| d20 Modern | |
 The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook |
|
| Designer | Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wizards of the Coast |
| Publication date | 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Generic |
| System | d20 system, modified |
d20 Modern is a roleplaying game designed by Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and The d20 System is a Role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Bill Slavicsek is the Director of Roleplaying Design and Development at Wizards of the Coast. Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an author and game designer Charles V Ryan is a former mayor of the city Springfield Massachusetts. It was published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2002, and uses the d20 System. Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and The d20 System is a Role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons The game provides a toolbox for staging campaigns in a range of modern settings.
Contents |
System
d20 Modern is based on the d20 System, with the following additions and alterations:
Characters
d20 Modern presents a starting character with the choice of six classes: Strong Hero, Fast Hero, Tough Hero, Smart Hero, Dedicated Hero, and Charismatic Hero. The d20 System is a Role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons This article is about a concept in role-playing games For character classes specific to Dungeons and Dragons see Character class (Dungeons & Dragons. These basic classes correspond to the six ability scores used in the d20 System. An ability score, in the D20 System, is a numeric description of a character's physical and mental characteristics. The basic classes are broad, flexible, and generic, rather than the much more narrowly focused character classes from the Dungeons and Dragons rules.
A d20 Modern character can later, after meeting certain requirements, take levels in advanced classes. The advanced classes are much more specifically focused; examples include Soldier, Field Medic, and Techie.
There are prestige classes as well; these have stricter requirements, which are most likely arrived at through at least one advanced class, and are even more tightly focused in their roles, but these are not found in the core rules.
Also, d20 Modern includes the moreau character race(s), a group of anthropomorphic creatures with individual benefits and drawbacks. In Science fiction, biological uplift is a term for the act of an advanced Civilization helping the development of another Species. This is later expanded on in the d20 campaign setting, GeneTech.
Action Points
Each character earns a set number of points each experience level, known as 'Action Points'. These points can be spent in game to increase the effect of a single die roll, or to make use of certain abilities earned by the hero character through their experience level advancement.
Skills and Feats
Upon gaining experience levels, characters earn points which are used to purchase ranks in various skills. These skills quantify in game logic terms the character's competence in some non-combat action, such as swimming, negotiating, stunt driving, or using computers.
Feats are special abilities a character gains. Feats are less readily described because of the sheer variety of abilities they can grant the character. Unlike skills, feats do not have "skill points", but are rather a single thing you take that grants a bonus of some sort. A feat could allow a character to perform a special combat maneuver, enhance the use of one or more skills, or have some other more exotic effect.
Equipment
A character can purchase or otherwise obtain any of dozens of items listed in the book, as well as any item that the game master sees fit to allow, using a mechanic which is based on the price of the item. d20 Modern uses a very abstract system for tracking wealth, intended to model modern finances more simply than tracking available funds, credit cards, loan debt, exchange rates, investments, and the myriad other sources of monetary value in a modern society.
Campaign Settings
d20 Modern presents three sample campaign settings. These settings, unlike the rest of the book, feature the supernatural.
Shadow Chasers
In this setting, evil monsters, usually from one or more parallel dimensions, roam free around the world. However, most people do not see these creatures for what they really are, seeing instead a vague approximation which is still plausible in that person's beliefs about reality. (See consensus reality. Consensus reality (rarely or mistakenly called "consensual reality" is an approach to answering the question 'What is real ?' a profound philosophical question ) For example, an ogre would appear to the average person as a very burly man. An ogre (feminine ogress) is a large cruel and hideous Humanoid Monster, featured in mythology folklore and fiction The player characters are somehow capable of seeing through this veil, and typically take on responsibility for defending humanity from the monsters. It originally appeared as a d20 mini-game in Polyhedron Magazine issue #150. Polyhedron was a Magazine which started out as the official publication of the RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association
Agents of Psi
In this campaign setting, magic (at least in the traditional sense) does not exist, but psychic capabilities called psionics do. Psionics is the study and/or practice of using the mind to induce paranormal phenomena Player characters typically work for a government agency investigating and/or using this quasi-supernatural force, but this is only a suggestion and is not strictly required by the rules. A novella taking place in this setting was published on the WotC website.
Urban Arcana
In this setting, dragons rule the boardrooms and bugbears rule the streets. Urban Arcana is a Campaign setting for the D20 Modern roleplaying game that builds on a small campaign model included in the original rulebook The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide A bugbear, also called a "boogerbear" is a Legendary creature comparable to the Bogeyman, Bogey, Bugaboo, Hobgoblin and It is a world where monsters and magic exist, yet the human psyche just cannot fathom them and covers up all supernatural events. Some, however, break that barrier and become aware of the world around them, and help Mages, Acolytes, and other magical characters fight with monsters from another realm. This campaign setting combines aspects of the previous two settings (Shadow Chasers & Agents of Psi) and uses the conceit that all three settings coexist in the same reality (at least in Urban Arcana).
Other settings
Dark•Matter: Shades of Grey
Dark•Matter: Shades of Grey is a d20 Modern mini-game of conspiratorial suspense presented in Polyhedron Magazine issue #167 (also known as Dungeon Magazine issue #108) and then as a stand-alone d20 Modern book, Dark•Matter, in September of 2006. Polyhedron was a Magazine which started out as the official publication of the RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a Magazine targeting people who play Role-playing games particularly It is a remake of the Dark•Matter campaign setting for Alternity. Dark•Matter is a Science fiction / Conspiracy theory Campaign setting that was originally published in 1999 by Wizards of the Alternity is a Science fiction Role-playing game (RPG published by TSR in 1998. It utilizes concepts from the core d20 Modern RPG rules and the Urban Arcana and d20 Menace Manual sourcebooks, which are also recommended for use to get the most from the setting. Urban Arcana is a Campaign setting for the D20 Modern roleplaying game that builds on a small campaign model included in the original rulebook The D20 Menace Manual is a listing of statistics for animals aliens and other potential enemies for use in the D20 Modern Role-playing game.
Mecha Crusade
Mecha Crusade was a d20 mini-RPG campaign setting in issue #154 of Polyhedron Magazine (Dungeon Magazine issue #95). The d20 System is a Role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Polyhedron was a Magazine which started out as the official publication of the RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a Magazine targeting people who play Role-playing games particularly
The setting was a take off of anime mecha series, like Mobile Suit Gundam or Macross. (anime in Japanese, Word origin and usage The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English word " mechanical " is a televised Anime series created by Sunrise. Written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network is a long-running series of Science fiction Anime, created by Shoji Kawamori of Studio Nue in 1982
Pulp Heroes
Pulp Heroes started as a d20 mini-RPG found in Polyhedron Magazine issue #149 (also known as Dungeon Magazine issue #90). The d20 System is a Role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. Polyhedron was a Magazine which started out as the official publication of the RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a Magazine targeting people who play Role-playing games particularly Polyhedron #161 (also known as Dungeon #102) contained a d20 Modern "update" of the Pulp Heroes mini-game.
The setting allows one to play games that take place during the famous Pulp Era of literature, filled with ancient dinosaurs, power-hungry gangsters, vengeful vigilantes, amazing superheroes, evil Nazis, bizarre inventions, mystical psionics, hard-boiled detectives, trained martial artists, curious explorers, eldritch aliens, and various other fantastic people, places, and things. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines For other uses see Gangsta. A gangster is a criminal who is or at some point almost invariably becomes a member of a persistent violent A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the A superhero (sometimes rendered super-hero or super hero) is a Fictional character "of unprecedented physical prowess dedicated to acts of derring-do Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German An invention is a new form composition of matter device or Process. Psionics, in Role-playing games is a broad category of fantastic abilities originating from the mind similar to the Paranormal psionic abilities that some Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for Combat. See also List of extraterrestrials in fiction In Popular cultures Life forms -especially intelligent life forms that are of extraterrestrial
The worlds of H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and famous individuals like Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Doc Savage, Tarzan, and Indiana Jones serve as perfect examples of this era. Howard Phillips Lovecraft ( August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American author of horror, fantasy The Cthulhu Mythos is a Shared universe created in the 1920s by American horror writer H Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the The Lost World is a novel released in 1912 by Arthur Conan Doyle concerning an expedition to a Plateau in South America where prehistoric Jules Gabriel Verne ( February 8 1828 &ndash March 24 1905) was a French Author who pioneered the science-fiction Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 &ndash 13 August 1946 He was an outspoken socialist and a pacifist, his later works becoming increasingly political Doc Savage is a Fictional character, one of the Pulp heroes of the 1930s and 1940s Tarzan is a Fictional character, an archetypal Feral child raised in the African jungle by Apes who later returns to civilization only to Dr (also Col Henry Walton Jones Jr, better known as Indiana Jones or Indy after his pet dog is a fictional Adventurer, Soldier
Many elements of Pulp Heroes were adapted into the later d20 Past sourcebook. d20 Past is a supplement to the D20 Modern Role-playing game, providing a rule framework for campaigns set in a variety of historic
Thunderball Rally
Thunderball Rally was the second mini-game in a brief series of previews for d20 Modern that appeared in the early issues of the third and last edition of Polyhedron Magazine, which was on the flipside of Dungeon Magazine. Polyhedron was a Magazine which started out as the official publication of the RPGA (Role Playing Gamers Association Dungeon Adventures, commonly called simply Dungeon, is a Magazine targeting people who play Role-playing games particularly
Thunderball Rally, released as a preview for the d20 MODERN RPG in Polyhedron #152, is a d20 System mini-game about racing across the United States of America in 1976. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The game creates an imaginary cross-country car race, and uses d20 System modern vehicle rules. The vehicle rules that were described in the game were also recommended for use with the previous d20 Modern mini-game preview Shadow Chasers (Polyhedron #150).
In Thunderball Rally, the player characters portray one of the crews in the largest, most lucrative, most illegal crosscountry road race in America. Examples of the genre include The Gumball Rally, Cannonball (film) (and its later follow up/remake Cannonball Run), The Blues Brothers, Death Race 2000, and Smokey and the Bandit, and iconic characters include the General Lee and Boss Hogg. Cannonball, also known as Carquake, is a 1976 film starring David Carradine. The Blues Brothers are a Grammy Award -nominated American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd Death Race 2000 is a cult action Film directed by Paul Bartel, and starring David Carradine, Simone Griffeth Smokey and the Bandit is a 1977 movie starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick JD ( Jefferson Davis) Hogg (better known as "Boss" Hogg) is a Fictional character featured in the American Rules for Orangutan player characters subsequently appeared in Polyhedron #153 as a homage to the 1978 film Every Which Way But Loose. The orangutans are two Species of great apes known for their intelligence long arms and reddish-brown hair
Rulebooks
| Title | Author(s) | ISBN | Publication Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| d20 Modern Roleplaying Game | Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb and Rich Redman | ISBN 0-78692-836-0 | 1 November 2002 |
| Urban Arcana | Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Eric Cagle and Dave Noonan | ISBN 0-78692-659-7 | 1 May 2003 |
| d20 Menace Manual | JD Wiker, Eric Cagle and Matthew Sernett | ISBN 0-78692-899-9 | 1 September 2003 |
| d20 Weapons Locker | Keith J. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Urban Arcana is a Campaign setting for the D20 Modern roleplaying game that builds on a small campaign model included in the original rulebook Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The D20 Menace Manual is a listing of statistics for animals aliens and other potential enemies for use in the D20 Modern Role-playing game. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Potter | ISBN 0-78693-132-9 | 1 February 2004 |
| d20 Future | Christopher Perkins, Rodney M. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " d20 Future is an accessory for the D20 Modern Role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and Thompson and JD Wiker | ISBN 0-78693-423-9 | 1 August 2004 |
| d20 Past | James Wyatt | ISBN 0-78693-656-8 | 1 March 2005 |
| d20 Apocalypse | ISBN 0-78693-273-2 | 1 June 2005 | |
| d20 Cyberscape | Owen K. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " d20 Past is a supplement to the D20 Modern Role-playing game, providing a rule framework for campaigns set in a variety of historic Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. d20 Apocalypse is a 96-page softcover supplement to the D20 Modern Role-playing game, providing a rules framework and setting guides for campaigns Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. d20 Future is an accessory for the D20 Modern Role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and C. Stephens | ISBN 0-78693-695-9 | 1 September 2005 |
| d20 Future Tech | Rodney Thompson and JD Wiker | ISBN 0-78693-949-4 | 1 February 2006 |
| d20 Critical Locations | Eric Cagle, Owen K. Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. d20 Future is an accessory for the D20 Modern Role-playing game written by Christopher Perkins, Rodney Thompson, and Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. C. Stephens and Christopher West | ISBN 0-78693-914-1 | 1 May 2006 |
| d20 Dark•Matter | Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook | ISBN 0-78694-349-1 | 1 September 2006 |
See also
External links
- Official D20 Modern Site
- Modern System Reference Documents
- Art Gallery
- D&D Wiki's MSRD
- Unofficial, Web Viewable SRD
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