two worlds, one party, and one dual world baddy. [Archive] - Wizards Community

two worlds, one party, and one dual world baddy. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
lezard_valeth
03-13-08, 01:51 PM I was thinking about how this could be an interesting thing to attempt, however it would require some work from both the DM's and players.

The dual world campaign basic premise is fairly simple: two mostly unconnected worlds can and do affect each often, and the PCs have found a way to go from one to another, and do so to stop the attacks on their own.
To simplify things, the “real world” will be D20 modern in this example, and the “other world” will be D&D, and just to keep things understandable, I will be using the set up from the show that gave me this idea, code lyoko, as the example setup build.
The PCs would start in the world with D20 modern characters, and go on from there until they find the “factory” (portal location.) where they find the “super computer” (portal mechanism.) that they can use to activate the “scanners” (the portal itself.) and find themselves in “lyoko” (the other world.) as different people, with abilities and gear from that world. Of course messing around with the “super computer” allows the BBEG (Zana) to affect the “real world”. In the show Zana has no actual form as of yet, but controls pillars that they call towers in the show to do things in the real world, he often uses them to take control or create things in the real world to kill or destroy someone or something, but sometimes has also used it to gather items that the super computer needs to run, such as a new power cell. When these things happen, it is the PCs job to stop it in one of two ways, ether stop it in the real world, which could be hard considering the fact that it means what the ‘tower’ the BBEG is using to create the situation is still active, or go in the other world to stop it at the source.
In the “super computer scenario” (lyoko.), when they kids die on lyoko, they aren’t gone for good, instead they are forcefully sent back to the real world, and are shown to be tired/ unconscious when they return, which brings up a interesting possibility, in the other world, PC other world death isn’t fatal, just highly damaging to the real world character. This could allow the DM to create problems in which a character should die if they try to get past, and not have to worry too much about the repercussions. However there could still be ways of for-sure death, such as in the show with the “digital sea” where you would die if you fell in and not come back.
Other interesting possibilities are there as well.
Here’s one:
One of the characters doesn’t go into “lyoko” all that often, instead he mans the “super computer”, where he gives directions, creates items, heals the others, and warns them of incoming danger, as well as the status of the attacker(s). This could give a new role to the “cleric” of the group, but also puts him/her into a new problem, what if the person at the super computer is attacked, and everyone else is in the other world? (This actually happens very often in the show, but often one of the other characters is there after coming back from lyoko, and try’s to hold “it” off, whatever it may be.)
Another one is this:
One the characters is (until a certain point in the show story line.) is trapped on “lyoko” and is in real danger when attacked, primarily because she doesn’t have a real body to come back in if she dies. This could be useful in adding a reason why they cant just shut down the “super computer” in hopes of stopping the attacks, as well as allowing someone who isn’t there at every game/ always comes late because of distance to still be able to play, all that would need to be done would be play out more of the game in the “real world” until they could come and play. This person should get additional abilities to counteract the higher threat of death, as well as all alone and attacked. For example, the girl in the show who was trapped in the computer could quickly and dramatically change the landscape; regenerate her hit points, and later learned an attack (she started with none.) that was extremely effective, usually killing the monster she hit with it.

They also had a “return to the past” command available, although this was likely added in so that the events of one episode wouldn’t interfere too much with another, especially since places and things get destroyed from the attacks, but this may not be needed in a game that can handle things like that. It did not reverse deaths caused by the attack however, and the people who died in the attack are dead at the beginning of the time it reverts back to from “return to the past.”
This is just a base to start from, I will put more ideas in later, but I want to know what you guys could with it until then.

also, what would you think would be needed to make this work?
Iktomi
03-15-08, 09:21 PM D&D meets the matrix, I like it.

I'm actually planning a game that's remarkably similar in that I'm starting the characters off in our world and portaling them into a fantasy world. One thing that I learned on these forums is that D&D and D20 modern aren't as compatable as one might think, so characters should probably be made in one system or the other. You seem to have solved that problem, however, by giving the players different character sheets for each world.
benjamin385
03-16-08, 01:26 PM what would you think would be needed to make this work?

Books that might come in handy-

Core D&D rule books (DM guide, Monster manual 3.5, and Players handbook)

D20 modern

D20 Weapons Locker (just useful for the amount of guns it has in it.)

Urban Arcane - ( if magic is in your world or you could have Items from the Virtual world materialize in the Real world and you have to obtain them before your enemy does)

Oriental adventures - for the classes that are in it (in peticular the samurai) along with the beasts that your main bad guy could take form as.

I'll post some more stuff later.
lezard_valeth
03-17-08, 12:39 PM D&D meets the matrix, I like it.

I'm actually planning a game that's remarkably similar in that I'm starting the characters off in our world and portaling them into a fantasy world. One thing that I learned on these forums is that D&D and D20 modern aren't as compatable as one might think, so characters should probably be made in one system or the other. You seem to have solved that problem, however, by giving the players different character sheets for each world.

just to say, the intergration problem actualy can become it's own solution. the BBG only has one world's stuff to use in majorty, and the harder it is for the PCs to defeat the thing in the real world, the more they consider going to the other world.

that is not to say i don't see the problem, trying to get a +5 magical glock 20 to work in both worlds can be a problem.;)

and just to say, make sure the PCs in your game know your "death rule" choice.
lezard_valeth
03-17-08, 12:43 PM ok, I found something that needs to adressed, how much should the avg. CR increase for the other world when the forceful ejection choice of the death rule in this is used?

not having to worry about death is a huge factor in this.

i would have to say that the avg CR would become ecl+2, but what do you guys think?
Werral
03-18-08, 10:08 AM Depends how steep the ejection penalty is. If it's truly hard to get back to Lyoko. It could be on a par with resurection in standard D&D, in which case the CR would remain the same. If it's fairly easy to get back in then yes, up the CR. Another alternative is that death in Lyoko causes Sanity point loss (see Call of Cthullu D20 or Chaosiums original) so they basically go nuts.

Also the BBEG could follow their spirit (or whatever) as it returns to their real body, so that everytime they die, they help the BBEG get a foothold in the real world.

And maybe certain powers in the Lyoko cause side effects in the real world - maybe using magic becomes so natural that NOT having magic in the real world becomes traumatic.
lezard_valeth
03-20-08, 07:45 AM Also the BBEG could follow their spirit (or whatever) as it returns to their real body, so that everytime they die, they help the BBEG get a foothold in the real world.

that actualy is true in the show that gave me the idea, and it worked like this:
kill one off: little bit more power
force the need for return to the past: larger jump in power.
i have been looking into the show on the kinds of attacks and the order they come in, and i can see the increase in danger go up as they use return to the past more and more.

at first, it was basicly that the toasters started attacking everyone (didn't actualy happen, just giveing a compairable example.)
then he started to control more complex things such as cars and trucks.
then he got to robot type stuff
then he could control insects
then he got the power to cause weather and geological events to happen at his command (he actualy did make a localized earthquake in an atempt to destory the school they were so that they would ether die in there or get sent back home, ether way keeping them from getting back to lyoko.)
then he started to control people.
and then he made it so the people became super human so that they couldn't be stopped by simple things like a locked metal door.
then he started to send his monsters over into the real world.
he is starting to do multiple things at once now.

also the death pentialy is a bit two-fold, they come back tired or k.o.-ed, although it happens a bit less at the later part of the show, guessing they get used to it, good thing too, the kid at the computer needs protecting nearly every episode by then. apperently their other world body 'code' is destoryed, so it has to be re-made, so they can't just go back in right away. there is defiantly a big pentialty for death.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
lezard_valeth 03-13-08, 01:51 PM	I was thinking about how this could be an interesting thing to attempt, however it would require some work from both the DM's and players. The dual world campaign basic premise is fairly simple: two mostly unconnected worlds can and do affect each often, and the PCs have found a way to go from one to another, and do so to stop the attacks on their own. To simplify things, the “real world” will be D20 modern in this example, and the “other world” will be D&D, and just to keep things understandable, I will be using the set up from the show that gave me this idea, code lyoko, as the example setup build. The PCs would start in the world with D20 modern characters, and go on from there until they find the “factory” (portal location.) where they find the “super computer” (portal mechanism.) that they can use to activate the “scanners” (the portal itself.) and find themselves in “lyoko” (the other world.) as different people, with abilities and gear from that world. Of course messing around with the “super computer” allows the BBEG (Zana) to affect the “real world”. In the show Zana has no actual form as of yet, but controls pillars that they call towers in the show to do things in the real world, he often uses them to take control or create things in the real world to kill or destroy someone or something, but sometimes has also used it to gather items that the super computer needs to run, such as a new power cell. When these things happen, it is the PCs job to stop it in one of two ways, ether stop it in the real world, which could be hard considering the fact that it means what the ‘tower’ the BBEG is using to create the situation is still active, or go in the other world to stop it at the source. In the “super computer scenario” (lyoko.), when they kids die on lyoko, they aren’t gone for good, instead they are forcefully sent back to the real world, and are shown to be tired/ unconscious when they return, which brings up a interesting possibility, in the other world, PC other world death isn’t fatal, just highly damaging to the real world character. This could allow the DM to create problems in which a character should die if they try to get past, and not have to worry too much about the repercussions. However there could still be ways of for-sure death, such as in the show with the “digital sea” where you would die if you fell in and not come back. Other interesting possibilities are there as well. Here’s one: One of the characters doesn’t go into “lyoko” all that often, instead he mans the “super computer”, where he gives directions, creates items, heals the others, and warns them of incoming danger, as well as the status of the attacker(s). This could give a new role to the “cleric” of the group, but also puts him/her into a new problem, what if the person at the super computer is attacked, and everyone else is in the other world? (This actually happens very often in the show, but often one of the other characters is there after coming back from lyoko, and try’s to hold “it” off, whatever it may be.) Another one is this: One the characters is (until a certain point in the show story line.) is trapped on “lyoko” and is in real danger when attacked, primarily because she doesn’t have a real body to come back in if she dies. This could be useful in adding a reason why they cant just shut down the “super computer” in hopes of stopping the attacks, as well as allowing someone who isn’t there at every game/ always comes late because of distance to still be able to play, all that would need to be done would be play out more of the game in the “real world” until they could come and play. This person should get additional abilities to counteract the higher threat of death, as well as all alone and attacked. For example, the girl in the show who was trapped in the computer could quickly and dramatically change the landscape; regenerate her hit points, and later learned an attack (she started with none.) that was extremely effective, usually killing the monster she hit with it. They also had a “return to the past” command available, although this was likely added in so that the events of one episode wouldn’t interfere too much with another, especially since places and things get destroyed from the attacks, but this may not be needed in a game that can handle things like that. It did not reverse deaths caused by the attack however, and the people who died in the attack are dead at the beginning of the time it reverts back to from “return to the past.” This is just a base to start from, I will put more ideas in later, but I want to know what you guys could with it until then. also, what would you think would be needed to make this work?
Iktomi 03-15-08, 09:21 PM	D&D meets the matrix, I like it. I'm actually planning a game that's remarkably similar in that I'm starting the characters off in our world and portaling them into a fantasy world. One thing that I learned on these forums is that D&D and D20 modern aren't as compatable as one might think, so characters should probably be made in one system or the other. You seem to have solved that problem, however, by giving the players different character sheets for each world.
benjamin385 03-16-08, 01:26 PM	what would you think would be needed to make this work? Books that might come in handy- Core D&D rule books (DM guide, Monster manual 3.5, and Players handbook) D20 modern D20 Weapons Locker (just useful for the amount of guns it has in it.) Urban Arcane - ( if magic is in your world or you could have Items from the Virtual world materialize in the Real world and you have to obtain them before your enemy does) Oriental adventures - for the classes that are in it (in peticular the samurai) along with the beasts that your main bad guy could take form as. I'll post some more stuff later.
lezard_valeth 03-17-08, 12:39 PM	D&D meets the matrix, I like it. I'm actually planning a game that's remarkably similar in that I'm starting the characters off in our world and portaling them into a fantasy world. One thing that I learned on these forums is that D&D and D20 modern aren't as compatable as one might think, so characters should probably be made in one system or the other. You seem to have solved that problem, however, by giving the players different character sheets for each world. just to say, the intergration problem actualy can become it's own solution. the BBG only has one world's stuff to use in majorty, and the harder it is for the PCs to defeat the thing in the real world, the more they consider going to the other world. that is not to say i don't see the problem, trying to get a +5 magical glock 20 to work in both worlds can be a problem.;) and just to say, make sure the PCs in your game know your "death rule" choice.
lezard_valeth 03-17-08, 12:43 PM	ok, I found something that needs to adressed, how much should the avg. CR increase for the other world when the forceful ejection choice of the death rule in this is used? not having to worry about death is a huge factor in this. i would have to say that the avg CR would become ecl+2, but what do you guys think?
Werral 03-18-08, 10:08 AM	Depends how steep the ejection penalty is. If it's truly hard to get back to Lyoko. It could be on a par with resurection in standard D&D, in which case the CR would remain the same. If it's fairly easy to get back in then yes, up the CR. Another alternative is that death in Lyoko causes Sanity point loss (see Call of Cthullu D20 or Chaosiums original) so they basically go nuts. Also the BBEG could follow their spirit (or whatever) as it returns to their real body, so that everytime they die, they help the BBEG get a foothold in the real world. And maybe certain powers in the Lyoko cause side effects in the real world - maybe using magic becomes so natural that NOT having magic in the real world becomes traumatic.
lezard_valeth 03-20-08, 07:45 AM	Also the BBEG could follow their spirit (or whatever) as it returns to their real body, so that everytime they die, they help the BBEG get a foothold in the real world. that actualy is true in the show that gave me the idea, and it worked like this: kill one off: little bit more power force the need for return to the past: larger jump in power. i have been looking into the show on the kinds of attacks and the order they come in, and i can see the increase in danger go up as they use return to the past more and more. at first, it was basicly that the toasters started attacking everyone (didn't actualy happen, just giveing a compairable example.) then he started to control more complex things such as cars and trucks. then he got to robot type stuff then he could control insects then he got the power to cause weather and geological events to happen at his command (he actualy did make a localized earthquake in an atempt to destory the school they were so that they would ether die in there or get sent back home, ether way keeping them from getting back to lyoko.) then he started to control people. and then he made it so the people became super human so that they couldn't be stopped by simple things like a locked metal door. then he started to send his monsters over into the real world. he is starting to do multiple things at once now. also the death pentialy is a bit two-fold, they come back tired or k.o.-ed, although it happens a bit less at the later part of the show, guessing they get used to it, good thing too, the kid at the computer needs protecting nearly every episode by then. apperently their other world body 'code' is destoryed, so it has to be re-made, so they can't just go back in right away. there is defiantly a big pentialty for death.