DnD meets Video-game style equipment? [Archive] - Wizards Community

DnD meets Video-game style equipment? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Kanosint
02-03-07, 07:35 PM Hello all,

I just wondered, am I the only one that uses equipment, puzzles and combat similar to the games from the Metroid series, Legend of Zelda series, Mario series, etc?

To give an example, I've had tons of fun with my party by scattering 'Kinetic Orbs' in the world. These are metallic orbs that can be telekinetically rolled over the floor (had more limitations, but it was a complicated list, and it doesn't matter now). Basically an independent Morph Ball, if you ever played a Metroid game.

It had several upgrades, like electric shocks (think, Bombs from Metroid), speed boosts (Boost Ball), fire burst (Super Bombs), etc, etc.
Several puzzles relied on these items, and they collected extras just in case (they had fun with trying it all out ;3).

Now, I also had a few puzzles like this (like having to activate a giant drill), and even combats! (Use that Hookshot to catch the protective mask to severely lessen the enemy's capabilities).

Now for my question: Have you done items, puzzles and combats like this before? If so, what did you use? How was the experience? If not, why not?
Xeviat-DM
02-04-07, 01:42 AM I don't think these type of puzzles would go over well in my group in a table top RPG, simply because these puzzles are interesting in video games because of the motor skill component. If you notice, in action/adventure video games, while your character's equipment gets better, and you generally have more life, your character doesn't exactly get better; it's still your skill against the computer.

D&D is more of a mental game, and I don't think it would mix well with my group. When I do puzzles, they're usually logic puzzles, but I've even been abandoning these because solving them in game with skill checks is anticlimactic, and they can get quite frustrating.
crimsonwolf
02-04-07, 01:46 AM &D is more of a mental game, and I don't think it would mix well with my group. When I do puzzles, they're usually logic puzzles, but I've even been abandoning these because solving them in game with skill checks is anticlimactic, and they can get quite frustrating.

as for that bit ... make them more into like item puzzles... you know find the key figure out what the secerat symobl on the piece of paper means... i mean some skill yes.... but you can reconfigure your rules to adjust to more of a players thinking then a rp chracters....
Azar_of_Faerun
02-04-07, 01:51 AM You mean how, like in Castlevania when you get the Leap Stone/Double Jump and you needn't equip it?

Just make all the non combat gear (weapons/armor) slotless by default :)
Banning
02-04-07, 03:31 AM What I like doing is letting them find a dinged up sword or something... and having it later turn out to be a key for a tomb of treasure or something... one time it lead to a VERY well guarded dragons lair. There was untold treasures and hungry mouths.
antsterr
02-04-07, 04:14 AM I did once make a halfling sized holy longsword that shot magic missiles; but only when you were at full health. This was my link to the past master sword "The Sword of Evil's Bane".
Most classic zelda items can be made pretty easily for a D&D game. Fire Frost and Light arrows from ocarina of time, a Magic flute that summons a riding bird (as in link to the past). Lens of truth, dins fire, farors wind, naru's love. Pegasus shoes, fire rod, ice rod, titan mit. all would be easy to make and very useful items.
For other video game inspired items. I made Chozo Power armour with all of Samas' powers for a Rifts game.

Most of the puzzles I've made have word clues, like a magically locked door that needs 4 keys to open it and a poem that gives clues as to what the keys, in this case it was moonlight, fire, flesh and bone that were needed to open the door. the party used a moonlight spell, a torch, a sausage and a bone that one of them had in their hair.
The only zelda style puzzles I've used are such ones as: hit the orb with a certain kind of energy to activate the effect.
SephDragoon
02-04-07, 04:29 AM I have actually entertained thoughts of shadow of collosus style battles in my games. The problem is, once my players learn fly, it becomes trivial. Though i have thought of ways around it. I am still pondering, because it would be fun as hell for them!
mato_hibiki
02-04-07, 02:04 PM They have a chozo power armor class on the boards. I think it's in the D20 videogames section.

And I once pulled a Shadow of the Colosus, before I ever even heard of the game. Boy, SotC was fun though...

Best tool of all time, in my opinion, is the hookshot and it's upgrade, the longshot.

Most fun I've had just shy of being Spiderman.
Kanosint
02-04-07, 04:36 PM As to the problem of 'Fly' spells... I, too, run SotC-like battles (well, I run battles that are just puzzly in general), but I use the 'normal' D20 class system, slightly adapted to suit the setting. Magic's much harder to get, this way. In fact, I use this system for pretty much all my games, easier to stop silly stuff, without limiting the players... They can still use magic to great effect, but not anytime soon, and the balance lies slightly better IMO.
stugiiig
02-04-07, 08:24 PM Not a videogame, but there was an Inuyasha-type theme to a campaign I did a while back. The players were trying to collect shards of a power crystal that had been scattered all over. It worked out well because it gave a very heroic feel to the campaign.
Darth Sephiroth
02-05-07, 01:21 AM I pulled the 4 Crystals storyline out of FF1 in one game, it ended up working out really well because they didn't connect anything until near the end.
Kanosint
02-05-07, 12:25 PM Ah yes, of course, if you want to pull it off, be sure your players don't have any knowledge about the game that might be important ;3 Otherwise it'll be rather ruined...
SephDragoon
02-05-07, 12:51 PM Well, if you are taking mechanics only, it can be a good thing for them to know, because then they understand it already. Storyline, then you don't want them to. But yeah, I don't think any equipment has ever made it into the game that is from a video game, but I know there has been plenty of other things from popular culture in ours, like at one point we had shinigami. And we've had equipment that definitely seemed like it belonged in a zelda (like this wierd staff we once got).

I could see advantages to working the hookshot and other stuff in though.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Kanosint 02-03-07, 07:35 PM	Hello all, I just wondered, am I the only one that uses equipment, puzzles and combat similar to the games from the Metroid series, Legend of Zelda series, Mario series, etc? To give an example, I've had tons of fun with my party by scattering 'Kinetic Orbs' in the world. These are metallic orbs that can be telekinetically rolled over the floor (had more limitations, but it was a complicated list, and it doesn't matter now). Basically an independent Morph Ball, if you ever played a Metroid game. It had several upgrades, like electric shocks (think, Bombs from Metroid), speed boosts (Boost Ball), fire burst (Super Bombs), etc, etc. Several puzzles relied on these items, and they collected extras just in case (they had fun with trying it all out ;3). Now, I also had a few puzzles like this (like having to activate a giant drill), and even combats! (Use that Hookshot to catch the protective mask to severely lessen the enemy's capabilities). Now for my question: Have you done items, puzzles and combats like this before? If so, what did you use? How was the experience? If not, why not?
Xeviat-DM 02-04-07, 01:42 AM	I don't think these type of puzzles would go over well in my group in a table top RPG, simply because these puzzles are interesting in video games because of the motor skill component. If you notice, in action/adventure video games, while your character's equipment gets better, and you generally have more life, your character doesn't exactly get better; it's still your skill against the computer. D&D is more of a mental game, and I don't think it would mix well with my group. When I do puzzles, they're usually logic puzzles, but I've even been abandoning these because solving them in game with skill checks is anticlimactic, and they can get quite frustrating.
crimsonwolf 02-04-07, 01:46 AM	&D is more of a mental game, and I don't think it would mix well with my group. When I do puzzles, they're usually logic puzzles, but I've even been abandoning these because solving them in game with skill checks is anticlimactic, and they can get quite frustrating. as for that bit ... make them more into like item puzzles... you know find the key figure out what the secerat symobl on the piece of paper means... i mean some skill yes.... but you can reconfigure your rules to adjust to more of a players thinking then a rp chracters....
Azar_of_Faerun 02-04-07, 01:51 AM	You mean how, like in Castlevania when you get the Leap Stone/Double Jump and you needn't equip it? Just make all the non combat gear (weapons/armor) slotless by default :)
Banning 02-04-07, 03:31 AM	What I like doing is letting them find a dinged up sword or something... and having it later turn out to be a key for a tomb of treasure or something... one time it lead to a VERY well guarded dragons lair. There was untold treasures and hungry mouths.
antsterr 02-04-07, 04:14 AM	I did once make a halfling sized holy longsword that shot magic missiles; but only when you were at full health. This was my link to the past master sword "The Sword of Evil's Bane". Most classic zelda items can be made pretty easily for a D&D game. Fire Frost and Light arrows from ocarina of time, a Magic flute that summons a riding bird (as in link to the past). Lens of truth, dins fire, farors wind, naru's love. Pegasus shoes, fire rod, ice rod, titan mit. all would be easy to make and very useful items. For other video game inspired items. I made Chozo Power armour with all of Samas' powers for a Rifts game. Most of the puzzles I've made have word clues, like a magically locked door that needs 4 keys to open it and a poem that gives clues as to what the keys, in this case it was moonlight, fire, flesh and bone that were needed to open the door. the party used a moonlight spell, a torch, a sausage and a bone that one of them had in their hair. The only zelda style puzzles I've used are such ones as: hit the orb with a certain kind of energy to activate the effect.
SephDragoon 02-04-07, 04:29 AM	I have actually entertained thoughts of shadow of collosus style battles in my games. The problem is, once my players learn fly, it becomes trivial. Though i have thought of ways around it. I am still pondering, because it would be fun as hell for them!
mato_hibiki 02-04-07, 02:04 PM	They have a chozo power armor class on the boards. I think it's in the D20 videogames section. And I once pulled a Shadow of the Colosus, before I ever even heard of the game. Boy, SotC was fun though... Best tool of all time, in my opinion, is the hookshot and it's upgrade, the longshot. Most fun I've had just shy of being Spiderman.
Kanosint 02-04-07, 04:36 PM	As to the problem of 'Fly' spells... I, too, run SotC-like battles (well, I run battles that are just puzzly in general), but I use the 'normal' D20 class system, slightly adapted to suit the setting. Magic's much harder to get, this way. In fact, I use this system for pretty much all my games, easier to stop silly stuff, without limiting the players... They can still use magic to great effect, but not anytime soon, and the balance lies slightly better IMO.
stugiiig 02-04-07, 08:24 PM	Not a videogame, but there was an Inuyasha-type theme to a campaign I did a while back. The players were trying to collect shards of a power crystal that had been scattered all over. It worked out well because it gave a very heroic feel to the campaign.
Darth Sephiroth 02-05-07, 01:21 AM	I pulled the 4 Crystals storyline out of FF1 in one game, it ended up working out really well because they didn't connect anything until near the end.
Kanosint 02-05-07, 12:25 PM	Ah yes, of course, if you want to pull it off, be sure your players don't have any knowledge about the game that might be important ;3 Otherwise it'll be rather ruined...
SephDragoon 02-05-07, 12:51 PM	Well, if you are taking mechanics only, it can be a good thing for them to know, because then they understand it already. Storyline, then you don't want them to. But yeah, I don't think any equipment has ever made it into the game that is from a video game, but I know there has been plenty of other things from popular culture in ours, like at one point we had shinigami. And we've had equipment that definitely seemed like it belonged in a zelda (like this wierd staff we once got). I could see advantages to working the hookshot and other stuff in though.