You in D20 Modern

[Darth Stabber]

How would you build yourself as a D20 modern character given these rules
3rd lvl
16,14,12,12,10,10 stats to order appropriately.
Free able learner
cumulative partial saves and BAB (ie if you take a lvl in 2 different 3/4 bab classes you still get a point of BAB, with half left over for the next lvl, same with saves)

I ask this because I am working up a "you get dropped off in Ravenloft" game, and trying to get a general idea of what people would do.

Also what would be a good reason for 3 college students to be running around armed before the mists take them? The first time I played through this I was in the military, so ther was a very good reason for us to be armed. But since I am in college now and my friends don't even have a military background, I can't think of a good reason to be armed in their daily life.

[FoE]

Were I dropped off in Ravenloft, I would probably cry a lot, eventually collapse into a fetal position and get eaten by a werewolf.

Also what would be a good reason for 3 college students to be running around armed before the mists take them? The first time I played through this I was in the military, so ther was a very good reason for us to be armed. But since I am in college now and my friends don't even have a military background, I can't think of a good reason to be armed in their daily life.

They're LARPing?

[Tackyhillbillu]

What are they armed with? Assualt Rifles?

[Dust]

They're LARPing?

No, no. He's apparantly run through this campaign before with prior friends, who happened to be in the military. Therefore, their d20 Modern equivalents appeared in Raveloft well-armed with guns and ammunition and the like.

While I'm certain a few people from these boards would have a character conversion armed with, saw, a survival knife and a handbook on zombies, most of us would be armed with $2.67 in currency, wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a plithy phase across the front.

[Nightson]

Also what would be a good reason for 3 college students to be running around armed before the mists take them? The first time I played through this I was in the military, so ther was a very good reason for us to be armed. But since I am in college now and my friends don't even have a military background, I can't think of a good reason to be armed in their daily life.

Hunting trip. Guns, survival and medical gear.

Also, neat idea.

[Swordgleam]

I can't think of a good reason to be armed in their daily life.

Everyone who lives in my house has at least one sword. I have six. We don't LARP, we just go to a lot of Renfests and like shiny things. So that's one reason.

[Volkov]

I would ask Vecna how he outfoxed the Dark Powers and made them look stupid.

[Exarch]

Definitely agree with hunting trip. In certain states (example: Texas) it's legal to varmint hunt any day out of the year with any weapon that's legal to shoot. So you could be hunting pigs/coyotes with assault rifles or SPAS-12. Or if you want ammunition that's more easily available, bows and arrows. Modern bows are amazing and whatever poor things gets shot by them will be torn up (taking into account how arrows are designed to rend soft, and not-so-soft, flesh as if it were paper).

Other reasons to be armed? If you're willing to ignore some laws, you're coming home from a gun conventions. And in some states, such as Utah, schools aren't "gun-free zones," so you could just be exercising your rights. Or you're on your way to/from the shooting range. Or you're a bunch of hoodlums that are planning on doing some breaking-and-entering.

[One Step Two]

I love the idea, we did the same thing with a Halloween cuthulu game, statted ourselves up by going around the table (e.g. "Hey guys, I'm pretty stealthy yeah?")

The unfortunate side effect was, between the house we were playing in which belongs to the man who owns several martial arts weapons and the skill to use them and the two other guys who trains with him, and me with my bush-pig hunting father....

Long story short, we went A-Team on them cultists.

[Tinydwarfman]

I am very tempted to do this kind of thing in a GURPS game. Modern day, you start of as yourself (with 25 points of heroic extrapolation) just before a shadowrun style magic awakening. One of the players adamantly refuses to play himself though. (kind of makes sense seeing as he is probably somewhere in between the -10 to 10 range.)

[DueceEsMachine]

good reason for them to be armed? They live in Montana? lol
Seriously, the town I live in has one of the Highest gun/household ratios in the states. lol. I think it's 6-7 per house

(Mainly because we have a few nuts with shooting ranges in their basements and armories. And one guy with an armored school bus - you know, the short ones? Yeah.)

I've got a pretty good collection of blades as well, so maybe the reason they're armed is that they're gamers?

That could be entertaining.
Player 1: "We're where?"
Gm: "A land of Mists and monsters, where nightmares watch you from the shadows."
Player 2: "Hey, doesn't this place seem familiar? I could have sworn I played something like this back in 2nd edition."
Player 1: "Umm..... guys.... does that look like a beholder to anyone else?"

[DementedFellow]

Everyone who lives in my house has at least one sword. I have six. We don't LARP, we just go to a lot of Renfests and like shiny things. So that's one reason.

A lot of the swords one is able to purchase aren't exactly suited for battle. More often than not, they are suited for sitting on a mantle. Most would last one, maybe two encounters before breaking.

I'm actually going to try and make myself in d20 Modern like what the OP wanted.

Spoiler

Show

3rd level Charismatic Hero

STR: 10
DEX: 12
CON: 12
INT: 14
CHA: 16
WIS: 10

HP: 16

BAB: 1

Fort: 3
Ref: 3
Will: 1

AC: 12

Feats:
Able Learner
Trustworthy
Simple Weapon Proficiency (granted by class)

Talents:
Fast Talk
Dazzle


Skills:

Bluff: 6 + 3(CHA) = 9
Computer Use: 6 + 2(INT) = 8
Craft (writing): 6 + 2(INT) = 8
Diplomacy: 6 + 3(CHA) + 2 = 11
Gather Information: 6 + 3(CHA) + 2 = 11
Knowledge (popular culture): 5 + 2(INT) = 7
Perform (sing): 3 + 3(CHA) = 6
Profession (Clinical System Analyst): 3 + 0(WIS) = 3
Profession (Nuclear Medicine Technologist): 5 + 0(WIS) = 5
Read/Write Language (Spanish) : 1 rank
Speak Language (Spanish): 1 rank

Weapon: Club

I am unskilled with weapons and have never fired a gun. Clubs however are pretty easy to come by, even an improvised one. One minute a simple chair leg, the next, a club.

This is my first time trying to make a character in d20 Modern. If there is a problem with my build and the able learner application, please let me know.

[Swordgleam]

A lot of the swords one is able to purchase aren't exactly suited for battle. More often than not, they are suited for sitting on a mantle. Most would last one, maybe two encounters before breaking.

I'm actually going to try and make myself in d20 Modern like what the OP wanted.

Well, sure. But I figure if you're suspending enough disbelief to be transported into Ravenloft, your ornamental blades can become real in the process. I assume the guys with guns have some creative ideas about how they're going to avoid running out of ammo within the first week, too.