Savage Dark Sun

 So, a side project I've been working on (and kind of using to work out thoughts about Mutant War) is a Savage Worlds conversion of Dark Sun. Having converted all the monsters in the first boxed set (except the Dragon of Tyr), I consider it playable... you can have all the adventures you could have with that first boxed set, except "I wanna kill The Dragon."

I'll post some over the next few days. For now, enjoy the Basics

Character creation in Savage Dark Sun is much like character creation in other Savage Worlds settings; characters begin with 5 points to allocate to attributes, 12 points to allocate to skills, and may allocate 4 points to Hindrances. Characters should follow rules laid out in Fantasy Companion whenever possible, unless contradicted here.

Suggested Setting Rules
Dark Sun was envisioned as a dangerous, unforgiving, world, where death is easy and the means of living are hard. While many think of the superheroics of Rikus, and the amazing abilities of Sadira the Sun Wizard, or the might of Dragon Kings and Avangions, the fact is that most will be bleached bones long before they meet someone of that level, much less achieve it themselves.  Both Gritty Damage and Hard Choices (SWADE 139) are excellent for creating a feel of a desperate Athas and Difficult Healing (FC 76) can ratchet that up a notch; some may like the rules Born a Hero, More Skill Points, or Multiple Languages. A more heroic campaign might also include Creative Combat (SWADE 137), Heroes Never Die or High Adventure (SWADE 140), or Unarmored Hero (SWADE 141).

"No Power Points" (SWADE 140) is built into the setting for psionics; Dynamic Backlash is replaced with Corruption for wizards, but can still be incorporated if you want an extra level of difficulty to magic.

Language on Athas
Athasian civilization is very old; it has been thousands of years since the Green Age, and that was thousands of years long, itself. As such, most humans of the Tablelands use the same language in everyday speech, though with a pronounced accent based on their homes. Most of these local dialects contain artifacts of older languages, especially when it comes to names and other proper nouns (no other city refers to their Sorcerer-King by the title Dictator, save Balic, and none but Raam have a Grand Vizier), but only Gulg maintains its ancient language alongside the common tongue of the Tablelands. It is suggested that this is represented by using the Language skill, rather than the Multiple Languages setting rule.

Altered Hindrances
Arcane Sensitivity (Minor/Major, FC 28): Arcane Sensitivity comes in two flavors; Magical and Psionic. Magical sensitivity includes Wizardly, Clerical, Templar, and Druidic magic. Psionic sensitivity also reduces the value of any card played in defense in Psionic Combat by 2 or 4, but never to the character's benefit... a 7 will be counted as a 5, but an Ace will not wrap around an count as a Queen and thus beat a Jack; it will simply not beat a King, as other Aces might.

Can't Swim (Minor, SWADE 23): This is an extremely common Hindrance on Athas, as the idea of a pool of water deep enough to not touch the bottom is unthinkable. Aarakocra, Dwarves, and Thri-kreen have this as racial traits, and so cannot take it as individuals, but many others will have it.

Corruption (Major, FC 28): This is already part of the Wizard arcane background, and they cannot take it separately. It is not available to Clerics or Druids, but can be taken by Psionicists and Templars.

Doubting Thomas (Minor, SWADE 24): This is more on the order of a Delusion on Athas.

Illiterate (Minor, SWADE 25): Literacy is very rare, and often illegal, on Athas. As a result, any character may choose the Illiterate Hindrance, and it does not count towards their maximum hindrances at character creation; they may have four points of hindrances AND illiterate, for a total of five points of hindrances.

Altered Skills

Alchemy, Animal Handling (FC 31): Both are available on Athas; Alchemy is fairly uncommon, and is not a standard Arcane Background. Animal Handling, however, is a very common skill.

Boating: While watercraft are very rare, along the Sea of Silt there are silt skimmers which work similarly, and are operated with Boating (and, usually, some psionics).

Driving, Electronics, Hacking, Piloting, Weird Science: Not available on Athas.

Healing: The differences between humans, dwarves, elves, and many other species are relatively minor. However, treating thri-kreen is very difficult for non-kreen healers; there is a -2 penalty applied. Aarakocra suffer this to a lesser extent; a -2 that applies only in the case of Incapacitation.

Psionics: All people of Athas may take the Psionics skill, which is linked to Smarts, Spirit, AND Vigor. Without the Arcane Background: The Way, a person has only a single power. See the Psionics section for more details.

Survival: Basic survival on Athas is difficult. The Game Master may wish to use Skill Specialization here, though it is not necessary. Regardless, the difficulty of Survival checks on Athas is determined by the terrain. While there may be exceptions, these are some guidelines:
Lush (Forests, Verdant Belt): 4
Semi-Arid (Scrub Plains, marginal farmlands): 6
Arid (Salt Flats, Stony Barrens, Sandy Wastes, Rocky Badlands, Sea of Silt/Silt Basins): 8

Altered Edges

Athas does not have the technology that would make edges such as Double Tap, Rapid Fire, or Rock n' Roll available.

Arcane Background (This document): A character may choose to combine take multiple Arcane Backgounds. However, only the Psionics background may be taken later in one's career, and Templar may only be combined with Wizard and The Way; they cannot be both Templars and Clerics or Druids. Clerics and Druids who combine their skills with that of a Wizard must be extremely careful not to defile. Note that the psionics skill is available to all Athasians; see Wild Talents in the Psionics section.

Arcane Resistance (FC 31,32): Arcane Resistance comes in two flavors; Magical, including Wizardly, Clerical, and Druidic magic, and Psionic. The Arcane Resistance of dwarves and halflings is not effective against psionic powers. Arcane Resistance against Psionics also provides an additional card in their defense deck in Psionic Combat, and yet another with Improved Arcane Resistance.

Aura of Courage (FC 40): The "aura" of this character is not likely to be holy, but, instead, may be psychic or simply great confidence.

Champion (SWADE 52): Athas has no Champions.

Knight (FC 38): Knights, as a class, do not exist on Athas.

Favored Terrain (FC 32): Common terrain types in Athas include Stony Barrens, Sandy Wastes, Mountains, Scrub Plains, Rocky Badlands, Salt Flats, Forest, Boulder Fields, and Verdant Belts.

Mystic Powers (FC 37): Mystic Powers is not available on Athas; while D&D Rangers have some minor powers at high levels, those are modeled with the Elemental Cleric Arcane Background edge, while the wild psychic talents of others are addressed in the Psionics document.

Savagery (FC 34): Savagery adds +2 damage to a Wild Attack; for thri-kreen who are leaping, that makes the total damage bonus +6.

New Hindrances

Enslaved (Minor): "Enslaved" is the other half of the Outsider Hindrance; while enslaved people do not have a -2 to Persuasion checks (unless for some other reason), they DO lack all legal rights. Enslaved character may choose to "buy off" the hindrance normally, or, if circumstances dictate, they may replace it with the Wanted hindrance... or lose it entirely, for free, in extreme cases (such as the liberation of Tyr).

Soft Dray (Minor): 1st generation dray often have mutations; some are good, some are bad. In this case, the dray's scales are soft, and they have no armor bonus. Only available to 1st generation dray.

New Edges
Armor Optimization (Combat Edge)
Requirement: Seasoned, Fighting d6+
While wearing some degree of armor (a single piece providing at least +2 armor), or using a shield, the character increases their parry by +1, and they increase their armor by 1 for their entire body. Thri-kreen may make use of this using only their natural chitin.

Expert Armor Optimization (Combat Edge)
Requirement: Veteran, Armor Optimization
The bonuses from Armor Optimization improve to +2 to Parry and +2 Armor.

Ascended Being
Requirements: Legendary Rank, Arcane Background: The Way, Psionics d12+, another Arcane Background, second spellcasting skill d12+, Epic Mastery
The most powerful spellcasters, combining their arts with the Way, are able to make profound changes to their bodies and souls, becoming immortal beings. The best known are the dragons, who follow a path set by Rajaat and only completed (so far) by Boris, the Dragon of Tyr, but there are also the preserver avangions, clerics who become elementals of their chosen element, druids who merge with their spirit of the land, and, possibly, other creatures who lie beyond mortality.

Dray Mutation
Requirements: First generation Dray
First generation dray often have mutations; some are good, some are bad. A Dray Mutant has two additional attribute points (which does not increase the maximum), but takes a -1 on all attribute checks for another attribute (but not its linked skills). This may only be taken at character creation.

Dwarven Vigor
Requirements: Dwarf, Mul
Dwarves and Muls are often accustomed to heavy labor and hard work. As such, they treat their Strength as one die type higher for both Encumbrance and Minimum Strength requirements for armor, weapons, and equipment. They also get a free reroll on Vigor rolls to survive environmental hazards. These benefits will stack with the Brawny and Mul Brawn edges, but not with Soldier.

Elven Weapons
Requirements: Elf, Fighting d4+, Shooting d4+
Elves of the waste are traditionally taught the longbow and long sword, weapons of their mythic ancestor. Each tribe has their own variations on these weapons, and while an elf can make use of any of these, when wielding one made to the specifications of their tribe, they receive a +1 to Fighting or Shooting. Unlike the Trademark Weapon Edge (with which this stacks), it does not need to be a particular weapon; they can borrow one from a tribe mate and gain the bonus immediately.

Heat Protection
Requirements: Survival d6+
With Heat Protection, a character who is prepared against the heat (appropriately clothed or under shelter, adequate water) may replace their Vigor tests against Heat (SWADE 128) with Survival checks.

Mul Brawn
Requirements: Mul
Most muls are strong and hardened, both by ancestry and by a life of hard labor. Mul Brawn simulates this, providing them a +1 to Size, and increasing their Strength by 1 die size for both Encumbrance and Minimum strength requirements for armor, weapons, and equipment. If the mul likewise has the Brawny edge, this will stack.

Thri-Kreen Leaping
Requirements: Thri-Kreen
Thri-kreen have tremendous back legs, and are capable of amazing leaps. They can leap twice as far as normal, and are always considered to have a running start. When they leap as part of a Wild Attack, they add +4 to damage.

Thri-kreen Missile Dodge
Requirements: Thri-kreen, Seasoned
Thri-kreen are adept at avoiding missile attacks against them. This edge functions exactly as the Dodge Combat edge, but does not carry the d8+ Agility requirement. If an Edge requires Dodge (q.v. Improved Dodge), this Edge can substitute).

Thri-Kreen Venom
Requirements: Thri-kreen, Seasoned
As they age, Thri-kreen develop a paralytic venom in their mandibles. This is activated by their adrenaline-analog, and so can be called upon in combat. Once their adrenaline drops (the combat ends), they suffer a level of fatigue for ten minutes. However, their poison reservoirs take time to recharge; they cannot use their venom again until 12 hours have passed.
Thri-kreen with their edge can also manufacture the crystaline substance dasl, used in the creation of chatkcha (throwing wedges) and gythka (polearms). Creating the weapons requires Repair checks.