What Source works best for...

[diaglo]

I noticed nobody said d20 Modern, is there really that better out there?

with the parameters you presented in the first post to this thread.

yes, there really are better things to use than d02 Modern.

 

[Psion]

If you do intend to use d20 modern, you might take a gander at Grim Tales. It adds lots of the fantasy class abilities to the talent trees, so you would get some fantasy coverage you would be losing by using d20 modern.

 

[tylermalan]

So is there a d20 system Cyberpunk or Steampunk setting out there? Something that wouldn't make me learn new rules, but would give me the mix of fantasy and modern that I'm looking for?

On another note, I just read a bunch of reviews for Kult, and the setting seems awesome... anyone know anything about it?

I also just read a review for Grim Tales, and it looks pretty cool!

 

[tylermalan]

So...

Eberron and Second World sourcebooks for d20...

Zir'an and Mutants and Masterminds for non-d20...

Anything else? Any good d20 sourcebooks or supplements with any good material?

 

[Voadam]

E.N. Pub Steam and Steel
E.N. Pub Fantastic Science
E.N. Pub Mechamancy
Bastion Press Doomstriders (for magical mecha)
FFG Sorcery and Steam

 

[Voadam]

Etherscope for a magical victorianesque setting

 

[Nightfall]

Grim Tales is probably what you're looking for though Voady made some nice suggestions.

 

[Remathilis]

So...

Eberron and Second World sourcebooks for d20...

Zir'an and Mutants and Masterminds for non-d20...

Anything else? Any good d20 sourcebooks or supplements with any good material?

GAH! This many posts without a reference to IRON KINGDOMS!

Ok, this depends SOUNDLY on how much FFVII influence you want...

Mostly Fantasy, little Steampunk: Eberron is a great starting point. Living Golems, airships, impossibly magical cities, noir feel, and lightning rails all great. (www.wizards.com/eberron)

Evenly Fantasy/Steampunk: OGL Steampunk, Sorcery and Steam (Legends & Lairs)

Mostly Steampunk, Little Fantasy: Iron Kingdoms. The ruleset is d20 based, but very gritty/steam elements thrown in. (http://privateerpress.com/ironkingdoms/)

As for d20M, You COULD if you wanted a very modernistic/urban feel (like the beginning of FFVII) but the rest seems very anachroistic for d20M. Urban Arcana would go a long way to helping out in that regard, but I'd go more fantasy than modern.

And Mutants and Masterminds IS d20.

 

[tylermalan]

And Mutants and Masterminds IS d20.

Oh.

Well, you really think FFVII is considered steampunk? I was originally thinking cyberpunk... albeit a realtively low-tech version of cyberpunk.

Also, I just read 4 reviews of Grim Tales, and I'm thinking less and less that its something I'm looking for. Guidance on how to build a custom system is nice, but I'm looking for more of a world than a system, and I think one of the reviews pointed out that there's no campaign building material anywhere in Grim Tales. Am I wrong?

 

[Masquerade]

There is not really one perfect fit, but, if it were me, I would use Etherscope as a starting point. It is largely based on d20 Modern, and its cybernaughtics rules are a good fit for the setting (Barret and Dyne's arms, for example). The inclusion of Eastern and Western archaic weapons as well as firearms is also somewhat reminiscent of FFVII.

If you plan to play up the cyberpunk elements, though, you can't go wrong with Shadowrun, assuming you're familiar with the system's rules.