Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Chapter 1: Character Creation

As the Dragon Queen's forces march across Krynn, heroic souls rise to defy her. Forged in the crucible of war, these remarkable few are all that stand between the peace-loving peoples of Krynn and an age of oppression.

This chapter presents player-facing details of peoples and groups in Krynn, as well as character options supplementing the rules in the Player's Handbook. Herein, you'll find the following sections:

x Learn about the peoples of Krynn and how they might inspire your next character.

x Play as a kender, a character race known for bravery and curiosity.

x Discover two of Krynn's most influential groups, the honorable Knights of Solamnia and the mystical Mages of High Sorcery.

x Learn how war shapes your character, and choose from two new backgrounds: the Knight of Solamnia and Mage of High Sorcery.

x Draw on the power of magic, honor, or the gods with this selection of feats.

x Tie your magic to Krynn's three mystical moons with the Lunar Sorcery sorcerer subclass.

[image: Adventuring defenders of Solamnia bring down a red dragon servant of the Dragon Queen]

Peoples of Krynn

The Dragon Armies threaten all the peoples of Krynn. This section presents information about the inhabitants of the continent of Ansalon and contextualizes the races from the Player's Handbook within the world of Krynn. The locations referenced in this section appear on the poster map included with this book.

Dwarves

While known for their great subterranean nations, dwarves have long traded and traveled among the peoples of Krynn's surface. The Cataclysm devastated many dwarven lands and destroyed some of their greatest underground kingdoms. Others, like the nation of Kayolin, were isolated from their allies as the New Sea flooded the land. And some, like the great dwarven realm of Thorbardin, turned inward and have yet to rejoin the world.

[image: Dwarf Adventurer from the Nation of Thorbardin]

Thorbardin and the Dwarfgate War

The kingdom of Thorbardin has endured beneath the Kharolis Mountains of southwest Ansalon for thousands of years, but the centuries since the Cataclysm have created new divisions within it.

The dwarves of Thorbardin divide themselves into ancient clans. Many generations before the Cataclysm, dwarves who dwelled on the surface established the Neidar clan, known for working the land and trading with other surface folk. In the wake of the Cataclysm, with food scarce and the future uncertain, the High King of Thorbardin sealed the gates of the kingdom to all outsiders, including the Neidar. Betrayed and hungry, these surface dwarves allied with other desperate refugees and unsuccessfully attempted to take Thorbardin by force. The conflict that came to be called the Dwarfgate War caused deep enmity between the dwarven communities of the surface and those that live below.

Mountain Dwarves

Led by the aristocratic Hylar clan, mountain dwarves are the unquestioned rulers of Thorbardin. Many great fighters, engineers, and artisans call these magnificent halls home. Proud and reserved, most Thorbardin clans want nothing to do with outsiders—dwarves or otherwise. However, some dwarves grow tired of life within their ancient tunnels and wonder about rejoining the world above.

As a mountain dwarf, you might come from a dwarven nation like Kayolin or Thorbardin. You could be part of an expedition of traders or explorers, sent by your people to live on the surface for years before reporting back. Or you might have ventured forth on your own, eager to see what the wider world holds.

Hill Dwarves

The dwarves barred from Thorbardin experienced the years following the Cataclysm on the surface. Now known as hill dwarves, they lived among the lands and peoples of the surface for centuries. Few still call themselves by their old name, the Neidar, preferring to forget their ties to their mountain dwarf cousins.

Some hill dwarves live as traveling traders, while others make their homes among the communities of Ansalon's other peoples. Still other groups eke out lives in ruins or harsh lands as reclusive survivalists.

As a hill dwarf, you might come from lands near the great mountain dwarf nations or from a diverse town far away. Or perhaps you come from everywhere, having been raised in a traveling community that's seen most corners of Ansalon.

Elves

Several distinct elven cultures inhabit Ansalon, including the Qualinesti and Silvanesti high elves, the Kagonesti wood elves, and the Dargonesti and Dimernesti sea elves.

Over two thousand years ago, the Kinslayer War divided the high elves of Ansalon into two groups, Silvanesti in the east and Qualinesti in the west. Through the intervening millennia, neither group has sought reconciliation. In the even more distant past, both high elf nations separated from their Kagonesti kin, while the waves themselves isolate Dargonesti and Dimernesti from their surface-dwelling cousins.

As the elves of Ansalon largely keep to themselves, half-elves are few and are rarely seen outside the elven nations.

Silvanesti High Elves

Silvanesti, the original elven kingdom, lies in southern Ansalon. For untold generations, the aloof Silvanesti elves lived in a stratified society closed to outsiders. They don't hate their cousins in Qualinesti, but they consider their ways misguided.

In recent years, war has come to Silvanesti. When the Dragon Armies besieged the realm, the leader Lorac Caladon, Speaker of the Stars, ordered his people to evacuate. Lorac then attempted to defend the kingdom with an orb of dragonkind—but the artifact's magic unexpectedly warped Silvanesti into a nightmarish land. The surviving elves of Silvanesti now find themselves a people without a homeland. Most journeyed together across the sea to Southern Ergoth, seeking refuge with the Kagonesti, while others refused to give up Silvanesti and sought to reclaim their ancestral home.

As a Silvanesti high elf, you know what few in Ansalon do: the home of the elves has fallen. During the Dragon Armies' invasion of Silvanesti, you might have been separated from your people or even taken captive before escaping the Dragon Armies in unfamiliar lands. You could have fled Silvanesti with your people but now seek a way to restore your homeland. Or perhaps you've spent your life exploring the world, cultivating relationships with people other than your kin.

Qualinesti High Elves

[image: In Qualinesti, a scout warns of threats encroaching on the elven city's borders]

Long ago, a group of high elves left Silvanesti, desiring a more egalitarian society. They traveled far to the west and founded a new forested homeland called Qualinesti. Less hierarchical than their progenitors and more willing to deal with outsiders, Qualinesti elves even enjoyed good relations with the dwarves of Thorbardin. Since the Cataclysm, however, they've withdrawn from the world, and few outsiders dare approach their well-guarded borders.

As a Qualinesti high elf, you might have been raised in seclusion in the forests of Qualinesti. You could have been sent forth to learn the state of the wider world or to pursue rumors of Silvanesti's fate. Or perhaps your family left Qualinesti long ago, and you have connections with folk from other lands.

Kagonesti Wood Elves

Kagonesti are the descendants of elves who never settled in the forest cities of Silvanesti, instead living a nomadic way of life and seeking harmony with nature. Most of these wood elves live in small tribes in the forests of Southern Ergoth. Although few outsiders intrude on the Kagonesti's ancient forested lands, thousands of Silvanesti refugees have begun seeking their aid. While the Kagonesti welcome their cousins and seek to support them, they refuse to be overwhelmed by the Silvanesti's numbers and distinct ways.

As a Kagonesti wood elf, you likely spent a great deal of your life in the forest and know much about the natural world. You might have left years ago to explore the world, or perhaps you've just begun your travels, seeking to prevent the threats that befell the Silvanesti from reaching your people's home.

Sea Elves

Two groups of sea elves inhabit the oceans surrounding Ansalon. Dargonesti, also known as deep elves, call the vast oceans home. Their cousins, Dimernesti, are often called shoal elves. Although Dimernesti live closer to land, they have deep bonds with the sea and all life within. Both groups of sea elves are rarely seen by the peoples of Ansalon and keep to their own aquatic communities. Though sea elves are exceptionally rare, you can create sea elf characters using Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.

Gnomes

Mount Nevermind—a hollow, dormant volcano on the island of Sancrist—is a hub of wonders and catastrophes. Here, energetic gnome inventors endlessly create and test stupendous devices—and learn from equally stupendous failures.

Forest gnomes are less populous in Ansalon. Their few communities lie deep in the forests of Sancrist and Kendermore, where they embrace harmony with nature over the pursuit of invention.

As a gnome, you might be a tinker pursuing some niche scientific endeavor, coaxed from Mount Nevermind to conduct research or to seek inspiration beyond the mountain. Alternatively, you might be a forest gnome, exploring the wonders of the world or seeking to heal the lands of the Cataclysm's scars.

The tinker gnomes of Mount Nevermind are the best-known gnome community on Krynn. Despite living in a world steeped in magical forces, many of these rock gnomes indulge in specialized scientific pursuits and create complicated inventions.

[image: A tinker gnome from Mount Nevermind fine-tunes his latest invention]

Humans

Humans are ubiquitous on Ansalon. They ruled the continent's largest empires before the Cataclysm, then were scattered during the devastation that followed. Many humans never resettled after the Cataclysm, joining itinerant and nomadic cultures. Human cities are few and usually small, developed around natural structures that sheltered communities following the Cataclysm.

As a human, you might hail from any corner of Krynn. Below are just a few of the distinct human nations of Ansalon. You might be a member of any of these societies, or you can choose another home to define as you please.

Abanasinia

Several peaceful communities dot the Abanasinia region, including Solace, a village built among the branches of towering Vallenwood trees. In recent years, the theocratic Seekers have risen to power in the region. This power-hungry religion controls the city of Haven and surrounding settlements in the name of vague, fickle deities who condemn the use of magic.

The broad plains of the northern Abanasinian peninsula are home to nomadic humans known as Plainsfolk. Divided into several tribes with territories across the region, Plainsfolk are skilled warriors, traders, and collectors of stories that predate the Cataclysm.

Northern and Southern Ergoth

The Cataclysm split the land of Ergoth in two, dividing the remnants of the human empire that once ruled there. On Northern Ergoth, scattered communities claim to be inheritors of the fallen Empire of Ergoth and dwell among the remnants of its cities and fortresses. These Ergothians enjoy a prosperous peace with the kender enclave of Hylo and the goblins of the arid southern lands, with whom they share their island. Fewer humans make their home on Southern Ergoth, living primarily along the coast and avoiding dangerous groups of ogres and giants.

Solamnia

Once a mighty empire, Solamnia has fallen from the glory it knew. Though Solamnia remains one of the largest and most prosperous nations on the continent, its provinces are self-concerned and prone to squabbling. The land's once-legendary defenders, the Knights of Solamnia, are much diminished in numbers. Nevertheless, the knights still stand as defenders of the innocent and paragons of honor.

Tarsis

After the Cataclysm, the verdant plains of southern Ansalon wasted away, becoming the Plains of Dust. Coastlines shifted, and the city of Tarsis found itself a seaport without a sea. In the dry harbor, decrepit remnants of the city's famed ships list on waves of sand. The rest of the city clings to life as a trade hub for small communities and itinerant bands across the plains. Those who dwell here have adapted their ancestors' seafaring ways to their current arid environment, becoming hunters, scavengers, and traders.

[image: Humans from the Lands of Tarsis, Ergoth, and Abanasinia]

Other Lands

Other parts of Ansalon are home to distinctive tribes of nomads and small, diverse settlements.

Estwilde

The fiercely independent human tribes of Estwilde travel the steppes of Qlettaar from the Turbidus Ocean to New Sea. These nomads brook no trespassing on their lands, whether by Solamnics or hobgoblin raiders from the east.

Goodlund

While Goodlund is predominantly inhabited by kender, scattered human tribes wander the Dairly Plains and coasts bordering the Blood Sea of Istar. Many inhabit ancient Istarian ruins, occasionally forced to grapple with half-understood technology and magic from the ancient past.

Icereach

The humans of Icereach live in the frozen south, where they compete with groups of thanoi (walrus-folk) for hunting grounds.

Khur

The nomadic human tribes of Khur inhabit a harsh, rocky land. These groups have been forcibly united under the local leader Salah-Khan, who allied his people with the Dragon Armies. A robust resistance, centered at the trade hub of Khuri-Khan, opposes the invaders.

Nordmaar

Most humans of Nordmaar live either in rugged coastal communities to the north or among the nomadic tribes of the south. Both proud groups have strong ties with the people of Solamnia.

Race Option

The kender is a race option for player characters in Dragonlance and other D&D settings.

[image: Kender adventurers follow their curiosity to their next adventure]

Creating Your Character

If you create a kender character, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character's ability scores, increase one of those scores by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy.

The "Quick Build" section for your character's class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You're free to follow those suggestions or to ignore them. Whichever scores you decide to increase, none of the scores can be raised above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player's Handbook offers a list of widespread languages to choose from. The DM is free to add or remove languages from that list for a particular campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including every player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters, including kender, are of the Humanoid type. Creature types don't have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the text of the cure wounds spell specifies that the spell doesn't work on a creature that has the Construct type.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn't meet a violent end on an adventure.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you'd like to determine your character's height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player's Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Organizations

In eras past, when Krynn faced times of exceptional darkness, champions stepped forth from the ranks of the virtuous x and the mystical x. These two organizations are detailed here.

Knights of Solamnia

Many celebrated heroes have risen from the Knights of Solamnia, the most storied knighthood on Ansalon. The knighthood began over a thousand years ago, during the reign of the Ergothian Empire in western Ansalon. Vinas Solamnus, head of the Ergothian imperial guard, was sent to eastern Ergoth to put down a massive rebellion. However, Solamnus learned of the rebels' grievances and, won over to their cause, he and the rebels marched on the Ergothian capital of Daltigoth. The capital fell, and Vinas Solamnus was crowned king of a new independent nation on the eastern plains, called Solamnia in his honor.

King Solamnus sought above all to rule this new society justly. On the Isle of Sancrist, at a black granite stone in a secluded glade, he prayed to the gods for guidance. Three of the gods of good appeared to him: Paladine, god of justice and order; Kiri-Jolith, god of just warfare; and Habbakuk, god of nature, loyalty, and the elements. The three gods inspired three orders of knights that would guard the realm together as the Knights of Solamnia.

Tarnished Pride

Before the Cataclysm, Solamnia was a beacon of peace and prosperity. The knights established great cities and castles across the Plains of Solamnia, including Solanthus, Castle Brightblade, and Dargaard Keep. They ruled in accordance with the ideals of Vinas Solamnus, and they forged an alliance with Istar that spread those ideals across the world. The people of Solamnia attributed their prosperity to the wise and just rulership of the knights.

In the wake of the Cataclysm, faith in the knighthood soured to suspicion. Rumors spread that the knighthood had possessed the power to avert the Cataclysm and either failed to or chose not to—perhaps to dispense with Istar and solidify the knights' power.

Most knights still tried to defend the realm as their duty demanded, but they found themselves beset on all sides, dying to protect people who rejected and persecuted them. Most fled to Sancrist Isle in the west or retreated to the protection of their strongholds and keeps, while others disguised themselves to continue their work.

Their power waning, the knights today are locked in a bitter internal feud: Is it better to maintain their strict codes even in the face of obsolescence, secure in the knowledge they were true to themselves? Or should they embrace a changing world and fight to defend it, even if the knights must change with it?

The Oath and the Measure

[image: Emblems Top to Bottom: Order of the Crown, Order of the Rose, and Order of the Sword]

The Knights of Solamnia follow a chivalric code with two parts: the Oath and the Measure, both inspired by the writings of Vinas Solamnus. The Oath is simple and aspirational—a star to navigate by—while the Measure lays out specific rules for the organization and conduct of the knighthood.

The Oath

The Oath of the Knights of Solamnia has been the same since Vinas Solamnus founded the knighthood: "Est Sularus oth Mithas," or "My Honor Is My Life." This principle—to sacrifice all for the sake of honor—guides the actions of every knight, at least in theory.

The Measure

In contrast to the Oath, the Measure is a staggeringly complicated, excruciatingly specific guide to knightly life. Originally put forth by Vinas Solamnus as an organizational scheme and code of conduct for the knightly orders, the Measure grew over the years to encompass thirty-seven volumes, covering everything from courtly etiquette to the proper saddling of mounts. According to the Measure, the knights no longer have sufficient numbers to elect a new Grand Master, the highest office in the knighthood, leaving them without an authority who could overrule or update the Measure.

Despite this, a growing minority of knights push for a reform of the Measure, believing that it's unwieldy and outdated and that it no longer serves the ideals laid down by their founder.

Knightly Orders

Each Solamnic knight belongs to one of three orders. Each order, led by a High Knight elected from among its number, has its own hierarchy and rules for admission.

Knights of the Crown

Most knights begin their journey as squires in the Knights of the Crown, who honor the god Habbakuk as their patron. The order emphasizes ideals of loyalty and obedience that serve as a bedrock whether a knight chooses to remain within the order or move beyond it. Knights of the Crown are expected to aid any knight who requires assistance and any kingdom on the List of Loyalty, the official roll of the Knights' allies.

Knights of the Sword

Dedicated to heroic honor, courage, and reverence for the true gods, this order upholds the virtues of Kiri-Jolith, the god of just war. Members dedicate themselves to courageous sacrifice, pledging to defend the defenseless without regard for the knights' personal suffering. Knights who join this order often undertake a heroic quest to prove their worth.

Knights of the Rose

Guided by the god Paladine, the Knights of the Rose exemplify honor tempered by wisdom and justice. Before joining their ranks, most knights rise within the Knights of the Sword after serving with the Knights of the Crown. Those who prove both their loyalty and courage are fit to join this order, which upholds the knighthood's highest ideals.

Mages of High Sorcery

Many magic-users on Krynn are members of an ancient organization known as the Mages of High Sorcery. Predominantly composed of wizards—with a lesser number of sorcerers, warlocks, and other spellcasters—members are divided into three orders. Each order dedicates itself to virtues extolled by a god of magic and honors the moon its deity is associated with. The three orders cooperate as part of a single organization, overseen by a council of experienced members known as the Conclave.

Equally devoted to the study of magic and united in defending their knowledge and traditions, the three orders differ in their fundamental reasons for using magic.

Order of the White Robes

Dedicated to the good god Solinari, the White Robes accept the solemn responsibility of using magic only to make the world a better place. The path they walk is a narrow one, and almost daily, a mage of the White Robes faces the agonizing decision of whether to intervene in the affairs of others for the greater good.

Order of the Red Robes

Inspired by the neutral god Lunitari, the Red Robes help others when it suits them and use their gifts for their own enrichment as they desire. Mages of the Red Robes are expected to wield their power responsibly, represent their order faithfully, and uphold the balance between good and evil in their own actions and the world at large.

Order of the Black Robes

Often reviled and feared in equal measure, the Black Robes follow the example of the evil god Nuitari, the black moon of Krynn. A mage of the Black Robes is expected to first further their own ambitions, then pursue the goals of their order, and then support the continued well-being of the Conclave.

Towers of High Sorcery

Thousands of years ago, the Mages of High Sorcery cooperated to build five Towers of High Sorcery, centers of learning to advance the craft of magic and the interests of the orders. Three of the towers were destroyed during the Cataclysm, and a fourth—the once unsurpassed Tower of Palanthas—lies cursed and empty. The only tower remaining in operation, the Tower of Wayreth, now serves as headquarters of the Mages of High Sorcery and repository of their greatest secrets.

The Test of High Sorcery

An apprentice mage who seeks to join one of the three orders must first pass a trial known as the Test of High Sorcery. Every mage's test is different, tailored to both the order they wish to join and their own personal challenges and aspirations. Nonetheless, a few elements are always present.

Lethal Failure

The primary purpose of the test is to weed out those who would misuse magic. Every test is designed so failure means death. There is no judge, no score, and little chance of surviving a failed test.

Magical Acumen

A mage must wield magic with competence, creativity, and control. Every test requires a mage to use the most advanced magic they've learned—and, sometimes, to push beyond it.

Test of Character

The mages of the Conclave need to know the apprentice will honor the laws of their order, no matter the circumstance. To this end, the test confronts an apprentice with bitter moral and emotional choices as well as magical challenges.

Illusion and Reality

Friends, enemies, and loved ones might appear in the test, along with all manner of hazards and puzzles. The applicant has no way of knowing which challenges are illusory and which are real. In some cases, the test has lasting consequences for an applicant's life beyond the order.

Renegade Mages

If a spellcaster leaves or is thrown out of the Mages of High Sorcery, or they fail the Test of High Sorcery and survive, the organization's leaders forbid them from continuing to practice magic. Mages who practice magic in defiance of the Conclave are deemed renegades. Members of the robed orders are duty-bound to report and oppose such renegades. Some order members hunt renegades, seeking to punish or slay those who've defied the Mages of High Sorcery.

Backgrounds

When you make a character for a Dragonlance campaign, choose one of the backgrounds in this section or select a background from the Player's Handbook or another source.

This section presents two new backgrounds for characters from the world of Krynn: the Knight of Solamnia and the Mage of High Sorcery.

Bonus Feats

Whatever background you choose for a character in a Dragonlance campaign, you gain bonus feats, as detailed below. Characters involved in the War of the Lance or other conflicts on Krynn are changed by the dramatic experiences they face.

1st-Level Bonus Feat

If you select the Knight of Solamnia or the Mage of High Sorcery background, you gain the feat specified in that background. If the background you choose doesn't provide a feat, you gain a bonus feat of your choice from the following list (a parenthesis tells you where to find the feat):

4th-Level Bonus Feat

At 4th level, you gain another bonus feat of your choice from either the 1st-level list above or the following list (a parenthesis tells you where to find the feat):

You gain this bonus feat at 4th level regardless of your background—even if you have the Knight of Solamnia or Mage of High Sorcery background. You must meet all prerequisites if the feat you choose has any.

Feats

This section introduces feats related to the Knights of Solamnia and the Mages of High Sorcery, along with a general feat available to characters seeking a special divine connection. These feats are available to you whenever you normally choose a feat, and they follow the feat rules in the Player's Handbook.

Sorcerer Subclass

A sorcerer has the Sorcerous Origin feature, which offers you the choice of a subclass. The following option is available when making that choice: Lunar Sorcery.

[image: A human sorcerer draws on the magic of Krynn's moons]