How would you splice...

[Dannyalcatraz]

D&D-style magic into the Sci-fantasy world of Numenera?

I ask because I had a campaign idea for a post-apocalyptic D&D game in which civilization was so thoroughly destriyed that even the study of magic had been disrupted. What magic remained was being rediscovered piecemeal or made up by new practitioners,

After working with True20, spell-seeds form Epic, M&M/W&W, I figured the best way to model it was with HERO. But I know nobody in my group save myself is a fan of that system ("too complex & clunky" some say...even though I'm the Mac guy and they're the PC tinkerers).

Numenara, however, looks like it has the flexibility to run such a game without being objectionable. But I'd need a way to model actual arcane and divine magic as opposed to Clarkian advanced superscience.

Any ideas?

Bonus: if you can give me pointers on modeling D&D style races as well, that would be killer, too!

 

[fireinthedust]

I'd say you're in the right place, but don't use the Numenera setting as-is. That may be why I'm the first commenter after over 100+ views...

1) Numenera ALREADY HAS MAGIC! It's just the ACC version: any technology that is sufficiently advanced, etc. What D&D calls telepathy they would say is tapping into a version of Skype that connects to your cerebral cortex instead of through a device. You could create Fireballs, Telekinesis, teleportation, anything, but instead of magic it's by having the Nano/Wizard program some of the invisible nanites in the area with your mind to create said effect.

No one knows how they work, it's like cave-men tinkering with an iPhone.

2) All powers could be re-skinned so they're explained with Magic instead of tech. That's it. It's already a fantasy setting. Read the short story in my signature, I made sure to use fantasy "types" with tech descriptions.

3) Races: Meh, pick some features you want to have. There's a section in the book for doing just that. Look at the Mutation features. Maybe you want a stat boost. It should have the Adjective place for the character. More powerful races or more specialized uses (ie: Dragonborn who can also breath fire and have wings) could also have the Verb place, which is more powerful; it would replace "who fuses flesh with steel", and would have abilities that expand as they gain Tiers.

Elves: + speed/Intellect, step up rolls with ranged weapons (proficient? trained?)
Dwarves: + Might, Step Up rolls against magical effects or movement
Hobbits: +speed, step up stealth skill checks

I love the setting, the rules, it's possibly MC's best work ever, his Opus.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Indeed, having arcane/divine magic could be just as simple as different explanations as to where they come from. "Wizards" tap their powers from study, "Clerics" get theirs from worshiping powerful beings who grant them abilities. A wizard's onslaught ability looks like magic missiles or fireballs, a cleric's looks like weapons of their god or divine lightning or what-have-you.

Because Numenera is fairly rules-lite, most of your differences are going to be in your explanations as where things comes from. No elaborate retooling should be needed.

Like fireinthedust said about races, there are other races (they take the place of descriptors). So instead of a Rugged Jack who Controls Beast you could have an Elven Jack who Controls Beasts. There are guidelines for making your own descriptors/foci in the book, though fireinthedust had some good suggestions for a starting point. Elves are graceful, intelligent, perceptive, and weapons-trained. Give them bumps to their Intellect, training in Speed defense, training in perception, and/or possible training with bows. They may make Might defense rolls as if they were one step higher than normal, to reflect their less robust frame, etc.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Thanks, y'all!

That's sort of what I was thinking, but I'm still sorting through the book.

 

[Halivar]

I had the same idea you did, Dannyalcatraz, but using Anima instead of Numenara. Unfortunately that system was just waaaaaay too clunky to use. For anything.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So I've spent more time with it, reading it, digesting it.

The setting was inspired by the stories & art of Möbius, Arthur C. Clark, Gene Wolfe, HP Lovecraft, Greg Bear, Michael Moorcock, Stephen Baxter, Jack Kirby, as well as The Fifth Element, Fringe and many more.

I like how each Focus is a collection of related abilities, kind of like the superhero powers in Palladium's Heroes, Unlimited RPG. I hope they expand the list.

And i like the flexibility of the setting.

if you want to play in the world like those of John Carter, Eric John Stark, Gor, Dar, Taarna, Thundarr the Barbarian, Dune, The Herculoids, Flash Gordon, He-Man or the Thundercats? You can do it.

Logan's Run? Yep.

Samurai Jack? Trigun? Yes.

You want to play RIFTS without the balance issues & combat quirkiness? You can do it...as long as you don't neeeeed the Mecha.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

2*Post

 

[WayneLigon]

The 'all magic is technology' thing is right up Numenera's alley. There are millions of years of tech layered into the world, tech of a nature we can scarcely dream of. I think you could make a case that with the dimensional and trans formative nature of the tech used, that no molecule on Earth is a 'natural' one

So, you can simply pull a trick that Dianne Duane uses in the Young Wizard's series. They have a 'language of magic' that all wizards use when they want the universe to do them a favor. So to the outsider, it sounds like they're speaking nonsense but what they're really saying is an instruction set: "This is an imaging-and-patency spell for a temporospatial claudication, asdekh class. Purpose: retrieval of an accidentally internalized object, matter-energy quotient...." or "This is a timeslide inauguration, Claudication type mesarrh-gimel-veignt-six, authorization group—" Somewhere, somewhen, something built a half-billion years ago hears this, recognizes it, and does what is needed, delivering energy, or breaking down matter, or whatever.