Disclaimer: This *.pdf was given to me as part of the PDF Review Project.
The brain child of Steve Miller, and published by Interactive Design Adventures, each Modern Advance contains a new advanced class for d20 Modern. The *.pdf is 8 pages long; one page is dedicated to the Open Game Licence, one page with an Introduction and a Note from the Designer, and a title page leaves 5 pages of gaming content. There are bookmarks for each of the sections in the file, which is nice. The art consists of a single image of a human eye on the front page; while this is good for people who like to print out their *.pdf files, it seems to appropriately cry out “Big Brother is watching you.” The layout is nice and simple – two columns of text – and the headings stand out nicely. I did not notice any grammatical or typographical errors.
The premise of the Fugitive is that you are being chased down for a crime you did not commit, and only you can clear your name. To become a fugitive, your character must possess a few stealth related feats, and have an organization which wants to capture or kill your character. The class skills all seem appropriate, with a clear focus on research and travel. A fugitive gains seven skill points per level, which seems on par with the Advanced Classes presented in the d20 Modern Core Book.
The Class Abilities of the Fugitive assist in escaping various situations, and can apply to characters accompanying the Fugitive. This is a good thing, allowing a party to be on the run and have an edge while not forcing every character to take levels in Fugitive. The list of Bonus Feats for the Fugitive includes feats that are not in the d20 Modern Core Book, or in this *.pdf; in fact, there are two feats not in either previously mentioned source, but in two different Modern Advances books. A quick price check at RPGNow shows that each Modern Advances book is $2.00 - $3.00. While some may find it worth the price to buy each release, others may just want all the information in the one *.pdf, instead of the publisher depending on people buying multiple products. On the other hand, there are only four Bonus Feat slots, and 14 Bonus Feats to choose from, so you won’t be missing out not having those other files. One Class Ability I would not like as a GM allows a Fugitive to spend an action point to escape at an otherwise impossible juncture, but YMMV.
The next section of the *.pdf contains three new feats: Fake ID, Conceal Item, and Flickering Shadow. The Fake ID feat does not provide a character with the actual ID, but rather the means to secure a Fake ID. When in familiar territory, this is not a challenge; however, the feat forces characters to make skill checks when off their turf. This feat could have been better described as a new use of an old skill, or a few different skills: Forgery, and Knowledge (Streetwise). Conceal Item makes it very difficult for someone to locate a hidden item, granting a -15 penalty on Spot Checks if the character takes 10. This particular feat grants a bonus greater than Skill Focus; however, it does require that the character take 10. While in some cases the time requirement might be detrimental, it would be up to the individual GM to ensure that this feat benefited the character. Flickering Shadow makes it much easier to remain hidden while moving at a decent rate. This feat is definitely appropriate, and seems useful to characters who are not fugitives; I could easily see an Infiltrator making good use of it.
Finally, we are presented with an NPC Fugitive. The back-story is logical and well written, and seems plausible. The NPC would be excellent in X-Files and conspiracy theory inspired campaigns. Overall, this *.pdf will likely appeal to anyone running a modern conspiracy type campaign. While the lack of the two feats does detract somewhat, I still recommend this *.pdf for anyone who runs d20 Modern games. 4 stars.
