DnD using Shadowrun mechanics

[Dannyalcatraz]

As I recall, Shadowrun is actually a future version of Earthdawn.

IOW, you could probably use it as is, just changing the names of locations. Humans, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves exist in the game as-is, so you don't really need to do anything with them at all.

That said...I'd jazz things up a bit.

I'd make the Net into another plane of reality that manifests itself as a glowing overlay of reality when manifested by a Hacker. That would let EVERYONE interact with the Net and whatever is in it, to an extent. Viruses could become like the Grid Bugs from the Tron video game. To continue along those lines, familiars could be Bits, Paladin mounts = Light Cycles, and ICE becomes Elementals...and AI become Djinn.

Even without the Tron influence, you'll need to work with the Warforged, Changelings and Shifters.

Warforged: I'd make them into Cybermen. Take a race or nation from Eberron and wipe them out (genocide? plague? that's your call), but have a select few managed to shift their brains (or just their spirits?) into mechanical bodies.

The only trick will be setting them apart from all the other Street Samurai in the game. You may want to make them an incompatible tech (PC vs Mac?) or simply ensure that their culture is reflected in their skills, etc.

Changelings: They're either pure biotech or magical biotech.

Shifters: The result of experiments by someone like Dr. Moreau...

 

[Derren]

Spells like Bigby's Clenching Fist or Mordekainens Sword don't exist in SR.

Or in D&D 4E. So nothing is lost...

 

[Chaoszero]

Wow. I'm surprised at how much Shadowrun your suggestions are keeping.

I was going to toss the matrix out completely, as well as cyberware (well, except as warforged componenets or grafts). Basically if it isn't in DND, its not in my rule set. No street sam, no riggers, just fighters and wizards. Keeping flavor right out of any Eberrron book.

I actually stole this idea from a friend of mine that made mistake (well, I see it as such). He made riggers as golem controllers and adepts into psions. Not me; I'm going DND flavor only.

All I'm using from Shadowrun is the mechanics. No need for SR flavor. So races, combat / magic system, weapons (no guns of course) and such.

So far the conversion is quite simple. I think I have a feeling for the races and their min / max stats so I can design warforged or whatever people want to be. I'm adding a few more skills; breaking up the "blades" skill into Light blades and Heavy Blades and adding more weapon skills such as pole arms, axes, hammers, etc (as DND).

Spells are pretty much as is needed for an intrigue game. I think I want to downplay the SR system's penchant for summoning and astral perception, but that might be a neat element for the campaign.

Oh, and yes. SR3 and SR4 are pretty different. They got rid of the "priority" character generation and replaced it with build points. The core mechanic also changed and for the better IMO.

I LOVE THE SR4 RULESET!!!!!

 

[Wik]

Oh, and yes. SR3 and SR4 are pretty different. They got rid of the "priority" character generation and replaced it with build points. The core mechanic also changed and for the better IMO.

I LOVE THE SR4 RULESET!!!!!

Y'know, I would actually play in your game. SR4 is a very simple system, until you start adding in the combat rules, the vehicle rules, the hacking rules, the magic rules...

And the setting itself is very complicated.

A basic game, using only the basic SR rules set, would be a lot of fun.