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industrious
2009-09-05, 10:21 PM
I'm still working on my 1632-style campaign but have some of the lower level adventures worked out. Currently, my PCs are trying to find a cure for a strange new plague sweeping the land (a la Typhoid Mary). They currently haven't encountered my time travelers yet, but later on in the game, here are some combined magic/technology items to be critiqued. These items are not for random item drops; rather they are to be introduced gradually to a campaign, representing advances in technology from time travel. Names within quotation marks are suggestions to hide the true nature of the devices.

New Damage Types:
Ballistic: A weapon that deals ballistic damage uses the same principle as piercing damage, but uses faster moving projectiles in lieu of string tension or muscles. All attacks from ballistic weapons ignore armor bonuses to AC, but padded armor gives a +2 bonus. Additionally, Dexterity and dodge bonuses are halved against ballistic attacks. Qualities that reduce piercing damage affect ballistic damage the same way.

Concussive: A variant of bludgeoning damage, concussive damage deals with explosive effects. A character that takes concussive damage and is wearing medium or heavy armor takes additional bludgeoning damage equal to double the armor's bonus to AC. The explosive spell metamagic feat may use concussive damage, at the DMs discretion.

New Weapons:

"Toothed Longsword" (Chainsaw)
Damage: 4d6 slashing
Crit: 19-20/x2
Weight: 7lbs
Type: 2 handed
Description: This strange weapon vaguely resembles a longsword, yet the hilt is above the blade, and there is no crossguard. Strange metal links wrap around the edges
Cost: (can't be bought)
Creation: 1150gp. Must succeed on a DC 35 Craft(weaponsmithing) or Craft(blacksmithing) check. CL 9. Medium Transmutation. Telekinesis.

Special: Enchanting a toothed longsword with the fleshgrinding ability is the equivalent of a +1 bonus

"Gnomic crossbows" (Firearms)
All firearms allow the wielder to make a full attack, provided they have enough ammunition loaded. Unless stated, a wielder who is not proficient in the use of firearms takes an additional -2 temporal penalty.
(specific weapons to follow)

"Canister of Distraction" (Flash-bang)
Weight: .5lbs
Range: 30ft (thrown), Splash radius 10ft.
A flash-bang (or stun) grenade does 2d4 sonic damage. Characters in the splash radius may take a DC 20 Fortitude Save to halve the duration of the effects. Characters who fail are blinded and deafened for 1d8 rounds, then dazed for 1d4 round, then dazzled for 1d6 rounds. Additionally, during this time, all opponents gain a +10 bonus to bluff checks against opponents. If the environment is under dim or lower lighting, increase the Fortitude save DC by +5 if dim, or +15 if in darkness. Creatures with low-light vision take a -2 penalty on the fortitude save, and creatures with darkvision in dark environments or on the square with the grenade do not get the save at all.

"Orb of Destruction" (Frag grenade)
Weight: 1 lb
Range: 30ft (thrown), Splash radius 10ft.
Damage: 15d6 slashing. Creatures within 5ft of the grenade are dazzled (no save). Make a single touch attack with the grenadier's highest attack bonus against everyone in the splash radius for half damage. Person on the same square as the grenade must make a DC 20 Reflex save or die.

New Materials:

Carbon-forged steel
A higher quality steel than the alloys used in the standard metal items of the period, carbon forged steel has hardness 12 and 20hp/inch of thickness. It also costs 1/3 less than normal steel if creating an item.

Plastic
A plastic item weighs 1/2 of what a similar item would weigh. It has hardness 9 and 10hp/inch of thickness. Additionally, if burned, all creatures in a 20ft radius are nauseated for a number of rounds equal to the weight of the item burned (in pounds) times 2.

New Skill Applications

The Craft skill from d20 modern gives a bonus to appropriate Craft skills from 3.5 equal to twice their ranks in Craft(x); however several items may be impossible to make in the medieval setting of Dungeons and Dragons.

The Knowledge(social sciences) skill provides a +2 synergy bonus to Diplomacy and Intimidate checks.

The Knowledge(civics) skill provides a +2 bonus to one's Leadership score, as well as to Diplomacy.

The Neoclassic
2009-09-05, 11:52 PM
Looks nifty. You mention a fleshgrinding weapon ability, but I don't see it statted out anywhere in your post...? I might specify that all toothed longswords are masterwork; it makes little sense to spend that much on a weapon and not throw in the bit more to make it masterwork.

Why is carbon-forged steel less expensive? If it's superior to the usual metal and cheaper, there's no reason that anyone would use standard metal items. Unless, of course, carbon-forged steel was in short supply, in which case the price would rise back up to being above usual metal items. :smallwink:

The destruction orbs seem ridiculously powerful, though if you add them in carefully, it probably won't be a huge issue.

Finally, when I saw "Ferromancy" I was expecting some spells related to iron, so I admit I was slightly disappointed. Was it because this stuff is semi/pseudo-magical and made of metal, generally? Will your campaign have a decent amount of magic? I am actually interested as to more background to all this. Do post more! :smallsmile:

industrious
2009-09-06, 06:58 AM
Looks nifty. You mention a fleshgrinding weapon ability, but I don't see it statted out anywhere in your post...? I might specify that all toothed longswords are masterwork; it makes little sense to spend that much on a weapon and not throw in the bit more to make it masterwork.

The fleshgrinding ability is already stated out in BOVD. Having the weapon be masterwork is a pretty good idea, though.


Why is carbon-forged steel less expensive? If it's superior to the usual metal and cheaper, there's no reason that anyone would use standard metal items. Unless, of course, carbon-forged steel was in short supply, in which case the price would rise back up to being above usual metal items. :smallwink:


Currently, I am running a campaign in which a black ops group from our time falls into the Material Plane. My PCs are not those characters; instead they are 5 person adventuring party under the patronage of the king. Because of the values dissonance between a medieval world and our modern one, the two are on opposite sides. So most, if not all of these items, are either from the black ops team's gear kit (flash-bangs, frag grenades), or inspired by their 21st century knowledge. So carbon forged steel is cheaper and better than normal steel, but in a ridiculously short supply. I thought I specified though, that it was only cheaper to make; buying anything made out of it will be more expensive. I'll clarify that.


The destruction orbs seem ridiculously powerful, though if you add them in carefully, it probably won't be a huge issue.

They are ridiculously powerful. Grenades are extremely powerful, and as such are stated accordingly. Adding them in carefully is going to be easy; they are essentially single-use minor artifacts, since the only ones in the Great Wheel are 24 of each kind carried by the black ops team.


Finally, when I saw "Ferromancy" I was expecting some spells related to iron, so I admit I was slightly disappointed. Was it because this stuff is semi/pseudo-magical and made of metal, generally? Will your campaign have a decent amount of magic? I am actually interested as to more background to all this. Do post more! :smallsmile:

It's a fairly standard D&D world. Right now, my players are questing to find the cure for a mysterious plague sweeping the land (right now, they're 5th level; I've got a wizard, crusader (ToB), cleric of Pelor, and warlock). Obviously the wealthy and royalty are immune to do magic, but the king has ordered them to find a cure for those unable to afford healing. In reality, the plague is caused by the time travelers, due to future diseases. The solution, ironically, will be the moldy bread from the inn they'll be staying at shortly.

I've plotted out most of the campaign, though I'm still stating everything. There will be peasant revolts(bad for the paladin and cleric), moral implications, science vs. technology (eventually turning the campaign more and more steampunk/industrial revolution), and right when everybody is gearing up for a final showdown, Hell breaks loose.

The reason why I'm putting it all under ferromancy is that modern weaponry and equipment would seem like magic to people; the names of items in quotes are what I'm going to refer to them in-game until somebody picks up what's happening. It's inspired by a quote from an urban fantasy series I'm reading, where a faerie calls technology "ferromancy."

Yuki Akuma
2009-09-06, 07:15 AM
I was hoping for some sort of divination via use of iron filings. :(

Myou
2009-09-06, 07:32 AM
Frag grenades are really not slashing. They're piercing (or in your case ballistic) and bludgeoning (in your case concussive).

Ashtagon
2009-09-06, 08:38 AM
Ballistic Damage: I'd let "plate" armours provide half their AC bonus against these. In real life, they were often tested for quality by firing contemporary firearms at them from point-blank ranges. That kind of implies they were intended to have some value against ballistic weapons.

Also: Why does padded armour give better protection against bullets than plate armour?

Concussive Damage: I'm not sure if this is the right special effect for this kind of damage. I'd've thought a guy in any kind of armour would have more chance than a naked dwarf would.

In both cases, you need to specify how they affect shield bonuses and natural armour bonuses.

For both ballistic and concussive effects, they can be summed up as "heavier armour is not a good defence against this weapon". If you implement an armour as DR rule variant, this would be very easy to implement using a single neat rule that is consistent across weapon types.

In an armour as DR variant, I'd do something like:

Ballistic: Ignores all DR from most armour; "plate" armours provide their normal DR benefit. Attacks from firearms that deliver ballistic damage ignore half the Dexterity and dodge bonuses of the defender.

Concussion: Any DR bonus from body armour is treated as DR 2 (unless it was already lower).


Specific Weapons: No comment, since they are campaign-specific, and damage is so far outside realism levels that they probably shouldn't be re-calibrated on that basis.

Carbon-Forged Steel: "So carbon forged steel is cheaper and better than normal steel, but in a ridiculously short supply. I thought I specified though, that it was only cheaper to make; buying anything made out of it will be more expensive. I'll clarify that." At the risk of hurting your feelings, this sounds like a failure to understand Economics 101. Things are/become expensive because they are rare, and are/become cheap when they are easy to make; both considered relative to the demand for them. Price aside, your carbon-forged steel is equal or superior in every way to regular steel, so it will be in high demand, which means it will be more expensive.

Skill Synergy: Be aware that d20 Modern has a synergy bonus as a typed bonus (so it won't stack), while D&D has it as an untyped bonus. Make sure your players know which rule you're using.

industrious
2009-09-07, 11:08 AM
Ballistic Damage: I'd let "plate" armours provide half their AC bonus against these. In real life, they were often tested for quality by firing contemporary firearms at them from point-blank ranges. That kind of implies they were intended to have some value against ballistic weapons.

Also: Why does padded armour give better protection against bullets than plate armour?

Except that the weapons that deal ballistic damage in the campaign are the modern day M16s and AK-47s. I'm fairly certain that medieval armor is almost useless against it. Padded armor gives a bonus because it works more to blunt the impact of a bullet, instead of trying to stop it completely and failing.


Concussive Damage: I'm not sure if this is the right special effect for this kind of damage. I'd've thought a guy in any kind of armour would have more chance than a naked dwarf would.

In both cases, you need to specify how they affect shield bonuses and natural armour bonuses.

The extra damage is supposed to represent the guy hitting his head on his armor, since the metal and the person inside it would be going at different speeds. As for shield and natural armor bonuses, shield bonuses are applied normally (the bullet/explosion may go through but can go off course), and natural armor bonuses are halved.


Specific Weapons: No comment, since they are campaign-specific, and damage is so far outside realism levels that they probably shouldn't be re-calibrated on that basis.


Carbon-Forged Steel: "So carbon forged steel is cheaper and better than normal steel, but in a ridiculously short supply. I thought I specified though, that it was only cheaper to make; buying anything made out of it will be more expensive. I'll clarify that." At the risk of hurting your feelings, this sounds like a failure to understand Economics 101. Things are/become expensive because they are rare, and are/become cheap when they are easy to make; both considered relative to the demand for them. Price aside, your carbon-forged steel is equal or superior in every way to regular steel, so it will be in high demand, which means it will be more expensive.

Carbon-forged steel is easier and cheaper to make than normal steel. This shifts the supply curve to the right. It is better than normal steel, so more people want it; the demand curve shifts to the right as well. One cannot, therefore, predict the price; however I am assuming it remains the same.

But most (read: all but one or two) smiths don't know how to make CF steel. Therefore we have a very leftward supply curve, a low quantity, and a very high price. So it is more expensive than normal steel, but cheaper than mithral or adamantine; while it is rarer, the other two metals are superior. So for a time, it is more expensive, but will eventually replace steel as the standard metal of the campaign.

Ashtagon
2009-09-07, 12:01 PM
Except that the weapons that deal ballistic damage in the campaign are the modern day M16s and AK-47s. I'm fairly certain that medieval armor is almost useless against it. Padded armor gives a bonus because it works more to blunt the impact of a bullet, instead of trying to stop it completely and failing.

Any complete suit of plate armour would incorporate a layer of padding underneath, between the wearer and the metal plates. If padding were to give any protection at all against a modern bullet, well, that padding is already built-in to full plate armours. Although personally I find the idea of padded armour stopping modern automatic rifle bullets to be patently ridiculous. Padded armour is essentially like wearing four heavy winter sweaters on top of each other. It's won't stop a bullet from any longarm, although it might conceivably stop a low-power pistol round such as from an uzi.

Concussion damage: If the guy can head his head against the armour from such a weapon hard enough to take extra damage, I am left wondering why a bludgeoning weapon doing the same number of dice of damage can't also cause the same effect.