slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden) (02/07/86)
Anybody out there? This group has been pretty quiet lately...
Just wanted to put a word in for high-tech in dungeons. It can
be a lot of fun. I've played in one that has some such stuff.
Some of the best things to have are the common items. Someone
mentioned pencil sharpeners. We've been entertained by pool
balls, spray hypodermics, and elevators.
One thing you might think about, besides weapons, are security systems.
We were in one dungeon where access to various areas was by a system
of glass cards of different colors and card readers which opened
the doors. Works nicely for controlling where the PCs go, and
makes nice puzzles to solve.
There is nothing like the thrill you get when you press a button
and you get a message lighting up which YOU know means that the
nuclear reactor is activated--but your character doesn't. Makes for
interesting role playing.
We blew up two dungeons in a row and managed to escape. (It was a little
scary going into the next one.) We also launched a missle which blew up
a city on the next continent--but only know that out of game (which is
probably just as well for the mental health of my lawful good cleric.)
My cleric hates high-tech (partly because anytime she touches something,
something bad happens.) She tries to avoid it. The MU loves it.
It's just more magic to him.
--
Sue Brezden
ihnp4!drutx!slb
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nirvana? That's a place where the powers that be and
their friends hang out.
--Zonker Harris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~mccolm@ucla-cs.UUCP (02/13/86)
<Is anybody out there? (sound from the dark: heh--heh--heh--heh)>
I, too, have mixed technology and middle-ages swords and sorcery in
campaigns, but I didn't really intend to. Like a fool, I included the
word Technologist in a list of character classes. (I have since abandoned
the idea of character classes, but that's another story.)
Well, someone decided to give the ref a hard time and run a techno. So,
I made up charts of conceivable progress and devotions, and he tried it.
A qualified success. He made little progress of his own, because he didn't
settle down and form his own version of Bell Labs, but he did figure out
a few 'magic' items.
These were: a cigarette lighter (that caused a major fight in the party
when the thief stole it), a modern backpack frame, a blunderbuss (3D6 damage,
range as light crossbow, 1 shot per minute, noise stuns all within 5' of
front of gun and scares all within 30' in any direction, and they didn't
surprise anyone any more), and similar items.
The techno was famous for trying to figure out magic items. On one occasion,
the Drow mage found an intelligent sword with the purpose of slaying Drow
and anyone who uses magic. Wups! So he gave it to the techno. It fit his
personality, but they never did figure out what it was doing.
Alas, the techno met an untimely end, not long after running out of the funny
black stuff that made the firestick work. And before he got his pneumatic
lockpicks to work. He read a Tome of Death (not the wimpy one in the DMG)
and got booted to another plane.
Last I heard, the ref in that campaign had equipped him with a suit of armor
that repairs itself by scavenging from local sources of metal (say bye-bye
to the pneumatic lockpicks), and an M16 with ammunition of the wrong caliber.
But the flash grenades came in really handy.
--fini--
Eric McColm
UCLA (oo' - kluh) Funny Farm for the Criminally Harmless
UUCP: ...!{ihnp4,trwspp,cepu,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!mccolm
ARPA: mccolm@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU
Reason is Peace;
Fanaticism is Slavery;
Tolerance is Strength.