AstralFire
2009-08-04, 04:05 PM
The following is a quick resource document intended for use with the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison, using updated material from the v.3.5 revision, henceforth referred to in this document as 'D&D 3.5'. It is intended to familiarize a new player to the STAR WARS SAGA EDITION rules by highlighting differences between the rules used there with the rules present in the publicly available System Resource Document for D&D 3.5 (http://www.d20srd.org/). This document contains no content from the STAR WARS SAGA EDITION game, and is not sufficient for play on its own.
If this document is toeing a line, I'll remove it; however, virtually all of this information is commonly available on the Gleemax forums themselves, and is insufficient for play without a Core Rulebook. It is intended to quickly familiarize a new player who is experienced with the d20 system.
The Basics (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/basicsRacesDescription.htm)
Ability Score Generation methods remain identical
The human species' benefits are analogous to their benefits in the D&D 3.5E rules, adjusting for different mechanics.
Starting languages functions identically, although choice of language varies.
There are no rules for alignment.
When you would normally be granted a +1 untyped bonus to an ability score due to your character level, you are also granted a second +1 to be placed on a second ability score of your choice.
Classes (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/classes.htm)
Basic class structure is broken down into 'feats' and 'talents' at alternating levels. Talents work like class-specific feats, but tend to be more powerful and have more active effects, while feats relate to mundane combat or constant benefits more often.
You gain three times your hit dice (maximized, adding constitution bonus last and only once) as HP at first level. At subsequent levels, you roll or take average as in D&D 3.5.
Prestige classes remain, though they do not have their own skill lists.
Multiclass characters only gain one 'starting feat' (including proficiencies) from each basic class that they multiclass into. They must qualify for this feat.
Multiclass characters may take the highest granted class bonus on any individual defense statistic.
Multiclass characters do not gain or lose skills; however, they add additional skills to their list of valid skills to be trained via feats.
There is no penalty on the number of classes which you may take.
Skills (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/skills.htm)
Skill points are abolished. A skill may be trained and gain a +5 bonus, or focused - with a feat - and gain an additional +5 bonus. You add half your character level (termed 'heroic level') to all skill rolls.
The skills Acrobatics, Climb, Deception, Endurance, Gather Information, Initiative, Jump, Knowledge, Mechanics, Perception, Persuasion, Pilot, Ride, Stealth, Survival, Swim, Treat Injury, Use Computer and Use the Force comprise all of the known skills.
Feats (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/feats.htm)
Many basic feats return from the D&D 3.5 Core Rules unchanged, or with little change.
Equipment (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/equipment.htm)
There are no shields.
There is also no spoon.
You don't talk about Fight Club.
Magic items do not exist; the methods of improving items are rare and expensive, and many unenhanced armors can realistically remain out of a character's reach for many levels.
This game does not have an expected Wealth By Level system.
Armor grants a bonus to Fortitude Defense and Reflex Defense which varies depending on the armor. The bonus to Fortitude Defense stacks; the armor's Reflex Defense bonus negates your heroic level bonus to Reflex Defense without talents.
Combat (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/combat.htm)
There is no such thing as an iterative attack. With heavy feat investment, you can get a large, but highly inaccurate, number of attacks a round. Emphasis is placed on movement, so one attack a round is common.
Damage rolls from anything requiring an attack roll add one-half your heroic level.
Armor class has been abolished.
Fortitude, Reflex, and Will Saves have been replaced by Fortitude, Reflex, and Will Defenses. These function similarly, merely making the save mechanic resemble attacks. Reflex defense takes the place of Armor Class. You determine your Defense by adding 10 + the relevant ability score modifier, the flat bonus granted by your class at first level, and your character level.
Your Fortitude Defense is rarely invoked directly; however, there is a statistic directly tied to it called the Damage Threshold. When a single attack damages you by this number or greater, you move one step down the condition track. This movement will also decrease your damage threshold.
The Condition Track. Every time you move one step down this track, you take penalties to your defenses and essentially anything you roll a d20 for. The values described below are noncumulative:
Step 1: -1
Step 2: -2
Step 3: -5
Step 4: -10, Half Movement Speed
Step 5: Unconscious
Several talents and abilities can hasten, slow, or reverse movement along the condition track. Spending three swift actions within consecutive rounds will bring you back up one step. If you take damage in excess of your damage threshold that is also greater than your remaining HP, you die.
Once per day after being reduced to half-health or less, as a swift action you can use a second wind; this will restore a large fragment of your hit points.
The grapple mechanic cannot be invoked without feats. It is much simplified.
The disarm mechanic ignores weapon size.
The sunder mechanic does not exist.
The trip mechanic is subsumed into grapple.
Most bonuses or penalties (especially due to size) in the system are of the variation 1, 2, 5, 10, 10, 10, 10 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 20, 20, 20 rather than 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24.
A full-round action is comprised of a swift, move, and standard action.
You may downgrade any move action into a swift action.
There are no five-foot steps. One square movement, however, does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
There is no critical hit confirmation roll.
Ranged weapons and Force Powers in most circumstances do not provoke attacks of opportunity; smaller ranged weapons can also make attacks of opportunity at melee range.
Action Points (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/actionPoints.htm)
They're called Force Points here, and extensively integrated into the system. All uses listed here beyond rolling to improve a d20 result are not allowed.
There's a super version of these called Destiny Points; they are not utilized in all games, and exist side by side with Force Points.
Force Powers
Force Powers function very similar to Tome of Battle maneuvers, for those familiar with that system; each one can be used once in an encounter, normally. On a roll of natural 20 when using a Force Power, you automatically regain all Force Powers in your suite. Other than that, your typical way of regaining Force Powers is with a minute's rest.
You receive a number of Force Powers (1+Wis) upon taking a repeatable feat called Force Training, rather than taking levels in a class, and can select the same Force Power multiple times to use it multiple times within the same encounter.
If this document is toeing a line, I'll remove it; however, virtually all of this information is commonly available on the Gleemax forums themselves, and is insufficient for play without a Core Rulebook. It is intended to quickly familiarize a new player who is experienced with the d20 system.
The Basics (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/basicsRacesDescription.htm)
Ability Score Generation methods remain identical
The human species' benefits are analogous to their benefits in the D&D 3.5E rules, adjusting for different mechanics.
Starting languages functions identically, although choice of language varies.
There are no rules for alignment.
When you would normally be granted a +1 untyped bonus to an ability score due to your character level, you are also granted a second +1 to be placed on a second ability score of your choice.
Classes (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/classes.htm)
Basic class structure is broken down into 'feats' and 'talents' at alternating levels. Talents work like class-specific feats, but tend to be more powerful and have more active effects, while feats relate to mundane combat or constant benefits more often.
You gain three times your hit dice (maximized, adding constitution bonus last and only once) as HP at first level. At subsequent levels, you roll or take average as in D&D 3.5.
Prestige classes remain, though they do not have their own skill lists.
Multiclass characters only gain one 'starting feat' (including proficiencies) from each basic class that they multiclass into. They must qualify for this feat.
Multiclass characters may take the highest granted class bonus on any individual defense statistic.
Multiclass characters do not gain or lose skills; however, they add additional skills to their list of valid skills to be trained via feats.
There is no penalty on the number of classes which you may take.
Skills (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/skills.htm)
Skill points are abolished. A skill may be trained and gain a +5 bonus, or focused - with a feat - and gain an additional +5 bonus. You add half your character level (termed 'heroic level') to all skill rolls.
The skills Acrobatics, Climb, Deception, Endurance, Gather Information, Initiative, Jump, Knowledge, Mechanics, Perception, Persuasion, Pilot, Ride, Stealth, Survival, Swim, Treat Injury, Use Computer and Use the Force comprise all of the known skills.
Feats (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/feats.htm)
Many basic feats return from the D&D 3.5 Core Rules unchanged, or with little change.
Equipment (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/equipment.htm)
There are no shields.
There is also no spoon.
You don't talk about Fight Club.
Magic items do not exist; the methods of improving items are rare and expensive, and many unenhanced armors can realistically remain out of a character's reach for many levels.
This game does not have an expected Wealth By Level system.
Armor grants a bonus to Fortitude Defense and Reflex Defense which varies depending on the armor. The bonus to Fortitude Defense stacks; the armor's Reflex Defense bonus negates your heroic level bonus to Reflex Defense without talents.
Combat (http://www.d20srd.org/indexes/combat.htm)
There is no such thing as an iterative attack. With heavy feat investment, you can get a large, but highly inaccurate, number of attacks a round. Emphasis is placed on movement, so one attack a round is common.
Damage rolls from anything requiring an attack roll add one-half your heroic level.
Armor class has been abolished.
Fortitude, Reflex, and Will Saves have been replaced by Fortitude, Reflex, and Will Defenses. These function similarly, merely making the save mechanic resemble attacks. Reflex defense takes the place of Armor Class. You determine your Defense by adding 10 + the relevant ability score modifier, the flat bonus granted by your class at first level, and your character level.
Your Fortitude Defense is rarely invoked directly; however, there is a statistic directly tied to it called the Damage Threshold. When a single attack damages you by this number or greater, you move one step down the condition track. This movement will also decrease your damage threshold.
The Condition Track. Every time you move one step down this track, you take penalties to your defenses and essentially anything you roll a d20 for. The values described below are noncumulative:
Step 1: -1
Step 2: -2
Step 3: -5
Step 4: -10, Half Movement Speed
Step 5: Unconscious
Several talents and abilities can hasten, slow, or reverse movement along the condition track. Spending three swift actions within consecutive rounds will bring you back up one step. If you take damage in excess of your damage threshold that is also greater than your remaining HP, you die.
Once per day after being reduced to half-health or less, as a swift action you can use a second wind; this will restore a large fragment of your hit points.
The grapple mechanic cannot be invoked without feats. It is much simplified.
The disarm mechanic ignores weapon size.
The sunder mechanic does not exist.
The trip mechanic is subsumed into grapple.
Most bonuses or penalties (especially due to size) in the system are of the variation 1, 2, 5, 10, 10, 10, 10 or 5, 10, 15, 20, 20, 20, 20 rather than 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24.
A full-round action is comprised of a swift, move, and standard action.
You may downgrade any move action into a swift action.
There are no five-foot steps. One square movement, however, does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
There is no critical hit confirmation roll.
Ranged weapons and Force Powers in most circumstances do not provoke attacks of opportunity; smaller ranged weapons can also make attacks of opportunity at melee range.
Action Points (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/actionPoints.htm)
They're called Force Points here, and extensively integrated into the system. All uses listed here beyond rolling to improve a d20 result are not allowed.
There's a super version of these called Destiny Points; they are not utilized in all games, and exist side by side with Force Points.
Force Powers
Force Powers function very similar to Tome of Battle maneuvers, for those familiar with that system; each one can be used once in an encounter, normally. On a roll of natural 20 when using a Force Power, you automatically regain all Force Powers in your suite. Other than that, your typical way of regaining Force Powers is with a minute's rest.
You receive a number of Force Powers (1+Wis) upon taking a repeatable feat called Force Training, rather than taking levels in a class, and can select the same Force Power multiple times to use it multiple times within the same encounter.