I've just learned of the older addition D&D book Dungeonland, which is a D&D retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't think this book got it right. D&D is more then combat. It's roleplay and storytelling. And I've been through some very exciting sessions with no combat at all. Obviously you need combat, but this one seemed to prioritize that over storytelling. It was an older time.
Anyway, I'm pondering if there are ways to have characters entering Wonderland, and have the inhabitants still retain their usual selves, and still have some hostile foes. For example, in the original story, the Mock Turtle is one of the friendliest inhabitants of Wonderland, and one of the most loved characters. Yet, in Dungeonland he's a Mock Dragonturtle and is a hostile monster. Now, I don't mind turning him into a Dragonturtle, but I still think it misses the point. Plus, one of the reasons Alice in Wonderland has survived to the present is because the lessons Alice learns from all the insane characters are so pliable and applicable to different people and different scenarios. Perhaps they could be used in D&D or modified?
Plus, what would be a good reason for characters to end up in this insane dream world? Some adaptations of Carrol's story have tried to give ultimate aesops and themes such as valuing knowledge and logic in the Disney version. Or facing your fears and believing in yourself in a 1999 TV movie. What would be good aesops and themes for bringing this into D&D?
And finally, where would Wonderland fit into D&D cosmology? In the original book and some adaptations such the Disney version, it's all a dream world that only exists when Alice is asleep. Other times it's revealed to have bee real all along. And some adaptations like the 1999 TV movie, it's left ambiguous.
Very interesting concept. I like the idea of the encounters not all automatically being combat encounters. As we all know no plan survives first contact with the players, so who knows how they end.
formatting the world to include dnd creatures and themes would be cool. But if it’s a dream they could all act however was needed for the story, much how the characters in Alice all have their own personalities.
perhaps the players end up in the dream because they are spellbound, and must “overcome” the dream to make it out.
it could also be a dream given to them as some sort of message from another species or entity that communicates psychically.
Or it could be a reaction the players have to some sort of drug or experiment they encounter on their adventures. They all consume/interact with something that sends them into “dream land”, perhaps it’s a pocket dimension.
Very interesting concept. I like the idea of the encounters not all automatically being combat encounters. As we all know no plan survives first contact with the players, so who knows how they end.
formatting the world to include dnd creatures and themes would be cool. But if it’s a dream they could all act however was needed for the story, much how the characters in Alice all have their own personalities.
perhaps the players end up in the dream because they are spellbound, and must “overcome” the dream to make it out.
it could also be a dream given to them as some sort of message from another species or entity that communicates psychically.
Or it could be a reaction the players have to some sort of drug or experiment they encounter on their adventures. They all consume/interact with something that sends them into “dream land”, perhaps it’s a pocket dimension.
Well in the original Dungeonland it starts the same way as the original book and all the adaptations... falling down a rabbit hole. It would have to be a bigger hole this time, since these are probably full grown humanoids falling down. Maybe this time, the PC's are out hunting rabbits and end up with something completely different.
Well, we could make the White Rabbit and March Hair Herengon's. What would a "Mock Dragon Turtle" be like? Perhaps the Caterpillar could have purple worm stats... if you piss him off by saying that 3 inches isn't a good height.
What would you have them learn or overcome regardless if it's a dream or real? In the original, lessons included how no one really wins in politics, the nature of change
In the current D&D cosmology, Wonderland would almost certainly be part of the Feywilds.
How so?
Because the Feywilds contain the same sort of random, wild magic depicted in Wonderland. Heck, the adventure The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, which is set in the Feywilds, even includes a Jabberwock as an enemy.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
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I've just learned of the older addition D&D book Dungeonland, which is a D&D retelling of Alice in Wonderland, and probably an unpopular opinion, but I don't think this book got it right. D&D is more then combat. It's roleplay and storytelling. And I've been through some very exciting sessions with no combat at all. Obviously you need combat, but this one seemed to prioritize that over storytelling. It was an older time.
Anyway, I'm pondering if there are ways to have characters entering Wonderland, and have the inhabitants still retain their usual selves, and still have some hostile foes. For example, in the original story, the Mock Turtle is one of the friendliest inhabitants of Wonderland, and one of the most loved characters. Yet, in Dungeonland he's a Mock Dragonturtle and is a hostile monster. Now, I don't mind turning him into a Dragonturtle, but I still think it misses the point. Plus, one of the reasons Alice in Wonderland has survived to the present is because the lessons Alice learns from all the insane characters are so pliable and applicable to different people and different scenarios. Perhaps they could be used in D&D or modified?
Plus, what would be a good reason for characters to end up in this insane dream world? Some adaptations of Carrol's story have tried to give ultimate aesops and themes such as valuing knowledge and logic in the Disney version. Or facing your fears and believing in yourself in a 1999 TV movie. What would be good aesops and themes for bringing this into D&D?
And finally, where would Wonderland fit into D&D cosmology? In the original book and some adaptations such the Disney version, it's all a dream world that only exists when Alice is asleep. Other times it's revealed to have bee real all along. And some adaptations like the 1999 TV movie, it's left ambiguous.
Very interesting concept. I like the idea of the encounters not all automatically being combat encounters. As we all know no plan survives first contact with the players, so who knows how they end.
formatting the world to include dnd creatures and themes would be cool. But if it’s a dream they could all act however was needed for the story, much how the characters in Alice all have their own personalities.
perhaps the players end up in the dream because they are spellbound, and must “overcome” the dream to make it out.
it could also be a dream given to them as some sort of message from another species or entity that communicates psychically.
Or it could be a reaction the players have to some sort of drug or experiment they encounter on their adventures. They all consume/interact with something that sends them into “dream land”, perhaps it’s a pocket dimension.
In the current D&D cosmology, Wonderland would almost certainly be part of the Feywilds.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
How so?
Well in the original Dungeonland it starts the same way as the original book and all the adaptations... falling down a rabbit hole. It would have to be a bigger hole this time, since these are probably full grown humanoids falling down. Maybe this time, the PC's are out hunting rabbits and end up with something completely different.
Well, we could make the White Rabbit and March Hair Herengon's. What would a "Mock Dragon Turtle" be like? Perhaps the Caterpillar could have purple worm stats... if you piss him off by saying that 3 inches isn't a good height.
What would you have them learn or overcome regardless if it's a dream or real? In the original, lessons included how no one really wins in politics, the nature of change
Because the Feywilds contain the same sort of random, wild magic depicted in Wonderland. Heck, the adventure The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, which is set in the Feywilds, even includes a Jabberwock as an enemy.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.