D&D (2024) Urban Fantasy via D&D 2024

[Reynard]

I am considering starting a little urban fantasy project via the new D&D rules (once the SRD is released). I am curious what folks might think will be the biggest barriers to using D&D 2024 for urban fantasy, and what rule tweaks or other changes might be necessary.

Note that when I say urban fantasy here, I am leaning more toward the high powered action of Dresden, rather than more subtle horror inspired stuff. I am also focused on a blend of specifically D&D tropes and the modern world, rather than the more generic "vampires, werewolvs and pixies" blend that most modern Urban Fantasy leans into (which is why I want to use D&D in the first place).

The plan is stand alone adventures in an Urban Fantasy setting, so I am thinking (as minimal as possible) changes to existing classes etc, rather than buildinga whole d2024 Modern or whatever.

Thanks.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Do you mean a real world setting, or a fantasyland with modern rather than medieval trappings? D&D does the later just fine, and is the default for Eberron and Ravnica.

 

[TwoSix]

Off the top of my head:

1) Guns and other modern-age weaponry. Not just damage expressions, but how they interact with things like armor, spells, and class features.
2) The skill list almost certainly needs to be modified.
3) How to fit mundanes into a class system. If you're looking at Dresden as an inspiration, how do you do stat up a PC that's like Murphy or Butters?
4) Urban fantasy usually has the concepts of several monstrous factions as people. (Like you mentioned, vampires, werewolves, and fey are all extremely common to fill those role.) What D&D monsters would the setting be using as those factions?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Does it count as urban fantasy if you're not using the real world as backdrop, and/or if the supernatural elements are obvious? I always thought real world with supernatural stuff behind and under it was basically the definition of urban fantasy.

 

[TwoSix]

Does it count as urban fantasy if you're not using the real world as backdrop, and/or if the supernatural elements are obvious? I always thought real world with supernatural stuff behind and under it was basically the definition of urban fantasy.

I think 99% of Urban Fantasy is Earth-based, but if you had a story on an alternate world with roughly 20th-21st century technology, I don't think I would immediately exclude it.

 

[Reynard]

Does it count as urban fantasy if you're not using the real world as backdrop, and/or if the supernatural elements are obvious? I always thought real world with supernatural stuff behind and under it was basically the definition of urban fantasy.

I may have been unclear.

I am using the modern world as the backdrop, but instead of "folklore" creatures being the fantasy part, D&D stuff will be the fantasy part (Imagine something like Shadowrun without the cyberpunk elements).

 

[TiQuinn]

I am considering starting a little urban fantasy project via the new D&D rules (once the SRD is released). I am curious what folks might think will be the biggest barriers to using D&D 2024 for urban fantasy, and what rule tweaks or other changes might be necessary.

Note that when I say urban fantasy here, I am leaning more toward the high powered action of Dresden, rather than more subtle horror inspired stuff. I am also focused on a blend of specifically D&D tropes and the modern world, rather than the more generic "vampires, werewolvs and pixies" blend that most modern Urban Fantasy leans into (which is why I want to use D&D in the first place).

The plan is stand alone adventures in an Urban Fantasy setting, so I am thinking (as minimal as possible) changes to existing classes etc, rather than buildinga whole d2024 Modern or whatever.

Thanks.

I think vehicle and chase rules might be the biggest hurdle but there’s been stuff from Descent into Avernus that you can probably use.

 

[R_J_K75]

2) The skill list almost certainly needs to be modified.

Yeah, as I was running a session this past Monday, I came across a few instances where the skill list felt very limited and unable to accommodate the situation we were trying to resolve.

 

[TwoSix]

I may have been unclear.

I am using the modern world as the backdrop, but instead of "folklore" creatures being the fantasy part, D&D stuff will be the fantasy part (Imagine something like Shadowrun without the cyberpunk elements).

Would new species and magic be out in the open (like Shadowrun) or generally hidden/covered up (like Dresden)?

 

[Reynard]

Off the top of my head:

1) Guns and other modern-age weaponry. Not just damage expressions, but how they interact with things like armor, spells, and class features.

I'm not especially inclined to give guns a bunch of rules different than other ranged weapons. But I think weapon mastery properties could be used to give guns a flavor of their own.

2) The skill list almost certainly needs to be modified.

Drive and Computers, maybe. What else do you feel is necessary, and what could be tool proficiencies trades, I think)?

3) How to fit mundanes into a class system. If you're looking at Dresden as an inspiration, how do you do stat up a PC that's like Murphy or Butters?

Maybe classes and subclasses can be divided up between Mundane (people from our world with no connection to the fantasy world), Touched (people of Earth who have connected to the Fantasy world*) and Supernatural (people from the fantasy world*).

4) Urban fantasy usually has the concepts of several monstrous factions as people. (Like you mentioned, vampires, werewolves, and fey are all extremely common to fill those role.) What D&D monsters would the setting be using as those factions?

Good question.

*This is based on a setting I have used in previous games and am writing fiction for, in which the people of a very D&D-like fantasy world flee the destruction of their world to Earth through portals.