[D20 Supers] I know this is beating a dead horse, but...

[Supers-freak]

Four Color to FAntasy by Natural d20 Press is even better than DNW at being compatible with normal d20 stuff. I mean, the rules for 4CTF can just be added to any other d20 game. With DNW or Vigiliance, you have to restart the campaign with new character stats, so there's no way to add super powers to an existign game, and you have to use all their new rules. Basically put, DNW and Vigilance don't msh with normal d20 stuff. So if you're a D&D fan, or a Spycraft fan, and you wanna add super powers to your game, get 4CTF.

4CTF is cool, because it's balanced with the core d20 rules. You can always know how challenging an encounter with these rules. With DNW or Vigiliance, you can't add them to a game other than DNW or Viglance. So think of DNW as a new game, like the Everquest RPG, and think of 4CTF as a rules supplement, like Manual of the Planes or Tome & Blood.

And to prove that super powers make sense in those games, consider this: Sure, if you're in the middle of a spy game, your characters probably shouldn't turn into super heroes. Or if you've been in plate armor out hunting monsters, you shouldn't suddently put on spandex.

But, what if your spy character gets some sort of high-tech gadget installed in his body, or he gets some gene therapy to impove his strength and speed? Or what if your mission is to sneak into a military base where they're creating super-soldiers? 4CTF lets you make sure the challenges are nicely balanced against the PC agents.

Or, what if your wizard character wants to unlock his inner power, and reshape his body? Y'know, like the Dragon Disciple in Tome & Blood. Sure, you could come up with a new prestige class, but it's much easier if you take the rules in 4CTF and give your wizard the apprpriate powers to represent what he wants. Or maybe your fighter character saves the life of a fairy princess, and is given magical powers as a reward. You could multiclass up to 8th level sorcerer to gain dimension door (and a bunch of other spells you don't want), or you could just take one level of Hero and take the teleport power.

Or evil villains who make pacts with demons to gain incredible powers? Or maybe you get cursed so that, whenever you become angry, you turn green and grow incredibly strong? If you want to add all that stuff to your D&D, or Spycraft, or Dragonstar, or whatever games, buy 4CTF.

 

[John Lorenzsonn]

Just had my first session of Deeds Not Words yesterday - it's a thing of beauty. Haven't tried any fights yet, but the system's good for creating characters with unique flavors and capabilities from the get-go - a 1st level 4C2F character, it seems, needs at least 1000 xp before he can become something other than his D&D self. In DNW, characters have an origin(race), class, and super-powers. Powers are independent of character level - they're paid for using an "experience tithe" - depending on how many powers you have, until you reach a certain amount of xp, half your earned xp goes to paying off the tithe. The number of powers a character gets is dictated by the GM. The classes - there's 15 of 'em - are balanced against each other, but not against any other d20 product. Deeds should be able to handle X-men admirably - heck, there's at least one power(Kinetic Infusion) in there that's directly lifted from said comics. Anyhow, I recommend you check out the promo materials at:
www.allforart.com/cryptosnarkgames

 

[Scott Lynch]

Thanks, John.

But most of what Supers-freak said is also true, and I should expand upon it. DNW classes are *not* "balanced," in a purely mechanical sense, against their fantasy counterparts.

Part of the "hitting power" of a fantasy d20 character of a certain level is *assumed* to come from an investment of riches and magic items. If you look at the guidelines in the D&D3 DMG for creating a higher-level character, you'll note that each level beyond 1st also has a certain number of GP listed for the purchase of equipment, including magical equipment. Thus, a fully outfitted 10th level ranger is assumed to have about 49,000 GP of equipment or resources (p. 43, DMG). However, a 10th level ranger stripped of whatever that 49,000 GP bought him would not be a full-on CR 10 character any more... he'd be a bit weaker sans magic armor, magic sword, magic boots, and whatever else he's collected.

The DNW classes receive more intrinsic benefits... more skill points, save points, and special abilities... than their fantasy counterparts do, and they also receive a class-based AC bonus. This is because they're not assumed to be gradually picking up more and more powerful magic items and heaps of treasure as they adventure, so more of their "oomph" has to be intrinsic. The gradual acquisition method is brilliant for fantasy d20 play, and the mathematical progression worked out by the 3E authors is admirable, but it just doesn't apply as well to a contemporary supers setting.

With DNW or Vigiliance, you have to restart the campaign with new character stats, so there's no way to add super powers to an existing game, and you have to use all their new rules.

That's not *entirely* true. DNW is not explicitly designed to be used in conjunction with fantasy d20 classes and standards, but all of the non-Power Point expenditure powers are purely compatible with fantasy d20. Those powers, as well as the XP Tithe, could be lifted whole from DNW and plunked into a fantasy campaign (Elves with super-reflexes? Dwarves with prehensile hair? Well, not my thing, but you never know...) from 1st level on up. DMs could also judge adjusted character levels using the Threat Rating adjustment scale given in *Deeds Not Words,* though I readily admit that it wasn't directly balanced against fantasy d20 either, and so may be just a bit inaccurate.

"Some fiddling required," most definitely. "Totally incompatible," well, not quite.

So think of DNW as a new game, like the Everquest RPG

Well, that's about right, though it won't make me as much money as an Everquest RPG might have. ;P

With all that said, Supers-freak is otherwise pretty correct. DNW in function is almost totally analogous to fantasy d20, but is designed from the ground up to stand alongside it rather than sit on top of it and mesh with it neatly.

Cheerio,

SL