This is a bad idea

[RedFox]

But I'm posting it anyway:

Players make first level characters for Star Wars D20.

Here's the setup:

During an exploratory mission to the Unknown Regions hundreds of parsecs away from civilized space, a hyperspace accident drops the ship into real-space with severe damage. The PCs and the remaining crew of the Republic corvette jettison in life-pods and land on a habitable planet in the system.

Abeir-Toril. No meta-explanation given, the GM just runs with it.

[novastar]

...and the Jedi dies, the first time he pisses off a high-level Wizard/Cleric/Sorceror/Druid. :p ;) :o

[PaladinCA]

I don't think it is a bad idea, as long as their escape pod lands on top of Elminster. :D

[RedFox]

...and the Jedi dies, the first time he pisses off a high-level Wizard/Cleric/Sorceror/Druid. :p ;) :o

Have them land in the middle of a full-out siege, with sorcerous might being brought to bear, flying citadels, elemental shock troops, the whole deal...

I don't think it is a bad idea, as long as their escape pod lands on top of Elminster. :D

...on top of Elminster. Ruby slippers (smoking pipe?) optional.

[Pig with Pen]

I thought we are going to play Star Wars and not D&D? I quit. ;)

[RedFox]

I thought we are going to play Star Wars and not D&D? I quit. ;)

I told you that it's a bad idea!

[Mr Teufel]

I'm with Pig with Pen. I walk off in high dudgeon. It's a natural high! :)

[Skinner's Pigeon]

I'm all for it, assuming that the GM (now DM, apparently) has plenty of beer in the fridge and a copy of Army of Darkness on the DVD rack.

And also if he has already taken the time to convert all the D&D stuff to SWd20 stuff, so I can still reliably vape orcs with my heavy blaster pistol, rather than just pinging their hit points. Dragon? Suck salvaged turbolaser, snake-face!

And also also if the entire purpose of the game is, in fact, to allow the PCs to use their extensive knowledge of science to create all sorts of technocrap and thus utterly rape the entire setting. "R2, build me a car. With flamethrowers."

[PaladinCA]

Dragon? Suck salvaged turbolaser, snake-face!

Take a laugh point if you collect them. :D

[Pete Whalley]

I like it, but then again I'm a swine for brutally forcing settings together like that...although my SWD20 idea was to have the PCs come out of hyperspace around a mist wreathed world surrounded by junk ships and rusted derelicts...RavenSpace.

[devlin1]

I'm all for it, assuming that the GM (now DM, apparently) has plenty of beer in the fridge and a copy of Army of Darkness on the DVD rack.
[holds up heavy blaster] "Listen up, you primitive screwheads! This is my 'pkew-pkew!' stick!"

[Nelzie]

I like it, but then again I'm a swine for brutally forcing settings together like that...although my SWD20 idea was to have the PCs come out of hyperspace around a mist wreathed world surrounded by junk ships and rusted derelicts...RavenSpace.

I'd play this game, but not with the d20 Rules. I don't like my SciFi with d20.

[Jason D]

It's fine... the players crawl from their big wrecked ship, and see a group of quasi-medieval fantasy adventurers coming up the path, ready for their adventure at the Barrier Peaks.

[Callad]

Why does this look like Rifts D20? Possibly the Jedi=Cyberknights, and theres all manner of tech and magic whipped together in a heavy metal blender. Sounds fun!

[Silent Wayfarer]

We got Death Star (Death Star), We got Death Star(Death Star)...

[PaladinCA]

We got Death Star (Death Star), We got Death Star(Death Star)...

I HAVE the Death Star and if it is Toril, I am commencing primary ignition. ;)

Yes, I will dance, dance, dance on the rubble. :D

[fonkaygarry]

Is this what you had in mind last session?

[Della]

I'd play it. with a big, ear-to-ear smile.

but then, i'm a sucker for campy crossovers.

[holds up heavy blaster] "Listen up, you primitive screwheads! This is my 'pkew-pkew!' stick!"

exactly my thought.

[Fortinbras]

I'd have to be in a very specific mood to play this. I generally prefer the concept of my games to be upfront, not bait-and-switch.

[devlin1]

I HAVE the Death Star and if it is Toril, I am commencing primary ignition. ;)

Yes, I will dance, dance, dance on the rubble. :D
"What do you mean?"
"I'm sayin' it's not there, kid."
"Oh... sweet."

[RedFox]

Is this what you had in mind last session?

No. This idea struck me later.

I'd have to be in a very specific mood to play this. I generally prefer the concept of my games to be upfront, not bait-and-switch.

Ain't no bait-n-switch. Players would know what they were playing going in.

[jsnead]

I'm all for it, assuming that the GM (now DM, apparently) has plenty of beer in the fridge and a copy of Army of Darkness on the DVD rack.

And also if he has already taken the time to convert all the D&D stuff to SWd20 stuff, so I can still reliably vape orcs with my heavy blaster pistol, rather than just pinging their hit points. Dragon? Suck salvaged turbolaser, snake-face!

And also also if the entire purpose of the game is, in fact, to allow the PCs to use their extensive knowledge of science to create all sorts of technocrap and thus utterly rape the entire setting. "R2, build me a car. With flamethrowers."Most definitely. I'd be deeply annoyed if the point was to have the characters actually fit into the D&D world, but if the point is to play Lest Darkness Fall[/URL] turned up to 11, then I'm certain a good time will be had by all. I can see three good endings to the campaign, depending upon how the PCs do things -


It ends with them having given various relatively good nations all manner of powerful tech that allows them to vanquish their evil neighbors, and then the PCs build an FTL radio and (largely) peacefully integrate the world into the interstellar community. Naturally, this works better if set during or before the most recent trilogy or after the first trilogy, since integrating the planet into a brutal empire isn't really the point of this ending.
It ends with the world largely (or perhaps completely) being destroyed, as the PCs take a hacked together ship off the world - the blast wave of the explosion just behind them.
It ends with the PCs as the absolute rulers of the planet, who are discussing how they can smuggle in more droids and other bits of useful high tech they haven't yet figured out how to duplicate while keeping the world a secret from the rest of the universe.
Do it this way and it would totally rock.

[RedFox]

I'm not sure if it'd be a good idea to have the characters able to replicate resources and wreck the setting on a meta-scale. I might even go so far as to outlaw the Tech-Specialist class. After all, the setup is an elaborate "lost on backwater world" premise, which is destroyed if the PCs can mobilize the infrastructure to manufacture their own starship in short order.

It has a certain appeal, though.

I was thinking more like "marooned" than "Jedi conquer Krynn!"

Though that could certainly work too.

[Litpho]

It ends with the PCs as the absolute rulers of the planet, who are discussing how they can smuggle in more droids and other bits of useful high tech they haven't yet figured out how to duplicate while keeping the world a secret from the rest of the universe.I can also see the PCs as warring leaders of clans with each clan getting hold of certain pieces of science, as per Harry Harrisons Deathworld 2.

[RedFox]

I can also see the PCs as warring leaders of clans with each clan getting hold of certain pieces of science, as per Harry Harrisons Deathworld 2.

Part of the implication of the setup is that those escape pods land all over the world. The PCs would be in one pod, but there'd be a good dozen others in disparate places, each with a handful of Republic troops with assorted survival packs and blasters.

[Lord Crimson]

[holds up heavy blaster] "Listen up, you primitive screwheads! This is my 'pkew-pkew!' stick!"

You sir, may count yourself sigged.

[DDogwood]

Part of the implication of the setup is that those escape pods land all over the world. The PCs would be in one pod, but there'd be a good dozen others in disparate places, each with a handful of Republic troops with assorted survival packs and blasters.

Or, y'know, the escape pods could have been jettisoned from a few ships, and there are Imperial officers with Stormtroopers in some areas, and Rebels in others. The allegiances start to blur once it becomes apparent that they are not getting off the planet anytime soon.

There are lots of ways to riff off of this theme. The biggest question, I think, is how the Force interacts with Magic. Are they just different expressions of the same thing, or are they completely different forces? Can a Jedi learn to shoot Fireballs?

[Nawara]

This is a bad idea

But I'm posting it anyway:

Players make first level characters for Star Wars D20.

:eek:

Jesus Christ, that IS a bad idea!


-Jeff

[RedFox]

Or, y'know, the escape pods could have been jettisoned from a few ships, and there are Imperial officers with Stormtroopers in some areas, and Rebels in others. The allegiances start to blur once it becomes apparent that they are not getting off the planet anytime soon.

I love this idea!

There are lots of ways to riff off of this theme. The biggest question, I think, is how the Force interacts with Magic. Are they just different expressions of the same thing, or are they completely different forces? Can a Jedi learn to shoot Fireballs?

Separate, and yes. You can multi-class between SW and D&D classes freely. The game's gonzo.

I talked with a friend of mind last night and came up with some more ideas:

Players should select alignments for their Star Wars characters!
Hit points, not WP/VP.
Lightsabers bypass armor DR but not magic DR. This would have to be fleshed-out some. Basically anything with DR/energy would be sashimi, definitely.
Enchanted lightsabers!
Droid wizards!
The corvette crashes on the planet and is somewhat salvageable... AS A NEW FORTRESS HQ! Evil bastards probably moved-in first though, meaning the PCs have their first quest in climbing Witch Mountain and re-taking the ship to use as their new Transformers HQ.
The game goes all the way up to epic.
And that means an evil liche gets ahold of databanks and ends up going to Korriban to make ancient sith lord ghosts his bitches. For his new UNDEAD STAR ARMADA!
Did you notice that the Teleport spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleport.htm) doesn't have a maximum range?

Feel free to run screaming from me now.

[devlin1]

Feel free to run screaming from me now.
Aieee.

[Gaming Geek]

Can I play? :p

[RedFox]

Supposition: D&D armor does very little to protect people from blasters. Unless a creature is naturally resistant to damage (Natural Armor bonuses) or someone has DR, armor is worthless vs. blasters.

To represent this, use the touch-attack AC for all characters targeted by blaster fire.

[devlin1]

Supposition: D&D armor does very little to protect people from blasters. Unless a creature is naturally resistant to damage (Natural Armor bonuses) or someone has DR, armor is worthless vs. blasters.

To represent this, use the touch-attack AC for all characters targeted by blaster fire.
Hrm... I can certainly see this for some armors, but what about armor types in the SWRPG that have medieval fantasy analogues? Isn't there some kind of flight suit that gives an armor bonus? Does that apply to blasters?

For the sake of simplicity, I think I'd have conventional armor apply against blasters... but for the sake of complication, I would make the protection they provide against blasters ablative, possibly adjusted for light and heavy blasters. E.g., someone wearing full plate (+8 AC) is hit by a blaster, and in addition to taking damage, their plate armor's AC bonus is reduced by -1 (or -2, if hit by a heavy blaster). Critical hits inflict twice as much "armor damage." Same with shields. That way, armor's still protective, which means those wearing it are still a legitimate threat (unless you're fighting with a lightsaber, in which case...), but blasters have a definite advantage over low-tech fantasy weapons.

[Gaming Geek]

....I had a brainstorm.

Duel Class Jedi/Sorcerer.

I will name him.....Tim.

(what? I'm in a silly mood)

[RedFox]

Hrm... I can certainly see this for some armors, but what about armor types in the SWRPG that have medieval fantasy analogues? Isn't there some kind of flight suit that gives an armor bonus? Does that apply to blasters?

For the sake of simplicity, I think I'd have conventional armor apply against blasters... but for the sake of complication, I would make the protection they provide against blasters ablative, possibly adjusted for light and heavy blasters. E.g., someone wearing full plate (+8 AC) is hit by a blaster, and in addition to taking damage, their plate armor's AC bonus is reduced by -1 (or -2, if hit by a heavy blaster). Critical hits inflict twice as much "armor damage." Same with shields. That way, armor's still protective, which means those wearing it are still a legitimate threat (unless you're fighting with a lightsaber, in which case...), but blasters have a definite advantage over low-tech fantasy weapons.

Well I happen to have the Star Wars Arms & Equipment Guide right here and everything provides DR in this game rather than AC bonuses. Even leather jerkins.

Frankly, I'm okay with SW armors providing DR and D&D fantasy armor providing normal AC bonuses. Chalk it up to materials technology and functional design differences. If it were the WEG version, that one differentiated between energy and conventional damage, but we're using D20 so...

...anywho, I'm all for full plate doing jack against blasters. The idea isn't to equalize the two settings, but rather to play up the differences while combining the two. If the fantasy characters want to be safe against blasters, they better use magic (or adamantine) or find some stormtrooper armor to salvage...

...likewise there's not much that the Star Wars characters can do against magic missile spells. :D

[RedFox]

....I had a brainstorm.

Duel Class Jedi/Sorcerer.

I will name him.....Tim.

(what? I'm in a silly mood)

For extra points, make it a kobold.

[Mr Adventurer]

Did you notice that the Teleport spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleport.htm) doesn't have a maximum range?
Forget Teleport, two spell levels higher is Greater Teleport, a spell where the infinite range isn't dependent on caster level...

[BillChuck]

6. The corvette crashes on the planet and is somewhat salvageable... AS A NEW FORTRESS HQ! Evil bastards probably moved-in first though, meaning the PCs have their first quest in climbing Witch Mountain and re-taking the ship to use as their new Transformers HQ.


Heck, the Rebel corvette crashes in the mountains, and the Imperial star destroyer crashes in the ocean near Calimport or Moonsea or something. Neither will fly again, but both are still (mostly) habitable, and have some working systems.



I think this game could actually get me to play d20. Maybe even buy game books. :p

[IntegralENT]

I think it's a good idea if you allow them all to be Jedi. Cause nothing's better than fighting a dragon than a Jedi fighting a dragon...then looting its horde for cash.

I also demand that you call the world the proper name of Toril, and not that funky new name WotC made up so it can be higher up on a list of RPG settings. If you don't do that, then its a very very bad idea and you should feel shame. ;)

[mrlost]

Well I for two think it should be on whatever world that Barrier Peaks adventure was set on. Greyhawk or Mystara or something.

[The Incredible Bohemian]

Players should select alignments for their Star Wars characters!
Hit points, not WP/VP.
Lightsabers bypass armor DR but not magic DR. This would have to be fleshed-out some. Basically anything with DR/energy would be sashimi, definitely.
Enchanted lightsabers!
Droid wizards!
The corvette crashes on the planet and is somewhat salvageable... AS A NEW FORTRESS HQ! Evil bastards probably moved-in first though, meaning the PCs have their first quest in climbing Witch Mountain and re-taking the ship to use as their new Transformers HQ.
The game goes all the way up to epic.
And that means an evil liche gets ahold of databanks and ends up going to Korriban to make ancient sith lord ghosts his bitches. For his new UNDEAD STAR ARMADA!
Did you notice that the Teleport spell (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/teleport.htm) doesn't have a maximum range?

She's gonna blow!

/dives for cover

[devlin1]

Droid wizards, nothin'. Gimme droid barbarians. Y'know, living in the wild, wearing animal skins, forming tribal societies, dodging uncannily...

[pspahn]

I'd hate it as a player. Too much potential for camp and I like my Star Wars fairly dark.

But it's an interesting thought. I once had my PCs crash land on a Medieval fantasy-type planet, but it wasn't a D&D setting world.

I like the idea of a Dark Jedi and some stormtroopers crashing there as well. Then a lot of it would involve trying to counter what they're trying to do (take over, I imagine).

Can magic swords parry lightsabers?

Pete

[RedFox]

I'd hate it as a player. Too much potential for camp and I like my Star Wars fairly dark.

Like I said, this is a bad idea.

Can magic swords parry lightsabers?

Pete

Yes.

[Rezolution]

I think it would be a blast(er) (okay, yeah, that was lame) for a one-off or a short campaign. I'd play this for a little while, at least.

[Della]

Like I said, this is a bad idea.


For every player who thinks this is a bad idea, there is one that would play it in a heartbeat.

I guess. I would. I love camp and hate dark fantasy (real life is dark enough for me, thanks).

[Gaming Geek]

Likewise. I'm sure that my old college group would have not only played this in a heartbeat. but play a full season-long campaign with it.

Mind you, maybe not as the main game, but still.

[Anubis-scales]

**snips like seven posts of awesome**

I like the cut of your jib and I am very interested in subscribing to your newsletter.

[GregStolze]

You had me at "make ancient sith lord ghosts his bitches".

-G.

[Nawara]

Droid wizards, nothin'. Gimme droid barbarians. Y'know, living in the wild, wearing animal skins, forming tribal societies, dodging uncannily...

It's been done. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eberron)

-Jeff

[devlin1]

It's been done. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/eberron)

-Jeff
What? Warforged live in the wild in nomadic hunter-gatherer clans that value honor and prowess in combat? That's silly. I'm not familiar with the setting, but... that's silly.

[Agent Oracle]

What? Warforged live in the wild in nomadic hunter-gatherer clans that value honor and prowess in combat? That's silly. I'm not familiar with the setting, but... that's silly.

It's an unfortunate side effect of abandoning sapient nigh-immortal combat machines after a war is over.

The warforged are a race of living, sentient constructs superficially similar to golems. Warforged are composed of a blend of materials: predominantly stone, wood, and some type of metal. These components take on unnatural properties during the warforge-creation process. Some Warforged are able to alter their shapes somewhat and produce spikes. Interestingly, materials used to repair a damaged Warforged take on the properties of the materials already present in the Warforged. Conversly, any materials removed from the husk of a non-functional Warforged decay rapidly, and are unfit for any other use.

Warforged in Eberron were created by House Cannith in magical 'creation forges' to fight in the Last War, based on technology recovered from Xen'drik. When the Last War ended, their purpose was indeterminate. They were given their freedom at the Treaty of Thronehold. Though they have free will, whether they have a soul is not known with certainty; they can be resurrected by spells designed to restore human souls to life, but, unlike humans, never remember anything of their experience in the afterlife after such an event.

While they have no biological sex, warforged may adopt a gender role as part of their individual personality. They do not age as the other races do, and it is not known what effects time will have on them. It is stipulated that, like all living creatures, their bodies must experience degradation over time. Like other races, warforged may take levels in any character class.

Which means Yes: you can have Barbarian Droids. There is fiction to support it too. Some groups of Warforged Titans (Big. No, Bigger. no Bigger) banded together and went off, away from society, looking for their own place in the world. Considering that your average Warforged Titan has hammers and blades for hands...

As a matter of fact, i'd love to see how a Warforged from Eberon would deal with a protocol droid...

[RedFox]

As a matter of fact, i'd love to see how a Warforged from Eberon would deal with a protocol droid...

"Oh my!"

If I were playing the droid, I'd find some way to work the droid religion regarding "The Maker" into conversation.

[Monkey King]

"Oh my!"

If I were playing the droid, I'd find some way to work the droid religion regarding "The Maker" into conversation.
C3P0 as an actual high priest, Flame Strikes and all. Throw in a wookie bard and I am SOLD.

[Myth]

C3P0 as an actual high priest, Flame Strikes and all. Throw in a wookie bard and I am SOLD.

This is a very bad idea.

I am completely sold. When do we start?

[Gaming Geek]

"Let us all bow our heads, and give thanks to the maker....


10100010100100101101111, 1101111011 ...2"


And hell, wookies have been in Star Wars rock bands before in some of the WEG stuff. Ok, I think it was just one wookie in one band, but there has to be more.

[RedFox]

Alright, I'm seriously considering running this thing. I want to start out with the space battle, because I know it'll probably be the last time in a long time that the PCs will be able to be involved in one. :)

After that, they crash in their escape pod(s), and I want to know what sort of situation would be best to have them emerge into.

So throw me ideas people! What would be fun for Star Wars characters to pop into in a D&D fantasy setting? A dungeon? An elvish village? What?

[Old Geezer]

1) What was the name of that planet?
2) Oh.
3) Who's Elminster?

I think it's an inside joke I don't get.

[RedFox]

1) What was the name of that planet?
2) Oh.
3) Who's Elminster?

I think it's an inside joke I don't get.

It doesn't have to be Forgotten Realms. In fact, I'm thinking of making it some generic fantasy realm. I was just using that because it's iconic.

[Mark Krawec]

So throw me ideas people! What would be fun for Star Wars characters to pop into in a D&D fantasy setting? A dungeon? An elvish village? What?

I'm seeing a disreputable tavern on the Sword Coast ... a weatherbeaten old sorceror & his apprentice, looking for transportation ... "We can pay you three thousand gold now, plus another <em>fifteen</em> when we get to the Moonshaes ..."

[mrlost]

What? Warforged live in the wild in nomadic hunter-gatherer clans that value honor and prowess in combat? That's silly. I'm not familiar with the setting, but... that's silly.
No. Warforged were designed, built, and trained to be barbarians by House Cannith. There are no tribes of magical robot golem people in Eberron. Cults of the Godforged, the Reforged, or the Lord of Blades yes. Tribes of primitives, no.

In regards to warforged barbarians, bear in mind that warforged are immune to fatigue! This means that you can rage without fear of the penalty at the end, assuming combat lasts that long. Hence my seeing it as less of an emotional rage and more of a temporary alchemical boost.


......The warforged are sentient creatures and can therefore learn any skill a human could. On the other hand, for a warforged class may represent its initial design -- the combat specialty it was built to perform. A good example of this is barbarian. In my mind, a warforged barbarian is not simply a primitive fighter, but rather a warforged built as a skirmisher -- capable of swift movement and an occasional burst of hyperactivity. Such a warforged's "Rage" might not manifest as fury, but rather as a cold and relentless burst of offensive power. Likewise, a sorcerer may be an unusual warforged designed to act as a living wand. A monk could be a warforged who has chosen to follow this path after its military career, but it could also have been built as an assassin (swift, skilled with stealth and hand-to-hand combat); in this case, its "wholeness of body" could be seen more as a capacity for self-repair as opposed to a spiritual discipline......

[Sliverthorn]

Alright, I'm seriously considering running this thing. I want to start out with the space battle, because I know it'll probably be the last time in a long time that the PCs will be able to be involved in one. :)

After that, they crash in their escape pod(s), and I want to know what sort of situation would be best to have them emerge into.

So throw me ideas people! What would be fun for Star Wars characters to pop into in a D&D fantasy setting? A dungeon? An elvish village? What?


I'm always a fan of the Frying Pan-Fire theory. Have them land in the middle of a raid. By the forces of light. On an orc village. Complete with screaming moms and bloodthirsty attackers. Let the Jedi figure out whats up.

[RedFox]

I'm always a fan of the Frying Pan-Fire theory. Have them land in the middle of a raid. By the forces of light. On an orc village. Complete with screaming moms and bloodthirsty attackers. Let the Jedi figure out whats up.

Screaming moms?

[Dagor]

Screaming moms?
"If you are captured, say and do anything necessary to prevent being left at the mercy of your enemy's womenfolk." (I don't recall the precise wording, but I think I've captured the gist of it. ;))

[mpascal02]

This happened to me.

No, freaking seriously.

After about a month of (to be honest, really crappy) Star Wars campaigning, the GM bumped us all up to level 36 Star Wars characters, then had us crash on Toril, and start accumulating D&D classes.

Apparently, this was his plan from the get-go, and he hadn't bothered telling any of the players.

The game imploded, literally, after the first session of that crap. Seriously, having to negotiate with hobbit-style halflings for bags of holding because we "needed" them?

From first-hand experience, I confirm: a REALLY bad idea.

[BillChuck]

This happened to me.

No, freaking seriously.

After about a month of (to be honest, really crappy) Star Wars campaigning, the GM bumped us all up to level 36 Star Wars characters, then had us crash on Toril, and start accumulating D&D classes.

Apparently, this was his plan from the get-go, and he hadn't bothered telling any of the players.

The game imploded, literally, after the first session of that crap. Seriously, having to negotiate with hobbit-style halflings for bags of holding because we "needed" them?

From first-hand experience, I confirm: a REALLY bad idea.

What you described? Yes, a bad idea. Redfox's plan? A great idea.

The subtle difference? In Red's game, the players are in on it from the beginning. No surprise change of game.