Raven Crowking
First Post
Well, it sounds like you'll be making a fun mileu, anyway!
D&D + CoC
Obryn
Hero
Do you have access to CoC d20? In addition to some stellar DM advice, it has stats ready to go for Lovecraftian beasts, a complete overhaul of the magic system, and a brief appendix on integrating it with D&D - including importing the Sanity mechanics. It sounds like it'd be an invaluable resource for a project like this. (Frankly, you could probably run this game straight out of the d20 CoC book and just use a dark ages tech level and setting; the book is geared towards a Modern game, but very backwards-scalable.)
I think it's very workable - particularly with a few rules tweaks to make it even better. I've attached my CoC d20 houserules, for what little it's worth. Some may be easily portable to 3.x.
-O
I think it's very workable - particularly with a few rules tweaks to make it even better. I've attached my CoC d20 houserules, for what little it's worth. Some may be easily portable to 3.x.
-O
Desdichado
Hero
I'll have a look at them. I do have that book; in fact, I consider it probably the single best book in my entire RPG collection.
Obryn
Hero
Ditto! I've used it for two excellent campaigns and a half-dozen stellar one-shots. (And FWIW, I agree completely with your observations about the difference between Campaign and One-Shot CoC play.)
If I were engaged on a project like yours, I think I'd start from the CoC rules, and then add components from D&D, rather than the other way around. You'd end up starting at a grittier, less heroic place, but it'd be a solid base to build on. I ran an Inquisition one-shot (using Keeper of Secrets's outstanding Nutkinland CoC Gen Con game as a source) under the d20 rules, and it worked wonderfully.
-O
The Shaman
First Post
D&D + CoC = WFRP
QED
QED
Desdichado
Hero
I've been making that observation flippantly for years (although not without some serious merit.) That's not what I'm talking about here, though.
Hardly.The Shaman said:
BronzeDragon
Explorer
The proper name for that is Earthdawn.
Whenever I run that game, it always comes out the same. Lots of high fantasy to begin with, players all excited about discovering old ruins and treasure, lots of interesting investigation opportunities in Kaers...and then...
Horrors...
And the players suddenly become disorganized, start jumping at shadows, develop a deep sense of dread and foreboding, and react to each monster description as if it were Mighty Cthulhu himself (even if it's a minor Horror in a 4th circle adventure).
As always, YMMV.
Desdichado
Hero
Y'know, I appreciate a flippant comment as much as the next guy, but really: two comments in a row that amount to little more than "this game already does that, hurr!" when by that all you're referring to is the thread title, and not what I've actually described is... well, less than useful, to say the least.
I want to run a D&D game. D&D mechanics, rules and source material. With a Call of Cthulhu paradigm.
Not WFRP. Not Earthdawn. If I wanted to run those, I'd have just done so.
BronzeDragon
Explorer
Well, I'm sorry.
It's just that your original post says things like "rules that resemble D&D". I took that to mean "any" rules set that was grounded on fantasy, and not "D&D or bust".
Also, I posted after reading your original post, and didn't stop to read the thread, so there's that too...
That said, I would like to point out I still think you'd do better with something like WFRP (like the poster before me mentioned) or Earthdawn than you would altering D&D to suit a more Cthulhuesque style. Just my personal opinion.
If you really want to move forward with D&D Horror, more power to you.
It's just that your original post says things like "rules that resemble D&D". I took that to mean "any" rules set that was grounded on fantasy, and not "D&D or bust".
Also, I posted after reading your original post, and didn't stop to read the thread, so there's that too...
That said, I would like to point out I still think you'd do better with something like WFRP (like the poster before me mentioned) or Earthdawn than you would altering D&D to suit a more Cthulhuesque style. Just my personal opinion.
If you really want to move forward with D&D Horror, more power to you.
Desdichado
Hero
Yeah, sorry... that came out a bit harsher than I meant it.
I meant D&D rules (with a few house rules) and a CoC paradigm very specifically. I know that WFRP is D&D+CoC in very vague general terms but that's not specifically what I'm looking for. I wouldn't "do better" with WFRP because there are some very specific reasons why I want to use D&D, or at least a d20 ruleset that's compatible with D&D (I thought about doing it with d20 Modern + d20 Past with the same houserules, but that started to feel like more work on houseruling than I really wanted to to.)
Earthdawn is a quirky little game, but like WFRP, it's not what I want because it's fundamentally a game built around a setting. I don't need a setting. I specifically don't want a setting, in fact. I want mechanics that feel divorced from a setting so I can go my own way with the setting.
Also, not that I've played it really, but I've been familiar with Earthdawn for a long time. I've never really heard anyone characterize it as a horror or dark fantasy game. It's a quirky little weird tales game, with elements of sci-fi here and there, post-apocalyptic... I mean, you can give it a horror-like vibe, just like you can any other game, I suppose, but it doesn't naturally support that any more than D&D was.
Based on what I remember of it and have heard of it, that is.
I meant D&D rules (with a few house rules) and a CoC paradigm very specifically. I know that WFRP is D&D+CoC in very vague general terms but that's not specifically what I'm looking for. I wouldn't "do better" with WFRP because there are some very specific reasons why I want to use D&D, or at least a d20 ruleset that's compatible with D&D (I thought about doing it with d20 Modern + d20 Past with the same houserules, but that started to feel like more work on houseruling than I really wanted to to.)
Earthdawn is a quirky little game, but like WFRP, it's not what I want because it's fundamentally a game built around a setting. I don't need a setting. I specifically don't want a setting, in fact. I want mechanics that feel divorced from a setting so I can go my own way with the setting.
Also, not that I've played it really, but I've been familiar with Earthdawn for a long time. I've never really heard anyone characterize it as a horror or dark fantasy game. It's a quirky little weird tales game, with elements of sci-fi here and there, post-apocalyptic... I mean, you can give it a horror-like vibe, just like you can any other game, I suppose, but it doesn't naturally support that any more than D&D was.
Based on what I remember of it and have heard of it, that is.
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