Mannapunk (Race and Class ideas anyone?)

[Stormborn]

With Eberron we have gotten a little bit of magic-as-technology, although more as flavor than rules. Iron Kingdoms gives us some rules, oft confusing ones at that, for magical constructs and alchemical firearms and potions. We also have some steampunk ideas from a variety of sources. But no setting where magic replicates, to a fairly high degree, technology. Has anyone tried to fully embrace the magic-as-tech idea? Either as a homebrew (in which case I would love to see your notes) or as a published setting?

I am looking pretty far down the road at the next big campaign for my group, and have a lot of ideas, and could pick things apart from a dozen sources, but am wondering if there is somethign coherent already in place before I go reinviniting the airship, as it were.

Edit: Some of the elements of China Meiville's Bas-Lag novels contain what I would consider to be "mannapunk" elements.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Maybe some of the smaller settings, Book's like Sorcery and Steam are the best bet I would thing.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

Well, there is Urbis...

I'm basically using magic as a stand-in for 19th century technology, though I am primarily interested in the social effects of prevalent magic on society. It does have mass-produced magic items, though, as well as a huge section on spell legality.

I hope that helps.

 

[Andor]

Well there's the ancient MagiTech setting for the Amazing Engine system. Although the only game I really liked from that system was 'For Farie Queen and Country'


Inspiration wise, try 'The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump' by Harry Turtledove. Comedy yes, but a well done magic as tech world.

 

[glass]

Has anyone tried to fully embrace the magic-as-tech idea? Either as a homebrew (in which case I would love to see your notes) or as a published setting?

There is GURPS Technomancer. It is (not surprisingly) for GURPS rather than d20, but the setting is well thought out, and IMHO great fun to read.

It is set in a modern day alternate earth, which diverted from real history when magic started working at the end of WWII. It goes into quite a lot of detail about magical production lines, etc, as well talking about effects on society, law and order, and commerce.


glass.

 

[Jürgen Hubert]

There is GURPS Technomancer. It is (not surprisingly) for GURPS rather than d20, but the setting is well thought out, and IMHO great fun to read.

Technomancer is one sweet setting, but you should be aware that magic doesn't really replace technology, but merges with it. Most modern tech still exists - it just gets boosted by magic...

 

[DMH]

The artificer class in Morningstar summons animating spirits to power machinery. In fact they can't cast spells at all- they use such knowledge to incorporate the spell into the item created. Several pages are devoted to the class, the spirits and the devices they can create.

The technomancer in AEG's Magic is similar. The problem is the introduction for the class (you can make guns, airships and more!)- the class features do not support that at all.

 

[Abstraction]

Never played, but isn't there a Battletech/D&D merge called DragonStar?

 

[DMH]

No, Dragonstar is a space opera with magic setting. You are thinking of Goodman's Dragonmech.

 

[Stormborn]

Brainstorming Mannapunk Elements

With some input from a friend/player I have come up with some elements I would like to see in a mannapunk game. Please add your ideas to the list, and if you have ideas on how to make them work let me know.

· Air Ships
· Lightning Rails
· Constructs
· Construct Grafts (and a reason to use them)
· Mutation (as aftermath of magical warfare)
· Urban Sprawls (Sharn? Sigil?) particularly with unusual elements (underwater, floating, etc)
· Embassies from Hell/Other Planes
· Unusual Player Races (warforged, others?)
· Lovecraftian Cults and Far Realm entities
· Organized Crime
· Corrupt Government (infiltrated by alien beings/aberrations?)
· Guns (that are effective) and Gun Mages
· Subcultures and Gangs
· Powerful Magic
· Common Magic
· Artificer Class
· Computer Analogs? - Spiritdriven? Akashic Nodes? Wraith-Ghost Space as Cyber Space?
· Post-War setting with economic and social reasons for adventuring.
· Weird magical tattoos--circuit board lines, like on Mayor Hundred's face or Indigo/Braniac
· Spirals and shapes that are maps to other planes/sections/pocket dimensions--both as tats and as transport points (like in The Scar)
· Retro-Luddite cultists who dress like Rasputina
· Gems implanted in the skin that allow particular abilities (reading too much Indian myth--one of the demi/gods has this in the forehead)
· Demons as bureaucratic class
· Personal magic--everyone has some little thing they can do (I've read that idea somewhere), like ripen fruit or keep mosquitos away or always smell good or detect metal fatigue
· Possessor Demons as Illegal Aliens
· Religions: Punch Cult, Watchmakers, 10,000 others.
· Ley-lines influencing city and building construction
· Chi Lines (Ley lines of the body) influencing health, as explanation for magical item slots, tattoos, somatic components, and possibly as use of Heal skill

Some of these things I already have rules for, or at least the beginings of rules for, but would love the community's input.