New to d20 Modern

[bytor4232]

I just picked up d20 Modern, and am very interested in it. I jsut have a few questions:

1. How compatible is it with the 3.5e stuff?
2. Can I use monsters from the Monster Manual in my adventures?
3. Could I use, say, the races books or environment books?
4. Can my players run a DND character in a d20 Modern campaign?

Thanks in advanced for your replies.

 

[NMC]

I just picked up d20 Modern, and am very interested in it. I jsut have a few questions:

1. How compatible is it with the 3.5e stuff?
2. Can I use monsters from the Monster Manual in my adventures?
3. Could I use, say, the races books or environment books?
4. Can my players run a DND character in a d20 Modern campaign?

Thanks in advanced for your replies.

1. I've found them to be quite compatible.
2. The only real task for converting creatures is to calculate their massive damage threshold, which is simply a matter of using their Constitution scores.
3. I haven't read those books, but I would suspect that they could be used.
4. In addition to calculating the massive damage threshold for the D&D characters, another difficulty will be handling the differences for critical hits. Weapons in D20 Modern have critical hit damage modifiers of only x2; I'd recommend decreasing the modifiers for weapons from D&D so that they aren't relatively overpowering.

-Nate

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I just picked up d20 Modern, and am very interested in it. I jsut have a few questions:

1. How compatible is it with the 3.5e stuff?

It is D20. It is as compatible with any other D20 system. Note that there is a significant difference in power, especially at higher levels.

2. Can I use monsters from the Monster Manual in my adventures?

Yes, and there's a bunch of them in the D20 Modern section, copied directly from 3.0 with MDTs attached. But will they be balanced? Probably not if they cast spells, inflict petrification, have DR or have a high CR. Also, if they do a lot of damage in one hit but are low CR, they're probably not balanced for Modern.

Monsters found in later products tend to be more balanced. I wouldn't trust the ones in the core book.

3. Could I use, say, the races books or environment books?

I guess. I have none of those books.

4. Can my players run a DND character in a d20 Modern campaign?

Tehcnically yes, but I wouldn't suggest it. Modern characters are more flexible but less powerful as they gain levels, especially when it comes to spellcasters. A Smart Hero/Mage can decipher scripts written in dead languages without casting a spell, but he can't ever cast contingency or teleport. The balance issues would get pretty big.

My suggestion is to distinguish between Modern and DnD. If you want to run a Modern adventure, you should run a Modern adventure and not a DnD adventure, as that will cause more work for you. I would also suggest visiting the WotC Modern section and take a look at the adventures. Some are surprisingly high FX.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

1. How compatible is it with the 3.5e stuff?

d20Modern, rules-wise, is maybe ... 3.25e. It has some changes from 3.0 that went into 3.5, but has some rules from 3.0 that were changed in 3.5.

Some rules in d20Modern are totally different from 3.X. For instance, d20Modern Nonlethal damage is a "check and discard" system. You compare the damage done to the Massive Damage Threshold of the character, if it doesn't meet or exceed it, the attack has no effect. This is pretty controversial and, IMHO, a "cinematic" rule but one many people discard in favor of accruing subdual like D&D.

Note also that D&D has a "Massive Damage Threshold" ... of 50. In d20Modern the MDT is set to your Constitution score.

2. Can I use monsters from the Monster Manual in my adventures?

Yup. In fact, if you check the back of your d20M book, about half of the things there are things ripped pretty much wholesale from the MM. There are some minor changes, but nothing you'll notice in day-to-day play. Urban Arcana pretty much meshes D&D with d20M.

3. Could I use, say, the races books or environment books?

I don't see why not. The rules are pretty much compatible, and the real differences are in what skills are available and running combat. You may find, for instance, that a race gives a bonus to a skill that doesn't exist in d20Modern, or that one of the environment books talks about using a skill that doesn't exist in d20Modern. Some have similar matches in d20M ... like the Heal skill in D&D and the Treat Injury skill of D20M.

4. Can my players run a DND character in a d20 Modern campaign?

I wouldn't suggest mixing d20Modern and D&D characters together. They don't mesh well. In many ways, d20M characters are less powerful than d20M characters ... in some ways, more powerful. It'd cause odd power gaps, especially in combat. D&D characters would own the day, especially with easy low-level magic and armor/weapon profs, along with many D&D classes having full BAB ... a D&D character would hit harder and have more options at first level, while a d20M character will have a better AC (Defense in d20M, and aided by Class Bonus to Defense) and many more skills and skill points. D20M characters are better at NPC interactions and problem-solving ... D&D at killing things and taking their stuff.

Note also that D20Modern has something called "Advanced Classes". They're between a Base Class and a Prestige Class. The d20M core book has "Mage" and "Acolyte" AdCs in the back that present the d20Modern "take" on the Wizard and Cleric, respectively. The good news is, many of the classic D&D archetypes are redone as AdCs. The bad news is ... they're spread across several books. IIRC, between D20 Modern Core Book, Urban Arcana, and d20 Past you'll get AdCs that replicate Wizard, Sorceror, Cleric, Ranger, Druid ... Barbarian ... Mmmmm. Can't remember, really.

If you're looking to do a "D&D Stuff In The Modern Day" campaign, look at Urban Arcana. That's ... it. Literally. They call it "from Shadow", but the setting is all about stuff from Greyhawk getting picked up and plopped into our world ... dragons with megacorporations, Drow running the media ... goblins mugging people in the subways and meeting mysterious benefactors at the local "Prancing Pony" in a dark corner booth.

Personally, its pretty hokey ... but a friend of mine ran an UA game and it was alot of fun.

But I'm not admitting that in public.

--fje

 

[genshou]

4. In addition to calculating the massive damage threshold for the D&D characters, another difficulty will be handling the differences for critical hits. Weapons in D20 Modern have critical hit damage modifiers of only x2; I'd recommend decreasing the modifiers for weapons from D&D so that they aren't relatively overpowering.

-Nate

One of the first Modern house rules I made was to add back in critical multipliers. You'll notice, though, that the weapons lists in Urban Arcana include critical multipliers greater than x2. There's actually a reason to use axes again this way.

The rules are pretty portable, and Urban Arcana does a fairly good job of some of the conversions. Unlike HT, I'm proud to admit I've played Urban Arcana. Half-celestial Dedicated Hero/Acolyte with an assault rifle makes for fun times.