[d20 Modern] Laser-Fightin' Dino-Ridin' Soldiers: Converting Broncosaurus Rex

[Rappy]

The Basics
Dinosaur Planet: Broncosaurus Rex was a campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons 3.0 that was based around an alternate history where the Union and Confederacy never reunited, and in the future reached a planet filled with prehistoric creatures. Long story short, it's a setting that is an anachronistic mix of sapient dinosaurs, Wild West-style towns in space, lassos and jeeps alongside steampunk mecha and laser weaponry, and a little sprinkling of cyborgs and superscience here and there. It was certainly not a perfect setting by any stretch of the mind, but I grew to love it in spite of its flaws due to the sheer pulp comic-style madness to its premise.

Alas, though, it was too good to be true. After a core rulebook, sourcebooks for two of the twenty giant valleys that make up the titular dinosaur planet of Cretasus, and two sourcebooks that focuses on velociraptors and tyrannosaurus in larger detail, the setting pretty much vanished. There were whispers and rumors of a revision and a single d20 Modern book from the creator company that made some passing mentions of Cretasus, but nothing substantial ever came of it. And with the creator company's decision to move on to Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition, the idea of Broncosaurus Rex surviving extinction by official support seems slim.

As a result, I decided it might be a fun idea to convert the old B. Rex material to d20 Modern; I mean, most of the ideals the setting tried to stuff into D&D rules are already in d20 Modern, so it's a solid base to jump off from, after all. This is by no means officially endorsed or anything, so don't take my word as much beyond my personal suggestions.


What You'll Need
D20 Modern and d20 Future, obviously. Since I'll only be skirting setting fluff when it's unavoidable for explaining something, you'll also want the actual Broncosaurus Rex books...unless you like taking materials and having your own setting suggestions laid over it for whatever reason. Finally, while it's not required, some of the suggested conversion fixes call upon Sidewinder: Recoiled by Dog House Rules.


The Content
Character Basics
-Characters
-Class Models (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8454631&postcount=2)

Analogues of Equipment
-Weapon Analogues
-Armor Analogues
-Other Equipment Analogues (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8465613&postcount=4)

New Equipment (One post for each group)
-New Weapons (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8491805&postcount=5)
-New Armor (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=8504619&postcount=6)
-New Misc. Equipment
-New Vehicles and the Ironclad

Creatures and Characters (One to three posts for each group)
-Creatures from the Core Rulebook
-Creatures from the Cretasus Adventure Guide
-Creatures from Dinosaurs that Never Were
-NPCs from the Cretasus Adventure Guide

Advanced Classes (A post-a-piece affair)
-Bronco Rider
-Confederate Hero
-Wild One



A Note on Creatures
Broncosaurus Rex dinosaurs were given a d10 hit die and (usually) 3+ Intelligence; as such, I feel it's prudent to simply use them as Magical Beasts instead of calling them "Animals" when they don't utilize Animal type conventions. On the other hand, creatures in the books that had 1-2 Intelligence were given Animal-type conventions, so they will be Animals. Or, to be less confusing, I'll stat them out as follows:
Creatures of Intelligence -: Vermin Type
Creatures of Intelligence 1-2: Animal Type
Creatures of Intelligence 3+: Magical Beast Type (with the exception of aliens and humanoids).

[Rappy]

Character Basics
Characters
In Broncosaurus Rex, it is presumed that all characters are human; there were, however, several nations presented as playable "races". Instead of this method, this conversion will utilize the occupation system to focus on specific nations. These are reflected by ranking occupations as favored (typically chosen), disfavored (uncommon but present), or banned (unable to be chosen by that particular nation). Any occupations not listed in the aforementioned categories can be selected at the GM's discretion.



The Confederacy
Members of the Confederacy are most easily described as "cowpokes in space", with their members disdaining politicians and technology in favor of agriculture and self-sufficiency. A typical Confederate adventurer thirsts for either recognition, wealth, or both.

Favored Occupations: Adventurer, Blue Collar, Dilletante, Heir**, Hunter*, Military, Ranch Hand*, Rural, Sodbuster*.

Disfavored Occupations: Academic, Doctor, Investigative.

Banned Occupations: Politician*, Technician, White Collar.
*Occupation from Sidewinder: Recoiled.
**Occupation from d20 Future.



The Federal Union of Planets
Members of the Union are noted for being confident, intelligent, and typically honest to the point of bluntness. Technological advances and ore-rich planets draw the eye of the Union.

Favored Occupations: Academic, Blue Collar, Entrepreneur, Military, Politician*, Prospector, Technician, White Collar.

Disfavored Occupations: Greenhorn*.

Banned Occupations: Ranch Hand*, Rural, Sodbuster*.
*Occupation from Sidewinder: Recoiled.



Free Fleet
The nomadic Free Fleet are interstellar trader that ply the spaceways with their goods loaded aboard massive colony ships. Free Fleet members, or "Freemen" as they call themselves, gain two languages at first level; one local language (typically English), as well as the Free Fleet trade language known as Anglit.

Favored Occupations: Adventurer, Criminal, Drifter*, Entrepreneur, Merchant*, Outcast**.

Disfavored Occupations: Artisan, Celebrity, Emergency Services.

Banned Occupations: Hunter*, Investigative, Law Enforcement, Ranch Hand*, Rural, Sodbuster*.
*Occupation from Sidewinder: Recoiled.
**Occupation from d20 Future.



Offwolders
The so-called "Offworlders" are a mishmashed heap of expatriates from the other three nations, colonists, criminals, and others living on the far reaches of known space. These individuals tend to live in groups with jury-rigged technology, whatever they need to survive, and little else.

Favored Occupations: Adventurer, Colonist**, Hunter*, Prospector*, Rural, Sodbuster*.

Disfavored Occupations: Merchant, Military, Religious.

Banned Occupations: Celebrity, Emergency Services, Investigative, Law Enforcement, Outcast**, Politician*, Ranch Hand*, Scavenger**.
*Occupation from Sidewinder: Recoiled.
**Occupation from d20 Future.





Class Models
The following suggestions are presented as a way of replicating Broncosaurus Rex classes in d20 Modern.



Bronco Rider
The rough and tough Bronco Riders are the exemplars of the setting's "Wild West with dinosaurs" mentality; with lasso in hand, pistol and animal companion at their side, and titanic saurian steed underfoot, they are the cowpokes of the "New West" of Cretasus. A Bronco Rider character can range from a ranch hand using employee-provided dinosaurs on long hauls across the plains to grizzled hunting guides in the great jungles and forests.

Suggested Starting Occupation: Either Adventurer, Ranch Hand, or Rural. Adventurer and Rural provide critical Bronco Rider skills such as Climb, Handle Animal, Ride, and Treat Injury (always a plus for a wounded Bronco Rider on the trail), while Ranch Hand grants Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Lasso).

Suggested Base Class: Tough Hero. While the Tough Hero class doesn't have Handle Animal as a class skill, it does have Ride and Survival, meaning that all it takes is the right occupation to allow a Tough Hero to easily emulate the rough and tumble lifestyle of a Bronco Rider.

Suggested Advanced Class: Bronco Rider (see New Advanced Classes [still upcoming]), rather obviously.



Machinist
Machinists are the life blood of the Union's technological society, but can be found in smaller numbers amongst most of the other nations (the Confederacy having the smallest of such populations). A machinist prefers practical application over intellectual research.

Suggested Starting Occupation: Technician. Machinists benefit most from augmenting the skills that Smart Hero already gives them rather than using an occupation that grants extra class skills.

Suggested Base Class: Smart Hero. Machinists are the masters of technological applications in the world of Broncosaurus Rex.

Suggested Advanced Class: Either Techie or Technosavant, depending on whether or not one wishes to gain the ability to build robots or have defenses against them. If you are playing an Ironclad-based machinist, a few levels in Mecha Jockey are helpful as well.



Soldier
Soldiers are pretty much the same in the world of Broncosaurus Rex as they are in the real world: the backbone of the defense of their nations.

Suggested Starting Occupation: Military. Knowledge (Tactics) is an important skill for soldiers, and the relatively large selection of potential free feats allow for a variety of different soldier archetypes.

Suggested Base Class: Any, although Strong, Tough, and Charismatic Hero are particularly beneficial for a soldier.

Suggested Advanced Class: Either Soldier, for those that wish to focus on augmenting their firearm of choice, or Field Officer, for individuals that wish to enter a leadership position. Confederate cavalry such as the so-called "Dino Warriors" should take levels of both Soldier and Bronco Rider.



Spy
The spies are the hidden tools of the Union, Confederacy, and Free Fleets alike. Offworlders are inept as spies due to their lack of experience with accepted social norms, and as such as unlikely to be members of this archetype.

Suggested Starting Occupation: All of the skills that can be granted class skill status or augmented via the Investigative occupation are perfect for the job of a spy.

Suggested Base Class: A combination of Charismatic and Fast Hero allows a character to reflect the spy's golden tongue and sleight of hand.

Suggested Advanced Class: Infiltrator is perfect for spies that work behind enemy lines.



Two Fister
Two Fisters let their hands do the talking for them. They are scarred, battered, and rather uncouth individuals.

Suggested Starting Occupation: Adventurer, Athlete, Criminal, or Rural. All provide a free Brawl feat, which is a necessity for the Two Fister.

Suggested Base Class: A combination of Strong and Tough Hero, to allow the character to both take and deal out punishment.

Suggested Advanced Class: Two Fisters are best replicated by levels in either Street Warrior or Thrasher. Pugilist is also an option for those that have access to Sidewinder: Recoiled rather than just the Modern SRD material.



Wild One
The Wild Ones are "one with nature" and the prehistoric beasts of Cretasus, to the point of having gone feral.

Suggested Starting Occupation: Either Rural of Tribal. The archetype of the Wild One doesn't allow much wiggle room for occupations.

Suggested Base Class: All of the physical base classes (Fast, Strong, and Tough Hero), as well as Dedicated Hero, are decent base classes for a Wild One.

Suggested Advanced Class: Wild One (see New Advanced Classes [soon to be created]).

[Debihuman]

This is great. I had considered picking up Brontosaurus Rex, but the fact is was 3.0 put me off. Goodman Games also has The Complete Guide to Velociraptors for the setting.

Also, here is a preview for the game: http://www.goodman-games.com/BroncoRex.pdf

Debby

[Rappy]

Thanks for the preview note, Debbie, that should help some people understand the setting a bit more. And thank you for the support, as well! I'm hoping this will put a bit less of a dent in the 3.0 note, yeah. Anyway, it's time for another installment piece as well.

Equipment Analogues
The following lists will take a look at Broncosaurus Rex's equipment and see which ones do and do not have a good d20 Modern analogue (Note that an analogue in this case will mean a passable simile, not necessarily a carbon-copy; this is mostly because firearms in Broncosaurus Rex are...to be frank...somewhat of a scattered mess when it comes to damage dealing standards). An single asterisk (*) denotes equipment found in Sidewinder: Recoiled, while all other items can be found in either the d20 Modern Core Rulebook, d20 Future, or some other portion of the Modern SRD. Note that these lists won't include the tables of "archaic weapons" or armor listed in B. Rex, such as swords and leather armor, as these have same-name analogues in d20 Modern. A weapon or equipment piece with "N/A" listed under its analogue will require new stats.

Weapon Analogues
{table="head"]B. Rex Weapon|Analogue (* Denotes weapon from Sidewinder: Recoiled)
Absentee Voter|Any 2d8-damage rifle with a semiautomatic fire rate
Amp Bomb|Sonic pulse grenade
Annihilator|N/A
Bronto Gun|Any 2d12 damage single-shot rifle
Chimera Fiend|N/A
Colt .45|Colt Peacemaker*
Cryon Ray|Cryonic rifle
Dust Gun|Disintegrator
Flamer|Flamethrower
Gas Bomb|Smoke grenade
Gauntlet, Energy|Spiked gauntlets with the Alternate Weapon (Taser) gadget
Gauntlet, Raptor Claw|N/A
Grav Field|Gravitic grenade
Grenade Launcher|Any grenade launcher
Grenade, Frag|Fragmentation grenade
Heavy Machine Gun|Twin Thunder machine gun
Heavy Trank Gun|Air rifle equipped with tranquilizer darts
Howzer|Any battle tank cannon
Laser Lance|N/A
Laser Pistol|Laser pistol
Laser Prod|N/A
Laser Rifle|Laser rifle
Laser Sword|Beam sword
Lasso|Lasso*
Monofilament Blade|Kroath monofilament blade (found in non-Open Game Content portion of the Menace Manual)
Musket|Any musket*
Mutiny Gun|Any 2d8 damage rifle with single fire rate
Pildedriver|M72A3 LAW rocket launcher
Pistol, Automatic|TEC-9 machine pistol
Plasma Bomb|Fireflush grenade
Plasma Sling|Grenade launcher equipped with fireflush grenades
Pulse Rifle|Pulse rifle
ROGUE Rifle|OICW assault rifle
Screamer Knife|High-frequency sword
Screamer Rifle|Sonic beam
Shotgun|Winchester lever-action*
Smoke Bomb|Smoke grenade
Stun Gun|Taser
Trank Gun|Air pistol equipped with tranquilizer darts
Whisper Gun|Any sniper rifle with an attached silencer
Wide Beam Laser|Heavy laser (starship weapon)
Winchester rifle|Winchester '73 rifle*[/table]



Armor Analogues
{table="head"]B. Rex Armor|Analogue (* Denotes armor from Sidewinder: Recoiled; ** Denotes an item that is equipment rather than armor, but serves the same purpose as the B. Rex armor type)
Absorption Field|DR 5 personal force field**
Bomb Suit|N/A
Flak Jacket|Bullet-proof vest*
Hermetic Suit|NBC suit
Kinetic Field|Projectile deflector**
Powered Armor|Boost armor
Reactive Armor|N/A
Reflective Armor|Fire-resistant suit
Riot Gear|Special response vest
Shield, Riot|Riot shield
Shield, Energy|DR 5 personal force field**
Vacuum Suit|Space suit
Vibrofield|DR 10 personal force field**[/table]



Equipment Analogues
{table="head"]B. Rex Equipment|Analogue (* Denotes equipment from Sidewinder: Recoiled; ** Denotes an item whose analogue is actually a weapon)
Ankle Jets|N/A
Binoculars|10x binoculars*
Bionics and implants|Various cybernetic prosthetics and attachments
Bit and Bridle, Heavy-Duty|N/A
Breather Gear|Aquaconverter
Communicator, Handheld|Universal communicator
Compass|Compass*
Dyno-Mites|Resilite nanovirus
Egg Scanner|N/A
Electron Field|Projectile deflector
Engineering Tools|Mechanical toolkit
Flashlight|Standard or flood flashlight
Gas Mask|Gas mask
Helmet, Kevlar|N/A
Holosphere|Hologram recorder and player
Infrared Goggles|Night vision goggles
Injection Harness|N/A
Jet Pack|Jetpack
Laser Sight|Laser sight
Laser Tripwire|Laser tripwire
Medical Kit|Medical kit
Microfilament Bomb|Tangler grenade**
Prop Bomber, Spibot, and other Robots|Size Tiny Armature robots with various attachments.
Saddle, Large|N/A
Scanner|Various sensors from d20 Future
Scrambler|N/A
Telescopic Sight|Electro-optic scope
Tractor Beam|Tractor beam (starship)**
Tripod|Tripod
Warp Render|Singularity grenade**
Whiner|N/A[/table]



Vehicle Analogues
{table="head"]B. Rex Vehicle|Analogue (* Denotes vehicle from Urban Arcana)
Halftrack|N/A
Hover Car|AutoDyn Hovercar
Jeep|Jeep Wrangler*
Light Tank|N/A
Motorcycle|Yamaha YZ250F
Prop Plane|Ultralight*
Recon Walker|N/A[/table]

[Rappy]

Note: I've tried to balance these to d20 Modern rules rather than leave them totally out there like they were in the original.

New Weapons
Alien Weaponry (Requires Alien Weapons Proficiency)
{table="head"]Weapon|Damage|Critical|Damage Type|Range Increment|Rate of Fire|Magazine|Size|Weight|Purchase DC|Restriction
Annihilator|3d12|20/x2|Energy|10 ft.|Single|10 box|Medium|10 lb.|17|Military (+3)
Chimera Fiend|Special (see text)|20|Special (see text)|30 ft.|Single|50 box|Small|1 lb.|23|Illegal (+4)[/table]

Annihilator: This energy weapon fires pulses of antimatter to rip into enemy flesh.

Chimera Fiend: One of the most vile and horrendous weapons on the market, the chimera fiend is a pistol that can fire bursts of radiation that induce painful convulsions and flesh-warping effects. Chimera fiends are considered to make ranged touch attacks. A target struck by a chimera fiend must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or be considered severely irradiated for 1d6 rounds. If the target survives, they must make another Fortitude save at the same DC a week later; if they succeed, they suffer no ill effects. A character that fails this second Fortitude save, however, develops a random mutation (GM's roll on a d12; see the chart below).

{table="head"]Roll|Mutation (see page 200 of d20 Future)
1|Festering sores
2|Weak immune system
3|Lost arm
4|Forked tongue
5|Unnatural hair
6|Extra digits
7|Unnatural skin
8|Thin fur coat
9|Horns
10|Scent
11|Telepathy
12|Skeletal reinforcement[/table]



Melee Weapons (See weapon description for proficiency)
{table="head"]Weapon|Damage|Critical|Damage Type|Range Increment|Size|Weight|Purchase DC|Restriction
Gauntlet, Raptor Claw|1d6|20/x2|Slashing|-|Tiny|3 lb.|7|-
Laser Lance|2d8|20/x3|Fire|-|Medium|3 lb.|7|Military (+3)
Laser Prod|1d6|19-20/x2|Fire|-|Medium|1 lb.|3|-[/table]

Gauntlet, Raptor Claw: Crafted from the "slasher claws" of deinonychus, a raptor claw gauntlet is a leather glove with five attached claws, and are typically purchased and worn in two pairs as a status symbol between hunter. Due to the care of their manufacture, raptor claw gauntlets are always considered mastercraft weapons and grant a +1 bonus to attack rolls.

Laser Lance: An evolution of the heavy lance, the laser lance is the primary weapon of the Confederate cavalry. A laser lance deals double damage when used from the back of a charging mount or vehicle (such a triceratops or motorcycle). A laser lance has reach. You can strike opponents 10 feet away with it, but you can’t use it against an adjacent foe.

Laser Prod: This evolution of the cattle prod is utilized to herd unruly ceratopsians and other ornery dinosaurs. A laser prod can be set to deal either lethal or non-lethal damage, and it takes a standard action to switch between the two.

[Rappy]

New Armors
Heavy Armor (Requires Armor Proficiency [Heavy])
{table="head"]Armor|Type|Equipment Bonus|Nonprof. Bonus|Max Dex Bonus|Armor Penalty|Speed (30 ft.)|Weight|Purchase DC|Restriction
Bomb Suit|Tactical|+8|+3|+0|-6|20 ft.|50 lb.|23|-
Reactive Armor|Tactical|+7|+3|+2|-5|20 ft.|35 lb.|17|Mil (+3)[/table]

Bomb Suit: This bulky, spherical suit has changed little since its invention. While bomb suits in Broncosaurus Rex are mostly sealed from the elements, they do not come with an inbuilt gas mask; as such, those wishing to avoid damage from chemical agents or smoke must purchase a gas mask separately.

Reactive Armor: A strange Union invention that consists of advanced plastics that expand to cushion the impact of blows. Due to their atypical construction, suits of reactive armor must undergo maintainence every two months (Purchase DC 7 to buy such a service) or lose 1 point of its equipment bonus to Defense every month it is not maintained.

[Rappy]

Note: This post is still a work in progress. Some item descriptions and all notes on Ironclads and vehicles are yet to be added to the post.

New Object Odds and Ends
Equipment
{table="head"]Equipment|Size|Weight|Purchase DC|Restriction
Ankle Jets|Small|3 lb.|16|Lic (+1)
Bit and Bridle, Heavy-Duty|Large|15 lb.|10|-
Egg Scanner|Small|5 lb.|18|-
Helmet, Kevlar|Tiny|2 lb.|6|-
Injection Harness|Medium-size|7 lb.|18|Res (+2)
Saddle, Large|Large|35 lb.|10|-
Scrambler|Medium-size|9 lb.|12|Mil (+3)
Whiner|Medium-size|10 lb.|20|Mil (+3)
[/table]

Ankle Jets: Ankle jets increase a character's base speed by 10 feet (to 40 feet for most humans) and grant a +10 equipment bonus to Jump checks for one hour. In addition, they can allow the character to fly at a speed of 60 feet (Average); this halves the total time the ankle jets can be used before running out of fuel, however. Replacement fuel cells have a Purchase DC of 8.

Bit and Bridle, Heavy-Duty: A bit and bridle made of reinforced leather straps and chains, designed to withstand the wear and tear of being worn on creatures such as dinosaurs.

Egg Scanner: Egg scanners, or biocomp sensors, are a Confederate-designed sensor tool designed to search for embryonic fluid and similar chemicals in order to find fertilized dinosaur eggs for training. An egg scanner provides a +10 equipment bonus to Search checks made to search for fertilized eggs.

Helmet, Kevlar: A Kevlar helmet provides a +5 equipment bonus to Defense against attacks specifically aimed for the head.

Injection Harness: This harness is outfitted with a rather impressive needle and is designed to be attached to a large creature such as a dinosaur. The harness can be remotely activated as a standard action, and can produce up to 5 doses of a loaded poison (typically either knockout gas or, in the case of particularly dangerous dinosaurs, heavy chemicals such as cyanide or nerve gas) before requiring a replacement needle (Purchase DC depends on the poison).

Saddle, Large: A large, heavy-built saddle for use with dinosaurs and similar creatures.

Scrambler:

Whiner: