Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana Takes on Modern Magic

This month's edition of Unearthed Arcana from WotC's Dan Helmick takes on the topic of Modern Magic! Following on from an earlier column about d20 Modern items using 5E rules, this article "presents new rules for expanding the repertoire of spellcasting characters in a modern setting."

"A few months ago, Daniel Helmick described his adaptation for d20 Modern in a Behind the Screens article. He expanded on the rules for using firearms and explosives in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Now, what if we extended the D&D rules to cover a campaign not only touched by, but actually set in a modern era? The newest iteration of D&D features various archetypes, traditions, domains, and other options for the base classes, all of which present opportunities for customization. With that in mind, this article presents new rules for expanding the repertoire of spellcasting characters in a modern setting."

Find it here!

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[Yaarel]

I will continue to voice my opinion and concern for the game that I have always loved - loved until WotC 4e and 5e started baking in unwanted setting flavor into the rules everywhere.

There are many fantasy settings that lack gods.

Currently, other players can buy a setting that features gods.

Unfortunately, I still lack the option of buying a Players Handbook without gods.

 

[steeldragons]

Yes, of course. How did I not see it?! You are an oppressed minority being denied your equal "right" to play a game the way you want. You poor guy. Oh wait...no...no, that's not right.

I can only presume that, not "believing in gods" and thus not wanting them in the game because they're not real, then you also know that demons, devils, unicorns and elves, minotaurs, medusae are similarly nothing but bunk...In fact, let's just eliminate the entire MM except for animal entries. Their presence is an offense to my sensibilities.

I want a D&D game and PHB that eliminates the presence of all unreal things! How else am I supposed to play a creative game of imagination in a fantasy world! If not, I'm not getting the fair treatment I am due...Those BASTARDS!

 

[gyor]

I love the find vechile spell, its basically a modern verison of the Paladin's Find Steed spell.

The fact that your vechile is actually a Celestial, Fey, or Fiend instead of a costruct means that you can heal your vechile with healing spells, but that you can also do other cool stuff you can't normally do with a construct.

You can also do stuff like cast invisiblity and have your vechile invisible, or cast haste for crazy speeds.

I'd summon an RV, that way you have summonable vechile and home in one.

 

[Remathilis]

Unfortunately, I still lack the option of buying a Players Handbook without gods.

There are lots of things people would want to buy a PHB without. A PHB without Dragonborn. A PHB without monks. A PHB without Feats. A PHB without Great Old One warlocks. A PHB without the Great Wheel. A PHB without Drow. A PHB without Halflings. A PHB without Multiclassing. A PHB without any reference to the Forgotten Realms. Need I go on?

Why do you think your Godless PHB is more deserving than any of their PHBs?

 

[Benji]

I live in the modern world. I dont worship gods. I think theyre unfun. Theyre embarrassing. I dont want them in my game.

If the rules for D&D 5e Modern lack gods, then I can use the rules conveniently. If the flavor of gods are baked in everywhere, then I cant play the game. It isnt worth it, to rewrite all the rules in order to remove the gods flavor. I might as well play a different game.

I want the gods flavor absent. I dont want to have reexplain what else gods might be. I dont want their flavor in the first place.

My hope is to use D&D 5e Modern, for reallife urban settings, with an urban fantasy or more precisely a technotopian twist.

If I am unable to use D&D 5e rules because it keeps baking in unwanted flavor, then I do and will use a different rules system.

Currently, I am using a modified 3e SRD. The SRD intentionally removes official flavor, making it easy to add the flavor that I like. But I am on the look out for a solid gaming system that meets all of my gaming needs.

Say no to gods.

I've run D&D settings without gods, it took me like five minutes of work.I just said 'no clerics'. That seemed to do it. If you take out the class that is based on divine power and want to have no divine power then a preacher is better represented by a bard. That's arcane magic which seems not to be counted amongst 'embarassing' power sets. Done.

Also, sorry if started an argument with somebody else, I didn't want to dog-pile you with others. I was just curious, I used to have played who loved D&D but had some objections to multi-pantheon worship because of his beliefs. I wondered if it was something like that. When I ran games for him it was in a setting that followed the rules above.

 

[Umbran]

Do us a favor? Give it rest.

And, likewise, you could do the rest of us a favor, and be polite. We expect you to show respect for your fellow posters. This post, and the one you have following, are dripping with sarcasm and disdain - whatever they are, they are not respectful.

This poster has just as much right to voice an opinion as you do. So, you should spend about 100% less effort in trying to browbeat them into shutting up.

I hope that's clear. If it isn't, please take it to PM or e-mail with one of the mods or admins.

 

[steeldragons]

Apologies, [MENTION=58172]Yaarel[/MENTION]. You are, of course, entitled to your opinions and preferences...as are we all.

 

[EthanSental]

Ah the age of political correctness, what a grand time we live in. Either way, it's a simple process to remove the fluff of divine powers from a game. I'd be curious what game system, similar to D&D that doesn't have god based text in its main book? I don't play a lot of games anymore out side of D&D and pathfinder (pathfinder an issue too since its in the core book?). I guess there's DC Universe but it had the New Gods and Olympus based Zeus for Wonder Woman.

Is the issue based around it being in the PHB? So what if it was in the DMG but not the PHB? If your just a player and gods in the PHB is not your cup of tea, how do you play in a group setting when someone has to heal and than likely uses divine inspred powers. just curious where he's coming from since I'm only been active in the past few month and haven't seen him post this issue before. Yaarel - you can PM me if you'd like, no worries if you don't.

 

[neobolts]

I live in the modern world. I dont worship gods. I think theyre unfun. Theyre embarrassing. I dont want them in my game.

Respectfully, I'm going to add my own opinion into the mix (famous last words, I know).

I also live in modern times and have a firmly secular worldview. However, I quite enjoy the fictional pantheons and mythology of fantasy settings. I often play clerics and have put a bit of time into pantheons when worldbuilding. For me, none of this connects to any belief (or absence of belief) I have in real life. At the end of the day, D&D is just a harmless game.

You clearly have strong convictions about not embracing deities either in your real life OR in a fictional setting, and that's fine for your games. But I feel it is quite possible to grok Hitchens and also think playing make-believe about Thor is a sweet hobby.

 

[hbarsquared]

Back to the article itself....

I will likely never use this material - especially considering that I have enough trouble finding the time, energy, and wherewithal to assemvle a regular group!

With that said, I applaud the article. Even if I never play in a Modern setting, it was dripping with inspiration. Therein lies the value, in my opinion. The more "inspiring" a UA article, or PHB, or Story Arc may be, the more likely you'll have a returning customer.

I appreciate how the three class variants were, in some ways, three different technology levels. City Domain vs Ghost in the Machine (so cool!) vs hacker wizard...

I appreciate the modularity. I don't have it in front of me, but Find Vehicle vs Find Steed gives a glimpse of underlying mechanics and balance. The "Rapid Transit Teleport" spell gets mt gears turning on other teleport variations, even in a classical fantasy setting.

This article spurred ideas for playing a Modern game. It also spurred ideas for playing a modified/house-ruled/tinkered fantasy game.

What it does for me, at least, is stoke the flames to play the game, and play it more. It encourages me to make the game whatever I want, and how to do so. It only adds to 5e's abilities, adds to the customer base, not subtract.

Whether I ever use it or not, "in my game," doesn't matter. I enjoyed the article, and makes me want to read/play/buy more.