I was hoping to share some work/thoughts on running a Dark Sun game using the Savage Worlds RPG. To that end, I’ll be starting with my initial ideas on what the key themes are that would need to be converted. Those being:
Races
- Muls, Thri-kreen and Half-Giants would need to be created, the rest of the core races can be used as is.
Non-metal weapons rules
- There are a few Savage Worlds books that include sample rules for this (Sundered Skies, Beasts & Barbarians, and Hellfrost). I am leaning towards using Beasts and Barbarians as they are the simplest and make the most sense IMO.
Magic System
- I’ve never liked the Savage Worlds default power system (nor the use of Power Points). I was thinking of incorporating the Super Powers Companion rules into Dark Sun. Starting characters would follow the “Rising Stars” rules and start with 10 Power Points to buy powers. Your style of spellcasting then determines which powers you can take and the trappings you can use. Add to that the awesome rules for power stunts and power tricks, and you’ve got a simple yet flexible magic/psionics system that’s easy to run.
Gladiatorial Combat
- Beasts and Barbarians has some excellent Edges and rules to handle gladiatorial combat and gladiator characters. Will be borrowing heavily from there.