Has anyone tried working a fantasy style campaign (a-la DnD and the like) with the d20 modern rules? I like the layer of customization d20M gives you for your characters, and I've considered using it for my late copper-age game setting.
I figured there might need to be some new feats done up or something, but nothing too drastic. The wealth system would have to go (and nothing of value was lost), which would probably be the hardest thing, translating occupational wealth rolls into extra starting cash.
M.
Without getting into the FX,
what is stopping us from just using the game as is but with lowtech equipment?
Looking at it the other direction,
what has the modern Strong/MartialArtist given up that the caveman Str/MA has?
Yeah, that's what I'm saying -- it should be pretty compatable. Hell, I might even create a guide to my "low tech" setting and toss it up here.
I'll have to trawl through the feats and see what's what though; it's been a while. I recall picking up a giant pile of feats from somewhere, as a compiled book. Should help insert stuff that it's missing, though perhaps the Blood and Fist stuff can be used to expand weapon combat too.
Failing that, there's always The Riddle of Steel :p
M.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying -- it should be pretty compatable. Hell, I might even create a guide to my "low tech" setting and toss it up here.
I'll have to trawl through the feats and see what's what though; it's been a while. I recall picking up a giant pile of feats from somewhere, as a compiled book. Should help insert stuff that it's missing, though perhaps the Blood and Fist stuff can be used to expand weapon combat too.
Several third party publishers actually use d20 Modern or Modern-influenced rules for quasi-historical/low magic games. I know some stuff released through RPG Objects actually does just what you suggest, and uses Blood and Fists to cover its melee weapon combat.
Failing that, there's always The Riddle of Steel
Such an underappreciated game...
actually, what I was getting at is
what rules are you playing Strong/MA or melee type characters with now
that you would need to change if those chars just used chainmail instead of Kevlar?
What technology does Tommy TwoShivs or KungFuJoe depend on?
Just clone (photocopy) your current Modern party,
conk them on the head,
and they wake up naked on a pacific island full of machette bamboospear and bow weilding natives.
Outfit them with native equipment and run a few games of FarmersDaughter, CoupAttempt, ZombieNight etc
Has anyone tried working a fantasy style campaign (a-la DnD and the like) with the d20 modern rules? I like the layer of customization d20M gives you for your characters, and I've considered using it for my late copper-age game setting.
yup, been done at least once...
try Merlin's Workshop Classically Modern
Classically Modern bugs me. It looks like it shoudl be an awesoem concept. But the layout is suficiently odd that I can't glean any useful information out any faster than I could reasonably expect to homebrew it from scratch. Which is really annoying, since I sense there's a gem buried in there.
Classically Modern bugs me. It looks like it shoudl be an awesoem concept. But the layout is suficiently odd that I can't glean any useful information out any faster than I could reasonably expect to homebrew it from scratch. Which is really annoying, since I sense there's a gem buried in there.
Yep! My sentiments exactly...
One thing a d20 Modern Fantasy setting would be is not so reliant on Armor, you wouldn't need to aquire that magical suit of full plate mail as much since your Defense increases with each level. You could also have more high-level "Conan the Barbarian" types that don't wear much armor. Most fantasy artists don't like to show the heroes they're depicting completely decked out in full plate armor with the visor lowered on the helmet their wearing, because then all you would see would be the suit of armor and not the hero on the inside.
I've flirted with this idea. The changes I'd make would be to give all characters Armor Proficiency (Light) and Simple Weapon Proficiency for free.
For magic, I'd use something more freeform like True Sorcery.
Basically you have your D&D type world with advanced D&Dish type magic but using the Modern d20 rules system, and then the Moderns invade, lets say they are Nazis from a World War II campaign run amok, Lets say the Germans are losing World War II, the Russians have Berlin surrounded, but some German scientist or Occultist provides an escape for the Fuhrer and the remnants of the Third Reich's forces, so the Wermarck pours into this fantasy world with their Tiger Tanks, and elite SS squadrons and immediately take over some neighboring Fantasy villages and towns, cutting down knights and peasants with their machineguns. Since the Fantasy denzines have no comparible weapons, the Nazis at first cut a sizable swath intothis fantasy landscape, but then the big guns gather, powerful wizards and sorcerers band together to fight off the invading Nazis, using magic against machineguns and armor.
The D&D 3.5 magic system works fine if appended to D20 Modern. I think the classic D&D classes could be reintroduced as prestige classes with requirements of reaching certain levels of the Modern Core classes first. How does that sound, this could be used to set the scene for a clash between "Modern vs Fantasy" campaign.
I'd say just pick up Urban Arcana and d20 Past. Arcana has a couple of pages on converting D&D characters. Past adds Shaman and Sorcerer so Druid is covered and you don't just have to use the same class Wizard is replaced with to be a Sorcerer.
If prestige classes were an absolute MUST HAVE I'd likely use the Bard, Paladin, and Ranger PrCs from Unearthed Arcana and base the other class's PrCs off of them.