d20 Modern Questions
- Thread starter molonel
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ValhallaGH
Explorer
Correct.molonel said:
Is anyone else frustrated by the paucity of skill points in d20 Modern? The skill system is so rich and interesting, but the skills are so fragmented (surely someone capable of disarming a bomb has the manual dexterity and probably picked up some lockpicking skills along the way) that as I'm going to be running a Black Ops campaign, I'm tempted just to house rule that everyone gets three or four extra skill points per level.
One suggestion that a member of this forum gave me - and it's an excellent suggestion - is skill groupings, where if you have a skill point in one member of the group, you are considered to have a skill point in all the skills in that group. It's a great idea, but it bends away from the d20 + skill + mod simplicity that I like, and my players tend to prefer.
Thoughts?
One suggestion that a member of this forum gave me - and it's an excellent suggestion - is skill groupings, where if you have a skill point in one member of the group, you are considered to have a skill point in all the skills in that group. It's a great idea, but it bends away from the d20 + skill + mod simplicity that I like, and my players tend to prefer.
Thoughts?
GilaMonster
First Post
I've never found that there's a lacking in skill points, in fact I've found the latter. I haven't had any complaints from the players about lacking skill points, just one or two about which skills are class for which classes. I've found that the skill list is less fragmented than D&D and characters have more skill points in general.
As for your lockpicking example, the disable device covers both disabling bombs and opening locks.
I find that in modern skill checks ocure more often than typically in D&D and they're more important, to the extent that the core rulebook gives challenge levels and XP awards for skills checks. If you give many more skill points, you may find that the characters succeed too easily.
I'd sugest you run the game for a while with the normal rules, especially since it's the first time you're running Modern. If after a couple levels you think the skill points are insufficient add 1 per level to all classes (retroactively)
As for your lockpicking example, the disable device covers both disabling bombs and opening locks.
I find that in modern skill checks ocure more often than typically in D&D and they're more important, to the extent that the core rulebook gives challenge levels and XP awards for skills checks. If you give many more skill points, you may find that the characters succeed too easily.
I'd sugest you run the game for a while with the normal rules, especially since it's the first time you're running Modern. If after a couple levels you think the skill points are insufficient add 1 per level to all classes (retroactively)
ValhallaGH
Explorer
Yes! So I did something about it.molonel said:
... Those are both part of the Disable Device skill. But you still make a valid point, despite your poor choice of example.
Are you speaking of my Modern skill groups system? Because you actually buy ranks in those skills, keeping the d20 + skill + mod simplicity that you like. It just makes it easier to buy skills, which is what you seem to be complaining about. One skill doesn't grant phantom ranks in another skill, instead you buy one rank in multiple skills at the same time for one skill point, with available groups depending upon class and starting occupation.
As an aside, continuing the assumption that you're speaking of my work, thank you for all the compliments!
If that system is just too danged complex for your tastes then granting some extra skill points to everyone should be fine. You'll be upping the power level but you'll be upping it for everyone, thus making it fair to the players.
Ranger REG
Explorer
You could always spend an AP to ensure success of a skill check when needed.molonel said:
arscott
First Post
I run a very skill-intensive, combat-light game, and I've found the skill distribution to be just fine. But I think your satisfaction depends on two competing veiws of what skill-points do:
1) The d20 Modern view is that skills are an important aspect of a character. The character playing the strong hero is good at smashing things, while the character playing the smart hero is good at mucking about with devices and hacking into computers. Whether or not characters have certain skill-based capabilites is an important character building decision, just as a D&D party must decide whether or not they have someone capable of inspiring the party, or of dealing with wilderness challenges and so forth. Thus, skill points range between 3+int for characters whose strenghts are in non-skill-based areas to 9+int for characters who more or less just do skills.
2) The Iron Heroes view is that skills are nice perks that augment the real strenghts of a character. Everyone's a warrior of some sort, but they also get extra cool things to do in the form of skills. It's assumed that a party of Iron Heroes characters can between them use pretty much all of the skills, and the only question is which character has the skill useful for this particular challenge. Thus Iron Heroes uses the skill group rules to give more skills to each character.
It's a bit counterintuitive, but the more important you want skills to be, the fewer skills points you should hand out.
1) The d20 Modern view is that skills are an important aspect of a character. The character playing the strong hero is good at smashing things, while the character playing the smart hero is good at mucking about with devices and hacking into computers. Whether or not characters have certain skill-based capabilites is an important character building decision, just as a D&D party must decide whether or not they have someone capable of inspiring the party, or of dealing with wilderness challenges and so forth. Thus, skill points range between 3+int for characters whose strenghts are in non-skill-based areas to 9+int for characters who more or less just do skills.
2) The Iron Heroes view is that skills are nice perks that augment the real strenghts of a character. Everyone's a warrior of some sort, but they also get extra cool things to do in the form of skills. It's assumed that a party of Iron Heroes characters can between them use pretty much all of the skills, and the only question is which character has the skill useful for this particular challenge. Thus Iron Heroes uses the skill group rules to give more skills to each character.
It's a bit counterintuitive, but the more important you want skills to be, the fewer skills points you should hand out.
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