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<blockquote data-quote="Professor Phobos" data-source="post: 1685983" data-attributes="member: 18883">While I do not dispute that D20 Cthulhu was pretty good, I don't think it succeeded as well as it could have. My primary disgruntlements are in...1. The feat list is still geared mostly toward combat. There aren't any academic feats- stuff like &quot;Jack of All Tongues&quot; and &quot;Speed Reader&quot; would have been far more in-genre than a dozen different kinds of &quot;Shot...&quot; I'm not sure there was much value in the feat list that was given, considering that the alternative- Cthulhu themed feats, would have been cooler.2. Call of Cthulhu has desperately needed a &quot;Flaw&quot; type system for years now. With all the ancient blood curses, vulnerability to possession, poverty, minority status, bad eyesight, and old age that Lovecraft characters suffered from, this seems like an oversight. I know some of you are going to raise the &quot;But that invites munckinism!&quot; card, but, well, I hold very, very little stock in that argument, particularly for a proper Call of Cthulhu adaption.3. &quot;Offensive&quot; and &quot;Defensive&quot; options make absolutely no sense. I mean, seriously. What does it mean if I'm an &quot;Offenisive&quot; librarian? Or a defensive one? There is no benefit, nothing gained from their inclusion. 4. Levels are still quirky and feel needless, as are increasing hit points. The Massive Damage save is a nice change, but quite frankly it seems like a patch on a damage system that would not otherwise work at all. Hit points at CON and a simple experience system (much like Mutants and Masterminds) would have been a little more reflective of classic CoC gameplay. These are not people whose experiences made them &quot;tougher&quot; in the vein of pulp heroes, but people whose primary way to improve themselves was through learning and honing skills. Knowledge is the secret to survival in Call of Cthulhu, not ever-increasing Base Attack Bonus.I mean, just think about it. Why would Dr. Armitage's ability to attack another person have increased after the events of the Dunwich Horror?5. I thought the art was crap. (This is just a personal bug. Nothing to see here folks, move along...)6. The Cthulhu Mythos skill is worth nearly five times as much in the D20 version as it is in the BRP version, and yet has the same effect on maximum sanity. This means that characters can learn more of the Cthulhu Mythos with no ill effect than they could before.I think most of the praise Call of Cthulhu D20 gets is not that it is a rockin' adaption, but that it really didn't suck nearly as much as it could have. I think it has been coasting on &quot;Not being a miserable failure&quot; for some time now.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Professor Phobos, post: 1685983, member: 18883"] While I do not dispute that D20 Cthulhu was pretty good, I don't think it succeeded as well as it could have. My primary disgruntlements are in... 1. The feat list is still geared mostly toward combat. There aren't any academic feats- stuff like "Jack of All Tongues" and "Speed Reader" would have been far more in-genre than a dozen different kinds of "Shot..." I'm not sure there was much value in the feat list that was given, considering that the alternative- Cthulhu themed feats, would have been cooler. 2. Call of Cthulhu has desperately needed a "Flaw" type system for years now. With all the ancient blood curses, vulnerability to possession, poverty, minority status, bad eyesight, and old age that Lovecraft characters suffered from, this seems like an oversight. I know some of you are going to raise the "But that invites munckinism!" card, but, well, I hold very, very little stock in that argument, particularly for a proper Call of Cthulhu adaption. 3. "Offensive" and "Defensive" options make absolutely no sense. I mean, seriously. What does it mean if I'm an "Offenisive" librarian? Or a defensive one? There is no benefit, nothing gained from their inclusion. 4. Levels are still quirky and feel needless, as are increasing hit points. The Massive Damage save is a nice change, but quite frankly it seems like a patch on a damage system that would not otherwise work at all. Hit points at CON and a simple experience system (much like Mutants and Masterminds) would have been a little more reflective of classic CoC gameplay. These are not people whose experiences made them "tougher" in the vein of pulp heroes, but people whose primary way to improve themselves was through learning and honing skills. Knowledge is the secret to survival in Call of Cthulhu, not ever-increasing Base Attack Bonus. I mean, just think about it. Why would Dr. Armitage's ability to attack another person have increased after the events of the Dunwich Horror? 5. I thought the art was crap. (This is just a personal bug. Nothing to see here folks, move along...) 6. The Cthulhu Mythos skill is worth nearly five times as much in the D20 version as it is in the BRP version, and yet has the same effect on maximum sanity. This means that characters can learn more of the Cthulhu Mythos with no ill effect than they could before. I think most of the praise Call of Cthulhu D20 gets is not that it is a rockin' adaption, but that it really didn't suck nearly as much as it could have. I think it has been coasting on "Not being a miserable failure" for some time now. [/QUOTE]

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