Psion
Adventurer
Alright, I know Pathfinder is the big hype, but Fantasy Craft is another fantasy alternative out there, and the PDF is out now. The hardcopy MAY be out by GenCon, but the pdf is here:
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=63884&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=341
This is based on Mastercraft, which is a trimmed down version of spycraft 2.0. It might be worth looking at if you want something a bit more generic than Pathfinder, and/or something that emphasizes skill based conflicts a bit more than Pathfinder, D&D 3.5, or 4e.
Though its a d20 derivative, it's less plug and play ready with 3.5 than Pathfinder, but it does have a pretty handy OGL creature converter. But it does use the scalable/abstract NPC/creature system of Spycraft.
The game is flexible in that it features campaign qualities that help define the tone and flavor of the game. For example, arcane magic is not part of the game (or assumed in the balance) unless you use the sorcery campaign quality. Other factors like the presence and function of morality in the game, progression, deadliness of combat, etc., can all be tweaked by selecting the right campaign quality. More or less, they are like built in house rules, with the additional advantage that the rest of the system keys into the existing qualities nice (for example, all classes that would only make sense in a world with arcane magic have the sorcery quality listed as a prerequisite.)
As with Spycraft, it pays more attention to its skill system than 3e. You can get criticals (or fumbles) with skills, and a complex skill system is part of the game. Even the classes reflect the openness of the system to less combat-centric play: all classes have more skills, and there is a courtier core class (that doesn't suck.)
The cheating death rules are a nice new little feature. It provides a variety of story driven methods for allowing a player to cheat death, though there is usually a consequence. But it's a nice compromise if you don't like the implications of excessive resurrection magic.
More as I read. I'm seeing cute little angles all the time. Like I see rewards include more than just treasure. There's a cute looking little favor system...
http://enworld.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=63884&filters=0_0_0_0&manufacturers_id=341
This is based on Mastercraft, which is a trimmed down version of spycraft 2.0. It might be worth looking at if you want something a bit more generic than Pathfinder, and/or something that emphasizes skill based conflicts a bit more than Pathfinder, D&D 3.5, or 4e.
Though its a d20 derivative, it's less plug and play ready with 3.5 than Pathfinder, but it does have a pretty handy OGL creature converter. But it does use the scalable/abstract NPC/creature system of Spycraft.
The game is flexible in that it features campaign qualities that help define the tone and flavor of the game. For example, arcane magic is not part of the game (or assumed in the balance) unless you use the sorcery campaign quality. Other factors like the presence and function of morality in the game, progression, deadliness of combat, etc., can all be tweaked by selecting the right campaign quality. More or less, they are like built in house rules, with the additional advantage that the rest of the system keys into the existing qualities nice (for example, all classes that would only make sense in a world with arcane magic have the sorcery quality listed as a prerequisite.)
As with Spycraft, it pays more attention to its skill system than 3e. You can get criticals (or fumbles) with skills, and a complex skill system is part of the game. Even the classes reflect the openness of the system to less combat-centric play: all classes have more skills, and there is a courtier core class (that doesn't suck.)
The cheating death rules are a nice new little feature. It provides a variety of story driven methods for allowing a player to cheat death, though there is usually a consequence. But it's a nice compromise if you don't like the implications of excessive resurrection magic.
More as I read. I'm seeing cute little angles all the time. Like I see rewards include more than just treasure. There's a cute looking little favor system...
