Dune D&D?

[Icestorm245]

Okay so the last 8 months or so I've been reading the Dune series, and much to my surprise, really liked all the books from the first to the seventh. The eighth I have yet to read. My question is:

Has there ever been any Dune campagin setting for D&D 3.0 or 3.5? Even homebrew? I would love to play a mentat assassin or a fremen death commando, or even play as Mua'dib himself! My friend and I have been entertaining the idea for a while, but neither of us can figure out how to emulate any of the series' "classes".

Would be a great help if you guys helped me on this!

[SaintRidley]

Not aware of any good sources for playing Dune but... Grab some Dark Sun, mix in some purple worms, homebrew the Spice...


Kind of depends on what you specifically want to do.

Eke out a Fremen existence on Rakis? <- grab Sandstorm and the 3.5 Dark Sun stuff to put together a desert world that'll fit.

The political game? Cityscape, Complete Adventurer, Complete Divine (for Evangelist if you want to play a Paul-alike), get heavy into roleplaying and don't worry so much about combat because it'll be few and far between

Want to cover the years between Children and God Emperor or the years between God Emperor and Heretics? <- again have Sandstorm handy, otherwise pretty doable using the typical stuff.



Obviously, everybody's human but there are some stretches on what humans are. You'll have to do those up as necessary.

[DrMike105]

Like Saintridley says, play in Darksun (reprinted for 3.5 in Dragon #319 and Dungeon #110) and add Sandstorm. Purple Worms make great Sandworms (advance as necessary). The Spice is detailed in Dragon #325 (grants increased lifespan and some divination, but is addictive). It would be pretty cool to make a bad ass Bene Gesserit build; probably a divination-heavy gish, with ToB as the punchy side. Unarmed Swordsage 2/ Sorcerer 4/ Jade Phoenix Mage 10/ Abjurant Champion 4?

[kardar233]

Statting the shields would be interesting. I'd like to think that they'd have as significant an effect on melee combat as they do in the books.

As Dune is pretty much a no-magic campaign setting, I'll pump both the Guardians of Order Game of Thrones RPG (good realistic combat, some Dune analogues, heavy social focus) and the Iron Heroes RPG (making combat interesting and diverse in low-magic).

[Gavinfoxx]

There's actually quite a bit of equipment that's Dune inspired -- some in Arms & Equipment Guide, I think.

And one of the Dragon Magazines had an overtly Dune article that had a bunch of stuff mentioned.

And I am pretty sure there are multiple writeups in various parts of D&D that are based on the 'spice'

[Darrin]

And one of the Dragon Magazines had an overtly Dune article that had a bunch of stuff mentioned.


Dragon #325, I believe. Sandworms = advanced purple worms without a "stinger".

In 2000, WotC bought Last Unicorn Games (LUG) to acquire the license for a Dune RPG. (As part of the buyout, LUG asked WotC to print 1000 copies of their Dune: Chronicles of the Imperium RPG, using LUG's Icon system.) WotC was working on a Dune D20 game, but unfortunately, shortly after the buyout the license expired, and WotC decided not to renew the license. I think they got as far as soliciting some concept art for the cover (you may be able to find an image of the cover if you poke around Google/Wayback for a while).

There's been a few homebrew attempts. I believe "Dune - A Dream of Rain" is one of the better ones, so try googling that.

[Venger]

get a copy of sandstorm posthaste, it's a really cool desert campaign setting and it even has ashworms which are essentially a perfect recreation of the sandworms. there's even a whole prestige class about riding them (ashworm dragoon) if that's what you wanted to do.

you could always roll sonokineticist (pyrokineticist, just sub in sonic) to represent those voice box things or play as an asherati (also from sandstorm) if there are characters in dune who can magically move through sand too.

[Greenish]

As Dune is pretty much a no-magic campaign settingNot really. Sufficiently advanced technology and all that.


it even has ashworms which are essentially a perfect recreation of the sandworms.Except that ashworms are tiny little things with a poisoned stinger that only resemble the sandworms by not having limbs and burrowing into ground.

[Tvtyrant]

Not really. Sufficiently advanced technology and all that.

Except that ashworms are tiny little things with a poisoned stinger that only resemble the sandworms by not having limbs and burrowing into ground.
Make them the babies, make purple worms young adults, make a homebrew Colossal+ version that is the adult. None of them have stingers, but instead they get regeneration and immunity to nonlethal damage.

[Icestorm245]

All great ideas, however I believe the sandworms need a bit of homebrewing due to their unique reproductive process and weakness to water. I believe aristocrat and warrior make up most of the basic nobody classes, cause in dune you're either a politician or a guard, but engineering things like Voice I think is a bit more complicated than slapping Suggestion on it and calling it Voice. Or a Mentat's Prime Projection. Any other ideas are welcome!

[NinjaStylerobot]

If you Type in Dark sun 3e online you get a nice compilation dokument about the monsters and rules and stuff.

[Premier]

There was a number of treatments for various systems over the years.

Dune - Chronicles of the Imperium by Last Unicorn Games, very rare and expensive unless you find a pdf copy floating out there. Based on the Icon system.

There were some rules for GURPS, but the link I've read once is now dead.

There's a book called Jihad for the Burning Wheel system, which I hear is Dune with the serial numbers filed off.

Fading Suns by Holistic Design is not Dune as such, but I understand it's rather Dune-ish in feel.

There are probably others, mainly fan-made conversions. D6 would be an obvious starting point, for one.

[Venger]

Except that ashworms are tiny little things with a poisoned stinger that only resemble the sandworms by not having limbs and burrowing into ground.

huh? ashworms are large. they're big enough for you to ride around on them.

admittedly, the sandworms' not having limbs and burrowing into the ground is about all I know about them. I'd always assumed they functioned like the graboids in the "tremors" series. I just mentioned the ashworm because it was one of the many D&D worm monsters (century worm, purple worm, frost worm, fiendwurm, remorhaz, behir, etc) that was desert-based, like the sandworm.

what special abilities does the sandworm have that the ashworm doesn't? (not as a rhetorical question, I'm actually asking)

[Gandariel]

FYI, the true Dune cycle is composed of 6 books. 7th and 8th were made after Herbert's death, and they were written by his son and another person.

Anyway.. yeah, as others have suggested there are plenty of ideas.

I'd see Bene Gesserit and Matres onorate as Unarmed Swordsages, where the Bene gesserit focus on the sneaky things, like Shadow hand, and Matres onorate in the more offensive things.

Also, many of the Bene gesserit teachings can be replicated with high Autohypnosis checks..

shields look like a real mess to create... i'd say immunity from ranged attacks (except stuff like boulders) and ... can't be hit more than two times/round/enemy
(for the "fast attacks are blocked, slow ones aren't" thing)
Or, enemy has to roll a particular check to hit you..

About the future-seeing.. i'd just say role play it (and at some point of the game give a permanent Foresight to Paul) =)

[A Weeping Angel]

what special abilities does the sandworm have that the ashworm doesn't? (not as a rhetorical question, I'm actually asking)
Poison teeth that get ground down into daggers which signify the Fremen.
Only producer of the geriatric spice known as Melange. (Most important)
A vital part of the ecosystem as their waste gasses are necessary to human breathable atmosphere. (also important)
Will travel for miles after an activated shield and driven into a frenzy the closer it gets.
Will die if exposed to water.
It takes multiple atomic blasts to kill large ones.
Multiple sizes from merely really really long to almost unbelievable.

[Greenish]

huh? ashworms are large. they're big enough for you to ride around on them.Yeah, so? They're tiny little things, compared to the real sandworms.


what special abilities does the sandworm have that the ashworm doesn't? (not as a rhetorical question, I'm actually asking)Sandworms are insanely huge (as in, colossal+++), almost indestructible, and generate the spice. They do not have poisoned tail. They don't need one, for nothing at all can stand their charge. Nothing.

[SaintRidley]

Some additional thoughts, while I have them.

I would venture to say that we could use some mix of Psionics and Tome of Battle maneuvers to cover the tech and semi-mystic aspects.

Shields could easily be a universal item of some sort granting damage reduction and a modified form of Protection from Arrows.

Run the setting at about E6 or E8. Advance Purple Worms as far as they'll go and you'll cover the majority of sandworms you'll ever actually see, at least prior to God Emperor. If going for after God Emperor, I'd say advance even further and give the Phrenic Creature template (but don't give the offensive psi-like abilities, only the defensive ones) to represent the Tyrant's contribution to the sandworm species.

[Venger]

Yeah, so? They're tiny little things, compared to the real sandworms.

Sandworms are insanely huge (as in, colossal+++), almost indestructible, and generate the spice. They do not have poisoned tail. They don't need one, for nothing at all can stand their charge. Nothing.

Ok. that's what I was asking. thanks for the info.