I haven't seen any GW stuff beyond a recent Penny Arcade about the races in the game. How compatible are the GW races with those in 4Ed...and vice versa?
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Gamma World races <=> 4Ed races?
Well, the short answer is that... they aren't, because they don't exist.
Nor do classes, notably. Instead, origins essentially cover both.
Longer answer: Gamma World uses pretty much the full core 4E system of rules. Monsters look pretty much the same (just some different damage types), and are probably 100% portable between the games.
The character generation, however, is quite different.
A Gamma World character consists of taking two origins (usually randomly rolled) and combining them into a character concept.
You gain some general benefits from each origin that are the equivalent of racial benefits - a Hypercognitive, for example, gains a big bonus to Initiative. A Plant is vulnerable to fire. Androids don't need to eat, breath or sleep. Each origin also generally gains a bonus to some specific skill.
The origin also, however, provides you with your powers. You get the At-Will power of each origin. As you level up, you choose utiliy/encounter/daily powers from one or the other, and eventually get both, along with some other benefits on crits, etc.
However, while it uses all the same general conceits of 4E (level-based system, same mechanics for attacks, defenses, at-will/encounter/daily powers, etc), the way characters are built is pretty fundamentally different.
You could probably homebrew some conversions between the two, and you could probably run characters of each type alongside each other without much of a problem, but there simply aren't standard "races" and "classes" and "feats" or anything else you could directly port over into standard 4E.
Nor do classes, notably. Instead, origins essentially cover both.
Longer answer: Gamma World uses pretty much the full core 4E system of rules. Monsters look pretty much the same (just some different damage types), and are probably 100% portable between the games.
The character generation, however, is quite different.
A Gamma World character consists of taking two origins (usually randomly rolled) and combining them into a character concept.
You gain some general benefits from each origin that are the equivalent of racial benefits - a Hypercognitive, for example, gains a big bonus to Initiative. A Plant is vulnerable to fire. Androids don't need to eat, breath or sleep. Each origin also generally gains a bonus to some specific skill.
The origin also, however, provides you with your powers. You get the At-Will power of each origin. As you level up, you choose utiliy/encounter/daily powers from one or the other, and eventually get both, along with some other benefits on crits, etc.
However, while it uses all the same general conceits of 4E (level-based system, same mechanics for attacks, defenses, at-will/encounter/daily powers, etc), the way characters are built is pretty fundamentally different.
You could probably homebrew some conversions between the two, and you could probably run characters of each type alongside each other without much of a problem, but there simply aren't standard "races" and "classes" and "feats" or anything else you could directly port over into standard 4E.
The "math" behind GW 4e is the same as D&D 4e.
There is a WotC podcast from GenCon's GW panel that specifically says you could take monsters out of D&D 4e and stick it in a GW game, or you could take GW stuff and stick in a D&D game. (it gave the example of sticking stone giants from the MM and putting them in GW, or taking GW PCs on a D&D world as if that is whatthe world changed into when radiation hit. etc)
That is the official stand on it.
How well that works in practice has yet to be seen.
And then any 'fluff/flavor' issues because there is a large descriptive difference, is something that your campaign would have to explain.
There is a WotC podcast from GenCon's GW panel that specifically says you could take monsters out of D&D 4e and stick it in a GW game, or you could take GW stuff and stick in a D&D game. (it gave the example of sticking stone giants from the MM and putting them in GW, or taking GW PCs on a D&D world as if that is whatthe world changed into when radiation hit. etc)
That is the official stand on it.
How well that works in practice has yet to be seen.
And then any 'fluff/flavor' issues because there is a large descriptive difference, is something that your campaign would have to explain.
Negflar2099
Explorer
The first thing I thought when I heard they were doing Gamma World was can I have an Eladrin Wizard fight alongside a Giant Mutant Cockroach and have it actually work? I want to know the answer to that question.
In fact I want to combine Gamma World with 4e and Amethyst Foundations by Goodman games. Then later toss in the rules for playing as Werewolves, Vampires, and Ghosts from the upcoming Ravenloft boxed set. Imagine an Eladrin Wizard, a Giant Mutant Cockroach, a Human Marshall and a Ghost all adventuring together through a Fallout-esque radioactive wasteland. It's so beautiful in my head!
In fact I want to combine Gamma World with 4e and Amethyst Foundations by Goodman games. Then later toss in the rules for playing as Werewolves, Vampires, and Ghosts from the upcoming Ravenloft boxed set. Imagine an Eladrin Wizard, a Giant Mutant Cockroach, a Human Marshall and a Ghost all adventuring together through a Fallout-esque radioactive wasteland. It's so beautiful in my head!
Lords of Light!
arscott
First Post
Really? how have they changed damage types?
Not 'drastic' changes, but for instance in addition to fire type and damage, there is now also radiation type damage. they may have added/removed a couple others as thematically appropriate.
Dias Ex Machina
Publisher / Game Designer
The first thing I thought when I heard they were doing Gamma World was can I have an Eladrin Wizard fight alongside a Giant Mutant Cockroach and have it actually work? I want to know the answer to that question.
In fact I want to combine Gamma World with 4e and Amethyst Foundations by Goodman games. Then later toss in the rules for playing as Werewolves, Vampires, and Ghosts from the upcoming Ravenloft boxed set. Imagine an Eladrin Wizard, a Giant Mutant Cockroach, a Human Marshall and a Ghost all adventuring together through a Fallout-esque radioactive wasteland. It's so beautiful in my head!
I wish I could comment on this and offer advice, but I don't own Gamma World yet. I know my immediate plan is to acquire Essentials and see what I can do to help people wanting to merge Amethyst into that. Because GW is a chimera of card game and rpg, I don't know how it would work. It depends if you want to take Amethyst into GW or GW into Amethyst.
I mean they have radiation damage. We are coming out with nuclear (next book). We have vehicles and powered armor.
But I have no idea how they would be worked in. If monsters are the same, then combat is the same. It will depend on how they work their class and power system.
I mean if classes are the same, save for removing daily powers--if they are like Essentials--then what we are doing may work.
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Like fba827 mentions, mainly just adding some extra types - radiation damage, laser damage, etc. 'Physical damage' is codified as an actual type, which actually seems a good approach.
Scribble
First Post
So after looking through GW (Still haven't played it) these are the differences I've noticed:
1. Character generation is different.
No race/class breakup class/race consists of two randomly (or not randomly or partially randomly however you choose) selected elements... Yeti/Bat Swarm. or Hypercognitive/Hawkoid , or Radioactive/Plant
The game suggests keeping combinations that would be "silly" and think up a way to explain it. (IE a rock/hawkoid could be a gargoyle.)
The powers come from your types.
There aren't any feats. Instead random mutations seem to kind of take their place.
This is where the cards come in. They change periodically, so the cards function as sort of rolling on a random table.
Stats- you put an 18 in your Primary type's stat- and a 16 in your secondary type's stat, then roll 3d6 for the rest.
2. Weapons and Armor are different (sort of)
Instead of specific weapons or armor, they have general "categories."
Light or Heavy armor and shields. Each gives a specific bonus. It's up to the player/group to describe exactly what it is or looks like.
Same with weapons, Light one handed, light one handed gun, heavy two handed gun... Etc...
Cards also come in here as well... Omega Tech seems to function as the magic items of GW. They're unstable though so they tend to come and go, unless you salvage them, in which case the remain, but at a reduced power level.
3. Skills are the same but different.
The skills work pretty much the same as in the rest of 4e, but some skills are swapped out for ones that are more appropriate. No Arcane skill for instance, but Mechanics is a skill, or Conspiracy...
Your two types plus a random roll determine skills you are trained in.
4. XP totals are different. Way different.
10,000 xp gets you to 10th level in GW. This is also the highest level the game goes to... Not sure if the expansion sets comming out will go to higher levels... Since there are two more though- it seems reasonable that the next one will be paragon level, the next epic... But I have no real idea.
All that said, combat works the same- as does everything else in how the game is played at the table. Monsters are exactly the same but with added keywords... It even suggests taking monsters from D&D for use in GW.
So... theoretically I think the two types of characters could exist side by side, and not have an issue. BUT- swapping stuff between the two would take some House Ruling...
Adding random mutations to D&D characters would probably overpower them- and since weapons/armor are kind of different a GW character using D&D style items would be awkward...
Not sure by how much though- someone actually good at math could tell you better then I could.
Also the D&D character would advance way slower then the GW character.
It would be interesting to play around with some house ruled mish-mashing though.
I think it might be fun to throw in some random mutations in a D&D game too if you were doing like a far-realms adventure or something- or the let your players find some omega tech D&D meets Blackmore spaceship style... With no salvage chance maybe?
Not really- the cards function more o less as a random table you roll on would, and make it easier to track what mutations/items you have currently.
Kind of like if you combined the current power cards with a random table.
There aren't any card game mechanics involved- you're not like comparing cards vrs the DM or something.
1. Character generation is different.
No race/class breakup class/race consists of two randomly (or not randomly or partially randomly however you choose) selected elements... Yeti/Bat Swarm. or Hypercognitive/Hawkoid , or Radioactive/Plant
The game suggests keeping combinations that would be "silly" and think up a way to explain it. (IE a rock/hawkoid could be a gargoyle.)
The powers come from your types.
There aren't any feats. Instead random mutations seem to kind of take their place.
This is where the cards come in. They change periodically, so the cards function as sort of rolling on a random table.
Stats- you put an 18 in your Primary type's stat- and a 16 in your secondary type's stat, then roll 3d6 for the rest.
2. Weapons and Armor are different (sort of)
Instead of specific weapons or armor, they have general "categories."
Light or Heavy armor and shields. Each gives a specific bonus. It's up to the player/group to describe exactly what it is or looks like.
Same with weapons, Light one handed, light one handed gun, heavy two handed gun... Etc...
Cards also come in here as well... Omega Tech seems to function as the magic items of GW. They're unstable though so they tend to come and go, unless you salvage them, in which case the remain, but at a reduced power level.
3. Skills are the same but different.
The skills work pretty much the same as in the rest of 4e, but some skills are swapped out for ones that are more appropriate. No Arcane skill for instance, but Mechanics is a skill, or Conspiracy...
Your two types plus a random roll determine skills you are trained in.
4. XP totals are different. Way different.
10,000 xp gets you to 10th level in GW. This is also the highest level the game goes to... Not sure if the expansion sets comming out will go to higher levels... Since there are two more though- it seems reasonable that the next one will be paragon level, the next epic... But I have no real idea.
All that said, combat works the same- as does everything else in how the game is played at the table. Monsters are exactly the same but with added keywords... It even suggests taking monsters from D&D for use in GW.
So... theoretically I think the two types of characters could exist side by side, and not have an issue. BUT- swapping stuff between the two would take some House Ruling...
Adding random mutations to D&D characters would probably overpower them- and since weapons/armor are kind of different a GW character using D&D style items would be awkward...
Not sure by how much though- someone actually good at math could tell you better then I could.
Also the D&D character would advance way slower then the GW character.
It would be interesting to play around with some house ruled mish-mashing though.
I think it might be fun to throw in some random mutations in a D&D game too if you were doing like a far-realms adventure or something- or the let your players find some omega tech D&D meets Blackmore spaceship style... With no salvage chance maybe?
Not really- the cards function more o less as a random table you roll on would, and make it easier to track what mutations/items you have currently.
Kind of like if you combined the current power cards with a random table.
There aren't any card game mechanics involved- you're not like comparing cards vrs the DM or something.
