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View Full Version : The Stormlight Archive d20? Brandon Sanderson's fantasy epic as a tabletop RPG.



Quadrophenia
2016-09-16, 08:42 PM
Hi, new here! Pleasure to be here and make your acquaintence.

Show of hands...

Is there anyone here who's a fan of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series? If so, help a fella out... do you think it could be possible to design a homebrew game, set in that world, with its unique magic system and weapons and other distinctive elements, and somehow convert it through a d20 system?

I ask because some friends and I had recently gotten into the series... and three months later, we finished both books (alongside a few other Sanderson staples, like Mistbornand Elantris) and next thing we know we had fell in love with the whole of the Cosmere. We're also dedicated roleplayers.

Think there's any possibility we could rig the d20 to this thing or would it be too huge an undertaking?

(Also, I really hope this was the appropriate thread to post this in)

Prince Zahn
2016-09-17, 06:27 AM
You might have a better chance to play faster with a more freeform system like FATE, Or perhaps an anime-inspired RPG like OVA or BESM ("Big Eyes Small Mouth").
If you really want a D20 system, you could try to use 5th Edition D&D (scrapping the Vancian system in it's entirety in favor of something that better resembles using Stormlight).

you could probably fake Soulcasting with some Transmutation and Conjurations spells, but the power levels probably aren't well synced, so you'll have to work to convert it smoothly.
Surgebinding could be really resource-intensive, economically speaking, (seeing as the money you need to power your Surgebinding is basically non-liquid,) but that can be managed, I guess.

consider taking some cues from the Pathfinder setting on how they apporach ethnicities within the human race (depending on how varied you want your PCs to be)

On Magic items: 5E has the right idea in regarding magic items as something special in the setting without a default price-tag.


Good luck if you can make this work!

Quadrophenia
2016-09-17, 02:39 PM
You might have a better chance to play faster with a more freeform system like FATE, Or perhaps an anime-inspired RPG like OVA or BESM ("Big Eyes Small Mouth").
If you really want a D20 system, you could try to use 5th Edition D&D (scrapping the Vancian system in it's entirety in favor of something that better resembles using Stormlight).

you could probably fake Soulcasting with some Transmutation and Conjurations spells, but the power levels probably aren't well synced, so you'll have to work to convert it smoothly.
Surgebinding could be really resource-intensive, economically speaking, (seeing as the money you need to power your Surgebinding is basically non-liquid,) but that can be managed, I guess.

consider taking some cues from the Pathfinder setting on how they apporach ethnicities within the human race (depending on how varied you want your PCs to be)

On Magic items: 5E has the right idea in regarding magic items as something special in the setting without a default price-tag.


Good luck if you can make this work!

Thanks for the advice!

I'd use Fate or OVA, but I'm not terribly familiar with either. I've only ever played the following: D&D 3.5e, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu and Brandon Sanderson's officially licensed Mistborn RPG.

Man, I really ought to try out other tabletop games.

Oh, hey, mind if I ask for your two cents on something? In regards to Surgebinder "types," like Windrunners, are there any equivalent spells or abilities in either Pathfinder or D&D 3.5-5e similar in any way to the Lashings? I just need a good frame of reference to follow by.

P53UDONYM
2016-10-31, 06:35 PM
Here are some more or less accurate analogues for the Lashings:

Basic Lashing:
Spell: Reverse Gravity (D&D)
needs slight adjustment

Reverse Lashing:
Spell: Magnetism (D&D)
needs slight adjustment

Full Lashing:

Spell: Indestructible Carpet of Adhesion (Rift:Freeform?unfamiliar)
needs significant adjustment, as well as application to a d20 system

AmberVael
2016-10-31, 06:55 PM
I'd suggest taking a look at Mutants and Masterminds if you really want to stick with a d20 system. It has quite a few similarities to D&D, but its character creation mechanics are much more versatile, allowing GMs and players to model a much wider variety of powers. You could almost certainly get Stormlight Archive working in it, or at least use it as a starting point.

Douglas
2016-10-31, 07:10 PM
Is there anyone here who's a fan of Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive series?
Yes.


If so, help a fella out... do you think it could be possible to design a homebrew game, set in that world, with its unique magic system and weapons and other distinctive elements, and somehow convert it through a d20 system?
I don't think I can be much help in the "making your own" vein of things, but there's a significant chance that Sanderson will sponsor an official Stormlight Archive RPG at some point. It's already happened for Mistborn (http://www.crafty-games.com/buy-now/mistborn-adventure-game/). So keep an eye out for that.

Grod_The_Giant
2016-11-01, 08:56 AM
I'd suggest taking a look at Mutants and Masterminds if you really want to stick with a d20 system. It has quite a few similarities to D&D, but its character creation mechanics are much more versatile, allowing GMs and players to model a much wider variety of powers. You could almost certainly get Stormlight Archive working in it, or at least use it as a starting point.
I second this, especially if you're thinking about a group of different surgebinders/shardbearers. Nothing beats M&M for high-action games where the party has widely differing abilities, and it has more than enough flexibility to handle any of the assorted powersets. Check it out online (www.d20herosrd.com).

Otherwise... there's no real reason why you couldn't write a d20 game, with classes for varying types of surgebinder and shardbearer, but it would be a lot of work. And given how many Brandon Sanderson books revolve around creative use of powers, I think something rules-lighter and more flexible might work better.