Will
First Post
I posted this on RPG.net... didn't really get a lot of heat, so thought I'd see how it went here.
Fear Kobold Commandos, explore strange alien ruins of bygone civilizations, scheme to liberate the core worlds from the Aelfar Imperium...
So been thinking of running D&D as a space opera. No, I don't want to run Dragonstar (though I have the books and will adopt bits and pieces), and I don't want to use a different system. I've long considered M&M for this sort of thing, but it lacks a certain flavor and pizzazz compared to D&D.
A wand is a specialized blaster that only those attuned to subspace can operate.
Potions of healing are nanohealth slap-packs.
Ring of protection is a personal forcefield generator.
Wizards tap into the mysterious subspace, augmented by nanotechnology.
Clerics have a special connection to enigmatic transhuman intelligences.
All demihumans originate from the 'original' true humans.
Elves consider humans, and other races, to be outmoded and inferior.
Why are opponents and PCs fine after taking damage until they suddenly fall down? Why, everyone has been augmented by this point; pain suppression and health systems help keep everyone alive. To a point.
This is also why higher level people can take huge amounts of damage -- over time you develop stronger biological support structure.
I'm debating how to handle firearms; part of the point of the above is to just relabel, not reinvent or add. Perhaps relabel crossbows and bows, or alter them slightly.
Also debating E6 with the above; on the one hand, the growth to godhood makes perfect sense in terms of transhuman ascension, on the other hand if I want more of a traditional space opera people should remain mostly human.
The part that usually gives me pause in anything SFish is vehicles. Few systems handle them in a fun way that involves the whole party.
So I could either A) handwave and gloss over events involving vehicles (IE: vehicles are generally plot devices to get from A to B), possibly with exception of 'mounts,' or B) find some system that does it well.
Dragonstar has some vehicle rules, but it seems like a lot of detail and the balance is iffy.
M&M has rather incomplete rules; vehicles are a little ill defined, and the chase rules imported from other systems still pretty much is pilot vs. pilot.
All said, I'm inclined to go with option A. Anyone know of a vehicle system (space ships, frex) that involves all the players in a simple and fun way, I'm all ears.
I'm also debating including psionics, or using psionics as the only magic system. But A) few players have the book, and B) it sorta breaks with the fun of relabeling core D&D.
(Oh, and it may be obvious, but I'm SO doing warforged as 'droids')
Other issues include equipment. Some stuff should be pretty easy to have: it shouldn't cost much for each player to have PDAs, comm gear, flashlights, and so on. Such stuff is going to kill any market for, say, 'scroll of Message,' but does anyone think this will kill balance?
I'm thinking of a rule along the lines of 'you can have up to "suggested Wealth" in personal gear. You can have a lot more cash, but it's spent on background stuff like bases, ships, and so on.'
I'd really appreciate some nuts and bolts ideas. I have Traveller D20 and will be scrutinizing it for ideas (but I still want to run things as core D&D with minimal changes).
Fear Kobold Commandos, explore strange alien ruins of bygone civilizations, scheme to liberate the core worlds from the Aelfar Imperium...
So been thinking of running D&D as a space opera. No, I don't want to run Dragonstar (though I have the books and will adopt bits and pieces), and I don't want to use a different system. I've long considered M&M for this sort of thing, but it lacks a certain flavor and pizzazz compared to D&D.
A wand is a specialized blaster that only those attuned to subspace can operate.
Potions of healing are nanohealth slap-packs.
Ring of protection is a personal forcefield generator.
Wizards tap into the mysterious subspace, augmented by nanotechnology.
Clerics have a special connection to enigmatic transhuman intelligences.
All demihumans originate from the 'original' true humans.
Elves consider humans, and other races, to be outmoded and inferior.
Why are opponents and PCs fine after taking damage until they suddenly fall down? Why, everyone has been augmented by this point; pain suppression and health systems help keep everyone alive. To a point.
This is also why higher level people can take huge amounts of damage -- over time you develop stronger biological support structure.
I'm debating how to handle firearms; part of the point of the above is to just relabel, not reinvent or add. Perhaps relabel crossbows and bows, or alter them slightly.
Also debating E6 with the above; on the one hand, the growth to godhood makes perfect sense in terms of transhuman ascension, on the other hand if I want more of a traditional space opera people should remain mostly human.
The part that usually gives me pause in anything SFish is vehicles. Few systems handle them in a fun way that involves the whole party.
So I could either A) handwave and gloss over events involving vehicles (IE: vehicles are generally plot devices to get from A to B), possibly with exception of 'mounts,' or B) find some system that does it well.
Dragonstar has some vehicle rules, but it seems like a lot of detail and the balance is iffy.
M&M has rather incomplete rules; vehicles are a little ill defined, and the chase rules imported from other systems still pretty much is pilot vs. pilot.
All said, I'm inclined to go with option A. Anyone know of a vehicle system (space ships, frex) that involves all the players in a simple and fun way, I'm all ears.
I'm also debating including psionics, or using psionics as the only magic system. But A) few players have the book, and B) it sorta breaks with the fun of relabeling core D&D.
(Oh, and it may be obvious, but I'm SO doing warforged as 'droids')
Other issues include equipment. Some stuff should be pretty easy to have: it shouldn't cost much for each player to have PDAs, comm gear, flashlights, and so on. Such stuff is going to kill any market for, say, 'scroll of Message,' but does anyone think this will kill balance?
I'm thinking of a rule along the lines of 'you can have up to "suggested Wealth" in personal gear. You can have a lot more cash, but it's spent on background stuff like bases, ships, and so on.'
I'd really appreciate some nuts and bolts ideas. I have Traveller D20 and will be scrutinizing it for ideas (but I still want to run things as core D&D with minimal changes).
