D&D 5E The tech types of your homebrew settings and characters

[Space Jockey]

I'm curious, have you guys as DMs ever had players really have a problem with you introducing non-fantasy elements into what they expected was going to be straightforward fantasy? Like, having the party discover a crashed spaceship in the Forgotten Realms setting, or being attacked by humans armed with muskets from a steam-powered ship in Greyhawk?

My homebrew setting is based off of Shannara in that it is fantasy on the surface, but contains post-apocalyptic Earth/sci-fi undercurrents that aren't immediately obvious, and I feel like having to give that away to new players to make sure they don't mind firearms or killer robots in their fantasy would...well, give things away.

 

[Imaculata]

In my 3.5 pirate campaign, firearms have an important role. But each faction has some unique technologies, some of which the players can also acquire.

The Kooghans
These dark skinned tribalistic pirates are experts in the production of firearms, and they also produce some of the biggest most powerful cannons in the setting. They also build mortars for on ships, and a device called a Thundercannon, which fires thunderstones at other ships. Their most notorious weapon however, is the Kooghan Siege Tower; a massive rolling armored tower with dozens of cannon mouths in all directions.

The Speakers of the Dead
Since my campaign uses a bizarre mix of magic and firearms, I wondered in what creative ways magic could be used on board a pirate ship. The witch-pirates called The Speakers of the Dead, use a lot of necromancy in ship to ship combat. They have catapults that launch magical projectiles, that can reanimate the dead on the deck of an enemy ship. They also use devices called spell catchers, which absorb spells that directly target their ships. The Speakers of the Dead have also invented a weapon called 'liquid fire', a sort of Greek fire.

The Gongya An
These Asian pirates are experts in the hunting of great sea beasts. They use huge harpoons, which also are useful weapons for tethering enemy ships. And they develop spikes that can be placed on the hull of a ship to ward off krakens. They also have an underwater sea monster alarm, that can be dragged behind the ship. This allows you to be aware of any sea monster nearby, even if you don't see it yet.

The Oarsmen
These dwarven pirates have specialized in underwater technology. Rather than digging mines, they dive for treasure. They build diving clocks, bathyspheres, submarines and diving suits.

Cyr
The powerful eastern Empire of Cyr has airships, and a gigantic fleet of normal ships. Their most dreaded weapon is the Cyrian Turtle Ship, a ship covered in armor, with a massive flamethrower at the front. The flamethrower can also fire a poisonous gas.

 

[KahlessNestor]

Hmmm... I wonder if I could work up a powder mage. They're fun and interesting.

 

[Redthistle]

I'm curious, have you guys as DMs ever had players really have a problem with you introducing non-fantasy elements into what they expected was going to be straightforward fantasy? Like, having the party discover a crashed spaceship in the Forgotten Realms setting, or being attacked by humans armed with muskets from a steam-powered ship in Greyhawk?

There was a solo module published back in the 80s titled "The Maze of the Riddling Minotaur." It included instructions for adapting the adventure for group play, which I did, but doing so required developing some riddles on my own.

One of those riddles involved something (I don't remember the details) about blood circulation. My players jumped on that immediately; their conception of the game world was that the level for understanding anatomical processes would not have been advanced enough to devise a riddle like that.

For awhile after that, the players ribbed me with jibes about "minotaurs in white lab coats" and "Minotaur Racial Background: Hematologist".

I learned a lesson then, but so did they. TPK. Well, in my bitter day dreams, anyway (heh-heh-heh ... meh).

 

[Space Jockey]

Other than my homebrew setting, I've toyed with the idea of having actual technological progress happen in the Forgotten Realms, something I know is heresy among many of its fans. Lantan survived the Spellplague by becoming Atlantis/Rapture, and rose back up again from the ocean during the Sundering. They're a full-fledged steampunk island, with firearms (including actual Wild West-era rifles and revolvers, although they're super rare and more prototypes), steam engines, the printing press, and clockwork automatons having been invented. The nation as a whole is super isolationist though, so its technology hasn't really reached the rest of the Realms...yet.

Oh yeah, and there's a crashed spaceship somewhere in the Realms. Haven't figured out where yet, but it's around.

 

[Redthistle]

Other than my homebrew setting, I've toyed with the idea of having actual technological progress happen in the Forgotten Realms, something I know is heresy among many of its fans. Lantan survived the Spellplague by becoming Atlantis/Rapture, and rose back up again from the ocean during the Sundering. They're a full-fledged steampunk island, with firearms (including actual Wild West-era rifles and revolvers, although they're super rare and more prototypes), steam engines, the printing press, and clockwork automatons having been invented. The nation as a whole is super isolationist though, so its technology hasn't really reached the rest of the Realms...yet.

Oh yeah, and there's a crashed spaceship somewhere in the Realms. Haven't figured out where yet, but it's around.

How did they handle getting breatheable air / cleaning out polluted air?

 

[Space Jockey]

How did they handle getting breatheable air / cleaning out polluted air?

Hmm, good question. I'd say their air filtration systems (and methods of preserving the city underwater in general) were one of the few things that was magitech, rather than pure technology. They avoided utilizing too much magitech, though, since that part of the world carried a potent pocket of Spellplague that reacted violently when a certain local area of magic was reached, so they had to rely a lot on technology.

 

[Redthistle]

Hmm, good question. I'd say their air filtration systems (and methods of preserving the city underwater in general) were one of the few things that was magitech, rather than pure technology. They avoided utilizing too much magitech, though, since that part of the world carried a potent pocket of Spellplague that reacted violently when a certain local area of magic was reached, so they had to rely a lot on technology.

Works for me.

Now about that crashed spaceship. I understand there's a middle-aged, childless couple out in the Cormyrean Mid-west that are raising a little boy with a remarkably indestructible red blankie ...

 

[Mephista]

I use Eberron-style magi-tech fairly often. I'm especially fond of mirror networks for wide scale communication, as if everyone with a magic mirror basically had a video chat option.