Crunchy Tactical RPG like 4e/pf2e but for Urban Fantasy?

[josephikrakow]

So some of my favorite rpgs(on paper) are those with a lot of character options and builds like DND 4e Pf2e and even Mutants and Masterminds and one of my favorite genres is Urban Fantasy so I'm wondering if anyone has found a game that combines those elements.

 

[MNblockhead]

Warhammer Fantasy Role Play (WFRP) is good for this. The 4th edition has a number of great city settings. Further, the flagship campaign, Enemy Behind the Throne, has much if not most of the action in urban environments.

The character careers, skills, and talents have a lot options that are great for playing in urban environments.

Some of the great city setting books, include:

* The Starter Set. This is one of the best starter sets I've seen for a TTRPG. It include an entire city setting for the town of Ubersreik. The main adventure is quite railroady, but they give a few other short scenarios that you can mix it with, along with lots of hooks throughout the Ubersreik setting section. If you get one or all of the three Ubersreik Adventures, you can build an entire campaign around Ubersreik.

* Rough Nights and Hard Days is a collection of adventures that you can combine into a mini campaign. It takes you to several of the settings major cities: Kempersbad, Altdorf, and Ubersreik.

* Altdorf: Crown of the Empire is a city book for the capital city of The Empire.

* Middenheim: City of the White Wolf is a city book for one of Warhammers most iconic cities.

* Salzmund: City of Salt and Silver. Another city book. I don't own this one. On the periphery of the Empire. Capital of Nordland.

All of these city books are around 150 pages of content. They do a good job suggesting adventure hooks throughout.

It also has great VTT support with its official game system in Foundry, if that matters to you.
The game is more crunchy than D&D 5e, but less than 3e/Pathfinder.

 

[Retreater]

I'm guessing by "Urban Fantasy" you're not looking for fantasy set in Medieval cities, but more modern cities with a fantasy overlay - like the Dresden Files books?

Option 1: Reskin/Reflavor
When you're looking at crunch-heavy games, it's often easier to reskin or reflavor existing systems. For example, you can run 4e or PF2 by limiting the game to classes and ancestries that would fit. For example, you could get an excellent feel in PF2 by allowing only humans, restricting to classes like the Investigator, Thaumaturge, Witch, Psychic, Gunslinger, etc.

Option 2: Out of Print Books
If you don't mind going OOP, d20 Modern had an urban fantasy splatbook (Urban Arcana). Based off 3.5 edition D&D, there should be plenty of character options, but you'd need both books. (The PDF is currently $12 on DriveThruRPG. The POD is a bit pricier - but at least it's available.)

Option 3: Toolbox Systems
A system like Savage Worlds, using the various Companions (such as Horror and Fantasy), would allow you to curate the specific experience you want. The tactical depth is not as deep as PF2 or 4e (about on par with 5e), but it gets you part of the way there.

 

[John Dallman]

GURPS 4e will give you all the crunch you want, both in combat and character design. The Monster Hunters series of supplements give you character templates, magic, equipment and opponents for modern urban fantasy. It works especially well if set in Florida! That's the Florida portrayed in Carl Hiaasen's and Tim Dorsey's fiction.

 

[Thomas Shey]

I'm not aware of any dedicated one that does. As Mr. Dallman mentions above GURPS (and Hero) both can provide that and have some supplemental works to support it. Modern AGE and some Savage Worlds games also probably work here.

Unfortunately for your needs, the majority of dedicated urban fantasy games lean into the narrative end of things, which tends to lean away from tactical depth. Depending on your specific wants, all three games I know of that do the cyberpunk/fantasy thing (Shadowrun, Vault and SINless) certainly provide a lot of options (though I can't speak for the 6th edition of the first of those).

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

.

 

[DarbyMcD]

I have been running a GURPS version of Zeitgeist, and it works very well. Since you mentioned crunchy tactical, it is one of the few systems that actually demonstrates weapon differences, particularly with industrial revolution era firearms, which adds a lot to the flavor of combat. Long reload times makes you realize why swords were still around in the 19th century. Add in some much larger than human enemies, who can eat a round or 2, and it gets interesting. But in general I think GURPS is the best to demonstrate the pros and cons of magic, industrial tech, and more classical options.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

GURPS 4e will give you all the crunch you want, both in combat and character design. The Monster Hunters series of supplements give you character templates, magic, equipment and opponents for modern urban fantasy. It works especially well if set in Florida! That's the Florida portrayed in Carl Hiaasen's and Tim Dorsey's fiction.

Please tell me there's an actual Florida Man setting for GURPS. That would be amazing.

 

[Retreater]

Please tell me there's an actual Florida Man setting for GURPS. That would be amazing.

Here's you a Florida Man indie TTRPG....

Cocaine & Alligators

Florida is a crazy place and a lot of crazy bad things happen here! 36 Backgrounds for Troika!, a short adventure, and a bunch of wild naughty word based on actual Florida Man headlines and the author's experience living in Florida. CONTENT WARNING!! This book is for adults only and is meant as satire...

www.exaltedfuneral.com

 

[innerdude]

Radiance RPG is a steampunk love child of D&D 4e and 3e. Core rules PDF can be had for the price of free.

DriveThruRPG

www.drivethrurpg.com