Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

That's a good distinction between "wizards and sorcerers" in the D&D 3e sense. There's a lot of great stuff in Pyramid #66, I need to check it out more thoroughly...

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

I forgot to mention that I usually stick the Limitations for the sorcerors on their ritual adept and gathering mstery in addition to their magery. It brings their point cost down. You can also allow +0 grimoires for wizards, and perhaps a new kind of conditioal, "Pre-cast Rituals". These don't require a specialized workspace, have no subject until cast, and can't be given away or stolen (unless you have a spell for that).

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

Mystic Arcane path:

You have made a pact with some force. Maybe you are a Shinto shrine maiden communing with the local "gods" (minir supernatural entities). Maybe you are a Wiccan/Shaman who has entered pacts with the spirits. Maybe a saint has enrusted you with powers. Whatever the case, you do not worship a god, yet are invested with mysterious powers from mysterious spirits. Unfortunately, these spirits can never grant healing powers by themselves, but you can access them through another way. Requirements: You have taken Power investiture with a supernatural yet not quite divine being.

Focused casting: When casting spells granted to you through your pact, you gain +2 IQ for the purpose of focusing on your spells when disrupted. 5 points.

Brew Potions: You can use your Alchemy skill to turn a spell you can cast through Power Investiture into a potion, at four time the usual fatigue cost, and 400$ per fatigue point spend. The spell affects whomever drinks the potion. 5 points. This ability has Focused casting as a prerequisite.

Psychic lie detection: your ability to read the aura of living being and awareness of their aura spikes allow you to Detect Lies at +3, and to ignore any negative modifiers due to physiology. This ability has Focused Casting as a prerequisite.

Turn humans: Due to your connection with the spirits, you can send massive fear energy spikes affecting any IQ 6+ organic being. This is a fear affliction, emanating from you and affecting any valid target in a given radius, with the Mana Dependent limitation. Cost: variable. This ability has Psychic Lie Detection as a prerequisite.

Overcharge spell: You can overcharge any of your spells, making them cost four times as much fatigue but twice as efficient. This ability has Turn Humans as a prerequisite. Cost: 25 points.

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

Techno Mage arcane path: That old wizard with the heavy tomes was a fool! Magic is a wonderful tool, yes, but he really should trade his tomes for hard drives and his spellbook for a smartphone! Combining the understanding of magic with that of technology, you can create many new ways to use magic!

Prerequisites: Magery 0.

Spellfiles: All your spells have the Spellfiles limitation. Spellfiles are a spellbook in digital form, allowing for easy copy and storage. Depending on whether you want to keep your spells a secret or ensure at least one copy of your spellbook survives, this may be a disadvantage (hacking makes discovering your spellfiles easier), or an advantage (scatter enough digital copies in relatively safe places, and one set of spellfiles is virtually guaranteed to survive deliberate attempts at methodically destroying them). It has the same price reduction as "requires spellbook".

Program spell: A technomage can cast a spell on a device and program it to go off should someone do a specific action with it (cast "sleep" on the operator as soon as the session is entered on this computer, cast "fireball" on the area when someone flips on the lights...). Spells programmed that way have triple the usual FP cost, and discharge harmlessly after two days. Cost: 15 points.

Create Homonculus:

Homonculi are creatures bound to the techno mage, possessing no intelligence of their own but having some of the techno mage's life force. Homonculi cost 9000$ in raw materials to produce, and their creation takes a week as well as a skill check at -5 at the end. Homonculi are Size Modifier -4, have 8 HP, Unhealing (repairable), Injury Tolerance (Unliving), can see in total darkness, mindlink (Creator), flight (requires atmosphere), Fangs and Cannot Speak. Destruction of an homonculus causes the Techno Mage 2D-2 of damage in life-force backlash. The ability to create one kind of homunculus costs 25 points.

There are four kinds of homonculi: Biochemical (crafted through the Pharmaceutical skill):

Insubstantial

Possession (limitation: vermin).

Digital: Digital homonculi are a mix of magic and science. They can attach themselves to technological devices and locks, and allow their creators to use skills on them through their minds instead of their limbs. They can also interface with the Techno Mage's own computer to allow online computer hacking through his mind.

Flesh homonculus: A flesh homonculus was build using the magically cloned flesh of a techno mage. It has Fangs with linked poison effect (HT to resist, failure causes sleep for 1 hour times margin of failure, double that on a critical failure), Regeneration (Fast), and DR 4/0 (first value applies to any mundane attack, second value applies to any attack enhanced with magic or purely magical. Unlike regular DR, this DR doesn't causes an unarmed attacker injury, the attack just leaves damage that fixes itself extremely fast).

Mechanical: Mechanical homunculi look like a miniature robots, and can actually speak. It's bite has the added effect of causing 2 corrosion damage to the target it hits, in addition to normal biting damage. Also, a mechanical homunculus has 40 CP to spend on IQ skills and languages, and can buy at most three ranks in any skill. The techno mage needs not to know the skills to program them into the homunculus, but should he lack them, he needs a comprehensive database on the skills (either from someone knowing the skill and willingly giving a copy away (the person doesn't loses any skill in the process), or from computer or books) to program them.

Connectivity casting: A techno mage can cast a spell through electronics and electrical networks as long as he can identify his target's location precisely enough (the person watching the screens for this camera is. The closest person to known device X is. People operating the most important computer is not precise enough.). Spells cast this way are less effective though, and their targets get a +2 to rolls to resist them. This ability requires Create Homonculus as a prerequisite. Cost: 20.

Machine Empathy: You have learned to use your mind to understand machines better. All your skills about using technology gets a +1 bonus, you ignore familiarity and TL differences penalties and you can use any skill you don't know as if you had one point spend on it as log as it relates to using technology (from cracking a computer to piloting a space shuttle). Cost: 100 points. This ability requires Connectivity Casting.

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

Thrasher: a Thrasher is someone enhancing his or her body with arcane energy, to charge in melee range to kill foes, shrugging off puny swords and guns in the process. Stamina is critical to a Thrasher.

Tough it up! The first thrasher ability is to allow to use twice his/her HT for calculating Basic Speed if it would be better than HT + DX, allows automatic success on hiking, biking, skiing, and similar rolls to increase distance traveled per day, and to Will rolls for Extra Effort. 25 points.

Take that! For a cost of 4 FP (treated as being used for casting a spell for every purpose), a Thrasher can increase his/her ST and DX by 2 for 4D seconds, at the cost of reducing defenses and resistance to afflictions by 1 for the duration of this surge. 25 points. This ability requires Tought it up! As a prerequisite.

Danger sense.

Damage Reduction: a Thrasher can gain DR 4, 8 and 12 as long as he/she has Take that! and Danger Sense. This damage reduction is bypassed by magic only, but is unaffected by mundane Armor Divisors such as those coming from Armor Piercing bullets since it comes from an instant healing surge instead of a supernatural toughness. Magic simply cancels it.

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

Setting:

The magic came back to our world, bringing along elves, dwarves, drow, goblins, dragons, and all the typical D&D monsters.

Those who came here lost memories of the old world other that what they've experienced themselves, or closely held beliefs. A soldier who never met his king in person, and worshiped Heironeous, would remember his dedication to his gods, every battle he too part in, but would forget about the King or the Kingdom's geography. It would be amnesia, except the most important parts of their memories are still there, and what was lost was mostly knowledge that they can't apply in this new world anymore anyway. The common tongue had morphed into the local language in their mind, though the source of this process is unknown. They are definitely dealing with TL 3-4 knowledge though.

However, most people native from our world are unaware of the supernatural. They simply don't pay attention, they go to work, work their boring shifts, then go back home to sleep, they wouldn't notice that the girl sitting next to them in the train had pointy ears... But what about obvious and threatening displays of magic you ask? They were assured that magic doesn't exists, monsters don't either, so when they see magic, a monster, or both, their minds try to reconcile their beliefs in a mundane world with their experience. Most rationalize their experiences (seeing creatures as their closest mundane equivalent, a troll becoming a very big human brute), editing whatever magic they could see (this guy (a wizard) just lobbed incendiary grenades one after the other (actually, he cast a few fireballs)!), or discard them, the encounter becoming a blur in their mind, some time where they know they panicked but can't quite recall the details (and I can tell you IRL that people's ability to ignore what's blatantly in front of their eyes or edit it to fit their preconceived notions is impressive, but further discussion would probably be politically charged so has no place in this thread. If you want to have it, take it to PMs. Thank you!).

Quite a few organizations emerged from this melting pot, and the next series of posts will be about them.

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

The Church of Pelor:

Dogma: Known as the Sun God, Pelor is the god of the Sun, Light, Strength and Healing. The Church of Pelor is not the most militant (in the militia sense) religion, but will fight back tooth and nail if pushed. His holy symbol is a sun-shaped pendant (weight, negligible, cost: 5 to 50 $ depending on craftmanship, always made of common materials such as aluminum or stainless steel, Pelor doesn't values ostentatious displays of wealth so a good quality pendant resilient to wear and tear is alright, one made of solid gold isn't), and the Church of Pelor preaches the doctrine of making as many good deeds as you can in life. Evil takes root in suffering and the irrational reactions it causes afterward, and only by making good deeds can you alleviate suffering, depriving evil of many recruits.

Activities: sheltering and feeding the homeless, raising funds for free clinics for the more destitute, teaching the shadowkind (that is to say, the new arrivals) about the modern world, setting up contacts with the International Guild of Laborers (basically, a shadowkind union, with legal counsel and enough knowledge of immigration laws to start the naturalization legal process), and vice versa, offering conflict mediation services, and sometimes job training when they can get their hands on skilled people.

Relationship to the wider world:

Normal people: Another one of these weird Neo-Pagan cults, but they're nice enough, feeding the homeless and making the world a less cold and unforgiving place.
Normal D&D nerd: They are actually worshiping a D&D god? At least it's a good aligned one! Not like that "Sons of Tyranny" biker gang having Hextor's symbol on their jackets! Where did they hear about a D&D evil god anyway?
Aware people: So this Pelor god comes from another world? No wonder that new arrivals would bring their gods along, it must be their only comfort for most of them.
Aware D&D nerd: So D&D third edition was actually onto something? Who knew? I wonder if I'm cleric material... Or maybe Favored Soul or Paladin...
Good shadowkind: Glad we could find a safehouse in this town.
Evil shadowkind: Blast, with them here, we can't recruit the homeless in our gangs, but they know about us and are ready for a tussle... And even if we win, we will have their St Cuthbert friends after our heads...

Common traits among worshipers (priests may add divine blessings as appropriate): Reputation (philanthropist), Sense of Duty (Innocents), Compulsive Generosity, Claim to hospitality (most shadowkind have it by default), Extended lifespan (for non-humans), Talent (Healer), Charitable, Pacifism, Selfless.

Required: Vow (major): Help innocent people as well as you can, do as many good deeds as you can, to the best of your abilities, each of these deeds will help drive away evil.

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

The Sons of Tyranny:

Dogma: The strong takes all, the weak serves or dies.

The sons of Tyranny were originally a normal biker gang, robbing shops and committing other such crimes. One day, they tried robbing a gas station, but the local police anticipated it and called for backup. The gang was surrounded by a few dozen cops, as well as four SWAT elements and five police snipers. Then, inside the gas station appeared a muscled and scarred man with six arms. He told them that he watched them and admired their resourcefulness and ruthlessness, and it would be a shame that all of it would end by some cowardly move by the police... He could help them, make them extraordinarily powerful, able to challenge even the National Guard, if they swore loyalty to him, Hextor. They agreed, and the next day, the death of a few dozen cops in full arrest gear as well as four swat elements and five police snipers make the national news. The gang soon grew as every never do well with a bike begged to join, and split in two, then in four, then in eight, and today no one knows how many subgroups of the Sons of Tyranny exist, only that they make bloody rampages across the country, and have started to spread in the rest of the world...

Activities: robberies, murder, more robberies, more murder, rape, more robberies, fighting the Church of St Cuthbert at every opportunity, whatever they (think) they can get away with.

Relationship to the wider world:

Normal people: These guys are scary! How did they manage to challenge even the National Guard?
Normal D&D nerd: Where did the baddest, more dangerous biker gang found the symbol of an evil God from D&D, and why the hell did they put it on all their jackets?
Aware people: So a bunch of thugs backed up by an evil shadowkind god is much more dangerous, but still a bunch of thugs.
Aware D&D nerd: A bunch of thugs following the god of Tyranny and so convinced of their superiority just because they can swing a mean chain? Dangerous, especially since they have divine backing... Who thought D&D was onto something?
Good shadowkind: A very dangerous foe, we must tread carefully as these dangerous brutes on these mechanical horses can attack us any second...
Evil shadowkind: I know how to fight, if only I knew my way around these steel horses I could challenge armies even!

Common traits: Criminal Record, Combat Reflexes, Fearlessness, Berserk, Bad temper, Bloodlust, Bully, Greed, Impulsiveness, Megalomania, Wounded.

Required traits: Callous, Sadism, enemies (Law Enforcement, Church of St Cuthbert).

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

Paranormal Science and Investigation agency (AKA "PSI")

An offshoot of the CIA experiments on psionic powers (which were met with very limited success), PSI is an US government intelligence agency that every psionic US secret agent belongs to. Members with at least a minor psionic power make up 27% of their field operatives, and the last 73% are trained in countering psionic opponents and equipped with the best psi-tech. PSI agents are very effective at what they do, but are few in numbers.

PSI's mandate covers the paranormal. Their specialty is psionics, but secret cabals of mages trying to take over the world through summoning demons, the aforementioned Sons of Tyranny, and basically every group the US state deems a threat to national security is made their target.

Depending on the campaign, PSI could be an extraordinary agency concerned with the well being of citizens, secretly trying to plot to overthrow the US gov't to rule themselves, secretly trying to overthrow a corrupt government that has started to use them on dissidents who did not commit any violent crime, or a willing arm of such a gov't.

Common traits: Combat Reflexes, High Pain Threshold, various psionic powers.

Required Traits: Patron (US Gov't), Duty (US Gov't), Legal Enforcement Power (10 or 15 points depending on campaign), Legal Immunity (10 points), Alternate Identity (Legal, limitations: granted on a case-by-case basis, temporary).

Re: Urban Arcana conversion
 

The Prancing Pony:

The Prancing Pony is a medieval themed fast food restaurant chain. It looks like a medieval tavern, with the exception of a few more modern (but disguised) arcade machines. There is a regular show where the Knight of Good defeats the King of Pain, incredibly cliché, but it seems to have struck a chord with both the kids and the adults. Aside from that, it serves as a good place for Shadowkind to find jobs, and many shadokind and aware people have used the busy fast food restaurant to negotiate agreements just like in the old world, hiding in plain sight. Every meal has a fantasy sounding name such as the "Minotaur burger", or the "Elven salad"... Another thing to note is that apprentice wizards train their skills by making decal tattoos and magical wind-up toys for the kids. Decal tattoos represent an animal and give a +1 bonus to any non-combat physical skill for which the animal is known (Stealth for a cat, Jump for a Kangaroo, Swim for a fish...) for 10D seconds after it is applied, or wind up toys that can act for 60 seconds after being wind up. They obey simple commands such as "walk", or "turn 90 degrees right", and can be useful as a distraction (or to carry a small explosive charge, though the Prancing Pony chain doesn't encourage such actions). A Magic Meal contains a child sized portion of fries, a child sized box of any kind of food the child wishes to eat, a child sized drink and a dessert as well as a wind-up toy and a tattoo, and costs 10$. A typical meal for adults costs around 13$, or 18$ for the "Ultra Magic Meal for the grown-up children" which is an adult sized Magic Meal with the same toys as before.