Dark Sun Campaign Setting Classes

[Kyriani Agrivar]

Warrior Classes:
There are three different classes within the warrior group on Athas: fighter, ranger, and gladiator. Each is conditioned for a particular style of combat.

The fighter is a skilled warrior, trained for both individual combat and warfare in military formations. Characters of this type are the mainstay of any organized military force.

The ranger is a warrior knowledgeable in the ways of the wilderness, skilled in surviving the rigors of the wild oases and the brutal stretches of desert between them. Many slave tribesmen are rangers.

The gladiator is a specialized warrior trained for combat in the arenas. He is skilled in the use of many obscure weapons and combat techniques, including those peculiar to specific combat games and exhibitions popular among the general populace.

* KYRI CHIMES IN: While in 2nd edition Dark Sun there are no Paladins or Monks there is certainly enough material to draw on to explain an Athasian equivalent. Recent 3rd edition information from Dragon Magazine also spoke of adding Paladins to Dark Sun and the Villichi of the dark sun setting are pretty much the equivalent to a monk. My advice to explain a paladin type character (and this isn't including sorcerers who take a paladin level for saving throws. In that case you aren't a paladin you're simply taking a skill package) is to base yourself around serving a spirit of the land or an element as a more warrior based champion. Since paladins are a divine based class thats probably the best way to explain them. The prestige classes can all be explained using dark sun material or the skill package point of view. *

[Kyriani Agrivar]

Arcane Spellcaster Classes:

A wizard or sorcerer is able to capture and master magical energies. However, on Athas, magic and the ecosystem are irrevocably bound; no one, not even a wizard or sorcerer, can affect one without affecting the other.

All players must decide at the beginning of their careers whether they are trying to work with nature or without regard for it. In Dark Sun, this means a spellcaster must be either a defiler or a preserver. * KYRI CHIMES IN: On Athas Reborn Wizards are Preservers (and almost always of good alignment) and Sorcerers are Defilers (and almost always of evil alignment). Our gear reflects this with class/alignment restrictions so be aware *

The defiler is a spellcaster who activates tremendous magical energy without regard to its effect on the environment. With the casting of each spell, a defiler destroys a portion of the world's ecosystem, rendering it dead and sterile. The means by which a defiler learns and uses magic is comparatively easy to master, so he advances quickly.

The preserver attempts to use magic in concert with the environment. Learning how to wield such magic on Athas is especially difficult, so the preserver's advancement is slow.

[Kyriani Agrivar]

Priest Classes:

There are three types of priests on Athas: clerics, templars, and druids.

The cleric is a free-willed priest, tending the needs of the local people with his particular talents. On Athas, clerics draw their magical energy directly
from one of the four elemental planes: earth, air, fire, or water; not from any manner of deity.

The templar is a regimented priest devoted to a single sorcerer-king. Such disciples work within the hierarchy of that particular sorcerer-king's clergy, advancing in power and position. A templar draws his magical energy through his sorcerer-king.

The druid is a priest tied to a particular feature or aspect of Athas. Unique geographic features are guarded by spirits when druids serve. For example, a pooled oasis has its own spirit and a single druid will reside there to protect it and preside over its use by humans, demihumans, and animals.

[Kyriani Agrivar]

Rogue Classes:

Athas is a world of corruption and power where rogues are well-suited to success. There are still those, however, who use their disreputable talents toward noble ends, but they are especially rare. There are two types of rogues on Athas: thieves and bards.

The thief is a rogue whose strengths lie in stealth and pilfering. On Athas the thief can be regarded as a talented individual for hire-some city states do not even consider the thief as a wrongdoer; only the person who hired him is guilty of a crime. The thief may also be a simple robber seeking personal wealth or redemption.

The bard is a rogue who uses songs and tales as his tools. He is a man of wit and comradeship. With few other talents to offer, the bard is still a welcome source of entertainment and information across Athas.

* KYRI CHIMES IN: Bards in 2nd ed Dark Sun had no spells or scroll use ability and access to all rogue skills and the ability to use poisons. In NWN bard/assassin bard/blackguard hybrids are ideal for Athasian Bards *

[Kyriani Agrivar]