I'm not very fond of the standard d20 modern base classes--they're colorless and bland in my opinion. The prestige classes are generally okay. Are there other sources of d20 modern base classes out there that you have tried and might be able to recommend as an alternative?
I'm thinking about making some slight alterations to some of the D&D base classes and using those instead, or allowing players to gestalt d20 modern base classes.
I'm either going to run a freewheeling Dark continent exploration game set in the late Victorian era or a gritty sci-fi game of some sort, with d20 modern as the base system.
Well specifically if you're looking at a Victorian era thing you might check out the D20 version of Adventure. The classes in that are quite good. Spycraft has another good set if you want to do anything military. The backgrounds in Call of Cthuhlu are great, and you can use them to add dimensionality to the base class (like what they have in PHB II).
Another, more high power solution, would be to take the Modern Prestige Classes and use them as the classes for the game. They're excellent and it would add a little muscle into a game that otherwise tends to feel a little weaker than standard D&D.
Personally the biggest beef I have with Modern D20 is the lousy naming. The Strong Hero, The Fast Hero, Blarg! Honestly a lot could be fixed just with nominclature. Call the Smart Hero the Mastermind and you're already come a long way. The names are a lot of what makes it feel so bland and repellant.
Thanks Grimcleaver, I'll research your suggestions. I agree that the names are a big part of what makes the base classes bland. There's lots to like about d20 modern, but the base classes are an exception.
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I like the versitility offered in the mix and match concept that the d20 Modern base classes offer but you're right the names are bland. The Game Mechanics has a book that Green Ronin prints or you can get as a pair of PDFs called the Modern Player's Companion that might help also.
In the MPC they offer quite a few named class combos that outline a suggested progression that is more themed than the base classes alone without giving up the versitility of the Modern Base Classes. Unfortunately a few of these combos may not be as usable for the era you're planning to run as you might like, but they should inspire you to create your own.
You might try Darwin's World as well. I can not recall the publisher, but if I remember correctly they have a couple of "modern" base classes, as well as some prestige classes.