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Old 02-06-2017, 09:50 AM   #31
sir_pudding
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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To start with the easy ones, the Barbarian, Knight, Scout, and Swashbuckler can be dropped straight in.
Artificiers, assassins, and justiciars would also seem to be easy ones.
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For simplicity, I'd run with the Wizard as written in Dungeon Fantasy 1. Okay, that means using the standard GURPS magic system, which isn't especially close to magic as hinted at in the early books (which seems vaguely Vancean with "memorised" spells) or as seen in later stories (which seems more improvisational), but, frankly, meh, close enough for government work, and it fits the tactical, resource-management feel traditional in dungeon fantasy. GMs can op to to use the Discworld RPG magic system instead if they wish, with characters switching the points that the templates assign to spells to Magic and Magical Form skills and improving specific spells, but that may slow combat down a little.
What about using incantors instead?
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Old 02-06-2017, 11:06 AM   #32
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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Artificiers, assassins, and justiciars would also seem to be easy ones.
I'll cast a glance over the later addition templates at some point. At present, I'm still on DF1.

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What about using incantors instead?
That's one of the later additions with which I have not yet familiarised myself.
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Old 02-10-2017, 11:34 AM   #33
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

Characters, Cont.

Clerics, Druids, and to a lesser extent Holy Warriors present a problem for Dungeon Fantasy games which aim to preserve a definite Discworld feel. Individuals who fit in at least the first two categories definitely appear in the novels, but they don't display some of the crucial features of the Dungeon Fantasy types; in particular, they don't do much in the way of spell casting. (Although Discworld druids do prove capable of some large-scale magical engineering, including flying giant lumps of rock around the scenery.) Any supernatural powers which Discworld priests do employ are mostly provided directly by their deities, who treat them as sometimes-valued employees meriting some fire support, but who are notoriously casual and unreliable, and often motivated by vanity.

Unfortunately, though, clerics really are a crucial element in dungeon fantasy, because they provide healing effects, which are often needed to keep reckless dungeon delvers alive. Moreover, granting wizards access to healing spells seems inappropriate, because Discworld magic has a worrying, eldritch aspect that means that you don't really want it inside your body; see the Discworld RPG, p. 207.

So Discworld dungeoneering priests (and their kin) need powers that look like direct divine aid rather than "granted spells". (This is still more than is often seen in the novels, but greater divine interventionism might well be be plausible in the Disc's sword and sorcery era.) The Holy Abilities granted to Dungeon Fantasy Clerics and Holy Warriors go some way to covering this, but are somewhat limited; still, Holy Warriors built around those powers might well be very useful. (Few warriors seen in the novels are terribly devout or saintly, but maybe there used to be a few around.) They can even gain healing abilities if they can scrabble together 33 points, though Faith Healing is a bit restricted.

Fortunately, a working solution to this problem appears in Pyramid issue 3/36, with the idea of "Dungeon Saints", which in turn builds on GURPS Powers: Divine Favor. For a Discworld-appropriate dungeoneering cleric, use the Cleric template with the Saint lens; this gives you a priest who gets direct divine aid, from an immanent deity, with a wide variety of options. The healing abilities involved still have the restrictions built into Faith Healing, but this may encourage roleplaying and a bit of careful resource management.

Holy Warriors with the Warrior-Saint lens might also be plausible, though a Discworld warrior who spends too much time talking to his gods is going to look a little odd; sticking with the Holy Abilities option may work just as well. Druids are more of a problem, but aren't really so much of a necessity; if you want one anyway, build a Cleric with the Saint lens and some appropriate choices of Learned Prayers, switch weapon skills to something appropriate for sickle swords and daggers, juggle some other skills around to more closely match those in the Druid template, and call them a druid. It might also be worth taking the time to build some new druid-style blessings such as "Flying Obelisk", "Friendly Wolf Pack", or "Entangling Vegetation".

To Be Continued...
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Old 02-10-2017, 02:48 PM   #34
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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(This is still more than is often seen in the novels, but greater divine interventionism might well be be plausible in the Disc's sword and sorcery era.)
If someone wanted to go all-out on this, the Mage Wars period (p13) lets them get spectacular.
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Old 02-10-2017, 02:53 PM   #35
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

Incidentally, someone wanted to play a Brutha expy in a DF game and I suggested a dungeon saint, unfortunately the GM didn't want to use those rules, but I still think it would have been exactly what she wanted.
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Old 02-10-2017, 04:02 PM   #36
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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If someone wanted to go all-out on this, the Mage Wars period (p13) lets them get spectacular.
Yeah, but that gets into "Start using Nobilis for the rules" territory...
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Old 02-11-2017, 07:56 AM   #37
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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This is still more than is often seen in the novels, but greater divine interventionism might well be be plausible in the Disc's sword and sorcery era.
Or perhaps the campaign setting could be "A Renewal Of Divinity" in which the gods once again stop just watching on the telly and start actively tossing about lightning bolts, fate changes, and healing for those that are devout.


Or maybe the Gods only get involved when the Heroes venture out of civilization and into the wild lands and deep dungeons.
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Old 02-11-2017, 08:45 AM   #38
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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Or perhaps the campaign setting could be "A Renewal Of Divinity" in which the gods once again stop just watching on the telly and start actively tossing about lightning bolts, fate changes, and healing for those that are devout.
Canonically, They Don't Do That (much). They did once upon a time, and that ended up with the Old High Ones stepping in. You really don't want the likes of Azrael making throat-clearing noises about your behaviour.

Except that they do get all interventionist sometimes. So yes, a bit of divine interventionism is never actually prohibited. There's just, you know, checks and balances (i.e. the prospect of your fellow divinities dog-piling you).
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Old 02-11-2017, 04:25 PM   #39
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

One scenario I was imagining for a Discworld Dungeon Fantasy setting was the Gods starting up a "Wargames of the Gods" thing where they pick sides (Light vs Dark, Order vs Chaos, Stripes vs Polka-Dots, etc), with one side starting to create monsters, and the other empowering champions to slay them. ...With the twist that both sides were empowering monsters and champions against the other side.

Another scenario I envisioned was the Disc being actively invaded by an outside force, with the Disc Gods having to empower champions to fight off the invaders. Maybe the invasion is triggered by a massive asteroid crashing onto the Disc, which turns out to be a planetoid inhabited by a Burning Legion-style army of demons and monsters, and the whole scenario plays out like a War of the Worlds type conflict?
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Old 02-11-2017, 04:32 PM   #40
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Default Re: Discworld, Dungeonworld

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One scenario I was imagining for a Discworld Dungeon Fantasy setting was the Gods starting up a "Wargames of the Gods" thing where they pick sides (Light vs Dark, Order vs Chaos, Stripes vs Polka-Dots, etc), with one side starting to create monsters, and the other empowering champions to slay them. ...With the twist that both sides were empowering monsters and champions against the other side.

Another scenario I envisioned was the Disc being actively invaded by an outside force, with the Disc Gods having to empower champions to fight off the invaders. Maybe the invasion is triggered by a massive asteroid crashing onto the Disc, which turns out to be a planetoid inhabited by a Burning Legion-style army of demons and monsters, and the whole scenario plays out like a War of the Worlds type conflict?
There's considerable canonical support for this...
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