Integrating Sci-Fi Into Eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Integrating Sci-Fi Into Eberron [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Reylan Talonspyre
01-05-06, 01:28 PM One of the few things that I can think of that gets me interested as much as fantasy literature, is science fiction literature. I find that my writing usually focuses a little bit more on the science fiction element than it does on the fantasy element as well. This is partly the reason I love Eberron so much. In an article (link) written by Jason Nelson, I found that using alien invaders could be just as fun as using your standard beholder or even mindflayer. Thus it became my goal to incorporate two of my favorite things, Eberron and Stargate SG-1/Alantis, into one big RPG event.

A few things to consider, with the exception of perhaps one or two players out of my five to six man group, no one has watched much of the Stargate TV show, leaving me open to rehash old plot lines. Secondly, stealing is not the appropriate word since I skipped much of the plane hopping and instead used the Ancients from the TV series. I find that generic names and profiles is much better than detailed names that the players may catch.

The Ancients, according to the info I have read and watched, are science worshipping non-interventionists who have “ascended” to a higher plane of existence outside the normal planes we can all reach. They have left buckets of “ancient” technology behind as well as some fairly bitter enemies who could possibly menace Earth.

Now I have switched back to Eberron and indeed even Sandstorm and took the Marru as my ancient enemy. Changing some of their story around, I made them byproducts of the Ancient-Daelkyr War that occurred long ago. The Ancients failed their experiment at genetic manipulation and created the Marru Abomination that rose to control the rest of the Marruspawn in a far off plane of existence.

The Marru control a star empire that mines a particular raw material similar to Stargate’s “weapons-grade naquada” that they use to power their pyramid ships and make their composite plating armor. I also added the fact that they too did not understand magic and could not explain many of the things that occur in Eberron. This gave the players the advantage in some respects because they did fear the power of sorcerers, wizards, clerics, etc.

I am having issues with how ancient technology, capable of incredible feats of nature, is not magic. Would identify work on them? Not according to how it is described.

I thought of changing identify to a more useful spell.

Identify
Divination
Level: Brd 1, Magic 2, Sor/Wiz 1
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Touch
Targets: One touched object
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

The spell determines all properties (magical or mundane) of a single item, including how to activate those functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if any). Identify does not function when used on an artifact.

Arcane Material Component: A pearl of at least 100 gp value, crushed and stirred into wine with an owl feather; the infusion must be drunk prior to spellcasting.

Has anyone else done anything similar? I know that my players are getting a kick out of it, because it adds another element of secrecy and clandestine activities as the Marru now plan to invade Eberron, but how? When? Where?

Its fun. But other suggestions would be helpful.
Edymnion
01-05-06, 02:39 PM Generally, the main Stargate SG1 similarity in Eberron are the Dreaming Dark and the Kalashtar, which are almost exactly the same idea as the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. Big powerful group that inhabit the bodies of humans in order to rule everything, and the renegade group that are also bound to the same kind of being, but who has turned their back on the evil ways of their kin.

Ring transports can be done quite simply as a magic item that casts Teleportation, with the rings just being visual fluff.

Zats can be a kind of infinite repeating hand crossbow that shoots +1 merciful shocking bolts. Lots of zapping, pure non-lethal damage.

Staffs can just be plain old staffs of Electric Orb.

Cargo ships and the like are already there in the form of airships.

The Stargate itself is simply a portal system, like Faerun has had for years.

Yeah, Stargate SG1 is very doable.
MrFilthyIke
01-05-06, 03:55 PM I've secretly pondered crashing the Beagle from DA3 into some remote portion of Xendrik for quite some time. :)

But that's because I don't follow SG1, so I don't know the plot.
Melvin the Mediocre
01-05-06, 04:33 PM That sounds like a lot of fun, and would fit BOTH genres very well. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to have a group of PC come into contact with a Star Trek away team that is trying hard to fit in and not be recognized. I've just never been able to come up with a series of sessions that would make it interesting and not just cheesey.
Romulus LoneWolf
01-05-06, 10:23 PM I was thinking of adapting a sci-fi concept to Eberron myself: Starcraft's Zerg. Or, more accurately, a set of Zerg-like creatures.

...The Book of Vile Darkness has a group of vicious killing aberration creatures called Kythons, which frankly look very Zergish to me. I could definetly see the Daelkyr creating them as a fierce and bloody fighting force..
Wolfen Fenrison
01-05-06, 11:40 PM If you want a more fantasy take on stargate and space travel dust off the spelljammer setting, use the something simmilar to big ring gates to cross world travel early in the game and latter in the campaign introduce a prototype spelljammer from a zilargo/cannith project (earlyer you could have the pcs capture one from the marru) air ships are big enough to have and gravity/air pocket would work as fighters (possibly air skiffs too), on anouther note have you thought of using the neogi (MM 2 and LoM, slave bassed empire, ruthless killers and ravagers of hwole systems, there make great campaign bad guys. or puppeteer (XPH), they funtion alot like goa'uld, maby house rule it so they go into the body to control the host.
Feor
01-06-06, 09:03 AM Dude, before you go any furthur on your planing: Races of Eberron, Page 35, the "Changegate"

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/roe_gallery/88210.jpg

An ancient portal through which abberations once poured onto Eberron, sealed and guarded by the druids, but now all but forgotten. :)
MrFilthyIke
01-06-06, 10:06 AM Dude, before you go any furthur on your planing: Races of Eberron, Page 35, the "Changegate"

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/roe_gallery/88210.jpg

An ancient portal through which abberations once poured onto Eberron, sealed and guarded by the druids, but now all but forgotten. :)

We have a winnah!! :)
Armorlord
01-06-06, 05:22 PM I was thinking of adapting a sci-fi concept to Eberron myself: Starcraft's Zerg. Or, more accurately, a set of Zerg-like creatures.

...The Book of Vile Darkness has a group of vicious killing aberration creatures called Kythons, which frankly look very Zergish to me. I could definetly see the Daelkyr creating them as a fierce and bloody fighting force..

Love those Kythons. Vicious, fast reproducing, evolving. And no uber-resistances so I can whole them wholesale in Modern/Future. :devil:
After certain events I have them breeding like mad in the underground beneath Philidelphia, forcing all the formerly well entrenched creatures and evils of the underground to move toward the surface. Scary part is the players still haven't caught on, they've avoided places where I've had outright clues and the others they haven't put together, so the Kythons are still down there.. breeding.. and getting tougher.
Very Zergish indeed.
I could see a similar situation cropping up in Eberron. Daelkyr minions manage to spin off a couple of them, they breed, grow strong, and turn on their creators. Eventually could have a situation where all manner of things from Kyber are being forced to the surface by the growing swarm, prehaps prompting one hell of an unholy alliance to force the Kythons back.
Dex
01-08-06, 07:38 AM I was thinking of introducing the Aliens to me campaign, and the Steel Predators were a close match visual-wise.

Spelljammer has lots of cool info with regards to magical space-transportation.

And yes, me and Co. noticed the 'changegate' and pondered much the same things as you guys have. One note though, your +1 merciful shocking Zzats still deal lethal electric damage. ouch.

Still, magic could explain a lot of the Ancient's tech, because "Any sufficiently advanced technology is just like magic." :D
Edymnion
01-08-06, 04:03 PM One note though, your +1 merciful shocking Zzats still deal lethal electric damage. ouch.Nope, merciful specifically says "and all damage dealt is non-lethal". That applies to elemental damage as well.
Spooty
01-09-06, 10:34 PM Generally, the main Stargate SG1 similarity in Eberron are the Dreaming Dark and the Kalashtar, which are almost exactly the same idea as the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra.

lol.. You know, that was my first thought when I was introduced to the Kalashtar/Inspired.
Vaalingrade Ashland
01-11-06, 07:46 PM Zats can be a kind of infinite repeating hand crossbow that shoots +1 merciful shocking bolts. Lots of zapping, pure non-lethal damage.
Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy:

Zat
these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target.

1 shot: Power Word Stun
2 shots: Power Word Kill
3 shots: Disintegrate
Edymnion
01-11-06, 10:45 PM Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy:

Zat
these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target.

1 shot: Power Word Stun
2 shots: Power Word Kill
3 shots: DisintegrateAnd that is, of course, the correct answer :D
MarkB
01-13-06, 05:54 AM Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy:

Zat
these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target.

1 shot: Power Word Stun
2 shots: Power Word Kill
3 shots: Disintegrate
And that is, of course, the correct answer :D
Depends on when in the continuity you're at. Originally, zats' first effect was single-target Symbol of Pain, but it got switched to stun somehwere along the way, and these days they seem to have forgotten about option 3, and don't have much use for option 2.

The other thing they never did specify was how long between shots you could go before resetting to effect 1. I'd say 8 hours.
DarkWarriorKarg
01-13-06, 09:02 AM Depends on when in the continuity you're at. Originally, zats' first effect was single-target Symbol of Pain, but it got switched to stun somehwere along the way, and these days they seem to have forgotten about option 3, and don't have much use for option 2.

The other thing they never did specify was how long between shots you could go before resetting to effect 1. I'd say 8 hours.

Ahh, the joys of TV censorship (self or imposed, still the same).

Can't show the good guys killing willy-nilly, can we?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Reylan Talonspyre 01-05-06, 01:28 PM	One of the few things that I can think of that gets me interested as much as fantasy literature, is science fiction literature. I find that my writing usually focuses a little bit more on the science fiction element than it does on the fantasy element as well. This is partly the reason I love Eberron so much. In an article (link) written by Jason Nelson, I found that using alien invaders could be just as fun as using your standard beholder or even mindflayer. Thus it became my goal to incorporate two of my favorite things, Eberron and Stargate SG-1/Alantis, into one big RPG event. A few things to consider, with the exception of perhaps one or two players out of my five to six man group, no one has watched much of the Stargate TV show, leaving me open to rehash old plot lines. Secondly, stealing is not the appropriate word since I skipped much of the plane hopping and instead used the Ancients from the TV series. I find that generic names and profiles is much better than detailed names that the players may catch. The Ancients, according to the info I have read and watched, are science worshipping non-interventionists who have “ascended” to a higher plane of existence outside the normal planes we can all reach. They have left buckets of “ancient” technology behind as well as some fairly bitter enemies who could possibly menace Earth. Now I have switched back to Eberron and indeed even Sandstorm and took the Marru as my ancient enemy. Changing some of their story around, I made them byproducts of the Ancient-Daelkyr War that occurred long ago. The Ancients failed their experiment at genetic manipulation and created the Marru Abomination that rose to control the rest of the Marruspawn in a far off plane of existence. The Marru control a star empire that mines a particular raw material similar to Stargate’s “weapons-grade naquada” that they use to power their pyramid ships and make their composite plating armor. I also added the fact that they too did not understand magic and could not explain many of the things that occur in Eberron. This gave the players the advantage in some respects because they did fear the power of sorcerers, wizards, clerics, etc. I am having issues with how ancient technology, capable of incredible feats of nature, is not magic. Would identify work on them? Not according to how it is described. I thought of changing identify to a more useful spell. Identify Divination Level: Brd 1, Magic 2, Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M/DF Casting Time: 1 hour Range: Touch Targets: One touched object Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: None Spell Resistance: No The spell determines all properties (magical or mundane) of a single item, including how to activate those functions (if appropriate), and how many charges are left (if any). Identify does not function when used on an artifact. Arcane Material Component: A pearl of at least 100 gp value, crushed and stirred into wine with an owl feather; the infusion must be drunk prior to spellcasting. Has anyone else done anything similar? I know that my players are getting a kick out of it, because it adds another element of secrecy and clandestine activities as the Marru now plan to invade Eberron, but how? When? Where? Its fun. But other suggestions would be helpful.
Edymnion 01-05-06, 02:39 PM	Generally, the main Stargate SG1 similarity in Eberron are the Dreaming Dark and the Kalashtar, which are almost exactly the same idea as the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. Big powerful group that inhabit the bodies of humans in order to rule everything, and the renegade group that are also bound to the same kind of being, but who has turned their back on the evil ways of their kin. Ring transports can be done quite simply as a magic item that casts Teleportation, with the rings just being visual fluff. Zats can be a kind of infinite repeating hand crossbow that shoots +1 merciful shocking bolts. Lots of zapping, pure non-lethal damage. Staffs can just be plain old staffs of Electric Orb. Cargo ships and the like are already there in the form of airships. The Stargate itself is simply a portal system, like Faerun has had for years. Yeah, Stargate SG1 is very doable.
MrFilthyIke 01-05-06, 03:55 PM	I've secretly pondered crashing the Beagle from DA3 into some remote portion of Xendrik for quite some time. :) But that's because I don't follow SG1, so I don't know the plot.
Melvin the Mediocre 01-05-06, 04:33 PM	That sounds like a lot of fun, and would fit BOTH genres very well. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to have a group of PC come into contact with a Star Trek away team that is trying hard to fit in and not be recognized. I've just never been able to come up with a series of sessions that would make it interesting and not just cheesey.
Romulus LoneWolf 01-05-06, 10:23 PM	I was thinking of adapting a sci-fi concept to Eberron myself: Starcraft's Zerg. Or, more accurately, a set of Zerg-like creatures. ...The Book of Vile Darkness has a group of vicious killing aberration creatures called Kythons, which frankly look very Zergish to me. I could definetly see the Daelkyr creating them as a fierce and bloody fighting force..
Wolfen Fenrison 01-05-06, 11:40 PM	If you want a more fantasy take on stargate and space travel dust off the spelljammer setting, use the something simmilar to big ring gates to cross world travel early in the game and latter in the campaign introduce a prototype spelljammer from a zilargo/cannith project (earlyer you could have the pcs capture one from the marru) air ships are big enough to have and gravity/air pocket would work as fighters (possibly air skiffs too), on anouther note have you thought of using the neogi (MM 2 and LoM, slave bassed empire, ruthless killers and ravagers of hwole systems, there make great campaign bad guys. or puppeteer (XPH), they funtion alot like goa'uld, maby house rule it so they go into the body to control the host.
Feor 01-06-06, 09:03 AM	Dude, before you go any furthur on your planing: Races of Eberron, Page 35, the "Changegate" http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/roe_gallery/88210.jpg An ancient portal through which abberations once poured onto Eberron, sealed and guarded by the druids, but now all but forgotten. :)
MrFilthyIke 01-06-06, 10:06 AM	Dude, before you go any furthur on your planing: Races of Eberron, Page 35, the "Changegate" http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/roe_gallery/88210.jpg An ancient portal through which abberations once poured onto Eberron, sealed and guarded by the druids, but now all but forgotten. :) We have a winnah!! :)
Armorlord 01-06-06, 05:22 PM	I was thinking of adapting a sci-fi concept to Eberron myself: Starcraft's Zerg. Or, more accurately, a set of Zerg-like creatures. ...The Book of Vile Darkness has a group of vicious killing aberration creatures called Kythons, which frankly look very Zergish to me. I could definetly see the Daelkyr creating them as a fierce and bloody fighting force.. Love those Kythons. Vicious, fast reproducing, evolving. And no uber-resistances so I can whole them wholesale in Modern/Future. :devil: After certain events I have them breeding like mad in the underground beneath Philidelphia, forcing all the formerly well entrenched creatures and evils of the underground to move toward the surface. Scary part is the players still haven't caught on, they've avoided places where I've had outright clues and the others they haven't put together, so the Kythons are still down there.. breeding.. and getting tougher. Very Zergish indeed. I could see a similar situation cropping up in Eberron. Daelkyr minions manage to spin off a couple of them, they breed, grow strong, and turn on their creators. Eventually could have a situation where all manner of things from Kyber are being forced to the surface by the growing swarm, prehaps prompting one hell of an unholy alliance to force the Kythons back.
Dex 01-08-06, 07:38 AM	I was thinking of introducing the Aliens to me campaign, and the Steel Predators were a close match visual-wise. Spelljammer has lots of cool info with regards to magical space-transportation. And yes, me and Co. noticed the 'changegate' and pondered much the same things as you guys have. One note though, your +1 merciful shocking Zzats still deal lethal electric damage. ouch. Still, magic could explain a lot of the Ancient's tech, because "Any sufficiently advanced technology is just like magic." :D
Edymnion 01-08-06, 04:03 PM	One note though, your +1 merciful shocking Zzats still deal lethal electric damage. ouch.Nope, merciful specifically says "and all damage dealt is non-lethal". That applies to elemental damage as well.
Spooty 01-09-06, 10:34 PM	Generally, the main Stargate SG1 similarity in Eberron are the Dreaming Dark and the Kalashtar, which are almost exactly the same idea as the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra. lol.. You know, that was my first thought when I was introduced to the Kalashtar/Inspired.
Vaalingrade Ashland 01-11-06, 07:46 PM	Zats can be a kind of infinite repeating hand crossbow that shoots +1 merciful shocking bolts. Lots of zapping, pure non-lethal damage. Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy: Zat these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target. 1 shot: Power Word Stun 2 shots: Power Word Kill 3 shots: Disintegrate
Edymnion 01-11-06, 10:45 PM	Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy: Zat these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target. 1 shot: Power Word Stun 2 shots: Power Word Kill 3 shots: DisintegrateAnd that is, of course, the correct answer :D
MarkB 01-13-06, 05:54 AM	Our zats were soooo much more powerful, Edy: Zat these devices fire a bolt of magical force that causes harm based on how many times thier magic has worked on a target. 1 shot: Power Word Stun 2 shots: Power Word Kill 3 shots: Disintegrate And that is, of course, the correct answer :D Depends on when in the continuity you're at. Originally, zats' first effect was single-target Symbol of Pain, but it got switched to stun somehwere along the way, and these days they seem to have forgotten about option 3, and don't have much use for option 2. The other thing they never did specify was how long between shots you could go before resetting to effect 1. I'd say 8 hours.
DarkWarriorKarg 01-13-06, 09:02 AM	Depends on when in the continuity you're at. Originally, zats' first effect was single-target Symbol of Pain, but it got switched to stun somehwere along the way, and these days they seem to have forgotten about option 3, and don't have much use for option 2. The other thing they never did specify was how long between shots you could go before resetting to effect 1. I'd say 8 hours. Ahh, the joys of TV censorship (self or imposed, still the same). Can't show the good guys killing willy-nilly, can we?