questions pertaining to urban arcana, shadowkind, and starting feats

[xenoflare]

Good day,

my friend just bought Urban Arcana and is planning on running a trial test game - we've got some confusion here over how many feats a Shadowkind character gets at character creation. According to D20 modern, all characters get 2 feats at character creation; thus, do the Shadowkind get extra bonus feats by racial type above and beyond the normal 2 feats?

i'm asking this because it does seem to make the Shadowkind races extremely powerful - i was contemplating an Orcish Strong Hero, who would start with Archaic Weapons Proficiency, Light and Medium armor proficiencies for free - and i do not know whether this was an oversight, or intended for play. The Shadowkind Human only makes things more obscured - it says under bonus feats "The shadowkind human gets a bonus feat like humans do, at character creation, but has to choose from the following list..(viz)" etc etc. This is certainly very confusing, and I was wondering if anyone from the online communities would be able to help us decipher this little cipher?

Thanks in advance, and keep on rocking in the (modern) free world!

 

[Ranger REG]

According to Charles Ryan, the d20 Modern guru on Wizards' messageboard, shadowkinds get their race's bonus feat in addition to the two feats at 1st level.

 

[xenoflare]

hmm.. what about game balance..?

Hola, thanks for the spiffy and speedy reply!

I see that the current closest stance we have to an official response is favourable to adding the racial feats to the existing 2 feats at character creation; what are your thoughts on game balance?

i suppose this would make Shadowkind characters more powerful than other characters, especially if you play a -native- shadowkind? Most shadowkind have no Wealth rating - they start the game with a liquidated amount of wealth, due to their alien nature, but some shadowkind who are born in Mundane Earth have the ability to retain their normal Weatlh ratings. They get to be rich, powerful, and versatile as well.

I am not too sure about the possible repercussions, as i have only played D20 modern for 2 sessions. What are your thoughts and opinions on this?

Thanks again, in advance.

 

[psychognome]

What Ranger REG said, but I believe that Shadowkind only get one starting feat as opposed to humans getting two. But in addition to the one starting feat that Shadowkind get they also receive their racial starting feats...

Haven't seen how it works in play, but there seems to be a serious balance issue here. But that's just my thoughts.

 

[Dismas]

Re: hmm.. what about game balance..?

Hola, thanks for the spiffy and speedy reply!

I see that the current closest stance we have to an official response is favourable to adding the racial feats to the existing 2 feats at character creation; what are your thoughts on game balance?

Charles Ryan edited and wrote sections of d20 Modern and is the official voice of all things d20 Modern related on the WotC boards, so it is and official response.

See http://archivedboards.wizards.com/community/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=293;t=000162
and
http://archivedboards.wizards.com/community/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=293;t=000050

 

[Ranger REG]

What Ranger REG said, but I believe that Shadowkind only get one starting feat as opposed to humans getting two. But in addition to the one starting feat that Shadowkind get they also receive their racial starting feats...

I initially thought so, too. But CR says otherwise. Only the skill point allotment is different from human.

 

[psychognome]

I initially thought so, too. But CR says otherwise. Only the skill point allotment is different from human.

What, what, whaaat?!

Okay, I think we have a serious balance issue here. If the Shadowkind with no ECL only lose out on a few Skill Points, why play a human? You can get all the feats, plus a whole bunch of special abilities to boot!