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23:02, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp.

Posted by V_V
V_V
member, 898 posts
Just like that...
my journey..finds me home
Sun 2 Feb 2020
at 21:51
  • msg #1

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp

I've recently spent my time invested in PlugY and Boy does it feel so good to have that level of item crafting, be worth the while.

I'm thinking of a short term game, but it's really just because I don't want to bargain for some epic an huge adventure and people be disappointed. If we're having fun, I'll re-examine the game's lifespan.

My idea is to have pre fabricated characters for D&D 3.5. I make the characters. I then, as you level up, give you options you can pick (rather than some obscure book you use) and you can get that as you level.

Items will be off the charts for the system used. In accordance with the itchies dropping suits of platemail level item influx.. It'll be so off the charts it might as well be non-status quo economy ending, but who cares? You'll get zero cursed items that "Trick" you, but some may have price to pay, like a sword that drains HP unless you kill every hour. Stuff like that.

The story will be a retelling of the Diablo 2 storyline. Den of Evil. Then as the game progresses, I'll add in my own variants on the course of events. With all hope Diablo will be faced. I have to be honest, it's my hope....

Action would be a focus, but personalities new and old will be there and have some level of dialogue outside of "click and listen". I plan to keep the icons mostly scripted, but I'd like to add character to the mercenaries and make them my own. You'll pay them, they'll likely die, and if they do, you'll have the option to resurrect them, which will cost you MUCH more gold, but you'll keep someone with you. You might meet an ass that you say "Good riddance" to, as yous spit on their grave, but I really want that to me the marbling of fat to make the meat of the game an RPG, and not just hack'n'slash. I will say, it will be fleeting, the dialogue the deep moments of reflection. It will be mostly action! I just hope it won't be at the exclusion of any dialogue in town trading items and crafting.

I'm open to the following systems instead of D&D 3.5. Please don't ask for anything else. I'm just not comfortable with something I don't know.

In any case, these would be narrowed selection. You'll build based on multiple choices, not a hundred, but like ten, at each level. The "max" would be level 99, but I really think just getting to a normally "high level" would be awesome!

I'm comfortable adapting the following systems, and yes, they will be stripped of some thing they were made for, and just keeping what I think is necessary and fits.

  • D&D 3.5
  • Exalted 2.5
  • dX


Those are the systems in order of preference.

Would anyone be interested?



A couple notes of action in quantities.

I'll not be adapting the PCs (beyond just some pre-fab) but monsters will largely be underpowered. In D&D, they might have 2 HP and 13 AC. In Exalted they may me extras with DV 3 and 4 health. Some monsters will be MUCH tougher. You'll not just probably have warning, but be able to tell "oh god! this thing has 62 AC, or 16 DV and is immune to..."...just like in the video game. Their appearance, their attacks, their very being will translate that, in the same way a person can tell a hippopotamus will crush and implae you with its maw, you'll not need to make knowledge lore check. It'll be quite evident. You'll go into fights knowing what you're fighting, basically. Some surprises, especially with attacks and utility powers; but basically you'll know the mooks from the real badasses. Certainly though, death is inevitable, even if you play hardcore D2. Simply because you and I will have to take the time to learn about each other. So I don't want death to be a big deal, a loss of power, hefty gold, your mercenary, but otherwise handwave the drama. Gloss over the details of how or why. I'm not interested in telling the story of the PC's return from death. I just want to see how they handle their near immortality's setbacks.
This message was last edited by the user at 21:56, Sun 02 Feb 2020.
gmpax
member, 1173 posts
{insert witty quote here}
Sun 2 Feb 2020
at 22:52
  • msg #2

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp

There were some official Diablo II supplements, for 3E.

https://diablo.gamepedia.com/Diablo_D%26D
wolfecubb
member, 112 posts
Absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Mon 3 Feb 2020
at 09:42
  • msg #3

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp

Sounds interesting.

For that Diablo feel, you could also use the alternative UA spellcasting rule where instead of slots you get mana points equal to the total level of slots available each day, and each spell level is it's casting cost. That allows creation of the blue mana potions and allows spellcasters to wield truly arcane magic while still being very squishy - as per the game.

Have played in a short-lived Diablo D&D3.5 before and under normal rules spellcasters were very limited as the hack and slash nature of the game meant they were exhausted of spells very quickly...

Haven't looked at the online supplements yet, but you've piqued my interest.
V_V
member, 902 posts
Just like that...
my journey..finds me home
Mon 3 Feb 2020
at 21:01
  • msg #4

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp

In reply to wolfecubb (msg # 3):

This is correct! I'd use spellpoints, not spell slots. Mana potions would be reflavored pearls of power, and the like. To be clear, I would probably have a the game take place over nebulous "day", just like in the PC game. You could certainly rest, but you wouldn't probably sleep. Being in town, talking, drinking, trading, the like would probably serve as that. There would also be Mythals, eseentially, that would protect/aid you in town. The Tyrael or if your prefer thr retcon, Auriel would have cast. Or heck, maybe one of the Horadrim. Maybe the rogue camp would have a more defensive mythal, but say Kurast might just give the characters, oh, orb of fire at will while in camp (the mythal's area), and so monsters would come periodically, but the party would also have infinite "tower" type artillery. You get the idea.

I certainly will play 98% by the D&D rules. Except for some pre-fab and picking choices for PCs and picking a very unlikely (bu possible) roll for numnber of HP rather than rolling a much more bellcurve by the D&D rules. Most of it will be engineered using the rule set, and not making up new rules. Just bending and stretching, and tugging on the confines to make a new shape. The idea is not to make a new unrecognizeable game, nor to simulate Diablo 2 1:1 scale.

Some rules, like how long a "day" is will need to be tweaked. I'd feel bad if, say, a zon became an arcane archer, and had to wait RL months before that could use their 1/day ability. Same with low level barbarian and rage. I don't see the economy being worth preserving, even though it's at the heart of D&D. A "day" and "8 hours" could be a legitimate retreat to town. Unlike a PC game, I can also field exploitation unnecessarily. LIKE the PC game, if you need to have pitched battle with an Infernal, and repeatedly teleport out to heal, to "rest" to finally kill Diablo, I don't consider that exploitative. I consider the opposite just stubborn, since you'd probably 100% die if you didn't make runs back and forth, and that will have a cost too. Even if you're immortal, most entities aren't.

In short though, yes UA will be core IMO. If I GM this, UA will have quite a few rules used as gospel. Not all, because I mean, the book is ONLY variants. I will use a minority, but a large minority. Spell power instead of levels of slots would be manditory. As would be trading out a familiar and scribing a scroll and so and so forth. Sanity, for instance, wouldn't be used. Nor would the "no HP" save vs death rule, nor facing, nor hex over square.

I have your interested piqued though, which is good. I am very interested in this, but I also have about nine ideas I'm currently trying to gain traction on. If I get more interest this will be the game I choose, but it will take quite a bit of work to make transparent what the players can expect in terms of leveling, items, rules variants, etc... Beyond what I said, and little smatterings of other off thee top of my head replies, I really can't say anything definitive and all inclusive.

Bottom line, I will take positive and negative feedback and modify my plans as such. I do, however, plan to make paths for characters rather than just dozens of choices, for each of five dozen classes, for what will likely be quite many levels.

Right now the idea is the selling point. If the idea is interesting, I'll invest the work.  I have no intention, however, of using what gmpax posted. Sorry. It's just a very poorly written variant, and is also for 3.0, and inferior edition made form the onset to patched by WotC. I played the Diablo mod for a few levels, Then we skipped ahead in the mod because everyone was so bored, and then it was just more of the same (3.0 had more dead levels than living). My friend (at the time!) GMed it, and all it did was cause us to switch that game night to having a lan party of d2. *chuckles* Which worked out for the best, and in no way am I saying my game would a replacement for d2 either, but I remember the rules well enough to know they were...well...bad...not even Diablo bad...just...poor...lacking.
wolfecubb
member, 113 posts
Absolute power corrupts
absolutely
Tue 4 Feb 2020
at 01:19
  • msg #5

IC: Pre-fab Diablo II plus LoD Revamp

Haven't played the game in ages, and just talking about it is making me think where I've hidden my old installation disks... Need to start Diablo 3 over again as never completed that game...

Definitely interested to see your thoughts and don't mind if levelling up a class is restricted in some ways to keep the feel of the game without trying to imitate the game completely.
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