roguerouge
First Post
Is there a thread here or a board on WotC that is on optimizing d20 Modern characters?
Modern Character Optimization
- Thread starter roguerouge
- Start date
yes, you are in it. as for WotC, all d20 modern boards have been deleted. There is still a D20 general forum and I think they still have an optimization forum, but that caters mostly to D&D.
roguerouge
First Post
Ooookaaay... That was an annoying decision on their part.
So. How balanced are the base classes? Are there particularly desirable mixtures of them? How about these advanced classes?
And does physical melee frequently occur or is ranged weapons the way to go when it comes to the modern game?
So. How balanced are the base classes? Are there particularly desirable mixtures of them? How about these advanced classes?
And does physical melee frequently occur or is ranged weapons the way to go when it comes to the modern game?
For basic classes? the fast hero has too high a defense bonus at level 1, making it ideal for dipping. Other than that they are quite balanced. For advanced classes, I would note that the setting specific supernatural classes tend to be quite a bit stronger and more flexible than standard advanced classes. However, this can be partially mitigated by access to military grade equipment for your more mundane characters.
The prevelance of melee depends on the campaign setting and decisions of the players. A swashbuckling pirates game will have more melee. Melee can be very strong, but that mostly balances out with ranged combat if you have some encounters happen at long and medium ranges.
The prevelance of melee depends on the campaign setting and decisions of the players. A swashbuckling pirates game will have more melee. Melee can be very strong, but that mostly balances out with ranged combat if you have some encounters happen at long and medium ranges.
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Stormborn
Explorer
Unfortunately the answer is: it depends. Modern games come in far more variety than fantasy games. Choices about setting, FX, style, etc all come into play. I have run a fairly Pulp d20 Modern game where combat in one form or another was as common as it is in DnD and the PCs used a range of effects including martial arts, guns, and magic. I have also run a d20 Modern game that was all investigation and depended entirely on non-combat encounters.
If you tell us what kind of game you will be playing in then we might be able to help. The only general piece of advice I can give you is plan out chracter advancement from the starting point and you will be happier. Pick an Advanced Class you want and then work backwards on the fastest path to it. Be mindful of the classes that start with +0 BAB or you could easily wind up with a 3rd level PC with no ability in a fight at all; which, again, might not be a problem depending on your campaign.
roguerouge
First Post
Honestly, I don't know yet what kind of campaign it's going to be. There are hints of a no-magic, no-psionics feature though. That should downplay the advantage of playing the INT or WIS, yes?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Int is incredibly valuable for skills. There are 60+ different skills in d20 modern.
Wis will probably be reduced in importance because mundane will saves are not common, unless your GM uses 3rd party morale/horror/sanity/depravity rules.
Modern is more of a simulationist system than D&D and has a more varied context of play. This makes standard optimization less productive. What you should do is decide what kind of character you want and work from there. Do you want to be a shooter? a smasher? an investigator? a frontman? a sneak? something else?
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Stormborn
Explorer
Not if the campaign needs a hacker, a linguist, an investigator, a scientists, a reseracher, a doctor/medic, demolitions expert, intelligent leader/planner, or any kind of Daniel Jackson/Reed Richards/ Spock character. So no, can't discount either Smart or Dedicated classes yet.
roguerouge
First Post
All but the Strong hero start with +0 BAB. Are you saying that if you start with a particular class, you should stick with it for a while and delay dipping into another +0 class?
Mustrum_Ridcully
Legend
It makes sense to multiclass, from my experience. You will have to after 10th level, anyway, but you can make more interesting characters that way, too.
If you play a Smart/Strong character, you have a lot of skill points (though you have to pick which ones you want to specialize on), and are still a decent fighter. Of course, for pure melee combat optimisation, Strong with maybe a dip in Fast is probably better.
A mix of Strong/Tough will give you good defensive and offensive abilities in combat.
Generally, for anything that is to fight a lot, Strong is an important class - BAB is very important, and the Strong Hero is the only base class with a full BAB.
Fast/Strong is a good way to make a gunslinger (and eventually Gunslinger).
Smart/Charismatic will make you a Jack of all Trades (including the possiblity that you will be master of nothing, so be careful).
Careful multiclassing is also important. If you want to multiclass, it's probably best to pick the class with the most skill points first.
In any non-full BAB class, you should try to get to 4 levels as soon as possible, and not mix to early, since your BAB will suffer.
Starting Occupations can be cruical to get you enough feats to be proficient in the weapons you want, especially if you're going for ranged combats.
Per default, d20 Modern has less or no magic then D&D. This also means that AC, BAB and other modifiers keep in a "fair" ballpark, so even a Smart Hero can contribute well in combat - out of combat, he will rock during research and "thievery".
If you play a Smart/Strong character, you have a lot of skill points (though you have to pick which ones you want to specialize on), and are still a decent fighter. Of course, for pure melee combat optimisation, Strong with maybe a dip in Fast is probably better.
A mix of Strong/Tough will give you good defensive and offensive abilities in combat.
Generally, for anything that is to fight a lot, Strong is an important class - BAB is very important, and the Strong Hero is the only base class with a full BAB.
Fast/Strong is a good way to make a gunslinger (and eventually Gunslinger).
Smart/Charismatic will make you a Jack of all Trades (including the possiblity that you will be master of nothing, so be careful).
Careful multiclassing is also important. If you want to multiclass, it's probably best to pick the class with the most skill points first.
In any non-full BAB class, you should try to get to 4 levels as soon as possible, and not mix to early, since your BAB will suffer.
Starting Occupations can be cruical to get you enough feats to be proficient in the weapons you want, especially if you're going for ranged combats.
Per default, d20 Modern has less or no magic then D&D. This also means that AC, BAB and other modifiers keep in a "fair" ballpark, so even a Smart Hero can contribute well in combat - out of combat, he will rock during research and "thievery".
