D&D General Neolithic D&D

[Reynard]

I have been nerding out a little over neolithic archaeology, from Gobekli tepe to Catalhoyuk and so on, and I was thinking about how you could do D&D in (a fantastical version of) that time period.

What classes would be important? What races? What equipment? What rules? What changes would you need from typical D&D set in its sort of if you squint Medieval-ish setting to one at the very dawn of civilization?

Have you ever run a neolithic D&D campaign, or other fantasy RPG? How did it go? What sorts of adventures and things did you focus on?

 

[Parmandur]

I've long found it interesting how much of storytelling, including open world video game characters or "murder hobos" in TTRGs, actually harken back to Neolithic hunter lifestyles.

 

[J-H]

Have you looked at the review of the prehistoric setting posted a few months ago? I think it was Planegea but my DuckDuckGo-Fu is failing me currently.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

The medievalism of D&D is mostly vibes. Yes, there is plate armour and complex hilted swords and the like but there is nothing about AC 18 that is specifically medieval or 1d8 piercing for that matter.
Change or reskin the equipment list and probably the narrative around many of the tools and some of the skills and away you go.

 

[Steampunkette]

What @UngainlyTitan said.

The game works just the same if you describe a fireball as the result of some Neanderthal calling out to various gods to smite his foe instead of an educated wizard working a spell.

 

[Reynard]

Have you looked at the review of the prehistoric setting posted a few months ago? I think it was Planegea but my DuckDuckGo-Fu is failing me currently.

That game looks like it is set way too early for what I am talking about here.

 

[MGibster]

I think you'd have to make some big changes to some of the classes, otherwise what's the point of a neolithic D&D game? Neolithic means a pre-literate society, so there are no Wizards as there are no scrolls or spell books. I know back in Dragon magazine they had an article about alternatives to spell books, but, again, if you're just going to have the same Wizard then why bother with the neolithic setting?

 

[Reynard]

I think you'd have to make some big changes to some of the classes, otherwise what's the point of a neolithic D&D game? Neolithic means a pre-literate society, so there are no Wizards as there are no scrolls or spell books. I know back in Dragon magazine they had an article about alternatives to spell books, but, again, if you're just going to have the same Wizard then why bother with the neolithic setting?

It would be interesting if there were sorcerers but in the setting writing is just emerging and some people are trying to apply it to magic.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

Maybe wizards could use painted runes instead of written words?

 

[cbwjm]

I had ideas for something similar a while back though not quite neolithic. The basic idea was a tribe of humans (only) and it would have had some restricted classes. No wizards or related subclasses (eldritch knight, arcane trickster) instead warlocks and sorcerers were the arcanists of the era. Bards and Druids were used instead of clerics for the divine side of things. I think I also removed monk and paladin was limited to the ancients.

I'm not sure how much I did on gear, but probably no heavy armour, unless you have some idea of additional armour types, probably limit it to hide only (I would also consider some better medium armour made of bone instead of steel), shields are of course available. I might compensate heavy armour wearers by replacing the effectively lost armour proficiency somehow, perhaps allowing strength or constitution to apply to their AC instead of dexterity or perhaps just flat out replacing heavy armour proficiency with unarmoured defence like the barbarian.

Weapons for a neolithic era I would limit to weapons that could more easily accommodate stone such as spears or daggers, axes, or maces, any sort of club would also fit in but no swords in general. I'd probably allow a great axe as the image of a burly barbarian with a massive stone-headed axe would be awesome.