Author Topic: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?  (Read 5121 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« on: September 26, 2011, 07:00:53 AM »
Okay, so lets say you are a minor deity in the D&D universe (or a Wizard, natch), and you want to contribute something to a particular society or culture.  Let's say you want to contribute augmentations and improvements and things which make a society of mostly human people 'better', in the sense of the real-world Transhuman movement.  What sorts of things would this creature enable?

I have a few ideas:
1.) The creature can give inherent bonuses, as per the Wish spell
2.) The creature can give useful grafts to people, as per Wish
3.) The creature can give automatic 'retraining', as per things like Psychic Reformation
4.) The creature enables immortality, via Kissed by the Ages
5.) The creature enables changing into an Elan
6.) The creature enables something along the lines of a targeted Reincarnate/Last Breath
7.) Giving access to the feats and abilities which can normally be gained via paying for them or going to obscure places
8.) Giving access to high end Permanency and the spells which can be made Permanent which can be placed on a person

And from there, I really run out of ideas.  What sorts of things would such a creature whose sole purpose is changing and improving what it means to be 'human' in a population of humans do, per D&D rules? What sorts of capabilities are inherent in the system, which such a creature can potentially bestow to others?    And for those options which are a bit more obscure of the ones I listed, I would love to hear some specific feedback!  Any ideas? Thanks!

Edit: Do note, I only want things which can be used on currently existing people, which can improve everyone or almost everyone in a society, and not a select few.  Otherwise, what's the point?
« Last Edit: September 26, 2011, 04:57:51 PM by Gavinfoxx »
BG's other resident furry!

Mooncrow

  • That monkey with the orange ass cheeks
  • ****
  • Posts: 228
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2011, 11:46:04 AM »
Illumians are an interesting take on transhumanism; their abilities are probably worth looking at.

brujon

  • Ring-Tailed Lemur
  • **
  • Posts: 73
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #2 on: September 26, 2011, 02:33:09 PM »
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/spells/originOfSpeciesAchaierai.htm

Just change from this... mish-mash of a creature, to a Perfect Human. Or just develop a different Epic Spell that gives every human the Paragon template (From the SRD too). Other, lower level options, would be to collect exemplars of human potential from around the world(The Fastest, the Strongest, the most Inteligent, the Wisest, the most Beautiful, the most Charismatic...), and selectively breed them in a genesis timeless plane, until you achieve the "perfect human" (and woman, of course, so you can breed more).

It's actually not that dificult for a sufficiently high leveled wizard to find children with the potential to be the best at X or Y, "collect" them all, then train and groom them in a genesis timeless plane, or even the Astral Plane, or the Far Plane. Anything with the timeless trait. Then just breed, and breed, and breed to your heart's content. May take hundreds of years, but hey, you're in a timeless plane, when you go back with your army of mind-washed perfect humans, not one minute will have passed in the material.

Think about it. D&D has hundreds of divination options that can help you find the children before they develop their potential. Scry & Teleport let's you snag them undectected from wherever they are. Then you just create your demiplane and... Presto. And with Dominate and Charm, they don't even have to be willing.

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #3 on: September 26, 2011, 04:58:36 PM »
Do note, I only want things which can be used on currently existing and living people, which can improve everyone or almost everyone in a society, and not just a select few.  Otherwise, what's the point? If you can't do that, you aren't improving the human condition!
BG's other resident furry!

Shiki

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 853
  • Mindraped
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #4 on: September 26, 2011, 05:26:16 PM »
inb4 Manipulate Form.

...

Or is that not appropriate?
"An ally of truth."

Soundtrack of the week:
Kagamine Rin - Antichlorobenzene (ft. Kagamine Ren)

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #5 on: September 26, 2011, 05:36:32 PM »
*jawdrop* ... Duuhhhh...

What about 2X Polymorph Any Object?
BG's other resident furry!

Littha

  • Man in Gorilla Suit
  • *****
  • Posts: 2155
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #6 on: September 26, 2011, 05:54:06 PM »
Its going to be the Elan or Illumian rituals...

awaken DM golem

  • Organ Grinder
  • *****
  • Posts: 3294
  • PAO'd my Avatar
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2011, 08:24:37 PM »

The Deity could function as a Magic Mart ... the best in town.

No really, I mean it.

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #8 on: September 26, 2011, 09:16:36 PM »
Well, dramatically increasing the average number of magic items which an individual given person has is already on the table earlier.  I was wondering more what sorts of abilities which improve the innate reality or aspect of the human condition a 'custom' creature should have.
BG's other resident furry!

Endarire

  • Man in Gorilla Suit
  • *****
  • Posts: 2171
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #9 on: September 26, 2011, 09:48:28 PM »
What about a Tippyverse scenario which can have all the food, water, space, light, heat, and biological needs handled via spells or magic traps?
Hood - My first answer to all your build questions; past, present, and future.

Speaking of which:
Don't even need TO for this.  Any decent Hood build, especially one with Celerity, one-rounds [Azathoth, the most powerful greater deity from d20 Cthulu].
Does it bug anyone else that we've reached the point where characters who can obliterate a greater deity in one round are considered "decent?"

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2011, 10:34:30 PM »
Assume Tippyverse already happened, and we are interested in changing innate human biology and such.
BG's other resident furry!

kitep

  • Ring-Tailed Lemur
  • **
  • Posts: 62
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #11 on: September 27, 2011, 03:04:43 AM »
How about free skill ranks, feats, max hit points/HD, increased speed, good looks?

How about free class levels?

Immunities.

Permanent Unseen Servants to take care of the mundane stuff like dishes.

And I personally like a hive mind, so that if one person knows something/can do something, then everybody knows it/can do it.

The_Mad_Linguist

  • Organ Grinder
  • *****
  • Posts: 8780
  • Simulated Thing
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #12 on: September 27, 2011, 03:12:34 AM »
Dark chaos feat shuffle.
Linguist, Mad, Unique, none of these things am I
My custom class: The Priest of the Unseen Host
Planetouched Handbook
Want to improve your character?  Then die.

Scrollreader

  • Ring-Tailed Lemur
  • **
  • Posts: 53
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #13 on: September 27, 2011, 12:36:21 PM »
I'll  second dcfs or use activated items (or slas) of psychic reformation.  Being able to download skills and feats is very transhuman.   Possibly true mind switch and/or clone shenanigans as well.

sirpercival

  • Donkey Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 593
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #14 on: September 27, 2011, 12:55:02 PM »
What about Silithar grafts?
Burn all the microfiche!  Firebomb all the 8-tracks!

I'm not just a druid -- I'm a singing, dancing, Broadway druid.

[spoiler]
Quote from: PhaedrusXY
"You... saved me? So I was dismantled? I... thank you, then. I will not incinerate you."

There's only one character concept worth having, and that's the one you've thrown darts at.
[/spoiler]

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #15 on: September 27, 2011, 02:01:14 PM »
What sorts of grafts are inherently NOT FREAKY and NOT messed up, and are thus appropriate for large quantities of people?  And if we are using Manipulate Form or something like 2x casting of PaO, what would be some forms which aren't disruptive to society?
« Last Edit: September 27, 2011, 02:03:58 PM by Gavinfoxx »
BG's other resident furry!

Bozwevial

  • Organ Grinder
  • *****
  • Posts: 4497
  • Developing a relaxed attitude to danger.
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #16 on: September 27, 2011, 02:06:05 PM »
What sorts of grafts are inherently NOT FREAKY and NOT messed up, and are thus appropriate for large quantities of people?  And if we are using Manipulate Form or something like 2x casting of PaO, what would be some forms which aren't disruptive to society?
Construct grafts from Faiths of Eberron?

spacemonkey555

  • Barbary Macaque at the Rock of Gibraltar
  • ***
  • Posts: 150
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #17 on: September 27, 2011, 02:08:51 PM »
Assume Tippyverse already happened, and we are interested in changing innate human biology and such.

Seems like you're more interested in building posthumans than transhumans, then.

There's a race of outsider constructs dedicated to keeping this from happening, but inevitables aren't that strong. I guess in the tippyverse the head wizards in charge punt Mechanus out of reality or something. No way to coexist peacefully, the inevitables gun for any mass use of wish, avoidance of death, mortals trying to become gods, etc, in addition to mundane stuff like fleeing from justice or oathbreaking.


Littha

  • Man in Gorilla Suit
  • *****
  • Posts: 2155
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #18 on: September 27, 2011, 11:02:07 PM »
What sorts of grafts are inherently NOT FREAKY and NOT messed up, and are thus appropriate for large quantities of people?  And if we are using Manipulate Form or something like 2x casting of PaO, what would be some forms which aren't disruptive to society?
Construct grafts from Faiths of Eberron?

Also Maug grafts from fiend folio... though I'm not sure how replacing your legs with giant crusher rollers or mounting a cannon on your shoulder would help...

Gavinfoxx

  • King Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 822
  • *Forkbark* Wauwau!
    • Email
Re: Enabling Transhumanism in D&D: What are the methods?
« Reply #19 on: September 27, 2011, 11:02:59 PM »
Yea that's not exactly what I'm looking for... giant cannons...? How does that help an erudite loremaster type living in a tippyverse?
BG's other resident furry!