So I want a sci-fi fantasy game so why do people say 5e sucks for that

[Throne12]

So im prepping for a sci-fantasy game and there are things I'm having to homebrew. But I'm just curious to why people say sci-fi is a setting you can't do in 5e. So what you thought on this and what are some thing I should do for my game.

[Frozenstep]

If you homebrew enough, there's very little you can't do. It just becomes a question of it maybe being less work to just find a system that does do sci-fi on its own. Why homebrew the rules for starships and laser pistols when other systems already have them?

[stoutstien]

Hmm haven't heard one way or there other regarding this but it's probably due to the lack of 1st party support. That and there are a few systems that do handle it better by nature of that being the goal rather than an adaptation.

[BRC]

You can definetly do a Sci-Fi game in 5e, I've done it. 5e has fairly solid bones if all you care about is fantastical action-adventure.

That said, if you want mechanical rules for things like flying spaceships, or different types of ranged weapons that don't neatly map onto bows/crossbows, you're going to be building most of that yourself if you want anything more indepth and interesting than "roll a skill check".

And even then, what you'll get is "D&D, but with Spaceships and Lasers". "Sci-Fi" is a pretty wide concept, so you'll be pretty limited by 5e's systems if anybody wants to play, say, a scientist.

You'll also need to divest any respect you might have had for the systems of 5e. Stuff like a Spacesuit is best matched by a powerful magic item in 5e Fantasy, but in a Sci-Fi setting everybody needs access to one. So if you're treating all gear like equivalent magic items, you're going to run into problems.

[Unoriginal]

So im prepping for a sci-fantasy game and there are things I'm having to homebrew. But I'm just curious to why people say sci-fi is a setting you can't do in 5e. So what you thought on this and what are some thing I should do for my game.

What do you mean by "sci-fi", exactly?

There are big differences between what people means by that term.


All in all, using D&D 5e is a bad idea if you want something other than D&D 5e. So for example that would be a bad system if you want to play in the Bladerunner setting, or the Mass Effect setting, or any of the Gundam setting, or... well, any sci-fi setting you can name.

[Throne12]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

[Mastikator]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

D&D can do space magic, spelljammer is proof of that. But anything harder than GotG/SW is going to be more effort than just learning a new system.

[Unoriginal]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

Well, you can take Spelljammer and have a campaign that takes inspiration from those franchises.

But in term of the setting it'll be D&D with spaceships, not GotG, not SW, not ME, not Destiny or anything of the like.

[stoutstien]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

CWN just launched and from my 1st few read throughs it's one of the better "future tech with a side of magic" options I've seen.

[BRC]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

What sorts of characters/adventures do you have in mind? That's the real question, more than a setting.


For something like Star Wars, where being good at flying spaceships is an important part of the appeal, you'll hit issues. D&D 5e managed to publish Spelljammer without making any real effort at ship-to-ship combat rules, so you're basically at "make a piloting check".


If your games are mostly going to be about doing the sort of stuff D&D does, but with a sci-fi coat of paint, you'll be fine, especially if your players are onboard and are aware that this is an imperfect system. The events of Guardians of the Galaxy map pretty decently.


The real problem is when you get something like "Oh, I want to rig up an improvised explosive using supplies on this ship", something perfectly reasonable to do in a sci-fi setting, but which D&D is pretty bad at doing with anything more than "Um, make a d20 roll?" and then guessing at stuff like DC to dodge and damage and the like.


From Mass Effect, D&D can probably handle a Jack, Garrus, or Wrex, but would struggle with a Mordin or Tali style character, who SHOULD have lots of expertise and skills that the skill system lacks depth for.

[paladinn]

You might want to look at Amazing Adventures 5e. The original AA was Troll Lords' "modern"/pulp game, and it's really cool (and cross-compatible with Castles & Crusades). They released a 5e-compatible version that is even more "modern"; and they've published expansions and modules for it that are great. You can play lower-powered superheroes or space opera (StarSiege) if you like.

Recommended!

[False God]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

That's a BIG range there.

So, GoTG you could probably do in 5E just fine, 5E very much scales from zero to hero fairly quickly and I think you'd be able to emulate that "above average but still killable" feeling well.

Star Wars is alright but I'd advise keeping things low level (don't break 8 IMO).

Mass Effect will not be handled well mostly because of the standard AC system and the low damage of guns. Without sci-fi armor and sci-fi shields, the guns used in Mass Effect tear through most creatures with little effort. I recommend the d20 Mass Effect (http://jpvsgames.com/masseffectd20/) if you want a Mass-Effect-like game.

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In general D&D magic and sci-fi don't mix well, unless you sufficiently power-up sci-fi tech to be able to hold up against magic. But the problem you run into is that you leave non-magical characters in an often expensive gear grind, while magical characters can get about just fine by wiggling their fingers. A magic system that doesn't replace technology (like Mass Effect or Star Wars) often pairs well with it. Sci-fi tech handles the sci-fi end of the game, and the magic stuff handles an entirely different end of the game. D&D-like magic overlaps too much with sci-fi tech.

"Fantasy in space" style sci-fi works fine, but then you're just playing good old D&D with a different coat of paint, starships instead of wagons, chainsaw-swords instead of regular swords, and magic running around doing magic stuff.

Dark Fantasy-in-Space (Warhammer 40k) also works well because it doesn't really matter how powerful you are, you're still VERY killable.

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I generally advise against using D&D for a sci-fi game. Starfinder is OK, but it's not great, but it's about the only non-setting specific(it has a setting but it's easy to ignore) system that comes to mind if you want a kitchen-sink Sci-Fi game. Otherwise you're better off choosing a specific sci-fi theme (high-sci-fi like Star Trek, sci-fantasy like Star Wars, military sci-fi like Mass Effect, dark & brutal like Warhammer) and then use a system specifically designed to emulate that feeling.

[Unoriginal]

Worth noting that D&D 5e is equally bad for any non-D&D 5e fantasy, too.

5e is great at being 5e. It is *not* good at being Lord of the Rings, or Shrek, or Dark Souls.

.

[Luccan]

It depends what you're wanting to do. Like, if all you want is to run a 5e game with sci-fi elements (spaceships, laser guns, etc.) then I don't think there's really a huge issue. Despite what some people online will tell you, you are allowed to play the RPG you want the way you want. However, it can generally be advised that if you're finding yourself doing a ton to "make it work" you should probably look at another system that actually purports to be about science-fantasy or sci-fi. If nothing else, you might want to borrow rules from another system rather than making up your own subsystems for all the sci-fi elements

[Throne12]

So my campaign ideas are based around non-magic technology vs magic. Set in sci-fi background influenced by cyberpunk stories.

The station attack is by anti-magic fighters. They are using newly created cybernetics.

Magic technology has ran society for thousands of years. Non-magic uses are tired of be second class to magic uses.

There is a stigma in media saying cybernetics are bad and mess with people's minds. It labeled CyberPsychosis.

There a company that's found a way that let robots use magic. They are also using people as magical batteries. But are being pressured to quickly get there magic using robots. Working properly so they can stop using humans.

Now some systems can do this but my players are goldilocks. They don't like systems are more narrative and they don't like overly crunchy systems as well.

[Unoriginal]

So my campaign ideas are based around non-magic technology vs magic. Set in sci-fi background influenced by cyberpunk stories.

The station attack is by anti-magic fighters. They are using newly created cybernetics.

Magic technology has ran society for thousands of years. Non-magic uses are tired of be second class to magic uses.

There is a stigma in media saying cybernetics are bad and mess with people's minds. It labeled CyberPsychosis.

There a company that's found a way that let robots use magic. They are also using people as magical batteries. But are being pressured to quickly get there magic using robots. Working properly so they can stop using humans.

Now some systems can do this but my players are goldilocks. They don't like systems are more narrative and they don't like overly crunchy systems as well.

What are the PCs' role in the campaign?

[JackPhoenix]

SW5e is a thing. That being sad, I'm fully in agreement with Unoriginal: D&D (not just 5e) sucks at anything that isn't D&D.

[Corpus]

5e works as well as you want it to.

If you find you are having to make too much material up and don't want to, Esper Genesis is a good 3rd party book you can use.

5e Wiki has a good list of Futuristic weapons for reference and the DMG Traps page can be used to improvise explosives.

If you are making stuff up, best tip is to be as consistent as possible with your players and/or NPCs.

... and be sure to have fun! :)

[Sparky McDibben]

So im prepping for a sci-fantasy game and there are things I'm having to homebrew. But I'm just curious to why people say sci-fi is a setting you can't do in 5e. So what you thought on this and what are some thing I should do for my game.

You might to check out Esper Genesis, which is basically Mass Effect using 5E. Or Dark Matter, another take on the same material. Both are solid games.

[Chronos]

One issue is that, in a science fiction setting, most wondrous effects are achieved through technology, not through personal power. And technology can be used by anyone. You could have a science fiction character who flings fireballs and lightning bolts, but take away his lightning gun and his grenade launcher and give them to someone else, and now the first person can't do anything, and the second person can now throw fireballs and lightning bolts in addition to whatever they could do before. And D&D, especially in 5e, is designed around most of the power budget being in the characters' own abilities, not in their equipment.

[stoutstien]

One issue is that, in a science fiction setting, most wondrous effects are achieved through technology, not through personal power. And technology can be used by anyone. You could have a science fiction character who flings fireballs and lightning bolts, but take away his lightning gun and his grenade launcher and give them to someone else, and now the first person can't do anything, and the second person can now throw fireballs and lightning bolts in addition to whatever they could do before. And D&D, especially in 5e, is designed around most of the power budget being in the characters' own abilities, not in their equipment.

If you mix them you do need some form of gate(s) that prevent this. the wizard can't have cybernetics because the X materials interfere with spell casting and such.

[pragma]

Stars Without Number might be a really good fit here, and there is a free edition.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/230009

It is already about psychics being used to fuel an interplanetary empire, and it's a short go from dnd, so the rules ought to be familiar.

[LudicSavant]

But I'm just curious to why people say sci-fi is a setting you can't do in 5e.

You can do it, but a system that is purpose built for X can potentially do more than a system that isn't.

[Blatant Beast]

Sci-Fantasy works in 5e. Monte Cook has a 5e focused product, Arcana of the Ancients, that has plenty of useful creatures and tech items in it.

Admittedly, Arcana of the Ancients has less of the Space Opera tone, the original poster is looking for..but the tech items are good and can be used in any sci-fantasy game.

[Sparky McDibben]

Wait, isn't there literally a Star Wars 5e hack?

[Vahnavoi]

If you want to do science fantasy in the vein of He-man and Masters of the Universe, any version lf D&D ought to serve you well enough. At most, it requires changing some ability descriptions. There are science fantasy supplements for older editions and OSR games that you could adapt easily enough, such as Barrier Peak or Carcosa.

The problems begin if you're trying to do something that leans more towards "science" than "fantasy", as D&D is incredibly thin on detail. Likewise, if you want to do space opera, your choices are Spelljammer or bust. For contrast, Starfinder is a space opera game in the same design space as D&D (being a Pathfinder spinoff), but the "space" parts of that system have mixed reviews at best. You might do better with Star Without Number, though I personally have not played that. I use Lamentations of the Flame Princess for my science fantasy needs, but it's a lot lighter than 5th edition, lacking focus on character options and character micromanagement of contemporary D&D.

[Garfunion]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.
May I suggest this website

https://sw5e.com/

[Anonymouswizard]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

There's a couple of different space opera hacks floating around out there. They don't fix the issues I'd have with 5e doing basically anything other than a dungeon crawl, raid, or highly linear adventure path, but they exist. If I wanted science fantasy space opera d20 I'd honestly just dig out Starfinder.

There's also a properly published 5e cyberpunk hack. I don't own it, but from what I can tell it's not that great.

On the other hand my favourite thing about Eberron is how perfect it I'd for doing fantasy 'shadedashing'. But that's partially because cyberpunk TTRPG heists share a lot of DNA with TSR ETA dungeon crawling, so Mrs Jo'hnson over whoever can send you after plans for a new House Canith Ioun Stone formula or whatever.

[kazaryu]

I'm looking for something along the lines of guardians of the galaxy, star wars, mass effect, destiny, sci-fi with magic.

almost everything is going to be flavor. barbarians don't have unarmored defense, they have a personal shield. swords/hammers are laser swords and gravity hammers, or if you want to save those concepts for magic items, vibroblades and super sledges...or just...hammers, big hunks of metal flying around still hurt, even in the space age. magic can be...well, magic if you want it. or you can call it 'the force' or 'biotics' if you particularly like those concepts. but 'psionics' is the commons 'magic' stand in for space age settings. either way there's no need to really change how any of it functions. you should probably come up with new names for all the different armor types don't even need unique names for all of them. all heavy armor can just be called 'combat armor Mk. 1-4' for example. obviously you can use less generic names like 'cerberus armor' or you can choose to save such names for special armor. different factions could even have different naming conventions...but again, this is all flavor.

then in terms of homebrew:
-space suits are...just...a thing. someone else mentioned that they'd be best mapped to magic items...i think thats unnecessary, there's no reason you it can't just be a classification of armor, or even an armor quality. certain special suits of armor have the special property 'space' or something similar, in order to imply that they're space worthy.

-the only real problem is ships. not even ship to ship combat just ships. ship to ship combat is as easy as pulling back and treating each individual ship as its own unit. the players aren't controlling their characters...nothing their characters does is going to work at the ranges ships operate. and thats why ships are the real problem. because you can still use the same combat ideas...you're just going to have to build the actions that the ships can perform from the ground up. which is similar to homebrewing monsters for a normal campaign, but the actions and such need to take into account the fact that the ship is able to do many things at once, based on the crew, especially capital ships. But for smaller ships...like ones that are the size of the millennium falcon or the original normandy are far more limited. and thus much more easily fit within the combat rules 5e already has.