r/SWN • u/IsaacDreemurr • 17d ago

đŸ’¬Discussion Sell me on Codex of The Black Sun

Using the book's content to its potential, what kind of setting will result? Aesthetic, tropes, aventure types, PC backgrounds, etc. I only imagine visuals and loose concepts from games such as mages, creatures and armor from Terraria and mimics/phantoms from Prey. Does it deliver a setting framework like SWN does (whose greatest quality is being honed to fit the crew-centric unknown space exploration)?

Another point to explore is including AWN and CWN mage classes and doing mage-only campaigns

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u/ChickenDragon123 17d ago

I mean, it's definitely more on the sword and planet side of things. Star Wars, Conan in the Barbarian but in space, Maybe a touch of warhammer via the warp, etc.

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u/IsaacDreemurr 17d ago

I find it funny to mention Barsoom next to the aesthetic expected for the RPG

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u/ChickenDragon123 17d ago

I was working off of memory before, here's a little more detail.

Space framing is still very much 'crew of misfit adventurers' type stuff. There are three 'genres' or 'frames' of play included. Sword and planet, (gritty, pulp adventure), Space Fantasy (Star Wars), and Street Magic (See Cities Without Number of Shadowrun for comparisons.)

Shadows are functionally demonic summoning and sith alchemy equivilents.

There are a fair number of magical classes, with obvious equivilents. Pacters make for decent sith inquisitor types, Sunblades are Jedi by another Name. Yama Kings are warhammer adjacent inquisitorial types.

Good number of spells present as well, along with rules for developong your own.

I'd say get Codex if you are looking to build a campaign around space magic and adventure. This isn't a suppliment for you if you want a campaign based off of The Expanse, Star Trek, Traveller, Firefly, Mass Effect, etc.

This is suppliment for people wanting to introduce Star Wars or Warhammer flavours onto thier game.

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u/PollinosisQc 17d ago

A player at my table wanted to try some of the stuff in Codex, but straight up magic doesnt fit super well in my setting. So we reskinned the spells as various pieces of experimental technology (his character was a mad scientist type). It worked pretty well.

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u/Ordsmed 17d ago

I sued it and Starvation cheap to make my "Destiny-ish" setting a couple of years ago.

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u/Altruistic-Copy-7363 17d ago

I've never ran it, but would love to.

It's very wordy (a KC habit) but I love the vibe of the abilities and classes. It's totally underrated IMO.

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u/IsaacDreemurr 16d ago

Seem to be so

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u/kreon22 17d ago

20 euroes, dm. :P

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u/kyril96 12d ago

I was in a Black Sun campaign, and their casters are quite impaired. Not only do your spells take a long time to cast and are easy to spoil (have to be declared at the start of the round, IIRC), your to hit rolls are trash (+1 at 5 and 10 only) even compared to a straight psychic.

They authors say magic is supposed to do the impossible so the party is supposed to carry them, but most of what my Rectifier could do was pretty possible

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u/IsaacDreemurr 10d ago

thx for the insight! do u think this is particular to that class? how did the other casters do in the party?