Adapting d20 Modern for D&D play?

How interested are you in seeing more universal d20 fantasy rules?

  • I am very interested.

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • I am not disinterested.

    Votes: 10 28.6%
  • I am, in fact, disinterested.

    Votes: 13 37.1%
  • I am checking this option to be funny.

    Votes: 2 5.7%

am181d

Adventurer
I've recently been reflecting on how D&D isn't really a generic fantasy role-playing game. (See Classes, Races, Polytheistic Religions, Magic System, Monsters, etc.)

I'm wondering whether d20 Modern, with its generic classes (Strong Hero, Smart Hero, etc.), might not wind up being a better basis for a universal system for fantasy role-playing.

If so, I think the related sourcebook should be called:

"Ye Olde d20 Moderne Fantasy"

That said, how interested are people in seeing more universal fantasy rules? Are there specific areas of the rules that people would like to see more flexibility (magic system, races, etc.)? Does anyone have any thoughts about what form they'd like those rules to come in?
 

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I think D&D can handle stuff pretty well, so I'm relatively disinterested. All it really takes to turn D&D generic is:

a) Use only three classes--one skill-based, one combat-based, one magic-based. We already have Fighter for combat, and the sorcerer can handle magic if you just put everything on it's spell list. For skill-based, beef up the expert a little bit, and voila.

b) Include this line: "These rules are only guidelines for representing the character you want to create. Let your imagination guide the usage of the rules, rather than letting the descriptions of the rules constrain your imagination."

c) Add in a fourth 'class,' which will only exist for the purpose of handling race creation. There should be a fairly diverse list of powers, and each should have a cost. Depending on how many points of powers you choose for your race, it determines how many 'levels' of this 'class' you have. It's like Equivalent Character Level, only more flexible.

All the other rules, about 95%, can stay the same. DCs, ACs, spells, saves, combat rules, skills, etc.



By the way, "Strong Hero," and "Smart Hero" sound stupid.
 

DnD is reasonably generic on it's own. If you want something universal I'd suggest a classless system. Classes by their nature funnel character ideas down certain channels.

I can only hope d20 Modern is better than Spycraft.
 



RangerWickett said:
Shiroi Omega-san, Spycraft ga kirai? Do:):):):)e?

Translation: "Mr. Black Omega, you dislike Spycraft? Why?"
LOL! Now I know what occasion inspired a certain Meta thread! ;) Heh. And I agree that we need more Japanese on the boards! :cool:

And for anyone reading this before RW corrects his post:

The censored word should be (separated into its syllables, lest it gets censored again): do-shi-te.
 



Magic system aside, the Wheel of Time rules actually work pretty well for non-D&D heroic fantasy. And while the magic system is WoT specific, it's still more generic than the D&D magic system.
 

Joshua Dyal said:
I'm actually more interested in Spycraft than d20 Modern. I want a generic modern system, not a generic modern fantasy system.
Spycraft is pretty bad as a generic modern system. It's excellent if you are trying to do Roger Moore style James Bond though and don't mind the places that are badly thought through.
 

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