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Ormur
2009-07-14, 05:24 PM
I've been having lots of fun making medieval characters and settings in D&D. That's pretty much the default period for fantasy and magic. But sometimes in the near future I'd like to create a Victorian setting where one can play mad scientists, colonial explorers and gentlemen with top hats without loosing all of the fantasy flavour. Steampunk is the obvious setting and I'm looking for ideas about how to create it.

I've only played D&D 3.5 so I'd prefer not to move to far from that but the changes would still have to be pretty radical. Removing most magic (but not all) having humans as the only playable race and a completely different cosmology and classes. I've heard about Eberron being a bit steampunky but maybe d20 past is closer to what I'm looking for. I guess I'm just looking for ideas from more experienced players. Like how do you stat giant steam powered airships?

-Cor-
2009-07-14, 05:33 PM
Like how do you stat giant steam powered airships?

Isn't there one of these in the Arms and Equipment Guide?

Anyway, in my experience, you should never make Humans the only playable race. If you must, have different "types" of Humans that follow the rules of the other races. Don't call them this, but Halfing Humans are gypsy types. Half-Orc Humans are laborer types. Dwarf Humans are skilled laborer types. So forth and so on.

I see Steampunk as being item heavy, and I can think of a lot of machinery that can duplicate magical effects... have your magic weapons and what not follow this vein.

::shrug::... This is just off the top of my head.

AslanCross
2009-07-14, 05:57 PM
I think there was a setting called Etherscope that's definitely a lot closer to what you're looking for. Eberron isn't really steampunk. I'm not sure if it's d20 though.

Jalor
2009-07-14, 06:08 PM
The proper term for Eberron is "dungeonpunk". If you want a real steampunk campaign, try UA's variant rules for low magic and generic classes, and design new feats and items accordingly.

The Glyphstone
2009-07-14, 06:08 PM
Well, someone beat me to mentioning Etherscope - I picked up the book cheap at Origins, and it's fairly nice. An excellent setting, though the ruleset is closer in nature to d20 Modern than D&D3.X, as the base classes revolve around combinations of feats and talents. In theme, it's actually closer to Victorian cyberpunk than steampunk, complete with "hackers" who "surf" the mystical alternate reality that the setting is focused on, but it's a decent starting point even if it doesn't have a whole lot of actual steam power (they substitute Ether instead).

Raum
2009-07-14, 06:40 PM
I've been having lots of fun making medieval characters and settings in D&D. That's pretty much the default period for fantasy and magic. But sometimes in the near future I'd like to create a Victorian setting where one can play mad scientists, colonial explorers and gentlemen with top hats without loosing all of the fantasy flavour. Steampunk is the obvious setting and I'm looking for ideas about how to create it.I like Rippers (http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12271.phtml) and Runepunk (http://realityblurs.com/wordpress/?page_id=13) for dark Steampunk settings. Both use the Savage Worlds system. If you're looking for d20 games you might try Iron Kingdoms (http://privateerpress.com/iron-kingdoms).

Gaiyamato
2009-07-14, 08:10 PM
*cough*

Check out my Dark Sun/frostburn Steampunk death world.
We already have one mad-scientist clockwork/steam tech character. :)

Using Taint and Sanity rules as well though.

Not overly Victorian though I'm afraid. Has more of a Victorian themed Grotesque Gothic Horror feel instead of the standard Victorian Steampunk feel.

At least thats what I'm going for. :P

Mando Knight
2009-07-14, 08:14 PM
If you become willing to venture out of d20 system, though, I have it on good authority that Steve Jackson Games is eventually releasing their Girl Genius! GURPS sourcebook (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/girlgenius/)...

erikun
2009-07-14, 08:26 PM
Check out my Dark Sun/frostburn Steampunk death world.
We already have one mad-scientist clockwork/steam tech character. :)

Eh? Eternal winter D&D steampunk? Definitely worth looking at.

As others have mentioned, Eberron is more Magepunk than Steampunk - it uses magical devices to replicate a psudo-Victorian setting. With Dragons.

I'd like to mention the Victoriana (http://www.cubicle-7.com/victoriana.htm) system, to give ideas if nothing else. You can get the Preview (with working ruleset) in the Download section of the website.

Also, bookmarking this thread for if/when I make my own Steampunk setting. :smallamused:

Zeta Kai
2009-07-14, 08:54 PM
The Vote Up a Campaign Setting project was this close to being a Victorian/Steampunk setting. A couple of late vote switches changed the result to Arabian Nights/Desert Fantasy at the last minute. At the time, I was dumbfounded, but now I can't imagine doing anything else.

Ormur
2009-07-14, 11:24 PM
Thanks for the replies. I'll check out your recommendations. This is a just in the early planning stage so I don't know how exactly the feel of the world will be. It would probably end up almost as a new roleplaying game based on the d20 system. I'll share ideas as they pop up since it's probably best to cooperate with others with such an ambitious project.


Anyway, in my experience, you should never make Humans the only playable race. If you must, have different "types" of Humans that follow the rules of the other races. Don't call them this, but Halfing Humans are gypsy types. Half-Orc Humans are laborer types. Dwarf Humans are skilled laborer types. So forth and so on.

I'd pictured replacing the races with something more period appropriate like social classes or professions. Using generic classes with feats and such for variation. Some combination might be unlikely though. You could be a working class mechanical expert but an aristocratic gypsy traveler would be less plausible. But then again this is role playing not reality.

I though perhaps upper class characters could have valets as a sort of familiar/follower and perhaps other benefits of a high social standing while working class characters would be stronger and have more skill points or something. What would you do with middle class charachters and should I base it on the typical British Victorian classes or use something else.

lvl 1 fighter
2009-07-14, 11:37 PM
You might want to look at the 3.0 Ravenloft books. There are a few domains that have a Victorian theme to them and there's write ups of NPC's, items, and other stuff.

Also the books were written by White Wolf under their ArtHaus imprint, so it's actually got interesting flavor text to read.

(OT: White Wolfs Hunters game was my favorite rulebook to read just for the character stories in them. Great stuff.)

Sebastian
2009-07-15, 02:51 AM
try to search. for 'forgotten futures' a free RPG based on the science fiction/fantasy of late 19th-first 20th century, i don't really know the system but at the worst can give you a lot of source material

the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Futures)

drakir_nosslin
2009-07-15, 04:38 AM
There's also the Dragonmech setting for D&D, I think it's for 3.5, but I'm not sure. That's basically an post apocalyptic steampunk setting with lots of focus on mechas and crazy inventions.

MickJay
2009-07-15, 04:43 AM
Well, there is Victoriana (second edition already came out), which has elements of steampunk to it (I'm not sure if there's enough of it for steam airships to be there, but hey, you can always make them). The game is more focused on roleplaying, the rules are not too complicated. You get standard fantasy races+humans+beastmen, neatly divided into three social classes (which heavily influences roleplaying), there is some magic (though heavily regulated) and, as I mentioned, elements of steampunk (if you want to put more of it in, it would work).

If you still want to make a D&D Victorian setting, Victoriana could be a good source of inspiration.

Gaiyamato
2009-07-15, 05:32 AM
You might want to look at the 3.0 Ravenloft books. There are a few domains that have a Victorian theme to them and there's write ups of NPC's, items, and other stuff.

Also the books were written by White Wolf under their ArtHaus imprint, so it's actually got interesting flavor text to read.

(OT: White Wolfs Hunters game was my favorite rulebook to read just for the character stories in them. Great stuff.)

Yeah I used the Ravenloft Campaign Setting Book for a lot of fluff inspiration.

Waspinator
2009-07-15, 12:22 PM
If you become willing to venture out of d20 system, though, I have it on good authority that Steve Jackson Games is eventually releasing their Girl Genius! GURPS sourcebook (http://www.sjgames.com/gurps/books/girlgenius/)...

I am so looking forward to that. It's kind of vaporware right now, though.

bosssmiley
2009-07-16, 05:24 AM
try to search. for 'forgotten futures' a free RPG based on the science fiction/fantasy of late 19th-first 20th century, i don't really know the system but at the worst can give you a lot of source material

the Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Futures)

Forgotten Futures (http://www.forgottenfutures.com/)

The system is...ok. The setting material though, that is fantastic.