Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Prgrmr@wrk 03-31-05, 10:28 PM	Recently I had the idea to incorporate modern/futuristic technology into D&D. What I don't know is how well this has already been done in other D20 games, since I've never played D20 modern, or much else. What I have played is the StarGate D20 game, and a bit of ShadowRun. The difference in what I want to create is that it will be a supplement to D&D, not a replacement. I intend to leave all existing classes, magic, races, feats intact, and make sure as few splash books as possible are broken if this supplement is introduced into a campaign. First, I need to know if I'm wasting my time with this, and should just invest in some existing rulebooks. If this actually is worth pursuing, I'm curious about any ideas or experiences people have had in the past about D&D style magic in a modern or scifi setting. For example, I introduced guns into my D&D campaign (expanded from the given rules in the 3.0 DMG), and found it made very little difference. Hopefully jeeps, jets, and forcefields will make a bigger impact.
Deacon Liadon 03-31-05, 10:36 PM	Have a look at Eberron for some ideas.
Stardrake 03-31-05, 11:40 PM	You might also want to take a look at DRAGONSTAR, from Fantasy Flight Games. It takes D&D and puts it int a technologically-oriented space setting (unlike SPELLJAMMER, which used sailing ships in space). So you have Drow secret police with energy weapons, Dwarf meteor-miners, etc. etc. Worth checking out, at least.
Seeker95 04-01-05, 08:49 AM	Another decent sourcebook is SORCERY & STEAM by Fantasy Flight Games
Art_Tillary 04-01-05, 02:31 PM	Depends upon how you are going to do it. Are jeeps, guns, etc going to be made on your world? If so, then lots of NPCs including humanoid monsters would have them. Instead of they party facing Orcs with swords, the Orcs would have 9mm pistols. If the tech stuff is an import item by odd means, then it won't as likely have an effect except for plot purposes. For example, the only time a jeep becomes important is when you decide as GM that the BBEG has one to advance the plot. He doesn't use the jeep to make his forces better, just to run away from the party at the last momemnt. Can you post some details on how you used guns in the campaign so far? That would give me a better idea of why they didn't make an impact. AT
Prgrmr@wrk 04-01-05, 04:12 PM	The reason guns never became important in my campaign was that they're essentially just smaller bows. I had been hoping they would inspire more combat ideas (like hiding behind an object for once), but it never took off. Right now I'm not too concerned about setting, I'm more interested in if the new game mechanics are worth figuring out. From what others have posted, probably not.... Though if this does turn out to be worth doing, I would design it around the assumption that the technology was part of the campaign world, and not just a weird artifact that the BBEG has up his sleeve (or mounted on his shoulder). Not that I see any reason a DM couldn't use tech that way, that would be up to them.
Art_Tillary 04-01-05, 05:34 PM	OK. I dont' have d20 Modern and haven't looked at rates of fire for modern weapons. I would suspect that the rate of fire would encourage the PCs to take cover if the monsters are shooting at them. If you are rolling to hit them twice a much as they are hitting the monsters, maybe they'd think of cover. AT
Dan Hemmens 04-01-05, 06:03 PM	Possibly I'm coming at this from a totally incompatible angle, but I don't think that you can actually separate this idea from the setting. There is a world of difference between "20th century earth with magic" and, for example "post apocalypse fantasy where some remnants of high technology exist in an essentially medieval society" If all you want is mechanics, just combine D20 Modern and D&D. The entire *point* of the D20 system is that the mechanics are essentially the same, so you won't need to do that much work to combine the two into the same gameworld.
Art_Tillary 04-01-05, 09:16 PM	On a tactical or games rule level Dan is right. A major plus for d20 is that different genre's can be easily mixed as far as the combat / tactical rules go. On a higher level / stratagy there is a difference between a modern society and a quasi-midieval society. It's not just the presence of guns during a small skirmish. It's wether good move quickly via trucks or very slowly by ox pulled wagons. It's speed of communications. It's other things also. From a glance at the Eberron book, it's Victorian tech made with magic. That's very different than midieval tech with modern weapons added. So, I guess my next question is what is the tech level of your world? It sounds like midieval with some modern weapons like Dan mentioned for post-apoc. AT
Prgrmr@wrk 04-02-05, 03:28 AM	The world I normally DM is called Algeron, and it tends to be medieval tech, with a few advancements in some nations. Things like gunpowder are available on some continents, and steam engines are available (though very expensive, and not very useful) in one area called Trantor. The tech level I'd like to try is 20th century, with normal D&D magic. Not post apocalypse, or magic_goblin_in_a_box = computer, even though those can be interesting. For fun and flexibility though, I'd include extra rules for advanced tech, such as force fields, implants, holograms, and other standard scifi fare. As another way to look at it, I seperated different tech levels into categories. 0: Primitive / Basic tools (spears, rocks, canoes) 1: Medieval (arrows, swords, wheels, sailing ships etc) 2: Renaissance (gunpowder, printing press, artillery, telescopes) 3: Industrial (ground vehicles, manufacturing, steam+combustion engines) 4: Electronic (computers, radio, aircraft, missiles, hovercraft) 5: Advanced (force fields, spaceships, holograms, nuclear fusion, VR) 6: Very Advanced (teleportation, matter transmutation, FTL travel, cyborgs, AI) Standard D&D is type 1. The world I DM is type 1, with some advancments from type 2. ShadowRun is type 4, with some tech from 5 and 6. Our real world is type 4 (for now). The setting I'd like to create would be type 4 as well, but without altering existing classes, items, or magic. Obviously this chart doesn't include tech made through magic, but it wouldn't be hard to adapt. I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy of d20 modern, so I can find out exactly what it does, so that I don't waste my time inventing a glass sphere capable of producing light when supplied with electricity.
The WarOverlord 04-02-05, 04:41 AM	Recently I had the idea to incorporate modern/futuristic technology into D&D. What I don't know is how well this has already been done in other D20 games, since I've never played D20 modern, or much else. What I have played is the StarGate D20 game, and a bit of ShadowRun. The difference in what I want to create is that it will be a supplement to D&D, not a replacement. I intend to leave all existing classes, magic, races, feats intact, and make sure as few splash books as possible are broken if this supplement is introduced into a campaign. First, I need to know if I'm wasting my time with this, and should just invest in some existing rulebooks. If this actually is worth pursuing, I'm curious about any ideas or experiences people have had in the past about D&D style magic in a modern or scifi setting. For example, I introduced guns into my D&D campaign (expanded from the given rules in the 3.0 DMG), and found it made very little difference. Hopefully jeeps, jets, and forcefields will make a bigger impact. Well between a a standard Riffle with standard shot and a Composite long bow +7 shooting a Arrow with a 6 inch by 2 inch weird serrated armor piercing head with a keen and +7 enchantment.....I take the Composite bow any day as a standard gun shooting standard shot will have it's shot bounce off of most metal armors as contrary to believe in was the economics of arming 300 men with riffles v.s. arming one 1 Knight with a horse, armor, and weapons that made the Knights obsolete and a standard mark of quality of the Armor was the Armorer shooting it at close range with a gun and leaving the dent as "proof of quality" of the Armor And even in the case of thinner armorer there was still chain mesh and padding to get through, and a Knight respected Welsh Bowman over riflemen or even crossbow users cause of the 3 it was more likely a Welsh bowman with a well place arrow with 150l-300lb of force driving it into the armor and even out the other side of the Knight that would put him down first (especially nasty if the arrow had a large head and was designed to take a good bit of flesh out upon exit, had "bleeders", or even barbs that made pulling it out difficult) Roleplaying in a Technological world or a World where magic and technology co-exist or may even work with each other if not compliment each other isn't a new Idea SSI had Buck Rodgers, and I remember old RPG games like Sentinal Worlds, and Star Command. Ultima Series had a lot of Technology in it as well as magic and one of the villans was a cyborg that used magic if I remember correctly Even in Movies there was a Movie Called "Wizards" where it was basically a Lord of the rings type deal but the Bad guys had mutant and undead armies that used machine guns and weapons from world war 2 (Same era as most of the Undead Army) against fairies and dwarves and such and the major weapon of confusion for the Elves and Faires and inspiration for the Mutant and undead Armies was a Movie Projector playing Hitler footage.....go figure :confused: (And instead of a "Wizards Duel" in the end the wizard pulled a gun on the other Wizard which undid all the undead armies and such :rolleyes: ) Of course more modern thinking like Stargate and Babalon 5 is suggesting that the "gods" were but just aliens with better technology mistaken for "magic" and even something like Television or a remore control can be mistaken for "magic" if the perception or understanding of what it is is lacking The "Techno-Wizards" of Babylon 5 is hilarious as "Nano-probe magic" introduced in one of those online games.....can't remember which one. (Same one that had robots for familiars) And of course who can forget the "Mystical" side of "Dune"
The WarOverlord 04-02-05, 05:06 AM	The world I normally DM is called Algeron, and it tends to be medieval tech, with a few advancements in some nations. Things like gunpowder are available on some continents, and steam engines are available (though very expensive, and not very useful) in one area called Trantor. The tech level I'd like to try is 20th century, with normal D&D magic. Not post apocalypse, or magic_goblin_in_a_box = computer, even though those can be interesting. For fun and flexibility though, I'd include extra rules for advanced tech, such as force fields, implants, holograms, and other standard scifi fare. As another way to look at it, I seperated different tech levels into categories. 0: Primitive / Basic tools (spears, rocks, canoes) 1: Medieval (arrows, swords, wheels, sailing ships etc) 2: Renaissance (gunpowder, printing press, artillery, telescopes) 3: Industrial (ground vehicles, manufacturing, steam+combustion engines) 4: Electronic (computers, radio, aircraft, missiles, hovercraft) 5: Advanced (force fields, spaceships, holograms, nuclear fusion, VR) 6: Very Advanced (teleportation, matter transmutation, FTL travel, cyborgs, AI) Standard D&D is type 1. The world I DM is type 1, with some advancments from type 2. ShadowRun is type 4, with some tech from 5 and 6. Our real world is type 4 (for now). The setting I'd like to create would be type 4 as well, but without altering existing classes, items, or magic. Obviously this chart doesn't include tech made through magic, but it wouldn't be hard to adapt. I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy of d20 modern, so I can find out exactly what it does, so that I don't waste my time inventing a glass sphere capable of producing light when supplied with electricity. The steam engine was invented by Heron, an ancient Greek geometer and engineer from Alexandria. Heron lived during the first century AD and is sometimes called Hero 2000 year old 20 gear "computer" http://www.giant.net.au/users/rupert/kythera/kythera3.htm Developed in the second-century BCE, by the ancient Chinese, fireworks are the oldest form of rockets and the most simplistic model of a rocket. (And they figured out pointing it at enemy forces could be devastating, whether by reasoning or witnessing enough accidents when just lighting the rockets for entertainment). o Of Course a tube of some sort that launched the rocket was easier to make then a self propelling rocket so they actually where the first makers of crude "cannons" (fixed rocket launchers), bomb launchers (mortar launchers), and "guns"(tube rocket/mortar launchers)...the Monk that like duck hunting just made the idea more portable. It really ammuses my that people actually belive that computers,technology, and such only "boomed" in the last 200 years. They were called the Dark Ages cause technology along with Knowledge was not only suppressed, but even destroyed and forgotten if it didn't meet the Authorities' ideas of that they wanted the people to know.
hiryuu 04-02-05, 05:50 AM	As another way to look at it, I seperated different tech levels into categories. 0: Primitive / Basic tools (spears, rocks, canoes) 1: Medieval (arrows, swords, wheels, sailing ships etc) 2: Renaissance (gunpowder, printing press, artillery, telescopes) 3: Industrial (ground vehicles, manufacturing, steam+combustion engines) 4: Electronic (computers, radio, aircraft, missiles, hovercraft) 5: Advanced (force fields, spaceships, holograms, nuclear fusion, VR) 6: Very Advanced (teleportation, matter transmutation, FTL travel, cyborgs, AI) Standard D&D is type 1. The world I DM is type 1, with some advancments from type 2. ShadowRun is type 4, with some tech from 5 and 6. Our real world is type 4 (for now). The setting I'd like to create would be type 4 as well, but without altering existing classes, items, or magic. Obviously this chart doesn't include tech made through magic, but it wouldn't be hard to adapt. I'm still trying to get my hands on a copy of d20 modern, so I can find out exactly what it does, so that I don't waste my time inventing a glass sphere capable of producing light when supplied with electricity. Even if you don't use d20 Modern, the least you can do is check out the Progress Levels from d20 Future, from the future SRD. It does exactly as you've described, but it goes from PL 0-9.
Prgrmr@wrk 04-02-05, 08:21 AM	The steam engine was invented by Heron, an ancient Greek geometer and engineer from Alexandria. Heron lived during the first century AD and is sometimes called Hero 2000 year old 20 gear "computer" http://www.giant.net.au/users/rupert/kythera/kythera3.htm Developed in the second-century BCE, by the ancient Chinese, fireworks are the oldest form of rockets and the most simplistic model of a rocket. (And they figured out pointing it at enemy forces could be devastating, whether by reasoning or witnessing enough accidents when just lighting the rockets for entertainment). o Of Course a tube of some sort that launched the rocket was easier to make then a self propelling rocket so they actually where the first makers of crude "cannons" (fixed rocket launchers), bomb launchers (mortar launchers), and "guns"(tube rocket/mortar launchers)...the Monk that like duck hunting just made the idea more portable. It really ammuses my that people actually belive that computers,technology, and such only "boomed" in the last 200 years. They were called the Dark Ages cause technology along with Knowledge was not only suppressed, but even destroyed and forgotten if it didn't meet the Authorities' ideas of that they wanted the people to know. All those examples were novelties in their time (especially the "computer" you mentioned). They never became commonly used until at least the 1800s. Afterall, the greeks didn't build their empire by using war machines driven by steam engines.... hiryuu: I'd be reading the modern SRD right now, but the wizards.com server seems to be having some problems. With any luck I'll find a copy of it somewhere else.
hiryuu 04-02-05, 08:29 AM	All those examples were novelties in their time (especially the "computer" you mentioned). They never became commonly used until at least the 1800s. Afterall, the greeks didn't build their empire by using war machines driven by steam engines.... hiryuu: I'd be reading the modern SRD right now, but the wizards.com server seems to be having some problems. With any luck I'll find a copy of it somewhere else. Well, seeing how it's in the SRD, I can post it here: PL 0: STONE AGE The major achievements of a Stone Age society are the use of fire, the domestication of animals, and the invention of agriculture. An individual living in a Stone Age society is primitive, but he isn’t necessarily gullible, stupid, or easily frightened by advanced technology. Common weapons in a PL 0 civilization include the club, the dagger, the spear, and the bow. Armor made from hide or leather is possible, as are wicker shields. Communication beyond the local tribe or settlement doesn’t exist. Travel is accomplished by foot or by simple rafts or canoes. Simple pottery, stoneworking, and woodworking are possible. PL 1: BRONZE/IRON AGE Early human civilizations began to work metal toward the end of the Stone Age. The malleability of copper led to its becoming the first metal to be “tamed.” Adding tin to copper created a much stronger alloy: bronze. This advance allowed for the crafting of tools and weapons of great durability. In turn, those improved tools made possible the working of iron, which soon replaced bronze as the metal of choice for tools and weapons. In a Bronze/Iron Age society, advances in pottery, construction, and agriculture allow for the concentration of populations into larger and larger groups, with a corresponding upswing in the accumulation and sharing of knowledge. The rise of nations, citystates, and empires begins in the Bronze Age. Organized efforts to improve communications allow regional societies to exist. Galleys and small sailing vessels are capable of relatively long voyages, and some cultures may build extensive road or canal networks to link distant places. Improvements in agricultural efficiency permit the rise of artisans, craftsmen, professional soldiers, and other occupations that are not directly concerned with gathering food. The sword replaces the club and the dagger as the preferred weapon of infantry. Chariots briefly dominate warfare before cavalry (aided by the introduction of the stirrup) renders chariots obsolete. The first true military forces or tactical systems appear. Armor can now be made from sewn plates or scales, metal links, or even forged breastplates, and a variety of metal melee weapons dominate the battlefield. PL 2: MIDDLE AGES Maturing civilizations experience a period of turmoil and adjustment at this Progress Level. Developments continue in architecture, commerce, metallurgy, and mathematics. Wider dissemination of information becomes possible thanks to more advanced printing techniques. Sea communications dominate in the later part of this stage of development, and sturdy seafaring carracks and galleons open the door to the next Progress Level. As populations increase and knowledge of agriculture evolves, an increasing percentage of the population relocates into growing cities and towns. Toward the end of this Progress Level, the feudal system, in which a small class of nobles ruled a large population of agricultural workers, begins to collapse. Specialized crafts develop, universities appear, and the middle class is born. The first corporations emerge in the form of trade guilds. The evolution of strong systems of trade and finance tends to distribute a society’s wealth more evenly among its members, diluting the power of the nobility. Tools of warfare undergo a significant revolution. Sophisticated chain and plate armors protect warriors from harm, and elaborate fortifications become something of an art form. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the introduction of simple gunpowder weapons signals the imminent end of knights, heavy armor, and organized armies of swordsmen. PL 3: AGE OF REASON The Age of Reason is an era in human history when the development of ideas and systems of thought takes precedence over technological invention. The scientific method improves humankind’s understanding of the world. Experimentation becomes the means by which the physical properties of nature are systematically examined. The study of the various scientific disciplines—chemistry, electromagnetics, medicine, biology, and astronomy—flourishes. Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes enable scientists to greatly extend the range of their observations and discoveries. The new reliance on science generates waves on all levels of society. Superstition falls away, and exploration of the world reaches its apex. Society begins to experiment with new forms of organization, such as democracy. Corporations and economic alliances continue to evolve. Economically, this Progress Level is a transition from the cottage industries of the Middle Ages to industrialization. The cannon becomes the dominant factor in naval warfare, while massed musket fire and horse-pulled field pieces rule the battlefield. Even the reliable bow vanishes, replaced by the flintlock. Light melee weapons remain common. PL 4: INDUSTRIAL AGE In the fourth Progress Level, the theoretical knowledge of the previous era matures into widespread practical application. The harnessing of hydraulic, steam, and electric power creates an explosion of commerce and industry. Developments such as the telegraph, the telephone, and the radio make true global communication possible. Breakthroughs in manufacturing techniques allow the construction of heavy ironclad vessels, rail transportation, and architecture of previously unimaginable size. Pioneers venture high into the atmosphere and descend into the sea’s depths. Urbanization is complete as individuals gather in smaller environments where they can more easily exchange goods and information. Corporations expand in power, many establishing themselves throughout the explored world. Governments are based on political and economic factors. The means of war change swiftly through the period. Aircraft and submersibles join the list of military assets. Reliable and accurate rifles, pistols, and machine guns become common. Mechanized war machines herald the first great change in the art of battle since the end of the knight. PL 5: INFORMATION AGE The Industrial Age relied on chemical power, but in the Information Age, computer technology and electronics rule supreme. Satellite information systems and the Internet connect the globe digitally. This Progress Level also sees the introduction of fission power and weapons reducing the importance of fossil fuels. The automobile replaces the locomotive as the common form of travel. The first steps toward space travel involve massive chemical rockets, unmanned probes and satellites, and short-term manned missions. The technology of the era allows greater citizen participation in government. The emergence of international alliances begins to dissolve borders between nations. Corporations gather power and begin to threaten government authority. Technology has a greater effect on individual lifestyles than on society as a whole. Most weapons at this time are refined versions of Industrial Age equipment. Rifles, machine guns, and heavy howitzers are still used by the world’s soldiers. Computerized targeting systems and guided weapons make warfare much more precise and efficient. Strategic weapons, tested but never used, exhibit the species’ power to exterminate itself in minutes. Humanity experienced its Information Age as anxious years full of minor crises. The tension gradually alleviates through the age, and as the era ends new superpowers form. PL 6: FUSION AGE The development of fusion power provides an efficient, nonexpendable energy source that almost obliterates the need for chemical fuel sources. Advanced space exploration and colonization become possible. Computers become even more accessible, reliable, and powerful, leading to the development of virtual systems and widespread access to the global Internet. Slowly, society experiences another revolution as individual nations are replaced by world powers. Megacorporations number among these new superpowers as the line between the national citizen and corporate employee is rendered indistinct. Armed with the means to eradicate the entire species, the world powers keep conflicts to the level of skirmishing and posturing, and integration of the Information Age’s improvements proceed peacefully. Scientific advanced in genetic engineering lead to artificial evolution and the first government- and corporate-sanctioned attempts to genetically manipulate human beings. Early results are encouraging, with the manifestation of positive and negative mutations in the species toward the end of the age. Scientists also perfect cloning technology, and the first human clones are created. In the later years of this age, the first crude applications of gravity induction technology appear, in the form of civilian and military vehicles that can move through the air without using physical propulsion or consumption of fuel. Chemical-powered explosives and firearms remain the weapons of choice; fusion technology can’t be effectively miniaturized for personal combat. Nevertheless, advanced chemistry and superconducting technology change the materials and capabilities of many weapons. True spaceships become possible, propelled by powerful fusion drives, but still require a reaction mass to traverse space. The age sees the tenuous settlement of other planets and asteroids within the same star system. PL 7: GRAVITY AGE As this Progress Level opens, the invention of two key technologies herald humanity’s climb to the stars. The gravity induction reactor systematically replaces fusion power as an even more efficient source of energy that can be miniaturized with great ease. With the use of the mass reactor, world powers explore, divide, and colonize the entirety of the local star system. For the most part, life on the home planet is unchanged. The second advance of the era brings perhaps the greatest upheaval in the history of human civilization. The introduction and integration of gravity induction technology leads to the creation of the induction engine, which allows starships to bridge the gap between the stars. Political and economic reorganization occurs as the species spreads far from home. Projectile firearms are in their last days, as crude energy weapons become available. Powered armor is available to warriors of this age. Personal (melee) weapons enjoy a resurgence, due in large part to a shift in military tactics—armed conflict between individuals seldom occurs on an army scale, but more frequently involves engagements of small units in conditions when ranged weapons are not necessarily effective. Computer technology links every society, settlement, and outpost of a star system in a single information net, creating an unparalleled and expedient exchange of knowledge and data for business, entertainment, and research. PL 8: ENERGY AGE The continuing miniaturization of induction engine technology allows power plants the size of marbles to harness the basic forces of creation. Powerful personal force screens and energy weapons dominate the battlefield, as projectile weapons finally disappear after ruling the battlefield for a thousand years. Miniaturized sensors, shields, and engines allow mass production of small, practical starfighters. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced construction techniques allow humans to build enormous, self-sustaining cities in space. PL 9 AND HIGHER Generally, these Progress Levels are beyond reach or comprehension, although isolated worlds or undiscovered species may exist that have access to them. In many cases, the signature technologies of an earlier age are abandoned in favor of more elegant and more powerful technologies. Practical control of matter at the subatomic level, the ability to travel through time, or the power to “fold space” to shorten travel distances may be possible at this stage of technological development. Gravity Induction Control of gravity is one of the key features of Progress Level 7. The development of gravitonic science and gravitonic engineering leads to a host of miraculous devices: levitating cars, interplanetary drives that require no reaction mass, and a wide range of military tools. Just as the application of electricity was spurred by the discovery of the induction principle, the creation of devices that induce gravitational energy leads to an effective control over weight. Gravity induction relies on the phenomenon first set forth in Einstein’s Theory of Special Relativity: An object’s mass approaches infinity as the object’s velocity approaches the speed of light. By using a cyclotron to accelerate a tiny particle to near-light speed, the gravity generator creates gravitons between the particle and the surrounding mass. These gravitons can be siphoned off, redirected, or stored by use of the induction coil. At PL 7, gravity inducers can be miniaturized to the size of hockey pucks for special applications. An inducer powerful enough to negate a human’s gravitational attraction to the Earth is about the size of a discus, while the induction motor in a flying car requires a gravity generator about the size of a spare tire.
thinkhard 04-02-05, 01:05 PM	I wrote a whole future-based variant set of rules that i had posted on the DnD forums. I cant find it. I called it "mutants and municiple buildings" :P Some kinks still need to be worked out (i haven't fixed the rogue yet). If you're interested in looking at the rules i made just message me with your email and i'll email the word document to you. The biggest mechanical changes i made were making massive damage ratings as compared to the old game (to simulate the power of futuristic weaponry), made armor damage reduction isntead of armor class, and made there be a percentile hit chart for which body part an attack hits and devised a system to give body parts hit points. Theres also a list of effects that occur when body parts reach 0 hit points. Anyway, drop me a line if your interested
hiryuu 04-02-05, 08:11 PM	The biggest mechanical changes i made were making massive damage ratings as compared to the old game (to simulate the power of futuristic weaponry), made armor damage reduction isntead of armor class, and made there be a percentile hit chart for which body part an attack hits and devised a system to give body parts hit points. Theres also a list of effects that occur when body parts reach 0 hit points. Anyway, drop me a line if your interested This is bad: it can lead to called shots. Which in turn leads to an army of kobold sorcerers with crossbows and true strike.
kinem 04-03-05, 02:42 PM	I have been thinking along similar lines, but I'm not sure it would be a good idea to make "D&D modern" as it risks leading to a flavorless, 'everything including the kitchen sink', Rifts-like setting. (I've played Rifts, and don't like it.) That said, here's how I might do it ... The SRD is the place to start for mechanics: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/article/msrd This is good for stats on firearms and a few PrC, but I don't care for d20 modern. Well, the wealth system I'm not happy with, but I realize it's OK once you get used to it. I don't care for the modern classes either. Also, the free modules available on the WoTC web site are terrible. Still, it seems OK as long as you don't include magic or monsters. The Urban Arcana campaign setting idea (by which I mean the whole coming of shadow' and the 'orcs are here but ordinary people see them as humans' and 'elf bodies vanish when they die' junk) is completely disgusting and horrible. Also, it is too similar to D&D (many monsters are taken straight), but at the same time different enough to frustrate and turn off any D&D fan (the shadow junk, low magic, little historical context for non-human characters, slightly different mechanics, ridiculous stuff thrown in). It just seems like a joke more than anything else; like the whole idea of elves or gnolls in NYC was so silly to the d20 Modern team that they felt they had to throw in junk like magic talking toasters that try to bite your nose off just to maintain the same level of seriousness in tone as when talking about elves. Since the mechanics are not compatible with D&D, so you can't do a direct crossover. Major differences: massive damage threshold; class-based bonus to AC (so a d20 Modern character wearing full D&D armor and items would have a crazy high AC and be at a big advantage); and the lack of high level spells. Personally, I've thought "It sure would be useful to have discern location to find Osama bin Laden". Sadly, that's not a d20 Modern concept; only D&D has high level spells like that. That's a good example of what you should be thinking about in a D&D/modern mix. It's also probably the reason d20 Modern doesn't go far with magic; it's just not possible to include full D&D magic as something tacked on that has no real effects on world history. So, the stats for equipment can come from d20 Modern, but classes will come from D&D. For firearms, it might be a good idea for only half of the armor and natural armor bonuses to AC to count against them. The big question is the campaign setting. One way to go is to start with the real world, maybe with a portal that allows a few enemies and the PCs to come through. This might be interesting, but you should realize that if a BBEG lich suddenly appears in a world with no other magic users, he is going to rule the world, especially if you allow spells like mindrape from BoVD. (It would be easy enough for him to scry/greater teleport to the oval office under improved invisibility and mindrape the US president, for example. Or, if he raises the dead, he could attract quite a following. Or, he could wish that a certain nuclear warhead triggers, well within the power of the spell to manipulate a few nonmagical items. Etc.) This is too unstable for my taste. Instead that setting might be good for a mid-level game, which goes back to d20 Modern and its lack of high level spells. Neither way is satisfying! But at least for a few levels, this D&D modern should hold together while in principle allowing true crossover ... A more stable situation is one where the technology in a D&D world has advanced to a modern level, while the magic is the same as always. The effect on monsters is a major question. Big creatures, even dragons, would be at a disadvantage as they are unable to use maneuverable vehicles and can't openly attack a village without being confronted by fighter jets or the like. Even so, they will benefit from technology too, especially intelligent monsters like mind flayers. Perhaps no kobold will lack for a machine gun. Alternatively, you might want to remove most of the monsters from the campaign world for a more human-centric campaign. In either case, leaders and advanced weapons will have magical protections or they wouldn't have lasted long. Now the question is, what story could you tell in a campaign like that which you couldn't tell in a regular D&D setting?
Prgrmr@wrk 04-03-05, 03:14 PM	Those were some really good questions. For setting, it would never ever be earth with magic, in my opinion anyways. Earth has a "balance" already, you can'ty go changing the rules like that. For any campaign I used a D&D modern system in, it would be a faerun style world. I'm still certain that I don't want to touch classes or feats, or even magic, but I do want to add machines and technology. I've read some of the modern SRD now, and I think I agree with you that it's not exactly right for D&D, though I did like the movement system they have for vehicles. As for what new stories would be possible in a D&D campaign with technology? I can't think of any to be honest. When you get right down to it, it all comes down to some guy has raised an army of golems/robots or undead/cyborgs, or has decided to set off a doomsday spell/plague/nuclear weapon. The main advantage (to me anyways) is that I have a much better idea of how modern cities or armies work, and I'm much more used to the idea of driving a jeep, rather than riuding a horse that I have to feed, and forget about half the time. On a more useful note, it's much easier to justify the players invading an industrial complex, than it is to explain why there's a dungeon in the middle of nowhere that's centuries old, but still has dangerous creatures wandering about. (Not that I can't explain that junk, it just sounds silly after a time).