SPYCRAFT: The greatest RPG ever made! The best d20 game ever!

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

OMG, I just read Spycraft by AEG. It kicked my ass. I kept laughing and shouting out loud to an empty room, "Holy crap! This is so damn cool!" (expletives deleted for our more sensitive audience members). I have NEVER read a more thoroughly entertaining, exciting, innovative and BRILLIANT RPG in my life. I am DYING to play it!!! I am dying to adapt many of its mechanics to my 3e D&D game as well... AEG has taken WoTC's d20 framework and built it into a souped-up high performance hotrod that burns rubber all the way up the highway straight into RPG heaven!

After I read it all in one compulsive, page turning sitting, I jumped up and danced around the house in my underwear singing, "Start spreading the news!" (from Sinatra's "New York, New York"). Finally I calmed down enough to get dressed, nuke up some chicken fried rice, warm up the computer and dash off this unbridled, bubbly, "thumbs up" enthusiasm.

Spycraft rocks on so many levels I can't even accurately begin to describe all the cool features... Departments, Classes, Skills, Feats, Gear, Chases, Action Dice , Mastermind System for creating villainous organizations, Sample villains/adventure ideas, the whole damn thing is so impressive I had a mental orgasm reading it. Not just from early 80s Top Secret nostalgia (Operation: Rapid Strike, anyone?), or from the Top Secret/S.I. 1987 revamp rules set, but from absolute, dumbfounded AMAZEMENT at the new innovations to the d20 system this game delivers in spades. I have not been this excited since the 3e PHB came out. In fact, I am even more EXCITED by Spycraft. I am stunned, awed, delighted and left reeling all at once. Even if you don't use it to play spy or modern setting games, there is a literal TON of material you can YOINK from this hardcover book of CRUNCHY golden GOODNESS!!!

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH I JUST DIED AND WENT TO RPG HEAVEN!!!

THANK YOU AEG!!! YOU SURPASSED ALL MY EXPECTATIONS I'VE EVER HAD ABOUT ANY GAME EVER!!! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!

I am dead serious. This game is THAT cool.

 

[Horacio]

Talon, pleeease, do you already have it?????

Taloncomics, answer me!!!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

And the *yoinking* is for both players and DM's!!! Ahhh, the feats, so damn cool, don't know what to get! The skills--Now you can roll a 20 and critical on them for awesome MAX results! You can get skill enhancer feats and increase your critical range on bunches of skills!! You can be the smooth talking seductress with men eating out your... um, hand! You can be the ultimate con-man! You can be the world's best race car driver! You can play football like Joe Namath! Whatever you want, you can do, and with the right skill feats, you can do them amazingly well. The skill enhancers bump the threat range of like 3 related skills! So alertness increases the threat range of Listen, Search and Spot from 20 to 19-20, as well as giving the +2 to each skill roll bonus! Now I want that feat! AAAAAAHHHHH!!!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

And "style" feats! You can be the sweet-talking mack daddy, have groupies and servants, mansions, tons o' cash and fancy threads, be known the world over at 5 star hotels, clubs, restaurants and casinos as a badass playboy with the serious green and expensive tastes to match! AAAAHHHHH!

 

[Jack Haggerty]

No... Please, Kaptain...

Tell us how you really feel.

I might have to take a look at this game. I used to love Top Secret.

 

[Black Omega]

So, it's interesting how they seem to have boosted the power of feats and skills. How do they handle gunfights though? AC? Just adjusted like a Defense factor or do you rely on body armor? I'll look it over soon enough, but I'm trying to find what I can do with Spycraft I can't do with other systems.

Thanks.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Action Dice for D&D!

Action Dice for D&D 3e!
(Adapted from Spycraft---YOINK!)
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PLAYER’S DICE:
At levels 1-5, each PC gets 3 action dice (d4) per game session. At levels 6-10, you get 4 (d6) action dice.
At levels 11-15, you get 5 (d8) action dice. At levels 16-20, you get 6 (d10) action dice. You can get more
action dice in the same session by DM award for clever ideas, jokes that crack him up or for other actions.
Unspent action dice are lost at the end of the game session. You receive a fresh pool of action dice next
session.

Action dice can be used even after you have already rolled (and failed), but not after the DM has described
what the result of your original, unaltered roll is. You can keep spending action dice until you run out, or
the DM describes the outcome.

You can’t use Action Dice to alter leveling effects such as hit point rolls, ability score increases of any
kind, or rolls for starting income.

DM’S DICE:
The DM gets a number of (d12) action dice equal to the highest level PC + the number of PCs in the
group. Every time the DM hands out a bonus action die to a PC, the DM gets another bonus action die.
The DM uses his action dice to turn PC errors into critical fumbles or for NPC actions/threats.

USING ACTION DICE
1. Add to a die roll: You roll the die and add it to your d20 attack, save or skill check roll. If you
roll the maximum number possible (4 on a d4 for example), the die “explodes” allowing you another roll.
You then add the two action die roll results together and add that to your d20 roll.

2. Add to AC: You roll the die and add it to your AC for one round.

3. Activate threats and DM errors: If you score a “threat” (20 or another number in your threat range)
you can spend an action die to turn it into a critical success. You can use an action die to negate a critical
failure, or turn an NPCs error into a critical failure.

4. Heal yourself: You can use them to heal yourself outside of combat (4 hit points per action die spent).

5. Ask for an inspiration check: If you’re stumped, you can ask the DM for an inspiration check. If he
agrees, you spend an action die and roll 1d20, adding your character level, against a DC set by the DM.
With success, you receive a hint about what to do (the better you beat the DC, the better the hint).

ACTION DIE BONUSES BY CHARACTER CLASS
These are class abilities only gained by characters who begin their adventuring career in one of these
classes. It is not gained by multiclassing.

Barbarian/Fighter: Accurate! Whenever you spend an action die to add to an attack roll, or to a
Strength or Constitution-based skill check, two dice are added instead of one (e.g., a 1st-level character’s
bonus of 1d4 becomes 2d4).

Bard/Cleric/Paladin/Sorcerer: Adaptable! Whenever you spend an action die to add to a Charisma or
Wisdom-based skill check, two dice are added instead of one (e.g., a 1st-level character’s bonus of 1d4
becomes 2d4).

Monk/Ranger/Rogue: Dexterous! Whenever you spend an action die to add to a Dexterity-based skill
check, two dice are added instead of one (e.g., a 1st-level character’s bonus of 1d4 becomes 2d4).

Wizard: Astute! Whenever you spend an action die to add to an Intelligence-based skill check, two dice
are added instead of one (e.g., a 1st-level character’s bonus of 1d4 becomes 2d4).

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

No... Please, Kaptain...

Tell us how you really feel.

I might have to take a look at this game. I used to love Top Secret.

Jack, if you loved Top Secret, Spycraft will blow your mind!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

So, it's interesting how they seem to have boosted the power of feats and skills. How do they handle gunfights though? AC? Just adjusted like a Defense factor or do you rely on body armor? I'll look it over soon enough, but I'm trying to find what I can do with Spycraft I can't do with other systems.

Thanks.

It uses VP/WP, Defense bonus and armor gives DR, not Defense bonus. There is an option to create super-deadly high lethality games by removing the VP... so your WP (CON score) are your only hit points... ever!

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Here are a couple more yoinkable Spycraft goodies for any d20 game...
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EDUCATION CHECK:
Your character knows more than his knowledge skills might indicate. These skills are based on his
background (education and prior experiences). Anytime you feel your character should know a piece of
information based on his background, you can ask the DM to make an education check. The DM assigns a
DC (10-15 for simple information, or up to 30 for complex information).

To make an Education check, you roll 1d20 and add your character level plus your Intelligence modifier.
If the check succeeds, you learn the information. If you fail, you do not know the information.

INSPIRATION CHECK:
Sometimes, a sudden flash of insight strikes you. When you are stumped as to what to do next, you can
spend an action die and make an Inspiration check. You can ask the DM to make an inspiration check.
The DM assigns a DC (10-15 for something obvious, or up to 30 for complex or not obvious courses of
action). The higher your roll beats the target DC, the better the hint you get.

To make an Inspiration check, you roll 1d20 and add your character level plus your Wisdom modifier. If
the check succeeds, you get a hint as to what to do next. If you fail, you do not get a hint.