Race Levels in D20M

[teitan]

I have been looking at my D20 Modern and trying to find a use for it and it hit me, I am a big fan of the Blade movies and also really enjoy movies where the protagonists are monsters fighting monsters. That stuff is just sooooo cool to watch.

Well, I hate ECLs and all that jazz but I thought it would be cool to whip together a setting where people play Werewolves, Vampires, ANgels, Demons and humans all fighting a secret war for centuries but don't want to use the ECL system. What does everyone think of racial levels in Arcana Unearthed and their compatibility in D20 Modern? Do you think this would be a cool way to pull off such a game without having the monster races outshining the humans?

Jason

 

[RangerWickett]

Well, I don't have Arcana Unearthed, but from what I think I know of it, I'm not too fond of the racial level idea. I mean, what, Bob is a werewolf, and he turns into a puppy at the full moon. But after he adventures for a while and learns how to better defend himself, he gains the ability to turn into a doggy at the full moon. Only after several adventures does Bob actually gain the ability to become a wolf.

Sure, I suppose you could have monsters that work that way, but it seems kinda silly.

Even worse, to me, is the idea about Giants being teenage-sized at low levels, then apparently growing very quickly as they adventure, regardless of their actual age. It all seems quite silly.

What problems do you have with Equivalent Character Level rules? They seem fine to me, and I don't mind saying "No, you can't play a Dragon at 1st level."

 

[teitan]

heh, sorry, I can tell you don't have the book. Racial Levels are more like regular class levels than our examples. It is new abilities within your race, not you being a younger version of your race. Giants don't start out teenage size, actually, about 7-8 feet tall. A lot bigger than the average or even extraordinary teen. As an example, Sibbecai are the jackyl based race, when they choose to take racial levels it is like they learned how to use their natural abilities much better, becoming stronger, hardier and able to use their bite more effectively etc. The sprytes learn how to channel their inner magic into a list of minor magical effects. It isn't like aging or anything and each one is a CHOICE the character makes as opposed to something forced on the character, which seperates it from the similar ideas listed in Savage Species.

See what I was thinking was breaking Vamps, Werewolves etc down into three levels with various abilities based on legend, maybe a small list of abilities to choose from at each level, allowing for variation within the "race" or whatnot. It is a pseudochoice to become these races in that they are templates applied to infected characters. The levels would represent greater and greater understanding of the characters new abilities.

I don't like ECLs for various reasons, mostly the advancement issues and what if I have a player who becomes a werewolf or vampire... what is the best way to adjust everything? I can't take away his levels he fought so hard for in the FIghter class just because he now has a Level Adjustment +2. Calculating ECLs for homebrew races, races found in other monster supplements etc is not an easy task, but I don't like Savage Species fix for the problem either. I feel it punishes the player for wanting to be a Drow or Svirfneblin and whatnot. An ECL race might have some benefits that would make them outweigh a character of 1st level but at the same time they don't outshine other races by that much. Forcing a player to take all the levels of "bugbear" or some such also doesn't work for me because while everyone else is getting nifty class abilities for so many levels, bugbear boy is getting barely stronger. In other words, the system has issues...

That is not my topic though, I want to discuss using Racial Levels to reflect learning abilities as applied to a setting like Underworld or Blade...

Jason

 

[Psion]

Well, I hate ECLs and all that jazz but I thought it would be cool to whip together a setting where people play Werewolves, Vampires, ANgels, Demons and humans all fighting a secret war for centuries but don't want to use the ECL system. What does everyone think of racial levels in Arcana Unearthed and their compatibility in D20 Modern? Do you think this would be a cool way to pull off such a game without having the monster races outshining the humans?

I think, if done correctly, it would work dandy.

If you like racial levels but hate ECLs, you may not be doing yourself any favors by going the Savage Species route, as the racial levels therein sort of incorporate the ECLs into the racial levels, which makes some of the racial character classes very odd.

AU's racial classes OTOH, are very well done. They lack some of the arbitrary restrictions of SS (frex, you aren't forced to take racial levels before class levels, so your character can have a lot more variety.)

Incidentally, the Second World Sourcebook, which was written for d20 modern, used racial levels BEFORE either AU or SS came out.

 

[Havoc]

racial levels

hehe ... not liking a werewolf being a puppy then a mere doggy then THE big bad wolf?... isn't that the same idea as being a rat killer, an orc killer and then much later a decent fighter?

 

[Kanegrundar]

I'm personally using racial levels IMC. Any race that has an ECL has to gain racial class levels in the style set forth in Savage Species before they can take regular character classes. In some cases, the monsters are weaker to ECL 0 characters, but it's usually not too bad at all. It's worked out pretty good for my group so far.

Kane