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Thread: Post Apocalyptic D&D
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2015-03-26, 07:48 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2015
Post Apocalyptic D&D
My first post! So I have a bit of a challenge in front of me for my 5e campaign. My PCs chose the 'nuclear option' unleashed an ancient illithid god who ripped a comet out of the heavens and destroyed the surface of the planet... I could get into the nitty gritty of the story (it takes place on my own home brew world) but for brevity I have two challenges I need help with:
1. The PCs must spend a year or so on a floating island village with 2 dozen NPCs to wait till the fallout clears. Does anyone have some good ideas for adventures that take place all within a small isolated village? Maybe a game that took place on a desert island? I want to explore themes of survival and maybe intrigue/mystery and less combat heavy.
2. Anyone have experience playing a post apocalyptic D&D campain? I'd love to do something like Fallout meets sword and sorcery. I was a big fan of Dark Sun, but that was a world where the apocalypse happened long ago. Here it's still very fresh. I think Fearun had something similar in it's distant past but I can't remember.
Any advice on things to avoid in this type of setting? Anything really cool or memorable from your own games? I can get into world specifics with art and maps I made if anyone is interested.
Thanks!
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2015-03-26, 08:15 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jun 2007
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- The DownUnderdark!
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
The Midnight setting might have some interesting ideas in it for you. Its not exactly what your looking for, but it might help.
It might also be worth looking at Mutant Year Zero. While more standard post apoc stuff, the game spends a lot of time on the ins and outs of getting a small settlement to survive and even prosper in a post apoc worldAside from "have fun", i think the key to GMing is putting your players into situations where they need to make a choice that has no perfect outcome available. They will hate you for it, but they will be back at the table session after session.
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2015-03-26, 08:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2015
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
1. A murder mystery with a limited cast of characters is always good. Maybe tie it to the arrival of another set of survivors they fish out of the ocean on a life raft to spice it up.
What would be fun(ny) would be to have the island degenerate into a Lord of the Flies type factional warfare as the last vestiges of civilization slip away.
2. I had a post-apocalyptic region where the survivors, in fortified cities, would send criminals to patrol. They were the last line of protection against the unleashed mutant horrors of the wasteland.
Eberron has a zone like this, the fallout of some unknown magical cataclysm.
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2015-03-26, 08:44 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2014
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
Might I ask what sort of races you have in this setting? If there are a lot and several intimidating ones you could play up a lot of racial tension.
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2015-03-26, 08:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2015
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
@Kaun: actually Midnight looks really great for what I'm setting up, maybe just a bit more sparely populated , but the idea of a god who creates a veil to block other gods influence and steal all the magic for his own is perfect!
@Maglubiyet: great ideas, having another group of survivors with a murder mystery added in could be really fun
@Ralanr: The PCs are currently living on a floating island inhabited by a clan of thieving Kunku, the Crimson Talon Company. There are young hatchlings and old grey birds there too. In the world generally, the illithid and underground dwelling races have plotted to destroy (and seemingly succeeded) the surface dwellers and steal the magic of the elves. So there is a lot of possible tensions.Last edited by GoatKid; 2015-03-26 at 08:59 PM.
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2015-03-26, 08:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jan 2015
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- Frozen City
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
When a planet experiences an apocalypse you just shove it into the astral plane for a brief while and then bring it out in the outer plane of post-apocalyptic planets. You just need to set some planar traits for the plane and you're all set. This also maybe explains why everyone doesn't just jump to a nearby planet where there isn't a post-apocalypse situation. If it isn't on another plane you just sort of move away from it and you're all set. No need to bother with post-apocalypse in a normal D&D setting, just give up on the world and move on.
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2015-03-26, 09:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
It's a good point to consider. At a certain level planar travel for the PCs even becomes possible and if life is too harsh why not pack your bags and move your hobo-murder crew on to easier pickings.
So ya. Gotta block the world off and Midnight sounds like a good solution. Personally I like extraplanar pocket or bubble dimensions.Last edited by aspekt; 2015-03-26 at 09:32 PM.
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2015-03-26, 09:38 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2015
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
My world is a little different than Vanilla D&D in that planar travel is not common or easy, and I sort of want to stay away from a Spelljammer situation. Magic is somewhat limited too, though most if the monsters and classes are the same as regular D&D.
Besides, I really want to add an element of survival, desperation and scarcity, thus post-apocalyptic setting. My PCs love getting creative with limited resources :)
Any ideas on limiting equipment and loot while still making adventuring worthwhile? I liked how in Dark Sun, metal was rare, so even a broken long sword was a coveted item.
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2015-03-27, 12:18 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2014
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
The d20Modern Apocalypse splat book had som intetesting tables for scavenging. I would probably rely on something similar adapted of course. Add to this an emphasis on crafting various things from food and water to knapsacks, even armor, or weapons.
I might require a daily food scavenge roll in order to maintain optimal health, ie., CON score.
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2015-03-27, 12:27 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2014
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
I love this idea, and I'd love to arrive at it after the players fail to achieve some goal. They survive, but the world dies.
I think you should have them uncover a teleportation circle and a book of locations to which the circle can take them, so they can try to find resources to repair the world, or fight further evil. Not all of the locations open portals, meaning the circles there have been damaged or lost, but some do, opening into areas that somehow escaped the devastation. Most of these are devoid of anything except ruins, monsters, and some cool treasure, but some also have other survivors who might ally with or oppose the PCs.
Stargate, basically.
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2015-03-27, 01:30 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Apr 2013
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
"When the sky falls" by Malhavoc press might be useful. It has campaign ideas, some new mechanics and general advice for how to handle games before, during and after the impact of heavenly bodies.
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2015-03-27, 08:14 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2011
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- Sharangar's Revenge
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
Don't forget the Three Clue Rule when planning your murder mystery.
How big is the "island" the group is on? Will it be big enough that exploring it and solving the mystery will occupy the group for an in-game year, while still keeping the players interested? I'd recommend a time jump (Later thateveningyear) once the Murder has been solved. You can still play the Survival game when they return to the post-apocalyptic world.Warhammer 40,000 Campaign Skirmish Game: Warpstrike
My Spelljammer stuff (including an orbit tracker), 2E AD&D spreadsheet, and Vault of the Drow maps are available in my Dropbox. Feel free to use or not use it as you see fit!
Thri-Kreen Ranger/Psionicist by me, based off of Rich's A Monster for Every Season
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2015-03-27, 09:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Dec 2007
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- San Antonio, Texas
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
Seriously, no-one has suggested binge-watching Thundarr the Barbarian?
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2015-03-27, 10:34 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2015
Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
Great article! I was thinking of skipping through the year with a summery and asking the players what their goals are for the year, if they explored the island or did any training. Any advice for quickly Roleplaying through a long span of time? I was then going to gave the murder mystery begin the adventure.
I'm thinking the resident alchemist experiments on a crop of mushrooms to grow for food to help the group survive. The growth explodes and in a few months the island starts to become overrun with a mushroom forest. Some of the younger members begin playing in it and maybe one ends up dead. The culprit could be a group of mushrooms that became sentient myconids or something? Or perhaps a they are blamed for the death when the real culprit is on of the other NPCs? Do you think it's wise to have a murder mystery able to be solved in several ways? With good/bad endings?
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2015-03-27, 10:57 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2015
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
I think it's essential that PC choices have an impact on the outcome. Will they end up as heroes of the island, leading the group of survivors into a brave new world? Will they end up as refugees, cast out of the last bastion of civilization in a world gone mad? Or something else entirely...? Unless you have specific plans on where you want the campaign to go, it's up to them to decide.
And yeah, don't forget that Three Clue Rule. That was great reading.
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2015-03-27, 12:09 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Aug 2011
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- Sharangar's Revenge
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Re: Post Apocalyptic D&D
Warhammer 40,000 Campaign Skirmish Game: Warpstrike
My Spelljammer stuff (including an orbit tracker), 2E AD&D spreadsheet, and Vault of the Drow maps are available in my Dropbox. Feel free to use or not use it as you see fit!
Thri-Kreen Ranger/Psionicist by me, based off of Rich's A Monster for Every Season
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2015-03-27, 12:14 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2014
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2015-03-27, 12:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2014