D&D 5E Rebooting d20 Modern With Everyday Heroes

Evil Genius Productions is rebooting 2002's d20 Modern in the form of a tabletop RPG called Everyday Heroes based on the 5E ruleset.

Our first tabletop role-playing game is Everyday Heroes™ - a roleplaying universe set in the modern era. Inspired by D20 Modern, Everyday Heroes™ provides a complete rulebook on running campaigns in the current day or the near future. The book covers everything you will need to run a modern-day campaign. This includes modern new character classes that fit within the modern-day theme. It also includes professions (e.g., Fireman, CIA operative, Chef) and backgrounds (e.g., rich kid, military brat, gang member) to help flesh out your character. firearms and equipment, modern adversaries, and revised rules on car and foot chases.

The game includes 6 new classes (the Strong Hero, the Smart Hero, etc., inspired directly by the classes in d20 Modern), 18 subclasses (such as Marksman, Scientist, Commando), along with a ton of backgrounds, feats, and firearms and chase rules.

The team includes some of the original d20 Modern designers -- the company says:

"The core elements of Everyday Heroes™ are based on the Open Gaming License (OGL) for d20 Modern. Released in the 2002. d20 Modern was the first role-playing game set in the modern era. The core rulebook was quickly followed up by a series of expansions including d20 Future, d20 Past, and d20 Apocalypse. The rules were expanded with a series of sourcebooks including Urban Arcana, Weapons Locker, Menace Manual, and Future Tech. Have you ever written something and read it again a few years later? You might say to yourself. 'Man, I would have probably done that differently.' Well, there is no coincidence that many of the designers of Everyday Heroes™ are the same designers who created d20 Modern. This is their shot to take the work that they love and make it even better."

The team includes Jeff Grubb, Stan!, and Steve Miller (formerly of WotC).

Everyday Heroes is coming to Kickstarter in Spring.

Evil Genius Games

Evil Genius Productions creates tabletop roleplaying and board games. Everyday Heroes™, based on d20 Modern, is a 5e TTRPG for the modern world. Officially licensed games for The Crow, Pacific Rim, Kong Skull Island, Highlander, Universal Soldier, Total Recall, Rambo, and Escape From New York.

www.evilgeniusgaming.com

 

[DND_Reborn]

d20 Modern has an abstract wealth system, with a Wealth rating; rather than using actual amounts of money and saying you character has (say) 10,000 dollars in savings and a new rocket launcher costs 2,000 dollars.

Thanks for the clarification.

In that case, it wouldn't really matter to me if you had a Wealth rating which allow you access to certain things or a discrete money system. I don't play modern d20 so I have no preference really.

 

[Yaarel]

When did the modern era start?

The Modern Era began in the 1400s, or even the 1200s if one counts the Proto-Renaissance.

So, D&D 1e is the first RPG to be set in the Modern Era.

 

[Yaarel]

it says a lot about the current times that a lineup supposedly of heroes does not include any in a uniform.

One police officer can be so different from an other police officer.

Some of them are genuinely courageous, compassionate and just, heroes: public servants.

 

[Yaarel]

I think 5E has a good power base for design, and like subclasses (instead of dozens of individual classes), but the lack of prestige classes in 5E design is a failing IMO. Prestige classes are a separate path your PC can take later on as opposed to early on (i.e. subclasses). Prestige classes also help mitigate the need or desire to multiclass, which many people feel is a down fall of the d20 design systems.


Unless there is a different meaning with modern d20 about cash I am not aware of, why wouldn't it? I mean most game systems have some form of monetary currency.

5e can reinvent the problematic "prestige class" as an "open archetype".

The open archetype is basically a subclass that any class can take. It only has a few levels, such as levels 1 thru 4, or levels 5 thru 8 which only becomes accessible at level 5 or higher.

Many concepts work better as an open archetype. For example, the Ranger can be a nature-oriented archetype with only a few levels of nature training, that recommends itself for either a Druid or a Fighter. But a Wizard would be able to take it too if the player wants. The Fighter Ranger would lack spellcasting, while the Druid Ranger would have it.

One of the earlier UAs for Strixhaven experiments with this kind of approach. It doesnt make it into the book, but merits further consideration, especially as a way to translate prestige classes into 5e. The UA approach focuses on the archetype being a subclass, but that is difficult because different classes schedule their subclass at different levels.

The open archetype might work better as strictly its own class that requires multiclassing, even tho it only has a few levels that a player can take. The archetypes that start at level 1 can begin the character concept at character creation. But the archetypes that start at a higher level wont come online until a later level after advancing in some other class.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Not like gangsters, mobsters, Yakuza, or other various criminal types. A few are alright and could represent the vigilante-type that might be created in the game, but it says a lot about the current times that a lineup supposedly of heroes does not include any in a uniform.

Well, it says 50+ professions. I imagine many of those professions will have uniforms.

 

[DND_Reborn]

5e can reinvent the problematic "prestige class" as an "open archetype".

I never saw any problems with prestige classes, so I am not familiar with what "problems" you are referring to. Was there anything specific?

The open archetype is basically a subclass that any class can take. It only has a few levels, such as levels 1 thru 4, or levels 5 thru 8 which only becomes accessible at level 5 or higher.

We've developed a couple of these, such as the Assassin, which really any class can take, but ours are real subclasses so there is a difference.

What you are describing sounds a lot like a "mini-prestige" class since it only for a few levels?

 

[Yaarel]

I never saw any problems with prestige classes, so I am not familiar with what "problems" you are referring to. Was there anything specific?

The main problem with the 3e prestige classes is gaming balance. Their prereqs, by design, require something broken (so worthless that it needs errata to make it viable), in order to qualify. But when qualifying and taking the prestige class, it then makes the character broken (way more powerful than other characters of the same level).

The prestige classes break the game in both directions. It feels like, if the player goes thru the hazing ritual, it becomes ok for the players character to ruin the game.

The 3e prestige classes require byzantine convolutions of system mastery, cause the 3e gaming engine to become even more broken than it already is, and because it requires poorly written mechanics to qualify for, even makes it impossible for future errata to fix these mechanics.

Needless to say, I respect less the implementation of 3e prestige classes.

Even so, there are concepts that feel bigger than a feat but smaller than a 20-level class. The amount of power can feel like needing a few levels to invest in and develop across.

 

[DND_Reborn]

The main problem with the 3e prestige classes is gaming balance.

Ah, ok. I never played much 3E DND, just some d20 SW for a couple years and I liked the prestige classes there.

 

[aco175]

Maybe I am missing something with the art on the first page. Seems more Grand Theft Auto heroes than what I would consider. There is a Yakuza guy with an eyepatch. I see Blade hanging out in the background. There is a sex worker and her pimp, not sure why the marionette.

I like this 2nd picture better. There is undercover police guy forced to deal with the yellow tape, Sexy ambulance girl with a laundry problem of shrinking clothes and sexy fireman that rushes out to calls so fast he forgets his shirt.

I admit that I'm not the likely target audience though.

 

[Aldarc]

I think 5E has a good power base for design, and like subclasses (instead of dozens of individual classes), but the lack of prestige classes in 5E design is a failing IMO. Prestige classes are a separate path your PC can take later on as opposed to early on (i.e. subclasses). Prestige classes also help mitigate the need or desire to multiclass, which many people feel is a down fall of the d20 design systems.

The uphill problem you are facing is that for many other people the lack of prestige classes in 5e is a feature and not a flaw.

4e D&D tried to address this through Paragon Paths.

Shadow of the Demon Lord addresses this by separating out Novice Paths (i.e., Warrior, Priest, Rogue, Mage) from Expert Paths (e.g., Witch, Wizard, Paladin, Ranger, Burglar, etc.) and Master Paths (e.g., Necromancer, Aeromancer, Myrmidon, etc.) that can be taken in a variety of combinations.

However, 5e sees the current subclass system as "good enough," and I'm not sure if there is enough clamor for a return of presitge classes. It's pretty clear that they're dead, Jim.