Real Earth Humans dumped into Fantasyland - possible in 5e?

[Wasp]

Hi there!

If you had to do a campaign where the PCs are real world humans that "get transported into another world"™ - how would you simulate that in D&D? Or better: Would it be even possible to do that in 5e? Or would it be as easy as for example giving them low attribute scores and no class features at first level (and add stuff very quickly)?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers

Wasp

[TripleD]

Have a little man in a red robe tell them what their classes are, send them on quests, and subtly hint that if they don’t follow his instructions they will die horrible deaths.

[LibraryOgre]

Hi there!

If you had to do a campaign where the PCs are real world humans that "get transported into another world"™ - how would you simulate that in D&D? Or better: Would it be even possible to do that in 5e? Or would it be as easy as for example giving them low attribute scores and no class features at first level (and add stuff very quickly)?

Would love to hear your thoughts.


A lot depends on how you intend to handle the "dropped into the world".

Are they themselves, entirely? As in, I get bamfed away from my computer and show up in sneakers, a kilt, a shirt, with my ID around my neck? In that case, I'd be inclined to make them something like a character without a class, just gaining levels at around a d6 HD. Make up some skills for them to be proficient in, and decide how overlaps would interact (for example, I'd probably have proficiency in History and Library Science... does my History skill mean I can learn about the history of the world I'm in quickly?) You also need to determine the consistency of physical laws... CAN you make gunpowder? Some game worlds have implied that it will not work.

Do they get put into the bodies of other people? Guardians of the Flame had the minds of human college students put into the bodies of their PCs, including a dwarf. In that case, I'd have them create their character, but give them a background that represented their modern upbringing. Bonus languages from upbringing? English and Spanish. Language from race? Common and Elven. In this case, they'd advance as normal, just with a weird background.

[Malbrack]

You could make it where the reason they were transported to the fantasy world was by making a pact with a fey or fiend. Then make them all Warlocks at level 1. They can multiclass out of Warlock at 2 for party diversity. At that point, you'd only have to create a few custom backgrounds.

[holywhippet]

You could have them all be soldiers who were investigating some kind of unauthorized experiment which resulted in them being zapped to Fantasyland. They start off with real world equipment ie. guns, grenades etc. but they have no way of producing more after they have been expended. Let them run into people who can train them in the basic classes so that they will gain their first class level soon after.

They might not be professional full time soldiers but could be national guard or equivalent.

I will note that the tabletop D&D campaign that author Raymond E. Feist based his book Magician (and sequels) on did actually feature a similar idea except in that case it was a Scottish highland regiment (IIRC). They got pulled into the game world via a rift. However, the game world didn't allow for gunpowder to work (the Gods didn't want it to) but it did work in the vicinity of the rift as the laws of physics from their home world bled in to allow it. Once they got far enough away though, their guns stopped working.

[Tvtyrant]

Hi there!

If you had to do a campaign where the PCs are real world humans that "get transported into another world"™ - how would you simulate that in D&D? Or better: Would it be even possible to do that in 5e? Or would it be as easy as for example giving them low attribute scores and no class features at first level (and add stuff very quickly)?

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers

Wasp

They died in a bus crash, D&D is the afterlife. They skipped to adulthood because they incarnated into some people whose souls got stolen, they wake up in the sewer where their soulless bodies got dumped. The party has no memory of the bodies' lives, but have the first level of the classes they were in. Their first quest is to figure out what murdered "them."

[Trask]

I wanted to do this with Curse of Strahd. PCs are backpackers hiking in eastern europe when the mists of Barovia catch them.

I would run a funnel ala dungeon crawl classics where pcs roll 3d6 for stats and get 6 hp + con for health. They also get random equipment like laptops, phones, tablets etc. Each player controls 3 backpackers. I would use Death House as the funnel and tbose that survive would start Curse of Strahd proper as a chosen class.

[Sigreid]

The easy answer would be SCA members taken from an event with their armor and weapons with them.

[Ventruenox]

Even though it had already been alluded to, the method of transportation to the D&D world ought to be a carnival ride. Perfectly viable for 5E, just give them all the Far Traveller background.

[Bohandas]

I think he means mechanically how would you represent real humans since in the real world mastery of skills and the ability to withstand implausible amounts of physical punishment are not even remotely correlated

[kenposan]

Everyone starts with the Displaced background (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/r1W13hYPFZ). They quickly understand they are in a fantasy setting, so they gravitate to whatever class they choose. Use this real stats generator (http://www.kevinhaw.com/add_quiz.php) if you can trust the players to answer honestly.

[strake]

My thought would be to make everyone either a non-magical (at level 1) class or "real world normal person" as shown below and use point buy or standard array for stats

Real World Normal Person
Hit Dice 1d6
Armor: light armor
Weapons: club, dart
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence
Skills/Tools/Languages: Choose 4 that roughly translate to real world background
Feats/ASI: choose 1 that roughly translates to real world background (or boost stats, or add 3 more skills/tools/languages)

Add in backgrounds as normal - tweaking as necessary to embrace the real world parts.

So anyone with a roughly matching job or hobby in the real world can just start as an appropriate non-magical class. So soldiers/guards/cops etc could be fighters. Spies, investigators, criminals could slot into rogue. Martial arts teachers or students and some athletes could be monks. Back country guides could be rangers. Most people would probably fit into the "normal person" class, and have tool proficiencies appropriate for what they did in the real world. Some of these might carry over easily - bakers, jewelers, carpenters could all make use of their skills in the fantasy land. Health care jobs could could start with the healer feat. Parkour hobbyists could have the mobile feat. However people who use a computer all day would have the computer tool proficiency which would be essentially useless. Depending on the real world background feel free to give them a useless tool or language. There will be some skill fudging, but there's a lot of flexibility there in the Int/Wis/Cha skills.

Then they level up as normal with the caveat that there is no level 2 Real World Normal Person.

[No brains]

It sort of depends on what parts of real human physiology are inherent to the person and what is a consequence of living in the 5e world. Will real humans be incapacitated for weeks from a dagger hit, or will they be right as rain next morning? Everything in 5e land, even constructs and undead, can use a long rest, so it's possible an interdimensional immigrant could also take advantage of that.

Probably the worst thing for a real human would just be having to adventure every day. Even hunter gatherers can live off a catch for a while and have families or something. Walking and fighting restlessly with nothing to ground you is probably going to weigh on the real humans. But what if that's solved by just 1 wisdom save?

[Whit]

We have actually did this twice in our many years of playing

1. It may be hard for high schoolers who don’t have a career job. And stats can be very bland. My suggestions follow

Class profession discuss and see what the person and friends think. Stats would then go.

Example. 1. High school. Use 15,14,13,12,10,8 for everyone. No stat or feat bonus lvl 1.
1. Who took martial arts was a monk.
2. Me football player was a fighter
3. Friend who was smartest and least physical in group wizard
4. Friend who was mixture rogue
5. Friend who was smart and artist of group but not a fighter was bard
It’s hard at high school level to get a cleric unless someone was maybe a Boy Scout with first aid training

In career lvl it was easier.
1. Friend monk, ranger or fighter
2. Me fighter or paladin
3. Friend wizard
4. Friend rogue or bard
5. Friend bard or Sorcerer
6. Friend 2 clerics

[Dalebert]

I just started a campaign based on exactly this premise. Some interplanar event happened and knocked us all out. We woke up in Faerun in a different season than when we'd left. We were all confused and hungry and had to struggle to survive for a few days as level 0 before getting sort of railroaded into our chosen (by us; not our characters) classes. I wasn't thrilled with the railroading but I'm dealing with it.

[BurgerBeast]

I would probably just start them at level 1. I’d either let them pick a class, or I’d let them select an item as part of whatever magical process transported them (sword = Fighter, axe = Barbarian, dagger = thief, spellbook = wizard, etc, for example).

I might start them as level zero, instead. Or I might just let them pick an appropriate class for their real-life self.

I’d also consider doing it by poll. Everyone but you votes on what class you are.

[Wasp]

I think he means mechanically how would you represent real humans since in the real world mastery of skills and the ability to withstand implausible amounts of physical punishment are not even remotely correlated

Yes, that was the main question.

I kinda like the idea that everyone can pick the class they want but they start at level 0 with -100XP, Hit Dice 1d6 and no class features etc.

And then find a story reason why they become their classes at level 1 (like getting powers bestowed upon by someone or something)

OR: They can level up as "normal humans" until they find their "destiny" upon which they get all the class features for their current level at once.

I would say with a little refluffing all magic users could work with that - what do you think? So the wizard hasn't studied all their life but has suddenly access to this strange "knowledge" or something...

[Quoz]

It may be a minor heresy to say it on this forum, but other game systems might do better, especially if you are pulling the world shift as a surprise to the players.

I would suggest one of the 'generic' systems, like GURPS or Genesys. Have the party create an A-Team style band of mercenary do gooders. Emphasize that they need to inventory everything on their persons, and maybe in their roving HQ - an RV or large van. Maybe even give them a few 'real world' missions to break things in. Then hit them with the scene shift.

The gear they bring should last a while but will very obviously be limited use. It should last long enough for them to learn what new skills and tools they will need to survive in this strange land... and maybe someday allow them to return.

[Corsair14]

Depends on what time period they are coming from. I have a campaign which takes place with the characters being crusaders starting the day after the fall of Jerusalem. They do a quick, very railroaded adventure in the city and find themselves in Ravenloft in the swamp in Souragne. From a world which treated any kind of super natural ability as a witch to a world where superstitions are real. PCs were allowed to start as most martial classes with no magic to start including the paladin. Clerics could heal but had to do it under the guise of actually doing first aid. Wizards had to keep their heads down and not do any visible magic for fear of getting burned at the stake. Arcane casters only start with spell slotted cantrips and druids and clerics only have level one heals. Wizards were advisors to the nobles, druids were the animal keepers, and clerics were priests including weapon restrictions of blunt weapons only(since men of the cloth were not supposed to spill blood). Once in Ravenloft after the craziness of "HOLY CRAP! THERE ARE UNDEAD!" I open up their options a bit.