After several years of work and contributions by members of athas.org, the pristine tower project, and others in the community, we are pleased to announce an updated release of the DS3 core rules!
The latest version has the following changes:
updated easier to read layout
new organisational system with clickable table of contents links, and a more thorough index.
separate Player and DM Sections, and separate chapters for the timeline and inner planes respectively
new prologue discussing how to handle sensitive game topics with new generations of players
countless small refinements and expanded explanations/illustrations of rules and lore.
fully illustrated pages full of great art created by the Dark Sun community over the past 20 years
A final release of the Life-Shaping Handbook is now available here. LSH contains rules for creating life-shaped items and creatures, 2 new character races, almost 30 new feats, 8 new prestige classes, and more than 30 new monsters.
This final release incorporates community feedback, a new chapter with 3 adventure sites, and a new monster.
The Life-Shaping Handbook is designed for use in any Dark Sun 3.5 game. You will need the Playerâs Handbook (PH), Dungeon Masterâs Guide (DMG), Monster Manual (MM) as well as the Dark Sun Core Rules (DS3) to make use of the material in this book.
A beta release of Legends of Athas is now available here. This is a playtest release of 6 epic prestige classes, including the Athasian dragon and the avangion; more than 30 new epic feats; over 30 epic spells and power; over 30 artifacts, both conversions and brand new ones; as well as a collection of epic monsters. The final version of LoA will include stats for Athasian epic NPCs, including all sorcerer-kings; details about Athasian epic organizations; and more epic spells and monsters.
Please submit playtesting feedback to templarate@lists.athas.org.
The Athasian Emporium is now open for business! <p> A beta release of the Athasian Emporium is available. This is a playtest release of more than a hundred magic and psionic items, both new and old. The Athasian Emporium also provides informations on vehicles, equipments, poisons and poison-related feats, drugs, foods, and currency, as well as introducing many new weapons and armor. All that and more for help running a Dark Sun campaign. Please submit playtesting feedback to templarate at lists.athas.org </p>
A beta release of Prestige Class appendix, Volume2 is available. This is a playtest release of a compilation of Prestige classes designed and submitted by members of the Dark Sun community. Please submit playtesting feedback to templarate@lists.athas.org
This new class supplements the NPC classes found in Chapter 4 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Psychic Adept
Not all those with psionic ability have the time, resources, or inclination to fully exploit their psionic potential. Artisans sometimes discover a useful psionic power, but are too caught up in their mundane crafts and responsibilities to obtain training or to dedicate themselves to psionic self-discovery. Slaves and day laborers cannot afford psionic training, and their social rank bars them from psionic education in many societies. Additionally the exhausting drudgery of their lives leaves little time for self-exploration, so only the most gifted become wilders. A few spoiled and lazy nobles have had the benefit of a rigorous psionic education, unlocking their psionic potential, put little Will into their Way. In the wastes, Psychic Adepts often rise to prominence, often serving their isolated community as a seer or healer. Those with telepathic “gifts” often speak for the tribe when dealing with outsiders. In almost any society, some psychic adepts ply their gifts handling dangerous animals such as mekillots.
Game Rule Information
Psychic Adepts have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma determines how powerful a power a Psychic Adept can manifest and how hard those powers are to resist.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Dice: d4.
Class Skills
The Psychic Adept’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Psicraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Psychic Adept NPC class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Psychic Adepts are skilled with all simple weapons. Psychic Adepts are not proficient with any type of armor nor with shields.
Power Points/Day: A Psychic Adept’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on the table below. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Charisma score (see Table 2-1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points, on page 18 of the Expanded Psionics Handbook). His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.
Powers Known: A Psychic Adept begins play knowing one power of your choice, and the rest of his powers known is given on the table below.
Choose the powers known from the psion/wilder list, the psychic warrior list, and the discipline lists. A Psychic Adept can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than his manifester level.
The total number of powers a Psychic Adept can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points.
A Psychic Adept simply knows his powers; they are ingrained in his mind. He does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though he must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all his spent power points.
The Difficulty Class for saving throws against Psychic Adept powers is 10 + the power’s level + the Psychic Adept’s Charisma modifier.
Maximum Power Level Known: A Psychic Adept begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers.
To learn or manifest a power, a Psychic Adept must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the power’s level.
