As a DM how do you combine Sci Fi and Fantasy?

[Jurble]

Hey guys
so i have a setting im putting together for a game, which is half scifi half fantasy. Think privateers/mercs/smugglers in their ship crashing onto a somewhat traditional fantasy style planet.

I guess im wondering how people suggest handling it in terms of rules. Like having some equipment salvageable from the ship, they grab what energy weapons, comm units etc they can and venture out into a world of medium magic users and swords/dragons etc.

Im wondering what systems out there could work for this, ie the laser pistol totting merc goes up against a sorceror.

Id like to use 4e if it would work since ive heard its a nice simple system, but would 3e or d20 modern be better suited?

Also just wondering if anyones tried it out before and run into any issues i should check out?

thanks for the help guys

 

[the Jester]

The easiest way to do this is prolly to just treat the techie items as magic items and balance it that way.

 

[Joseph Rossow]

I don't know if D&D is really the right system to be telling that sort of story, because the rules which (I assume) you wish to use (D&D) isn't really tailored for heroes who are Space Rangers (or whatever).

If you were going to try, however...

...I'd have everyone make a starting character either a skill-wiz or fighter. I'd leave introducing magic until later.

I'd say the ship crashes, everyone passes out and wakes up in a hut, saved by friendly natives. They go back to their ship and recover some equipment (laser-pistols, tri-croders, utility belts). But they'll also discover that some items are missing (the bigger weapons in particular), and have likely been taken by bandits. They'd also find that the ship's computer was damaged and is recompiling.

Over the course of the game, as the computer fixes itself more and more, it's able to provide the ship's crew with more support. It eventually explains how to fix the ship for inter-continental flight, unlocks the backup armory (which has some bigger weapons), etc.

The crew gets attacked by bandits and discovers that magic is very, very real. After overcoming the threat, the crew must go out and recover their stolen weapons and items.

But while that's going, the group gets training in the traditional classes from the helpful natives. The Science Officer gets training as a Wizard, the Councilor gets training as a Priest, etc.

Anyways, that's how I'd start to tackle that kind of thing. The important part is to have the characters start as non-magic users who are then offered the potential to train in magics.

Balancing out their items would be the tricky part, but you could always say that the ship's computer, over the course of its recompile, modifies them (or offers the crew bigger weapons, like those in the aforementioned backup armory).

I hope this is some of what you were looking for. Good luck!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Think privateers/mercs/smugglers in their ship crashing onto a somewhat traditional fantasy style planet.

I guess im wondering how people suggest handling it in terms of rules. Like having some equipment salvageable from the ship, they grab what energy weapons, comm units etc they can and venture out into a world of medium magic users and swords/dragons etc.

Im wondering what systems out there could work for this, ie the laser pistol totting merc goes up against a sorceror.

Id like to use 4e if it would work since ive heard its a nice simple system, but would 3e or d20 modern be better suited?

Also just wondering if anyones tried it out before and run into any issues i should check out?

Well, in varying degrees, Spelljammer and the classic 1Ed module, S3 Expedition to the Barrier Peaks dealt with the fusion of sci-fi and fantasy, as have games like RIFTS, Shadowrun and almost any Supers game out there. In 3.X, you can find products like Arsenal and Factory (long OoP, though), or Chaositech.

The way it was handled in S3 was that tech was often more powerful than most mid-level magic, but it was limited in that it ran off of batteries that had no way to be replaced or recharged. (Note: in some fiction, campaigns and RPGs, this situation could be somewhat relieved by mages finding a way to recharge the batteries, though with lesser output.)

In other campaigns, a sci-fi weapon might be equivalent to a Wand of MM from a 5th level mage (or other magic item)...again, with limited charges.

 

[Allenchan]

In other campaigns, a sci-fi weapon might be equivalent to a Wand of MM from a 5th level mage (or other magic item)...again, with limited charges.

That gives me an idea of sci-fi weapons that are solar-powered, or some similarly slow-charging mechanic, and using eternal wands to simulate them.

 

[Jurble]

that gives me some great ideas thanks guys

Yah my plan was along similar lines. maybe one or two character pick up magic when on the planet but beforehand magic is myth to them.

Meanwhile their weapons have limited excess charge batteries after which they only recharge slowly from their internal power source (maybe later the ship is repaired enough to recharge them but until then its more of a once a day type ability to use the blaster rifle hehe).

Definately going for abit of a "characters gone native" kind of style game, slowly getting more and more used to being stuck here.

I remember in the PHB for 3.5e there was a few stats for basic "future" weapons, i guess they could work? Your right though, balancing it is going to be the hard part. thats why i thought maybe 4e would be easier to use for that

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That gives me an idea of sci-fi weapons that are solar-powered, or some similarly slow-charging mechanic, and using eternal wands to simulate them.

S.M. Stirling's sword & planet novel, In the Courts of the Crimson Kings, the Martians are masters of biotechnology, having had no interruptions in their culture in tens of thousands of years, but also having no access to fossil fuels or nuclear materials.

Their biotech extends to all kinds of things we use for tech, like living engines...and even guns. The martian gun-creatures fire needle-like projectiles by using exploding methane as the propellant. Yes, they need to be fed; yes, they can only fire as fast as they can refill their gas chambers; yes, shooting them results in a burning fart smell.

However, in Star Trek Voyager, you also started to see more biotech.

Your high-tech guys could depend on biotech weaponry, armor that feeds on body waste, etc.

This, BTW, would have practical ramifications in a world in which Druids exist...

 

[Starfox]

I have to mention Dragonstar by Fantasy Flight Games. its pretty old now, it was for 3.0, but it featured a galactic empire run by dragons using high-tech and DnD rules. Very cool setting.

 

[Stoat]

Keep in mind that D&D, particularly 4E assumes that most combat is melee combat. The majority of the creatures in the monster manuals don't even have ranged attacks. A party of PC's armed with phasers or blasters will have a pretty important advantage.

As far as replicating technology, an option is to simply reskin existing equipment. Frex, a blaster uses the same stats as a longbow. It's not to everybody's tastes, in fact it's not to my tastes, but it is an option.

 

[Jhaelen]

Keep in mind that D&D, particularly 4E assumes that most combat is melee combat. The majority of the creatures in the monster manuals don't even have ranged attacks. A party of PC's armed with phasers or blasters will have a pretty important advantage.

Yep. Generally, to reduce the effectiveness of phasers or blasters, the D&D approach seemed to be to make it difficult or impossible to get your hands on ammunition, effectively treating them like wands with a number of charges.

I also vaguely remember those weapons always had some way to fail, fizzle, or blow up in the wielder's face.

Still my answer to the question has always been: I don't.

I've never been a fan of mixing magic and sci-fi. I enjoy reading Shadowrun novels, since they at least managed to get the fluff right, but I don't like the rpg system.