Basic Fantasy RPG Forums

You could go with the "spark" thing from transformers, those things are not just setting around in a field, takes a special event to make one split. Or could go with artificial brains that are made of increasingly hard to find mats. I like the idea that out of the box the would be squishy as a regular human, then as they understand their body's make upgrades. I would like a golem looking one for regular BF

I think I will go with:
Young Synth are slightly smaller but otherwise human-like in form. Their skin is pale and slightly translucent, showing vessel-like structures under the surface. Their faces have the standard features one would expect, although oddly bland and artificial. They are completely hairless. Males and females look superficially similar when they are young, taking on more distinct differences as they age.

While they have a variety of materials that seem 'out of place' in a living organism, the Synth, in truth, grow their components. In ages past the Synth were built in laboratory-factories, but with the loss of such facilities the remaining Synth developed ways to splice together parts of their being to produce new Synth. Early on, the Synth did this externally, but over time they developed ways to internalize these reproductive processes. The alternative external methods of production are now lost to time. (I could go on with details, but I think it is best to leave this rather vague)

Over time, a Synth will through force of will, alter his or her body in various ways. Some Synth develop more distinct facial and body features, may grow hair at times, and otherwise adapt to become more human-like. Other Synth adapt their body to suit the specific environment they choose to inhabit. Others work to weaponize their body, hardening their skin, and growing knife or even sword-like extensions. It is a slow deliberate process; a Synth spends his or her entire life progressing towards their own ideal state.

And now I have to come up with some sort of chart of such adaptations. I am thinking that they get to choose such an adaptation at each level divisible by 5 (at the same time as the optional Ability Score Advancement mechanism). Ideas?

You've read that 3rd party D20 gamma world, haven't you?

I like it, very "organic".

Joe the Rat wrote:You've read that 3rd party D20 gamma world, haven't you?

actually no... I haven't seen Gamma World for years. I think I had 2ed of it (red cover).

But, overall I try to avoid looking too closely at similar material, going by what I remember in my foggy memory instead. Less copying of ideas and more innovation that way. Remember also, I am not necessarily going for BFRPG Gamma World, but an interchangeable setting, with just some future apocalypse flair (and options for GM to include more if desired).

I just ask because one of their monster/races was basically a biotech assimilator "new-man." They grow accessories instead of having to get them implanted. They're also happy to share, since anything of theirs in your body (and I mean anything) reformats you into one of them - complete with death of personality.

This version was very much in trying to add a dose of "reality", so you got a lot less radiation makes you sprout, and a lot more bioware amd nanotech mutation and "power" sources. They also really upped the wasted earth and body horror elements. The setting was far too brown for my tastes.

I really want the setting to be rather vanilla overall... just looking to yank away the medieval Europe sort of backdrop and the typical races/monsters from such fantasy. Give it some new stuff to work with: new environments and hazards to deal with, new monsters and old monsters with face-lifts, and such. The world still needs to be what the individual GM wants it to be, rather than being 'too defined' or with a chiseled in stone history/backstory. All vague and put to the GM as options or mini-settings to connect together as seen fit.

You notice that the BFRPG rules does not include campaign/world details... and that is essentially the way I would put this together. Perhaps as we get the "toolbox" called (at least for now) "BFRPG Apocalypse" we might put together a module/mini-setting like Morgansfort set in this 'world'. Maybe even take Morgansfort itself, and just transpose elements and give it a facelift... that would be actually fun.

SmootRK wrote:I think I will go with:
Young Synth are slightly smaller but otherwise human-like in form. Their skin is pale and slightly translucent, showing vessel-like structures under the surface. Their faces have the standard features one would expect, although oddly bland and artificial. They are completely hairless. Males and females look superficially similar when they are young, taking on more distinct differences as they age.

And now I have to come up with some sort of chart of such adaptations. I am thinking that they get to choose such an adaptation at each level divisible by 5 (at the same time as the optional Ability Score Advancement mechanism). Ideas?

I would make only massive changes restricted to the lvl chart, weapons, armor, and size category, smaller changes that are just flavor would really only need resources and a realistic amount of time To complete. growing hair?, eat this ball of twine and sleep, want a long sword that ejects out of your wrist?, well that's bit more complicated.

I found this in a concept art page for a metroid game, but I think it follows your dicription, this guy would but mid lvl fighter synth

Nice Picture. I think it is a little more fantastical than I imagined, but yeah, it seems very close to how I described them. All in the mind of the GM and Players... if they want it to be ultra-sci-fi then so be it. Me, I want a little more like hairless elf-sized humans with vague/blank features.

I can imagine individuals from sandy desert wastes having skin like sandpaper. Those from a volcanic caulderon having blackened skin, fighter types with basalt like plates in areas for protection. Coastal or aquatic varieties with gills, webbed fingers, big googly-eyes. Cliff dwelling, tree dwelling, etc. might have gliding membranes.

Warrior types of any particular variety might grow plating, spikes/spines, claws, horns, etc. Thiefly ones might grow sticky-pad fingertips, more adaptive camouflage-like skin, longer more dextrous finger digits, better listening ears, etc. Those with affinity to druidism might take on some animal characteristics or bark-like skin, photosynthesis healing, etc.

A little bit of creative thought can come up with more ideas. I plan to have a set of basics developed, but encourage players/gm to develop more ideas.

More like this?