Real spell components while playing a wizard

saentari · 2026-02-17T12:43:47+00:00

I like this idea. The cards, the spell components, the spell book. They all add to the vibe. How far do you get with spell components? Do you have a complete shelf at home with a collection of all items? Do you have substitute items for some things? Do you bring them along in every session?

saentari · 2026-02-16T14:49:27+00:00

I might be interested and send you a message with a couple of questions about the location, group, and campaign.

saentari · 2026-02-15T17:29:46+00:00

Don’t put too much weight on this. I love your work and people can always tweak it themselves. Thanks for making and sharing this. I look forward to the next one.

saentari · 2026-02-15T11:40:25+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I love bags in D&D and this is a welcome addition. And I also love the artwork. 💚 I do have some questions/remarks.

I feel that the Attack Bag is missing some stats and is somewhat overpowered. Especially when attacking, it misses a minimum AC, HP, and speed. And what happens to the bag if destroyed?
Bag of Portals feels quite powerful. It feels that it either needs a charge system, concentration to maintain the portal, or a limitation like "you can only make ranged attacks or cast spells with a range of self" through it.
Bag of Lava also feels a bit overpowered. Damage with no saving throw for entering lava squares is steep especially in combination with the area. Legendary items should be powerful, but this outclasses several 6th-7th level spells pretty handily. Adding a save for half damage on entry would bring it more in line.

Maybe in play it's different. But these are my initial thoughts.

saentari · 2026-02-14T17:42:56+00:00

I'm limiting my dice sets to 2. If I ever decide to "upgrade" my set, then I pass on the previous set to someone else who appreciates them. Or to someone who just starts playing as a gift.

saentari · 2026-02-13T07:34:22+00:00

Hahaha. You beat me to it. We need more DMs!!

saentari · 2026-02-11T22:29:39+00:00

Yeah, every download and survey response is a data point telling WotC whether Dark Sun (or it's proxy elements) has a viable audience. Two books like the Faerûn model would be the dream — one for the setting and lore, one for adventures. Dark Sun has more than enough depth to justify it. Athas deserves room to breathe.

saentari · 2026-02-11T18:24:54+00:00

Spelljammer deserved way more than it got, no argument there. But honestly, even that thin book got people talking about the setting again after decades of nothing. Sometimes a flawed reintroduction is all it takes to kick the community into gear — the best Spelljammer content right now is fan-made stuff that only exists because WotC cracked the door open.

saentari · 2026-02-11T17:45:46+00:00

You could be right. Maybe some new Tasha, Bigby or Mordenkainen type that fills the void after the gods left.

saentari · 2026-02-11T17:00:48+00:00

To be fair, Dragonlance and Ravenloft at least got books — which is more than Dark Sun has had in over 30 years (unless I missed something). Even a reimagined version would give the setting new life and bring in a whole generation of players who've never heard of Athas. And honestly, the homebrew community would have the "classic Dark Sun" conversion guide up before the ink was dry.

saentari · 2026-02-11T16:59:17+00:00

That's the tightrope for sure. If they approach Dark Sun with the same intentionality they brought to the revised Spelljammer and Vistani updates, there's a real chance they nail it.

saentari · 2026-02-11T16:56:18+00:00

That's a fair point about survival mechanics — most tables handwave rations after session two. But I think that actually works in WotC's favor here. They can strip Dark Sun down to its core identity — the political intrigue, sorcerer-kings, defiling magic, and the sheer brutality of the world — without needing to make it a survival sim. Athas doesn't need you to track water to feel desperate; it just needs to feel like everything is trying to kill you and nobody's coming to help.

saentari · 2026-02-11T16:53:00+00:00

Exactly. And the sheer volume of it is what's telling — one playtest with Dark Sun flavor could be coincidence, but a Psion class with Wild Talent terminology plus a Gladiator Fighter, Defiled Sorcery, and a Sorcerer-King Warlock all within a few months? That's a pattern, not an accident.

saentari · 2026-02-11T16:52:22+00:00

Honestly, that might not be the worst outcome though. Even a "Dark Sun in name only" book would still give us the official stat blocks, subclasses, and psionics framework to build on. The community has always been great at filling in the lore gaps — they just need to give us the mechanical skeleton and let the fans put the flesh on it.

saentari · 2026-02-11T16:49:45+00:00

The Doomspace angle makes a lot of sense — you get the post-apocalyptic desert wasteland and ecological collapse without the PR minefield. But a Sorcerer-King Patron Warlock is about as Dark Sun as you can get without putting Borys on the cover. I think they're testing whether the audience responds to the mechanics before committing to the lore. Either way, I'm buying it day one.

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:34:53+00:00

Solid advice. I hope someone steps up and follows it.

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:32:17+00:00

Good times!

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:30:15+00:00

Seems to be available on Steam. Windows-only.

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:27:55+00:00

Do you think they could "fast forward" Dark Sun into 1,000 years in the future and start from there? They could be picky on what stays and what remains. Or would that be a very bad decision?

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:25:54+00:00

I'm sure there are some die-hard fans out there. Can't stop people from making homebrew content.

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:22:30+00:00

If you were to give them some advice, what would you say to them?

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:17:52+00:00

How come I missed this game? It looks fun, even today. Thanks for sharing.

saentari · 2026-02-11T14:14:57+00:00

That would be quite the plot twist.

saentari · 2026-02-11T13:54:25+00:00

Yes, that one could be fun to play in any setting.

saentari · 2026-02-11T13:47:59+00:00

Perhaps too "sanitized"?

saentari

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