Any BESM D20 fans in the house?

[LoneWolf23]

Got reading through my BESM d20 book again after a friend of mine explained some things (thankfully, since I've been undergoing cognitive dissonance trying to wrap my head around it since I got it). And there are still a few things that trouble me: namely, the fact that many classic D&D stuff like Damage Reduction and classic D&D abilities aren't clearly explained in BESM D20 terms...

For exemple, In Alternate Form: Cosmetic Changes, they could've made that ability similar to the D&D spell "Change Self", since that's basically what it does. And while no mention was made of D&D's default psionics system, I have to admit, BESM D20's psi powers do work, although I'm not sure I want to abandon the classic d20 Psionics compleltly..

...So, any thoughts/comments/rants?

 

[thundershot]

It's okay...

I wish they had done to THAT book what they did to d20 MECHA and not assume that you're going to use the BESMd20 system for everything... There's a MAJOR compatability issue if you want to use it with a standard d20/D&D game... One that I haven't cracked yet.



Chris

 

[jrients]

I really like BESM d20, but it strikes me as way out there compared to a lot of d20 products. I don't think I would want to try mixing the D&D classes with the BESM ones.

 

[LoneWolf23]

I know I would've liked seeing the classic Classes given full descriptions like the BESM classes, depicting in more detail how each class would be different in an Anime setting. Maybe a bit more expansion on how Spell Slot Magic would fit in with BESM D20 rules. I'd imagine it as an expansion on the Magic attribute...

 

[Stormfalcon]

Personally, I'm loving the system. For me, it's a great tookit, and I'm currently working on a magical girl campaign setting based on some stories I've written in the past. Putting together new races is pretty straightforward, and creating new classes is definitely doable.

It should be noted that the amount of enjoyment one gets from BESM d20 depends on how much tinkering around GMs (and, to a lesser extent, players) are willing to do with the system. If you're the type who has no problems coming up with house rules, adapting stuff from one system to another, and creating new stuff for your game, then you'll have quite a bit of fun with BESM d20. However, if you like things to come prepackaged and ready to plug-and-play with no effort, then maybe BESM d20 isn't for you. As one who loves to tinker with things (I even managed to deconstruct d20 Modern's starting occupations and adapted them to BESM d20), I'm having a ball with it.

However, I can point out one big problem with the book in general: the lack of examples and proper explaination of things. Unlike the Tri-Stat-based BESM books, BESM d20 throws a lot of mechanics at the reader and expects them to sort them out themselves. I think it would've been nice if they had their own set of iconics that could be used as examples of various aspects of the game (character creation & advancement, combat, etc). These iconics would've also made for a set of sample characters at various levels and settings.

What would make for a good additional book (if not included with the main book) is a GM accessory book. Such a book would better explain aspects like race and class creation, how to adapt characters, creatures, and concepts between BESM d20 and other d20 games more effectively, as well as including more classes (a class for mikos and spiritualistic monks is sorely lacking, for example). Another good book would be along the lines of d20 Modern's Menace Manual, which would include both classic (as well as Japanese) beasties adapted to BESM d20, as well as example organizations and NPCs that are common archetypes in anime settings.

 

[Ranger REG]

Having gone through their d20 Anime System Reference Document, I may be inclined to pick up the hardcover print version.

But I do have a disagreement with them regarding spellcasters. They think that D&D spellcasters are too powerful, or overpowered. Nevertheless the d20ASRD provided a conversion of D&D classes to the BESM d20 ruleset.

Oh, did I mentioned their ASRD is free?

 

[Melkor]

Got reading through my BESM d20 book again after a friend of mine explained some things (thankfully, since I've been undergoing cognitive dissonance trying to wrap my head around it since I got it). And there are still a few things that trouble me: namely, the fact that many classic D&D stuff like Damage Reduction and classic D&D abilities aren't clearly explained in BESM D20 terms...

For exemple, In Alternate Form: Cosmetic Changes, they could've made that ability similar to the D&D spell "Change Self", since that's basically what it does. And while no mention was made of D&D's default psionics system, I have to admit, BESM D20's psi powers do work, although I'm not sure I want to abandon the classic d20 Psionics compleltly..

...So, any thoughts/comments/rants?

I really, really like some of the cool things D20 BESM attempts to do. For one, it takes the minis out of D&D and makes things a little more "on the fly"...reducing things to a simple action, and movement to something that adds negative modifiers to combat if you are attempting to move fast or run during the round.

On the other hand, I too am still trying to wrap my brain around it....some of the rules take a completely different approach to how things work than most other baseline D20 products....The no Strength or Dexterity bonuses to hit, the Combat Skills that affect BAB instead, the Defense Roll, the attributes. Etc.

It seems like a lot of basic D&D elements would require major conversions to work in BESM....Deconstructing all races and classes to balance them against D20 BESM classes and races.....Converting over Monsters....Lots of work. It would be nice to see a D20 BESM fantasy book to do all that work for you.

 

[Ranger REG]

There is a conversion of D&D-to-BESMd20 classes on the Anime System Reference Document.

 

[thundershot]

The big problem is that there isn't a "BESMd20 to D&D/d20m" conversion. BESMd20 is very ... abstract, which I guess is the point, but me and a lot of others would love the classes to be usable without having to convert to the whole BESMd20 system. Some of the attributes just scream unbalanced, and it just seems too easy to break by whoring points. At first I simply tried disallowing attributes that didn't seem balanced (so few points for ability scores!), but it became rediculous.

d20 Mecha, on the other hand, is totally usable right out of the book, with maneuvering the only questionable mechanic (but you can just use the standard d20 system for that). I don't plan on using most of the combat chapter, since the mecha, once built, are perfectly usable as-is... I look forward to integrating a few things...

But yeah, I'd love to have a BESMd20 to D&D/d20m conversion manual...



Chris (who does own both the hardcover AND the deluxe edition)

 

[Alzrius]

I really like the BESM d20 system. It still just has a few aspects that it needs to cover more.

The main book is basically a hybrid PHB/DMG rolled into one. One of the glaring omissions though is the almost complete lack of anything towards the way of monsters. While there is maybe one example there, the fact is that you either have to use monsters from the MM, which can cause compatibility issues...or manually convert those MM monsters to BESM d20 stats...which can be long and hard.

Beyond that, the system has a few things that seem slightly odd. Absolutely nothing on Face/Reach or Space/Reach for characters that I saw, for example. Likewise, movement and such isn't in terms of 5-foot blocks, which can make for some odd movement rates. How does it help your character to have a slightly higher Dex so you can move 48 feet per round as opposed to 45?

Beyond that though, I honestly think the game brings many, many more good things to the table than problems. The combat section is a godsend. Finally a workable way to have things like called shots back again! And the part about combining attacks to increase the damage as a way of overcoming DR...brilliant!

The thing to remember here is that, while it is very firmly based in the d20 system, BESM d20 is still its own system, not the same as d20. Be prepared to either go it alone (or with its supplementary books) or do a lot of converting. Either way though, I find it a top-notch set of rules.