[Interest Check] Old World of Darkness/D&D Homebrew crossover

Many years ago, while I was in the Navy, my friends and I were underway for many months and no one could agree on which game system they wanted to play. It was my turn to run a campaign/story, and so to solve the dilemma I split the difference and slapped both worlds together, using the D10 system from oWoD with the class system from D&D and blending the two worlds together in a massive opening cataclysm to kick the whole thing off. Fast-forward ~10 years, and I'm curious if there are any intrepid souls who'd be interested in investigating this new conglomerate world. For my sake, we'd be using V20 and the Eberron setting, because those are what I'm most familiar with. Players would be encouraged to create a class or clan (not a bloodline) that resonates with them most directly. Not Required Familiarity with either system Experience with one or both settings Library of literature Strict adherence to the rules of either system Fear of the unknown Required Willingness to try something new Patience with your Storyteller/GM while sifting through a load of rules to find those that work best for PC's from both worlds The ability to let the petty stuff slide (Pro-tip: It's all petty stuff) 2-4 hours a week, depending on how the session is going The ability to play your CHARACTER, not your clan, class or weapon specialty My Plan While there will be a splash of combat here and there, this will not be the primary focus of the game. Instead, the PC's will need to pool their collective knowledge of their disparate worlds in order to learn how to survive in the new one. Cosmology, astronomy, and the basic understanding of the world around you will all be thrown into a state of upheaval. The Triat, Gaia, the Sovereign Host and the Dark Six will all be in direct contention with one another while the Tellurian is remolded into something that hasn't been seen before. Existing cities, settings, power structures and sectarian leadership will collapse and will need to be rebuilt. Many will die, and those who remain from both worlds will have to find a way to share the new one that has been born from the rubble of the past. What I Need to Know Is this even something of interest to you? What clan/class/race would you play, if this coalesces into a thing? With a period of holidays approaching, would you rather start in November, or give me a few weeks to finalize a significant portion of the setting/backstory/chronicle and start after the New Year? What You Need to Know My work/home life is ... non-standard, so I've really only got Friday evenings (8pm EST/5pm PST US) open for this. There will be minimal use of miniatures/tokens/in-game maps, but considerable use of Roll20's dice system. D&D PC's CAN be embraced and turned into vampires, while retaining their class levels/abilities WoD PC's CAN adopt a class and begin gaining "Levels" in that class. D&D Arcane casters will not be subject to "Paradox", as the paradigm of both worlds will have collided and cancelled each other out altered the means by which magick functions. As with normal Paradox, it will depend on who the observer is. Natives of Eberron will not count as "Witnesses", but vulgar effects are still vulgar effects. D&D Divine casters will have an effective level of True Faith applied to them for the purposes of interacting with the Unliving. Feel free to PM questions, but if you decide you're interested please post something to say so here so I have a central record of such things for the future.

This space reserved for running game roster to include: Name, Race/Class or Clan Derek Grogimus Kathryn(?) Gary Possibly one other, but I'll wait to hear back from him.

I'm interested in playing. I'd like to know if there is a specific D&D edition you would prefer for character use. As for my character, I have a fresh vampire that I've been wanting to use. Name- Nobody Clan- Tzimisce I have thought out most of his concept and personality with exception to his starting placement within the story.

Would be 3rd edition, but again we're going to rely on WoD's D10 system for the sake of norming. And, just to give folks something to ponder...

This does sound extremely interesting to me. I'm not really sure what class or race I would play. I would need to know more about the story first. However, I'd like to be updated on what you plan to do with this.

Kathryn R. said: This does sound extremely interesting to me. I'm not really sure what class or race I would play. I would need to know more about the story first. However, I'd like to be updated on what you plan to do with this. The story is going to evolve as events unfold. Both worlds are going to be (understandably) thrown into turmoil. The basic outline I have (and mind you I just started fleshing this out today) so far goes something like this: Chapter 1: Two become one Basically this is the coming together of all the PC's (as is necessary). I'll probably do prequel sessions on an individual basis before this, possibly in small groups depending on how many people want to begin play on either side of the planar divide. WoD characters will see various powers cease to function, change or become enhanced as befits their new world. D&D characters will be introduced to all manner of new technology, a great deal different than even the most eldritch creations of their native Artificers. I'll probably also start introducing the first obvious changes to the ecology and climate of the material world here. A lot of things will remain largely the same (comparable gravity, day/night cycles, basic predator/prey behavior), but there will also be new land masses, new oceanic currents, a tripling in size of the polar ice shelf virtually over night. We'll play it by ear for the most part, but I expect this to fill out two sessions, if not more. Just depends on the characters and their actions. Chapter 2: Learning to survive in a new world This is where more esoteric changes will become evident. WoD characters are likely to see things they've only read about... in fiction novels. Dragons, spontaneous magic, elves, dwarves, kobolds, orcs and many less friendly creatures. The change in oceanic currents is going to become a character unto itself at this stage. Hurricanes, a huge drop in global temperature, massive influx of new forested areas resulting in a dramatic reversal of green house effects. Certain technologies (on both sides) will cease to function properly. This is basically the "Okay, now what?" phase. As before, there is a lot to cover here, and not all of it will be pertinent to the story. I'll probably be making liberal use of downtime posts to make sure nothing gets lost in the shuffle, but actual sessions don't get bogged down with jeopardy knowledge that really isn't going to be immediately useful. Chapter 3: Rebuilding This is going to be where I loosen the reigns considerably. While it's my world and you're just living in it, I want players to feel like they're a part of that world, not just outside observers. Established order, organizations, and leadership structures will be falling apart and something new will need to be erected in their place. I want to give the players a chance to take things in their own direction. Will you investigate the conditions of this new world as modern explorers? Set down roots and attempt to establish order in a new realm? Split up and go your separate ways, because... Reasons? From here forward, there are simply too many variables at work to say where the story might go. Someone might roll up a Cleric and inspire a particularly humane Kindred to seek out Golconda, which could take up a whole chapter on its own. The party as a whole might decide to establish a utopian society, but how long before the Kindred succumb to their Beast? Or a roving band of Garou swarm the place, driven insane by the pull of 12 new moons?

You had me at hello

I love you too, Grog... but not in a homosexual way. Strictly platonic.

Coming to this website just last night... and finding something like this. I love it. I only own a V20 book myself and hate the Req system of WoD (so nWoD?) but obviously the V20 is Dark ages aka the original with Malkavians being freaking Malks! This said... I have a little Child Brujah of 8th Generation I would love to bring here - I'm curious as to how the class system will mix with the Vampire system; of course the "Were" themes will certainly be interesting too! Unless Embraced fills the theme slot? I only have a little experience with Pathfinder, which the base is 3rd - I hope that's enough. But I have enough experience with V20 and Req I hope to cover bases with D10 combat xD PM me any details if a 170 year old 8th Gen Brujah child interests ya!... who loves burning stuff... and being a pain to "adults".

Gary H. said: Coming to this website just last night... and finding something like this. I love it. I only own a V20 book myself and hate the Req system of WoD (so nWoD?) but obviously the V20 is Dark ages aka the original with Malkavians being freaking Malks! This said... I have a little Child Brujah of 8th Generation I would love to bring here - I'm curious as to how the class system will mix with the Vampire system; of course the "Were" themes will certainly be interesting too! Unless Embraced fills the theme slot? I only have a little experience with Pathfinder, which the base is 3rd - I hope that's enough. But I have enough experience with V20 and Req I hope to cover bases with D10 combat xD PM me any details if a 170 year old 8th Gen Brujah child interests ya!... who loves burning stuff... and being a pain to "adults". Right now, I'm still in the planning phase. It's good that I've got 3-4 people interested, but I need at least another week just to nail down the core translations for D&D systems before I can even begin to build onto the framework I have for the story itself. In theory, I could kick off next Friday and present a passable interpretation of a hybrid-game, but I don't do anything by half measures. "Passable" isn't fair to anyone, most especially 4-6 people who are willing to commit 2 hours or more of their Friday night to trying out my hair-brained idea. I'd rather take at least the next two weeks (with one of them composed of 1-on-1 sessions), get everything I need in place system wise, and have a mid to long term series of sign-post events to get things started. With the end of the year just 8 weeks off, and holidays looming down on most people, I don't want to get into any grand, arching massive story lines and then have to break for a week or more while people travel or otherwise disappear. That's not fair to the group, to the player who misses out, or (frankly) to me. That said, by November 7, I should be in a better position to get started if there is a group ready to go. On an unrelated note, after conversing with a friend on the subject I'm going to open up Garou as well, on the understanding that I have not extensively run W:tA stories, so players choosing to create Shifters need to be forgiving of that fact. The truth is, the upheaval that is likely to take place in the Umbra, between the Triat, the Eberron Pantheon and Gaia is simply too awesome to pass up on, and without shifters there'd be no mention of it at all.

Next Friday would be silly though, it's Halloween! I have little experience with the giant dogs of WoD though - aside from the one in Bloodlines. From what I've seen in actual gameplay though, an automatic shotgun that crits on 9's seems to work against them providing they are attacking someone else. I don't like the idea of fighting against them with my 'lil Vamp girl heh. But yeah... the "were" themes in general would need to be discaded from a D&D point and translated into WoD; easier to attempt a balance.

I love you in a merely platonicesc...i mean..you sure cause i thought we had a nice thing going..i mean... LOL.. Its fine by the by I will be looking into eberon a bit more to attempt to see how the Garou fit now that everything has been thrown sideways. The existential crisis for Kills is just too good to pass up

Would the game be voice or text? I don't think I've seen a mention of that. Also, I noticed for a while that it seemed vampires were the assumed "WoD" characters, but that Garou were add. Other WoD types are still off-limits, then?

My assumption is that Mages from WoD would become much more like dnd mages, since otherwise they might blow up Changelings would simply get destroyed the Wyld is being taken over or destoryed/the dreaming would be mashed into the astral realm where ALOT of monsters would hunt them down that are far worse than anything they have faced before Hunters; depends on if angels take up the slack and help them in my mind my 2 cents, and this will be voice I am pretty sure

Alright, so... this is an odd discussion to wake up to at an odd hour in the morning, but... here I go. (Side note: Y no D&D yet? Ranger gets hold of a fully automatic weapon, hilarity ensues! C'mon!) Megan Jones said: Would the game be voice or text? I don't think I've seen a mention of that. Also, I noticed for a while that it seemed vampires were the assumed "WoD" characters, but that Garou were add. Other WoD types are still off-limits, then? My gut says go with Voice, because it's infinitely easier to describe things via Skype. My primary experience storytelling is with Vampire, thus the initial focus on Kindred. I have sufficient understanding of Garou to be able to incorporate them without making anyone want to smash my face into a monitor... (But only just). While incorporating Mages would be... possible? I severely doubt any of them would stray very far from their Chapter House or Tradition. The technocracy would simply break under the weight of change to the global Paradigm, and everyone else would be too scared to even LOOK at a foci until the Quintessential dust settled. As for the lesser lines. I've barely scratched the surface of Demon or Hunter, and changeling still baffles me, but after a bit of thought: The entities known as "Demons" would be instantly forced from their vessels and thrown onto the plane of Shavarath (one of Eberron's 13 moons). Those with sufficiently low torment would be drawn to either Irian or Daanvi instead. Their vessels, being dead anyway, would simply collapse. Hunters, who have been Imbued, would instantly show up on the radar of the Sovereign Host and either by directed to the nearest Cleric to begin training in a holy order, meanwhile those without a sufficiently flexible mind will charge at the first non-standard creature they see and probably end up getting themselves mauled by an Owl Bear, or eaten by a Bullette. Changelings would either burn-out from the sudden influx of glamour in certain places (Aerenal is a continent made up entirely of elves, who practice A LOT of magic). Those with sufficiently low banality ratings and sufficiently high glamour scores of their own would be (like demons above) drawn to one of Eberron's 13 moons, in this case Thelanis. I hate to call other WoD lines off limits, but as I mentioned earlier I dislike the idea of not being able to do something all the way. If I don't know enough about a game line to be a player, I wouldn't want to subject someone to my half-assed storytelling of it. It's not fair to you as a player.

A side note for D&D characters: Because I'll be using White Wolf's D10 format, which relies on classless advancement, it's reasonable to assume that the usually god-like higher level abilities of D&D classes will be horribly altered. Reasonable, but wholly inaccurate. Gaining levels in a class must-needs confer appropriate benefits, and thus every 5 levels will apply an additional health level that a PC can take. IE: A level 10 Mage will have 9 health levels instead of the base 7 that the average classless PC would have. Similarly, I'll be doling out XP in two tiers. The first will be for classless WoD advancement in attributes/abilities and other individual stats. The second will be toward class advancement. Feats gained through advancement in a class will be treated as WoD merits, and appropriately translated into useful abilities in the new system. So, the ranger who gains Endurance at level 3 will still gain appropriate benefits from it.

While the fact that the game will be using voice pretty much eliminates me as a player, I have to make one comment. I've been in one game that mixed DnD with WoD (I played a mage in an apocalyptic setting), and it was done horribly. I, as a true mage, could do almost nothing, while the DnD-type mage was insanely powerful. He had made all difficulties for awakened magic level+5, instead of +3, and removed the ability to spend quintessence for lower difficulties, so I was rolling impossibly high difficulties with very low dice pools. It was hopeless, and the conjurer could pretty much just cast and it happened, or he had to roll a basic Difficulty 6 with an Intelligence+Arcane pool or something like that. He argued that I'd be a goddess when I had five dots, but I'd be rolling against a difficulty 10! I'd have been as likely to have a catastrophic failure as I was to even have a minimal success. So, make sure that you really crunch the numbers when you're trying to balance things out.

Megan Jones said: While the fact that the game will be using voice pretty much eliminates me as a player, I have to make one comment. I've been in one game that mixed DnD with WoD (I played a mage in an apocalyptic setting), and it was done horribly. I, as a true mage, could do almost nothing, while the DnD-type mage was insanely powerful. He had made all difficulties for awakened magic level+5, instead of +3, and removed the ability to spend quintessence for lower difficulties, so I was rolling impossibly high difficulties with very low dice pools. It was hopeless, and the conjurer could pretty much just cast and it happened, or he had to roll a basic Difficulty 6 with an Intelligence+Arcane pool or something like that. He argued that I'd be a goddess when I had five dots, but I'd be rolling against a difficulty 10! I'd have been as likely to have a catastrophic failure as I was to even have a minimal success. So, make sure that you really crunch the numbers when you're trying to balance things out. Yeah. All of this. It's part of why I decided to inflict Paradox on all magic users evenly. The idea being that, with the joining of two worlds, the Tellurian would be stretched even more thinly than ever before. Thus, any magic used under unfavorable circumstances would stand the risk of inflicting monumental backlash... IE: Sure, you can cast magic missile... just don't botch the activation roll. Oh? You did? ... How high a level is your caster? ... eeeeew... um... here's a lovely parting gift.

For anyone else stumbling across this thread, feel free to drop by the LFG listing and poke about, provide feedback or post questions.

Just bumping this because I've recently lost a player to RL and would like to welcome new blood... er... no... not blood, uhm...