Races of Ansalon (3.5e)
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In the beginning of the world¸ the gods created ogres¸ elves¸ and humans to populate the newly-formed world of Krynn. The passage of time - and the introduction of Chaos to the world in the form of the Graygem of Gargath - led to creation of many new races¸ from the graceful elves of the sea to the grubby Aghar. These are the Races of Ansalon.
"This sourcebook contains detailed information on the major and minor races that populate the world of the Dragonlance setting. Races of Ansalon provides both source material and game statistics useful for a Dragonlance campaign. New prestige classes and racial substitution levels - along with new feats¸ spells¸ and magical items - provide new options for the characters. Story hooks¸ pre-generated characters¸ and other details will be valuable resource to any Dungeon Master. Also included are variant rules for racial lore¸ kender pouch grabs¸ and gnomish inventions.
he Children of the Stars... and of Chaos!
The elves shape their future amidst the tragedy of exile¸ while the dwarves struggle to carve theirs from internecine strife. The minotaurs proclaim manifest destiny¸ while the kender look to a future without affliction. The gnomes assemble a collective future from cogs and gear shafts¸ while goblins shake theirs free from the oppressors of the past. Ogres follow a cunning leader into a future of imagined glory; humans gather around rulers bold enough to see a clear destiny. These are the races of Ansalon.
Races of Ansalon is a resource for games set in the world of Dragonlance. It is an encyclopedia of cultures that details everything from racial relations and psychology to history and language. Old favorites like the Qualinesti elves and the kender of Hylo are revisited in the light of new information from the novels¸ while lesser-known breeds such as the ursoi and phaethon are revealed for the first time as fully-imagined player character races. Each chapter is devoted to one of Ansalon's racial types¸ with additional information on mixed-race characters and an assortment of character options such as alternative class features and prestige classes. An appendix presents racially themed magic items¸ feats¸ vital statistics¸ and cultural weapons to get the most out of your Tarmak¸ half-gnome¸ or Irda All information within this volume is fully compatible with the revised edition of the d20 System game.
Ready to try something different? Eager to revisit something familiar? Packed with information gleaned from hundreds of Dragonlance novels and game products¸ fully updated and revised¸ this volume offers something for any player¸ Dungeon Master¸ or even the casual reader in the world of Krynn¸ and is an essential resource for any Dragonlance campaign.
Product History
Races of Ansalon (2007)¸ by Cam Banks¸ Sean Macdonald¸ Clark Valentine¸ and Trampas Whiteman¸ is a racial sourcebook for Dragonlance 3e. It was published in August 2007.
Continuing Sovereign's Dragonlance Saga. Early in their Dragonlance line¸ Sovereign Press began publishing class-oriented splatbooks¸ resulting in Towers of High Sorcery (2004)¸ Holy Order of the Stars (2005)¸ and Knightly Orders of Ansalon (2006). However for their penultimate roleplaying sourcebook¸ Sovereign decided to try something different: a racial splat book focusing on the eight most important races in Dragonlance.
In organizing Races of Ansalon¸ Sovereign purposefully adopted the style of Wizards of the Coast's Races books (2003-2006). Like Wizards' first book¸ Races of Faerûn (2003)¸ it overviews a wide swath of races from an entire world¸ and like Wizards' later books¸ it details specific topics such as appearance¸ psychology¸ life¸ culture¸ and religion.
Expanding D&D. Because Races of Ansalon was written so late in the 3.5e (2003-2008) life cycle¸ Sovereign benefited from all of the development that Wizards had done to date. As a result¸ Sovereign knew how to organize a racial book and how to balance races and feats; they even got to take advantage of new "tricks" like alternative class features¸ which originated in Player's Handbook II (2006).
Expanding Dragonlance. Though Races of Ansalon was Sovereign's next-to-last Dragonlance roleplaying sourcebook¸ it was nonetheless a crucial core book for the world of Krynn. It provided deep detail on the eight major races of that setting.
Dwarves first appeared in the Dragonlance Saga in the form of Flint Fireforge¸ a hill dwarf¸ but gully dwarves also premiered in the line's first adventure