How would you do Clerics in the Modern Day?

[Jack Daniel]

Now you're not talking about the cleric class, you're talking about the campaign. Still not difficult at all.

Magic -- we're not talking about ancient magic dropped back into the world after a centuries hiatus, like Deadlands. It's always been there as an accepted norm of society. Naturally, it would evolve like a technology. When heat-sensitive security systems aren't available, see invisbility traps are. Instead of a missile defense system, why not the president pushing for a teleport ward? And if a magical polygraph or arcane gigercounter really could detect the ethereal residue of a domination spell, law enforcement gets easier, not harder. Ressurection would be a miracle, pure and simple. How many active, miracle-working (i.e. spell-wielding) clerics would there be in the world? Enough to combat the increased forces of evil that exsit in this world. In D&D, ressurections are really only available to the PCs and high-level heroes like them, so why would it be any different here? How many people would be able to ask their deity to bring back their friend, good as new, and have it happen? Three or four in a given century, I'll wager. The theological implications ammount to proving the divine exists.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

If magic works as just another form of technology, you need to work out the economics behind magic. Remember that according to the D&D3E rules, magic items and such cannot be mass-produced - they cost XP, after all. And if you don' work out the economics, the whole thing will come crashing down during game play...

And proof of the existence of the divine would radically alter the world - human society would be nothing like that of modern-day Earth.

Inserting D&D classes into modern-day Earth requires a lot more than explaining the game rules...

 

[Jack Daniel]

You seem to think so.

You're the first to bother.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

You seem to think so.

You're the first to bother.

Hardly. And in fact, the economics of magic in a modern setting have been worked out before in an RPG sourcebook - the above-mentioned GURPS Technomancer.

In a "traditional" D&D setting, most people can ignore how magic effects economic

And figuring out this stuff isn't just to make anyone's life difficult - if done right, it will give you lots and lots of new adventure ideas.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I've started a new thread in the General forum about the impact of D&D magic on modern society, if you are interested.

 

[Tar Markvar]

I suppose I should flesh out my skeletal campaign world a bit for more advice.

This game was originally made for a homebrew version of Hunter: The Reckoning. Basically, it's the modern day (actually, the game begins on 1/1/00, with the y2k paranoia), and while everyone's fears of the y2k bug were unfounded (most computers made it through without a problem), there was a huge problem in the world: The sun never came up that morning, and wouldn't for thge forseeable future. Something's darkening the sky, even though somehow the day's heat gets through for the most part. The PCs become aware of monsters and supernatural threats in the world (I am considering having them "imbued" as in Hunter, because I like the concept of "Hunter sight", which lets the PCs see disguised creatures as they really are) and get involved with a ragtag group of people who've been fighting supernatural threats on their own (sorta like Buffy's "Scoobies," but without Buffy or Giles).

The meat of it is that magic, evil creatures, and the like have existed all along. Demihumans are either missing or non-existant (I'll restrict all PCs to humans), but magic has always been there in a ritual form. Those few who can do magic generally can't work spells on their own, and those who can may never meet another spellcaster in their lives. There are vampires, ghouls, goblins, half-goblins, undead, and other sorts of creatures that the PCs get involved with as time goes on.

What I was considering was to make everyone start out as an NPC class (expert, most likely) and multiclass into a PC class over time. Those who use weapons a lot will likely become fighters. Those interested in knowledge and the arcane arts can seek out a mentor or codex to become a wizard. And I suppose those looking for a higher power could seek out an order of priests and learn the road to true miracles.

I'd solve the "Why go to a doctor?" problem by noting that there are few real miracle-men out there... likely in the double digits in the world. I'll solve the "illusions uber alles" problem by saying that illusions can't fool electronic equipment, where there is no brain to fool. As for the "D&D actions are illegal" problem, well, tough. If you're going to go around tossing fireballs into houses, you better have a good reason or a way to cover it up, and if not, well, welcome to the "The Fugitive" segment of our campaign.

I suppose a religious order or cult would supply the means by which to gain cleric spells or arcane knowledge. I like the idea of spells causing awe or fear checks on those not used to them. Especially things like Summoning or Necromantic spells. Hell, even Cure Light Wounds would be scary, watching your flesh crawl as that gunshot closes on its own... not to mention the crisis of faith that follows as you realize that there most likely IS a God.

I like it. What do you guys think?

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

I like it. What do you guys think?

What you need is a good in-game reason why magic isn't well-known by the public. Many D&D spells are less than subtle, and surely there would be some wizard who would try to make a buck or two by showing off his abilities.

So what's keeping the secret from becoming public? There are many possible answers - but you must pick at least one of them...

 

[Tar Markvar]

Well, think of the modern real world. Why wouldn't magic be common knowledge?

Obviously, the few who can really do magic are keeping the power to themselves. The past has shown that weak minds wielding magic can cause irreversible damage to the world, just as weak minds with high science can do (ie: Saddam Hussein with a nuclear weapon, not to get political in this thread). The custodians of true magic (ie: spellcasting, as opposed to weaker ritual magic that requires a cabal of adepts and is mostly powerful due to the "placebo effect") keep the knowledge secret. These people (entities) have been keeping magic safe and secret for centuries since the Reniassance, because, while true arcane masters may have different agendae, the love of the Art is first and foremost within them, and making magic common knowledge would only serve to destroy it, turning it into a pop-culture phenomenon dumbed down by the lowest common denominator. No true master of magic wants to see the Art diminished to controlling traffic lights or summoning doves to delight fat, rich, elderly tourists.

Of course, some few have the dedication and mental endurance to pursue the Art for real, and any PC wizard candidates would be among these. And the powerful masters of the Art would be made aware of this the first time such a power is used, and the eyes of the Ancients would be upon them, blah blah blah.

As an aside, I will likely require Fear/Sanity checks for those witnessing magic being done, with the result likely to be similar to a relatively weak fear aura. I could see a wizard's party members left "Shaken" by watching their friend roast someone with a thought. The mere fact that "common" magic would drive humanity into a paranoid frenzy is enough to keep most who truly care about the Art from revealing it to the masses.

My latest problem is coming to how to get the PCs involved in the secret world. I am considering having everyone start as Experts, and then multiclassing once they get involved and find the means by which to join a class. One player wants to be a televangelist who becomes a true herald of God; so he'd be an Expert seeking true faith, and once he finds it, he'd multiclass into Cleric. That works well, I think, for mages and priests, but I run into trouble with Fighters, Monks, etc. Fighters can either be considered to know what they need to know from the start (Who CAN'T swing a baseball bat or pull a trigger?) or they could be required to undergo training (boot camp, black belt training, etc.), which would remove them from the game for weeks. I'm not sure which way to go here.