d20 Modern?

[MightyMuenster]

Hey guys,

I bought the d20 Modern core book a few days ago and, having read it, I think it sounds like a great system. I figured it'd be good to ask some people on-line about it, though, before I start up a game on it. How does it play? I don't plan on buying any more sourcebooks than the Core Rulebook, but it doesn't seem to me that I need anything else (I'll probably borrow from the Monster Manuals after a bit to throw some more fantastical higher CR monsters in later).

Thanks!

[Viscount Einstrauss]

I used it to play a game set in my home town with all of the players basically playing themselves, then warped reality to make a sort of comical pastiche of our favorite inside jokes. I've got to say, Modern was awesome for that.

[Tough_Tonka]

Pretty good system, it provides a lot of variety in the core classes and it has some pretty nice secondary books. The magic system is a bit wonky in regards to item creation and such. The rules in the books tend toward 3rd ed rules.

[MightyMuenster]

Pretty good system, it provides a lot of variety in the core classes and it has some pretty nice secondary books. The magic system is a bit wonky in regards to item creation and such. The rules in the books tend toward 3rd ed rules.

On which page in the Core Book does it talk about creating FX Items? Also, when it says that an enhanced Shuriken deals +1d4 damage, would a +2 Shuriken deal +2d4? Or is this in addition to a +1 from the enhancement?

[Diggorian]

FX Items on pg 372. Where does it reference enhanced shuriken?

Modern has some definate good points, I've GMed itself for a while. It plays well but there are some editting errors, best to do the wizard's site for clarification from the Bullet Points.

[MightyMuenster]

Hm, I don't see anything about actually making a magic item. The shuriken is on page 375. Only shuriken is nunchaku. My mistake on that!

Would those edits be in a copy of the book that was recently purchased? Or do they not fix those things for later printings?

[Fat Daddy]

We have used it to run a 'Cthulu-esque' game. We basically played ourselves and then had the Lovecraftian insanity ensue. It was actually one of the best times I've had role-playing. You can adapt it for all kinds of themed games.

[krossbow]

People die incredibly fast in it though.

"DR2/-!"

"He shoots you 6 times with a linked machine gun; you take 130."

"Ahh...."

[jjpickar]

Yeah, you die as fast as you would in real life...

Actually, I've always wanted to play this game but every time I suggest it I find at least one person that absolutely despises it.:smallconfused:

A Stargate-esque campaign would be pretty cool too.

[MightyMuenster]

I was actually thinking of a Cthulu kind of game, but how did you work the classes? Like, if you were playing yourselves, did you still take hero classes? The way I was wanting to get into that would to work more of an Eternal Darkness kind of Cthulu game where the characters are all heroic and we build their story, then the magic and evilness of the other realms starts to sift into the real world. The fabric of the universe that they understand begins to crumble and all the things they hold dear to them would start to become less constant.

Also, with people dying too quickly, that's easily remedied by not creating many enemies with that kind of power. A villain isn't always going to use the best equipment just because it gets the highest dice roll.

[Dhavaer]

Hm, I don't see anything about actually making a magic item.


To make magic items you need the Artificer PrC from Urban Arcana, a book definately worth getting. Some things are less well balanced or thought out than they should be, though (drow still being LA +2 when they should be +1, the ludricrously unfocussed Street Warrior, etc).

[krossbow]

Heh. if you ever see a tank... RUN. Seriously, its like the tarrasque of D20 modern. :smallbiggrin:
________
OREGON DISPENSARIES (http://oregon.dispensaries.org/)

[MightyMuenster]

Hm, how much does Urban Arcana run for? I'm not sure where I'd be able to find it; all of the places by me tend to only have D&D materials. I don't know if I'm allowed to ask about this, but does anybody have a pdf of it maybe? Poor college kids need all the help they can get!

[Dhavaer]

I got it for about $40-50. I don't remember exactly, it was a while ago.

[MightyMuenster]

Oh wow... yeah, I'll just pass over that creating of magical items thing, then. Thanks for the tip on that, though.

[oriong]

Check Dhaver's location Muenster. Urban Arcan goes for about 27 dollars new at amazon, or 15 dollars used.

The item creation rules are a little vague, and unfortunately there is at least one absolutely glaring error on their cost, but it has more spellcasting advanced classes, some new feats, more magic items, and an Incantation system which is quite useful.

Incantations are the long-term rituals that folks use to produce spell-effects higher than 5th level, in other words those are what people will be using to summon the 100 tentacled voweless demon lord.

[Dareon]

You can pretty much sum up d20 Modern with the phrase "Dungeons and Dragons 3.25." Looking from one to the other, you can see how certain rules evolved into each other.

Otherwise, it's practically the same as D&D. Instead of an orc in a 10-foot-by-10-foot dungeon room guarding a chest, you have an intern in a 10-foot-by-10-foot office, guarding a briefcase. :smalltongue:

There are a few differences to get used to, like the Wealth system and nonlethal combat, but mostly it's just like playing D&D, only instead of an RPG it's an action movie.

As for making magic items, usually the players don't. Urban Arcana stresses that magic is rare and powerful, although not so rare and powerful as in a Shadow Chasers campaign, where a +1 sword is a relic on par with the Holy Grail. Still, it depends on the campaign you want to run.

[oriong]

You can pretty much sum up d20 Modern with the phrase "Dungeons and Dragons 3.25." Looking from one to the other, you can see how certain rules evolved into each other.

Otherwise, it's practically the same as D&D. Instead of an orc in a 10-foot-by-10-foot dungeon room guarding a chest, you have an intern in a 10-foot-by-10-foot office, guarding a briefcase. :smalltongue:
.

Not really.

The actual rules that you use to run the game (how combat, skills, damage, stats, etc.) work is more or less identical to D+D, but d20 modern has a lot of it's own rules that are very, very different.

The classes are extremely different, and the wealth and magic system both make actually playing the game very very different.

It's certainly the same mechanics at the core of it, after all that's what d20 is all about, but they're definitely not the same game in a different setting.

[Diggorian]

This'll help ya size up the other Modern stuff, Muenster: MSRD (http://www.dominion-x.net/d20-msrd/index.html)

[MightyMuenster]

Ah, thanks much. Has a lot of good information. I like the way the Incantations work, although they seem like they'd be more useful for NPCs than PCs, really.

[oriong]

Yeah, really they're mostly for NPCs, but they can be a good way to give your PCs enough tools to burn themselves with.

[Viscount Einstrauss]

Geez, now I'm salivating the chance to make a Gundam-esque mecha campaign. Just look at those beautiful mecha rules!

[Dhavaer]

I've never understood the appeal of mecha. It just seems so limiting.

[Darkshade]

Yeah, you die as fast as you would in real life...

Actually, I've always wanted to play this game but every time I suggest it I find at least one person that absolutely despises it.:smallconfused:

A Stargate-esque campaign would be pretty cool too.

I do believe they released an actual authorized Stargate Sg-1 RPG paper and dice
i dont know if its d20 though
I always thought shadowrun would work better for stargate then d20 modern but i could be totally nuts

[Were-Sandwich]

I always wanted to run a Torchwood meets Men in Black style campaign. 'cept with the occult as well as aliens.

[Closet_Skeleton]

I've never understood the appeal of mecha. It just seems so limiting.

Why? You can get out of them, you're not limited at all.

I found a lot of Urban Arcana pretty poorly designed. I have a problem with quite a few of the Advanced Classes:

Archaic Weaponmaster: The game really needs this Advanced class but it isn't balanced. All it's abilities come way to late or are completely uninspiring.

Glamourist: All it does is continue Charismatic progression and give you some spell-like abilities you don't need.

Swashbuckler: A good class, but when you compare it to Archaic Weaponmaster it reminds you how much that other class sucks.

Thrasher: It gets a version of rage that improves dexterity and strength rather than strength and constitution. Then it gets an ability that adds Con bonus to armour class instead of dex bonus. What on earth were the designers thinking. Then it gets Damage Reduction that doesn't stack with Tough Hero damage reduction.

Wildlord: It's a good class that has a cool mundane summoning ability for it's animal companion and would work well in any campaign. Then at 9th and 10th it get two powers that are useless outside of a magic campaign.

Urban Arcana is otherwise a solid book but that just makes you notice all the bad design that ruins it.

[ken-do-nim]

So I've been dying to run a d20 Modern campaign myself. I have the main book & the Menace Manual. My campaign idea involves mainly extraterrestials, telepathic powers, and I'll allow a little bit of magic. Do I need any other books? Are there any prewritten adventures out there?

My first impression from what you've all written above is that I don't need Urban Arcana.

[oriong]

Well, the main reason why you would want urban arcana is because while there are some bad Advanced Classes and things it's still very, very helpful to a magical (and psionic) campaign. For one thing it has a bunch of feats that were not a part of the normal d20 modern book, and plenty of new spells and psionic powers.

Of course this is all available on the SRD anyway so actually buying it isn't necessarry.

From what it sounds like what you actually want is d20 Dark Matter, which is a conspiracy alien/paranormal/magic/psionics campaign setting. it's not terribly big unfortunately but it does have some new feats, some interesting advanced classes and new spells/powers.

[jjpickar]

Know how much the Stargate campaign would cost?

[kkortekaas]

All the stargate stuff (5 books) set me back about 200$ and that's mainly because it is now out of print. Check out the AEG website. It's based on the Spycraft system and ends up working pretty well.

[ken-do-nim]

Well, the main reason why you would want urban arcana is because while there are some bad Advanced Classes and things it's still very, very helpful to a magical (and psionic) campaign. For one thing it has a bunch of feats that were not a part of the normal d20 modern book, and plenty of new spells and psionic powers.

Of course this is all available on the SRD anyway so actually buying it isn't necessarry.

From what it sounds like what you actually want is d20 Dark Matter, which is a conspiracy alien/paranormal/magic/psionics campaign setting. it's not terribly big unfortunately but it does have some new feats, some interesting advanced classes and new spells/powers.

d20 Dark Matter, got it! "Run, run, run to the bookstore..."