5e Dark Sun Systems

Athas is a world of strange magics, psionic powers, and elemental mysticism. A cautionary tale of a world in which those in power abused the environment and it's bounty to the point of near annihilation. Postapocalyptica at it's heart, few characters on Athas have any intention of "Rebuilding" a better world, and instead choose to struggle and strive to survive in the one they have.

Brutal Deserts, Silt Seas, and Cannibalistic Humanoids and Monsters are all dangers in this world where Water is at a premium, metals are rare, and life is often short. To best update this world to the 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, several systems need to be codified and ideas coalesced into the world itself.

This document is meant to provide optional game systems, both generated by the author and taken from other locations with proper credit, to more fully embody the world of Athas at your gaming table.

Psionics

Ever since the first edition of Dungeons and Dragons, Psionics have been a concept played with at countless tables and to vastly varying degrees. Fortunately, 5th Edition D&D's current Core Rules allow for two separate depths of Psionics to add to your table. Both through Psionic Feats and Psionic Subclasses, both provided by Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

However, Dark Sun was created with the express intent that players would have access to, and use, the Psionicist Class released just months before the Boxed set. And sadly, Wizards of the Coast has not released a full Psionic Class to let you fulfill that particular aspect of the Athasian Fantasy.

Fortunately, there are multiple methods that you can take to add this important facet of Athas back into your 5th Edition game!

Option 1: Psionic Sorcerers

5th Edition has added the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer as a clear reference to a character with a legacy of contact with Aberrations, whether in their bloodline or interconnected in other ways such as Corruption. In either case, the Aberrant Mind Sorcerer provides us with a simple and basic design to separate Psionics from Arcane Magic:

Treat all Sorcerers and their Subclasses as Psionicists. Their "Spells" are nonmagical "Powers", their Bloodlines or Effects are examples of their Disciplines and Sciences. To further differentiate these Psionic characters from Arcane Spellcasters you can use the Spell Point System provided in the DMG on page 288. And off you go.

Option 2: The Mystic Class

While the Mystic Class will not be advancing through additional balance passes under the Auspices of WotC and many players find it overly complex, primarily because it lacks a central identity and tries to "Be Every Class", you can certainly use, or adapt for use, the Mystic Class for your table.

Option 3: Homebrew Psionicists

Vastly preferred by people who enjoy the idea of a character with a specialized Psionic Class, you can either homebrew your own Psionicist or use one of the several out there. For a strong 2e Flavor while sticking to 5e mechanics I heartily recommend KibblesTasty's Psion which can be found here: https://www.gmbinder.com/share/-LZSNMgmChWNGW979hrj

While I could plug one of my own projects for the task, this is, perhaps, the most innovative and creative approach to the problems Psionics faces in 5th edition D&D. Not only does it create a unique and centralized class feel, it doesn't require entire chapters devoted to explaining it's various powers.

Sorcery and Defilement

Core to the identity of Dark Sun is the concept of Magic being inherently destructive. While Preserving Magic exists in the setting, Rajaat's powers during the Age of Magic show us that by it's very nature, Arcane Magic is dangerous. It was only through experimentation that Rajaat was able to learn Preserving magic and teach it publicly while secretly teaching his fifteen Champions the true form of Defiling Magic.

5e holds a setting agnostic idea that all magic is inherently bound to the same source. In Faerun, this source is known as the Weave, and that is the idea that WotC has carried forward to this point. That Arcane Magic, Divine Magic, and Primal Magic may come from different sources, but are merely a manipulation of the Weave itself, and thus all magic is, in essence, the same.

Athasian Magic does not work in this fashion. There are vast swaths of Athas where Sorcery has utterly destroyed the ability to cast arcane spells due to the defilement of the world caused by that specific type of magic. If we were to hold that all magic works the same way, through the same Weave, then Divine Magic and Primal Magic would similarly cause Defilement, or cease functioning in Defiled Areas where no ambient power remains.

For the purposes of this document, and strongly recommended at your game table, we will assume that there is no single "Weave". Or that if Athas indeed had a central Weave it has long been torn to tatters by Rajaat and his Defilers. And that Divine or Primal Magic instead comes from the appropriate sources.

For Divine Magic, Elemental Power and Entities, for Primal Magic the Natural World, and for all other forms of Magic either the tattered remnants of the weave, or power granted by incredibly powerful beings such as the Sorcerer-Kings, themselves.

Preserving Magic

Arcane Spellcasters, determined by the DM based on which classes are available at the table, are assumed to be performing Preserving Magic at all times unless they explicitly choose to defile. The following two options are recommended to create an incentive to Defile, with the second causing a stronger incentive.

Preserving is Normal Spellcasting

Treat arcane spellcasting Normally. As you would in any other setting. This keeps Arcane Spellcasting on an even keel with Psionics and other Class Abilities.

Preserving has a Cost

Treat arcane spellcasting as "Slower" than other forms of magic due to the damage the character must avoid. When an Arcane Caster chooses to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, give the spell a Reaction cost incurred a number of initiative counts later equal to the spell's level. If Krom goes on count 20, but casts a 9th level preserving spell, the spell goes off on Initiative 11 only if Krom spends a Reaction to complete the spell's casting action.

Defiling Magic

Defiling magic functions as normal for any D&D campaign setting with the following exceptions. First, it destroys water and plantlife within 5ft of the caster per level of the spell, and the caster makes a simple d20 roll. On an 11 or higher the caster regains the spell slot they just used.

This gives the arcane caster character a significant incentive to defile the land around themself. Even moreso if you use the Preserving has a Cost variant. Even if the player rolls under an eleven, however, the damage they have done will be significant, and will likely cause severe social, economic, and potentially lethal fallout.

Mike Mearls came up with the 50% chance idea.

Traveling the Crimson Sands under an Olive Tinged Sky

5th Edition's travel and exploration mechanics are woefully underdeveloped, leaving players to either create their own travel based systems, largely ignore the journey aspect of adventure, or delve into homebrew to try and build or borrow a system that works for them.

Fortunately, A5e, under construction by ENWorld, has an excellent system to manage travel already presented. The Journey System can be found here: https://www.levelup5e.com/news/hvcd9rowryzi9xpnvtr35ykcl4dci7-f9cc9-kz2zt-jcpe6-c28en-lc7z4-mr9sl-clysb-j93ra

I cannot recommend this system more highly, as it provides an excellent basis for a gamefied travel system which makes Dark Sun an even more interesting place to visit.

While it currently lacks encounter tables and has only three regions that would seriously fit in an Athas game (Blasted Badlands, Parched Sands, and Fiery Hellscape) each provide a solid basis to develop further traveling conditions.

Many of the other regions, however, can be very easily adapted to the Dark Sun setting. Restless Seas, for example, can be redefined as a "Swirling Sands" region in which dust storms are common and use the same weather dice roll as Mist would on the Restless Seas.

Similarly, the Wartorn Kingdom could be used to represent the downtrodden nature of the people living within one of the domains of the Sorcerer-Kings. Simply remove the option for Snowfall and reduce the Busking penalty based on how long the player spends within a given community!

And, of course, you can always create your own Journey Regions. As an example, I'll be presenting the Silt Seas region on the right.

The Sea of Silt

Vast beyond understanding, the Sea of Silt fills the great basin east of the Tyr Region. The sway of the Sorcerer-Kings halts at its border; characters of the city-states find a world unlike any they have ever known.

No one has ever fully explored its borders or numbered the myriad islands and mud flats that dot its gray surface. Sages and Sorcerer-Kings can only dream of the great mysteries concealed beneath its deadly blanket of dust. Many believe that cities and ruins of the ancients lie upon the floor of the sea, just as they do the Tablelands and mountains of Athas.

The cartographers and students of the schools of the great cities believe the Sea of Silt is roughly circular and almost 400 miles in diameter.

Tiers:

The Sea of Silt ranges from Silt Shallows at tier 1 all the way through the Deep Wastes at tier 4.

Weather

Uncomfortably warm at all times.

1-6 Clear, 7-12 Overcast, 13-25 Dust Storm

Dark Silt Heat

The heat of the Red Sun burns into the Silt of the sea, increasing the amount of supply needed to take a long rest by 1.5 times the normal value.

Journey Activities

Busking and Covering Tracks are impossible in the Silt Sea. Gathering Components, Harvesting, and Hunting and Gathering can only be performed on Islands in the Silt Sea and are made at disadvantage due to the sparseness of available plant and animal life above the surface.

Tracking other vessels on the Silt Sea is made at disadvantage if they have a head start of one day, and becomes impossible after two days of shifting silt.

Economics in a Dying World

Metals are rare and difficult to come by on Athas, so most weapons and armors are made from bits and pieces of large animals, cobbled together from broken skiffs from the Silt Sea, or other such examples of postapocalyptic design.

Similarly, Metallic Currency is a rare and expensive thing. Instead, most people spend their lives trading pieces of Ceramic typically called CP on a character sheet. That's not to say that silver and gold coins, or even platinum and electrum coins, do not exist. Only that they are incredibly rare.

Currency

In the standard Dark Sun setting 10 Bits of Ceramic make up 1 Ceramic Piece, with the idea that you break them off of it. A Bit typically represents a Silver Piece as it would be used in any given setting, while a Ceramic Piece would be treated as a gold piece. An actual Silver Piece would be worth 10ceramic, while a Gold Piece would be worth 100ceramic

Base 12 Currency

As an alternate option, you can choose to use a Base 12 currency system to make things feel a bit different from other campaign settings. In this system, a ceramic piece has three lines scored into it across the center, so that it can be broken into six pieces. Thus 1/6th of a Ceramic would be 1 Bit. 1/3rd would be a Wedge, and 1/2 would be a Crown. A Silver Piece would be worth 12ceramic, and Gold Piece would be worth 144ceramic.

Easy Weapons and Armor

Athasian armor and weapons are rarely made of metal, as previously noted. Instead, they are made of Leather, Wood, Rope, Stone, Carapace, Chitin, Bone, and Crystal. In fact, Athas has it's own entire weapons table which largely supplants the normal weapons one finds in a D&D game such as Rapiers or Battleaxes.

For ease of gameplay, you may opt to simply use the basic weapons and armor from the PHB or other sources and describe them as being made from substandard materials, but treat their effectiveness as equivalent to standard D&D because the weapons being used against them are of a similarly inferior quality.

The next page will contain a few examples of some quick updates you can make of Athasian Weapons for 5th edition.

Consider, however, the following tandem rules for weapons of inferior quality:

Weapon Breakage

When wielding a nonmetal weapon and you roll a Natural One on an attack roll, the weapon becomes broken. Instead of dealing it's normal damage, it instead becomes an improvised weapon of the appropriate size that you are proficient with if you were proficient with it before it was broken. Costs 1/10th as much as a normal PHB weapon of it's type.

Armor Failure

When you roll a Natural One on a Strength or Dexterity saving throw, or a Natural 1 on a Constitution saving throw involving a physical attack or effect, treat your currently worn armor as Broken. While broken, it reduces your movement speed by 10ft, or an additional 10ft if it already reduced your movement rate, and also applies disadvantage to stealth checks, or Dexterity saving throws if it already provided disadvantage to stealth checks. Costs 1/5th as much as a normal PHB Armor of it's type.

Setting specific weapons

Alhulak

A grappling hook with a handle. Deals 1d6 slashing damage with a 15ft reach.

Cahulaks

An Alhulak with no handle and two heads. Has only a 10ft reach, but one weapon can be dual-wielded for 1d6 with each hand.

Carrikal

Essentially a two-bladed battleaxe made from bone.

Chatkcha

A Kreen weapon made of Crystal, it returns on a failed attack roll at the end of the attacker's turn and may be caught for use on their next turn except on a Natural 1.

Dejada

Similar in construction to a Jai Alai glove, the dejada functions similarly to a Sling, but can throw slightly larger and irregularly shaped objects. Ammunition for a Dejada costs nothing, as you can scoop up gravel and other objects to hurl.

Dragon's Paw

The Dragon's Paw is a long duel-ended spear with a handguard blade in the center. Treat it as a Two-Handed weapon which deals 1d12 or 2d6 Piercing damage.

Gythka

Another weapon of Kreen design, the Gythka is a lightweight polearm that can be wielded in one hand or both hands. Treat it as a Versatile Weapon dealing 1d8/1d10 slashing damage.

Tortoise Blade

A combination of a Shield and a Dagger wielded in the same hand. +1 AC, 1d4 damage, but it does not have the Finesse or Throwing properties.

Talid

The Punching Glove, typically with spikes in it. You cannot hold a weapon in the same hand, but can use the hand for other actions. Increases unarmed strike damage by 1 step.

Trikal

Essentially a Halberd with 3 blades and trilateral symmetry.

Peoples of Athas

Athas does not have the full breadth of player races that 5th edition considers to be core or standard, and certainly doesn't contain many of the races common to other campaign settings made for any edition of D&D.

This is in large part due to a long series of genocidal wars perpetrated by the wicked Sorcerer-Kings, the Champions of Rajaat.

Aaracockra, Elves, Dwarves, Githyanki, Halflings, Half Elves, and Humans are all standard races of Athas. In addition, there are Thri Kreen, Half-Giants, Mul, and some DMs like to include Pterrans or Dray.

Dray

Slender, tall, dragonlike humanoids created by the Sorcerer-King Dregoth in his attempts to perfect the process of becoming a Dragon, himself. Just use the Dragonborn racial traits and describe them differently. Especially since Dray get lovely, lovely, tails!

Half Giants

Just use the Goliath Race. Increase their height to 8-9ft tall, and weight commensurately, and replace their Mountain Born trait with Desert Born, granting them resistance to fire damage. Still treat them as Medium, of course, though consider doubling their Food and Water (or Supply) requirements.

Mul

The half-breed offspring of Humans and Dwarves, in original Dark Sun they were physically powerful, intensely durable, and savage fighters. Consider just using Half-Orc racial abilities for Muls.

Pterrans

Tall. Kobolds. Do you really need me to explain that any further? Erase the Sunlight Sensitivity from them and run with it. Heck, if you're adventurous, allow the UA Kobold traits for Roaring and Tail-Swipe attacks.

Thri-Kreen

This is the one race I've actually dreaded, because it doesn't have an easily indicated 5e race that you can use for it's basic attributes. Thri-Kreen are a lot like Eberron's Warforged in that regard. For attributes you should absolutely just use the Tasha's arrangements rather than try to shoehorn the Kreen into one stat array. For other abilities:

Size

Medium. Though you are 8ft long you are quite slender and only partially upright.

Darkvision

60ft

Chameleon Carapace

By spending a bonus action to alter your carapace, you gain advantage to your next stealth check as long as you do not move.

Exoskeleton

When not wearing armor your AC becomes 13+Dexterity Modifier.

Multiple Limbs

You have two smaller arms that can be used to manipulate objects but do not have the strength and coordination to make attacks, defend yourself with a shield, or make somatic gestures for spellcasting. On your turn, you can use these arms to perform the Use an Object action, Ready weapons for your primary arms, or hold onto a surface you are climbing.

Standing Leap

Double your long jump and hight jump distances based on your Strength Score, but you cannot jump backwards.

Torpor

Rather than sleeping, Thri-Kreen enter a 6 hour long torpor during a long rest, during which they are aware of their environment and rouse at a moment's notice. The remaining two hours of a long rest can be spent performing light activity as normal.

Weapons Training

Thri-Kreen are proficient in both the Gythka and Chatkcha.

Athasian Character Classes

Most of the PHB Character classes fit right into Athas without any issues whatsoever. But there are a few which need some tweaking, or outright removal, for the setting to feel like Athas. Below are a series of suggestions for how to handle classes that might not fit well, or seem like they need serious modification.

Bard

Bards in Athas in 2e were really more like a modern Rogue Subclass focusing on Music and Poison. For the 5e Bard, consider cutting them, entirely, reclassifying them into a specific type of Enchanting Psionic Character, or you could tie their musical magic to ancient, elemental, or paraelemental entities.

Cleric

Clerics in Athas do not worship Gods. If Athas ever had gods, it no longer has them. Instead, Clerics here call on Elemental Powers. Consider giving Cleric characters monklike defense and taking away Medium and Heavy armor options, and either using an Elemental Domain or declaring that any domain can be received from Elementals.

Monk

Refluff their stuff to not be Orientalist and give them Psi Points to power their attacks instead of Ki Points.

Paladin

This one is ROUGH. Paladins serve the Sorcerer Kings as Templars. Consider allowing a player to create an Oathbreaker Paladin for play, but all other Paladins should serve the Sorcerer Kings and be wicked and cruel.

Sorcerer

With the Wizard as the primary Arcanist using Defiling and Preserving, Sorcerers are incredibly redundant. If you're using the Sorcerer as a Psionicist Stand-In that's fine and dandy. Otherwise it's recommended that you cut them from the game.

Warlock

An excellent option for a Wasteland Shaman type character, reflavor their pacts as spirits of ancient entities, paraelementals, and the like. They should also have at least one Sorcerer King Patron so that they, too, can function as Templars of a more mystical than martial bent. Treat them as non-Arcane spellcasters.

Wizard

Consider renaming Wizards to Sorcerers both to confound people and fit in with the Sorcerer-Kings.

Nonstandard Classes

Artificer

The Artificer makes a nice generalist character with Psionic power. Particularly with the Archivist subclass. But outside of Halfling Lifeshapers they're going to feel largely out of place. Consider cutting/disallowing Artificers.

Blood Hunter

Yeah, no. They don't really fit much of anywhere, but here? Of all places? Cut them. Or just stand back and let them cut themselves, obviously.