A combined fantasy and modern setting?

[Decamber]

Hello!

I was discussing with a player about how boring and unfitting our style the Forgotten Realms campaign setting is, and on that way we ended up in discussing another quality of a setting: A combination of fantasy and modern time.

Imagine a Navy SEAL running around with an M16 and carrying C4 explosives down in the deepest of Temple of Elemental Evil, shooting at the demons and blowing the nuclear reactor with the bombs, making the whole system go straight to hell, but first having the wizard teleporting them away in safety..... Well, to not let us flow out in the deepest speculation on how nasty it could be...

The point is, if you want to play a Nikola Tesla in Forgotten Realms, you cannot. Why? Because it's Forgotten Realms. And if you want to play a Kasparov being a master of psychology and intimidation (and chess...), you cannot. Well, perhaps the latter one was a quite poor example.

I want a mix of fantasy - Bob the Fighter and Liela the Wizard - and modern - Rasputin, and Tanya and Yuri from Red Alert. Why can't I play James Bond who's on a mission of blowing the evil psion gnomes' base with TNT, without being seen? Covert operations! Well, I cannot in Forgotten Realms, as far as I'm aware!

Gosh, can anyone help me? Kenneth S. Hood has done a great job with the firearms rules, which I'm considering implanting to whatever campaign setting if necessary for goaling my demands...

Thanking you in advance...

 

[Tsyr]

Well, I'd suggest Shadowrun, as it's almost exactly what your describing, but it's not D20.

I don't see a specific _reason_ you couldn't just cross modern rules and fantasy, although I don't know if everything would scale right in power.

Spycraft should be out soon... if you just took that and crossed it with DnD you might have something. I'd also suggest picking up Dragonstar, as it has some rules for technological devices existing in a magical world (PDA spellbooks, soulbound robots, etc)

 

[Psionicist]

I agree! *wink, wink*

In this case, I am the one who always ruins the fantasy feeling of the forgotten realms campaign with my characters. I really want to play something with a portable tesla coil charged by a pack of shocking lizards. Hmmm...

 

[MythandLore]

The "Spycraft lite" rules are out already, I really like it alot.
If you don't already have them download them here:
http://www.seriesarcher.com/spycraft_lite.zip
The books should be out soon, it looks really good.
I read the rules, I think it wouldn't be very hard to make it work with DnD.
The main site for the setting is here:
http://www.seriesarcher.com/

 

[I'm A Banana]

Genius!

I have a distinct feeling my next campaign is going to do that.

When I think Modern + Fantasy I mostly think of Buffy or something, as far as exisiting examples go.

But I also think of things like the Orcish Ghetto, and halflings in business suits with the logo of software companies behind them. I think of a Department of Arcane Science in colleges accross the nation, and a military that isn't so much interested in the prospects of long-range missiles as it is intereseted in the potential applications of a Wish spell. I think of a Petition for Goblinoid Rights in the '60's (and Elf Hippies, though those are ubiquitous no matter the setting), and of Abraham Lincoln being remembered as "a noble Dwarf." I ponder the likes of movie directed by "that clever Gnome Spielberg", and starring a human Jack Nicholson.

I think of D&D in the 20th century...and I like it. And now I want to play in it.

 

[Phanboy]

I second the vote for dragonstar, if for the picture of the paladin alone! The second I saw that pic I said "What if this guy was on the Event Horizon fighting a Vampire horde?" And for those still needing inspiration 3 words, Jason in Space!

 

[LostSoul]

Re: Genius!

...and starring a human Jack Nicholson.

Funny.

 

[bret]

Have you ever looked at GURPS Technomancer?

Seriously, GURPS is great for mixing a lot of different tech levels with various paranormal abilities. You get nasty stuff like an invisible mage using a LAW rocket to blast a demon then teleporting a short distance before reloading. Don't want to still be where the rocket was fired from when the demon gets there.

There are a lot of people who have had various levels of technology mixed with Psi or Magic in GURPS campaigns. It is relatively easy.

 

[Decamber]

Cool ideas - thanks for the replies!

I'll check out Shadowrun, SpyCraft and GURPS Technomancer - the latter sounds best in my spontanous reaction. I don't know why!

 

[The Cardinal]

Cool ideas - thanks for the replies!

I'll check out Shadowrun, SpyCraft and GURPS Technomancer - the latter sounds best in my spontanous reaction. I don't know why!

...because Technomancer *is* the best!