d20 Modern Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook

d20 Modern Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook
Bill Slavicsek,Jeff Grubb,Rich Redman | 2002-12-06 00:00:00 | Wizards of the Coast | 320 | Gaming
Play Every Adventure You Can Imagine

Experience the thrills of every blockbuster action movie, every heart-pounding first-person shooter, and every explosive, high-octane escapade you can dream up. Inside this book, you'll discover everything you need to build the ultimate modern-world campaign filled with cinematic adventure, and to create the dynamic heroes needed to face the harrowing dangers that await within.

For players and Gamemasters, this product is compatible with the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game and other d20 System roleplaying games.

Reviews
I just don't understand the continued fascination with abstract concepts such as levels and hit dice. If you really want to play a balanced system that can provide you interesting, challenging, and detailed combat, choose another system. If you want interesting characters that aren't bound by d20's restrictions upon feats and skills, go elsewhere. This fails to provide any guidance for good role-playing and is simply an extension of the boring "hack at it" system that is 3.5 D&D.
Reviews
The "d20 Modern Roleplaying Game: Core Rulebook" is a solid as a standalone system or as an adjunct to other d20 based games like the later Advanced Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) rules. We have a group (people come and go) that has been playing these games (D&D, Gamma World, Top Secret, Traveler, etc) since the early '80s and have had many campaigns that involved time travel or multidimensional transporting. We have always had trouble when it came to traveling into "modern times" or bringing normal people into the D&D setting, and I bought this book in an effort to bridge the gap since the default method was to make everyone a 0 Level human (which just didn't work right).



This system gives classes to normal personality\job types that actually work. People do specialize and occasionally do have special abilities that are perfectly explainable through hard work, training, and good genes (picture that Type "A" person who not only owns a successful business, volunteers with the local PTO, is a TaeKwonDo blackbelt instructor, and still has time to do extreme rock climbing all around the world... seriously, I know this guy).



Like all systems, this one will likely need a few tweaks and house rules to make it work for your group but it is a good starting point.



Recommended!



CFH
Reviews
Literally the only problem I had was with the shipping. First off, it took 4 weeks to get to me, which is a little ridiculous. And it was poorly packaged, so it damaged a corner of the book. Other than that, got what I expected. Love DND, really wanted to start a D20 modern campaign, we had to live with an online copy/printouts for a couple weeks, but all in all I'm happy with the product.
Reviews
Before I get to the review, here's a short description of my previous Pencil and Paper RPG experiences: I started out in 2001 with Dungeons and Dragons third edition, as well as RIFTS. I eventually continued onto Dungeons and Dragons edition 3.5 and Shadowrun.



Now, onto d20 Modern itself:



I had first learned of the book in late 2003, but I only glanced at it briefly and brushed it off as "inferior" to D&D.



How wrong I was.



After seeing the d20 Modern website in early 2005, and actually taking the time to examine what the system could handle and replicate, I re-read the Core Rulebook and was thoroughly pleased.



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For starters, Modern differs from it's predecessor enough that even veterans of D&D will have some new rules to learn.



Character classes (a representation of experience in a variety of life paths) are not narrowly defined terms such as "Fighter" or "Rogue", but rather, they are based off of the six main attributes all characters have - Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.



The Strong Hero class represents physical training to exert more damage in melee combat, as well as training in athletic pursuits (climbing, jumping, swimming)



The Fast Hero class represents physical training to become more agile and capable of avoiding incoming danger, as well as training in ranged combat and stealthy pursuits (hiding, moving silently, sleight of hand)



The Tough Hero class represents physical training to withstand more punishment from the environment and recovering from injury quickly, as well as training to resist poisons, disease and keeping one's body focused (concentrating)



The Smart Hero class represents mental training to pick up on a wide variety of academic and technical skills to be prepared for any situation that calls for book smarts, as well as training to outsmart one's enemy in combat (crafting, knowledge)



The Dedicated Hero class represents mental training to be in tune with one's surroundings, aware of danger, able to ferret out deception, as well as training to be well versed in a wide variety of pursuits (listening, sensing motive, treating injuries)



The Charismatic Hero class represents mental training to become likeable or frightening to others, and one that movies through social circles with ease, as well as training to command others in conflict (diplomacy, intimidation, gathering information, inspiration)



In addition to the six basic classes above, there are twelve "Advanced Classes" that focus more on one aspect of a character, such as the Soldier class for general combat excellence, or the Field Medic, for the ability to work miracles and heal the mortally wounded.



Each class has ten levels of progression, and each character can achieve up to twenty levels through their journey. Therefore, you will inevitably come to a point where you must take one or more levels in a variety of classes.



For example, a boxer would typically be a Strong Hero / Tough Hero. Or, for one that is speedy and dodges well, they may be a Fast Hero / Strong Hero instead.



Want a scout? A Fast Hero / Dedicated Hero is ideal.



Or are you more of a highly intelligent smooth talker? Smart Hero / Charismatic Hero.



Did your character serve in the Marines, but is now a Detective? Tough Hero / Dedicated Hero / Investigator.



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Asides from the classes, there are Occupations such as Academic, Law Enforcement and Technician - sets of permanent skills and a wealth increase, Feats - special abilities any character can eventually learn, and Skills - training anyone can pick up on. Most any character concept you can imagine, you can create.



Equipment - Outfit your character with everything from Desert Eagles, to PSG-1 sniper rifles, to mesh vests, to electrical tool kits and even a BMW M3 to carry all that gear around.



Admittedly there are some problem areas: non-lethal damage (knocking out opponents) is horribly ineffective and not worth it as-is. But with a house-rule (change to the rules as is) or two, you won't have any problems.



Finally, the book itself is well made. The binding is solid, the cover is durable and the pages are of a high quality stock.



All in all, d20 Modern is an extensive and engaging game sure to bring many hours worth of cinematic fun to you and your friends.
Reviews
I won't repeat anything others have said, instead I will just add my views that aren't similar. Overall I love d20 Modern. with my only real problem being that many (or even most) of the monsters are slightly or in some cases vastly different than their D&D counterparts. For example, in D&D a "natural" werewolf gets a +2 Wis in human form, then in their wolf and hybrid forms they get the stat bonuses of the wolf form, plus two claw attacks and a secondary bite attack, and pass on the curse of lycanthropy with their bite attack. They have low-light vision and scent in all forms. Finally, they have 10/silver damage reduction with magical weapons NOT bypassing unless they are silver. The 'afflicted" werewolf gets all of the above, except his damage reduction is only 5/silver and he does NOT pass on the curse via his bite. In the d20 Modern version, the werewolf gets +2 Wis and +4 Con in human form, then the rest of the stats are added in the wolf and hybrid form. They do NOT get the claw attacks, they only get a bite as a primary attack. The "Curse of Lycanthropy" is a feature of both natural and afflicted. Furthermore, instead of low-light vision they have darkvision 60 feet, and their scent ability is only in hybrid and wolf forms, damage reduction is 15/silver or magical. So, they end up more powerful in some ways, but less powerful in other ways, with the justification being that magic is rarer in d20 modern, therefore monsters must be less powerful, but honestly, I prefer the 3.5 D&D werewolf to the one in the d20 modern book. Another example is that in standard D&D a drow can cast darkness once per day, this ability is removed from d20 Modern drow.

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