What if we overlayed D&D 3.5 rules on top of T20 in the OTU?

[Werner]

This is an alternate reality OTU that splits off from the main timeline in 1103 Imperial when magic and gods are suddenly unleashed for some unexplained reason. Everybody gains one level in a D&D 3.5 class, players get to choose which class it is according to what their ability scores are best suited for. Characters with high intelligence scores can become first level wizards for example. The change occurs when they are in their sleep, they dream they are a fantasy character, a wizard, a fighter, a cleric, a rogue whatever, then they wake up and discover they have those dream character's abilities, they are still their old selves and character classes. A lot of people just gain a level in fighter and pick up feats in archaic weapons, but are otherwise non-magica. Technology still works of course. Hit points are substituted for stamina and Lifeblood. Everyone is a 1st level D&D class in addition to whatever they were before.

How does this affect the setting? Remember everyone starts out as a 1st-level D&D class, so for a time there will be no second level anything until they advance.

 

[GypsyComet]

If you start from the T20 assumptions, most everyone will have levels in something already. The T20 classes are purposely toned way down from the D&D norms, so adding a fantasy PC class level is going to be a turbocharge almost without exception.

D20 fantasy has dabbled in space settings before, though mostly under 3.0

 

[Werner]

If you start from the T20 assumptions, most everyone will have levels in something already. The T20 classes are purposely toned way down from the D&D norms, so adding a fantasy PC class level is going to be a turbocharge almost without exception.

D20 fantasy has dabbled in space settings before, though mostly under 3.0

I am sure there would be political chaos within the Imperium and without. Also some spells, such as teleport, don't have range limits, one could teleport across Interstellar distances, since the whole OTU would count as a single "prime material plane".

 

[mike wightman]

I would prefer to use the d20Modern/Future rules updated to 5e standards.

 

[whartung]

I'm just trying to not think of Fireballs onboard ships.

 

[GypsyComet]

some spells, such as teleport, don't have range limits, one could teleport across Interstellar distances, since the whole OTU would count as a single "prime material plane".

Assuming all of D&D's cosmology transferred as well. It might take centuries for the high level spells to appear, since the tradition of magic would largely be starting from scratch.

 

[Werner]

Assuming all of D&D's cosmology transferred as well. It might take centuries for the high level spells to appear, since the tradition of magic would largely be starting from scratch.

Yep, and alignments start showing up as well, maybe we could convert Jump Space to the Astral Plane and have random encounters. Same rules for getting to the Astral plane as getting to Jump space, same amount of time you spend in Astral space as you do in Jump space. You can jump parsecs or travel to the outer planes.

Funny think about the Astral Plane is, you don't need a space suit to survive in it, due to its timelessness, if you blow a hole in a Starship, it won't depressurize until you reenter normal space. You also don't need to breath, or eat in Astral space, your bodily functions resume upon entering normal space.

 

[aramis]

Yep, and alignments start showing up as well, maybe we could convert Jump Space to the Astral Plane and have random encounters. Same rules for getting to the Astral plane as getting to Jump space, same amount of time you spend in Astral space as you do in Jump space. You can jump parsecs or travel to the outer planes.

Funny think about the Astral Plane is, you don't need a space suit to survive in it, due to its timelessness, if you blow a hole in a Starship, it won't depressurize until you reenter normal space. You also don't need to breath, or eat in Astral space, your bodily functions resume upon entering normal space.

The Astal Plane in D&D isn't timeless. It's time is percieved as being much slower, but that hole WILL leak. If it would take 1 minute to empty in N-Space, it's 1000 minutes in Astral.

(Timeless would preclude movement at all.)

 

[Werner]

The Astal Plane in D&D isn't timeless. It's time is percieved as being much slower, but that hole WILL leak. If it would take 1 minute to empty in N-Space, it's 1000 minutes in Astral.

(Timeless would preclude movement at all.)

Good point, so the crew has 16 hours and 40 minutes to patch it up, and I believe the Astral Plane sustains life anyway, movement through it is by thought, for the purpose of this setting, we'll treat the Ship's computer as a thinking entity, and it is thinking of plotting a jump to its destination, and the astral plane delivers it to its destination as if it were in jump space. There are other ways to travel in jump space as well using magic that does not require following the rules to enter jump space. Fortunately for merchants the sort of magic required to enter the astral plane is at higher levels than first.

Plane shift is a 5th-level clerical spell, it can get you into the astral plane with 8 other people. Astral projection is a 9th level clerical spell (3.5 edition by the way) a cleric can cast planeshift at 9th level

Plane shift is a 7th level wizard/sorcerer spell, a sorcerer can cast this at 14th level, a wizard at 13th level. Starships won't have competition for some time yet, and anyway in fantasy worlds people still travel by sailing ship and on the back of a horse, so I suspect starships will remain in business.

 

[GypsyComet]

True, or near true, perfect timelessness opens other cans of worms as well. The two Oceans Unmoving sequences of Sluggy Freelance are an interesting take on the idea, as well as some of those worms.

 

[Werner]

True, or near true, perfect timelessness opens other cans of worms as well. The two Oceans Unmoving sequences of Sluggy Freelance are an interesting take on the idea, as well as some of those worms.

Well it's a magical plane, its doesn't entirely have to make sense, it would be interesting if electronics didn't work in this plane, nor chemical reactions, so a Starship using this sets the jump up, enters the astral plane and everything onboard shuts down and goes dark. Fortunately the characters don't need life support, they can continue to exist for as long as it takes. Mechanical weapons do work, as do muscles, bows and arrows, crossbow, swords spears and the like, and creatures in the astral plane also have their natural weapons as well. The astroplane Carrie's the Starship to its preprogrammed destination and then releases it back into normal space at the chosen destination, assuming a misjump did not occur. A jump bubble is maintained within the astral plane, one can pass through the boundary of the jump bubble and it feels like a slight static discharge as one passes through, any creature or object that enters the Ship's jump bubble at the time the ship is about to exit the astral plane with go with that ship. Any creature or object that is not will be left behind in the astral plane and will have to find another way out. A creature that is within the jump bubble but outside the hull of the ship will find himself in the vacuum of space when the ship enters normal space!