D20 Modern - What are your house rules?


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I'm using Modern now with D20 Future in a Sci-Fantasy setting. I've added Force powers and force-using Advanced Classes (plus a Jedi Padawan Occupation).

With those powers came Vitality and Wound Points, but I may switch to a variant psionic power point system.

Beyond that I use some feats from SCv2, vehicle chase rules, and Autofire and Burst rules from Spycraftv2.

I've added mutations from DW2 (thanks to Cutter), and converted other mutations from GWD20 and Rifts.

Various Rifts conversions.

There are a couple others, but I can't quite think of them right now.

Kane
 

Honestly, it depends on the campaign.

D&D-esque past-world fantasy? I tend to bump up healing to Level/hour.

Most games: Turn MDT to "Con score or Current Hit Points"

Occasional games: Make Nonlethal damage accrue as in D&D.

Pulp-noir game where having a gun on you should be a death threat: Say that any hit on a flat-footed opponent automatically forces a massive damage save and threatens a critical.

Martial Arts Extravaganza: Add in rule where hero can make a Climb, Jump, or Tumble check to flavor-up his attack (DC15 and spend a move-action to gain a +2 bonus, with big successes giving higher bonuses and flavoring it to something like sliding across the hood of a car before doing a kick or swinging on a rope to punch somebody.

I usually say that -10 is just a coma and -20 is actual death, especially if I want my heroes to take more risks and do more cinematic heroic stuff.
 

Grenades have diminishing effects for increasing the area, thusly:
Frag Grenade:
5d6 Fire and Piercing damage. 5 ft radius.
3d6 Fire and Piercing damage. 10 ft radius.
1d6 Fire and Piercing damage. 15 ft radius.
Reflex save = DC 15 for half damage.
The damage does not stack.
In other words... someone on top of it takes 5d6, not 5d6+3d6+1d6. (I know it's common sense, but someone would "not get it" if it's not spelled out)


The Reflex DC against Automatic weapon fire is set by the modified attack roll of the shooter:
Roll = 9.
BAB = +3.
Dex Modifier = +4.
Feat modifiers = +2.
Reflex DC = 18.
That sort of thing. It just keeps automatic weapon fire dangerous even at high levels.

Nonlethal Damage is as subdual damage in D&D.

I think that's about it...
 


I use the magic system,along with various equipment, classes, skills and feats out of Modern Campaign Options: Treasure Hunter from Emerald Press. Beyond that, my two biggest ones are:

1. The non-lethal damage rules from D&D (previously mentioned);

2. Action Points can be recovered at the end of an adventure in a manner similar to that of Force Points in Star Wars.

-Nate
 

Swift Actions, they come in for the d20 Past games from the 3.5 D20 Fantasy ruleset. I use the DC charts of various "Strange Inventions" charts from several companies, too.
 

I forgot about the fact that we use D&D unarmed combat rules.

I still remember the complete shock that occurred when I discovered that you can't beat someone down according to d20 Modern rules. THat I could run up and drop kick a cat across the freeway and unless I overcame it's MDT and it blew it's check, it would be right back at me and considered armed and doing lethal damage.

WTF?
 

I use my own magic system (the current campaign is the continuance of a playtest of the magic system of Mythic Earth -- see my sig).

I had to sell Grim Tales to cover rent a few months ago, before I got a chance to actually use their car chase rules. *pouts* When I did run a car chase, I found myself winging a lot and ignoring the whole 'distance moved' bit in favor of relative positioning and such. Don't like the d20 Modern driving rules too much.

I like the variant proposed that autofire should force a save based on the attack roll.

I've accepted that I must use the Wealth system, though I do not like it. When they started trying to game the system, I was a little overwhelmed: "Well, if I buy these five items in just this order, I'll only lose 5 points of Wealth. Hey, you buy a hummer -- it should only cost you 1d6+1 wealth -- then you give it to me, I'll sell it, then I can buy two magic items and lose only 2 Wealth. Then I'll give you one item, and since your Wealth is lower, selling it will raise your Wealth more than the cost of the hummer."

Gah!

I remind folks that nonlethal attacks can become lethal with a -4 penalty. And I suppose if it were an issue, I'd rule that cats' attacks are naturally non-lethal. :P

I like the Martial Arts Extravaganza house rule. I need to look for a way to implement that.
 


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