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Message: <blockquote data-quote="d4" data-source="post: 1560602" data-attributes="member: 12699">thanks for your detailed reply. i've been hoping for d20 Modern-based fantasy rules for a while now, since i much prefer d20M to D&D as a rules system. (just the inclusion of action points goes a long way toward making d20M more "cinematic" than D&D, IMO.) well, the closest thing i can think of is something along the lines of modern-day action movies, just set in a fantasy world. i like the PCs being larger-than-life heroes who kick butt and scoff at the face of danger.i've found that D&D (particularly high-level D&D with it's numerous "save-or-die" effects) tends to create a feeling of paranoia and cautiousness among players. they end up spending a lot of time having to prepare their defenses, and worry about making sure they don't get killed with every combat. what i really want is for the PCs to charge into every fight with reckless bravery, kick butt left and right, and come out looking cool. i don't really want them to have to worry about dying all the time.one of the usual culprits in PC fatalities in my experience is some kind of high-level magical effect (the above-mentioned "save-or-die" stuff); that's why i tend to prefer "low magic" stuff. on the other hand, i like the PCs to be powerful, like the heroes of action movies -- but their power doesn't come from magic, but rather from talent and training.the other major cause of PC fatalities i've seen is enemies who can do a large amount of damage in a single round. i rarely see PCs die from being nickeled-and-dimed to death -- usually it's something like going from 50 to -10 in one round. that's why i prefer to have most of my combats be between a group of PCs and a horde of lower-powered enemies, rather than the standard group of PCs vs. one very powerful opponent. also, the former is more common in action movies (which is the style i'm trying to emulate.)so yes, starting the PCs off at higher levels, combined with rare or low-powered magic, would be the kind of campaign i would like to run.well, i don't mind if the mood is grim -- for the NPCs. i love using mooks the PCs can tackle by the dozens. i just don't like having the PCs themselves have to worry about what i consider incidental things.(for example, in an action movie, it would make no sense for the main character to get killed in a random back alley scuffle with a couple of thugs 20 minutes into the movie. thus, in my campaigns, it makes no sense for the PCs to die from a random encounter that's not even close to the resolution of the main story arc. unless the encounter is a major plot point (like a fight against the main villain), there should be no chance for a PC fatality. that's why i like "cover your ass" features like action points, and using slightly different rules for major characters (PCs and major villains) vs mooks.)edit: it may also help to point out that my favorite genre of role-playing is superheroes; and i tend to go for that same style and ethic even when playing in other genres. (hence why i mentioned action movies earlier -- they seem to follow a lot of the same genre conventions as superheroes, just without all the flashy superpowers.)edit 2: here's something i've been thinking about recently wrt "grim & gritty" settings. for example, i've heard people say that the Conan stories are grim, and that in the new Conan RPG from Mongoose, combat is particularly lethal.that to me doesn't feel right -- i never saw Hyboria as a grim place for Conan. sure he got into dangerous situations, but was his mortality ever really in jeopardy? can you honestly say you starting reading a Conan story not knowing whether he'd still be alive at the end of the story or not?the emphasis is not on whether he'll survive, but how, and what he has to do to accomplish that.that's how i like to play role-playing games, as well. the PCs' survival is pretty much assured -- the enjoyment (for me) doesn't come from wondering whether my character will survive until the end of the encounter / session / campaign, but what happens to him along the way.that's why i describe myself as a low-lethality GM / player. low threat of death for the main characters (PCs), although the bad guys can die in droves...</blockquote>

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