Other d20 games: What's worth stealing?

[drnuncheon]

I'm not sure if this belongs here or in House Rules...I just wanted to ask what other people have found worth stealing from other d20 games to incorporate into D&D 3e, and how they went about it.

I imagine the big ones are WP/Vitality and Defense, which I don't think I'm quite ready for yet - hp and AC do well enough for me at the moment. But are there others?

Looking through SW, I'm very tempted to steal the Noble class (to be the PC version of Aristocrat much like the Fighter is the PC version of the Warrior) and the Reputation rules (I understand Rep is also in WoT - does it differ much from the SW version?). Some of the feats look good too - Heroic Surge, for instance.

So...what have you folks found useful?

J

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The Noble Class in Starwars is a nice idea, but bad made. I don`t like he way its "Noble Music" works. It does not have any real flavor. The bard is better and even more flexible in this case.

Vitality and Wound Points do have some advantages, but also some disadvantages. I would not really recommend it. Even with Vitality Points, the system is quite abstract, so I do not see a real need for it.

Worth Stealing seems to me some ideas from the Dragon Star Source Book. (I would even recommend basing your Starwars campaign on it, and use perhaps psionic rules for the force users. But that will need much tweaking)
Wheel of Time offers some good options for lower magic campaigns, and many prefer the woodsmen above the ranger .

Adding a "medium" safe can also give some options, since you have more variety in designing your own classes. (personally, I think fighter in modern or even futuristic times should have a better Reflex Save, since they are also trained to react fast. They are no longer that guys in the heavy armor)

Well, I don`t know more D20 campaigns, so this is everything I found...

 

[DMaple]

I'd consider stealing and adapting some of the Feats from Fading Suns. The Social Feats would need adaptation but could be very useful in a less combat focused campaign. As it is however I've not even introduced and of the Feats, or Prestige Classes since the players are happy enough with the PHB stuff.

 

[trancejeremy]

I like the noble from Sovereign Stone...though I use most of the classes from it.

 

[jonrog1]

I second Dragonstar as a nice smart source. The Social Feats in Fading Suns, too. I'm not nuts about the ShadowChasers d20 rules in Polyhedron, but the Charismatic and Smart heroes are nice templates for non-magic based negotiators and scholars.

Also, NOT for D&D, but the Pulp Heroes mini-game in Polyhedron I thought was very nicely done.

 

[Voneth]

The Noble Class in Starwars is a nice idea, but bad made. I don`t like he way its "Noble Music" works. It does not have any real flavor. The bard is better and even more flexible in this case.

While the one shot favors are not to everyone's taste, I have a player who plays the same Noble character and just adjusts his skills and equipment to the genre. Nobles seem to be more of a skill based "lifestyle" approach. In low-magic settings where skills shine, the Noble can be a doctor, diplomat or high-end fixer.

Force rules might need some more stats, but I also suggest offering up "spell points" that degrade with damage to mimic VP and their use as fatigue for Force. Continuing on a Scifi bent, the spellware rules from DragonStar are a nice twist -- The user coughs up the xp for magic items, not the mage ... that acutaly makes sense. On to other games ...

D20 Pulp in the Dungeon is nice, the origins are great generic ways to further define humans. The Scientist class could use some tweaking, but that fixable with a lose definition of how one uses Metamagic feats for their inventions (make them spend a slot only for the original spell and then just pay xp for the increased levels of enhancement)

For those who like a more "natural" way to run gagdeteers, D20 Deadlands is great, it's mostly two synergistic skill checks with a chart for suggested DC's The game also offers a spell point/spell check system for DND magic (still level-based in advancement, though) And plenty of guns. The monsters in DL are also fairly twisted and adaptable to either moder horror or fantasy. The game also has fate points and a regional fear level modifer system.

Believe it or not, the Oriental Adventures are also a great source of DND mechanical goodness, if one strips away the oriental flavor. The Clans of samuari suddenly become schools of marital arts, the Shugian become a spell casting class that can replace both clerics and wizards. Some of the presitge classes are pretty nice. There are also more spells as well as a abstract "martial arts" system. (you get enough feats and prequisites and you get a freebie ability.)

I also anticiapte that both Travller and Series Archer will have nice psionic featsnskills systems. Until then, look on this site for Alterinty coversions.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Command +2, Command +4, Command +6 and Inspire Competence +1, Inspire Competence +2, Inspire Competence +3 and so isn`t realy creative, I think.

I worked on some kind of "Repair & Refit" for Starwars, and I found some more interesting speech abilities. When I am back in Oldenburg, I might post it here. (Object NOW! )

Again for the orginal question:
Wheel of Time does also offer a nice alternative spellcasting systems. It is still very similar to DnD, but a bit more flexible and allows the creative use of magic.

 

[Horacio]

The magic system from Sovereign Stone.

(Now I should explain it, but I hope Tsyr will appear here and do it for me... Tsyr, please?)

 

[drnuncheon]

The magic system from Sovereign Stone.

Could you steal it and fit it in alongside the standard D&D magic system, or would it only be useful as a replacement?

Would, for instance, a standard D&D wizard feel overshadowed compared to a Sov.Stone spellcaster, or vice versa?

J

 

[Nebin]

For Modern d20 and others that use Fire arms I'm going to lift the use of skills instead of feats from otherworlds Creation. I'll be posting a thread on this as soon as I get my info and what I'll house rule this with.