I play a lot of different Pen n' Paper RPGs, and sometimes like to adapt the rules or find different versions of the same RPGs with other settings (i.e. DnD and D20 Modern, same rules, different theme).
At some point I came across "Earthdawn", essentially FASA's "Fantasy Shadowrun" setting. From what I know, it runs similarly to Shadowrun First edition, but never really made it far past that (I could be wrong).

Anyways, the real reason for this post is that I was thinking of adapting the SR4 rules to a fantasy setting (not necessarily Earthdawn) and was curious what other people thought about it.
Most of the mechanics are already in place, swords, bow and arrow, magic, monsters, etc. All that is needed is some sort of setting. I'm doing this mostly because I am very intrigued by the Shadowrun System (Dicepools and "hits", and stuff like that) as opposed to with Rifts, Traveller, DnD or others which use a static number of dice.

What do you all think of this? Any ideas? Or am I deluding myself and this is a horrible idea? (Not like that's gonna stop me though!)

We actually tried this some time ago, and it worked out pretty well.
Just make sure to tone down bows, make strict use of visibility (and other) modifiers for magic. And everyone should at least be an adept.

I wouldn't recommend it. SR rules for straight up fantasy would be pretty boring. Complex action - swing. Complex action -swing. If you still have your hands on that Earthdawn book I'd highly recommend that instead. It's a very well made game for what it does -- Heroic Fantasy with some grit/horror thrown in.

I have a bunch of notes on SR4 Fantasy somewhere. Some of the key points:

• You don't need to force people to play Adepts, Mystic Adepts, and Magicians. Just make sure that players of mundanes understand that they're limiting their growth options.
  
  • If you're doing Earthdawn, specifically, then yes, it probably should be a requirement.
• Money should be dramatically toned down.
• Bows as (STR/2+3)P works well, in my opinion. The average Troll cranks out 7P, which is kind of terrifying, and the average human would be about 5P, which is very respectable.
• I suggest allowing people to take Alchemy as a replacement for Chemistry. Its a non-magical skill that allows you to craft Potions (Read: Drugs). That alone makes mundanes viable. Eliminate the addiction rules. Or not, if you prefer a grittier fantasy.
• Beware of Spirits in this sort of setting. Immunity to Normal Weapons can be hellishly powerful.
  
  • When I did my own notes on this, I decided to tweak the conjuring rules. I made binding require a magical lodge (essentially a summoning circle, idol, or similar), plus expendable materials (which likely includes a bride to the spirit).
  • Summoning and Banishing were pretty much unchanged, though upping the drain on Summoning might be an option.
• The question of magical items should remain up to the GM. I'm in favor of leaving them a tool of magically active characters.
  
  • Independent items, usable by mundanes, could be made by binding spirits into suitable items (I never did get a list of sample items written up).

Hope this helps
-paws

I disagree, I don't thinkit will be boring if played a cerain way. Sure, hack n' slash kind of games may be somewhat boring after awhile, but it could essentially be the same idea as Shadowrun but in a different setting. After all, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

And thank you, paws, for some of those ideas. Not to say tha I'll definitely follow through with this, but if I ever do, I'll be sure to use some of those...

Edit: Oh, and I didn't actually have the Earthdawn book, I was just going by my limited research about it. Most of that info is from Wikipedia actually...

If all you do is "I attack him." then, yeah it'll be boring. There are MANY more options than just "I attack him." Striking to knockdown or disarm, for instance.

Throw in martial arts (Arsenal), especially weapon-based ones, and you get some a lot more options. (And fewer headaches, since having 1 or, maybe, 2 IPs doesn't make the system explode in a giant ball of OMGWTFBBQ.)

-paws

Its been mentioned elsewhere that if you like your fantasy with a Steampunk/Gearpunk feel (a la Thief), then you can also include a selection of implants, powered either by steam, springs, and so on. Or magic.

Along these lines, check out an old PbP called The Gaslamps Shadows (I think that's what it was called). Its a couple years old, so set your search filter to include old posts. Its more of a Victorian setting, but... might give you some ideas.

-paws

"OMGWTFBBQ"

Well that's not a butchering of the Alphabet at all....hehe....it's amusing to see though...

And thanks again for your contributions

I guess my main point would be that SR isn't horribly well set up for melee combat. There was some interesting stuff in Arsenal but it isn't anywhere near the level you'd find in most Fantasy rulesets if I recall correctly.

And yes it does come down to play at the table but that's fairly tricky to discuss on an internet forum. What Earthdawn does that is cool is it has those attack options but on top of it you have the character talents (abilities) that give you options in play too. I seem to recall that with Arsenal you'll probably only have 3-5 abilities.

This is all IMHO so whatevs.

Well yea, that's why I'm asking for ideas to "adapt" the rules to this. Not just use the rules straight out of the book. I don't know, maybe this is a silly pursuit, but when you've played all of these commercial games for a long time, you start wanting to add your own stuff to them, such as playing a Protoss Cyborg in Rifts (Fun character, fond memories...)

Earthdawn rules have never been anything like Shadowrun rules, regardless of the link between the 2 games - completely different mechanics and "feel".

Rules are rules, so adapt as you like...
...As you say, the bare bones are already in place.

But with the amount of work needed to bring a fantasy game to life, it's easier to adapt a setting that already exists.

Ahh...misunderstood your original intention.

Just take the Adept powers and expand on that. Make some of them available to "mundanes" and that should give you a good start. Also the aforementioned Arsenal rules would provide a good basis for the more mundane powers. Expand on those and I'd suggest decouple them from Martial Arts and away you go.

Earthdawn is nothing like... well almost nothing like Shadowrun 1e. Mechanically speaking anyway. Its more similar to the old version of Deadlands kinda... Actually it may be closer to Codex. There are Fantasy games that use dicepools Burning Wheel, Dark Ages Mage, Mouseguard and others. Its not a terrible idea but the question is why do you want to do it? and will SR work best to accomplish that why?

Earthdawn was about the theme of "magic as technology".

There's a reason why mages are to be feared. In a world without guns, the mage now rules long distance combat. It is no coincidence that the elves in Earthdawn forged a kingdom whose rule was based upon magic.

If I were using SR4 rules, I would definitely change melee to a simple action.

I would expand magic items and foci following the tradition of Earthdawn. Threads are pretty neat since they turn magic items into a research project/adventure. Additional powers for magic items are neat and make room for expansion.

A new skill called threading is needed. Even mundanes can learn threading, but need a <insert common magic item here that sees into astral space> in order to do the skill. Typically, children receive their first <insert common magic item> at their adulthood ceremony. Before that time, their parents lend them the use of their <insert common magic item> to prevent mischief.

Skill: Threading (Intuition)

This skills allows any character who can perceive astralspace (either through a magic item or as an innate ability) to manipulate magic. The character weaves a connection between the spell and the target. This requires a Complex action. The skill level in threading limits the level of thread a character can weave. Therefore, a character with level 3 threading cannot weave a level 4 thread for a magic item.

Activating a weave for a magic item requires a threshold equal to the level of thread being created. This is an extended test (1 day) and assumes the character spends a full eight hours per roll working on it. Threads may be "suspended" so work is not lost. Roll Intuition + Threading (3). Failing this roll forces the character to start over.

Researching an item can take lots of time. The "easy" way is to take it to a mage and have him or her assense it. This is an expensive and time consuming process since the mage must study the item's pattern intensely. The mage may receive visions, dreams, spirit visits or just plain weird ghostly contact once the answer is discovered. The mage rolls Magic + Threading with a threshold equal to three times the level of thread. Period is 1 day per level of thread. Cost will vary by mage (who are not shy about charging for their services).

Alternatively, a character may attempt to research an item at a Library. Threshold is three times the level of thread (period 1 day). Failure to achieve one success on any roll means the Library does not contain information on that item.

The final option is for the character to go on a Quest. The details are up to the GM and it will probably suck.


An example:

Billybob's Jammin' Banjo

Thread 1:

Determine maker's name to get +1 die to playing the banjo (adds to Music skill). Each thread beyond the first adds one die to this power.

Thread 2:

Determine the name of the first person who played this banjo. +3 dice to all artists performing in a show that involves the banjo. In Earthdawn, this is actually useful because art keeps demons (Horrors) away.

Thread 3:

Name of the first demon (Horror) banished by the banjo.

Cast a manabolt at +3 Force without increasing the drain value. If the musician is not a mage, a real mage can charge up the banjo with one manabolt.

Thread 4:

When was the banjo first gifted to a royal person?

The banjo can hold up to four manabolts. A mage must cast each manabolt into the banjo, suffering drain for each at the time of casting. The banjo adds +4 Force to each bolt upon success. Use of the manabolts is still considered a Complex Action, but the caster need not roll drain at the time of use. Record the net hits and label them. Non-mage characters roll Intuition + Threading, while mages roll sorcery, as normal.

Thread 5:

What was the name of the first royal person to receive the banjo as a gift?

Playing the banjo acts as a barrier to enemies. The musician rolls Music + Threading versus the enemy's Counterspelling. The number of net hits reduces all dice pools used by enemies in Net Hits x 10 meters. This effect requires the musician to play uninterrupted.

Thread 6:

Name the first person to play the banjo while dead.

Any undead or demonic creature within musician's Magic x 5 meters suffers Music + Threading disintegration damage per musician's Complex Action. The targeted creature may counter with Counterspelling and Willpower.

Earth Dawn 3rd is supposed to be released this summer.

There's a Mouseguard RPG? As in Mouseguard the comic? With the Mice?(Well duh!)
I'm gonna have to check that out.

And the reason I want to do it is mostly just for fun and enjoyment, by the way. It's fun to think up new settings, or to adapt rules of a game for something new.

Also, I was unaware that Earthdawn was actually still being published. All of the information I found about it led me to believe that the franchise had been discontinued in the late 90s. Oh well, guess I was wrong.