Sword Art Online Campaign

[DracoKnight]

So how would you do this with all of the officially published materials and the UA; what would a typical character look like? Which classes would you allow? The ones I can come up with are Rogue, Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, and MAYBE Warlock and Cleric?

Any spells allowed would have to be things like jump to allow for anime physics, but things like fireball definitely wouldn't be allowed. Melee cantrips can be refluffed as sword skills. Is there anything else that the forum would do?



NOTE: This isn't a time sensitive topic - I'm not about to run a SAO campaign. I am theorycrafting how one would build it in 5e :smallbiggrin:

[dragsvart]

While this isn't exactly what you're looking for someone did do a similar thing for pathfinder and posted a campaign journal with some of the details that you might be interested in here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?423757-Sword-Art-Online-Plus-(a-Pathfinder-Campaign-Journal)

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you might also consider removing classes and simply letting PCs buy skills/spells/proficiencies/hit dice/etc. with XP rather than leveling up (or getting a set amount of points to buy such each level.

[GandalfTheWhite]

Well, I would certainly allow Warlocks - I see Kirito as a refluffed Pact of the Fiend Bladelock since he can take a crazy amount of hits (temp HP on kill or crit). I would disallow Eldritch Blast, but allow the relevant invocations to potentially apply to booming blade and green-flame blade. Like I would allow Agonizing Blast to apply, (much less broken than it is on EB), I would probably allow Thirsting Blade to allow you to use one of the blade cantrips twice per round - that's stretching the RAW to the point of breaking, BUT this is very much a Rule of Cool or Rule of Fun situation :smallsmile:

[Submortimer]

Step one: No wizards, sorcerers, clerics, or bards.

Step two: Blade or pet warlocks only.

Step three: Everyone is a Battlemaster, everyone has a d12 superiority die they can use once per round.

Step 4: kill all the things.


But seriously, you would have to do quite a bit of work to make an SAO game FEEL like SAO.

[DracoKnight]

Step one: No wizards, sorcerers, clerics, or bards.

Well, obviously. :smallbiggrin: Healing potions - erm, crystals - would have to be more prevalent, though. So as to replace the cleric.


Step two: Blade or pet warlocks only.

Honestly, I'd forgotten about the Pact of the Chain, but yeah, I guess Silica would have been a Chainlock.


Step three: Everyone is a Battlemaster, everyone has a d12 superiority die they can use once per round.

Or a Paladin who only uses spell slots to Smite. Or a rogue who kites things into those battlemasters :smallsmile:


Step 4: kill all the things.

Or get killed...with perma-death. No resurrection :smallcool:


But seriously, you would have to do quite a bit of work to make an SAO game FEEL like SAO.

Oh, yes, most certainly. But that's part of the fun of the thing - the challenge :smallbiggrin:

[Submortimer]

To actually contribute, I was serious about the Battlemaster part. Due to strict lack of magic, I would run it that everyone has access to Battlemaster fighter abilities, Superiority dice, etc, and gets the related abilities at the same levels as a proper battlemaster. a proper battlemaster gets twice the goodies, because he specced into that.

Basically, everyone is gestalt battlemaster, but only the subclass, not the fighter part.

Other things
- Go with UA Spell-less ranger/paladin
- No EK (well, mabye, but you'd have to do a lot of reflavoring the spells)
- No AT
- No elemental monk
- No druid (forgot that one before)
- Hand out magic items like candy
- Perma Death
- Only one person can Dual Wield
- no Beaters allowed

[DracoKnight]

To actually contribute, I was serious about the Battlemaster part. Due to strict lack of magic, I would run it that everyone has access to Battlemaster fighter abilities, Superiority dice, etc, and gets the related abilities at the same levels as a proper battlemaster. a proper battlemaster gets twice the goodies, because he specced into that.

Awesome, this is actually pretty helpful. Thanks :smallgrin:


Basically, everyone is gestalt battlemaster, but only the subclass, not the fighter part.

Other things
- Go with UA Spell-less ranger/paladin
- No EK (well, mabye, but you'd have to do a lot of reflavoring the spells)

That was pretty much a given - IDK that I would allow the EK at all, since they can call their weapon to their hands. I haven't seen any swords that do that on SAO, yet.


- No AT

I don't know, I think that it could be useful - you'd have to make a very strict spell list - things like pass without trace, enhance ability, etc.


- No elemental monk
- No druid (forgot that one before)
- Hand out magic items like candy
- Perma Death
- Only one person can Dual Wield
- no Beaters allowed

I agree with all of the above. And lol, only one person in my group even enjoys playing a dual-wielder, everyone else hates how broken/weak it is.

[Submortimer]

That was pretty much a given - IDK that I would allow the EK at all, since they can call their weapon to their hands. I haven't seen any swords that do that on SAO, yet.


Ehhhh...Kirito kinda does this the first time he dual wields. He equips his blue sword mid-combat and it appears all flashy-like.



I don't know, I think that it could be useful - you'd have to make a very strict spell list - things like pass without trace, enhance ability, etc.


The problem is actually Ranged Ledgermain. No one but no one except Yui has telekinesis.



I agree with all of the above. And lol, only one person in my group even enjoys playing a dual-wielder, everyone else hates how broken/weak it is.

Which is why you should make sure that dual wielders can make 4x more attacks per round as a house rule. :smallbiggrin:

[DracoKnight]

Ehhhh...Kirito kinda does this the first time he dual wields. He equips his blue sword mid-combat and it appears all flashy-like.

Oh, right!


The problem is actually Ranged Ledgermain. No one but no one except Yui has telekinesis.

Okay. It could probably be refluffed though, right? Maybe flavor it as hacking the player's inventory?


Which is why you should make sure that dual wielders can make 4x more attacks per round as a house rule. :smallbiggrin:

Oh, of course! :smallbiggrin:

[Gastronomie]

Homebrew Smites.
A LOT of smites. And give them to everyone.

[Logosloki]

Take warlock, replace spells with smites, no eldritch blast, SCAG cantrips in. Add an invocation to pick up shield, medium an heavy armour. Add an invocation for duel wielding swords but don't tell the party it exists so when the dmnpc Otirik pulls it out they are impressed. Cooking as a skill definitely must be added. No male party members allowed and only human. Half way through every becomes an elf and entire game changes.