Shadowrun and Dinosaurs Options

[Iracundus]

Just random thoughts: How do the prehistoric eras of mammoths, dinosaurs, and even earlier prehistoric life fit into the SR/ED universe, given the existence of the mana cycle? If during the 4th and 2nd World, the Horrors did so much damage as to virtually obliterate all life in certain eras, and were only blocked through magical shelters, how does one explain why all life on Earth hasn't been made extinct already in the distant past before the rise of sentient life? While the more intelligent Horrors may have only arisen (or taken interest) when sentient life evolved, the more bestial Horrors seem content to munch on nonsentient life and even inanimate material. Wouldn't they have already scoured the Earth clean?

[Machiavelli]

Maybe....if they weren´t as slipshot as the guys from ED/SR that invented them^^. They tried to, but they simply forgot to kill ém all.^^

[DocTaotsu]

*closes his eyes and waves his hand around furtively*

I sense... I sense... yes I feel it... there's a Chuck Norris joke in here somewhere...

[MJBurrage]

As far as we know (great dragon history, which predates recorded history for the other races), non-horror sentience in the ED/SR world only goes back to around 24,000 BC.

The vast record of fossil history predates that by a vast amount.

One possibility is that the ~5,200 year mana cycle has existed as long as life has, and that said cycle is connected to the horrors' feeding cycle. Compare to a tidal area, we are the animals that live in the mud through the tidal cycles, and the fish are the horrors. So the fossil record shows the past animals that fully lived on Earth over the ages while the horrors simply come and go with magic, festing during high tide, and leaving us alone for the rest of the cycle.

Another possibility is that the horrors themselves are the dinosaurs etc. of the fossil record. Magic did not used to come and go, it was just here with the horrors from when life first arose. In this case, the mana cycle only started when the first sentient races drove the horrors away, beginning the first down-cycle (the First World) circa 23,600 BC

[hyzmarca]

Another possibility is that the Horrors simply did not discover Earth until relatively recently. While dragon myth states that Nightslayer created dragons and metahumans, there is no evidence to suggest that he created any other form of life. Presumably, everything else was already here when he found the place. And the other Horrors simply followed him here.

[Ed_209a]

Maybe what we consider the mana cycle is actually a combination of two cycles: one, the 5200-year one we are familiar with, and the other, much longer cycle that completely blocked the effect of the first cycle until 23600 BC.

Or maybe some mage on another plane did something that weakened the boundaries between the astral and our physical, and started the mana cycle around 23600 BC.

Or maybe the universe is 26000 years old...

<shrug>

So much is possible once you accept the assumption that magic works.

[Matsci]

Dinosaur extinction - ~65,000,000 BC
1st World begins- 23615 BC
Number of Ages between the two?
~12,675

There may have been Magic Dinosaurs. Keep in Mind that

[TKDNinjaInBlack]

Don't forget that there have been other large mass extinctions throughout prehistory. Granted most of these all happened way before any of the cycles of mana ever came and went, but still, one could use that knowledge with some creative storytelling and explain the horrors did it.

[nezumi]

There were no dinosaurs. Verjigorm just hid bones and made them look really ancient so we wouldn't believe he really exists until he leaps out and attacks us. It's all a cunning plan.

[Karaden]

There may have been Magic Dinosaurs. Keep in Mind that

So many ideas that come with that which are equal parts cool and evil.

I can't get the image of a raptor wearing a leather jacket, wielding some big ass pistol, and blasting magic, out of my head. Maybe they really where smart but the horrors killed 99.99% of them off before they could be banished, as well as destroying to the foundation all cities/weapons/other signs of tech. Unlikely, but the image just won't go away!

[hermit]

There may have been Magic Dinosaurs. Keep in Mind that

Like Dragons? Or T'skrang?

I always favoured a bit of a lovecraftian approach - dragons once were the dominant species on earth, having a grand a civilisation based only on their innante magics, until they really fucked up with magic and brought the horrors about earth, extincting most species at that time. Since then, they're few and far between and try and clean up their mess. The mana cycle propably is what dragons devised to keep the horrors out of this world at least for some time.

It makes almost as much sense as other 'why did the dinosaurs die out' theories, too!

As for the triassic extinction, I tend to blame this on the Mi-Go. No lovecraftian story without blaming the Mi-Go for something.

[Fuchs]

I'll go with "ED's history is wrong."

[Blade]

Am I the only one who thinks "Shadowrun+Cadillac and Dinosaur" when reading the title of this thread?

[Particle_Beam]

Like Dragons? Or T'skrang?

I always favoured a bit of a lovecraftian approach - dragons once were the dominant species on earth, having a grand a civilisation based only on their innante magics, until they really fucked up with magic and brought the horrors about earth, extincting most species at that time. Since then, they're few and far between and try and clean up their mess. The mana cycle propably is what dragons devised to keep the horrors out of this world at least for some time.

It makes almost as much sense as other 'why did the dinosaurs die out' theories, too!

As for the triassic extinction, I tend to blame this on the Mi-Go. No lovecraftian story without blaming the Mi-Go for something.

Partially wrong!


The Truth, revealed.

[otakusensei]

I'm so glad my players agreed "Everything we know is wrong." and left it at that.

[hermit]

It's really not like paleonthology is a hot button topic in most SR groups ...

[ShadeRavnos]

You know... I've always been wondering about this subject but haven't given it much thought. And My players only want to kill things and get bigger weapons... not much on RP with this group. I feel sad, and may have to run with my Deadlands group. Maybe they'll get into looking at the history of the world.

[ludomastro]

Am I the only one who thinks "Shadowrun+Cadillac and Dinosaur" when reading the title of this thread?

Not at all. I wondered if anyone else actually remembered that show when I saw the title of the thread.

[Floyd]

Am I the only one who thinks "Shadowrun+Cadillac and Dinosaur" when reading the title of this thread?

That's what that was. I saw the guy on the hood of that convertible with the hot blond and the T-rex and was like....I know this.
Wouldn't be more like Nightsky and Dragons.
Are those really dragon bones? Did prehistoric dragons look like dinosaurs?
Where to the Old Ones, the Great Old Ones, and the Really Old Ones fit in? More Important, where my Esoteric Order of Dagon at?

"The end is near. I hear a noise at the door, as of some immense slippery body lumbering against it. It shall not find me. God, that hand! The window! The window!"

[Chrysalis]

Am I the only one who thinks "Shadowrun+Cadillac and Dinosaur" when reading the title of this thread?

Cadillacs and dinosaurs was an okay RPG.

-Chrysalis

[Rasumichin]

I can't get the image of a raptor wearing a leather jacket, wielding some big ass pistol, and blasting magic, out of my head.

Sometimes, SURGElings end up with dinosaur features (okay, the text uses the fancy paleonthologist terms "saurishian and ornithishian features", but that still boils down to "people looking like humanoid dinosaurs"), so that's already entirely possible by RAW.

For the raptor guy, i'd recommend Satyr Legs, Claws, probably also a re-fluffed version of Beak, a Balancing Tail and Scales.
There you go, full raptor.

I've already built a stegosaur roommate for one of my PCs (i just had to use the Thagomizer quality for someone) and with the given qualities, one could stat all kinds of prehistoric SURGElings, from dinosaurs to mammoths and sabretooth tigers.
Or probably even antropomorphic trilobites...

[hermit]

I have built an Illithid race for someone (based on an elf, for maximized charisma).

[Rasumichin]

That idea crossed my head, too.
Based upon a nosferatu or a similar Infected.
I'm not quite certain yet how to handle the brainsucky part, probably i should use a wendigo template instead.
Yeah, i could just play D&D, but then, in D&D i can't build KITT and McGyver as well...

[Stahlseele]

Not at all. I wondered if anyone else actually remembered that show when I saw the title of the thread.

not too long ago i actually had some of the episodes on my hard drive . .
i am a sucker for those old jewels ^^
still looking for some stuff too . . silverhawks, thundercat, robocop, iron man/hulk(not the stop motion please ^^)
if it would not cost more than 200euro, something about 500$ or something like that, at least 350$ i think, i would have bought saber rider allready . .

[hermit]

That idea crossed my head, too.
Based upon a nosferatu or a similar Infected.
I'm not quite certain yet how to handle the brainsucky part, probably i should use a wendigo template instead.

Food requirement (human brains) and combining tentacle head with a bite attack. I didn't make it a banshee derivate, though, because vampiric ilithids were considered a different race in the monster manual when I had a short look at it (or I mixed something up there). It's a 65 BP race.

I also considered rebuilding all the ED races (save for obsidimen), but haven't yet gotten the respective books.