Timeline for Can you run D&D 5e in a post-modern setting without magic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
13 events
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| Oct 14, 2022 at 7:38 | comment | added | GMJoe | @PeterCordes That's exactly what I thought they meant. I think you're underestimating just how much the non-magical parts of the game depend on magic being a thing. We might just have to agree to disagree about that. (I definitely agree that moving from a pseudo-mediaeval setting to a pseudo-cyberpunk one would make it even harder, though.) | |
| Oct 12, 2022 at 4:49 | comment | added | Peter Cordes | (I agree with the conclusion of this answer especially because of the modern setting. Even a no-magic historical setting might be better served by a different system that can go into more detail about non-magic ways to do things. But unless I'm missing some obvious examples, just removing magic from 5e wouldn't literally force you to invent lots of houserules, would it?) | |
| Oct 12, 2022 at 4:47 | comment | added | Peter Cordes | Now if you meant you were going to make up a bunch of new rules to fill those gaps in 5e, then yeah your point would make sense. But I'm pretty sure 5e would kinda work for a party of PCs that happened not to have any magical class features or items, and who never encountered any other characters with such abilities. At least if you set it in its traditional fantasy setting. It's new rules for cars, guns, computers, etc. that 5e would really be lacking in. (And build options for making many different PCs without any magic, although mastermind rogue vs. berserker barbarian span a range.) | |
| Oct 12, 2022 at 4:42 | comment | added | Peter Cordes | @GMJoe: Pretty sure the OP means familiarity with things like when to roll an insight vs. perception check, and the subtleties of applying rules and mechanics to social interactions, and skill challenges like sneaking, climbing, forcing doors, etc. And of course combat and action economy. 5e without magic would still work the same way in those cases. The problem is that might not be a fun game anymore, since 5e doesn't go into detail about mundane ways to solve some problems that are normally solved with magic in 5e. e.g. there would be big holes like out-of-combat healing. | |
| Oct 12, 2022 at 2:11 | comment | added | Turksarama | @LOLinus one thing you need to keep in mind when you say you are comfortable with the DnD ruleset is that it's actually one of the more complicated rulesets out there. The majority of games are easier to learn. If you've actually checked out a few systems and decided they're not for you that's one thing, but your question heavily implies you haven't even looked which you definitely should. | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 21:02 | comment | added | GMJoe | @LOLinus Removing magic from D&D would be a big change - so big that you wouldn't really be familiar with the rules any more: The rules are designed to work together as a (mostly) cohesive whole. If you remove a big chunk of them, the parts that remain will keep trying to interact with the rules that are gone, forcing you to constantly make houserules and adjudications just to keep the game running - and if you're having to focus on that, you'll have less energy to spend on actually running the game you want to run. It's much better to just use a different game. | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 19:53 | comment | added | Darth Pseudonym | @LOLinus I'm a fan of the GENESYS system's Android setting (also known by the setting book's title "Shadow of the Beanstalk", where the titular beanstalk is a space elevator in the Ecuadorean Andes). It's nothing like d20, but I don't hate that. D&D and its derivatives are fairly granular, simulation-ish systems, and that isn't the best fit for all genres. Genesys is tilted heavily towards cinematic style, great for dramatic action scenes but very much handwaves the tactical side of things. The biggest downside in my opinion is that Genesys uses special dice instead of traditional numeric. | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 19:22 | comment | added | Ryan C. Thompson | @LOLinus I believe there are sci-fi game systems that use similar same core rules (e.g. d20 rolls for checks/attacks) so that a lot of your play experience will transfer over. (I haven't played any, so I can't recommend any specific ones.) | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 18:59 | history | edited | Oblivious Sage♦ | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Oct 11, 2022 at 17:54 | comment | added | LOLinus | Yes learning a new system would definitely work thanks. The reason I wanted this is because I feel comfortable with the DnD rules and because of a pdf I found that covers lots of cyberpunk rules in DnD | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 17:00 | history | edited | Nobody the Hobgoblin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Oct 11, 2022 at 16:59 | comment | added | Thomas Markov | And once again, just saying "there are other RPGs besides D&D" saves the day! | |
| Oct 11, 2022 at 16:57 | history | answered | Nobody the Hobgoblin | CC BY-SA 4.0 |