d20 Mecha, freeform magic, and Nazis...

[jdrakeh]

What d20 products (other than d20 Mecha) cover mecha creation and combat thorughly? Specifically, I'm looking for something that would mesh well with Spycraft 2.0 - I'm putting together a campaign guide for an alternate history World War II era campaign.

I want to work up a prototype mech for the introductory adventure (it will likely be destroyed, but on the off chance that it isn't, I figure that including rules for future use might be a good idea).

Also, while I'm thinking about it, are there any exceptionally good non-list (i.e., spell list) based magic systems for d20 out there? I know of a handful, but they're all fan-published freebies - is there anything commercial (and OGC) like this?

 

[edemaitre]

D20 mecha books

I'd try any of the various D20 steampunk supplements, including Sorcery & Steam, OGL Steampunk, Iron Kingdoms and even Eberron. Also, the D20 Adventure and other similar cliffhanging/dieselpunk books might help (especially for an alternate WWII), as well as D20 Big Eyes, Small Mouth.

Finally, some of the D20 space opera books, such as Blood & Space or Traveller, might have rules for giant robots. I don't remember whether D20 Future has anything on the topic.

 

[Stormborn]

d20 Future does have some info for your mecha needs, which is availble in the Modern SRD on the WotC site. It would likely need some work to fit the setting you describe, but the tools are there for you.

As for a more open "list-less" magic system you might try Elements of Magic from Enworld or Black Company (not OGL, but useful in a home game).

 

[morrigan]

SNIP

Also, while I'm thinking about it, are there any exceptionally good non-list (i.e., spell list) based magic systems for d20 out there? I know of a handful, but they're all fan-published freebies - is there anything commercial (and OGC) like this?

The d20 edition of Talislanta has this type of dynamic magic system where there are no spell lists and spellcasting is a skill like any other but... it's not OGC (it's product identity).

 

[jdrakeh]

d20 Future does have some info for your mecha needs, which is availble in the Modern SRD on the WotC site. It would likely need some work to fit the setting you describe, but the tools are there for you.

Cool. I had no idea that Future had been incorporated into the Modern SRD. Very cool.

As for a more open "list-less" magic system you might try Elements of Magic from Enworld or Black Company (not OGL, but useful in a home game).

Is EoM OGC? I'd really prefer that whatever I use be OGC, as I've gotten in the habit of doing up all of my game material* as PDF files (I have a little file archive that my players can download from).

*In this case, the player's guide/adventure - and I think it'll incorporate 12 to Midnight's Fear Effects system, as well.

 

[The Black Kestrel]

Black Company (not OGL, but useful in a home game).

Actually most of the Black Company spell system is OGL. There was abig fuss about this when the BCCS first came out and GR stated that several sections that should have been in the OGL declaration were accidentally left out.

Also I'm curious as to why you don't want to use the d20 Mecha rules

 

[jdrakeh]

Also I'm curious as to why you don't want to use the d20 Mecha rules

Because it is another system unto itself. I'm looking for something that fits in with the Spycraft system as it already exists, which d20 Mecha really does not. Right now, I'm thinking about designing a variant of the gear system as it exists in Spycraft to hendle mech creation.

 

[tadk]

Would BESM d20 do the trick

I have it in the other room. Maybe the Build a Giant Robot and tack that onto the gear rules and voila'