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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rappy" data-source="post: 6114229" data-attributes="member: 58456">The BasicsPlayer SpeciesAll players in Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic are effectively human. That's not to say that all are quite vanilla-brand pre-Change humans, though. Quite the opposite, actually: many of these humans are mutants, gaining mutations and drawbacks that make them their own subspecies past the bonus feat and extra skill points all humans happen to get. Rules on mutants are found in the section "Mutants, Playable or Otherwise".Feats of Darwin's WorldThe following new feats from Darwin's World - in other words, those that were not reprints from d20 Modern's core rulebook, Urban Arcana, or d20 Future, which are quite obviously present - are available in this setting. Feats from Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook: Combat Driving, Fleet of Foot, Force Stop, Forsaken*, Improvised Weapons, Intimidating Strength, Juju Medicine, Market, Master Artificer, Master Mechanic, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Quick Treatment, Radiation Sense, Reactive Shooter, Rip a Clip, Room Broom, Silver Tongue, Skip Shot, Spirited Charge, Super-Charismatic, Suppressive Fire, Troglodyte, Vulture.*Change prerequisite to "Special: must have been exiled from a township, outpost, tribe, raider band, or barbarian band".Feats from Darwin's World-The Broken and the Lost: Cunning Trap-Maker, Deadly Trap-Maker, Flying Disarm, Gang Leader, Headhunter, Junk Crafter, Know the Sign, Pack Tactics, Play Possum, Sand in the Eyes, Slippery Foe, Stubborn Ox, Sworn Enemy*, Trap Setter, Trap Tinker, Twist the Blade, Unfair Blow, Ventriloquism, War Chant**.*The targets of the Sworn Enemy feat are not affected by backgrounds, as they are not relevant to this setting. Instead, each of the targets the feat has in its book are defined as follows in this setting.    -Savages: This enemy group is split into two different groups, "Outliers" and "Bandits". The former affects tribal cultures, outpost-dwellers, and the like, while the latter affects bands of barbarians, raiders, pirates, and similar bandit groups.     -Cults: This group affects members of cults such as the Brotherhood of the Star Sons. This affects all cults, as your hatred burns toward every single manipulative one out there.     -Rising Powers: This group affects nations unrelated to any old world ones, such as warlord city-states or the Blazing Hand. You must select one specific rising power nation.     -Holdouts: This group affects most nations born out of the old world, such as the fragments of the United States or the two pieces of the Chinese schism. You must select one specific holdout nation.     -Technologists: This group affects Pax Lacus and any other technophilic nation or city-state. While rare, they do exist. You must select one specific technologist nation.**Change background prerequisite to "Special: Must be from a tribal or bandit community".Feats from Darwin's World-The Foundationists: Battlefield Leader, Combat Medic, Desert Warfare, Forced March, Grenadier, Marksman, Mountain Warfare, Rallying Leader, Urban Warfare.Future MechanicsThe following non-core game mechanics first presented in d20 Future are relevant to the MageWorld campaign setting.Cybernetics: Only PL 5 cybernetic attachments exist in MageWorld, and even then they are an expensive luxury found in places such as the finest universities of Pax Lacus or the military elite of the United Atlantic States.Mutations: As should be obvious from the "Player Species" section above, the mutation rules play a big part in MageWorld. Mutants in the Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic setting are given one of three classifications: bioaberrant (mutants that display only extraordinary [Ex] powers), arcanoaberrant (mutants that have supernatural or spell-like abilities), and mechanoaberrant (mutants with innate ties to cybernetics, such as those with the Cybernetic Dependency drawback). Several mutations have been added or altered, as well, as follows.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"Neutrads? We don't need no stinkin' neutrads": The drawback Neutrad Dependency from the Future SRD is renamed Chemical Dependency, and replicates an extreme need for a specific chemical.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The Future Player's Companion: A fair amount of mutations are drawn from the Future Player's Companion, created by the company The Game Mechanics. Out of the mutations from this title, two are notably altered for the setting. The Psionic Shield mutation and Psychic Vulnerability drawback are renamed Magic Shield and Magic Vulnerability, respectively, and concern spells rather than powers - they are also altered to affect all spells rather than mind-affecting powers, as the drawback Mindslave from the Future SRD already deals with weakness to mind-affecting effects.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Even More Mutations: In addition to all of the mutations from the Future Player's Companion, several specific mutations from the product 20 Mutations by Big Finger Games also exist in the setting - these are Enhanced Metabolism, Foul Stench, Glowing, Proboscis, Stalked Eyes, Unnatural Face, Vestigial Tail, and Water Dependent.</li> </ul>Robots: PL 5 armature-frame robots exist, but only as rare citadel-bound reminders of the technological progress that was almost lost on Blue Friday.TechnologyPretty much any piece of technology you can find in the real world can be found in Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic. That's not to say it'll be easy to find, mind you. I'm sure you can guess that it's far easier to come across a backpack than it is to rustle up a black box.Melee Weapons: Humans started with sticks and stones, and it is sticks and stones that have stood the test of time. Knives, clubs, spears, and even hammers and swords are all items that can be either made or scavenged with relative ease. It's not that hard to get a baseball bat or log and some nails to create a spiked club or rig up a knife from something sharp and something you can grip. Best of all, they're not only a weapon any damn fool can make, they don't require ammo to boot! You might even manage to find an old metal baton or stun gun if you know where to look. Fancy Medieval polearms and exotic melee weapons such as authentic katanas (that convenience store "samurai sword" you scavenged doesn't count) and zweihanders aren't exactly accessible to the average Joe or Jane, though, so you need to keep that in mind when looking at all the potential melee toys at your disposal.Ranged Simple and Archaic Weapons: As with back-to-basics melee weapons, it's not that hard to craft a sling, net, or blowgun. By contrast, you may have to scavenge through more than a few old hardware stores for a good working-condition compound bow, paintball gun, or air rifle, and good luck managing to find a flamethrower on a tight schedule if you aren't in a military fortress.Firearms: Firearms are a bit trickier to classify than melee weapons or other ranged weapons. It's pretty much all up to perspective: a character in what was the USA probably won't have that much trouble gathering the parts and ammunition for a 12-gauge or an old hunting rifle, while one in Japan is likely to be SOL for anything other than a homemade black powder or pipe rifle. Assault rifles, sniper rifles, and the like are very much military hardware across the board, save for a few lucky scavengers that get into old supplies or common-as-dirt examples like the seemingly undying AK-47.Heavy Weapons and Explosives Grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and other artillery pieces are more or less on the same level as assault rifles. Woe be unto the town that happens to be against the rare raiders who have stumbled on an old Army base and gotten their hands on some serious hardware.Armor: Armor is a bit more tricky than weapons. Outside of the admittedly fairly easy to attain leather jacket, skinning a big, ugly monster and making armor out of its hide or gathering up as much metal as you can and crafting some homemade scale, banded, or lamellar armor are pretty much your best choices. Riot gear, fire-resistant suits, NBC suits, undercover gear, flight suits, and vests are either something you'll get from military officers or more scavenging than the armor is probably worth, and good luck getting plate armor or a space suit outside of raiding a museum.Vehicles: Vehicles are very much a luxury in the new world, and you're probably either a military citadel grunt, well-to-do raider, or obsessive road warrior if you have one. Still, vehicles do have their place, and the following are some of the ones are common enough that you might encounter them, with any source outside of the d20 Modern Core Rulebook being in parentheses.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">41 ft. Utility Boat (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts): The United States Coast Guard 41 Ft. Utility Boat, known as the 41 ft. UTB for short, has become a staple in the arsenal of many pirates and warlords on the Atlantic coast of the United States. After all, they were decommissioned, and there's not a Coast Guard that would want them back anway.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">AAAV  (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts):  The General Dynamics Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), formerly known as the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV), was an ambitious military R&D effort that ultimately fell apart a year before the Change even occurred. Still, old prototypes of this sturdy amphibious craft exist, and its combination of defensive blast armor and countermeasures against radiation and biochemical weaponry make EFV prototypes prized vehicles for exploring irradiated portions of the Changed USA and defending settlements against more venomous and vile monsters.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Armored Truck (Urban Arcana): There aren't exactly many banks using them these days, so it's no surprise that adventurers, raiders, caravan operators, and town guardians the world over will happily scavenge an armored truck for their collection. Most armored trucks of the Changed World are modified to have weaponry.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">ATV (Urban Arcana): For the raider who is too far off the beaten path to use a motorcycle (or simply unable to actually maintain one), an ATV is a good choice. Light cavalry in the Appalachian Territories also ride beefed up four-wheelers to deal with the challenges of a land that is often simultaneously hill, forest, and bog.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Avanti 39 Cigarette Boat (Urban Arcana): Just as they were used as drug runners in the past, cigarette boats are quite popular with those on the opposite side of the law. Pirates, smugglers, and even aquatic big game hunters are all rather fond of this craft.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Avenger class Minesweeper (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts): The Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship, also known as the minesweeper ship, managed to survive the apocalypse rather well for a wooden vessel. Nine of the fourteen Avengers that were created in the Old World are still in working condition, with six of these being in the fleet of Orlando kingpins and the remaining three acting as river-cleaners for the UAS Navy.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">BMP-2: This tried-and-true armored personnel carrier managed to survive the fall of the Soviet Union and the Change of the entire world. It's popular to hunt down BMPs for use by the forces of the Bogatyri as well as by their enemies, the raider groups that have the resources to collect and maintain one.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Fishing Trawler (Urban Arcana): While some coastal communities actually do still use fishing trawlers to catch food, they are just as likely to be snapped up by pirates or explorers who want to face the violent post-Change oceans.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Harley-Davidson FLSTF: The classic FLSTF "Fat Boy" is still roaring up and down the highways of America. The new riders are raider gangs and the highways are often wrecked and monster-infested, but it's the survival of a legacy nonetheless.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hummer: The Humvee and its civilian "Hummer" counterpart are both sought-after commodities in rough and tumble regions. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Linebacker  (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts): One would think that the M2 Bradley Linebacker would be mostly ignored after the Change, due to the simple fact that an anti-aircraft vehicle would do little good. Still, a collection of Linebackers managed to get into the hands of raiders that live in between Arizona Union settlements, their TOW missile ports gutted to make room for various infernal devices.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Light Patrol Boat (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts): The relatively small and reliable LPBs are almost as popular with pirates as the similar cigarette boats.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Modified Civilian Vehicles: While cars, SUVs, and pick-up trucks are not unheard of in the Changed World, they are almost always heavily altered to have enhanced defensive and offensive capabilities: don't expect to find a sleek Chevy Corvette so much as one with layer upon layer of corrugated iron bolted onto it as armor, gutted of its luxuries, and fitted with off-road tires.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Patrol Boat, River (RPGObjects' Blood and Guts): The Naval PBR is a relic of the Vietnam War, with noted usefulness in debris-scattered and/or shallow waters. While the old US government had moved them to California, the Arizona Union of the Changed World donated them to the scattered people of the Mississippi Bay region as a gesture of good will. Of course, given the prevalence of pirates in the region, it is safe to guess that not all PBRs are utilized by Bay region civilians.</li> </ul>Traps: Found in Darwin's World (both the Survivor's Handbook and The Broken and the Lost), traps are an obvious and applicable piece of gear for many in the Changed World.Darwin's World Gear: The following pieces of weapons, armor, and other materials original to the Darwin's World supplements are also applicable in this setting. Those not from the Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook have their location listed in parentheses.Barbarian junk armor and junk weapons, black powder pistol, black powder rifle, boomerang (Darwin's World: The Broken and the Lost), cat claws (Darwin's World: the Broken and the Lost), Geiger counter, juju kit, pipe rifle, potassium iodide tablets, Remington 1100 shotgun (Darwin's World: the Broken and the Lost).On Vehicle Alteration: In addition to magical vehicle items as seen in the Urban Arcana SRD material, characters can produce more mundane vehicle alterations as laid out in the Darwin's World supplement Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch #7: Rolling Thunder.SkillsThe Darwin's World Knowledge skills Ancient Lore and Mutant Lore are easily covered by the d20 Modern standard skills Knowledge (History) and Knowledge (Arcane Lore), respectively. Mutants of Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic are supernatural in nature, and the difference between History and Ancient Lore are tenuous at best. Any mention of these skills in Darwin's World advanced classes are thus altered to their standard d20 Modern counterparts.OccupationsIn addition to the occupations of the core rules, the Colonist, Outcast, and Scavenger occupations from d20 Future and the Caravan Guard, Craftsman, Demagogue, Guide, Herdsman, Merchant, Predator, Slave, and Slaver occupations from the Darwin's World Survivalist's Handbook are available choices for characters of the setting. Note that occupations with similar names to advanced classes are not necessarily always connected: you can have an occupation as a slaver without taking levels in the Slaver advanced class, just as you can be a member of the Demagogue advanced class without it being your occupation. It is also worthy of note that out of the Core Rulebook's occupations, there are a fair handful that are not likely to be seen outside of cities that are still well-to-do: namely, the Academic, Celebrity, Emergency Services, Entrepreneur, Student, Technician, and White Collar.Advanced ClassesThe following advanced classes are appropriate for a Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic campaign at varying levels of society, some even filling similar roles in smaller capacities - for instance, the Techie's big city role is filled by Engineers in smaller towns and forts and by the junk-crafting Tinker in the outlying lands. Classes whose origins lie outside of the d20 Modern Core Rulebook can be found in parentheses.Big City: The following advanced classes are pretty much never going to be seen outside of operational cities, military bases, and well-to-do fortresses.Ambassador (d20 Future), Bodyguard, Field Officer (d20 Future), Field Scientist, Infiltrator, Investigator, Personality, Scholar (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook)*, Soldier, Techie, Tracer (d20 Future), Xenophile (d20 Future).*The Scholar's Ancient Technology use of the Ancient Secret class feature is inapplicable to this setting. The others are still applicable, however.Outlier: These advanced classes are the ones you're likely to see in towns, outposts, and smaller forts. They might also be encountered inside of big city locations or out on adventure in the wilderness.Archaic Weaponsmaster (Urban Arcana), Champion (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Daredevil, Demagogue (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Demolitionist (Darwin's World: The Foundationists)*, Engineer (d20 Future), Field Medic, Guardian (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Gunslinger, Martial Artist, Negotiator, Ranger (Darwin's World Campaign Guide), Street Warrior (Urban Arcana), Warrior Monk (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook).*Originally labeled as Foundation Demolitionist, but renamed due to the lack of the Foundation as an organization in Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic.Wasteland: These folks are off of the grid. They are the tribes, the raiders, the caravan nomads, and the rubble-divers, the people who feel a bit uncomfortable heading into towns and wouldn't dream of setting foot in a city. Barbarian (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Exile Hunter (Darwin's World: The Broken and the Lost)*, Explorer (d20 Future), Horde Warrior (Darwin's World: The Broken and the Lost)**, Juju Doctor (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Mountain Walker (Darwin's World: The Lost Paradise), Outcast Survivor (Darwin's World: The Broken and the Lost)**, Raider (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Road Warrior (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Scav (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Scout (Darwin's World: The Foundationists)***, Skulk (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Slaver (Post-Apocalyptic Dispatch #19: The Slaver)****, Swindler (d20 Future), Survivalist (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Tech Looter (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Thrasher (Urban Arcana), Tinker (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Trader (Darwin's World Survivor's Handbook), Tribal Hunter (Darwin's World: The Lost Paradise)**, Tribal Stalker (Darwin's World: The Broken and the Lost)**.*The applicable targets of the Dedicated Quarry class feature are changed to humans and the playable mutant species of Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic. In addition, the background prerequisite is changed to "Special: Must come from a township, outpost, or tribal community."**Replace the Horde Warrior's, Outcast Survivor's, Tribal Hunter's, and Tribal Stalker's background prerequisites with "Special: Must come from a tribal community or feral ghoul clan."***Originally labeled as Foundation Scout, but renamed due to the lack of the Foundation as an organization in Dusk of Man, Dawn of Magic.****The Slaver advanced class is antagonistic by its very nature, and is pretty much always going to be an NPC. If you are really hankering to play a slaver looking for redemption or the like, it would still be a pretty good idea to ask your GM.Esoterics"Esoterics" is a catch-all term for people who can actively harness the freakish energies that are floating around in the sky ever since the Change. A character with the Occultist advanced class from the d20 Modern Core Rulebook is one who effectively "plagiarizes" magic but is capable of dangerous acts such as binding supernatural beings or banishing them to the strange realm known as Limbo, a Wildlord (Urban Arcana) has become imbued with a basal level of mojo that allows for a connection to animals but no greater magical power, while the Mage, Mystic, and Techno Mage (all three Urban Arcana) are full-on "fire from the hands, lightning from the fingers" types. While Techno Mages tend to have little to worry about in the cities they draw power from, there are more than a few people in outlying areas that can be suspicious of someone who happens to be able to harness a shard of cosmic power.</blockquote>

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