Like what? PF simplified and consolidated skills somewhat, which I don't think is good for a modern rpg. The class changes don't port over much. The race changes don't mean much. The spells nerfed don't mean much. Some of the new or revised feats might be applicable, but many others aren't.I wonder if it would be worth - as a fan project perhaps - applying some of the main Pathfinder improvements to it? Not all of them, but some of the easy patches might work.
Like what? PF simplified and consolidated skills somewhat, which I don't think is good for a modern rpg. The class changes don't port over much. The race changes don't mean much. The spells nerfed don't mean much. Some of the new or revised feats might be applicable, but many others aren't.
I'd like to see maybe some of the principles of PF applied, but there's a good deal more than a straight conversion.
I still find the basic class names hard to swallow though!
I think this put a lot of people off.
Perfectly playable rules (mostly), but those class names and the attempt to make them 'generic' were a real stumbling block...
Beyond the names (which are lame), I think the whole idea of six ability-based classes is problematic. One of the characteristic elements of modern human society is specialization. People have much narrower skill sets now than ever before. The rpg implications, to me, are that characters should either be choosing from a plethora of specialized classes, or no classes at all.
The six classes are an effort to create a quick sort of apprenticeship for the advanced classes; unlike in D&D where prestige classes are not assumed, Modern characters are assumed to seek advanced classes quickly. But the generic classes really fall flat, and the math of the d20 system does not support multiclassing that well, and high-level characters become problematically complex. Character creation really needed to be something very different than this.
Not quite so simple, I imagine. Spycraft and Cthulhu are nice, but each is its own thing. Modern is much more generic.Just a few new classes to replace them, surely? I imagine with a little tweaking they could be cribbed from others d20 versions of games like Spycraft, Cthulhu, etc. Whip out those basic classes, put a much more appealing set in its pace, and one of the major issues with the system is reduced.
Not quite so simple, I imagine. Spycraft and Cthulhu are nice, but each is its own thing. Modern is much more generic.
If one were to keep the class-based approach, I'd think you'd need some better basic classes, as well as a lot more advanced ones. There also need to be some significant math fixes.