Renaissance/Fantasy science wanted.

[raptor112]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum but I didn't know which one would be more appropriate for this inquiry. I've been trying to find a D&D d20 supliment that is Renaissance/fantasy science based. My biggest problem with the one s that I've found with the supliements I've bought is either they are for D20 modern or the rules aren't balanced (both too weak and too powerful). The type of thing I'm looking for is similar to the gothic Renaissance of ravenloft (I own all the books) in flavor but something a little more powerful in the rules ( the achemical philosophies are really cool but needed balance and 3.5 updates) and I have the technologist's handbook from E.N. Publishing but while its cool flavor wise, alot of it is too powerful and not quite balanced (haveing said that I do like it for the most part but my player's would break it way too easily.) What I'm asking is does anyone know of a good supliment that fits the bill? Any help would be aprieciated.

Raptor112

 

[KrazyHades]

Well, you could always MAKE what you want, exactly how you want it. The best way is just to base it largely off of existing things. However, I don't know much about the tons of extra books. I don't have too many Not that I wouldn't use them, I just don't bother normally. Instead I just make the stuff.

So, I am not exactly the right person to answer this, but at least it's something. And its a nice *bump* so someone else CAN see it.

 

[raptor112]

I know I could make something, but i've always been horrible at game balance, either too strong or too weak. As it is i was working on modifying the books I mentioned but I'd rather see if there are any books that would foot the bill better then wasteing alot of time and energy on trying to balance my own stuff. But thanks for the sugestion, hopfully I can get some more, even if the books just give me ideas on how to make my own stuff (which neither afore mentioned books did for the indivdual stuff that I liked).

 

[Kelleris]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum but I didn't know which one would be more appropriate for this inquiry. I've been trying to find a D&D d20 supliment that is Renaissance/fantasy science based. My biggest problem with the one s that I've found with the supliements I've bought is either they are for D20 modern or the rules aren't balanced (both too weak and too powerful). The type of thing I'm looking for is similar to the gothic Renaissance of ravenloft (I own all the books) in flavor but something a little more powerful in the rules ( the achemical philosophies are really cool but needed balance and 3.5 updates) and I have the technologist's handbook from E.N. Publishing but while its cool flavor wise, alot of it is too powerful and not quite balanced (haveing said that I do like it for the most part but my player's would break it way too easily.) What I'm asking is does anyone know of a good supliment that fits the bill? Any help would be aprieciated.

You mention "the technologist's handbook," and I was wondering if you meant mine. If so, I might be able to help if you can tell me what specific things need a whacking with the nerf bat in your game, since I probably have a better idea of why and how things are set up the way they are in that book than you might have (or so one would hope). Plus I'd just like to know what you find problematic, in case someone else has had the same problem and I might be able to help out.

From the sound of it, though, my technologist probably doesn't have the flavor you want, as it sounds like you want relatively low-level technological advancement, not something where the masters are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of civilization. Perhaps you would be better served by building a good equipment list from the alchemical items on offer from the Ultimate Equipment Guide from Mongoose, Bastion Press's Alchemy book, various issues of Dragon magazine, and so forth, designating a goodly number of those things as "cutting edge" and not readily available, and then modifying the Expert NPC into a Maester or something like that.

Hmm... You could steal the craft points from my book (a modified version of the Unearthed Arcana rules) and give the Maester a very good craft points progression and an increasing ability to make superior but flavor-wise not super-advanced versions of the basic stuff on your equipment list. Modify the Augmented Alchemy feat (which is nominally epic, but has no business being so) and do a little more expansion of the masterworking system in my book and you could have a very functional "super-expert" that would be suitable for PC use. As for balancing, I notice you're new here and thus might not know about the House Rules forum. Once you have something basically serviceable, I think you'll find some very knowledgeable people over there willing to juice things up or tone them down, as needed.

 

[dougmander]

My own Northern Crown has rules for Baroque-era inventions, like oar-powered submarines, flying machines, rapid-fire muzzle loaders, and so on. And what about Iron Kingdoms?

 

[Wraith Form]

I'm sorry for threadjacking, but I actually have a question on this topic.

I recently decided to start the early beginnings of an industrial revolution in my game by introducing the first set of guns and a steamjack (see the Iron Kingdoms setting for details). The players found this during an arms trade gone wrong. Both techs are owned by the most advanced government in my homebrew (which is, in effect, the Ravenloft setting minus the horror elements, exactly as the O.P. is doing).

I'm trying to think of a subtle way to introduce more advancements--RPG settings like the Iron Kingdoms assumes that the tech has been around for some time and thus doesn't need to explain its introduction, as does the computer game Arcanum, as well as the steampunk "bible" The Difference Engine.

So how was new tech introduced to our "real" world back during the Renaissance? Particularly, I mean new tech being developed privately in government labs and workshops, then slowly leaked into the public sector. Any suggestions as to how I can introduce more tech in a quiet, unobtrusive manner?

[/threadjack]

 

[thedungeondelver]

You might consider picking up a copy of L. Sprague deCamp's LEST DARKNESS FALL, or Poul Anderson's THE HIGH CRUSADE as good inspirational reading.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

My own Northern Crown has rules for Baroque-era inventions, like oar-powered submarines, flying machines, rapid-fire muzzle loaders, and so on. And what about Iron Kingdoms?

I was just going to come in and pimp Northern Crown for this - I'm thinking of adapting its invention rules to my own campaign. Basically inventions are handled very similarly to magic items in standard D&D, so it ports pretty easily, and there are a number of example inventions as well as the components of those inventions so that you can create your own.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

So how was new tech introduced to our "real" world back during the Renaissance? Particularly, I mean new tech being developed privately in government labs and workshops, then slowly leaked into the public sector. Any suggestions as to how I can introduce more tech in a quiet, unobtrusive manner?

I'm not an expert, but my sense of it is that most scientists worked in a patronage system, much like Leonardo DaVinci did. An inventor with great ideas would get funding from a King or Duke, etc, and then work on producing whatever it was he said he could make - sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing. There was a very thin line between Alchemy and Science - in fact until the 17th century or so, most didn't feel a need to seperate the two. Isaac Newton spent as much if not more energy and time on Alchemical theory as he did on scientific work.

I'd recommend reading The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. This is a large part of the backdrop to the story in those books.

 

[Stormborn]

I'd recommend reading The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. This is a large part of the backdrop to the story in those books.

Seconded.

As to the OPs question: What kind of tech are you looking for exactly? Alchemical items, guns, vehicles, weapons? The easiest change you can make regardless of what you want is simply to change the flavor of a thing with out changing the mechanics that you already have.

Alchemy: Potions and Elixirs- Its the ingrediants themselves that have efficacy (reflected in their cost), the spell that is used to create them is the formula and the final thaumaturgical "zap" needed to get them working together.

Guns: Crossbows - they are all single shot weapons (except the exotic repeating ones). If it makes you more comfortable with the feel you can make them v. touch AC to represent the ability to penatrate armor.

Clockwork Inventions: Wonderous Items - The gears and moving parts are all right there. That +1 Bracer of Armor? Its an unfolding bracelet that turns into an articulated metal gauntlet, or it hums loudly as it generates an energy field. Cloak of Charisma? A backpack that generates a positive biothaumaturgical aura or maybe releases small jets of a specically derived self regenrating gas that makes people more receptive to the wearer.

Weapons: MagicWeapons - A +1 Undead Bane Longsword? Its a sword with a tiny clock work chain saw blade running the edges with each tooth covered in a specific rune that is anathema to the walking dead.

Thats just examples, not everything might work out, but most things will and you might be even better served culling through source books and finding those that work best. Its just a matter of being consistant. Of course, the problem would be the tendecy over time to ignore the fluff and just treat everything like a magic item. But that could happen even with a special book. Mechancially technology or magic doesnt matter, its all in the descriptions.