My thought on using aliens is the small "scout" or survey ship, maybe 3 to 5 aliens, a single rifle, a few pistols, just self defense stuff,.or none, the idea is their tools, maybe a heavy laser boring drill, or a plasma thing that vaporizes rock, both super powerful improvided weapons, maybe the aliens improvise this, their simple table knife is like a dagger+1, etc. But limited and constrained. Not even soldiers or an invasion. Just scientists poking around. Or tourists or surveying contractors. Way more possibility with less over powering.
An example of the "high-tech" issue is in the Zeitgeist games Blackmoor modules, in which it is the central theme. As the PCs find more and more alien technology, different groups arise trying to twist it to evil ends. Eventually leaving the characters with the ultimate option of trying to destroy/hide the technology (and its creators), or to suffer the potentially disastrous consequences. The former option will eventually lead to the creation of the Mystara setting, and the Blackmoor cataclysm!
Great video, KR. It's true, in the old days this was common, most famously [SPOILERS] B1-Into the Unknown. I have used laser weapons and just had them to damage like a heavy crossbow. But I like your idea about limiting the power source better. Let it do a lot of damage, but it works on (insert your sci-fi power source here) dilithium crrystals, not available on the planet, and there's only 3 crystals left.
But if you're going to limit the usage, say to three shots, make it big. Otherwise I fear it gets lost in the shuffle. You don't want to waste it, you've got other abilities, weapons, etc. that do like damage, then months later you're looking at your character sheet and realize "I've got a laser pistol?"
You hit the nail on the head, introducing superpowered alien tech into the your world is a fundamental change to the power dynamic of everything in it - the same change that adding magic to a world that previously had none would do. It changes everything, and unless you build your world with that change in mind your game is going to get spun all out of whack. I'm actually experimenting with this being a core aspect of my DND world; as a galactic cataclysm is taking place and slowly but surely the last remnants of these alien races are going to end up as refugees on the main planet of the material plane that the game takes place on - the whole world suddenly has an answer to "are we alone out there?", and the horrifying answer is "no, but what are they running from?". This is going to throw open all sorts of political intrigue and diplomatic options, and essentially uplift the game into Spelljammer territory at a much faster speed than normal, and various cultures having to adapt to this new reality is going to be messy and fascinating. I probably wont be throwing in crates of laser cannons, but this sort of influx of alien tech and culture will definitely lead to massive changes - like constructs and artificers becoming more common, and instead of delving ruins on earth that have already been picked clean there will be spelljammer privateers going out to explore new lands.
I like the idea of powerful but limited use items. I think that's often missing in my 5E games. When I was younger, I remember that bringing a lot of tension for using stuff. Is now the time? Are we really in that much trouble? This gave me a couple ideas for introducing it, sort of related. Instead of just finding it abandoned, what if there was remnants of an old research site. Like, some wizard of yore had made a study. That'd be a way to discover how some stuff works - like notes on the laser gun or something. Taking that a step back, it could be an adventure hook if you found an abandoned abode that had a defunct gun or something, but with notes and a map to where it was allegedly found. Also really dig the PDF. Thanks!
Oh Kevin I love this video, 😆 I completely agree with what you're saying, there needs to be a balance. Really like the sickness part, radiation damage. In a marvel comic I read many moons ago, they had a power suit that would drain your spirit or soul. Eventually if over used it would drain that person of their life force. I see it as exhaustion for 5e. Use at your own risk 🧐 Thanks Kevin you have a wonderful day!
Something about the way you said it makes me think it'd be a cool take on cursed items. The radiation and its effects would be the curse. Sure you can do whatever, but there is a built in cost. Maybe just transporting it has over time impact, where use accelerates it. 🤔
@@corkscrewify The thing with the marvel power suit an average trained person could use it. Their stats are lower than a hero PC, they got sick quickly. Like Kevin's idea of using a power suit for exploration. I'm huge fan of Blackmoor because it has that touch of technology in it. That and it's the original open campaign.
Something something about technology and magic. Anyways, .. Years ago at a gaming shop playing Ravenloft, a few players wanted to some interesting .. aliens .. cause they wanted to try them out but really wanted one of those strange Ravenloft stories. One player wanted to PC a Halo elite alien with a double plasma blade. But this is Ravenloft ?! I pointed out basic advance infratraition equipment the effects the users' biomass by 50% and allows them to blend in with the local environment. More then a few player yelled asking what it is called ? I listed it as Hat of Disguise using the 2nd-level spell Alterself. Since they are bigger than a Wookie, we just had them go with the WotC3e half-dragon templet. As for equipment damage, Hp is the n/pc ability to roll with or avoid dodge direct impact contact, otherwise Acid Bolt does constitution dmg cause a Fort save of DC10 +dmg dealt or die from system shock from the plasma burns. Now Halo isn't DC/Marvel where they have size altering equipment, but for This Game Story, they do now. Side plot the alien learns human arcane shape shifting magic. 2.) This Is Ravenloft ?! and you are dropping Halo character races/ species into human gothic horror setting ? Human outpost colony is being over ran and through all the smoke the Ravenloft Fog rolls in and you have futuristic tanks and wreak aircraft outside from castle Ravenloft, we normally start with Mordshire west coast fishing village with early 1800's English manor houses. Where you have haunted ghost houses, werewolves from the eastern river county, strange sea monsters, not forgetting the wererats due northeast in the French renaissance . For aliens with no knowledge of earth's past cultures, it is a horror setting. 3.) Ran a WotC3e D&D/Star Wars game setting with wild west 6shooters. Jedi with a 6gun or the Riffle Man tv series. Plot twist the teenagers found out their schoolteacher is a Lich, all the adults know this already it isn't a polite topic to talk about. As for liches needing souls to prolong their undead, there is plenty unruly cattle rustlers to soul drain. High tech doesn't work well on the world, so it is all back to basics. As for the setting undead, planar energies seem to animate beings with unresolve issues to deal with. Spacecraft or simple computers have a difficult time keeping a battery charge or operational systems .. glich .. on random chart rolls. Tasers or battery charge energy range weapons are .. well, ... best find something else after 1d20 or 2d10 minutes. If your spacecraft doesn't land fast, it free falls crashes. Getting off the ground and out of the world energy fields is a very stressful crazy 6minutes of your life. The bicycle power electronics generator is more reliable than the computers operating the portable fusion generator. The trade off the world is avoided unless you really desire your spaceship to crash there.
I have never been a fan of Aliens in D&D, but to each their own. If you do put guns into you world, I would not make them more powerful than an equivalent wand - Laser Pistol = Wand of Lightning Bolts. MA and GW are great games to play if you want "Lasers and Lizards". (Just my own opinion) A grand quest could be the search for more ammo.
My thought on using aliens is the small "scout" or survey ship, maybe 3 to 5 aliens, a single rifle, a few pistols, just self defense stuff,.or none, the idea is their tools, maybe a heavy laser boring drill, or a plasma thing that vaporizes rock, both super powerful improvided weapons, maybe the aliens improvise this, their simple table knife is like a dagger+1, etc. But limited and constrained. Not even soldiers or an invasion. Just scientists poking around. Or tourists or surveying contractors. Way more possibility with less over powering.
Exactly.
An example of the "high-tech" issue is in the Zeitgeist games Blackmoor modules, in which it is the central theme.
As the PCs find more and more alien technology, different groups arise trying to twist it to evil ends.
Eventually leaving the characters with the ultimate option of trying to destroy/hide the technology (and its creators), or to suffer the potentially disastrous consequences. The former option will eventually lead to the creation of the Mystara setting, and the Blackmoor cataclysm!
Great lore research here! The alien angle was such a big part of those early days.
Great video, KR. It's true, in the old days this was common, most famously [SPOILERS]
B1-Into the Unknown.
I have used laser weapons and just had them to damage like a heavy crossbow.
But I like your idea about limiting the power source better. Let it do a lot of damage, but it works on (insert your sci-fi power source here) dilithium crrystals, not available on the planet, and there's only 3 crystals left.
But if you're going to limit the usage, say to three shots, make it big. Otherwise I fear it gets lost in the shuffle. You don't want to waste it, you've got other abilities, weapons, etc. that do like damage, then months later you're looking at your character sheet and realize "I've got a laser pistol?"
You hit the nail on the head, introducing superpowered alien tech into the your world is a fundamental change to the power dynamic of everything in it - the same change that adding magic to a world that previously had none would do. It changes everything, and unless you build your world with that change in mind your game is going to get spun all out of whack. I'm actually experimenting with this being a core aspect of my DND world; as a galactic cataclysm is taking place and slowly but surely the last remnants of these alien races are going to end up as refugees on the main planet of the material plane that the game takes place on - the whole world suddenly has an answer to "are we alone out there?", and the horrifying answer is "no, but what are they running from?". This is going to throw open all sorts of political intrigue and diplomatic options, and essentially uplift the game into Spelljammer territory at a much faster speed than normal, and various cultures having to adapt to this new reality is going to be messy and fascinating.
I probably wont be throwing in crates of laser cannons, but this sort of influx of alien tech and culture will definitely lead to massive changes - like constructs and artificers becoming more common, and instead of delving ruins on earth that have already been picked clean there will be spelljammer privateers going out to explore new lands.
Great video. Looking forward to the pdf!
Glad you enjoyed it Raffy!
I like the idea of powerful but limited use items. I think that's often missing in my 5E games. When I was younger, I remember that bringing a lot of tension for using stuff. Is now the time? Are we really in that much trouble?
This gave me a couple ideas for introducing it, sort of related.
Instead of just finding it abandoned, what if there was remnants of an old research site. Like, some wizard of yore had made a study. That'd be a way to discover how some stuff works - like notes on the laser gun or something.
Taking that a step back, it could be an adventure hook if you found an abandoned abode that had a defunct gun or something, but with notes and a map to where it was allegedly found.
Also really dig the PDF. Thanks!
Oh Kevin I love this video, 😆
I completely agree with what you're saying, there needs to be a balance. Really like the sickness part, radiation damage. In a marvel comic I read many moons ago, they had a power suit that would drain your spirit or soul. Eventually if over used it would drain that person of their life force. I see it as exhaustion for 5e. Use at your own risk 🧐
Thanks Kevin you have a wonderful day!
Glad you liked the video Matt! I like the exhaustion suit idea: great for making a ticking clock device for exploring otherwise inhospitable terrain.
Something about the way you said it makes me think it'd be a cool take on cursed items. The radiation and its effects would be the curse. Sure you can do whatever, but there is a built in cost. Maybe just transporting it has over time impact, where use accelerates it. 🤔
@@corkscrewify The thing with the marvel power suit an average trained person could use it. Their stats are lower than a hero PC, they got sick quickly.
Like Kevin's idea of using a power suit for exploration.
I'm huge fan of Blackmoor because it has that touch of technology in it. That and it's the original open campaign.
@corkscrewify I think a radiation type curse is a great idea. Maybe very slowly, or only after you use its main power a few times.
thank you!!
Thanks for watching!
Something something about technology and magic.
Anyways, ..
Years ago at a gaming shop playing Ravenloft, a few players wanted to some interesting .. aliens .. cause they wanted to try them out but really wanted one of those strange Ravenloft stories.
One player wanted to PC a Halo elite alien with a double plasma blade.
But this is Ravenloft ?!
I pointed out basic advance infratraition equipment the effects the users' biomass by 50% and allows them to blend in with the local environment. More then a few player yelled asking what it is called ?
I listed it as Hat of Disguise using the 2nd-level spell Alterself.
Since they are bigger than a Wookie, we just had them go with the WotC3e half-dragon templet.
As for equipment damage, Hp is the n/pc ability to roll with or avoid dodge direct impact contact, otherwise Acid Bolt does constitution dmg cause a Fort save of DC10 +dmg dealt or die from system shock from the plasma burns.
Now Halo isn't DC/Marvel where they have size altering equipment, but for This Game Story, they do now. Side plot the alien learns human arcane shape shifting magic.
2.) This Is Ravenloft ?! and you are dropping Halo character races/ species into human gothic horror setting ?
Human outpost colony is being over ran and through all the smoke the Ravenloft Fog rolls in and you have futuristic tanks and wreak aircraft outside from castle Ravenloft, we normally start with Mordshire west coast fishing village with early 1800's English manor houses. Where you have haunted ghost houses, werewolves from the eastern river county, strange sea monsters, not forgetting the wererats due northeast in the French renaissance .
For aliens with no knowledge of earth's past cultures, it is a horror setting.
3.) Ran a WotC3e D&D/Star Wars game setting with wild west 6shooters. Jedi with a 6gun or the Riffle Man tv series.
Plot twist the teenagers found out their schoolteacher is a Lich, all the adults know this already it isn't a polite topic to talk about. As for liches needing souls to prolong their undead, there is plenty unruly cattle rustlers to soul drain. High tech doesn't work well on the world, so it is all back to basics. As for the setting undead, planar energies seem to animate beings with unresolve issues to deal with.
Spacecraft or simple computers have a difficult time keeping a battery charge or operational systems .. glich .. on random chart rolls.
Tasers or battery charge energy range weapons are .. well, ... best find something else after 1d20 or 2d10 minutes. If your spacecraft doesn't land fast, it free falls crashes. Getting off the ground and out of the world energy fields is a very stressful crazy 6minutes of your life.
The bicycle power electronics generator is more reliable than the computers operating the portable fusion generator. The trade off the world is avoided unless you really desire your spaceship to crash there.
I have never been a fan of Aliens in D&D, but to each their own. If you do put guns into you world, I would not make them more powerful than an equivalent wand - Laser Pistol = Wand of Lightning Bolts. MA and GW are great games to play if you want "Lasers and Lizards". (Just my own opinion) A grand quest could be the search for more ammo.
It's a tough call: I like the idea of aliens but don't want to change the flavor of fantasy.