New d20 Modern tallent chains

[Jeph]

I have only 2 problems with d20 modern: the finite numbers of tallent chains, and nonlethal damage. nonlethal damage doesn't really bug me that much, so I'm going to try to put a patch over the hole in the lakc of tallents.

The two classes that got the shaft in this area are the Fast and Smart heroes: the Fast has only 2 chains, and the smart has only 5 total. First, the Fast:

Quick Reaction
The Fast hero gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls. This stacks with Improved Initiative.
Superior Reaction
The Fast hero gains a +2 bonus on Initiative rolls. This stacks with Improved Initiative and Quick Reaction.
PREREQUISITES: Quick Reaction
Lightning Initiative
When entering combat, the Fast hero may, instead of rolling initiative, spend 1 Action Point. Their Initiative roll is assumed to be 1 higher than the roll of the highest-rolling participant in the combat. For instance, three characters enter a combat. One rolls a 14, one rolls a 9, and one spends an Action Point to activate Lightning Initiative. Their roll is assumed to be 15.
PREREQUISITES: Quick Reaction, Superior Reaction.

I'll do more later.

-Jeph

 

[Crothian]

That one looks really good, nice job.

 

[Jeph]

Thanks! Right, now for more Tallent Chain Repairing. Has anyone else noticed that the Ignore Hardness chain is pointless, when one could just get Melee Smash? My proposal:

Penetrate
The Strong hero ignores 2 points of any target's hardness or Damage Reduction.
Improved Penetrate
The Strong hero ignores 2 points of any target's hardness or Damage Reduction. This stacks with Penetrate, for a total of 4 points.
PREREQUISITES: Penetrate
Unhindered Strike
By spending 1 action point, the Strong hero can ignore 1d6+ their Strenght Modifier + their Strong hero level points of an object or creature's Damage Reduction or Hardness for the purposes of a single attack. This does not stack with Penetrate or Improved Penetrate.
PREREQUISITES: Penetrate, Improved Penetrate

Now, about those Smart heroes having only 5 tallents . . . annoing, isn't it? Hopefully, the Gadget tallent chain (inspired by the Dragonstar Mechanist) can fix that.

Gadget
The Smart hero can, with 2d10+10 minutes of work and a Wealth check (DC 4), make a minor enhancement to a mechanical item. This can give users of the item a +1 circumstance bonus to checks made with the item, a Vehicle +1 square speed, or something along similar lines. Bonusses from Gadget stack with bonusses from Mastercraft items. If a user of the item fails a check with the item by 5 or more, the item breaks, because the alterations that the Smart hero made have made the item more fragile.
Improved Gadget
The Smart hero can, with 2d20+20 minutes of work and a Wealth check (DC 5), make an enhancement to a mechanical item. This can give users of the item a +2 circumstance bonus to checks made with the item, a vehicle +2 squre speed, or someting along similar lines. Bonuses from Improved Gadget stack with bonusses from Mastercraft items, but not from Gadget. If a user of the item fails a check with the item by 5 or more, the item breaks, because the alterations that the Smart hero made have made the item more fragile.
PREREQUISITES: Gadget
Masterful Gadget
The Smart hero can, with 1d%+50 minutes of work and a Wealth check (DC 6), give a major enhancement to a mechanical item. This can give users of the item a +3 circumtsance bonus to checks made with the item, a vehicle +3 square speed, or something along similar lines. Bonuses from Masterful Gadget stack with bonuses from Mastercraft items, but not from Improved Gadget or Gadget. If a user of the item fails a check with the item by 5 or more, the item breaks, because the alterations that the Smart hero made have made the item more fragile.
PREREQUISITES: Improved Gadget

still more to come,
-Jeph

 

[Crothian]

For your Penetrate, I like that it does both hardness and damage reduction, but I think 2 is too many. I understand your point about Melee Smash. Perhaps something like expertise except you take a minus to hit to ignore that many points of hardness or DR. Limit it to five just like Expertise.

I think gadget is a little too similiar to what the Techie advanced class can do.

 

[Jeph]

For your Penetrate, I like that it does both hardness and damage reduction, but I think 2 is too many. I understand your point about Melee Smash. Perhaps something like expertise except you take a minus to hit to ignore that many points of hardness or DR. Limit it to five just like Expertise.

I think gadget is a little too similiar to what the Techie advanced class can do.

For your recomendation on Penetrate, that sounds like a weaker version of Power Attack. You're right though, 2 points is too many . . but 1 is too few . . Gah! numbers deserve to be collectively rounded up and SHOT!

Stupid numbers.

Right, the Techie. haven't much looked at them yet . . *looks at techie* . . hm, you're right. Oh well, that shoots that through the floor. Still, the fact that all 10th level Smarts will have the same tallents sucks majorly. They need much more customization room.

Revisions in my next post.

 

[Jeph]

First off, revision of Penetrate chain.

Penetrate
By accepting a -1 penalty on their attack roll, the Strong hero may make a melee attack that, if it hits, ignores up to 2 points of the target's Hardness or Damage Reduction.
Improved Penetrate
The Strong hero may accept a penalty of up to their Strong level on any melee attack roll that they make. If they succeed at that attack roll, they ignore an amount of their target's hardness or damage reduction equal to double the penalty that they took on their attack roll. This ability supersedes Penetrate.
PREREQUISITES: Penetrate
Unhindered Strike
When making an Improved Penetrate attack, the Strong hero may spend 1` Action Point to ignore an aditional amount of hardness or damage reduction equal to 1d6 + 1/2 their Strong level + their Strength modifier.
PREREQUISITES: Penetrate, Improved Penetrate

Okay, and here's my second attempt at another Smart Hero tallent chain. It's similar to the Skill Emphasis chain, but puts a small bonus onto many skills, instead of a large bonus onto a few skills.

Skilled
The Smart hero may pick a number of Wisdom or Charisma based skills equl to their Inteligence modifier. Treat those skills as if their key ability was Intelligence instead of Wisdom or Charisma.
Skill Expertise
The Smart hero picks a number of skills equal to 3+ your Int modifier. They gain a +1 competence bonus on checks with those skills.
PREREQUISITES: Skilled
Superior Skill Expertise
When spending an action point to enhance a skill that gains the benefit from Advanced Skill, the Smart hero adds their Smart level to the skill roll in adition to the benefit from the action ponit.
PREREQUISTIES: Skilled, Skill Expertise

 

[Crothian]

That's a good compromise on the Penetrate talent.

The Skilled Talent tree seems pretty good as well.

 

[Jeph]

Do you think it encroaches upon Skill Emphasis's territory too much? Or are they dissimilar enough for it to pass.

 

[Crothian]

It might, it's hard to say. You might want to limit skilled to a number of skills equal to half the Int modifier. That ability can really have a dedicated hero overcome a lousy attribute easily.

 

[Jeph]

Hmmmmm.

As it is, it is a 'squared' ability: you get a double benefit for having high Int; more skills that it applies to, and more bonusses to those skills. Maybe it should just be a flat-out 2?