Looking to convert OGL Ancients to DS...

[Storyteller01]

Hello again folks.

I'll give you the basic campaign idea:
Via long range expedition, the Dragon Empire has found the Artathi Empire (another galactic wide establishment). The dragons believe in magic and draconic rule. The artathi empire believe in divine right/manifest destiny. In short, Magic vs Divine.


I've re-tooled the dragon empire a bit. Replaced wizards with runethanes, added some more flexibility to the bard, powered up the sorcerer, and added will saves to the divine casting (ie divine casters have to make a Will save to cast a spell). I'm hoping to include the Egyptian aspect of the OGL book for this campaign.

Now, if possible, I'd like to use the OGL Ancients system for the Artathi Empire. Three casting classes (but only two pertain to the egyptian culture), all of which are skill based and divine. More over, everyone has 'Divine Points' they can use with a Prayer roll. These points represent divine favor, and they can be used for impressive effects. Of course, the priests are even more impressive.

I'm fairly certain I can get the interaction to balance out. My biggest problem is that I need examples for Artathi tech. The Dragon Empire's tech is rather straight forward: magic is used to do what physics doesn't normally allow (ships FTL drives are magic items that cast teleport). Per the OGL book (and I'd like to keep this part, if possible), the only permanent magic items are those that belong to gods, which may be loaned to mortals.


What would you suggest? It's for a backstory, so add flavor. The more the better.

 

[KaosDevice]

What a nifty idea. How about if the gods of the ancients created series of linked teleportational circles? I know it is pretty 'Stargate-y" but it would be easy to implement and make a certain sort of sense. Otherwise you could go the Lovecraft route where interstellar travel is accomplished through the aid of divine or infernal beings and beasts that just haul the people and cargo around through teleport, the ether or astral or whatever. Or perhaps something even more esoteric (and Dune-esque) where the priests could open riftlike interstellar pathways through intoning certain prayers, taking consecrated drugs, etc. All sorts of possibilities.

 

[Storyteller01]

What a nifty idea. How about if the gods of the ancients created series of linked teleportational circles? I know it is pretty 'Stargate-y" but it would be easy to implement and make a certain sort of sense. Otherwise you could go the Lovecraft route where interstellar travel is accomplished through the aid of divine or infernal beings and beasts that just haul the people and cargo around through teleport, the ether or astral or whatever. Or perhaps something even more esoteric (and Dune-esque) where the priests could open riftlike interstellar pathways through intoning certain prayers, taking consecrated drugs, etc. All sorts of possibilities.

Hoping to avoid the stargate effect: Using that for the Dragon Empire (published material actually has a superhighway linking 10 planets via teleportation rings). I do like the Lovercraftian idea though. Apophis could make some interesing 'chariots'.

 

[KaosDevice]

Hoping to avoid the stargate effect: Using that for the Dragon Empire (published material actually has a superhighway linking 10 planets via teleportation rings). I do like the Lovercraftian idea though. Apophis could make some interesing 'chariots'.

Oh yeah, I forgot the Empire had the big road there. The extra-planar beast thing seems like a pretty groovy idea the more I think about it. You'd have to make all kinds of weird pressurized cabins for travel. What is the tech level going to be for the Ancients, equal to the Empire?

 

[Kiln Publications]

Maybe have some of the Artathi that were slaves or servants pick up on the idea of how the technology works and have them smuggle parts out here and there to create their own items and weapons such as an entrapment web that ensnares the victim in a sticky weblike substance. Or some sort of liquid that corrodes metal and causes items not to work properly. Low tech to a point but more along the lines of what someone that does not have alot of resources to build things would develop...

 

[Storyteller01]

Oh yeah, I forgot the Empire had the big road there. The extra-planar beast thing seems like a pretty groovy idea the more I think about it. You'd have to make all kinds of weird pressurized cabins for travel. What is the tech level going to be for the Ancients, equal to the Empire?

I'm aiming for a touch on the superior side, only because they have less powerful permanent magic to rely on (the Divine Points work on altering the odds in their favor, rarely for flashy effects. Even the priests are subtle by D&D standards). Artathi have the tech advantage (gods like folks who help themselves), balanced by the Dragons abundance of magic.

The only problem I have with the biological ship is that THAT idea was also taken (now you see my frustration ). The Dark Zone (galaxy sized nebula housing mindflayers and abborations) is the only thing keeping the empires from killing each other. This area is where you find high levels of psionics, bio-tech, etc.

 

[Storyteller01]

Maybe have some of the Artathi that were slaves or servants pick up on the idea of how the technology works and have them smuggle parts out here and there to create their own items and weapons such as an entrapment web that ensnares the victim in a sticky weblike substance. Or some sort of liquid that corrodes metal and causes items not to work properly. Low tech to a point but more along the lines of what someone that does not have alot of resources to build things would develop...

I need them to be a thret before hand. Current DS storyline (I know, I could always change it) has the current emporer on an expansion rampage for magic and items. They need to be able to show force and intent early in the game, or the emporer has the drow take them apart.

This might work on another level though. I have the 'Mythic Races' book, so my pllan is to populate this new empire with the races in that book (so no base races in the PHB/SHB or from the Galactic Races suppliment. They inhabit the Dragom Empire). I could work out a slave culture with one of these (the Artathi are in charge. Like the dragons, even the lowliest Artathi will not be a slave w/o some huge circumstances).

 

[KaosDevice]

The only problem I have with the biological ship is that THAT idea was also taken (now you see my frustration ). The Dark Zone (galaxy sized nebula housing mindflayers and abborations) is the only thing keeping the empires from killing each other. This area is where you find high levels of psionics, bio-tech, etc.

I wasn't talking about the things they rode in being biotech, they would probably be conventional spacecraft like things that could be carried or drug or whatever (anti-grav would be handy) just run of the mill hi-tech stuff. But these would be the 'chariots' the extraplanar beasties could haul around.

 

[Storyteller01]

I wasn't talking about the things they rode in being biotech, they would probably be conventional spacecraft like things that could be carried or drug or whatever (anti-grav would be handy) just run of the mill hi-tech stuff. But these would be the 'chariots' the extraplanar beasties could haul around.

Hrrmmmm..... Me like! *smoke from furious note taking*

 

[KaosDevice]

Hrrmmmm..... Me like! *smoke from furious note taking*

Hey and if they had that classical barge look with a Beetle of Kephra sort of motif how cool would that be?