d20 Modern Questions

[Stathfolos]

I have a couple of simple questions about the d20 Modern core rules.

1) Is there any official errata for d20 Modern or its supplements?

Other than an errata pdf for Future Tech (which was strangely located on the D&D errata page), I have not found errata. I'm guessing that it's part of the Modern SRD.

2) Are there any rules that don't accurately model their real life counterparts?

I've heard from others that, for example, that the rules for shotguns don't accurately reflect the real things. I personally have a beef with the rules for automatic fire and burst fire and will eventually deal with them.

I'm planning on running a post-apocalyptic campaign inspired by Fallout. I'm currently aimed at including rules and materials from Future, Future Tech, Apocalypse, and Weapons Locker.

[Dhavaer]

I have a couple of simple questions about the d20 Modern core rules.

1) Is there any official errata for d20 Modern or its supplements?

Other than an errata pdf for Future Tech (which was strangely located on the D&D errata page), I have not found errata. I'm guessing that it's part of the Modern SRD.

Sort of. The Bullet Points articles on the d20 Modern site have some errata, but I'm unsure of how official it is. Other than that, it's just the SRD. I think there might be an errata thread in the Modern forum, though.

2) Are there any rules that don't accurately model their real life counterparts?

I've heard from others that, for example, that the rules for shotguns don't accurately reflect the real things. I personally have a beef with the rules for automatic fire and burst fire and will eventually deal with them.

I'm planning on running a post-apocalyptic campaign inspired by Fallout. I'm currently aimed at including rules and materials from Future, Future Tech, Apocalypse, and Weapons Locker.

Umm... everything? It's d20, look elsewhere for realism. That said, the nonlethal damage rules are absolutely awful. There's a good homebrew damage system on the forum, though, I think I might have it linked in my sig.

Edit: I do. Cyber Dave's damage track system.

[Zincorium]

1. I don't believe so, WotC has more or less swept D20 modern underneath the rug as of late.

2. Just about any of the rules regarding firearms are irritating if you actually know anything about guns. I usually have shotguns, when used with point blank shot, get an additional +4 to damage within the range of the feat, which makes them a legitimate option rather than a newbie trap, and roll the burst fire and advanced firearms proficiency into a single feat with no wisdom requirement. I also disallow double-tap with anything doing 2d10 or more damage.

Mutations are pretty silly, but then, that's part and parcel of the setting, in a Fallout style game you should be somewhat restrictive about which ones you allow, but stuff like ghouls can be created pretty easily.

You might want to look at Cyberscape for better cyborg rules if that's something you're incorporating, you can get a new copy for like 4 bucks on amazon. Very entertaining book, and means people without a wealth bonus of +30 can actually get a piece or two.

[Stathfolos]

@ Dhavaer

Well, what I meant is things like Zincorium brought up. Should be more careful about how I use realistic here.

Thanks for the information. I'll go through the Bullet Points to see what I can use. And I'll definitely be using the condition track system, as I also liked what I saw in Star Wars Saga Edition.

@ Zincorium

Thanks for the firearm tips. I'll definitely incorporate those for my game.

I was planning on keeping mutations to minimum, limiting humans to super mutants and ghouls while most others are monstrous in nature (radscorpions, pig rats, death claws, and the various pets of the Master). I may allow some of the cosmetic and minor mutations for the PCs.

Other than some of the robots, I really didn't notice cybernetics in Fallout, but it could be an interesting addition to the setting.

[Zincorium]

A few of the Bullet Points articles are shoddily thought out defenses of the stupidities of the firearms rules, including things which actually contradict the rules in the book and reality as we know it, but most of them are pretty good.


As for the cyberware, I'm mostly thinking of fallout 2, but you're right in that the cybernetics were both rare and limited in scope (the icons for the armor plating rocked, though).

[DeathQuaker]

The closest thing you're going to get for d20 Modern Errata is here:

http://www.d20modern.info/d20M/d20MErrata.html

Not WotC produced, but by people active in the WotC forums with input by the devs.

As for firearms, I'd consider what you want to do in your campaign and tweak from there. "Realism" is a variable thing. d20 Modern rules are designed to reflect "action hero movie" kind of physics, which as we know are fairly variable and can alter at the speed of plot.

The main thing for making firearms work "right" is remembering the Massive Damage rules. Your average 9mm pistol is going to do 2d6 damage, which has a decent chance of taking out your average Joe on the street in one shot. Even if he doesn't lose all hit points, his "Average Joe" con is going to be 8-12, which he could easily take as damage and then fail his saving throw.

No, it's not going to take down "Action Man Sam" with the "Chest of Steel" but it shouldn't either. Action Man Sam operates on a different level. If I went to a movie and saw Action Man Sam be taken out by a single bullet after a half a movie of him kicking butt, I'd feel gypped. That's how I expect d20 Modern to play out--to give Action Man Sam a chance when Average Joe is dead with his head exploded.

If trying to tweak the damage but still keep things for how the devs balanced it to some degree, what I've thought about doing is max out the first die of damage -- so frex, a gun that does 2d6 damage would do 6+1d6 damage instead. I haven't playtested that, though, so I have no idea how that would work.

The idea of shotguns doing more damage at close range w/ the Point Blank Shot feat is also a good idea.

[Stathfolos]

Thanks for the link DeathQuaker. Nice to have all the changes in one place instead of several Bullet Point articles.

I should have phrased my second question as "Are there any rules that break verisimilitude?"

I agree with Zincorium's change to Point Blank Shot for shotguns and will incorporate it. After all, nothing like a face full of buckshot to put a crimp in anyone's day.

Now I have few questions about the consequences of the following general house rules/variants:

== Skills ==
1) Cross-class skill ranks only cost 1 skill point, but the one-half maximum rank will still be in effect.

2) Folding similar skills into one skill or including their use as part of a similar, existing skill.

Examples
Hide + Move Silently = Stealth
Listen + Spot = Perception
Investigate is a trained-only use of the Search skill
Navigate is a trained-only use of the Computer Use skill

== Weapon Groups ==
Implementing weapon group proficiencies. Here is rough list of what proficiencies each weapon group grants.

Small Arms
Pistols, rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns

Heavy Weapons
Anti-material rifles, flame throwers, grenade launchers, machine guns, rocket launchers

Energy Weapons
Laser pistols/rifles, plasma pistols/rifles, any ranged weapon that fires energy

Simple Weapons
Baton, brass knuckles (including spiked version), knife (including combat and high frequency versions), power fist, sledgehammer (including super version), spear, stun gun, taser, unarmed strike

Exotic Weapons
Chain, katana, wakazashi, just about any archaic weapon that is not simple to craft and wield

Edit: Forgot to add this

== Equipment ==
Armor will provide both Defense and Damage Reduction.

I realized how important is going to be for surviving at higher levels when burst fire from a plasma rifle deals 5d10 (average 27.5).

[DeathQuaker]

Thanks for the link DeathQuaker. Nice to have all the changes in one place instead of several Bullet Point articles.

No prob. Hope it's useful.

1) Cross-class skill ranks only cost 1 skill point, but the one-half maximum rank will still be in effect.

I think that should be okay, tho it can depend on the campaign model (i.e., whether stuff like Knowledge skills are essential or useless--if only a few skills are going to be useful, you should be less generous with skill points, etc.). There are a lot of skills in d20M and it's nice to have some more flexibility with how to spend them, especially if you want to "flesh" out your character with some general stuff to reflect education and professional skills.

2) Folding similar skills into one skill or including their use as part of a similar, existing skill.

Examples
Hide + Move Silently = Stealth
Listen + Spot = Perception

Definitely makes sense, and helpful to the classes that have one skill but not the other (there are classes that have listen but not spot and vice versa).

Investigate is a trained-only use of the Search skill

Alternatively, you could make "Investigate" or "Criminology" or some such into a feat, which allows you to make Search, Spot, Gather Information, and Treat Injury checks to notice unusual clues an untrained eye would not spot.

This would probably be a bonus feat available to those with Law Enforcement and Investigative Occupations and the like, and also on the bonus feat list for the Dedicated, Smart, and Charismatic classes. It could possibly be required for the Investigator Advanced Class (or else it could be another bonus feat for that class as well).

Navigate is a trained-only use of the Computer Use skill

This is the only one I disagree with. Navigation is in part understanding charts and maps, movements of celestial bodies, etc. etc.--although computer navigation is common, a good navigator has skills beyond simply knowing how to manipulate a computer in a particular manner. Even in a campaign where most ships have on-board navigation systems, a navigator doesn't just know how to punch a course into a computer, he knows the territory and the situation enough to make an emergency decision in how to get the ship away from the enemy port while not crashing into the rocks ahead.

Small Arms
Pistols, rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, submachine guns

Heavy Weapons
Anti-material rifles, flame throwers, grenade launchers, machine guns, rocket launchers

Are you going to keep "Advanced Firearms Proficiency" which is a requirement for a few feats and removes the penalty for autofire?

Energy Weapons
Laser pistols/rifles, plasma pistols/rifles, any ranged weapon that fires energy

Good idea, separating these from ballistic weapons. The two should have an entirely different feel in how to use them.

Armor will provide both Defense and Damage Reduction.

Neat idea, but what's your specific mechanic for this?

[Stathfolos]

In a post-apocalyptic setting (nuclear holocaust in my case), I can see the majority of skills being useful to the PCs, especially they're about using them. However, I find the following skills whose only uses are either limited or strictly flavorful:

Gamble, Investigate, Knowledge(arcane lore, art, business, civics, current events, popular culture, theology and philosophy), Perform, Profession, Read/Write Language, Speak Language

I see your point on Navigate, so I will let it be for now.

I am keeping Advanced Firearms Proficiency, but I'm also folding the Burst Fire feat into it as well.

Now on to armor. I was planning on using Unearthed Arcana's rules for this variant, but the problem lies with the damage reduction rules as they stand. The problem being that DR/-- still can't stop that plasma rifle from tearing holes in you because it deals fire damage.

Now I can either rule that DR/-- prevents damage from most of the types, or I brew up separate damage reduction/resistance ratings for each damage type for each type of armor.