D20 Modern: Highlander help?

I don't think this has been mentioned, but the Book of Templates has an Immortal template. I don't own that product though, so I don't know if it meshes with the Highlander Immortal idea though. Also, to those who are concerned about such things, a revised version of that book is coming out soon.
 

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Alzrius said:
I don't think this has been mentioned, but the Book of Templates has an Immortal template. I don't own that product though, so I don't know if it meshes with the Highlander Immortal idea though.

It's an immortality given by a divine source, so it really doesn't fit with the Immortal concept.
 

Hmm, I'll be reading through that site for a while I think.

Having seen some fine pimpin', I think I'll take a crack :). First, having kicked around the idea myself for a home campaign, I came up with two elements that can very quickly keep immortals in check vs. mortal PCs.

Reverie & Signature

Immortals apparently retain most of their memeories, and activity the human gray matter just isn't designed for. We're constantly seeing the principle characters go off into flash backs. I though it would be an easy tool to control them if they don't have any control over this mental behavior. They just black out some times (stuck in a flashback in their inner mental landscape), and the older they get, the more it happens.

Immortals can sense each other. What if (and this is pretty easy to justify) the degree to which an immortals presence makes itself known to the others is related to how many times they've killed other immortals? Now you have a nice, self-balancing counter on the character sheet. You have to kill X number of other immortals as a prerequisite to gains certain feats (growing quickening powers...) or as an entry requirement for an immortal only prestige class (think the Kurgan, only gaining lots of physical power for following his dark road of slaughter). These characters are easier to sense. Hell, everyone knew when the Kurgan was on the same continent practically :p. While some of the truely ancient were almost undetectable. Obviously extra sensitivity to Signature, and extra ability to mask it have potential for feats.

Mechanically, I'd use Spycraft (naturally :D), and say that immortals convert all damage except melee weapons to subdual damage. Getting shot a lot can drop them, but thats about it. Getting stabbed (even in the gut) really seemed to get their attention. This is a nice, juicy advantage, but it's hardly game breaking. An irate immortal could have annother gunned down (rendered unconcious by riddling the body with lead) and then decapitate the victim at his leasure. Coup-de-grace actions with a blade are still lethal. Add some immunities to drowning, and you're pretty much set. The immortal gets this in place of a normal agent's department bonuses. This in not a bad trade- the imortal gets some damn good abilites up front, but also the ever present threat of being head hunted by someone more powerfull, instead of the fairly butch bonuses granted to a super spy. Might do a Watcher's Department just for fun :).

You might create a new base class for older immortals (with lots of skill points!), but with Spycraft normally providing for superspy level competence, an Immortals class would be pretty bad a$$, and your mortal PCs are not going to be standing around looking useless :). Add a new quickening feat tree for their diverse talents, crack open the Modern Arms Guide for exotic weapons and the Pan Asian chamberbook for 40 more melee combat feats, and you're ready to go.
 

Nice idea, Morgenstern, I hadn't thought of using it with Spycraft that way.

Another element of Immortals that I forgot about is after a Quickening the Immortal gains some of the dead Immortals power and knowledge. Not really to sure how to deal with that.

Then their are the rules. Immortals cannot fight each other on holy ground. Immortals can not gang up on one another; ie two immortals can not fight agaist one at the same time. And for some reason I think there is another or two, but really can't think of it/them.
 

Crothian said:
Nice idea, Morgenstern, I hadn't thought of using it with Spycraft that way.

To be honest, I pretty much always look at Spycraft as an action movie -system- with a huge number of espionage components provided up front :). Highlander is at heart an action movie, so it seems like a short trip from one to the other to me.

Another element of Immortals that I forgot about is after a Quickening the Immortal gains some of the dead Immortals power and knowledge. Not really to sure how to deal with that.

Easy. Class ability or feat that each time you kill another Immortal, you gain a skill point in that character's highest ranked skill. Your Signature is going up too, so it keeps some game balance. You make this a really low level ability (1st or second) as part of the Immortal base class if you want them to all have it (maybe second, with you picking up 2 ranks at 11th level and 3 at 19th - ooo, feel class write up coming on :)) or you make it a very accesible feat (possible feat chain to get better at it, similar to the class ability progression suggested above).

Then their are the rules. Immortals cannot fight each other on holy ground. Immortals can not gang up on one another; ie two immortals can not fight agaist one at the same time. And for some reason I think there is another or two, but really can't think of it/them.

Depends on how badly you want to enforce 'the rules'. Is it a social contract, or does it invoke some sort of divine intervention that prevents it or punishes it. Depending on which movies the GCwants to treat as canon, I'd write the more mystical prevention as an option rule, explain the nature of the choice, and put it in the text as a switch for individual GCs to set for their own games. Provide the tool, but don't enforce it.

Looking at an Immortal Class, i'd still use the department to cover the immortality shtick, then the class to cover experience. 1st level you learn about all the eitquette and 'the rules' (so you can have modern Immortals who haven't been taught what there abilites mean yet ;)). You could bend the system a bit by giving them d6 vitaility (which they don't usually need, but makes the duels a little quicker to reach the final cut) and x10 skill points so they have a wealth of practical experience. High BAB progression (do they all practice with their favorite sharp bit for decades? Seems like it, even if that decade or two was hundreds of years ago...) but low Defense progression (come on - when youre Immortal, that part of your training is going to be sloppy, and you can still take feats to boost it if your a perfectionist immortal). High budget progression (antiques, long term investmnts, lots of time and few neds). Can mix with all th other spies-sey classes pretty well (800 year old facemen are scarry :p). And the Watcher follow the basic premise of the Spycraft Agency really well. You'd probably want to use the new base classes (Explorer, Martial Artist, & Slueth) quite a bit for this sort of campaign, but that's what they're for :).
 

Again great job. The rules are traditions that no Immortal breaks for fear of what might happen. Even the most evil and diabolical Immortals followed the rules (except in Highlander 4 which had many problems in it).

According to Immortal legend the last time two Immortals faced off on Holy Land caused Mount Visuvious to erupt.

The two on one is forbidden because only one can get the Quickening. It's hinted that maybe the other immortal might lose aq little power has some of his quickening gets absorbed by the Immortal who gave the lethal blow.

Obviously, any of this stuff can be ignored as a DM feels fit.

I like haveing the Department to cover the Immortal ability. So, when do we get to see the class? :D
 
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Thinking on it more ("If it were my license to play with...") I'd provide about four possible outcomes for each Rule. A) It's a social contract (no real effect, ecept gross diplomacy penalty with other immortal who know you defied tradition), B & C) it works like one of the movies or TV series effects (maybe mount Vesuvius really is the sort of fall out you can expect...), and at least one D) something new, so players can't think they know it all just because they're fans of the show(s).

I'm really burried right now with work, but I'll ponder the class a bit more. Shouldn't actually be that hard. Just a matter of deciding on what the big (10/20 and 14th level) abilites need to be. Give them regular (say at 4/8/12/16/20) access to a new Quickening feat tree. A list of cool abilities like pull a freaking sword out of your pocket :p or 'long term invetments' to choose from at 6/9/12/15/18, and you're very close to done :). Because Spycraft classes follow such strict formating (in terms of when you get class abilites) they're reltively easy to create and balance.
 

A CDG should definitely do the decapitation.

You might also consider allowing immortals to stay conscious at negative hit points with a good Fort save -- since they usually drop to their knees and look at Duncan in shock and disbelief right before he goes snicker-snack.

And some kind of supreme critical (critical hit on a critical hit confirmation? 19-20/19-20/hit?) should allow decapitation in mid-fight. Or just have every critical hit require a Fort or Reflex save (victim's choice), DC15, to avoid instant decapitiation. That makes it possible, but not likely.

-Tacky
 

Bump!

Hmm. Seems like an interesting license to pursue :D.

In the spirit of a good plug, I've got to point out that the Pan Asian Collective sourcebook for Spycraft has about 40 new melee combat feats that interlock with the variety of sharp weapons in the Modern Arms Guide, so doing a fencer or a claymore master should be pretty easy (and easy to distinguish the two :p).
 

Fast Healing 5
Only truely die if head is seperated from body (Vorpal weapon, or CDG I guess)
Stop aging after first death
Detect other immortals at 50 feet

Now all these abilites can be changed, these numbers just seem good to me.

Self-Subsitent (Breathing, Eating, Drinking): 4 HrPs
Regeneration5: 18 HrPs
With that you can only be killed by death effect, ability loss, and massive damage, it transform all damage in subdual damage healed at 5 point/round
Immunity to death effect, disease and poison 4+7+10
Now the immortal can only be killed by massive damage (I use the cost of energy drain for death effect).
Danger Sense (Immortals only, 50ft radius): 9 HrPs
Inexhaustible Endurance: 4 HrPs

Add in a big restriction, because in fact, he suffer the damage and come back after
Fatal Weakness+Circumstance Suppresion for Immunities and regeneration who become fast healing: 8 HrPs

Total: 48 HrPs min level 14 (64 HrPs remaining)

Heightened Accuracy +6 to attack: 11 HrPs
Skill Knoweldge 30 skill points: 15 HrPs
Super Tough 30 hit points: 15 HrPs
Heightened Saves +3 Fort, Ref, Will: 9 HrPs

13 HrPs remaining, I think that this should be enough for stop aging.

So, ECL 14 IMO (because I bended the rules quite a bit)
 

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