Reverse Metaplaner Quests, Ideas and a potential campaign Options

[hyzmarca]

Most metaplanes are very similar to the our own plane. They have both physical and astral planes, they operate under similar rules, and the inhabitants of those planes are convinced that their plane is that "real world". In fact, it is quite possible that the Sixth World's metaplane isn't the "real" metaplane, if there even is a "real" metaplane.

So, I'm thinking, why not have metaplaner beings making quests into the "real world."
More importantly, why not have the PCs be metaplaner beings who are making quests into the "real world."

From this though springs an absurd idea, porting 1st edition D&D characters to Shadowrun.
The premise is simple, a world destroying cataclysm (possibly the Horrors) can only be averted by using an artifact that exists in the Sixth World. The only problem is that the world that is about to be destroyed is the 1st edition D&D Mystara campaign setting.

The PCs should all be mid-level characters who are not halflings. Halflings do not exist in Shadowrun and thus halfling D&D characters who go to The Sixth World will die a horrible death from essence loss.

SR stats for each character are determined by dividing their D&D stats by 3 (round normally) and them adding racial bonuses. Combat skills are determined by subtracting the character's THAC0 from 21 and dividing by 3 for every weapon class a character is capable of wielding.
These characters may not have any firearms or launch weapon skills.

For non combat skills, these characters will be given a number of BP equal to their level x2 and a number of free knowledge skill points equal to INT. D&D characters may not buy points in Ettiquite, Computers, Electronics, any Firearms B/R skill, or any vehicle skills except horse-drawn carriage.
Thieves get a number of free points in Athletics/Climbing, Stealth, and Lokcpicking equal to their percentage chance /16.6

All elves become aspected hermetic sorcerers. All Mages become hermetic full mages. All Clerics become full Shamen following the idol that best matches their god.
Spells that are similar to established SR spells are converted into those equivilant spells at a force equal to the spell's level. Spells that are impossible in SR simply don't work. Former mages do not have to memorize and Former clerics do not have to pray. Magic users gain a sorcery skill equal to the highest level spell they can cast.

The main point is culture shock. These are D&D characters with D&D sensibilities and they should be played that way. In their minds Orks and Trolls are universally evil creatures, a fact that will get them beaten up. They know nothing of the matrix; they consider the local tavern to be the best place to find information and adventure.

Aside from the basic dangers of the Sixth World, they would be hunted by a powerful and deadly Darke-like character, a personification of the famous Greyhawkian lich/deity Vecna in the form of a Wizards of the Coast executive.

[Herald of Verjig...]

Sounds like an entertaining cross-over and a great way to get D&D players into the SR ruleset.

[Critias]

Unless you give out a free damage box for every other level, or something, I'd be prepared for the characters to die a horrible death. They're used to D&D combat (IC and OOC), not SR. Where ten orks in a ten by ten room might be what you expect to find in D&D, being outnumbered is a whole different ball of wax in SR (especially in a group without any guns or real armor).

[nezumi]

It occurs to me it would be a little easier to make them by SR rules and just limit their skills and equipment to what is appropriate given their home plane.

I don't know if I like this idea or if it disgusts me though :P So what would they be after? Something that seriously is a magic item in SR? Or something stupid, like the Statue of Liberty's nose?

[knasser]

The big potential problem is that the magic users (clerics and wizards) are going to seriously outclass the fighter types. A fireball retains effectiveness. A longsword and platemail do not. The only solution I see is to make the fighter-types Physical Adepts. They'll still have a problem with not being able to use firearms. Essentially, they'll have entered a milieu where the standard tactic is ranged combat (and seriously effective ranged combat, at that). Fighter types that aren't adapted for this will get a nasty shock.

If the players don't know what's about to hit them, then you owe it to them to give them a clear introduction to the change in their vulnerability. Have their first encounter be with a ganger or two with machine pistols. Once the players have a healthy respect for the "sickly looking wizards with the steel wand" have them make their way out of the alleyway where they appeared and see dozens of the buggers walking down the street, all packing such weapons.

I presume magic weapons become weapon foci. Plate Mail + 3 gets a quickened Armour spell, etc. Man these characters are going to be stripped naked by the first talismonger that finds them. ;)

[hyzmarca]

So what would they be after? Something that seriously is a magic item in SR? Or something stupid, like the Statue of Liberty's nose?

I was thinking something stupid, and then it occured to me. The perfect item for them to retrieve is The Head of Veccna. They have to decapitate the Wizards of the Coast exec. This saves Mystara not because the head is magical but because the exec as planning to cancel the line.

When they return home they can kill each other argueing over who is going to "use" the head. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)


I suspect that they'd all be outclassed they'd mostly be ganger-level unless their stats were absurdly high and they were around level 20. Even then they have problems.

Ranged combat is an issue but fighters, dwarves, and theives can use throwing weapons, bows, and crossbows

[Trax]

Halflings shouldn't die, they would just be a very strange version of dwarves. After all, in SR there are Gnomes. Halflings would remain the same, most people would regard them as small children anyway.

[eidolon]

[Angelone]

Gnomes aren't as big an idiocy as Dryads. I mean come on an entire race that's allergic to pollution? In shadowrun?

[emo samurai]

It's not a matter of whether there are halflings, it's a matter of whether the mana level's high enough to accomodate them, and if it's good enough for dragons, it's good enough for halflings.

Of course, I have my own theories as to why dragons can exist but obsidimen don't.

[DrJest]

[emo samurai]

Were they made of orichalcum?

[Slithery D]

I think there may have been orichalcum deposits in the Liferocks from which they were born. But I may be wrong, and there was plenty of orichalcum mining in ED. Of course, they probably didn't do it as early in the cycle last time, before the obsidimen woke up or whatever.

[Wounded Ronin]

I once ran SR characters through a D&D style dungeon crawl and so this idea appeals to me. Furthermore, the fighter with platemail getting fired upon by gangers would be a bigger player challenge than the runners going back to Mystara and using an assault rifle to blow away the high priest of Thanatos, as hilarious as that would be.

I'd argue that longswords and halberds are still effective in SR because the SR combat engine keeps melee combat relatively powerful. I'd be prepared to accept the argument that a medieval sword which was designed with a lot of care and expertise as the leading weapon of the day could be equivalent in terms of damage code to the "katana" rather than the "sword", for example. (Since the contemporary "katana" does better than the contemporary "sword" due to its being asian under normal circumstances. That being said, if someone brought back a historical asian "katana", oh boy watch out. That thing is at least dikoted by default in terms of damage code because it's both asian and ancient. Heh. If I were to write a Shadowrun MUD I'd have to create an ASIAN tag for items.)

It's just the platemail that sucks, and even then it only sucks in some ways. Like, at most I'd give the platemail Ballistic armor 1, but the Impact armor should be through the roof.

Once in a friend's SR game which was set in a steampunk historical Victorian setting I ran a Japanese ninja with a painfully short teabag kimono who wore a light coat of ninja mail. We decided that the chainmail was 0/3 or something like that.

Also, it's not like the platemail dude can't go and acquire some "armor clothing" or the "armor jacket" once he realizes they're designed to defeat firearms. Heh, if Shadowrun were more realistic he could get shock number two when he goes back to D&D land and realizes that kevlar type materials aren't so good against broadswords.

[Bodak]