D&D-influenced Fantasy Novels

[Chiaroscuro23]

Name some that do? I can't ever recall seeing that particular term in a non-gaming-property novel, though I've certainly read fantasy books where people used gold coins - they've all been around quite a bit longer than D&D. I've certainly only read a small percentage of the fantasy that's out there, though.

I don't mean that specific term, but rather the idea of fungible gold coins used as money and carried and used by characters all the time. I expect some folks use the term itself, of course, but many more use the idea. My reading is also limited, though Song of Ice and Fire has gold coins--and silver and copper, too. I recently read part of a standard fantasyland novel called Where Dragons Lie or something to that effect that had gold coins as well.


OTOH, I can't think of any pre-D&D fantasy novels that had them. This may well be due to my limited reading or faulty memory, of course, but if a fantasy trope was extant but rare before D&D and is common afterward, there's a strong argument that D&D was the vector for that trope. For example, I don't recall Saberhagen's books of swords having them, not poul anderson. I expect others were similar. Conan had wealth accumulation (and frittering away) as a central aspect, so I wonder how wealth was counted therein.

-C.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

The 14 original Oz books are surprisingly similar to DnD.
Oz features:
Wands of Invisibility, a slight difference between Sorcerers and wizards (in Oz, like in 3.5, sorcerers cast spells intuitively, while wizards must study books to learn magic), Giants, witches, fairies, awakened animals, magic rings (with a sort of Alarm spell), fiendish monkeys, magic belts, gnomes, dragons (the Rak, and the Dragons on the other side of the world), animated/awakened objects (the glass cat, the scarecrow), bullywugs, giant spiders, cooperative spell casting, mirrors of scrying, and much more.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Glinda of Oz, which highlights many of these similarities.

The funny thing is, after reading the books a few years ago (for the first time in my life), I was astounded at how similar they were to DnD. So I e-mailed Gary and asked him if he ever read the Oz books. He said "No."

 

[Sandain]

On the topic of gold pieces, I think even in DnD they were not meant to be the standard level of currency.

I recall in the Gord series he bought an obviously magic dagger for a handful of gold and platinum coins and this was considered a lot of money.

I can understand a decent sword costing 15gp and I consider this about $1500 real life dollars in comparrision. Its conceivable that a soldier or commoner has a nice weapon, but they wouldnt carry around 15gp in cash on them.

In any economy peoples wealth is not in cash, its on property, business, transport, and a few luxury items.

IRL I have a house, rental property, part of an inherited property, a few nice items of clothing (e.g leather jacket), I collect swords and have a few that SCA would approve of, a car, and savings in the bank. In DnD I would assume me as an average guy may have;

A house, a business premise, a horse and cart, maybe a suit of leather armor, a few weapons and maybe 50-100 gp in the bank if im lucky. I would only carry around 20-40sp on me at any time, and my business may earn me 5gp a week.

So, to sum up my ramblings I see the cp as the standard DnD currency - 1cp = 1 dollar, and 1gp equal to a 100 dollar note. They exists and you may have things of equal value, but day to day you deal in silver and copper pieces. Not many people will have ever see a pp ($1000 note)- only nobles, wealthy merchants, and adventurers.

 

[Glyfair]

I wish I had access to my copy of The Deed of Paksennarion. I'm fairly certain it actually states in the author's notes that the story was based on a D&D campaign Elizabeth Moon participated in.

I know my copy of it doesn't (I have the trade paperback collection). I always read the author's notes first, and I didn't realize the similiarity until well into the book. Not that it wasn't hard to pick up. Of course, you might have a different printing.

 

[Tonguez]

Now that was a great piece of marketing - so kudos for what looks like a great product (from the demo anyway) - nonetheless personally I never saw any similarities between Oz and DnD. For a start the gnomes of Oz are very different to the DnD version, the technology levels are incongruous, and unlike DnD Oz has intelligent vermin (whether the Spider King or HM Wogglebug) (NB the Spider King can't be Vermin since it has an Int score). ALso despite the fact that animate objects feature in DnD they are hardly the awakened animate objects of Oz (which with Scarecrow, Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse Tik Tok (who might be a golem)etc etc are somewhat ubiquitous)

The 14 original Oz books are surprisingly similar to DnD.
Oz features:
Wands of Invisibility, a slight difference between Sorcerers and wizards (in Oz, like in 3.5, sorcerers cast spells intuitively, while wizards must study books to learn magic), Giants, witches, fairies, awakened animals, magic rings (with a sort of Alarm spell), fiendish monkeys, magic belts, gnomes, dragons (the Rak, and the Dragons on the other side of the world), animated/awakened objects (the glass cat, the scarecrow), bullywugs, giant spiders, cooperative spell casting, mirrors of scrying, and much more.

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Glinda of Oz, which highlights many of these similarities.

The funny thing is, after reading the books a few years ago (for the first time in my life), I was astounded at how similar they were to DnD. So I e-mailed Gary and asked him if he ever read the Oz books. He said "No."

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Joel Rosenberg's "Guardian of the Flame" series is very D&Desque.

Paul

Yeah, that's a pretty cool series


EDIT: One of these days, I'm putting a magician in a campaign with the Glass Cat as a familiar. I love that little beastie!

 

[Bloodstone Press]

Now that was a great piece of marketing - so kudos for what looks like a great product (from the demo anyway) -

Thanks.

nonetheless personally I never saw any similarities between Oz and DnD. For a start the gnomes of Oz are very different to the DnD version,

I don't know about "very," they do live underground, they hoard gems like dwarves, they are gadgeteers (IIRC the Gnome king has a rube goldberg type periscope)

the technology levels are incongruous,

Yeah, guns grow on trees in Oz. Fortunately it doesn't come up much in the stories, IMO. The characters rely more heavily on magic than technology. .

and unlike DnD Oz has intelligent vermin (whether the Spider King or HM Wogglebug) (NB the Spider King can't be Vermin since it has an Int score).

Yeah, IIRC when Ozma and Glinda killed the Witchs of the North and South and set up Ozma's rule in the Emerald City, Ozma cast a powerful spell that had two main effects on the land and all creatures within it. First, all creatures became "sentient" and able to talk, including Toto. Second, no one in Oz ages or dies of natural causes.

So even the vermin in Oz have Int scores. The Spider King and Prof. Wogglebuug being two good examples. Of course, you could also say that the spell has turned all animals and vermin into magical beasts.

Also despite the fact that animate objects feature in DnD they are hardly the awakened animate objects of Oz (which with Scarecrow, Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse Tik Tok (who might be a golem)etc etc are somewhat ubiquitous)

Yeah, Tick Tok is definitely a clockwork golem. AFAIK, Awaken Object isn't in the core rules, but it is in material that has been published by other d20 publishers. Assuming it works like Awaken http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/awaken.htm does on plants, I don't see why the Scarecrow or the Saw Horse couldn't be replicated easily.

See, there's tons of similarities.

I just keep in mind that they were written ~60 years before the 1e PHB, So its not going to be exact. But, IMO, there are a lot of similarities.

 

[Nyaricus]

i read a rumor about J Rowling's attempts at D&D in her youth. so my guess is Harry Potter was influenced by D&D. but that is purely speculation.

NOT POSSIBLE. Harry Potter is a wizard that can't even cast magic missle. I mean, cmon man, IT"S A LEVEL ONE SPELL!!

 

[mythusmage]

NOT POSSIBLE. Harry Potter is a wizard that can't even cast magic missle. I mean, cmon man, IT"S A LEVEL ONE SPELL!!

Well, obviously she switched to Discworld (Powered by GURPS).

 

[Zander]

I haven't read the Spiderwick Chronicles although I do have the Spiderwick Field Guide. Judging from the Guide, the series was influenced by D&D. The author, Holly Black, is a gamer and even worked for d8 magazine.

Perhaps someone here who has read the Chronicles can confirm my suspicion.