Converting Shadowrun to Fantasy

Converting Shadowrun to Fantasy

Unread postby Calinero » August 13th, 2010, 11:50 pm

Howdy, everyone. I know there's a few folks here on the boards who play Shadowrun, and thought this might be a good place to post this. I'm planning on starting a game soon with some friends that takes place in a fantasy setting. For various reasons, instead of using D&D or a more traditional fantasy system, we decided to experiment. I have spent a few days working on converting 4th edition Shadowrun into a fantasy system. I would be interested in the advice of anyone familiar with the system--posted below are my proposed changes. I've tried to keep things as balanced as possible, and none of the major character classes have been totally removed, with the exception of Hacker.

Qualities not used: Codeslinger, Human Looking, Technomancer, Codeblock, Elf Poser, Gremlins (note: replace with magical equivalent?, Ork Poser, Scorched, Sensitive Neural Structure, Simsense Vertigo, SINner, College Education, Deep Cover, Digital Doppelganger, Erased, Escaped Clone, Fame, Juryrigger, Made Man, Mistaken Identity, Privileged Family Name, Technical School Education, Trust Fund, Trustworthy, Bad Rep and Big Regret (note: these can only be played if it directly relates to why they explore), Computer Illiterate, Cranial Bomb, Day Job, Distinctive Style, Dependents, Enemy, Evil Twin, Hung Out To Dry, Judas, Liar, Lost Loved One (if you really want to do this, talk to me), Records on File, Spammed, Sensory Overload Syndrome

Skills N/A or unlikely to be used: Automatics, Gunnery, Heavy Weapons, Parachuting, anything to do with Piloting, Computer, Aeronautics Mechanic, Automotive Mechanic, Cybertechnology, Cybercombat, Data Search, Electronic Warfare, Hacking, Industrial Mechanic, Hardware, Software, All Resonance skills.

Spell Notes: No need for Improved Invisibility, Physical Mask, or Silence. Chaff (Street Magic pg. 170) is N/A. No need for Physical Double Image, Vehicle Mask

Contacts: probably not necessary, honestly.

Gear: All bioware and cyberware is replaced with a magical equivalent, and will be deal with on a case by case basis. All still cause Essence loss.
Drones are replaced by golems. Golems possess a Animate attribute/skill that replaces Pilot. Their autosofts are Target (Clearsight,) Defense, Maneuver (Golem type), Targeting (attack type).

Golem Types: The Bug (Shiawase Kanmushi), The Skimmer (Sikorsky-Bell Microskimmer), Roller (LoneStar iBall), The Fly (MCT Fly-Spy), The Crawler (Aztechnology Crawler), The Hawk (Lockheed Optix-X), The Hound (GM-Nissan Doberman), The Dragonfly (MCT Nissan Roto Drone), The Balloon (Renraku Stormcloud), The Grasshopper (Cyberspace Designs Dalmation), The Healer (CrashCart Autodoc), The Warrior (Steel Lynx Combat Drone). Sensor is “Awareness.”)

New Skills: Ride, Golemancy (for repairing golem limbs and golems), Guide Land, Guide Water, Guide Air.

What I am having the most trouble with is what to do about guns--removing them would damage the balance in favor of magicians over those who use guns for combat. I am considering removing all gun skills except pistol and longarm, but providing magical weapons in traditional fantasy fashion at some point, giving the pistols and longarms better stats to compensate for the lack of automatic weapons or heavy gunnery. Does this sound acceptable?
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Re: Converting Shadowrun to Fantasy

Unread postby jgkitarel » August 22nd, 2010, 9:45 pm

Hmm, depends on which specific period you wish to cover. Firearms began seeing use in the High Middle Ages, and began the process of effectively replacing the pike/spear as a standard infantry weapon by the 15th Century (It took until almost the 18th Century to do so). Depending on period, you might be able to fix them in better, as by the Rennaisance, firearms technology began to get into major swing.

I mention this, as you can set a fantasy based Shadowrun-type game in a number of periods from the latter part of Rome, to the Enlightenment.

The period you choose will limit your options while opening others. Take golems for example.

They would fit in well in any post-crusades situation (when Europe was opened to the preserved classical knowledge, as well as Islamic), and even more so once you hit the Renaissance.

There are a lot of choices you have. I suggest you do some research. While I know you wish to avoid D&D influences, I would recommend looking at Eberron as it gives a nice example of a fantasy setting which is at an Industrial Revolution level of technology in many places.
Also, I have to punch you, jgkitarel, because I spent a lot of time on the nanoha wiki trying to locate information on mages being trained due to being above a certain rank, only to remember and confirm that you were the one that came up with that. - Phht
Don't forget: Mass Effect is powered by magic space rocks. Evangelion is powered by Your Mom.
From his new fic Long Night of the Harvest

My current project on FFN, Mystic Knight Online
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