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *Nope, as far as we are "officially" concerned, we're not dealing with Spelljammer what-so-ever, just as we are not "officially" dealing with Ravenloft or mentioning Oerth or Toril...the world is a much different place now, as of the events that occured in the Chaos War and the War of Souls.*



1. Will there be info on The Grey, the Dragon Overlord homeworld, and divine realms (the Abyss, etc)?

2. Dragonriders.  Awesome.  Is there any kind of process for what color of dragon the rider gets paired with?  Are all Dragonriders members of a knighthood?

3.  Do both Dimernesti and Dargonesti have webbed hands and feet?

4.  Which aspect of Krynn are you most interested in seeing player response to?


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## Stormprince (Jun 12, 2003)

*1. Will there be info on The Grey, the Dragon Overlord homeworld, and divine realms (the Abyss, etc)?

Yes (the Ethereal Sea, aka the Grey or Ethereal Plane), No (Probably not for a long while, as technically the gods have sealed the passageway between the two realms, to prevent more uberdragons from crossing over), and Most Definitely!

2. Dragonriders.  Awesome.  Is there any kind of process for what color of dragon the rider gets paired with?  Are all Dragonriders members of a knighthood?

Yep, there sure is...it's included with the prestige class information  And no, not all dragonriders need be members of the knighthood...as a matter of fact, in times past, there have been elven dragonriders (during the First Dragon War), wizard dragonriders, and others.

3.  Do both Dimernesti and Dargonesti have webbed hands and feet?

Wow...honestly, off the top of my head, I can't remember...but instint wants to say yes.

4.  Which aspect of Krynn are you most interested in seeing player response to? 

Honestly? The future...I'm interested to see what people will come up with on the future of Krynn, based upon the past and the seeds that we have scattered throughout all of the books. 

Christopher*


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## Jaden (Jun 12, 2003)

*Knights of Solamnia*

Hey Chris,

First off, thanks for all the info you've provided thus far on the Dragonlance RPG setting. I've also thought an official D20 version of Dragonlance has been long overdue, and from what I've seen, I think it's gonna be amazing. I'm a huge fan of Dragonlance - currently reading through the War of Souls trilogy, which is fabulous.

Anyway, as you can see by my subject, I'd like to discuss the Knights of Solamnia. You see, I love the concept of Knights in virtually any form, from historical to fantasy. The KoS are no exception - they're a very interesting Order. I was actually hoping that you guys were going to create a "Knight" Core Class, but I guess a PrC will have to do.

I've spent a few months myself trying to perfect a generic Knight PrC to fit into any campaign, as I feel there is a distinct lack of anything really Knightly (at least done well) across anything D&D or even D20 related.

I haven't been impressed with any of the Knights presented in the spaltbook Sword and Fist, Defenders of the Faith, or even the FRCS. I'm hoping that the various KoS Orders will be an exception, and I'll be plesantly surprised with them.

Anything you could reveal about the various KoS PrCs would be great. For example:

Are they magic based? (I hope not - I haven't seen a decent non-magical Knight PrC as of yet)
Is the Knight of the Rose a very high level, high power PrC, actually able to compete with magic users at high levels without having to resort to ridiculously powerful magic items, or worse - magic user allies?
Are the KoS PrCs five levels, of ten levels in progression?

Anything else you could reveal about these PrCs that is of interest would be great. Thanks again, Chris.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. The Dragonlance RPG looks great!


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## Shadowlord (Jun 12, 2003)

I'm excited about the new DL but I'm also sceptic. 
Will the DL line suffer from the same plague as current D&D and d20 products to offer a HUGE number of books, yet with little really useful content for an RPG ?

DL has always been at te top of storytelling, world- and character development, thus being one of the best RPGs. My concern is if that maniacal d20 management will swallow the "magic" that is DL ?

As an example: will the DL book covering the gods be of the same poor quality (content-wise) as FR Faiths of Faerun? Otherwise speaking, only a huge list of stats & numbers and little info on how to really play the gods, how to use them as the great masters-beind-the-scenes like they are? 

Will the DL magic book be like FR Magic of Faerun, being little else than 225 new spells and hundreds new magic items, and forgetting how to make magic become "magical" in a game and not being only stats & numbers...?


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## vrykyl (Jun 12, 2003)

My reply is below the quote!



			
				Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *I'm excited about the new DL but I'm also sceptic.
> Will the DL line suffer from the same plague as current D&D and d20 products to offer a HUGE number of books, yet with little really useful content for an RPG ?
> 
> DL has always been at te top of storytelling, world- and character development, thus being one of the best RPGs. My concern is if that maniacal d20 management will swallow the "magic" that is DL ?
> ...




Thanks for your interest--and concern--in our product line. Naturally we think that our products are great, but I will let you in on some of our thinking and direction and hopefully you will like our approach.

First off, we are releasing eight products each year, with the Dragonlance "year" starting in August with the release of a major hardcover (such as _Age of Mortals_ which debuts this year. We believe that we can hold to that number while releasing useful product of high quality that most Dragonlance fans should be interested in!

We had discussions on the "crunchy vs. creamy" debate both in-house and with our colleagues at Wizards of the Coast when we first acquired the Dragonlance license, and I think we've hit a really nice balance. The _Dragonlance Campaign Setting_ is the most rules-heavy book, since it includes all the major races, classes, PrCs, spells, monsters, etc.--and even it has huge sections on the setting, flavor, and tone of a Dragonlance campaign. The book introduces better rules for granting story, mission goal, and role-playing based XP awards since Dragonlance campaigns often emphasize those elements as much or more as combat. The dragon chapter discusses the chromatic and metallic dragons without a single stat, instead providing information about the dragons' habits, habitats, and personalities.

Our follow-up products try to carry this same balance, with perhaps a little less "crunch." _Age of Mortals_ definitely has rules--including the magic drain of the War of Souls and how to "leech" magic items for spell power. But much of the book talks about life in the Fifth Age. There is a chapter on locations that is mostly source material and a springboard for adventures, while a detailed timeline covers the whole era.

Our company is owned and managed by author Margaret Weis, who understands very well how important the stories and characters are to Dragonlance fans. We want to provide the tools (rules when necessary) to run great games, but those should not overshadow the setting's "bread and butter."

It won't be long now before you all can check out the products and judge for yourselves! I hope that I've been able to help.

Take care!

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## jonesy (Jun 12, 2003)

[William Shatner voice]
Damn you Sovereign Press, damn you I say!
You are going to make me buy all of those books aren't you!
Oh the humanity!
[/William Shatner voice]

Now here's an idea for you. Instead of giving foldout maps with
the books you could sell a plastic map case containing giant
poster quality foldout maps of all the different times of Ansalon,
Taladas, maps of the major cities etc. That would be far better
than a new Atlas, and it would be a must buy for any Dragonlance
fan, whether just a fan of the novels or an avid gamer.


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## Shadowlord (Jun 12, 2003)

To Stormprince:

You convinced me a bit; now let's see if the books will hold up to it! But 8-9 books a year is a lot ; let's not turn this into another maniacal possession plague.

It's strange that DL and D&D always go together; the one is an in-depth RPG while the other is a rules fest (or nightmare). 
Did you ever consider doing DL as a stand-alone RPG, d20 or not? Like Wheel of Time? Why? Oh...  probably because WOTC had the license and you were forced to make it for D&D. But then WoT is also published by WOTC and it IS stand-alone.


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## Stormprince (Jun 12, 2003)

jonesy said:
			
		

> *[William Shatner voice]
> Damn you Sovereign Press, damn you I say!
> You are going to make me buy all of those books aren't you!
> Oh the humanity!
> ...




Stay tuned 

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 12, 2003)

jonesy said:
			
		

> *Now here's an idea for you. Instead of giving foldout maps with
> the books you could sell a plastic map case containing giant
> poster quality foldout maps of all the different times of Ansalon,
> Taladas, maps of the major cities etc. That would be far better
> ...




Now that is a great idea!
I'd buy two of each, one of the game and one for the wall.


----------



## Stormprince (Jun 12, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *To Stormprince:
> 
> You convinced me a bit; now let's see if the books will hold up to it! But 8-9 books a year is a lot ; let's not turn this into another maniacal possession plague.
> 
> ...




One of the reasons we have such an ambitious product schedule is because we're partially making up for lost time...additionally, we can't "assume" that everyone that buys the books necessarily knows anything about it...our schedule is really no more ambitious than most other companies...for example, how many Arcana Unearthed products are being released within the first few months after it comes out? (And yes, I will be buying a copy of AU.)

Dragonlance _was_ done as a stand-alone RPG...the SAGA system. While some people did like it, it alienated many others, which is one of the reasons that people stopped playing Dragonlance for quite awhile (unless they homebrewed it, using older published materials). Dragonlance _is_ Dungeons & Dragons. It was designed that way originally and it should stay that way (particularly after already witnessing what occured with the SAGA system).

Dragonlance, unlike Wheel of Time, is an intellectual property owned by Wizards of the Coast, just as the Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Planescape, Dark Sun, Greyhawk, etc. Yeah, d20 can be very rules heavy...but that's why we introduce things such as "story and roleplaying awards" in the DLCS, because role-playing is a major part of Dragonlance--story & characters are the most important part of the game!

Christopher


----------



## Shadowlord (Jun 12, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> Dragonlance _was_ done as a stand-alone RPG...the SAGA system.




The SAGA system was a card based game with no dice. That's why it alienated so far from a "normal" RPG and thus the "normal" audience that plays RPGs with dice and not cards. Making DL a "normal" RPG (with dice) again would have brought the audience back together, evenas a stand-alone (d20) RPG.

That said, I believe DL would have been even better when built up from the ground, independent of the D&D corebooks. It seems that everything that's published using d20 is made "for" the system instead of vice versa; the system, only being a cold medium, should adapt to the setting. Since RPGs aren't games you can simply "win", games with no clear ending, the system shouldn't inhibit restrictions upon a solid story. 
After all, it's the GM that decides all and there's no sane reason to set rules in stone. Every sane RP-er will admit this, and I'm sure you understand me here.



> ...but that's why we introduce things such as "story and roleplaying awards" in the DLCS, because role-playing is a major part of Dragonlance--story & characters are the most important part of the game!




Is this only true for DL ? That are the prime elements of every RPG. Only D&D got itself into a collectors hobby and a more complicated and more expensive library than a wargame with hundreds of painted miniatures. Or maybe it has always been like that. The insane complexity of previous editions made me opt for other RPGs.

PS: I'm reclusive in buying the corebooks again. Will I miss a lot if I use the old ones or even none? How much do you need the PHB/DMG/MM for DL ? Many RPGs come in only one or two corebooks but D&D remains obstinate.


----------



## DragonLancer (Jun 12, 2003)

> PS: I'm reclusive in buying the corebooks again. Will I miss a lot if I use the old ones or even none? How much do you need the PHB/DMG/MM for DL ? Many RPGs come in only one or two corebooks but D&D remains obstinate.




I'm the same. I shall be sticking with 3rd edition (none of this 3.5 nonsense) for my DL games. I'm guessing that nothing much will change since 3rd & 3.5 are pretty much interchangable.


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## D-Man (Jun 13, 2003)

Will we be getting any PrC's for Clerics in either the DLCS or Age of Mortals book?

You mentioned writing an article on Sea Elves who use magic.  Where would this article be published?

Thanks for all the info!  Hey who would be responsible for getting a Dragonlance computer game developed along the lines of a Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment?  The technology has come _so far_ since the old Dark Queen of Krynn days, and I think it would be a great shot in the arm for the setting.


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## Triumph (Jun 13, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *There are stats for Sirines in the Monster Manual two. However, we may go into more detail on them in one of our later products...just keep an eye out *



That's cool, because apparently my copy of the MM2 neglected to include the section about how they TURN INTO BEARS....


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## Stormprince (Jun 13, 2003)

There was never any doubt about Dragonlance being D&D...after all, that is how it was originally designed. Almost every aspect of it, from the "restrictions" and the "Curse of the Magi" placed upon wizards and the Orders of High Sorcery, as well as dwarves and kender being unable to use wizardly magic, were born from Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. To change that now would be changing for change's sake...and when we decided that we wanted to do Dragonlance for 3rd Edition, we wanted to bring together the two "fan" groups found in gamers: the original AD&D players and the SAGA players. Because of our license, we are effectively a Dungeons & Dragons product...yeah, it's got the d20 system logo on it, but it's pure Dungeons & Dragons...only we get to tweak the base system (with help from the WotC design staff for the DLCS) to make sure that things remain "Dragonlance."

That said, don't think that we're at all terrified of "Alternate" rules and the like...our Sovereign Stone magic system's proof positive of that. Love it or hate it, it was one of the first "non-slot" based magic systems for d20 out there. If an existing rule does not "fit," we are not going to shoehorn Dragonlance into fitting it!

Worse case scenario...don't forget that the SRD is being updated immediately. Between the SRD and the 3.0 rule books, you should have plenty to play with... *chuckles* 

Dragonlance has always been a story-world; indeed, many believe that it's so story driven that it makes for a poor RPG...personally, I beg to differ. That's what we are trying to show, and hopefully, that's what people will take away with them...the rules-loving fans are going to love some of the stuff we've come up with, such as the hard rules for judging aerial combat between dragons. For the role-playing intensive fans, we've introduced guidelines for awarding story-based and role-playing-based experience awards...

I can go on all night, trust me... *laughs* But, to sum things up, Dragonlance is D&D, but it's D&D done differently 

Christopher


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## Stormprince (Jun 13, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *Will we be getting any PrC's for Clerics in either the DLCS or Age of Mortals book?
> 
> You mentioned writing an article on Sea Elves who use magic.  Where would this article be published?
> 
> Thanks for all the info!  Hey who would be responsible for getting a Dragonlance computer game developed along the lines of a Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment?  The technology has come so far since the old Dark Queen of Krynn days, and I think it would be a great shot in the arm for the setting. *




In a way, yes, there will be: there are the two branches of the two knighthoods that focus upon "clerical" aspects: the Knights of the Skull (the Dark Knights) and the Knights of the Sword (Solamnic Knights). Don't worry, though, they'll be getting plenty of attention soon enough! 

*hrms* Probably end up in Games Unplugged or Campaign Magazines, I'd have to check and see.

As for computer games, WotC owns the license, so any possible computer games would be entirely up to them...if the game line and novels do well enough, then I'm sure they'll see that there's enough interest to do so! 

Christopher


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## Stormprince (Jun 13, 2003)

Triumph said:
			
		

> *
> That's cool, because apparently my copy of the MM2 neglected to include the section about how they TURN INTO BEARS.... *




I believe that's covered under their _Polymorph Self_ ability 

Christopher


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## Shadowlord (Jun 13, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *Dragonlance has always been a story-world; indeed, many believe that it's so story driven that it makes for a poor RPG...personally, I beg to differ.
> *



*

?? How can a solid story ruin an RPG ? To my knowledge, RPGs have always been about character develoment and epic story & world building.




			That's what we are trying to show, and hopefully, that's what people will take away with them...the rules-loving fans are going to love some of the stuff we've come up with, such as the hard rules for judging aerial combat between dragons. For the role-playing intensive fans, we've introduced guidelines for awarding story-based and role-playing-based experience awards...
		
Click to expand...



Then DL will become the only true big fantasy RPG.

PS: You seem to be bringing out a lot of DL books. In years past DL was famous for its many adventures and little rule/world supplements. I still believe that adventures are the best way to promote a setting, to bring a good game and to show how it must be done correctly;  therefore the most important of expansions.*


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## DragonLancer (Jun 13, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *
> ?? How can a solid story ruin an RPG ? To my knowledge, RPGs have always been about character develoment and epic story & world building.*




My feelings exactly, but there are many (especially here on EN World it seems) who find the game more about hack n' slash than roleplaying a character and playing through an epic storyline.

Part of my love for Dragonlance has always been the storytelling aspect over dungeons/Hack n' Slash.


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## Stormprince (Jun 13, 2003)

QUOTE]_Originally posted by Shadowlord _
*?? How can a solid story ruin an RPG ? To my knowledge, RPGs have always been about character develoment and epic story & world building.

Then DL will become the only true big fantasy RPG.

PS: You seem to be bringing out a lot of DL books. In years past DL was famous for its many adventures and little rule/world supplements. I still believe that adventures are the best way to promote a setting, to bring a good game and to show how it must be done correctly;  therefore the most important of expansions. *[/QUOTE]

Many RPGs are, but some tend to promote more hack 'n' slash than roleplaying...how many people do you know that twink out their characters to the Nth degree, playing the min-max game? How many players do you know would play a wizard with a low Constitution score and turn it into a roleplaying twist instead of griping about how few hit points he has?

"Dragonlance be the only true big fantasy RPG"? I'm not quite sure where this came from...as much as I would like for it to, I doubt that Dragonlance gaming will be able to catch up with the popularity of the FR now a days, but we are going to try...we believe it's a great setting, and that's what we're trying to show everyone else...but, Dragonlance is not for everyone. It never has been. Even those that like the role-playing aspect may not like the world at all (gods know that *I'm* sick of hearing how many people dislike DL because of kender, gully dwarves, and gnomes...).

Because of the lack of solid D&D-based gaming information based on Dragonlance for many years, we need to do the suppliments that we are doing in order to bring all the "gaming" aspects up-to-date. That said, we definitely understand the need for adventure modules...which is why we put together a trilogy of adventures that are being released in the first year. I know how important they are, which is why the entire storyline of the three adventures were brainstormed over with Margaret Weis, Don Perrin, Jamie Chambers, and myself long before we even started working on them! Right now, I'm about half-way through writing the adventure and I'm having a blast. I'm taking everything that I've learned as a gamer, as a player and DM, and as a writer whose had the last year to spend every day learning more and more about the D&D/d20 system, to attempt to weave a massive adventure that will enable players to feel that they have an effect upon the world at large, while not feeling "overshadowed" because "it's been done in the novels and we have to follow that course exactly." So, keep an eye out for Key of Destiny, Spectre of Sorrow, and Price of Courage, the Dragonlance Campaign Adventures.

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 13, 2003)

> (gods know that I'm sick of hearing how many people dislike DL because of kender, gully dwarves, and gnomes...).




I quite agree. With DL gnomes are finally a fleshout race and not just magic-using dwarves. Kender and Gully Dwarves again add colour and variety to the world.


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## Stormprince (Jun 13, 2003)

DragonLancer said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I quite agree. With DL gnomes are finally a fleshout race and not just magic-using dwarves. Kender and Gully Dwarves again add colour and variety to the world. *




I agree completely 

One of the things that many people forget is that Dragonlance is a fairly grim and gritty setting: Tanis is born of rape, the unborn embryoes of good dragons perverted into draconians, betrayal, lost love, choices...death.

Without a few things, such as the irrepressible kender, things would get almost too dark. They're a breath of refreshing change, the force of exhuberance and innocence, that can keep some from toppling completely over the edge...for awhile, anyways. Remember Raistlin's reaction to Bupu, the Gully Dwarf?  A redeemable quality about someone who has few such qualities. Without the gully dwarf character, Raistlin might've toppled even faster...and it's something that comes back to him decades later, during his "Quest."

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 14, 2003)

Why wasnt there any playtest?  I would have sold kidneys to be able to glimpse 3e DL =)

(and before you ask, yes i did sign up and playtest Anvil of time.  Between me and David Cavaney, we rewrote the module to fit the rules better, and to help tracy out)

But yes, i am starting to trust that you guys might know what you are doing here =)

Oh, and will cool DL beasts like the Phaetons from Wanderlust show up?  or things like the tylor?  How about Crusty Pudding Plants?  Crystalline gnomes from lunitari?  Ariakas's five colored sword?  stats for verminaard's brother?  What about my favorite dragonlance character ever, the Brown Dragon Verden Leafglow? 

RIP Dan Parkinson.


Oh, and what about the towers?  Will we use the excellent ideas from the dwarven nations books?  What about the moon chart?  DLA is obviously different from everything that came after.  The mailing list has had a huge discussion on it.


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## Stormprince (Jun 14, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *Why wasnt there any playtest?  I would have sold kidneys to be able to glimpse 3e DL =)
> 
> (and before you ask, yes i did sign up and playtest Anvil of time.  Between me and David Cavaney, we rewrote the module to fit the rules better, and to help tracy out)
> 
> ...




Oh, trust me, there was a considerable amount of playtesting, both in house and at WotC, but because of the short turn around time that we had, we had to keep the playtesting fairly close to the chest so that we had immediate turn around on the information.

And both Jamie Chambers and our mutual friend, Sean Everette (the editor of Campaign and Games Unplugged Magazine) also playtested the Anvil of Time 

All sorts of things are going to be making an appearance...the Phaethon will actually be making their first appearance in a long time in my first adventure, Key of Destiny!  Our Bestiary will be chocked full of tons of creatures, both "real" and "kender tales." 

There's some awesome stuff going into the Towers of High Sorcery book, and there's an incredible moon tracking chart in the DLCS! The best one I've ever seen 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 14, 2003)

yes, but what about the key issue for us anal folk?
Is lunitari on the inner ring or the middle ring?
Will the night of the eye still be Soli, Luni, Nui?


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## Stormprince (Jun 14, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *yes, but what about the key issue for us anal folk?
> Is lunitari on the inner ring or the middle ring?
> Will the night of the eye still be Soli, Luni, Nui? *




Yep  The chart's pretty cool, with information on properly keeping track of time.

Christopher


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## D-Man (Jun 14, 2003)

What are Phaetons?


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## Stormprince (Jun 14, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *What are Phaetons? *




Phaethons are a strange race of humanoids, sort of resembling half-elves. At will, though, they are able to summon forth wings of flame, enabling them to fly. They are reclusive and private, keeping to their enclaves high in the mountains...they're pretty bloody cool 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 14, 2003)

i would wholeheartedly agree =)

Of course, i'm biased because Wanderlust is one of my fave DL novels =)


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## DragonLancer (Jun 14, 2003)

D-Man said:
			
		

> *What are Phaetons? *




Its been a while but IIRC Phaetons are a race of men (humanoids) with flaming wings. I could be wrong, its been a long long time since I used them.


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## Shadowlord (Jun 14, 2003)

I realize very well that DL isn't a fancy flashy world, it's pretty dark & heavy. That's what I like so much about it, and it has all the strong elements of LOTR, making it a well-rounded RPG. 

My question: will there be unhappy ends in the adventure modules, will the PCs have to make important sacrifices...?


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## vrykyl (Jun 14, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *I realize very well that DL isn't a fancy flashy world, it's pretty dark & heavy. That's what I like so much about it, and it has all the strong elements of LOTR, making it a well-rounded RPG.
> 
> My question: will there be unhappy ends in the adventure modules, will the PCs have to make important sacrifices...? *




We wanted to very much reflect many of the elements in the original DL modules series thematically, though with a wholly original story created by Margaret Weis, Chris Coyle, and myself. I would highly recommend checking out Chris' two currently available adventures _Song of Storms_ and _Edge of Dreams_ (from Monkeygod Enterprises) to get a feel for his stuff. Both are very strong story-based adventures.

The new modules should feature plenty of action, combat, problem-solving, and role-playing opportunities and a big story that affects all of Ansalon! The most important difference is that we decided to completely avoid pre-generated characters. This time, characters of YOUR creation take center stage.

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## talinthas (Jun 15, 2003)

btw, if Sovpress is looking for a guide to the languages of ansalon, please let me know.  Its a pet project of mine =)


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## Olive (Jun 15, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *One of the things that many people forget is that Dragonlance is a fairly grim and gritty setting: Tanis is born of rape, the unborn embryoes of good dragons perverted into draconians, betrayal, lost love, choices...death. *




I can think of at least one key person who seemed to forget that last year...


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## Kai Lord (Jun 15, 2003)

Olive said:
			
		

> *
> 
> I can think of at least one key person who seemed to forget that last year... *



Heh, I know who you're talking about but I believe his point was that while a _lot_ of bad stuff happens in the world of Krynn, the really "vile"  acts are all off-screen.


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## Kai Lord (Jun 15, 2003)

To Jamie:

Getting back to the original post in the thread, when are we going to see the actual cover art for the Bestiary, Towers of High Sorcery Sourcebook, DM's screen, and first chapter of the adventure trilogy?


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## vrykyl (Jun 15, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *To Jamie:
> 
> Getting back to the original post in the thread, when are we going to see the actual cover art for the Bestiary, Towers of High Sorcery Sourcebook, DM's screen, and first chapter of the adventure trilogy? *




That's an easy one! The answer is: When the paintings for those covers have been completed. The TOWERS OF HIGH SORCERY cover has actually been done, and the product description of that should go up on Dragonlance.com within the next week or so (since it's a January product). The covers for the DM's Screen (Elmore) and KEY OF DESTINY (Easley) are nearing completion as we speak. The BESTIARY OF KRYNN painting is coming up next from Larry Elmore.

We needed mockup product covers to display in March, so we used pick-up art from Elmore. Keep watching Dragonlance.com and you should see what you're looking for!

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## Kai Lord (Jun 15, 2003)

Cool.  I'd forgotten I'd already seen the Towers of High Sorcery cover.  When will the DM's screen (the actual product, not the art) be released?


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## vrykyl (Jun 15, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *Cool.  I'd forgotten I'd already seen the Towers of High Sorcery cover.  When will the DM's screen (the actual product, not the art) be released? *




The _Dragonlance Dungeon Master's Screen_ will be released in September, featuring a gorgeous panoramic painting by Larry Elmore and useful charts and tables on the inside--both Dragonlance specific and material fully compatible with the revised 3rd Edition rules.

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## Kai Lord (Jun 15, 2003)

Jamie:

In a great interview with you and Chris at http://www.dragonlance.com/features/interviews/display.asp?id=11923 you talk of another new core class called the Noble, as well as prestige classes called Legionairre and Master Ambassador.  Could you give any details (campaign related, not game mechanics) about these classes?

Also do Civilized humans differ mechanically from Nomadic humans?


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## Stormprince (Jun 15, 2003)

Kai Lord said:
			
		

> *Jamie:
> 
> In a great interview with you and Chris at http://www.dragonlance.com/features/interviews/display.asp?id=11923 you talk of another new core class called the Noble, as well as prestige classes called Legionairre and Master Ambassador.  Could you give any details (campaign related, not game mechanics) about these classes?
> 
> Also do Civilized humans differ mechanically from Nomadic humans? *




Well, here's a little bit that we can tell ya:

Noble: Sort of like the Noble classes found in WoT and Star Wars, these are characters who are descended from nobility, who grew up in a slightly different mindset: Laurana, for example, at the beginning of Chronicles. She had some skill with the blade, but basically had been raised how to deal with other people.

Legionaire: This is a catch-all for the Legion of Steel. A small, generic prestige class representing the basic training members who enter the Legion receive. For more fully fleshed out Legion PrCs (Legion Scout, Legion Mystic & Legion Sorcerer), see the Age of Mortals.

Master Ambassador: These are individuals who are masters of communication and legislation...people who are sent to foreign embassies to press the concerns of thier "sovereign nation." Tanis, towards the end of his years, was an excellant ambassador between the elven people and the Solamnics. This one makes an appearance in the Age of Mortals book.

Christopher (who is now logging off so that he can go attend his birthday party! )


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## Kai Lord (Jun 15, 2003)

Thanks, happy birthday man.


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## Olive (Jun 16, 2003)

Ohhhhh... sneak peak from In the Works over at the Wizards site.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20030615a
-----------
Last month, I passed along a brief overview and the back cover copy from this 288-page hardcover that sets you up with everything you need to get started playing a full-blown campaign in the world of Dragonlance. This month, I offer a couple crunchy bits inspired by the wraparound art from the cover.

If anything says "Dragonlance" to me, it's two dragon riders (and their more than formidable mounts) locked in a dramatic aerial duel. So, how do you go about making that happen?

Split between pages 69 and 70 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, you'll find about a column's worth of rules (including a nice Maneuverability table) to govern aerial movement. Add falling damage (on pg. 112) and the information on taking damage from falling objects, and you're up to about one full page that covers aerial-specific game mechanics. You can squeeze in the rules for running, charging, bull rushing, grappling, etc. if you want. They're generic combat rules -- which certainly apply -- but they're not "aerial combat rules."

That's when the Dragonlance Campaign Setting swoops in and fills that gap with eight full pages of rules specific to aerial combat, including a terrific table that details Collision Damage based on the speed and size of the objects in contention. The section covers Simple Maneuvers, like a 45-degree turn, climb, dive, or sideslip, as well as Advanced Maneuvers, such as Airbrake (DC 15), Swoop Attack (DC 20), and Wingover (DC varies). It also goes through becoming airborne, gaining altitude, changing speed, using weapons from the saddle, and a small pile of other things -- such as a nice-sized chunk that deals with combat between creatures at differing altitudes, including the pitiful, flightless fodder you find on the ground below (or what you, as the pitiful, flightless fodder can do against flying creatures).

Chase Scale: Altitude is abstracted in the chase scale. A flying creature can be at one of seven altitude bands, as shown below:

Band  Description  Against Ground Targets  
0  On the ground  Normal  
1  Very Low  Melee attacks, all spells, missile weapons, thrown weapons, and breath weapons  
2  Low  Medium or long-range spells, missile weapons, and breath weapons only  
3  Medium  Medium or long-range spells, missile weapons, and line-shaped breath weapons only  
4  Medium-High  Long-range spells and missile weapons only  
5  High  Long-range spells only  

You may find it useful to place a d6 next to each flying creature to mark its current altitude band. Remove the die when the creature is on the ground.

When a flying creature moves, it can choose to gain an altitude band (which reduces it to half speed unless it has perfect maneuverability) or drop an altitude band (which increases it to double speed). Some maneuvers require changing altitude. A creature can only gain or lose one altitude band per turn.

The effect of altitude bands on slant range depends on how many bands are between the flying creature and its target:

Difference in 
Altitude Bands  Effect  
0 or 1  None  
2  Add 100 feet to the horizontal range  
3  Add 200 feet to the horizontal range  
4  Add 400 feet to the horizontal range  
5  Add 800 feet to the horizontal range  

Like I said, that's just eight pages of the book -- there are 280 more. Next month, I should be able to get some more crunchy bits along with an illustration or two for you.


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## Dragonhelm (Jun 16, 2003)

Stormprince said:
			
		

> *5. Any take on the concept of Krynnspace or the solar system beyond Krynn (such as the moons and the other planets)?
> 
> Nope, as far as we are "officially" concerned, we're not dealing with Spelljammer what-so-ever, just as we are not "officially" dealing with Ravenloft or mentioning Oerth or Toril...the world is a much different place now, as of the events that occured in the Chaos War and the War of Souls.*




I just wanted to add a bit into what Chris said on Krynnspace.  

I've been working on not only updating Krynnspace to the modern era, but expanding on it.  I work on both Beyond the Moons (official Spelljammer site) and Dragonlance.com/Dragonlance Nexus.

Check out:  Dragonhelm's Guide to Krynnspace 

Just a forewarning, there will be an updated version coming soon.

With the guide, I tried presenting a very "Dragonlancey" view to Krynnspace.  You'll see new groups, such as the Dragonfleet, the Minotaur Fleet, and the Knights of Krynnspace!

Version 2.0 is in the works, including more stats and expanded material.


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## tsadkiel (Jun 19, 2003)

A couple of (harmless, I hope) questions about the Mystic.  

In Urban Arcana, there's an advanced alass called the mystic who cast divine spells as sorcerers.  They don't get healing spells.  Does the Dragonlance mystic retain healing capability?  (I hope I'm just being paranoid here.)

Generally speaking, just how far off track would I be if while waiting for the DLCS book to come out I ran a mystic as a sorcerer with the cleric spell list?


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## tsadkiel (Jun 19, 2003)

Double posts are bad.


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## vrykyl (Jun 19, 2003)

tsadkiel said:
			
		

> *A couple of (harmless, I hope) questions about the Mystic.
> 
> In Urban Arcana, there's an advanced alass called the mystic who cast divine spells as sorcerers.  They don't get healing spells.  Does the Dragonlance mystic retain healing capability?  (I hope I'm just being paranoid here.)
> 
> Generally speaking, just how far off track would I be if while waiting for the DLCS book to come out I ran a mystic as a sorcerer with the cleric spell list? *




You are hitting pretty close to the mark by running a mystic very much like a sorcerer using the clerical spell list as a basis for available spells. There is certainly no limit on healing magic. (After all, the first well-known use of mysticism in the Fifth Age is Goldmoon healing Jasper Fireforge.)

There are few elements that make the mystic class a bit different, but you wouldn't have to change much if you created a character using this train of thought.

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## tsadkiel (Jun 19, 2003)

/Moves the Dragonlance book over into the "will buy" column. 

Cool.  Thanks!

By the way, with the 3E practice of naming books after 1E books, is there a reason why this isn't called "Dragonlance Adventures?"


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## Stormprince (Jun 19, 2003)

tsadkiel said:
			
		

> */Moves the Dragonlance book over into the "will buy" column.
> 
> Cool.  Thanks!
> 
> By the way, with the 3E practice of naming books after 1E books, is there a reason why this isn't called "Dragonlance Adventures?"   *




We like to buck the trends  'sides, what would we name our trilogy of Adventures then? 

Christopher


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## Shadowlord (Jun 19, 2003)

What "kind" of books do you plan, what other RPGs are examples in book distribution? Or will you write them willy-nilly?
There are already some parallels; DL, unlike FR, has different ages and will have a sourcebook for each era like SW. Will there be more parallels like in:

Will you publish stereotypical NPCs for various CRs (4-8-12) like in d20 modern and Star Wars d20 ?

Will the Bestiary show monsters very stat-wise like in the Monster Manuals or will it contain more info on personality & society like in SW Ultimate Alien Anthology?

Will you publish books that focus on smaller parts of Krynn, or regional books? 
There will be one for the towers of magic and one that details the gods.

I'd love to see a book like the SW Campaign Guide which offers plot hooks and ideas for building solid campaigns... very fitting for a setting where stories are so important!

Will you go so nuts as to write an Equipment Guide or will you place those trinkets inside other books? 
Finally, I hope there will be plenty of great adventures! These are the perfect tool for blowing life into a setting.


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## vrykyl (Jun 19, 2003)

Reply below the quote:



			
				Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *What "kind" of books do you plan, what other RPGs are examples in book distribution? Or will you write them willy-nilly?
> There are already some parallels; DL, unlike FR, has different ages and will have a sourcebook for each era like SW. Will there be more parallels like in:
> 
> Will you publish stereotypical NPCs for various CRs (4-8-12) like in d20 modern and Star Wars d20 ?*




Our license with WotC gives us guidelines about the numbers and types of sourcebooks we can publish in a given year. For example, we could not publish multiple "big concept" books in the same year (such as AGE OF MORTALS and WAR OF THE LANCE), nor could we publish six adventures even if we wanted to. We have to find a balance between major sourcebooks, subject-specific sourcebooks, accessories, adventures, etc. From there we plan out our schedule.

Our DL line is somewhere in the middle between what WotC has done with the FORGOTTEN REALMS and STAR WARS--with a few things that perhaps neither line has done!

We are going to include some of those stereotypical NPCs in the 32-page insert in our DRAGONLANCE DUNGEON MASTER'S SCREEN. It should be helpful for anyone running a DL campaign.



> *Will the Bestiary show monsters very stat-wise like in the Monster Manuals or will it contain more info on personality & society like in SW Ultimate Alien Anthology?*





We are trying to include a bit more flavor in our Bestiary than is found in the Monster Manual, but not over-do it.



> *Will you publish books that focus on smaller parts of Krynn, or regional books?  There will be one for the towers of magic and one that details the gods.
> 
> I'd love to see a book like the SW Campaign Guide which offers plot hooks and ideas for building solid campaigns... very fitting for a setting where stories are so important!*





Regional books are not in our current plans through 2004, but that's because there are so many other subjects--though specific regions will be detailed in some of the products on that schedule. We have to cover the broad subjects before we can zoom in on the specific details. There is a lot of Dragonlance to cover!



> *Will you go so nuts as to write an Equipment Guide or will you place those trinkets inside other books?
> Finally, I hope there will be plenty of great adventures! These are the perfect tool for blowing life into a setting. *




We have no plans for an equipment guide, though there are lots of weapons, tools, and magic items found in other books. We are definitely writing adventures, starting with KEY OF DESTINY in October!

Jamie Chambers
Sovereign Press, Inc.


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## Shadowlord (Jun 20, 2003)

> Regional books are not in our current plans through 2004, but that's because there are so many other subjects--though specific regions will be detailed in some of the products on that schedule. We have to cover the broad subjects before we can zoom in on the specific details. There is a lot of Dragonlance to cover!




There's indeed lots of DL to cover.  Don't go into the same dead end as FR; detailng every tiny region isn't very useful to players, there are many other kind of books that would be more helpful, like the "big" sourcebooks and adventures.


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## Abel Kane (Jun 20, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *
> 
> There's indeed lots of DL to cover.  Don't go into the same dead end as FR; detailng every tiny region isn't very useful to players, there are many other kind of books that would be more helpful, like the "big" sourcebooks and adventures.
> 
> *




I actually like the books detailing the 'tiny regions' and find them extremely useful: I can read a lot about an area and create a PC with a well-developed persona. I like tossing in vague references to published history and my DM typically responds favorably to this sort of thing..

However, I DO agree that there is a lot of Dragonlance to cover and the books mentioned so far are by far my preference to the area books. I expect that if the product does well, those books will come eventually and we'll all be happy 

Bela


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## talinthas (Jun 20, 2003)

heh.  i, on the other hand, have been clamoring for detailed region books for almost 6 years now.  I think the saga boxes (specifically heroes of defiance) did it best.  I sincerely hope that the good goblins of ergoth arent lost in the transition...

But yeah, the main thing that has irked me forever is that in dragonlance, we know the ins and outs of solace, qualinost, palanthas, neraka, and sanction.  Because those are the ONLY locations ever visited in books or product.  The rest of the map is completely ignored.   I want something more along the lines of Time of the Dragon, which completely details taladas.


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## Shadow_Nemisi (Jun 20, 2003)

Heya, first and likely only post here on Enworld (I lurk), but I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.  I suppose it is a 'mechanical' question, so it's okay if you aren't allowed to answer.

As you've said, the Knights of Solamnia will be three different prestige class.  Most people who have converted the Knight of the Sword just treat them as a Paladin condensed down to 10 levels, especially in terms of casting ability.  Will your version of the Sword Knight remain true to how they were depicted in the Tales of the Lance boxed set (maybe not 9th. level spells, but 7th. atleast)?  By the time one could take 10 levels in Sword Knight they'd be around 15th. level anyway..so it's not game breaking.  Not to mention only getting spells once per week heh.

Anyway, thank you!  I look forward to buying the DLCS and Age of Mortals..among everything you'll release.


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## Shadowlord (Jun 21, 2003)

Will DL have a Reputation score or some society status tracking device? Something I think really lacks in D&D, but WoT has it, as does SW and d20M.

Will you introduce new scores like Morale and Leadership bonuses, or Defense and Initiative bonuses?


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## Stormprince (Jun 21, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *heh.  i, on the other hand, have been clamoring for detailed region books for almost 6 years now.  I think the saga boxes (specifically heroes of defiance) did it best.  I sincerely hope that the good goblins of ergoth arent lost in the transition...
> 
> But yeah, the main thing that has irked me forever is that in dragonlance, we know the ins and outs of solace, qualinost, palanthas, neraka, and sanction.  Because those are the ONLY locations ever visited in books or product.  The rest of the map is completely ignored.   I want something more along the lines of Time of the Dragon, which completely details taladas. *




In each of our primary books, such as the DLCS and the Age of Mortals, we use the model that was started in the Tales of the Lance boxed set. We give information on each and every country, current events, cities and other locations, based upon the current state of affairs...in the DLCS, there's even a historical section that details specific key locations.

We're not going to ignore any area of Ansalon as being "unimportant." For instance, in the trilogy of adventures I'm working on, I specifically set out to choose a majority of locations that have either little information or have not been explored very thoroughly, as of yet. In the Key of Destiny, the regions of Khur and the Desolation are the focus...and it'll include full maps for the regions, important locations (such as Khuri-Khan and the Peak of Malys)...etc 

Christopher


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## Stormprince (Jun 21, 2003)

Shadow_Nemisi said:
			
		

> *Heya, first and likely only post here on Enworld (I lurk), but I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.  I suppose it is a 'mechanical' question, so it's okay if you aren't allowed to answer.
> 
> As you've said, the Knights of Solamnia will be three different prestige class.  Most people who have converted the Knight of the Sword just treat them as a Paladin condensed down to 10 levels, especially in terms of casting ability.  Will your version of the Sword Knight remain true to how they were depicted in the Tales of the Lance boxed set (maybe not 9th. level spells, but 7th. atleast)?  By the time one could take 10 levels in Sword Knight they'd be around 15th. level anyway..so it's not game breaking.  Not to mention only getting spells once per week heh.
> 
> Anyway, thank you!  I look forward to buying the DLCS and Age of Mortals..among everything you'll release. *




Well, can't give you specifics as of yet because the DLCS is a WotC product...but suffice to say, we think that people will like what we did with the Knighthoods 

Christopher


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## Stormprince (Jun 21, 2003)

Shadowlord said:
			
		

> *Will DL have a Reputation score or some society status tracking device? Something I think really lacks in D&D, but WoT has it, as does SW and d20M.
> 
> Will you introduce new scores like Morale and Leadership bonuses, or Defense and Initiative bonuses? *




Not as "primary" rules, no. Dragonlance, as part of our agreement with WotC, is a Dungeons & Dragons product, which means that for the most part, we have to use the Core Three as our basis. Individual prestige classes may introduce some of those things, but they are not included as part of the "package" deal. 

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 22, 2003)

Khur, huh?
If you want any help detailing the place, i've been running my campaign there for three years now =)

Lots of maps and everything.  Ever been to india?  Lots of huge stacked stone houses and tiny winding alleyways.  That, and a bunch of arab sounding names form the basis of my views on that desert =)


It makes me really happy to know that i'll be able to drop your adventure into my existing campaign without having to teleport the pcs.  BTW, if you get the chance, i did a nice long write up on the burning sands area of khur on the nexus here - http://www.dl3e.com/rules/display.asp?id=11552 .


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## Stormprince (Jun 22, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *Khur, huh?
> If you want any help detailing the place, i've been running my campaign there for three years now =)
> 
> Lots of maps and everything.  Ever been to india?  Lots of huge stacked stone houses and tiny winding alleyways.  That, and a bunch of arab sounding names form the basis of my views on that desert =)
> ...




Growing up military, and being ex-military myself, I've spent a considerable amount of time overseas...although I haven't been to India, I have been to Egypt  Loved it.

I'm a rabid researcher...I enjoy the research as much as I enjoy the writing. Much of the landscape of Khur I actually based on the Namib Desert, which seemed appropriate given Khur's location equatorially and the presence of the large saltwater bay.

I'll give your stuff a look see. I've also been looking over some of Sean MacDonald's stuff on the Desolation...*grins crookedly* I'm playing picky, as there's quite a bit that I need to sift through. Plus, there are some things that I disagree with, so I'm starting from scratch in some places.

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 22, 2003)

Dude, that you are spending ANY amount of time in Khur, let alone in the first adventure, makes me a very happy camper =)

BTW, please be sure  and remind dragonlance authors that the plains of dust are tundra, and not desert.  Its just a pet peeve...


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## Stormprince (Jun 22, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *Dude, that you are spending ANY amount of time in Khur, let alone in the first adventure, makes me a very happy camper =)
> 
> BTW, please be sure  and remind dragonlance authors that the plains of dust are tundra, and not desert.  Its just a pet peeve... *




Unfortuantely, the Plains of Dust have undergone many permutations...now a days, I view it as holding both.

Christopher


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## talinthas (Jun 22, 2003)

which is a shame, really.  I always viewed Tarsis and the surrounding communities kinda like Turkey.  Middle eastern flair with russian sensibilities, and lots of cold dry area.   At least, thats the impression from the holy six, and the original modules.

Then fifth age, and suddenly its a sandy desert?  

And a question you might be able to answer.  In the latest Short story collection (forget title, but has jenna's shop on the cover), there is a story by linda baker involving tarsis getting flooded again during the great storm of the WoS.

Where did all that water come from, and where did it go after?


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## Stormprince (Jun 22, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *which is a shame, really.  I always viewed Tarsis and the surrounding communities kinda like Turkey.  Middle eastern flair with russian sensibilities, and lots of cold dry area.   At least, thats the impression from the holy six, and the original modules.
> 
> Then fifth age, and suddenly its a sandy desert?
> 
> ...




*nods* Aye...luckily, we were able to blame that on the Dragon Overlords. 

In "Magic of Krynn," the short story about Tarsis flooding was an enjoyable story. It was flooded by the Storm of the One God, which the Dark Queen used to announce her official "return." It only flooded for one night, when the storm moved on, the water dried up.

Christopher


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## DragonLancer (Jun 22, 2003)

talinthas said:
			
		

> *which is a shame, really.  I always viewed Tarsis and the surrounding communities kinda like Turkey.  Middle eastern flair with russian sensibilities, and lots of cold dry area.   At least, thats the impression from the holy six, and the original modules.
> 
> Then fifth age, and suddenly its a sandy desert?  *




I have always envisioned the Plains of Dust as more Mongolian desert meets Siberian tundra, and after reading Murder in Tarsis I see the local barbarian tribes as semi-nomadic horsemen.


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