d20 Modern: No casters ?

[jaults]

Well that's going to be extremely limiting for third party publishers and fan sites.

    What makes you say that? The PrC "mechanic" is already open content, and so fan sites and 3rd parties can just make their own... What's the problem?

    Jason

 

[Voneth]

Those WotC boys are just evvvvil geniuses!

It says in the SRD that only Advanced Classes can have FX effects and even gives all the rules for FX stuff. But if any 3rd party publisher wants to use the FX, they have to build the class from scratch.

Imagine DND d20 if WotC had declared that the spell casting classes had been made closed content.
... this is going to get ugly.

 

[Crothian]

Designing spellcaster prestige classes won't be hard, and should be even better. I find many of the third party classes are much more interesting and creative then Wizards stuff. The 3rd party people take more chances and are far less conservative.

 

[jaerdaph]

What makes you say that? The PrC "mechanic" is already open content, and so fan sites and 3rd parties can just make their own... What's the problem?

First of, don't get me wrong - I think WotC has been extremely generous in opening up all that they have from D&D and d20 Modern. The whole OGL/d20 movement has revitalized the RPG industry and created a Renaissance in gaming, despite what critics say.

Still, I think it is a little short sighted not to at least open up the 2 spellcasting and 2 psionic PrCs from d20 Modern. Yes, I know that third parties could come up with their own similar PrCs, some may even be "better", but, to use an old cliche, why reinvent the wheel? If the FX are open, why not open the 4 PrCs that can use them? That's what they did withr the D&D core rulebooks.

I'm not too worried though. I wouldn't be surprised in WotC released them as OGC in the future based on their past generosity and commitment to Open Gaming. From a business point of view, it actually makes sense not releasing them until after Urban Arcana comes out, for example. It would have been nice to have open access to them "out of the box, out of the gate" though.

Anyhow, just my opinion. Not a lawyer, mileage may vary, yada yada yada.



Edited for bad formatting

 

[Lizard]

Well that's going to be extremely limiting for third party publishers and fan sites.

That's like saying the inability to use Forgotten Realms PrCs is limiting. Why?

The spellcasting classes are all linked to specific settings. They're not 'core'. Each publisher's setting or supplement can (and, I'm sure, will) introduce its own spellcasters.

 

[jaerdaph]

That's like saying the inability to use Forgotten Realms PrCs is limiting. Why?

The spellcasting classes are all linked to specific settings. They're not 'core'. Each publisher's setting or supplement can (and, I'm sure, will) introduce its own spellcasters.

Have you read d20 Modern yet? The mage, acolyte, battlemind, and telepath PrCs at least are actually quite generic and could be used in any d20 Modern campaign where the applicable FXs are allowed, not just the presented example campaigns from the chapters in which they appear.

We're not talking Red Wizards of Thay or Purple Dragons here. These 4 PrCs are really just the modern equivalents of their respective D&D core classes.

 

[digitaldark]

Spellcasting is an add on.. advanced classes (ie Prestige Class)

actually prestige classes are seperate from advanced classes..

advanced classes are just that...more advanced/focused paths for a character to take....

the original intent of the Prestige Classe was..well...positions of Prestige...like a class specific to an organization or such that help define/customize a campaign setting....very good examples are in the Path of ______ series of books by Fantasy Flight Games (IMO at least) and some of the ones from the FRC book (Red Wizard of Thay and Purple Dragons)

Almost 90% of the prestige classes out there, overall, just seem to be more focused variations of the core classes in D&D (advanced classe basically) than prestige classes...

The first d20 Modern Prestige Classes will be in the Urban Arcana sourcebook for d20 Modern...

 

[jaerdaph]

actually prestige classes are seperate from advanced classes..

advanced classes are just that...more advanced/focused paths for a character to take....

Good point - we've got new lingo to learn

I'm reminded of my father's insistance on still calling every telephone company old or new that's out there "Ma Bell".

Who knew there'd be d20 old timers this soon?

 

[digitaldark]

Good point - we've got new lingo to learn

I'm reminded of my father's insistance on still calling every telephone company old or new that's out there "Ma Bell".

Who knew there'd be d20 old timers this soon?

LOL

yeah...and as another note....

you can consider the basic classes as what defines the character.......the advanced classes can be considered the equivelant of the Core Classes from D&D....and the Prestige Classes well...will be Prestige Classes...

 

[jaerdaph]

you can consider the basic classes as what defines the character.......the advanced classes can be considered the equivalent of the Core Classes from D&D....and the Prestige Classes well...will be Prestige Classes...

We need an abreviation for Advanced Class. AC could work, since Armor Class is now Defense, but would be way too confusing. I suggest:

AdC

Yes, decisions like these are why I get paid the big bucks. For my next trick of managerial genius, I'm going to suggest we get a website...