So far, I’ve talked about how technology affects the party, and some of the mechanics regarding technological characters; this week, I’m going to talk more about how technology affects your campaign setting.

Integration of technology into a setting is a big deal, and isn’t something to be done lightly. Just as with psionics or any of the other myriad different magic systems in d20, the impact of technology should be deeply considered before you begin using it. If you’re designing a fresh new setting with technology in mind, great - but chances are that you already have an established setting, and technology will be a newcomer. SteamWorks goes over a few different methods you can use to ease technology into your game.

In SteamWorks, three primary ways of introduction are discussed, those being ancient technology, gradual technology, and rapid technology. All three models allow you at least a degree of control over the proliferation of technology, as well as the types of technology available.

Ancient technology is the idea that some ancient culture had technology at its disposal, and is just beginning to be uncovered; this allows you to limit technological supplies and knowledge, making it a rather limited resource - at least until someone figures out how to replicate the technology. The section on ancient technology introduces the archaeologist prestige class, a class with a smattering of technological knowledge mixed with various dungeon-delving abilities.

Gradual technology is the concept that technology has begun to sprung up, but the various peoples of the setting are slow on the uptake - adoption of technology is slow, or it is not taken seriously by the majority of the population just yet. In this model, technology is something brand new, but seen only as a curiosity. Gradual technology allows you to control the kinds of technology and the pace at which it is introduced, but provides a solid enough background for technological classes to be reasonable choices. This section also introduces the researcher prestige class, essentially a precursor to the technological base classes: the researcher gains a handful of devices, all with fewer charges and higher malfunction rates - indications that technology is still in its infancy.

Rapid technology takes the route that, somewhere in the world, there is either an individual or a small group that is making frenzied progress in the field of technology. While the technology that person or group constructs becomes rapidly more complex and intriguing over a rather short period of time, the impact on the setting can be controlled, based upon how easily the lone inventor or group can distribute their work. This framework allows you to use the full extent of technology without changing the entire face of your setting: technology becomes an exotic, eccentric option.

There are also other campaign options detailed, such as how arcane magic and psionics interact with technology. In addition to these, the nature of technology developed by the various humanoid races - including orcs, kobolds, and goblins - is discussed. While these descriptions may not fit all settings, they at least provide a springboard for thinking about how the various races regard and interact with technology. The integration of technology, as discussed in SteamWorks, is not meant to be comprehensive, but instead it is meant to act as a starting point, to give you at least an idea of how to begin dealing with the complex task of integrating technology into your setting.