Any d20 games without levels?

[Ry]

That is, without levels, or extremely stratified low-level, high-level characters?

I don't mind experienced heroes being awesome - but five orders of: "I have 4 levels on you, now I eat you with a side of bacon." is a bit too much for my next game.

Modern or low fantasy would both be great (my game won't have mechanized magic).

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Mutants and Masterminds is the only one I know of without any actual levels...

 

[barsoomcore]

And I have to say, I think there's a lot of room for the M&M system to get applied more broadly. There's a lot of clever thinking in that game, and not just for superheroes...

 

[takyris]

Ditto dat. I'm using it for a general fantasy game, and while I still think in terms of Power Levels, the Point Buy nature means that people are spread much more across the board.

The other nice thing about M&M is that if you really wanted, and your group was happy with it, you never really have to gain levels. Many comic folks dislike the power creep of large comic lines (How many times has Superman had to be rebooted because he got too powerful to be interesting? At least once, I know. Maybe more?) With M&M, people are flashy enough and have fun enough stuff that is not limited (usually) in times per day, so you can conceivably just stay at 150 points forever without feeling like you're losing out on getting new class abilities...

 

[Crothian]

Buy the Numbers

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=2909&

It is a classless, level less system that takes the abilities from all the basic classes for the PHB and gives them all XP costs. HD, Skills, feats, saves, BAB, everything hasan XP cost.

 

[Psion]

And I have to say, I think there's a lot of room for the M&M system to get applied more broadly. There's a lot of clever thinking in that game, and not just for superheroes...

Indeed. I was just thinking to myself (well, to others, as I came about this while posting on another board) that M&M is pretty darn close to the "simple but detailed" holy grail that a lot of people allude to, but games repeatedly fail to live up to.

All the sudden, I am very interested in how Blue Rose will turn out.

 

[Crothian]

All the sudden, I am very interested in how Blue Rose will turn out.

judging by the previews it will have little in common with M&M. It still has classes (three of them) and levels for instance.

 

[Von Ether]

Isn't there a leveless d20 BESM verison?

 

[Thanee]

Indeed. I was just thinking to myself (well, to others, as I came about this while posting on another board) that M&M is pretty darn close to the "simple but detailed" holy grail that a lot of people allude to, but games repeatedly fail to live up to.

That's probably why it's so much respected (even by Champions diehards ).

Bye
Thanee