Wow! I'm considered the final word? :shock:
Another Astral War thread
Sun, 2005-03-13 16:36
#53
Another Astral War thread
Sun, 2005-03-13 16:41
#54
Another Astral War thread
I'm considering it a simple and elegant solution to the issue of modern demihumans. 
Sun, 2005-03-13 16:42
#55
Another Astral War thread
I just want an elven hacker. 
Sun, 2005-03-13 16:55
#56
Another Astral War thread
Me too...
or a tiefling hacker. ("STFU, b3r|<"?)
Sun, 2005-03-13 22:39
#57
Another Astral War thread
Dwarven mechanics?
So who are the technicians? The gnomes... the rilmani... who?
Sun, 2005-03-13 22:51
#58
Another Astral War thread
I'd feel a lot safer with Dwarves fixing things. If a gnome did it, I'd expect it to explode at any time. If the Rilmani did, I'd expect a critical failure in some key component timed perfectly to balance the Multiverse.
They're tricky like that. (We need a shifty smiley for these occasions.)
Mon, 2005-03-14 01:14
#59
Another Astral War thread
Yes, but what about properly trained "technical staff". They're different to mechanics, who are largely responsible for the maintenance and repair of crucial systems and technological devices. But technicians usually dedicate their skills to small machines, or computer equipment and the like. Certainly, more finesse is required to effect repairs on such equipment than the dwarven race would possess. A delicate touch... maybe the halflings...
Mon, 2005-03-14 02:25
#60
Another Astral War thread
Comments on Gnomes and Rilmani stand.
Halflings would be an intriguing choice, given their usual preferences. Then again, planar halflings aren't exactly something you bump into every day.
Mon, 2005-03-14 06:28
#61
Another Astral War thread
Hence the reason I suggested them.
Not only does it give them an entirely new perspective in the urban planescape, but it also allows them to become much more interesting characters who might possibly become known for their exceptionally dextrous and agile skills involving field repair and jury-rigging.
Mon, 2005-03-14 06:39
#62
Another Astral War thread
*nodnods* Very much indeed.
Mon, 2005-03-14 10:17
#63
Another Astral War thread
The basic idea is that modern Earth had no contact with the planes because the githyanki set up an astral blockade around our crystal sphere. Well, eventually we somehow break through (I suggest the confusion sure to abound from the events of Incursion as a good reason for the barrier to have weakened), and meet the githyanki on their home plane. Enter the Astral War, which we win, and begin setting up the city of Foothold on a series of god-isles.
I really, really dislike this metaplot thing. Is this Warcraft d20 reversed or what?
I thought all those Astral War stories were just campaign ideas, not to be considered """canon"""", or built upon?
Is there really a need for such a militant approach?
Mon, 2005-03-14 20:14
#64
Another Astral War thread
The Astral war does seem a little extreme, though I like the blockade idea (I think the Rilmani should be the ones behind it, Githyanki could be pawns or scapegoats). Do we really need to "shatter" the Githyanki? Perhaps foothold could exist but how did anyone manage to do away with the Lich-Queen? Lich's certainly seem to be beyond the ability of any modern weapon to destroy (Well, any lich worth their salt). Though I am ignorant of the whole astral war plotline and a summary of it posted here certainly would not hurt.
Mon, 2005-03-14 20:39
#65
Another Astral War thread
But how did anyone manage to do away with the Lich-Queen? Lich's certainly seem to be beyond the ability of any modern weapon to destroy (Well, any lich worth their salt). Though I am ignorant of the whole astral war plotline and a summary of it posted here certainly would not hurt.
In a nutshell, we shoved a nuke down her throat. 
Mon, 2005-03-14 23:35
#66
Another Astral War thread
The Astral war does seem a little extreme, though I like the blockade idea (I think the Rilmani should be the ones behind it, Githyanki could be pawns or scapegoats).
Well, I feel that the Astral War is an intergral part of the Urban Planescape setting. It's not just the planes updated to use modern technology. It's evolved. Society doesn't evolve in a vacuum. Society doesn't change gradually. It needs events to change it. Punctuated equilbrium and all that.
Mon, 2005-03-14 23:44
#67
Another Astral War thread
But how did anyone manage to do away with the Lich-Queen? Lich's certainly seem to be beyond the ability of any modern weapon to destroy (Well, any lich worth their salt). Though I am ignorant of the whole astral war plotline and a summary of it posted here certainly would not hurt.
In a nutshell, we shoved a nuke down her throat.
Tue, 2005-03-15 00:04
#68
Another Astral War thread
But how did anyone manage to do away with the Lich-Queen? Lich's certainly seem to be beyond the ability of any modern weapon to destroy (Well, any lich worth their salt). Though I am ignorant of the whole astral war plotline and a summary of it posted here certainly would not hurt.
In a nutshell, we shoved a nuke down her throat. Also, keep in mind that this was probably the first full-scale nuclear attack ever witnessed in the Outer Planes. I doubt that the Lich-Queen would have had atomic weapons in mind when she set up protections for her phylactery.
Tue, 2005-03-15 00:11
#69
Another Astral War thread
I really, really dislike this metaplot thing. Is this Warcraft d20 reversed or what?
It's not a metaplot. It's backround. It's history.
Tue, 2005-03-15 00:17
#70
Another Astral War thread
I really, really dislike this metaplot thing. Is this Warcraft d20 reversed or what?
It's not a metaplot. It's backround. It's history.
Almost nobody has even thought to make the connection between the modernizing of the planes and the shadow primes.
Tue, 2005-03-15 20:28
#71
Another Astral War thread
keep in mind that this was probably the first full-scale nuclear attack ever witnessed in the Outer Planes.
If that was the first, what happened to the Atomic Wastelands of Hades? Didn't the Blood War see a nuclear missile exchange? If not, does Modern Earth now have more firepower than Abyss or Baator?!
It's not just the planes updated to use modern technology. It's evolved. Society doesn't evolve in a vacuum. Society doesn't change gradually. It needs events to change it.
Actually, societies do change gradually. Earth didn't jump from "sword & sorcery" to "Progress Level 5" because someone dropped an atomic bomb.
Yes, its easier to force-modernize Planescape by saying "enter the earthlings, everything gets updated". It's an easy way out. Personally, I would prefer a quasi-historical essay detailing key points of a gradual social/technological development through the past several centuries.
Tue, 2005-03-15 21:40
#72
Another Astral War thread
keep in mind that this was probably the first full-scale nuclear attack ever witnessed in the Outer Planes.
If that was the first, what happened to the Atomic Wastelands of Hades? Didn't the Blood War see a nuclear missile exchange? If not, does Modern Earth now have more firepower than Abyss or Baator?!
The Atomic Wasteland happened long after the Astral War.
Some fiends in the know managed to steal the plans for several nasty earth weapons. Then they modified them with necromantic magic, making them more powerful and horrible than before (hence the Nega Bombs, which are VERY popular Blood War weapons these days). This is one of the reasons that shadow primes are so xenophobic these days. They're afraid that extradementional infeltration will happen again if they aren't careful (which is probably true).
Wed, 2005-03-16 20:06
#73
Another Astral War thread
Theres an idea for an adventure, "Revenge of the githyanki Lich-Queen!" maybe it just took an especially long time time to regenerate after that whole massive explosion deal. Im sure she'd have quite a hate for any humans from earth!.
So there we have it. Unless someone wants to go barmy working out a better way of doing it, your Elven hackers and Dwarf mechanics are probably from Foothold or Sigil.