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Stan
2018-10-03, 07:40 PM
My son and I were brainstorming today about mecha like things for fantasy.

1. Imagine a typical fantasy world. Portals start opening and giants pour out, intent on conquest. They have ogre servants. They also have trained war pets such as dinosaurs and other huge creatures.

2. To deal with this, a new technique has been invented to entirely encase someone in a 15'-20' tall golem's body. They are preserved within the trunk. They can now sense through the golem's body. In some ways, this is a pretty crappy thing to have happen and the person retains their mind so you don't want to force someone and have an angry golem running around. Most volunteers have been maimed by war or are frail with age and near death.

3. To work as spotters and assistants, each golem has a rider. A seat behind the head is permanently attached. These riders are usually spellcasters but can be missile specialists.

4. Golems don't really feel pain. They can be semi-permanently modified with attachments. They might have a ballista mounted on their head, spiked shin guards to wade through smaller troops, magic staffs on their forearms, extra armor plates, etc. The basic idea is to have several slots and several options per slot. Initially, players won't have much money, but can save up to make improvements over time.

5. Through training and maybe build as well, there is some specialization in golems. They might be grapplers who also have big feet than can shake the earth and cause smaller creatures to fall. They might be gladiators with big melee weapons. They might specialize in huge bows or spears. Or they might be good at activating magic items. Their skill improves over time. If we go with D&D 5e, I'm thinking of a specialized golem class with a few archetypes.

5. Each player controls a rider/golem pair. There would be a lot of smashing big monsters. But their might be other adventures where golems won't fit so the riders will have to function on their own.

I could do this in D&D, starting riders at about 5th level. Or maybe savage worlds, also advancing the riders.

Thoughts, advice?

nineGardens
2018-10-03, 10:58 PM
A) This sounds awesome, and now I want to see a Golem/Mecha Vs T-rex fight.

B) Do Golem/Mech heal regularly. I can imagine a really interesting set up where repairing/maintaining the Mecha is a decently big part of the game (this could either be interesting or annoying, I don't really know which)

C)I can see why you are doing the "Each person controls a pair" thing... but could also really imagine a game/set up where the entire team is in control of one Mecha (managing different parts of it...) ... probably be tricky to give everyone something to do during combat, but if you DID pull it off it would be spectacular.

brian 333
2018-10-04, 12:15 AM
I had a not-dissimilar idea many years ago, but using the shells of giant insects.

Dragonflies as helicopters capable of carrying two humans in a cockpit behind the eyes.

Beetles as troop carriers capable of carrying a dozen soldiers beneath the shell-wings.

Bombardier Beetles as flame tanks and Stink Bugs as gas tanks.

Ants as high speed recon vehicles or as bulldozer/attack vehicles. Halflings ride inside, everyone else rides a saddle.

Wasps as skirmisher/attack units.

And so on. Each insect type would be designed to emulate its type as a vehicle, but with the potential for riders and drivers to be protected within or mounted on them. Drivers would be busy, but riders might use ranged weapons and polearms, or cast spells while protected by the insect shell.

In my campaign a half-elven ranger wound up with a blue dragonfly with a 30' (ten meter,) wingspan.

ngilop
2018-10-04, 12:56 AM
Might want to take a look at the wikipedia page for Dragonmech (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DragonMech) The actual game site is no more :(



It is basically what your talking about if my memory serves me right, I just read the books never played it.

Knaight
2018-10-04, 05:05 AM
This sounds functional, though the golem being used as a permanent full body prosthesis and not just a vehicle seems a bit weird - a hollow spot seems like it would work just as well, and this also has each player go down to one PC. Still, if the setting needs it as is for some reason there's no reason it wouldn't work.

I wouldn't recommend using D&D for this. Savage Worlds should work fine, as should a whole host of other systems.

Quarian Rex
2018-10-04, 05:46 AM
D20 can actually work really well.

DragonMech (http://goodman-games.com/dragonmech/) has already been mentioned but I'll second that it's a great resource for this sort of thing. Surprisingly viable at almost all levels of play. A Google search will find you a surprising amount on it.

The Technician (http://spheresofpower.wikidot.com/technician) is a Spheres of Might class that offers great technological options of a more martial bent (potentially a great compliment to a riding mage). Even has an Archetype called the Suit Pilot that could be adapted easily enough to the 40K Dreadnought that you seem to be envisioning.

The d20 Mecha Compendium (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/1106/d20-Mecha-Compendium-Deluxe-Edition?it=1) is a phenomenal resource for this sort of thing as well. Completely customizable mecha creation rules (also designed to make warwagons/pirate ships/undead siege beasts/etc.) along with entire chapters devoted to example settings for fantasy/modern/future usage of mecha (about 4-5 settings per era. with a large selection of unique example mecha per setting). One of the fantasy settings is even based around people being placed inside golems (but they can still get out, so adapt as you will). A great book that I've really enjoyed.

Stan
2018-10-04, 07:35 AM
I had a not-dissimilar idea many years ago, but using the shells of giant insects.


That sounds really cool.

Thanks for the resources everyone.

I hadn't thought about healing, yet. Obviously they have to be healed/repaired in some way but I'm thinking it won't be standard healing spells.

brian 333
2018-10-04, 11:52 PM
That sounds really cool.

Thanks for the resources everyone.

I hadn't thought about healing, yet. Obviously they have to be healed/repaired in some way but I'm thinking it won't be standard healing spells.

I required an array of Repair spells to be developed, especially after the griffon shredded a wing.

lightningcat
2018-10-05, 02:58 PM
I just realized these are the fantasy version of WH40k dreadnaughts.

But is there any reason to go with golem/spotter pair, instead of a mecha you crawl into and the pilot? In the later case the golem could just replace or improve the physical abilities of the character while in it.

Stan
2018-10-06, 08:08 AM
But is there any reason to go with golem/spotter pair, instead of a mecha you crawl into and the pilot? In the later case the golem could just replace or improve the physical abilities of the character while in it.

I like the concept of someone whose life is permanently altered. Imagine never being able to see your old body again and never being able to go to human sized places again. Also, mecha have been done many times and I wanted to alter it a bit.

A character concept I'm working on is a dying old woman. Her granddaughter, with no other family, convinces the woman to join the program and become a golem so she doesn't die and leave the girl alone. Then the girl joins up as a pilot to be with her grandmother.