From the Shadow: Elves, Dwarves, Halfings, and...Gnomes

[Skade]

Does anyone have intentions of introdcing the standard fanatsy races to d20 Modern? Specifically in the Urban Arcana setting, or Shadow Chasers? I think had they initially been avalable it might have gotten some flak for being to similar to Shadowrun. My d20 Modern campaign in the making is more inline with Agents of Psi or Spycraft so I had not intended on using them. Elves could make an excellent engineered race though, similar to Moreaus.

Some thoughts I had would be to introduce an elf as an ecoterrorist, using the stereotype many have of them. There might even be an enclave of them hiding ouyt in Central Park or Yellowstone.

How would you work these races in, whether as adversaries or even characters? For that matter is there any thoughts of turing other classes into Advanced Classes? Wizard, Cleric, Fighter and Rogue all have analogues, but what about Paladin, Ranger, Bard. Barbarian is partially covered by Tough/Strong hero.

 

[Alzrius]

There was an idea way back that touched on this. One of the first 3E Dragon issues (I'm guessing #277, but don't hold me to that) had an article "Greyhawk 2000" that dealt with, obviously, Greyhawk in the year 2000 CY (the normal year is, iirc, around 576 CY or so). Its a great example of a fantasy world thats advanced to modern times. It has computers, motorcycles, guns, jet planes, and lots of other great stuff. It had a companion adventure in the Dungeon that was billed for then also. I really wish they had given us more of that, since it was by far one of the best ideas I'd seen in a long time.

 

[digitaldark]

In the Urban Arcana preview in the latest Polyhedron (the one with Genetech) it shows how WotC is going to be incorporatind the dnd core races into d20 Modern.

 

[Skade]

I must have missed that section of Polyhedron. I'll check it out when I get home.

As to Greyhawk 2000 that is still Greyhawk-not Earth. My curiosity was how people would use them in our world. What would change? Have elves always been around, quietly shaping the world? Are the races more internally cohesive than humans, or just as fractitious? Are national loyalties more important than racial ones. that sort of thing.

 

[takyris]

If other races were brought into a "Real World" game, I'd like it to stay somewhat in keeping with real world mythologies. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't dwarves and elves almost the same thing -- former deities or mythologically powerful creatures that got turned into demons or trickster spirits as religions changed? The elves were from Celtic areas, while the dwarves were from Scandinavian areas.

I know that Celtic deities got turned into either Leprechauns or saints when Catholicism rolled in.

Or perhaps I've got my history backwards.

In any event, if elves were going to come into the world, and dwarves were coming in as well, I'd want there to be some explanation for how they differed, or why both of them existed.

-Tacky

 

[Skade]

The elves and dwarves of real world mythology have several sources, and few of them deeply resemble the races we now have in DnD. Elves have roots in both Scandinavian and Irish Mythology. I do not recall the scandic word for elf, but most will agree that sidhe in gaelic is pretty similar to our elf. Dwarves are primarilly a creation of the Norse, though the laps and other contemporary races had slightly altered stories. The laps belived in dwarves called ludki that had crows feet and were deeply magical.

In my home setting I have continually played with changing elves to fit more what I see as the sidhe . So I gave them a Fae Awe power that gains potency with HD or level and can be used to create fear, or love in an individual. I'm not sure that I want to make crow footed (grammar?) dwarf, though.

Even if that were to be the case though, we still have halfings to contend with. Gnomes...sadly they really would have to wear the red pointy hats.

I'm sure Urban Arcana will deal with this when it comes out.

 

[Sixchan]

Hmm...I'd probably have it that the Races were created by Genetic Manipulation (I might even mention it was a mad scientist who played D&D ). Or selective breeding.

I probably wouldn't put them on Earth, though. I'm more inclined to go the way of Greyhawk 2000, having races (and magic) first, and Technology second.

 

[mythusmage]

Dragon Earth has the standard fantasy races. The year is 2003, the races are recovering from a devastating war, and eldritch beasties are making trouble at a magic college on Pluto.

Tech is magic powered and magic based, dragons have made the Great Compromise ("We could hurt them, but they could wipe us out. So we'll act nice, obey their laws, and exert control in more subtle ways."), and the gods are on the brink of a (possibly) devastating discovery.

On the world of Ki (more traditional D&D than Dragon Earth is) the non-human races came about thanks to accidental genetic engineering. It involves illithid reproduction (of which there are two forms) and Kian immune systems.

Besides the usual illithid method of reproduction (which is rather disquieting itself), the octopoids also produce viroids that "infect" their victims, converting them to illithids. It's not always 100% effective, which is how Ki got mind flayers. These viroids also tend to "pick up" genetic material from different species, and to "mix" that material in different victims. Which is how Ki got elves (human and crane), orcs (human and wolf), and dwarfs (human and badger) among others. Essentially, the races of Ki are either human in origin with another species (or two) added in, or something with a bit of human added (halflings for example, which are rhesus macaques with a touch of human and river otter).

Fortunately, the peoples of Ki and the illithid viroid have pretty much adapted to each other, and now the descendents of the original viroids act as protectors against any new illithid viroids that show up on occasion. Not that this stops certain illithid and mind flayer factions from trying every once in a while.

If the above gives you ideas, good.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Has anyone read the Artemis Frown books?
It incorperates the idea of fantasy races into the modern world pretty well (even despite the author's funny ideas about dwarves).

I do not recall the scandic word for elf...

In Icelandic it's 'Álfur' (Elf-ur). I expect the other post-norse languages have something very similar.

 

[Jeph]

Has anyone read the Artemis Frown books?

Fowl. Artemis Fowl. And yes, others have.