Vampires getting staked to the heart.

[maddman75]

Dracula did

Granted, not when staked. A Buffy d20 conversion needs to have the Vampire changed a bit of course. I also feel that a level system would work rather well for the other archetypes as well, such as Willow getting pregressively more and more powerful with her magic - at first she can float pencils (mage hand), then make protective circles (alarm, protection from evil), up to the truly powerful stuff.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Hmm. Isn`t it normal for humans to start with only low abilities and skills, and improve them over time (if concentrating on them)?

I don`t think that is "level"based.
Real Men - and women, and film characters - don`t usually have levels.

 

[ruleslawyer]

Hmm. Isn`t it normal for humans to start with only low abilities and skills, and improve them over time (if concentrating on them)?

I don`t think that is "level"based.
Real Men - and women, and film characters - don`t usually have levels.

I think that's the entire idea of "level." It's the D&D abstraction for people "start[ing] with only low abilities and skills, and improv[ing] them over time."

 

[hong]

Hmm. Isn`t it normal for humans to start with only low abilities and skills, and improve them over time (if concentrating on them)?

I don`t think that is "level"based.
Real Men - and women, and film characters - don`t usually have levels.

They usually don't have skill ranks, points, blots or whatever other system you use to measure competency with, either.

Levels are just D&D's abstract way of handling the general level of ability of a character. It's more simple than other possible systems. This can be either a Good Thing or a Bad Thing, depending on what you want out of your ruleset.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Everything I wanted to say was: D&D/D20 is not better suited to reflect the "Buffyverse" than any other Role Playing Systems.
You will have to make some new rules, so it might also be usable with Shadowrun (okay, not really, because in SR, Magic is a gift not everyone can use) or, probably the best option, Torg. (Because Torg is good for anything involving heroic series )

 

[Madfox]

Buffy probably could be best representeded by the Storytell system which already is set in present day earth, includes the idea of a hidden supernatural world and magic reasonable comparable to what Willow and Giles do. The only thing that has to change is the weakness of most vampires. Only the older and special vampires tend to be able to hypnotize, fortell the future and so on in the series. Of course, Buffy is also much less grim then the Storytell system world, but that is simply solved by making combat slightly less lethal (for example, mortals can soak lethal damage).

Of course, this has got nothing to with D&D or even the original question. So I probably should not have posted it here

 

[Sinklar]

Vampires...

Not that it really answers the question, but I have never run into a vampire as a player, or used one as a DM, where 'traditional' methods work. Personally, I think of vampires in 'Anne Rice' terms, with the exception that holy paraphernalia would have an effect on them in a world like Toril or Oearth.

Vampires should be FEARED and PCs should put about as much thought into going after one as they might a Dragon. Not to say that vampires are a match for Dragons, but a good DM should be able to make the players reget thinking they can just charge in and go vampire slaying!

As for Buffy (or Angel), while I love the shows, I've never looked at them as anything else than what they are: entertainment.

 

[Staldin*Freefall]

That's good, I try rarely to look at D&D as more than entertainment either, or reading novels, unless it's for a class or something.

 

[CRGreathouse]

She beats the tar out of the vampires until they are staggered. They are then helpless and Buff delivers a CDG with the stake.

Yeah, but...

Being staggered doesn't make you helpless.

 

[maddman75]

I wasn't using the term staggered in the rules sense, only the general one. How about this - Buffy vamps when reduced to 0 hp stand dazed and helpless for 1d3 rounds, when they start healing again. During that time, Buff can drive the stake home with a CDG.

On levels - I seem to recall when Buffy and the group were being investigated by the watcher's council, one of them asked Tara and WIllow what level of witchcraft they had attained.

On the storyteller system - dice pool mechanics blow (IMHO) .