A Little Help with D20 Modern and Plot?

[F.H. Zebedee]

A few weeks back, I bought The Monster Hunter's Handbook at a bookstore, and it inspired me. I decided that I wanted to run a D20 Modern campaign based on the setting the book alludes to, the modern world, but with monsters of old and gods themselves as nuisances that man must make due with. And at the center of this is an organization, a group of men and women that partake in monster hunting, becoming as the heroes of old.

Now here's my main questions: I want it to start out with the main characters being unassuming civilians, caught up in an attack by a bunch of low level monsters (I'm thinking harpies or zombies). Backs to the wall, they manage to survive, and maybe even slay some monsters. The Order hears of this, and invites them to join. I want them to feel like hunted civilians the very first combat, but then quickly build into the feeling of epic heroes (Beowulf, Samson, Hercules, etc., though that FEELING should be around 15.) What stat arrays/point buy should I use initially for this? I'm assuming level 1, standard base classes for the first battle.

Secondly, once (if) they join the order, I'm thinking of a sort of "Bulletin Board" system where at the headquarters, there'll be various possible missions to take. Naturally, the higher-up members won't let them commit suicide, and some missions will be taken during their time on other missions, but they still will get a lot of chances to go on missions. Ideally, most any mission will involve some investigating, exploring, and such, and hopefully close with a nice sized battle. Any ideas/suggestions for missions there?

BTW, I will not railroad my players. If they choose not to join the Order, then I'll need ideas. Any tips or ideas for where to take them after the attack, if the Order shows up, offers to teach them how to survive monster attacks and even prevent them, and all the while, make a decent living, and they refuse?

[Starsinger]

Don't forget to think Buffy

Also, instead of a bulletin board, why not a website? That way this Order can be world-wide if you wish, and they can upload mission data to a secure site that requires a membership code to enter.

Secondly, I'd go with standard 24 point buy.

Out of curiosity, are you allowing special FX advanced classes or are they strictly mundane?

If they don't join the Order, occasionally have the order show up to help them. If they become a vigilante group of monster hunters, eventually they'll encounter the order when fighting a particularly vicious monster or so.

[Dhavaer]

Secondly, I'd go with standard 24 point buy.

Do you mean 25 point buy? 25 is standard for ordinaries in Modern. I use 42, but it depends how much of a gap you want between the heroes and the ordinairies.

[Starsinger]

Do you mean 25 point buy? 25 is standard for ordinaries in Modern. I use 42, but it depends how much of a gap you want between the heroes and the ordinairies.

5... 4... damn those numbers bein so close together.

[F.H. Zebedee]

WEBSITE! Brilliant! I had been wondering how a global organization would work out the dibs on kills, and that works PERFECTLY. Heck, it's tempting to go with one of those reality-games or whatever they're called, and create a website for it. Nah, that's overkill. But still, that is an idea I'm definately going for.

As for the FX things, isn't that casting and all? I think I'll just be going with the standard and advanced classes, pretty much. Casters feel a little bit too... BOOM! You're dead!
I might take a look around for any good homebrews, but I think that the SRD covers most of it, classwise, well enough.

I guess that I'll go with 25 point buy, or maybe 30, and then just make the stat ups every other level, instead of every fourth level. That way, they'll end up with their average stat being something like 16. Which, considering that I want them evolving into essentially legendary heroes, wouldn't be half bad.

And BTW, good tip on that Buffy thing. That'd be a good source for some plots. Maybe a look at the X-Files as well, though I think the heroes would be a little bit more proactive than Scully and Mulder.

"Alien?" *SPLORTCHT!* "What conspiracy?"

[Starsinger]

It was actually because of Buffy that I asked about the allowing of FX classes. I figured, if you'd allow them it might work like... PCs join order, order shares a few arcane secrets, PCs may start taking the Mage or Acolyte advanced classes.

I mean Mage/Acolyte aren't broken like D&D wizards & clerics. Not only are you a level 1 wizard, but you're a level 1 wizard at atleast level 4. Still, it is your game, and it is your decision, but it's nice to have the option open.

[Dhavaer]

Dark*Matter has some magical classes that aren't actually casters, which are worth a look. I'm quite fond of the Diabolist, myself.

[F.H. Zebedee]

Where could I find said material?

[Dhavaer]

Polyhedron 167. Possibly also Dark*Matter.

[Caewil]

Is the order neccessarily good? Perhaps they have their own agenda. Mightn't they object to a bunch of vigilantes running around on their monster-smacking turf?