Would using 5e work for a mouse-world setting? (help,ideas,discussion welcomed)

[Prince_Vorrel]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MouseWorld

I had the idea to DM a rather serious toned campaign with a silly premise and I wanted to get some feedback on it. Basically, the players would be the descendants of spellcasters familiars having offspring with other familiars or feral animals and thus retain the intelligence of their magically augmented ancestors. It could be set in a "standard" medieval with these intelligent critters having on-par tech or have a more modern setting with the critters have standard level dnd medieval tech.

Overall I'd keep the mechanics of everything the same and just change flavor for things as needed. Like change the races but keep bonuses from them.

Human(normal or variant) = Rat
The most populous of the intelligent critters. They're known for their wide range of personalities and being strangely insistent on acting like the giants their ancestors served. And are downright obsessed with appearing *civilized* going so far as wearing clothing constantly, forming elaborate goverments, and even building small cities. Most of the other races consider them quite strange for their obsessions, for what need do furred creatures have for clothes in a warm climate?

However, all agree that critter-kind will need to change and adapt to the world the rats are making. Between their wealth and large well-armed numbers, they find themselves very capable of enforcing their ideas of law and order on the other races who all have no choice but to accept their rules.

Halfling/Gnome = Mouse
Mouse kind is a large and mostly silent minority within rat-kinds walled cities. They are well known for their kindness and generosity to visitors. Yet any who visit a family or village of mice will always note they were never shown where anything of value was located and learned next to nothing of any of the individuals living there. Mice are a painfully polite and paranoid race. They abhore loudness and confrontation though they do have an incredible curiousity that eats away at them any time they find something or someone intresting. Many critters will simply write down their various likes and dislikes with a summary of their history on a scrap of paper and simply hand it to any mice they meet. This usually affords them a few minutes question free while the mouse reads the paper.

Though critter-kind mostly finds mice bemusing and cute with their curiosity and manners. But more then a few treat mouse-kind with no small amount of disdain and hate. Because of the simple fact that the greatest villain of critter-kind to have ever lived...was a mouse.

Elves = Chimpmunks
The most free spirited and enigmatic of critter-kind. They prefer living in their native forests in small but heavily interconnected families. They have some small villages but far more simply live alongside the elves that their ancestors once served. They are very intent are their freedom and living on their own without rules, which is a giant teeth grindingly annoyance for any rat kingdom that may be nearby.

Chimpmunks have a strong connection with the elves they share the forests with. many serve as scouts or pseudo-familiars for elves and in return are given safety and respect, living openly alongside them. A fact that drives the fiercely proud and independent rats up the wall.



I'm still working on the other races! What do you guys think? :3

[Shadow_in_the_Mist]

I once had the good fortune to stumble across a PDF of a game called "Mechamorphosis", which basically was "D20 Transformers" with the serial numbers filed off. You know how it handled the vast disparity in size and strength for the not!Cybertronians?

It tweaked the "presumptions" of the game. That's all. Rather than altering the mechanics, it altered the scales that it was working on. Medium size was now assumed to equate to 20 feet. Object hardness and hitpoints were now based on comparison to the scale of Mechamorphs, so DC 5 might represent something like concrete, whilst DC 20 would be alien supermetals.

It didn't require any clunky rule adjustments, it didn't require a hugely complicated new system, it just required you to apply the same basic mechanical crunch to new stage trimmings.

In other words? Yes, you can run a Mouse World setting in 5e. Change the backdrop as you need, and the mechanics will support it fine.

I would argue that you could reskin some races, or do completely new crunch. Some races might actually work better that way, with better crunch to handle it.

As for the species analogue... personally, my kneejerk comparison list would probably go something like this:
Human - Rat
"Smallfolk" (Gnome/Halfling, they're always interchangeable) - Mouse
Dwarf - Chipmunk (they live in burrows, after all) or Mole
Elf - Squirrel
Orc - Rabbit or Weasel

[MrFahrenheit]

As long as you're re-fluffing and not changing any actual mechanics, yeah it can work. Now go google different types of rodents and have a blast!

[ZorroGames]

All those mice miniatures will find a use beyond fantasy wargames? Awesome!

Seriously, just reskin/refluff and it will work.

Now to spend some time playing with those ideas while waiting for the AC repairperson...

Dwarf = Chipmunks? Nice.

[ZorroGames]

How about using Goblins as shrews?

[Joe the Rat]

Using "rats and squirrels" as the New Medium...
1 inch (realscale) is roughly 1 foot (roderescale). or 2inches=1 foot. You'll need to find the right fit for your image (and upsize your mice). Use this as a guideline for sizing.
Tiny is right for most insects without becoming ridiculous. ticks and mosquitos are basically stirges.
Guinea Pig is your Goliath for scale - All but the smaller rabbits would fall into Large.
If regular races exist (as NPCs and Monsters) Halflings scale as Ogres or Hill Giants; the other races fitting Giants or Empyreans (for Size purposes)

[Occasional Sage]

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the quite excellent Mouse Guard RPG (http://www.mouseguard.net/book/role-playing-game/) (available also in softcopy for $20). Rather than reskinning an existing game and importing all the basic assumptions ("Fall off a skyscraper and walk away? No problem!"), the system is built around the idea of mice as the protagonists, in a world that outscales them. The effect on the play of the game is huge, and imo great.

[ZorroGames]

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the quite excellent Mouse Guard RPG (http://www.mouseguard.net/book/role-playing-game/) (available also in softcopy for $20). Rather than reskinning an existing game and importing all the basic assumptions ("Fall off a skyscraper and walk away? No problem!"), the system is built around the idea of mice as the protagonists, in a world that outscales them. The effect on the play of the game is huge, and imo great.

We will see. Ordered the rule book. If it is too complicated (complex fair, complicated bad,) my wife will not be interested. Besides, 3' tall mice and 4' tall chipmunks (and 5+' rats!) would be a interesting warped sense of humor game for "normal" adventurers to meet.

[Brawndo]

We will see. Ordered the rule book. If it is too complicated (complex fair, complicated bad,) my wife will not be interested. Besides, 3' tall mice and 4' tall chipmunks (and 5+' rats!) would be a interesting warped sense of humor game for "normal" adventurers to meet.

It's probably not going to be too complicated. Mouse Guard is on every list of "games that are good for introducing new players to roleplaying games" I've ever seen.

[ZorroGames]

It's probably not going to be too complicated. Mouse Guard is on every list of "games that are good for introducing new players to roleplaying games" I've ever seen.

Received a copy and reading.

[smcmike]

Another implementation of a Mouse World concept in game form is Mice and Mystics. I haven't played it, but it is quite well-reviewed.

I wouldn't do a straight conversion, in any case. Don't worry about the D&D races, make a list of the animals that you want to use, and assign stats and characteristics.

Another fictional example you could draw from is the old Redwall series. If I remember correctly, some of the good races would be:

Mice
Shrews
Squirrels
Otters
Hedgehogs
Badgers
Moles
Hares
Voles
Song birds.

And the bad races would include

Rats
Cats
Foxes
Weasels
Ferrets
Stoats
Crows
Ravens

[ZorroGames]

Another implementation of a Mouse World concept in game form is Mice and Mystics. I haven't played it, but it is quite well-reviewed.

I wouldn't do a straight conversion, in any case. Don't worry about the D&D races, make a list of the animals that you want to use, and assign stats and characteristics.

Another fictional example you could draw from is the old Redwall series. If I remember correctly, some of the good races would be:

Mice
Shrews
Squirrels
Otters
Hedgehogs
Badgers
Moles
Hares
Voles
Song birds.

And the bad races would include

Rats
Cats
Foxes
Weasels
Ferrets
Stoats
Crows
Ravens

Redwall has an FRPG I was told. Cannot confirm. :smalleek:

Not acquired Mice and Mystics - yet. :smallsmile:

[Ventruenox]

I'd like to see the Secret of Nymh as a module for that campaign.

[ZorroGames]

I'd like to see the Secret of Nymh as a module for that campaign.

NIMH - National Institute of Mental Health - and it has potential for SFRPG more than FRPG pernaps.

[nickl_2000]

Redwall has an FRPG I was told. Cannot confirm. :smalleek:

Not acquired Mice and Mystics - yet. :smallsmile:

I love Mice and Mystics, it's a great game certainly worth the money to get it.


But to the OP, here's my opinion based on personalities of the animals after having worked in a pet store for 5 years and partially influenced by a childhood of reading every Redwall book.

Playable Races by the books
Dwarf - Mole
Elf - Gerbil
Halfling - Vole
Human - Hamster
Dragonborn - Gecko
Gnome - Mouse
Half-Elf - Degu
Half-Orc - Hedgehog
Tiefling - Squirrel
Aasimar - Chinchillas
Firbolg - Chipmonk
Goliath - Badger
Kenku - Sugar Glider
Lizardfolk - Anole
Tabaxi - Squirrel
Triton - Otter

Monstrous
Bugbear - Weasel
Goblin - Rat
Hobgoblin - Ferret
Kobold - Naked Mole Rat
Orc - Stoat
Yuan-Ti - Corn Snake

There, that's the best I can do for the playable races in the books. It will require some suspension of belief for sizes, but it should be decent enough.
I did struggle with Dragonborn and Gnome the most out of anything on there.

[EvilAnagram]

I love Mice and Mystics, it's a great game certainly worth the money to get it.


But to the OP, here's my opinion based on personalities of the animals after having worked in a pet store for 5 years and partially influenced by a childhood of reading every Redwall book.

Playable Races by the books
Dwarf - Mole
Elf - Gerbil
Halfling - Vole
Human - Hamster
Dragonborn - Guinea Pig
Gnome - Mouse
Half-Elf - Degu
Half-Orc - Hedgehog
Tiefling - Squirrel
Aasimar - Chinchillas
Firbolg - Chipmonk
Goliath - Badger
Kenku - Sugar Glider
Lizardfolk - Anole
Tabaxi - Squirrel
Triton - Otter

Monstrous
Bugbear - Weasel
Goblin - Rat
Hobgoblin - Ferret
Kobold - Naked Mole Rat
Orc - Stoat
Yuan-Ti - Corn Snake

There, that's the best I can do for the playable races in the books. It will require some suspension of belief for sizes, but it should be decent enough.
I did struggle with Dragonborn and Gnome the most out of anything on there.

Rats are goblins? I've seen rats chase off predators three times their size. They are big, mean nasties outside of the pet store.

[nickl_2000]

Rats are goblins? I've seen rats chase off predators three times their size. They are big, mean nasties outside of the pet store.

I went with animals that generally have a negative connotation for monsters and are relative in size with the creature in the D&D world verses size of the creature in the real world. Besides there is only one type of naked mole rat, and I thought that fit better for a kobold. That being said, my thoughts are simply suggestions for how it fit in my mind not a definite that this is the way it has to be. Please feel free to adjust as you see fit based on the groundwork I provided.

[smcmike]

Rats are goblins? I've seen rats chase off predators three times their size. They are big, mean nasties outside of the pet store.

Yeah, if you have to map it to D&D races...

Halflings = Mice.. They often fill the same roll as Hobbits in fiction - domestic, common man, small. (Subraces? City Mouse, country mouse, or voles work).

Humans = rats. If you think rats can be noble, then they fit humans better than anything. Numerous large tough smart city-dwellers. If you think rats should be inherently evil, though, they are orcs, and I'm not sure what to do with humans.

Elves= Squirrels. Tree loving elves. Easy. Gray and red squirrels for variety.

Dwarves = moles. This seems obvious.

Gnomes = shrews. Small, often underground, kinda weird.

Dragonborn = some sort of lizard. Duh.

[nickl_2000]

SNIP

Dragonborn = some sort of lizard. Duh.

Yes of course.... not sure why my mind didn't think of that. A gecko would fit very well there. Although I still feel good about putting Vole into the Gnome spot was a good choice.

[Sariel Vailo]

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/s320x320/e35/16230453_242526049532051_3822615880936718336_n.jpg you can now be this squirrel in a game squirreladin