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Leliel
2007-08-15, 11:59 AM
As we all know, ETs, upon knowing that less advanced civillaztions exist, immediatly endevor to wipe them out. So the question is:

How would you run a space-fearing, flying-saucer-piloting, disentigrator firing, anal probing, resource-exploiting alien invasion in your campagin?

And I don't mean an attack by illithids or neogi or whatever! As hard as it is for them to belive, they fall under the umbrella of less advanced civillazation too! I mean actual aliens! You know, greys, reptoids, little green men, stuff like that! And forget the refrain of "Real science dosen't exist in DnD. it are medieval times,." Well, we aren't talking about the medevial times now are we? We're talking about people to who those times are a distant memory! Magically adept or not, alien's technology is always advanced! They don't play by human rules!

So bring out the cheesy sci-fi movies and charge the ray guns! Lets hear some DM B-Movie imagineering(Copyrighted)!

horseboy
2007-08-15, 12:02 PM
You need more death ray than a beholder? Easiest would be for them to have "wands" of disintegration. It just a different way of get to the same end.

rollfrenzy
2007-08-15, 12:08 PM
You can really keep the nastiness out of your OP, It's kinda rude.

There are rules in the DMG for advanced weapons and tech. and if worse come to worse, ue Star Wars D20 Rules It's just DnD in space.

Leliel
2007-08-15, 12:15 PM
You can really keep the nastiness out of your OP, It's kinda rude.

Pardon, I was trying to convey the sense of "hyperactive comic book geek MC" into that post. Sorry :smallredface:.

And I thank you for the info, but I was trying to see how you would do it, so I could get some ideas. Still, its useful knowing that. Thanks.

Telonius
2007-08-15, 12:18 PM
Hm, actual aliens. Here are some questions you might want to consider. First of all, you need to decide how much previous contact the aliens have had. Did they just blunder onto the scene, or have their spies been among us for awhile? If any D&D magic or psionics is known to them, that will have a big impact on your tactical situation. Do they laugh at the power of the "gods" until they're hit with a flamestrike, or is Xqzark`trklsmki the Devourer, their own god, fuelling their conquests? (Edit: There is a deity from the Book of Vile Darkness - can't remember the name, and it's probably NSFW to search it - that could fit in there). (EDIT 2: The Xammux, that's it.)

Second, how big of an invasion are we talking about? Just a couple of scout ships? A full-fledged, world-conquering, slave-taking armada? Or something in-between?

Third, what sorts of resources do they have available to them? Ray guns and spaceships are obvious. But do they have robot servants? Super healing facilities? Transporters? Bio-inorganic components? Nuclear weapons? The Force? The ability to reroute engine power to the main deflector array? Space Babes? (DM Note: Lack of that last one may well spell doom for the brave defenders of Greyhawk).

Darrin
2007-08-15, 12:20 PM
How would you run a space-fearing, flying-saucer-piloting, disentigrator firing, anal probing, resource-exploiting alien invasion in your campagin?


Alien spaceships and futuristic technology have been part of D&D since it began. In fact, the first D&D adventure ever published, Dave Arneson's "Temple of the Frog" (appearing in the original Blackmoor expansion), included some high-tech items, and was eventually reworked into the ancient backhistory of the Mystara campaign world.

I'm not sure if this link still works, but I think this is the original Blackmoor expansion:

http://www.jovianclouds.com/blackmoor/D&D%20-%20Supplement%202%20-%20Blackmoor%20(TSR2004).pdf

More well-known is Expedition to the Barrier Peaks, originally run at Origins II in 1976, and then published as part of the S-series of modules in 1980. Wizards has something about "Return Expedition to the Barrier Peaks" for D20 Modern:

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/d20m/20060505a

From what I've gathered, S3 was one of the better offerings in the S-series... there was the framework of a plot as the players gradually discovered what had happened to the ship, and some thought put into the encounters rather than just a random mishmash of deathtraps/puzzles/weird monsters. Never had a chance to play through it myself... ranked 5th all-time greatest adventure for D&D in 2004.

rollfrenzy
2007-08-15, 12:20 PM
's allright. Just got a little turned off by it. Usually you can avoid derailment by a little nudge, if people get off track, instead of going after it in the OP.

IMHO, the aliens are smart. they would observe for years before actually doing ANYTHING. Then they would test things out. Maybe take on small threats and increasingly dangerous beings. Once All out invasion begins they would use overwhleming force against the strongest nation, If they are superior. If they expect a fight, then they establish a beach head in an unknown/ unexplored area and begin gaining power from there.

In game, It would begin with missing people and then maybe the Pc's go on a quest to a dragons lair and find just the corpse of the dragon. Things like that to herald and setup the throwdown. At some point, I would set it up as tech vs. Magic and have the big battles highlight that.

Brue
2007-08-15, 12:29 PM
What's that saying: "Any sufficiently advanced technology would appear to be magic"? Something like that. But what's that you say, DnD worlds (mostly) already have magic?

What can an advanced technology do any different than what the human race can do? Fly? Check. Disintegrate stuff? Check. Travel quickly (teleport, astral travel etc)? Check. Advanced distance communication? Check.

There would be functionally no difference between these things. It would all be flavour. The only 'true' difference in the 'aliens' would be the fact that they are 'alien'. I could easily see an alien scout force not noticing magic, thinking they were superior, coming in to invade and then suddenly getting their green hinies handed to them by a high level group of adventurers with a couple of batman wizzies.

This is all assuming your typical B-movie aliens as you mentioned. If they were TRULY advanced where they had magic/technology that was superior to 9'th level spells, maybe even equivalent to god like status, well, then you've got a war of the gods on your hands I guess.

So, my short answer is, there are no aliens, just different races.

rollfrenzy
2007-08-15, 12:34 PM
What's that saying: "Any sufficiently advanced technology would appear to be magic"? Something like that. But what's that you say, DnD worlds (mostly) already have magic?

Snip*

So, my short answer is, there are no aliens, just different races.

Theres a difference in prevelence and supply. Sure a ray gun may be a wand of disintigration. Now imagine an army in which each member has one. That much magic doesn't exist in any normal DnD world. So sure your average Alien would be like a high level mage, but theres thousands of them. and they don't run out of spells.

Leliel
2007-08-15, 01:27 PM
"Clear!"

ZAP!

BUMP!!!!!!!!!
:smallredface:

Brue
2007-08-15, 01:38 PM
Theres a difference in prevelence and supply. Sure a ray gun may be a wand of disintigration. Now imagine an army in which each member has one. That much magic doesn't exist in any normal DnD world. So sure your average Alien would be like a high level mage, but theres thousands of them. and they don't run out of spells.

True, but one or two high level casters or CODZillas and they're all bowing down and asking for forgiveness.

And don't forget, if it's a whole world invasion, there are all those pesky gods to deal with, many many of whom will have known about the invasion as soon as somebody thought up the idea, if not before.

Benejeseret
2007-08-15, 01:39 PM
Give them all the pseudonatural template and go for a suble invasion of the bodysnatchers type theme.

Basically the whole town starts to be replaced by replicas of themselves with the pseudonatural template (and as suggested, packing wants of disintigration or at lower levels wands of magic missle phasors)

Even the animals and the like replaced.

"Your party notices the villagers are behaving really weirdly. The bard sees one citizen struggling to open a simple door knob and the man seems to study it intently for 5 minutes until correctly grasping it."
"PC #1 - I gather the party and discuss strategies hidden in a farmer's barn"
"DM - After overhearing your concerns, the cows sprout tenticles and attack, and a chicken grows twelve eyestalks and three new mouths and runs screaming inanely towards the center of town"

Goober4473
2007-08-15, 02:46 PM
There would be functionally no difference between these things.

I would have to dissagree. Technology has computers, and amazing communication and information control. While it's possible to do those things with magic, it's usually harder and more expensive. To create a computer, you'd need to create a magical mind, and store it in a box, then give it illusion magic for a display. Possible, but not really ever done.

On the other hand, magic can do a lot early on that technology can only do at the high end.

But when it comes down to it, the d20 system is terrible at technology. It's all equipment based, and piloting and driving don't work right, and when you get shot with a full-auto machine gun for 5 rounds and still have half hit points, it starts to mess with the suspension of disbelief, whereas if you get with with some magic, hey, it's magic.

Leliel
2007-08-15, 03:22 PM
True, but one or two high level casters or CODZillas and they're all bowing down and asking for forgiveness.

And don't forget, if it's a whole world invasion, there are all those pesky gods to deal with, many many of whom will have known about the invasion as soon as somebody thought up the idea, if not before.

You're fogetting somthing: Aliens don't have to be atheists or magically ignorant.

Wizard: I cast Fireball!
DM: The grey absorbs the magical energy into his phaser, causing it to become more powerful.

Pelor: Defilers of Greyhawk! I will make you rue the day you-
Zarrnok, reptoid god of Electricty: Oh look, a power source! *hoists shield made of solar cells*

:smallbiggrin:

Matthew
2007-08-16, 06:12 AM
Via Spelljammer, maybe?

Falrin
2007-08-16, 07:42 AM
1) A more advanced civilization with enough time to prepare will whipe out any race.

2) Magic ~ Tech. : I agree here. The force field is a deflection/dam.red., the teleporters are 'teleport', Lasers are disintegrate, ... . It all fits very well. But it isn't magic. So if you think evil here any alien ivasion with some basic tactics would go for the "Anti-Magic"-Strategy. Just have every mook / the whole world covered with an anti-magic field.

3) Psionic would be a good start. High save Implosions, Dominates and telepathy.

4) Space-Ships with Disintegrating Machine Guns & Meteor swarm Artilery. Very fast, very accurate.

5) Energy Source. The reason why they came or there weakness. I like the idea of using magic as an energy source: We've come to take the guys in poiny hats.

6) Big bulking Constructs with a lot of DR, Deflection Shield and at least 2 Chainguns as arms (Cone 6d6, RS halves OR Line 10d6 RS halves) & 2 rocketlaunchers on there back (Fireballs with the 'push to the end of the blast'metamagic feat. Maybe Empowered)

Funkyodor
2007-08-16, 07:54 AM
You could always run a planet of the apes and make the PC's the aliens. Maybe a planet overrun by Kobolds after a massive research facility blunder involving Loki, the Astral plane, and an inadvertant Thor lightning bolt miss? Give the PC's the tech/magic advantage with Brilliant energy Repeating crossbows, Wands of whatever spells, etc.

leperkhaun
2007-08-16, 08:08 AM
I think it depends on the world you have set it in.

if they invaded a low magic or realtivly low powered world then that world is toast.

If you got a world thats high powered, epic, or with gods playing a large role then....not so much they would probably have a good chance.

One of the big things to figure out is how does thier tech and your world's magic interact. For example lets say those critters have telportation and shields that can negate that tech (for example to prevent enemies from teleporting on the bridge and taking over) well would that tech prevent a magical teleport from working?.

If not, whats going to stop the heros from scrying the bridge of the mother ships, teleporting a dozen major mages and throwing down a bazillion circle of deaths or other such spells and ending the invasion right there?

Can a personal shield that blocks a disintigration ray from a gun also work with one from a spell?

The ships armor might be nice with massive hardness and whatnot, but what happens when those mages toss 6 wands of shatter at the engines?

What do they know about magic? Is it to them some wierd tech or have they tried to study it (possibly starting a campaign when someone notices somethign weird about that wannabe apprentice and leads into stopping the invasion).

Alot of worlds have thier elminsters, manshoons, and mighty intelligent creatures. How much damage could such casters or the various great wyrms be able to do?

The "good" guys will obviously want to stop it, but what will the reactions of the "evil" people be? Will the Chromatic Dragons take flight against that enemy? Will the evil overlord of the Great Evil Empire fight? Or will they bow down and hope for a piece after all is said and done?

Are the gods going to just stand by? Are they going to send down thier aspects and avatars to help? Are they buzy taking on the aleins gods and thus cannot offer much assistance?

One important question is in regards to things like necromancy. How will the aliens react if you start animating thier dead and make the aliens fight against them? Thier medical tech might be advanced, but facing the walking dead, espeically if you have never seen it before....... or never thought such things can exist......

Another thing is what kind of tech do the aliens have? While armies of goons with pistols and rifles would be a threat that can reasonably be countered. Flying saucers can be taken out with magical siege weapons or with flying critters such as dragons.

Taking a page from 40k, what happens if the aliens use huge robots of DOOOOOOOOOOOOM? Are the aliens going to ground pound or just blast all the major cities from orbit then clean up the pieces? Have they identified the major threats (big mojo spell casters, places with magical siege engines, dragons..etc)?

Have they studied from afar or nice and close? Have they acurattly guaged the damage major mojo or dragons and such can do, or did they just put that off as cheap tricks? While they might be watching for a couple years, most major players dont regurally get into spectacular displays of power, so do they even know what those people CAN do?

Grey Paladin
2007-08-16, 12:50 PM
In a high magic setting Aliens aren't a threat.

"DIE INFERIOR BEINGS!!!"
"I wish aliens didn't exist, lawl"

Telonius
2007-08-16, 01:38 PM
In a high magic setting Aliens aren't a threat.

"DIE INFERIOR BEINGS!!!"
"I wish aliens didn't exist, lawl"

DM: "Granted. Your world implodes. If they're the only race, then nobody's an alien."
:xykon:

Grey Paladin
2007-08-16, 02:15 PM
DM: "Granted. Your world implodes. If they're the only race, then nobody's an alien."
:xykon:

Fine then, but remember you forced me to do this :smallamused:

"Epic Spellcasting, lawl"

Matthew
2007-08-16, 04:14 PM
In a high magic setting Aliens aren't a threat.

"DIE INFERIOR BEINGS!!!"
"I wish aliens didn't exist, lawl"

Depends, if the Aliens are Spell Casters themselves or just flat out immune to magic...

Grey Paladin
2007-08-16, 04:19 PM
Depends, if the Aliens are Spell Casters themselves or just flat out immune to magic...

In out case they are not spell casters by definition, and they may be immune to magic, but the Universe isn't, and what Wish does is to edit the universe, which they are part of.

Matthew
2007-08-16, 04:24 PM
Maybe, though I wouldn't be surprised to find them using AMF Generators or somesuch thing.

tannish2
2007-08-16, 07:31 PM
futuristic weapons are in the DMG... play them like high level wizards, teleporting out when things get rough and throwing nastiness from long range, personally ive always wanted to see a +1 holy exit wounds exploding laser rifle...

puppyavenger
2007-08-16, 07:57 PM
Well in FR.

Ao "stop" every one goes home sulking.


Also have you looked at spelljamers, space battle!

....
2007-08-16, 08:18 PM
Illithids are real aliens.

They used to rule most of the entire galaxy. Their empire was destroyed by the githyaki and githzerai. The illithids today are no-where near as advanced as their ancestors.

(I like illithid history.)

tannish2
2007-08-17, 12:07 AM
ya if you use lords of madness theres a thing on mind flayers, if you take out the "free range brains taste better" thing, and give them effective brain farms they would have no reason to to try and kill everyone and destroy the world

Damionte
2007-08-17, 12:18 AM
first off I would avoid the phrase anal-probe around my players. We wouldn't get anythign else done for the rest of the night. It woul dbe like asking them to cut down the tallest tree in the forest wiiiiiith a hearing. it would be an endless night of Monty Python butt probing jokes for the rest of the night.

Ceridan
2007-08-17, 01:02 AM
I'm sorry, but if I was the ruler/leader of an ultra advanced alien nation that roamed the stars taking what we needed I would have a far different and much more insidious approach. After abducting and studying all the various races I would have my scientists create a bio-engineered plague an release it on the planet. This plague would devastate the most threatening species on the planet. Only then, with proper precautions would I unleash my armies on the decimated populace, ensuring victory.

That said the PC's would be a few of the fraction of survivors. It would be a nearly impossible feat to destroy or fight off the invaders. It would be a survival horror story where the party tries to save as many people as they can by means of an extra-planar gate or something such.

Leliel
2007-08-17, 11:30 AM
Something tells me that the Aliens would take the "insidious spy" route on a high-magic world. Elminister isn't a problem if hes dead. My idea of it would be something like X-COM(secret alien invasion, albeit with occasional attacks, in order to intimidate world leaders into giving them free reign).