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Totally Guy
2008-12-22, 06:00 PM
In my last campaign I used a couple of low tech inventions as plot devices.

I had a couple of wizards that had a camera obscura (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura)each in the top of their two towers to spy on their surroundings.

Later the party found an Archimedes' Screw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archimedes%27_screw) being used to get water into a city's infrasructure (everyone takes infrastructure for granted). The players actually used this in reverse to get the characters (and some air) down to a secret cave hidden under a great lake.

Both these things entertained the players and we got an interesting world defining device out of both of them.

Have you used any cool inventions in the games you play?

Do you know of any other cool invention that might fit into a fantasy world this way?

AslanCross
2008-12-22, 06:30 PM
Apart from siege engines, I once had a plot device deus ex machina giant stockpile of gunpowder inside a small room on top of a fort that served no purpose other than to be blown up by either the PCs or the hobgoblin captain who served as the boss encounter.

The hobgoblin ended up tossing a flask of alchemist's fire at it.

DoomHat
2008-12-22, 06:56 PM
I once played an artificer who dreamed of one day building his “Cross Continent Travel By Cannon System”. It was basically a magical rail gun.
The passenger would be provided with a ring of either flight or slowfall. They would step into a large hollow tube (leaning at an angle). Under their feet, and every few feet along the inside, would be runes that, when crossed, would trigger a momentum adding (Throw? Gust of Wind? Telekinesis? Something to that effect) spell.
He was a very idealistic artificer, and saw no weapons potential in an artifact capable of throwing heavy objects miles away at fantastic speeds.

The_JJ
2008-12-22, 07:01 PM
I once had a GM give a player a russian nuclear submarine (extra dimensional rip or something like that, I forget.) Unfortunatly, nobody had the foresight to invest in knowledge: nuclear submarines. So we run on a little sidequest to figure out how to unlock our new superweapon. We get the instruction manual and... it's in russian.

He was a very evil GM... I learned a lot from him :smallamused:

Flickerdart
2008-12-22, 07:52 PM
I once had a GM give a player a russian nuclear submarine (extra dimensional rip or something like that, I forget.) Unfortunatly, nobody had the foresight to invest in knowledge: nuclear submarines. So we run on a little sidequest to figure out how to unlock our new superweapon. We get the instruction manual and... it's in russian.

He was a very evil GM... I learned a lot from him :smallamused:
Put a point in Comprehend Languages and take Russian. Big deal.

Fostire
2008-12-22, 08:30 PM
Put a point in Comprehend Languages and take Russian. Big deal.

Two points actually, one if you're a bard.

IM@work
2008-12-22, 08:52 PM
One of our DM's would always "James Bond" things, make ordinary items do something spectacular, and not just trapped weapons and the like.

BobVosh
2008-12-22, 08:56 PM
Two points actually, one if you're a bard.

1 for reading. Why speak?

Collin152
2008-12-22, 09:02 PM
Put a point in Comprehend Languages and take Russian. Big deal.

You mean Speak Language. Comprehend Languages is a spell that has no points to be put into it.

UserClone
2008-12-22, 09:02 PM
1 for reading. Why speak?
Because you HAVE to spend 2 points to get a rank in Speak Language, unless it's a class skill. This isn't D20 Modern.

Starscream
2008-12-22, 09:02 PM
Apart from siege engines, I once had a plot device deus ex machina giant stockpile of gunpowder inside a small room on top of a fort that served no purpose other than to be blown up by either the PCs or the hobgoblin captain who served as the boss encounter.

The hobgoblin ended up tossing a flask of alchemist's fire at it.

This sort of thing works fine if its the DM doing it.

If the players get into the act, however, you end up with this (http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2003-09-17).

BobVosh
2008-12-22, 09:15 PM
Because you HAVE to spend 2 points to get a rank in Speak Language, unless it's a class skill. This isn't D20 Modern.

hmm always thought it was one point to speak, one to read for some reason. My bad.

esorscher
2008-12-22, 09:18 PM
I like using levers and pulleys instead of magic in traps and such, it makes the game a whole lot more suspenseful. When the party leader has an invocation that essentially gives him detect magic at will, magic traps become a lot less useful.

Jack_Simth
2008-12-22, 09:45 PM
I like using levers and pulleys instead of magic in traps and such, it makes the game a whole lot more suspenseful. When the party leader has an invocation that essentially gives him detect magic at will, magic traps become a lot less useful.
... as opposed to "roll search" and "roll disable device"?

Nah, if you want to make traps interesting, don't make them in isolation. The floor of the BBEG's chamber has a bunch of scattered concealed pit traps. You want to have the rogue search for them? Fine. But he's under fire, so can't take ten (without the high-level rogue ability, anyway), and he's eating combat actions to do so. Have fun charging the guy.

The Hall of the Undead has an Inflict (or Harm) trap on the floor. You'll want to disable that before taking out the Mhorg (or other undead) that's trying to eat your brains... because if you don't, the Mhorg just keeps on healing himself. Also, don't step on the floor while you're going after him - that's just begging for trouble.

This section of the dungeon isn't trapped per se - the place is constructed out of mud made stone with Transmute Mud to Rock. Oh yeah, it's also got a lot of little minions who just drank their buff potions, and are begging for an area dispel that'll cave the roof in on you (set up, of course, so that you can't really Dispel anything without being under the roof in question)

And so on - mix traps with creatures that know the traps are there, and can make use of them.

esorscher
2008-12-22, 09:52 PM
Jack, I am stealing all of those ideas.

Our group doesn't usually have rogues, so they're pretty much screwed when it comes to traps. I also use simple machines to open doors and activate movable walls and such, with the only magic being that the lever activates a pre-cast "light" to show that the lever is turned to the right position. I don't like magic very much.

Mikeavelli
2008-12-22, 10:06 PM
A large Volcanic mountain run by Gnomes (Think Mount Nevermind, from Krynn)

Inside are all manner of steam vents, mechanical apparati, tubes, etc. Most of which have no purpose when examined, they just seem to trail off into the distance, or be for decorative purposes.

But, in times of War, the gears will whirl into action, and the mountain itself will stand up, the giant mechanical golem of gnomekind.

we call it, the Gnomezord.

bosssmiley
2008-12-23, 05:56 AM
Windmills and waterwheels. Have you any idea of the torque that falling water and wind mediated by a simple gear system can generate?

*mental image of Jeremy Clarkson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA) hollering "powaaaaaah!" while dressed in brocade coat and periwig*

Oversize pre-steam mechanisms and use them as locations for action scenes, as goblin torture chambers or trash compactors ("What he say?" "Take them to the chamber of...geary drown-crush agony...I think."), or as the motive force for ancient machinery (I understand jade makes for very durable cogwheels (http://blog.longnow.org/2007/12/28/10000-year-gears-of-jade/), also unique lewts).

IIRC there was a dwarven city in WFRP that was nothing but industrial mill races; that would make an awesome dungeon if aged a little. Then there was a city in either Greyhawk or Mystara that had magic lock gates and hydraulic systems... :smallcool: