Dark•Matter D20--how should I go about it?

[arscott]

Dark•Matter D20--how should I go about it?

I'm hoping to run a Dark•Matter campaign, and it will probably be using d20 modern rules. But I have a few questions.

Mostly, what should I be using for the FX system?

Dark•Matter: Shades of Grey, the Polyhedron minigame, uses the Occultist and the Telepath from d20 modern. However, those classes seem somewhat generic, even when you throw in the Shades of Grey PrCs. And If I do decide to use them, should I integrate the Spiritualist and Mesmerist from d20 Past?

Ideally, I'd like a skills based system, but one that truly differentiates Enochians from Diabolists from Alchemists. Elements of Magic: Mythic Earth seems like it might work out okay, but it seems too flexible and possibly too powerful for D•M casters.

I know several of you folks have run D•M d20, and I'd appriciate all the help and insight that you could provide.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Ahhhhhhhhhh .... Insert the cracky-knuckle thing here.

This is my one true love in the RPG world.

Anyway. If you don't have the Menace Manual yet, go out and buy it. It has, oh, about 3/4 of the Dark*Matter creatures already converted for you, or does when you include the d20M core book with it.

For FX ... scrap any AdCs. They're not the same flavor as the original magical traditions, anyway.

Unfortunately, for me, there's nothing out there that quite "gets" it. At least for magic. That sort of upset me. The Dark*Matter FX was quite a bit more about flavor than anything else, really. Each tradition was almost its own system, with different methods for getting things done, etc etc. I started to convert all of them to a feats and skills based system, like the original Alternity rules (I.E. a feat to access the skills, then skill points into each "spell" with a gradient map of DCs for "Successes"). I honestly only converted Diabolism because it was what I needed at the time. I would have done each of the systems (may do so still, since I no longer have a group to game with) but there are so many magic systems out there I didn't figure anybody ELSE would be interested in a full-out conversion of magic from an old game system.

(Though sometimes I toy with the loving thought of producing a line of PDF products to fully kit out all my droogs out there that want to play D*M with d20. But my layout skills are sorely lacking and I don't know of any publishers out there that would be hot'n'bothered by it. If anybody is, let me know, as I've already got the hard part figured out. Just mostly fluff-writing and playtesting from here out.)

But enough about me. Here's a really GOOD suggestion for something that "fits".

For replacing Mindwalking, Green Ronin's "Psychic's Handbook" is just about perfect. I used it once for a d20 D*M game and both I and the player using it really enjoyed it. I thought it captured the flavor of the original quite well, and the system worked at being balanced. The great thing about it is, like the MDT system, it's tweakable. You could play a high-powered psychics game ... but for D*M you'll want to leave out the Psychic AdC and leave ALL psychic skills at cross-class rankings. The players can definately get powers, but they'll stay pretty low-end. You'll have to control some powers like Post or Precognition if you want to run good mysteries, but that's true with any psionics system.

Anywho ... any other questions?

--fje

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

However, those classes seem somewhat generic

This isn't necessarily a bad thing for mindwalking. There was only one mindwalking tradition in Dark*Matter.

Anyway. If you don't have the Menace Manual yet, go out and buy it. It has, oh, about 3/4 of the Dark*Matter creatures already converted for you, or does when you include the d20M core book with it.

A lot of them weren't converted well, however. I was disappointed in the sasquatch (I use the D20 Future weren, as it has no monster Hit Dice - you may want to boost the LA by one point), the grey/fraal (Small? Ew!), and the etoile (no EMP field - come on!). The sand folk are useable, although you might want to do something to make blood music useable. (Personally, I'm glad they got rid of rules like shorting out and merging with objects.)

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Oh yea, stuff is changed and generally so-so ... the etoile are elementals, for instance, which I just don't get. And they have SHAPE ... I personally preferred the infinity loop of tangled alien wires.

But they're done, and it's easier to add an EMP field than try to rebalance and give a CR to something you convert by hand.

--fje

 

[jonrog1]

Personally, I'd go with the Psychic's Handbook also, although the BLUE ROSE products from Green Ronin may also be very useful. Can't go wrong with Green Ronin, frankly. I never really converted over the whole FX system for my game, as I was only ever intereste din the more sci-tech aspects -- so super-gadgetry and psi powers were the order of the day.

My filthy film career keeps interfereing with my Feats&skills FX system project, and now that M&M 2E is coming out, I'm thinking of actually creating a sub-game of modern horror/sic-fi based on it. I'll update my story hours when I do so.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Oh yea, stuff is changed and generally so-so ... the etoile are elementals, for instance, which I just don't get.

Only that or Aberration fit. *Shrug*

And they have SHAPE ... I personally preferred the infinity loop of tangled alien wires.

The shape is easy enough to change. I ditched the flying, gave them back the EMP field, and dropped their Int to a much more reasonable +2. (An Etoile Smart Hero or Ordindary would probably have an Int of 16 or 17, matching the converted Alternity value. When giving monsters levels, there's no good reason not to give them 25 point buy.) I ended up giving the "typical" Etoile Smart and Dedicated Ordinary levels.

I don't recall if they had base monster Hit Dice, but if they did I removed them.

But they're done, and it's easier to add an EMP field than try to rebalance and give a CR to something you convert by hand.

This works for the Etoile, but not the fraal. I had to redesign them from scratch.

--fje[/QUOTE]

 

[jaerdaph]

I recommend Green Ronin's Psychic Handbook as well for the modern Psychic AdC and new FX. I also recommend taking a look at the Game Mechanics/Green Ronin's Modern Magic, specifically the chapters on Ritual magic, Voudon, and Mundane magic for AdCs and additional FX.

Also check out the following products from 93 Games for AdCs and FX based on real world magic: Wiccan High Priestess, Diviner, Hermetic Mage, Santeria, and Shaman.

And finally, you're going to want to check out all the Modern PDFs from Ronin Arts - combined, they are essentially Dark*Matter for d20 Modern. Great stuff for any conspiracy/supernatural modern campaign.

 

[wingsandsword]

I ran a d20 Modern Dark*Matter campaign for over a year, before the Polyhedron conversion came out.

Get the Menace Manual, it's got most of what you'll need for creatures, except Ekimmu.

As for FX, I took the existing AdC's, and greatly changed them. Each school of FX was it's own variant of an existing class, with a separate spell list, separate requirements, subtle changes to class abilities, new spells ect.

If you want, I'll send them to you if you'll give me your e-mail address, I've got a pretty big homebrew conversion document with most of the old Dark*Matter perks converted to d20 Modern feats, and lots of other little things.

 

[arscott]

Thanks for the input everybody.

WingandSword, my e-mail is alanrileyscott@hotmail.com

And JonRog, I have plenty of free time I'd be willing to trade you for your filthy film career.

 

[Baragos]

What I have done when running d20 Dark Matter is use the magic system and priest abilities from Dark Legacies and using some modified rules for Force Powers from Star Wars d20 for psionics.

I've made some advanced classes based on the Dark Legacies stuff, which can be found in the house rules section of the www.redspirepress.com forum. I can't find the conversions for the Force thingy though, so can't help you with that...

I'd be interested in seeing your notes WingandSword if you would part with them My e-mail is bruno_kristensen"at"hotmail"dot"com.