D&D 5E (2024) Building A Contemporary Fantasy Setting For 5.5E

[W'rkncacnter]

Untenable for you, which is why I acknowledge it's not going to work for some people. I see no reason to limit the options by ignoring potential consequences of magic being real. You could also just say that saltpeter or some other ingredient simply doesn't exist.

it's untenable because it shatters the entire idea of the setting being contemporary. contemporary combat necessitates the existence of contemporary firearms. it's really that simple.

in other words, you're leaving the scope of the premise. it'd be like proposing a fantasy setting without melee weapons.

Like I said, up to 19th century I don't see much of a need to change much. Bows were replaced by crossbows and then firearms for quite some time not because they were better weapons but because they were easier to use.

well, and bullets and gunpowder were easier to transport then bolts and easier to ready then fletching arrows. and bullets had the potential to punch through all but the best armor (which firearms forced to exist via arms race to begin with). logistics (training, energy use, and transport) were the big reasons though.

 

[AlViking]

it's untenable because it shatters the entire idea of the setting being contemporary. contemporary combat necessitates the existence of contemporary firearms. it's really that simple.

in other words, you're leaving the scope of the premise. it'd be like proposing a fantasy setting without melee weapons.

well, and bullets and gunpowder were easier to transport then bolts and easier to ready then fletching arrows. and bullets had the potential to punch through all but the best armor (which firearms forced to exist via arms race to begin with). logistics (training, energy use, and transport) were the big reasons though.

I understand that it's necessary for you. That doesn't mean that for some people it would be an interesting thought experiment to consider how the world could have evolved in a similar but different fashion. It's just a different take on Eberron.

 

[Reynard]

Again, I don't think we should overthink firearms. It isn't like D&D has these realistic, precise damage rules to start with. Who cares if in your contemporary fantasy a gun does the same damage as a sword?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Again, I don't think we should overthink firearms. It isn't like D&D has these realistic, precise damage rules to start with. Who cares if in your contemporary fantasy a gun does the same damage as a sword?

The difference is familiarity. Everyone knows how deadly a modern firearm is, or an automobile. But archaic weapons are just unfamiliar enough that the ridiculous D&D rules can just about pass. And of course magic can do whatever the rules say it does without challenge.

It’s the main reason the fantasy genre dominates tabletop gaming.

 

[Zardnaar]

Again, I don't think we should overthink firearms. It isn't like D&D has these realistic, precise damage rules to start with. Who cares if in your contemporary fantasy a gun does the same damage as a sword?

Its magical guns might be OP.

Have you read David Gemmel?


5.0 I gave out one of those bolt feed rifles. Better than a bow but it had 7 cartridges, magazine could hold 5. They couldn't find more cartridges easily though.

Forge of the Artificer has Victorian era vibes.

Some blend of Eberron, Ravnica and Spelljamner would do it imho.

Izzet (from Ravnica) has steam engine vibes anyway.

PHB, warforged, gearforged (Midhard Kbold press) and autognomes as races.

 

[Reynard]

Its magical guns might be OP.

Have you read David Gemmel?


5.0 I gave out one of those bolt feed rifles. Better than a bow but it had 7 cartridges, magazine could hold 5. They couldn't find more cartridges easily though.

Forge of the Artificer has Victorian era vibes.

Some blend of Eberron, Ravnica and Spelljamner would do it imho.

Izzet (from Ravnica) has steam engine vibes anyway.

PHB, warforged, gearforged (Midhard Kbold press) and autognomes as races.

It sounds like you are trying to.do steampunk.

 

[Zardnaar]

It sounds like you are trying to.do steampunk.

More magitech. Going a bit further than Eberron.

Very early thinking about it only at thos point. Eberron/Fallout influenced lots of exhaustion mechanics.

Artificers make water purifiers. Robots are warfare instead.

No guns as such maybe as anachronisms.

 

[Corinnguard]

Which would be a new core class, which would fall outside of the scope of a setting book. Also, that particular class uses frequent weapon jamming as a core mechanic, it’s not designed for modern firearms.

Not necessarily. Laser Llama has the Marksman as a subclass of the Fighter. And if they were placed in a setting where firearms and gunpowder exist, they would be proficient in them.

We dot have cybernetic to the extent 1980s sci fi and Star Wars showed us.

Nor do we have the Full Body prosthetic tech from the Ghost In the Shell anime.

 

[Tonguez]

I think we should probably get off the gun debate and get on to the Setting debate - so for that purpose I present some core setting assumptions

• Heroic Fantasy Genre: The setting is designed for "heroic fantasy." Player characters are exceptional, and the world is populated by various threats that the characters need to deal with.
• Magic is Common and Integrated: Magic is a fundamental, functional part of the world. The number of magic users may be limited, but magic is integrated into society and minor magics are relatively common.
• Much of the World is Untamed: ("Points of Light,") civilization is surrounded by a vast and dangerous wilderness. That wilderness also happens to be littered with ancient ruins, dungeons, and legendary treasures. In fact some wilderness can be considered urban
• Monsters All kinds of creatures from mundane to incomprehnsible exist and might appear at any location as a threat or challenge.
• Cosmopolitan: All kinds of species exist and are integrated across various locations and cultures.
• Mobility: Individual travel over long distances is common. There is also a history of societal mobility through migration, conquest and exploration not only across the world but across planes of existence
• Technology is anachronistic, and magic allows advanced concepts to be realised

SO are these assumptions fair? What do they imply? Do they work for a contemporary setting? Is anything else needed? Should some assumptions be broken?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think we should probably get off the gun debate

I think it’s pretty pointless going any further if you can’t solve the core issue of rules for non-magical technology - which goes a lot further than just firearms.

Magic is the ultimate Handwavium. You can use it to explain anything without worrying about details or realism. It’s D&Ds secret sauce that makes everything work.

Which is why you assumptions describe Eberron.