Dming Ravnica

[quiet1mi]

I decided I was going to have my D&D based in MTG's multiverse, Ravnica...

The setting will be primarily be in the city and the main plot line is a mystery...

Any tips to follow or pitfalls to avoid?

[AslanCross]

I'd think the political climate in Ravnica will be rather similar to Eberron's---namely, almost everything is run by a bunch of powerful guilds. It's just a lot stronger in Ravnica since the guilds pretty much control everything. They ARE the government.

Question though---"primarily in the city?" Isn't the entire plane a city?

[Optimystik]

I suggest you draw some ideas from Cityscape for this (if you haven't already.)

Also, try to tie very thematic casters to each of the guilds. For example, House Dimir and the Orzhov are likely to have Shadowcasters/Noctumancers in the ranks, while the Golgari are likely going to have the most necromancers, and the Azorius/Boros will have the most abjuration.

Will the players start belonging to guilds, or will they be unaffiliated? This will change their in-character knowledge about the inner-workings of Ravnica.

[Deth Muncher]

I had a friend try to do this a while back, but it failed. :/

Anyway. Any casters should be whatever the super-ultra-focused variant is, because now you have to imagine magic in terms of color (no, not octarine). Wielders of White magic probably don't like wielders of Black, etc etc.

Are they going to end up as the Boros policemen, like Argus Kos? That'd be nice, to have them run into him.

Erm, other than that...treat Ravnica as an Anti-Sigil. Rather, that you have a lot of diverse population, but no one leaves. There are no portals. Which reminds me, traveling magic should either be refluffed or fail. Actually, anything utilizing another plane for its function pretty much can't work ever, thanks to their Pact.

[Optimystik]

Erm, other than that...treat Ravnica as an Anti-Sigil. Rather, that you have a lot of diverse population, but no one leaves. There are no portals. Which reminds me, traveling magic should either be refluffed or fail. Actually, anything utilizing another plane for its function pretty much can't work ever, thanks to their Pact.

While I agree to this, I hasten to add that transitive planes (Shadow, Ethereal, Astral) should be accessible, particularly by Dimir (the sneaky house.) Just don't make any other planes coterminous other than the Material.

Note: You will also likely need the Ghostwalk supplement, it fits Ravnica like a glove.

Psionics and ToB should be allowed.

Who do Clerics worship? Perhaps the Paruns can grant spells (Certainly Rakdos, Razia and the Syndicate should be able to), or maybe the Guildpact itself. The Nephilim definitely should be allowed to do so as well.

[Eldariel]

It's worth noting that if you pick the time period where the Ravnica-block takes place, the plane is getting effed up thanks to the sundering of Dominaria. So yeah, it's mentioned to manifest as dead souls not being able to pass away.

Dominaria is sort of the Astral Plane of the mythos (not literally; the AEther is the true Astral Plane); the other planes connect through it and it getting ****ed up really screws up the connections. So yeah, as Optimystik said, Ghostwalk is a perfect option.

[arguskos]

Are they going to end up as the Boros policemen, like Argus Kos? That'd be nice, to have them run into him.

Super hyper nitpick: his name is actually Agrus Kos. Argus Kos is me.

Also, I fully support this course of action. I thought about doing something similar once, but never really did so, since translating it perfectly would be too much work. I do recommend that most of guilds have a "casting" focus, so that when a dude comes along and throws a fireball at you, you know he's either Boros, Izzet, or Gruul, etc.

[Eldariel]

Super hyper nitpick: his name is actually Agrus Kos. Argus Kos is me.

Also, I fully support this course of action. I thought about doing something similar once, but never really did so, since translating it perfectly would be too much work. I do recommend that most of guilds have a "casting" focus, so that when a dude comes along and throws a fireball at you, you know he's either Boros, Izzet, or Gruul, etc.

Guild-aligned magic could be easy to do by colors, but I think it's more interesting by what the guild stands for. Colors I think would look like:

Green: Transmutation
Blue: Divination
White: Abjuration
Red: Evocation
Black: Necromancy


In MTGVerse, everyone "needs" access to Conjuration (well, it needs to be an universal school anyways since very color has representatives with such capabilities) since everyone has the capability to summon creatures of the appropriate types. Other aspects of Conjuration, particularly Fogs, feel Green while Teleportation feels Blue. Abjuration is also a bit weird; Dispel-effects are absolutely blue while white has the protection.

[Vizzerdrix]

Advice: Campaign Journal

[Dr Bwaa]

Erm, other than that...treat Ravnica as an Anti-Sigil. Rather, that you have a lot of diverse population, but no one leaves. There are no portals. Which reminds me, traveling magic should either be refluffed or fail. Actually, anything utilizing another plane for its function pretty much can't work ever, thanks to their Pact.

Not to mention that only Planeswalkers can plane-shift (unless that's changed by the time Ravnica block happens; I haven't kept up with the story past Onslaught block very well).

[Deth Muncher]

Super hyper nitpick: his name is actually Agrus Kos. Argus Kos is me.
.

Rage.

Not to mention that only Planeswalkers can plane-shift (unless that's changed by the time Ravnica block happens; I haven't kept up with the story past Onslaught block very well).

No, at that point it's only Planeswalkers who can 'shift. The issue is that the last 'walkers left before the Pact was written, and subsequently cannot return thanks to it shutting down all interplanar travel.

While I agree to this, I hasten to add that transitive planes (Shadow, Ethereal, Astral) should be accessible, particularly by Dimir (the sneaky house.) Just don't make any other planes coterminous other than the Material.

Well...yeah, okay. I could understand those. But I don't actually remember anyone Teleporting. Blinking, maybe. Shadow Walking, sure. But actual factual Teleport? I don't think so.

[Darwin]

Wasn't there a thread here in the playground that dealt with a MtG conversion of 3.5? That might be a good place to start.

[jokey665]

I've actually been writing a full-on MtG supplement for 3.5. It's coming along slowly-ish, but I've got a lot done, including the Planeswalker base class, over 250 spells for said class, 19 prestige classes (including the 10 guildmages from Ravnica), and a handful of monsters. I plan on posting all of it on the homebrew forum here once it's in a more complete state.

I'm trying to keep things as true to MtG as possible while also making things fit in well with D&D, and I think it's coming along well as do my players that are playtesting it for me.

[Foryn Gilnith]

I have a miniature and heavily dated pdf for a Ravnica Campaign Setting. Not very detailed, but I'll get it up when I return to my main computer.

[Optimystik]

Well...yeah, okay. I could understand those. But I don't actually remember anyone Teleporting. Blinking, maybe. Shadow Walking, sure. But actual factual Teleport? I don't think so.

I didn't say anything about Teleport, did i?

Also, I fully support this course of action. I thought about doing something similar once, but never really did so, since translating it perfectly would be too much work. I do recommend that most of guilds have a "casting" focus, so that when a dude comes along and throws a fireball at you, you know he's either Boros, Izzet, or Gruul, etc.

A Caveat to this - not every mage in the city belongs to one of the guilds. The druids especially are guilty of this (The Cult of Yore hates Selesnya and Simic equally.) There's also illusions - The Dimir would love it if "anyone throwing a fireball must be Boros, Izzet or Gruul," because that would make it easy for them to do their thing, toss a fake fireball and frame one of the others.

It might take a bit of work, but the OP's best bet is assigning each spell to a guild or guilds that fit it thematically.

[vicente408]

Adventure hooks:

1) Asked by an Izzet Magewright to test a prototype invention.

2) Contracted to persuade/force a group of Gruul squatters out of a patch of land zoned for rebuilding.

3) Hired as security by an Orzhov businessman who fears retribution from a dissatisfied customer.

4) The party is in the Undercity, where they encounter a mob of Deadwalkers terrorizing the populace.

5) Asked to assist in a Selesnya volunteer effort to assist the guildless in a slum district.

6) Hired to hunt and capture an escaped Simic experiment, preferably captured alive.

7) Rakdos uprising! Help fight off the kill-guilders, or hunker down until the coast is clear.

Other goals could be enlisting with the Leage of Wojek, or trying to work your way into an audience with Niv-Mizzet. Maybe approached by a Dimir agent into doing some under-cover work.