🔥🐾 Welcome to City of Felines🐾🔥 A Dark Sun Adventure

Creating your character

Creating characters for a Dark Sun adventure is a gritty, imaginative process that emphasizes survival, psionics, and moral ambiguity. Here's how to approach it: 🧬 Core Principles of Dark Sun Character Creation Start with a Character Tree: Players roll up four characters—one active and three inactive. This allows flexibility and continuity in a deadly world where death is common. Unique Race: Dark Sun features exotic races like: Thri-kreen (insectoid hunters) Mul (half-dwarf gladiators) Half-Giants (massive warriors) Aarakocra, Elves, and Dwarves with unique Athasian traits. Survival-Driven Class: Gladiator (Fighter variant) Psion (essential in Athas) Templar (servants of Sorcerer-Kings) Druid (protectors of rare natural sanctuaries) Rogue, Bard, or Ranger with desert adaptations 🧠 Psionics Over Magic Arcane magic defiles the land, so most spellcasters are feared or hunted. Psionics are common and respected—every character should consider a psionic talent or background. 🏜️ Themes and Backgrounds Use Dark Sun-specific themes like: Slave, Wasteland Nomad, Veiled Alliance Agent, or Arena Champion Backgrounds should reflect hardship: survival, betrayal, and resilience. ⚔️ Gear and Resources Metal is rare. Weapons are made from bone, obsidian, or chitin. Water and food are more valuable than gold. Magic items are scarce and often cursed or defiling. 🧭 Alignment and Morality Characters are often morally gray. Alignments must be consistent across the character tree (e.g., all good or all evil) Law vs. chaos matters less than survival and loyalty.

Preparing for the session

Make a roll20.net account. I will help if any assistance is required. Preparing for a Dark Sun adventure is unlike any other D&D campaign. Athas is brutal, unforgiving, and morally complex—players need to be ready for survival, scarcity, and hard choices. Here's how you can prepare: 🧭 Mindset & Expectations Embrace the Harshness: Athas is not a heroic world. Expect moral ambiguity, betrayal, and survival over glory. Be Flexible: Death is common. Character Trees (multiple characters per player) help maintain continuity. Collaborate on Tone: Discuss with the DM and group what themes are in play—slavery, defiling magic, gladiatorial combat—and what boundaries exist.

What The Teal brings to the table

Running a Dark Sun campaign demands more than just dice and rulebooks—it requires atmosphere, preparation, and a mindset that embraces the brutal beauty of Athas.

Homebrew rules

🏜️ Survival Mechanics Water & Food Tracking: Players must manage daily water and food rations. Dehydration and starvation cause exhaustion and eventually death. Heat Exposure: Prolonged exposure to Athas’s sun requires Constitution saves or levels of exhaustion. Encumbrance Matters: Use variant encumbrance rules to reflect the harsh terrain and limited resources. ⚔️ Weapon & Armor Rules Material Scarcity: Metal weapons are rare and expensive. Most gear is made from bone, obsidian, or chitin and has a chance to break on a critical fail. Weapon Breakage: Non-metal weapons break on a natural 1 or when striking metal armor. Optional: roll a d6 after each combat to check for wear. 🧠 Psionics Integration Psionics for All: Every character starts with a minor psionic talent (cantrip-level ability). 🌱 Defiling Magic Defiling vs. Preserving: Arcane casters choose to defile (gain power, damage surroundings) or preserve (weaker, but safe). Defiling damages nearby plant life and causes disadvantage on Nature checks in the area. Environmental Impact: Frequent defiling can turn lush areas into barren wastelands over time. 🧬 Character Creation Tweaks Character Trees: Each player creates 3–4 characters. When one dies, another steps in. Racial Adjustments: Thri-kreen are Large and have natural armor. Muls gain exhaustion resistance and brutal endurance. Elves are nomadic sprinters, not forest dwellers. 🏛️ Social & Political Systems Templars as Warlocks: Their patron is the Sorcerer-King. Slavery System: Optional mechanics for slave collars, rebellion, and social status. Arena Fame: Gladiators earn renown, which can be spent for favors, gear, or influence.

How The Teal creates a safe table

For a Dark Sun adventure—where themes of slavery, survival, and moral ambiguity are front and center—it's essential to use robust safety tools to ensure everyone feels respected and secure. 🛡️ Pre-Game Safety Tools Lines and Veils: Define hard limits (Lines) and fade-to-black topics (Veils) before play begins. For Dark Sun, this might include slavery, body horror, or psychological abuse. The X-Card: A simple tool where any player can tap or raise the card to signal discomfort. The scene is then paused, rewound, or skipped without explanation. Stars and Wishes: After each session, players share what they liked (Stars) and what they hope to see or avoid (Wishes). This helps shape the tone and content collaboratively. Session 0: A must-have. Discuss tone, themes, character expectations, and safety tools. Establish trust and shared boundaries. ⏸️ In-Game Safety Tools Open Door Policy: Players can leave the game at any time for any reason—no questions asked. Script Change: Offers commands like “Pause,” “Rewind,” or “Fast Forward” to adjust scenes in real time. Check-Ins: Use verbal or visual cues (like traffic light signals) to gauge comfort levels during intense moments. 🧭 Post-Game Safety Tools Debriefing: A short discussion after each session to process emotions, clarify boundaries, and adjust future content. Anonymous Feedback: Allow players to submit concerns privately, especially useful in paid or public games.