BRP Athas

[Chaot]

So, my darling wife surprised me this Valentine's Day by going into my Amazon account and buying a bunch of Darksun stuff I'd had on my wish list. . I have most of the supplements in pdf format, but nothing gets me wanting to run something like having a physical book in front of me.

I already have some of the books and I've read a little of the horrid fiction. I also spent some time over at the Wizards boards. I've seen Chromebob's translation and borrowed from it when my players had a brief stay on Athas during a world hopping Elric! game.

Years ago I started a fuller translation, but it's kind of been on the back burner. These new books might push me forward to complete it (or at least get a little more done). And, with the new BRP book, it seems like a good time to do it. Anyone interested in discussing? I'm about to run off for work now, but I'll dig up my notes.

[Simlasa]

One of our regular game settings has a huge area that is basically Athas with the serial numbers filed off... and minus some of the more obvious D&D critters.

Most of what we've played has revolved around the slave tribes and the Veiled Alliance.

[GreatBear]

Athas for me is the only D&D world that really transcends the Elf/Dwarf/Orc/etc. paradigm that is D&D. It would certainly be a better fit for the BRP system than it ever was for D&D. I'd chuck all the obvious D&D critters and chose either Magic or Psionics (not both for crissakes!) and there you go.

[fmitchell]

From what I understand, psionics would fit better into the setting.

On the other hand, I can't imagine how much more of a walking cuisinart a Thri-Kreen would be in BRP, unless someone toned it down (e.g. eliminated its extra attacks due to having four arms).

[tedopon]

I'll do some digging around, but there was a pdf floating around a few years back that had a BRP conversion of Dark Sun. It was like 70 pages long. I guess I'll try google first, then hit the mountain of discs in my closet if that doesn't work out.

We never ran a straight DS campaign from it, but I remember grabbing a lot of things from it, like the corruption mechanic for psionics/magic.

I'll post again whenever I come up with something.

[Puck]

tedopon wrote: "I'll do some digging around, but there was a pdf floating around a few years back that had a BRP conversion of Dark Sun".

That sounds very interesting. I would love to take a gander at that. The Brom artwork alone created so much mood to that setting.

[Chaot]

I'm not a cannon purist. Some things that bother me about Athas, like its ecology, which the online pdf Ecology of Athas went a bit of a way of reconciling. The books keep pounding on the thought that Athas is some barren wasteland that can't support life, while a look through the beastiary illustrates that this is not the case. Or the ripped off, poorly adapted monolithic earth cultures for the various city-states.

Sorry, I wanted to get a bit farther with this post, but my daughter calls.

[Chaot]

Alright, my train of thought was interrupted, so I'm going to post something different. Here's some things I was thinking about doing for Darksun (and I'm talking in broad strokes here. I'm not accessing my notes, which I haven't looked at in a long time).

I'd like to see a Defiler/Preserver that is unified and draws energy from the surroundings. I've just been calling it Channeling. The thought would be that Channeling builds up a 'residue' in the mage's body which subjects the mage to a CON:POT check (or something). Failing the check leads to addiction, and the mage would have to make a check not to defile, becoming a defiler. This residue could cause other adverse effects like an insanity or two or present itself in some physical manifestation. A mage wouldn't be utilizing their own MP reserves, but would be limited on how much their body could handle.

For elemental worship, I had been thinking along the lines of a cleric devoting POW to an entity and receiving powers that are aligned with that elemental's plane and in return, the character would have certain restrictions placed on them. Originally, this had been inspired by a section of Sandy's Sorcery rules. I had to smile when I read Loz's MRQ Elric book because his pact system was very similar to what I was thinking of doing.

For Psionics, I was just thinking about adapting the GURPS Psionics book. Psions would use their own MP reserve to power their abilities. I'd like to tie psionics and channelling together somehow for dragon/avangion magic but haven't really sussed out how to do it.

For druids, I was thinking about using the RQ3 shaman rules. The fetch would represent the awakening relationship between the druid and the world spirit (or whatever).

Anyway, like I said, these are broad ideas. For some of them I've hammered out a few ways of doing it. The others are just general ideas.

Whatdayathink?

Greatbear: Which D&D critters? Are you talking elves, halflings and dwarves or something I'm not seeing? Are you talking about getting rid of magic or psionics, or having them operate under the same mechanical system and vary them by description? (Sorry, these are short questions, but don't take them as being terse. I'm interested in your take on it.

fmitchell: Yeah, psionics are all over the place. You can't spit with hitting someone with a psionic power. Still, defiling is a really big part of the athas mythos.

Yeah, I'm thinking Thri-Kreen get a normal attack and if they want multiple attacks, they have to split their skill like everybody else.

tedopon: love to see that doc. I thought I had found everything BRP Darksun web based but this is news to me.

[NickMiddleton]

My instinct has always been to use pretty much full bore RQIII to capture the brutal feel of the original setting: Spirit Magic and the Shaman rules (with a little adaptation) cover the Will; Elemental and Dragon-King Worship is neatly covered by Divine Magic and Defiling / Preserving is an adaptation of Sorcery where the MP's DON'T come from the individual but from the surrounding flora (terrain dictates the rate at which MP can be drawn, defiling is significantly faster but defiles the area affected, MP drawn and terrain determine the area of effect of the defiling).

However, now BRP Zero is out and the full version hopefully soon, I'd be tempted to look at adapting the Psychic powers and Magic systems from that for Athasian Psionics and Preserving / Defiling. I still think RQIII Divine Magic is pretty good fit for Templar / Elemental worship powers though.

Cheers,

Nick Middleton

[drohem]

A BRP/Athas conversion would be awsome! It's grim-and-gritty feel is a perfect fit for BRP.

tedopon, if you find that conversion, let us know. I would definitely be interested in looking at it.

[tedopon]

A BRP/Athas conversion would be awsome! It's grim-and-gritty feel is a perfect fit for BRP.

tedopon, if you find that conversion, let us know. I would definitely be interested in looking at it.

Yeah, I'm going to look for it tonight. I haven't had much time the last couple of days.

[Conrad]

A BRP/Athas conversion would be awsome! It's grim-and-gritty feel is a perfect fit for BRP.

tedopon, if you find that conversion, let us know. I would definitely be interested in looking at it.

If memory serves Neville White did a Runequest conversion for Dark Sun. There wasn't a staggering amount of conversion rules though, only stats for various races, weapons and a few notes on magic. I've just tried to find it on the net but the link is down.

I may have some of the articles printed out and knocking about under the mound of notes and supplements I've accumulated over the years:shocked:. I'll have a search to find the stuff if anyone is interested.

[GreatBear]

My takes has always been psionics & magic are two explanations for the same thing. No matter what you call them they should use the same game system. The preserver/defiler is pretty central to Athas but does it have to fundamentally different than the Psi user? I'd use the same system for all powers but have the source of the POW points vary.

[tedopon]

If memory serves Neville White did a Runequest conversion for Dark Sun.

This is the one I was talking about. I've been looking for almost a week for the thing and can't find it anywhere.

[Trifletraxor]

This is the one I was talking about. I've been looking for almost a week for the thing and can't find it anywhere.

How long since you saw it last? I downloaded all the RuneQuest sites that were online around October 2007. (On another harddrive, but I could check it if it's one of those that have dropped of recently.)

SGL.

[Conrad]

After much messing about finding the pages and scanning them here is the first part:

Races

Dwarf

STR 3d6+3

CON 3d6+6

SIZ 2d6+6 (mass)

INT 2d6+6

POW 2d6+6

DEX 3d6

CHA 2d6

move 6

Dwarves are short but very powerful. Their size represents their mass, commonly reaching 2001bs in weight. They have a -1' penalty on weapon reach. A dwarf lives to commit his life to each task, called a focus; it is the current focus that determines his life, his friends and his enemies. When performing tasks directly related to the focus he gets +5% on all resistance rolls and +10% to all skill rolls. A focus must be a feat requiring at least a week to complete. Stoic singlemindedness is the phrase which most aptly summarises the Athasian Dwarf.

Elf

STR 2d6

CON 2d6+6

SIZ 2d6+6 (height)

INT 3d6+3

POW 3d6

DEX 3d6+6 CHA 2d6+6 move 10

Elves are unrelated to Aldryami. Their size does not take into account their great height and leaness, typically standing 6.5 - 7.5 ft high. They thus have a +2' advantage on weapon reach. Elves can run at five times their normal movement rate, with great loping strides. They are naturally skilled in the use of bone and wood swords, gaining an extra +10% to the base chance with these weapons. They also have an extra +20% on their hide in shadows and move silent base chance. Elves find it very hard to trust any creature that is not a member of their tribe. They often fabricate tests of trust, to see how worthy of friendships their companions are. These may even reach life threatening proportions in some cases!

Half-Elf

STR 3d6

CON 2d6+6

SIZ 2d6+6

INT 2d6+6

POW 2d6+6

DEX 3d6+3

CHA 2d6+6

move 10

The half-elf is a child of mixed parentage, and finds it hard to be accepted by either parental race. They tend to be slightly taller than humans, and with more deeply chiseled features, although they can normally pass as human without too much difficulty. They do not form communities of their own, and so typically remain outsiders for their whole lives. They do start with a survival skill of their choice at a score of INT * 5%. They have a unique skill, Befriend Pet. This oratory skill starts at 25% and can be used to make a faithful pet of any local animal of up to man - sized. The pet must be gained while it is young, but it will then follow the half elf and will obey simple commands. Remember at all times that the half elfs pride themselves on their self-reliance. They do crave acceptance, however, and will take part in any social or cultural rituals if at all possible (especially competitive ones).

STR 4d6+12

CON 3d6+6

SIZ 4d6+12

INT 2d6

POW 2d6

DEX 2d6+6

CHA 2d6

move 12

The half giant race was formed by magic many centuries ago. They are enormous individuals, 10' or more tall, with features that are human but exaggerated They have a +3' advantage to weapon length. Although huge and powerful, the half-giants suffer from a lack of wits. They are never the less interested in communication, and they are very curious. They are normally found imitating either charismatic people or a group that they live nearby. Even in groups they adopt the culture of the nearest other race to themselves. They can switch their attitudes very quickly, taking on new values to suit new situations. All personal items (food, clothing, weapons) cost double for the half giant, and they require four times as much water as other races.

Halfling

STR 2d6

CON 3d6

SIZ 2d6

INT 2d6+6

POW 3d6+6

DEX 3d6+6

CHA 3d6

move 6

The halflings are a feral race, standing no more than 3.5' tall. As such they have a - 2' penalty on weapon reach. They are proportioned like humans but have the faces of wise and beautiful children. They have a great racial unity, and always treat each other well - but their communication depends a lot upon their common culture. Halflings find it difficult to communicate with others that do not have their background. They do not care for war or money or power in the normal sense. They consider the inward

thrown and sling weapons, and +20% on all attempts to resist poison. They also have +30% to their initial score for hiding in shadows and moving silently. Often bewildered by the cultures and values of the other races, they remain open minded and curious.

Human

STR 2d6 + 6

CON 2d6 + 6

SIZ 2d6 + 6

INT 2d6 + 6

POW 2d6 + 6

DEX 2d6 + 6

CHA 2d6 + 6

move 10

The human is little changed, except that all attributes are rolled on 2d6+6 because Athas breeds survivors. The average male stands 6 - 6.5' tall and the female is 5.5 - 6' tall. Many humans have marked alterations to their appearance - skin or hair colouring, distinctive features (pointed ears, hooked nose etc.)

Mul

STR 3d6+6

CON 3d6+3

SIZ 3d6+6

INT 3d6

POW 2d6+6

DEX 2d6+6

CHA 2d6

move 10

The mul is a tough, sterile cross-breed of human and dwarf. They have a dwarfs muscles and endurance stretched over a human sized frame. They are normally the products of the slave pits, bred for gladatorial combat. They are hairless and have stern facial features. They able to work harder and longer than most other races, and can

continue heavy labour for 24 + CON hrs before needing a rest. Lighter exertion is proportionally easier for them. The rigors of their upbringing in bondage tends to make the muls sullen and difficult to befriend.

Thri-kreen

STR 2d6

CON 2d6+6

SIZ 3d6+12

INT 3d6

POW 3d6+3

DEX 3d6+6

CHA 2d6

move 12

The most alien of the races, the Thri-kreen are insect people, often known as the mantis warriors. They have six limbs and a tough sandy yellow exoskeleton. They walk, run and jump on very powerful hind limbs while their four arms are used for manual work. 7' tall and 11' long, they have a +1.5' weapon length advantage. They do not need sleep, and can remain active through the day and night. Their carapace gives them 5pts armour all over. For weapons they normally use the Gythka and the Chatkcha, both of which originated with them. They can use any two arms at once in combat for attack and parry purposes - the other arms distract and give the Thri-kreen a 10% defence (even if it would not normally qualify for it). They have jumping skill at DEX * 5% and can leap 50' along or 30' vertically. They have astounding reactions, and can use this to develop a dodge missiles (manipulation) skill. Thrown missiles are dodged by using the skill, propelled missiles require an impale success. The Thri-Kreen are obsessed with the hunt and with feeding. They will also obsessively protect their clutch or pack (which includes whoever he is travelling with at the time).

Copyright © Neville White 1990-1998

[Conrad]

More Athasian rules will be forthcoming, notably armour and weapons.I don't have the magic/psionics rules though. Wish me luck with my annoyingly uncooperative scanner!:eek:

[Conrad]

After more annoying uncooperation from my scanner I have managed to thrash the recalcitrant beast into submission, so here it is:

Weapons and Armour

Some weapons are made out of steel, especially those that are recovered from ancient ruins. These are very rare and are treated just like the iron weapons in RQ. They have half again as many hit points and are only damaged on critical hits when they are used for parrying. They do not prevent the use of psionics or spell magic. The majority of weapons that are used are constructed of wood, bone and obsidian, and as a result there is a preponderance of impaling weapons of one sort or another.

Wood

This can be used for clubs and for impaling weapons. They are not very hard although it is resilient. They are treated as normal bronze weapons, but do Ipt less damage. (Weapons that are normally entirely wood, such as a quarterstaff are unaffected, of course!). A wooden version of slashing weapons can be used, but they have -15% to hit and -2 on the damage they inflict, and they cannot slash.

Bone

Bone can keep a cutting edge, and is hard, so it can be used for cutting and impaling weapons as well as clubs. It is not very resilient, so it is often lashed on to wooden hafts to form picks, scythes, spearheads and polearms. A bone weapon will have half the hit points that a weapon normally has. It is lighter and not as sharp as metal, so it does Ipt less damage as a slashing weapon and cannot slash. It does full damage as a club or impaling weapon. On any cutting blow which does maximum damage the bone weapon has a 10% chance of shattering.

A sought after material for weapons, it is very hard and can maintain a sharp edge superior to any of the other weapon materials. It will do normal damage if used as a club, impaling or slashing weapons, and it may slash or impale. Still somewhat brittle, it has 50% of the hit points of a bronze weapon, but it does not accumulate damage. If the hit points are exceed it breaks, otherwise it is unaffected. Spears and polearms have wooden hafts and so use the normal rules in those cases.

New Weapons

Weapon Damage SR Length STR DEX base hp

Chatkcha ld6+2 2 30' 9 15 10% 5

Impaler 1d8 2 4' - - 20% 12

Gythka 1dlO 3 6' 7 15 15% 20

Quabone 1d4 2 3' - - 25% 12

Wrist Razor 1d6+l 1 6" - - 25% 5

Studded armour 1d3 4 0' - - 10%

Twin axe 1d4+l*2 2 3' 9 - 15% 12

Yanga 1d8+l 3 4' 9 14 5% 15

doubledagger 1d4+2 1 6" - 12 25% 10

small shield 1d6 2 0' - - 20% 20

medium shield 1d3 4 0' - - 10% 30

Chatkcha: A thri-kreen throwing weapon that is analogous to a boomerang, common amoung the steppe tribes. It is a crystal wedge that has a base range of 30', and if it misses the target it returns to the throwers hand. The chatkcha can impale.

Impaler: Developed for arena combat, it has a single shaft with a pair of blades splitting to each side to form a pickaxe shape. It is an impaling weapon.

Gythka: The thri-kreen polearm has a thick staff like a quarterstaff, and wicked blades at both ends. It can be used at even the closest range like a quarterstaff. It can be used to slash or to impale. With blades at both ends the fighter may use it for 2 attacks or 2 parries as if he was holding a separate weapon in each hand.

Quabone: Four shanks of bone lashed together to form a radially symmetrical rod.

Armour

Armour is often available in half pieces, and when scavenged from fallen foes or comrades only half pieces are available. The effect of this is that when an armoured location is struck there is a 50% chance that the armour protects, and a 50% that it wasn't protecting the precise part of the location that was struck.

Armourer skill can be used to fashion armour from the appropriate raw materials, or to add studding to existing armour.

Leather armour is 1pt or 2pt armour as normal. It may be studded with bone in order to improve it to 3pt armour. 1pt leather may be combined with other armours.

Kank chitin is used to provide 4 pt armour, but is very difficult to work, and normally has to be custom made by those willing to endure the vile smell while they are preparing it! High ranking elves often have kank chitin breastplates.

Mellikot hide is used to provide 6 pt armour. It is expensive, but possible to buy since mellikot are semi-domesticated.

Braxat hide is used to provide 8 pt armour. This is quite rare, since the braxat are large, intelligent and powerful, and are more likely to make a meal of their hunters than they are to be captured!

Copyright © Neville White 1990-1998

Some of the above section is missing, but its better than nothing I suppose!:ohwell:

[drohem]

Thank you for the information. :thumb:

[Conrad]

Thank you for the information. :thumb:

I'm doing my bit for BRP. I only wish that I'd printed off the rest of the rules!;-(

[Sunsword]

Here is what I found using the wayback machine:

Magic

http://web.archive.org/web/20040519102739/http://chromebob.com/gaming/worlds/athas/ds-magic.html

Races & Creatures:

http://web.archive.org/web/20031031225756/http://chromebob.com/gaming/worlds/athas/ds-creatures.html

Hope this helps.

MC

[drohem]

Coolio! Thanks!

[vagabond]

Dredging this up from the ashes - but I found Neville's stuff:

http://web.archive.org/web/20050208015434/http://bookshelf.mcmail.com/runequest/index.htm

Ian

[Chaot]

That is good stuff there.

I'm currently doing some BRP conversion stuff for Ravenloft over at RPGNet. Maybe when I'm done with that I'll jump back in to Dark SUn. Never did get to run the Athas games I had planned.