D&D 5E Modern/sci-fi elements? in MY fantasy?

[LostSoul]

I was trying to figure out how to fit in clerics and paladins in a post-apocalyptic/sci-fi game set on Earth. I'm not quite willing to go down the route of "you were worshiping an ancient AI/alien all along! Hah! Hah! Hah!"...but after playing Paizo's Iron Gods I really like the idea of AIs having the ability to grant spells to their worshipers...

In my game Clerics gain their power from their devout worldview, along with a few Words of Power. I have training times for gaining levels, and clerics need to get high on drugs in order to twist their minds to see their worldview more closely. They think that the gods give them power, but it's just because the gods chose to make people think this way (thus religion). All they need is the Word and the Will.

I always planned on having that be one of the game secrets but I think all the players know it (I allow "metagaming" in order to achieve maximum immersion), but eh.

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

To me, there is no actual difference between "science fiction" and "fantasy", so I've never considered it odd to include things like crashed starships, portals to distant planets, or the bits and bobs that the character likely can't tell aren't magic but the player knows that "strange looking wand" is actually a plasma pistol or what have you.

 

[Andor]

Along this line, "psionics" is often considered too modern, and purists will whinge about it complaining "you got your filthy sci-fi in my precious fantasy." Yet if you read Lord of the Rings you'll note that most of the magic you see falls under the umbrella of psi-abilities. Telepathy, precog, mind probes, clairvoyance, etc.

At any rate magic just describes anything you don't understand. How many people know how a microwave works? Or a cell phone? Take an existing (or better yet slightly obsolete) bit of tech and wrap it in a different shape and it may as well be a magic wand.

Incidentally for another post-apocalyptic magical series you might enjoy reading Lois Bujold's "Sharing Knife" quartology.

 

[FXR]

Of course. Please look at the modules Temple of the Frog (DA2) and City of the Gods (DA3) for examples.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

There is already a word for the mixture of fantasy and sci-fi: arcanepunk. Any example of arcanepunk works? He man and the masters of the universe, or some Final Fantasy game.

For me the trouble is about firearms. I love sci-fi but I miss the old hand-to-hand combats. In a modern setting, you can kill a zombi or a dinosaur drinving a truck over it.

In my setting there is a demiplane, a "space-time buble",a time sphere where you can find the high-tech civiliation from the old module "city of modules".

And I love to create a crazy mash-up with most famous sci-fi franchises (Star Treck, Star Wars, Bayblon 5, Starcraft, Warhammer 40.000, Farscape, Mass Efect..).

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Other than Spelljammer back in the day, I have not. I keep meaning to run a full-on Sword and Planet campaign one day, though. Love Burroughs and Brackett.

 

[Salamandyr]

The home campaign I've been working on the past few years is a "battles at the end of time" deal, so it combines technology and magic. At this point, it might be even closer to Gamma World than D&D, except it's even further in the future...inspirations are Dying Earth, Thundarr, He-Man, Elric, and Hawkwind songs populated by the people of Hyborean Earth.

 

[ccs]

In the 5e game I'm currently running the players have come across & interacted with several unexplained bits of tech inside a wizards tower - a plasma TV, a Roomba, several refrigerators, a microwave oven, automatic doors/lights, and a holo-deck style trophy room/museum. And they're carrying around a large Coleman cooler full of beer.
So far no weapons or other combat useful tech though.

Once they're through with the current dungeon I'm considering having them witness a spaceship being shot out of the sky.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Now that sounds awesome!

inspirations are Dying Earth, Thundarr, He-Man, Elric, and Hawkwind songs populated by the people of Hyborean Earth.

 

[Andor]

There is already a word for the mixture of fantasy and sci-fi: arcanepunk. Any example of arcanepunk works? He man and the masters of the universe, or some Final Fantasy game.

For me the trouble is about firearms. I love sci-fi but I miss the old hand-to-hand combats. In a modern setting, you can kill a zombi or a dinosaur drinving a truck over it.

In my setting there is a demiplane, a "space-time buble",a time sphere where you can find the high-tech civiliation from the old module "city of modules".

And I love to create a crazy mash-up with most famous sci-fi franchises (Star Treck, Star Wars, Bayblon 5, Starcraft, Warhammer 40.000, Farscape, Mass Efect..).

Have you seen the glorious madness that is Dungeons the Dragoning?