D20 Future (SRD) what's (not so) good and what can be improved (and how)?

[Knight Otu]

There are 5 or 6 alien races in the book as far as I know, and at least one additional template. These were left out of the SRD as IP, however (along with all (most?) campaign information).

Edit: That's not to say that I wouldn't like to see them in the SRD (and a different version of the Sasquatch/Weren is in the SRD). Also, Andy Smith managed to get campaign info into the SRD before, maybe he can do so again?

 

[Vigilance]

Not having seen d20 future before I was hoping for more creatures than two templates plus renamed brown mold and green slime. The arcana and menace srd entries were fabulous, these didn't seem to add much for alien critters.

Well- seeing as how this book is supposed to be used with the Menace Manual and the d20 Modern core rules monster section, I think they didn't see the need to reinvent the wheel.

People keep slamming this book because it doesnt give you everything in one book.

What you're doing is about the same as slamming the DMG cause it doesn't have monsters.

There's a book for Modern monsters called the Menace Manual. In d20 Future you'd tweak monsters a bit, but the menace manural creatures would work fine for sci fi.

Chuck

 

[2WS-Steve]

Well- seeing as how this book is supposed to be used with the Menace Manual and the d20 Modern core rules monster section, I think they didn't see the need to reinvent the wheel.

One thing I was surprised to see was that many of the Menace Manual critters and large parts of Urban Arcana are in the SRD as well. I take it this happened a while ago and I just missed the release.

At any rate, I look forward to seeing where you, RPGObjects, and other companies take the material.

 

[trancejeremy]

I don't think the Menace Manual is all that apropriate/useful for aliens.

For one, only a 1/3 of the book is on critters. And of that, the vast majority are only suitable for earth or are paranormal critters. Like the killer koala bear.

Really, the only alien in the book that makes a good SF alien is the Kroath, which seems to be a combination of the movie Alien and Predator

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Too bad the kroath have nothing in common with the Star*Drive kroath. WotC should have used another name.

 

[Emiricol]

I don't think the Menace Manual is all that apropriate/useful for aliens.

For one, only a 1/3 of the book is on critters. And of that, the vast majority are only suitable for earth or are paranormal critters. Like the killer koala bear.

Really, the only alien in the book that makes a good SF alien is the Kroath, which seems to be a combination of the movie Alien and Predator

Most of the monsters in the D20M book and Menace Manual can be used. For example, the drop bear with just a slightly different appearance is a great native fauna threat.

The Etoile, to open the book to a random monster... Let's see. Add space immunity and locomotion and you have a menace to any ship crew.

Let's try again. Tulpa. Ok, tie it to a mysterious alien artifact discovered in the ruins of an ancient civilization. The Sphere, anyone?

Not saying it isn't a bit of work, but it is far from being useless. Most of 'em with only a slight change could fit not including the undead. So that's about 80+ pages of monsters to use up.

 

[Vigilance]

I don't think the Menace Manual is all that apropriate/useful for aliens.

For one, only a 1/3 of the book is on critters. And of that, the vast majority are only suitable for earth or are paranormal critters. Like the killer koala bear.

Really, the only alien in the book that makes a good SF alien is the Kroath, which seems to be a combination of the movie Alien and Predator

You will have to add an environmental immunity and change some cosmetic details about the monsters, but most are suitable for sci-fi alien critters with a little tweaking.

I think people are going to continue to pile onto this book, which is unfortunate, because the range of sci-fi campaigns was just too great for them to cover everything from a gritty 2054 campaign to Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek and Star Wars.

They couldn't play to the "Tolkien Radical Center" the way the DMG and the MM could.

And btw- before someone says "we're not piling on!".... if *I* was the referee I would have starting throwing flags for piling on a WHILE ago lol.

Chuck

 

[Vigilance]

At any rate, I look forward to seeing where you, RPGObjects, and other companies take the material.

Hey thanks Steve, that's a cool thing to hear coming from someone whose books I own.

I can tell you that my first d20 Modern book, High Flyers and Ground Pounders, which gives expanded options for Marines and Fighter Pilots is being edited even as we speak, work continues on the d20F friendly tweak for Blood and Circuits, my vehicle, weapon, armor, computer, robot etc. construction and design guide, and that I'm about 30 pages into the d20 Future expansion of my Prometheus setting.

Man I get tired just reading that lol.

Chuck

 

[C. Baize]

Wow...

How DARE WotC make all this material, and then make a bunch of it free, and not have MY campaign in mind?
How could they even consider such a thing?

Where's that sarcasm tag?

 

[Mr. Draco]

Just wanna say I absolutely love d20 Future. It's seriously the best thing since sliced bread (and d20 Modern, for that matter). Of course, it helps that I've always been a complete Sci-Fi addict.

Honestly, I think people just need to use the book like it was meant to be used. Like others have said, it's a toolkit, and an amazing one at that. So far, I've put between 10-15 hours into working on a sci-fi setting I hope to use, and I still have to edit all of the construction rules, but that's not a bad thing

So what if 100% of the D20 Future rules don't work perfectly with my setting? They give me the groundwork to make my own that do, and that's a wonderful thing.