Planning a Dragonlance campaign during the early War of the Lance is a legendary challenge for Dungeon Masters due to the historical lack of healing. In this episode we explore how to include unconventional healing through the gods of Neutrality and Evil—like Shinare, Chemosh, and Sirrion—offered with a heavy price. This video provides practical tips for DMs to maintain the theme of “Despair” while keeping their players in the fight. Buy War of the Lance: https://www.dmsguild.com//product/3164/war-of-the-lance-3-5?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
In a world where the gods have turned their backs and every wound could be your last, what are you willing to sacrifice to survive the Age of Despair?
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam, and today we’re tackling one of the biggest hurdles for any Dungeon Master running a campaign in the early War of the Lance era: the absence of divine healing. I’d like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members and Patreon patrons, and invite you to consider becoming a member or patron — you can even pick up Dragonlance media or get $10 by signing up to StartPlaying.Games using my affiliate links. I’m referencing the Dragonlance Campaign Setting, Holy Orders of the Stars, and War of the Lance sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below.
Discussion
Historically, this era is defined by “Silence,” a time when the cries of the needful went unanswered and true clerics were legends of the past. For a DM, this can be a nightmare—without a cleric, your party’s survival depends on luck and a very limited supply of herbalism. But the lore actually offers us some fascinating “abstract” ways to reintroduce healing that don’t rely on Goldmoon or the Blue Crystal Staff. Today, we’re looking at how to help your players survive by exploring the hidden schemes of the gods of Good, Neutrality, and Evil.
To set the stage, we have to look at the Seekers. In the vacuum left by the true gods, false faiths arose, promising miracles they couldn’t deliver. These “Heathen Clerics” were often frauds using mundane medicine, stage magic, and psychology to maintain control.
For your campaign, the Seekers are a great source of “fake” healing. They might sell expensive “holy water” that is just scented spring water, or perform “miracles” that are actually just basic herbalism. It reinforces the theme of Despair: the players think they’ve found a savior, only to realize they’ve been swindled. But what happens when the power is actually real, but the source is questionable?
Let’s look at Shinare, the Goddess of Wealth and Industry. While the gods of Good were silent, the gods of Neutrality were still present in the world’s systems. A Coinsword of Shinare doesn’t heal out of mercy; they heal as a business transaction.
In your game, this is a perfect way to provide healing while maintaining the era’s grit. The party finds a traveling merchant-priest who can knit bones, but only after they sign a magically binding contract. Maybe they owe a life-debt, or they have to hand over a rare artifact. Healing becomes a resource management puzzle—can they afford to be saved?
But DMs, if you want something less transactional and more spiritual, you can look to the ‘Power of Faith’ and the ‘Power of the Heart’.
Majere, the god of discipline, offers the Austere Devotee. Their healing isn’t a spell; it’s a shared meditation. They teach your players to master their own bodies, turning a lethal wound into a manageable scar through sheer mental focus. It’s slow, it’s quiet, and it forces the party to value their downtime.
On the flip side, we have Branchala, the god of music. His Choristers use the ‘Power of the Heart’ to heal. This is the ‘bardic’ approach—healing through song and shared joy. It’s so subtle that your players might not even realize it’s divine. They’ll think they’re just feeling better because of a good song, which is the perfect way to maintain the mystery of the gods’ absence while still giving the party the hit points they need to reach Xak Tsaroth.
We also have the gods of nature and transformation. Sirrion, the god of creative fire, and Chislev, the goddess of the wild.
A Firebrand of Sirrion offers healing through “reforging”. This is cauterization of the soul—it’s agonizing and leaves the character with a permanent mark or a flickering fever.
Chislev’s Wild Furies see healing as “natural selection”. A character healed by Chislev might find their wounds replaced by thick, animalistic hide or experience a temporary surge of predatory instinct. It’s effective, but it feels “wrong” to a civilized character, reminding them that the world is now a brutal, uncaring place.
The most dramatic option for a DM is the return of the Evil gods. Takhisis wasn’t the only one with a plan; Chemosh and Sargonnas were active in the shadows.
Chemosh, the Lord of Death, offers the “Tenacious Soul”. A dying player character might be approached in a vision by a Necrotheurge. They are “healed” in the sense that they can keep fighting, but their heart stops beating, and they no longer feel pain. They are effectively undead, and the DM now has a major plot hook regarding the character’s soul.
Sargonnas, the god of vengeance, grants healing that is literally fueled by wrath. A Wrathful Avenger might heal a fallen hero, but that healing is tied to a blood oath. If the character fails to take vengeance on their enemies, the wounds return twofold. It forces the players into a moral dilemma: do they take the “evil” healing to stay alive, and what does it cost their alignment?
By using these unconventional sources, you can give your players the mechanical support they need to survive while doubling down on the narrative themes of the Age of Despair. Healing should never be “free” or “easy” in this era—it should always be a choice that matters.
Outro
But that is all the time I have to talk about healing in the Age of Despair. DMs, how have you handled the lack of healing in your Dragonlance games? Have you used any of these “darker” options, or do you prefer to keep the party relying on herbalism and luck? Leave a comment below.
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You’re my twin. Telling you is like telling myself.
