My main concern would be: Can you dump an LA SWAT team into a PFRPG dungeon & not have to ad lib most of it to work. Those situations would be what I would like to know before I could really consider monetary support. I want the rules to be interchangeable in the right type of setting.This is the sort of thing I'd be interested in as well. The original d20 Modern had such a completely different power level from D&D that you had to do a lot of work to mix the two.
This is indeed one of my highest hopes for this. I have always wanted to run a game based on the world of Stephen King's Dark Tower, but there has never been a system that for me at least, adequately combined magic, ancient/medieval , and modern/historical/futuristic elements in order to run such a game.
I would *love* to see an update of D20 Modern, whether it's up to "3.5" level or as refined as D&D Pathfinder.
My only request would be to forgo the ability-based classes in favor of generic classes representing timeless archetypes that would fit into any time period or genre.
Last year I was working on an aborted d20-based post-apocalyptic campaign. Instead of these classes, I had my own classes designed as expressions of what might allow a given character to survive a post-nuclear world.
Enforcers - these characters survive by being willing to take lives without hesitation. Soldiers, assassins, bodyguards, policemen, guerilla fighters.
Gurus - these characters survive by being able to trade on rare and invaluable technical knowledge and intellect. Scientists, researchers, professors, and possibly FX-users.
Chosen - these characters survive by sheer dumb luck, or perhaps by divine intervention. (This class went along with game mechanics that allowed for varying bonuses to tasks they attempted.) While all survivors of a species-decimating apocalypse can count themselves lucky to some degree, the Chosen have that luck in spades.
Leaders - these characters survive by being charismatic, experts in human psychology, talented negotiators. Politicians, warlords, ambassadors, nobility & royalty, celebrities, clergy.
Hermits - these characters survive by living off the land (whether it's in an urban or rural environment); a sort of hybrid of Enforcers and Gurus. Survivalists, rangers, mountain men, hunters, sailors, secret agents, cultists.
Workers - these characters survive not because they have anything special to offer, but only because they have the health, stamina and strength to perform useful unspecialized labor. Most non-adventuring NPCS would fall into this category.
The lack of a single "rogue-like" class was deliberate; You might say each class reflects a different face of the classical rogue-like archetype... in this world, every character had to be a rogue in their own special way in order to survive.
I expect in a d20 Modern revamp, similar logic could prevail.
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My only request would be to forgo the ability-based classes in favor of generic classes representing timeless archetypes that would fit into any time period or genre.
I agree about the 'timeless' part - I'd like the game to support everything from past to far future. I do however have a fondness for the ability classes. I wonder, would it be possible to have both in the game as options?
I agree about the 'timeless' part - I'd like the game to support everything from past to far future. I do however have a fondness for the ability classes. I wonder, would it be possible to have both in the game as options?
My only request would be to forgo the ability-based classes in favor of generic classes representing timeless archetypes that would fit into any time period or genre.
It does seem that the ability based classes are a selling point for some and a sticking point for others. Including both may be a way to insure that the most possible support is available for the product.
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It does seem that the ability based classes are a selling point for some and a sticking point for others. Including both may be a way to insure that the most possible support is available for the product.
My only request would be to forgo the ability-based classes in favor of generic classes representing timeless archetypes that would fit into any time period or genre.
I'd like to see regular classes, a la Pathfinder, in a modern product to allow easier mixing. I always thought the ability-based stuff made more sense as a race-template than as a class, especially in a campaign where everyone is human. So you'd have a "quick human," a "strong human," a "smart human," etc. You'd get an ability bonus and maybe a few flavor abilities, maybe even some abilities that progressed as you leveled up. I know it'd be pretty cliche to be a "quick human rogue," or a "strong human fighter," but is that any different from someone playing a halfling rogue or a half-orc fighter? ANyway, just a thought.
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I'd like to see regular classes, a la Pathfinder, in a modern product to allow easier mixing. I always thought the ability-based stuff made more sense as a race-template than as a class, especially in a campaign where everyone is human. So you'd have a "quick human," a "strong human," a "smart human," etc. You'd get an ability bonus and maybe a few flavor abilities, maybe even some abilities that progressed as you leveled up. I know it'd be pretty cliche to be a "quick human rogue," or a "strong human fighter," but is that any different from someone playing a halfling rogue or a half-orc fighter? ANyway, just a thought.It does seem that the ability based classes are a selling point for some and a sticking point for others. Including both may be a way to insure that the most possible support is available for the product.
My only request would be to forgo the ability-based classes in favor of generic classes representing timeless archetypes that would fit into any time period or genre.
That thought could very well have some milage in it as a design decision. Nice thinking.
Although human is by far the most important race to get started with, I think that the system would have to support the use of other races as equals to humans. I know a lot of modern players like to play other humanoids.
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While I have a new system of choice for modern and future genres, I was a huge fan of d20 modern in general and your 3rd party stuff in specific (one of the few companies that had a blanket “allow” at my table). I wish you guys the best of luck in this and look forward to seeing what you guys come up with.
I think classic science fiction ought to be kept seperate from Occult Modern Fantasy. D20 Modern is Occult Modern Fantasy, basically because a Modern setting is rather boring without adding in some magic, voodoo, and vampires. A futuristic "Spaceships and rayguns" is interesting enough without adding in the fantasy elements. After all, you don't expect to encounter Vampires and Werewolves in Star Trek.
The Modern Setting has none of that science fiction whiz bang stuff,so it needs a little something added to it. Typically demons, vamps, werewolves and other creatures that can pass for human some of the time.
i played several d20 modern games that lacked fantasy elements and they were quite fun. Espionage, politics and even one military game. You dont have to have vamps and werewolves to make a modern game. In fact d20 modern had such things as an add on, the standard rules were without it.
My thoughts:
medieval armor doesn't work against firearms (or provides, maybe, DR 1)
Classes have bonuses to Dex for the purposes of AC; that is, you don't want to wear cumbersome armor even more, and you have a scaling bonus against threats.
But, hey, if you're going to be in a knife fight, maybe that chainmail will help ya!
... i played several d20 modern games that lacked fantasy elements and they were quite fun. Espionage, politics and even one military game. You dont have to have vamps and werewolves to make a modern game. In fact d20 modern had such things as an add on, the standard rules were without it.The main drawback was that it was not fully compatible with Dungeons and Dragons. A D20 Modern character, for instance, has a Defense Rating instead of an Armor Class, and D20 Modern character classes had inherent Defense rating adjustments that increased with level, just like their Basic Attack Bonus. Dungeons and Dragons has no such thing and neither does Pathfinder. The Defense Rating accomodates the fact that most modern characters don't wear armor, so a rationale was cooked up to prevent high level characters from getting slaughtered in a hail of bullets, supposedly they improve their combat reflexes as they increase in level and the improved Defense Rating reflects their increased ability to dodge bullets.
If a futuristic Science Fiction setting, armor might again be common place, so therefore we would switch back to Armor Class again. My solution to resolve the Science Fiction vs Primitive Armor dillemma would be to have the Armor Ratings for non-magical Pathfinder Armor ranging from 1 to 10, while Pathfinder SF armor might have ARs from 11 to 20. Futuristic and Modern weapons would have an additional stat called the Penetration Factor or PF for short. If the PF for a Laser Rifle is 8, then that would negate most of classic Pathfinder Armor, the PF would be deducted from the opponent's armor class with a negative result resolved to 0 AR (that is the armor component of the opponent's armor class would be eliminated, but the Dexterity bonus would still apply. A Suit of Full Plate Male Armor would still be of some use, but the effective Armor Rating against a Laser Rifle would be 2 giving the opponent an armor class of 12 (assuming a 0 Dexterity modifier) against a character armed with...
Armor is playing a much bigger part than people give it credit for in the modern world. Soldiers are wearing extensive armor systems. Cops without body armor are fewer & fewer, even in small town America. Crooks are deciding body armor is smart. I can see sticking with Armor Class for a modern game, because the Heroes are the smarter ones buying body armor. No, the average citizen isn't wearing it, but the average commoner didn't either. I am fine with unarmored characters, even high level one, getting their butts shot full of holes. Too many times firearms are gimped in d20 games. Not so much because they can't be statted right, but to keep swords & bows viable options. The old saying is, "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight."
Basic d20 Modern pistol 2d6 crit x2
My d20 Modern Pistol 2d6 crit 18-20 x3
Hollow Point rounds 3d6 crit 15-20 x3
Over penetrating bullets 2d6 crit x3
Nastiness for sure, but guns are no joke. If they were the pansy things in most stats, then we really would still be using swords.
I dunno, people deal with ranged touch vs. regular ranged attacks already.
And, as Xorial points out, armor in a modern game generally WILL be resistant to bullets. So, 99% of the time, AC = normal.
In a modern game there should be more provision for dodge bonuses primarily because modern games will typically be a lot less accepting of folks wandering around in body armor. (With the exception of war or post-holocaust scenarios)
Thinking about it, I think the cleanest way to do it would be to treat firearms as ranged touch attacks and ballistic armor as bonus to touch attacks when shot at.
So:
AC: 16, touch: 14, FF: 12 (leather +2, Dex +4)
Ballistic: 18 (ballistic plates/armor +4)
So you want to go the Alternity route with multiple armor classes? Alternity wasn't exactly like this, what it had was different sets of damage reduction dice for different attack forms. Alternity classified attacks into three categories: Low Impact, High Empact, and Energy weapons. Hits from arrows and swords, and fists.
In Alternity, armor also came with three different damage protection values, i.e., how well it stood up against Low-Impact damage from man-powered melee or ranged weapons, High-Impact damage from ballistic weapons, and Energy damage from high-tech weaponry (both ranged and melee) which depended on energy attacks.
In addition, Alternity also recognized that some weapons had greater Firepower than others and automatically increased their damage code up one category in lethality. Most weapons came with three different damage codes, too...so you could determine how much damage it would do on an Ordinary, Good, or Amazing hit. So, it had a lot more complexity to it. I'm not sure you could fully duplicate everything from Alternity in a Pathfinder version of a modern or sci-fi game. But, there are certainly some design elements that could be borrowed. Most specifically, the differing armor values vs. different types of attacks.
But that's just my two-cents,
--Neil (a long-time Alternity fan)
If something new is added to armor values, I think it needs to be easily explained that it is a quality of modern armor. That way it isn't a stat that you have to add to regular PF character sheets if you run a cross over. That was the problem with the dodge bonuses to defense in d20 Modern. People playing D&D would wonder why they didn't get them. The you had a nightmare of adding those stats to any D&D monster you wanted to use in the modern world.
The problems I have had with modern & scifi armors was an author describing them as so awesome & able to take on heavy weapons. Then you have a guy in powered assault armor taken down by a handgun, which in the fluff shouldn't even scratch the armor. I just started adding DR to modern/future armors, where appropriate. Not changing the AC bonus, just adding to. That way a powered armor suit could still be AC9, like full plate, but have a DR 10 or DR 20. Harsh DR, but in the setting AP rounds would penetrate DR.
I am not a modern role play kind of guy. Sci Fi maybe
Science Fiction is a pretty broad catagory, ranging from futuristic Space Opera to gritty Cyberpunk social commentary to relatively realistic Jules Verne stuff.
Making a Pathfinder Science Fiction RPG is not quite so easy without further refining the setting(s) intended. :(
That said - something Space Opera-ish could be awesome!
I would use different damage resistances (based on material used) similar to what is used in pathfinder. This seems to be the best match with modern armors, while still keeping armor classes relative. For instance, you can have cloth that reflects laser blasts, but you will get hit all the time. The difference is what hits you.
This will take into account touch attacks, etc.
You should also implement a timeline, where PF modern can be played in the old west, bablyon 5, star wars, etc. The only difference is better technology and materials (like spell progression).
I've always wondered what alternative interpretations people have about robots. I'd love to see robots constantly having existential crises -- "But if all I am is a bunch of bits of information floating around in a neural network, how am I to know whether any of this at all is true? I mean, I could actually be a brain floating in a jar! Or maybe I'm just part of some virtual reality simulation! Do you know how this all makes me feel, bursting into consciousness in pieces on a lab table?!"
Let me first say that I don't believe we should copy Alternity's three-code damage stats for weapons. We should avoid thinking of melee weapons as "normal" or "baseline" with firearms and DEWs being elite. Rather, we should look at ballistic weapons as being the norm; think of arrows, swords, clubs, as slower moving but more massive 'bullets,' with the futuristic energy weapons acting as faster-moving 'bullets' with zero (or very little) mass.
However, I liked the approach of using DR for armor protectiveness, though I think armor class should 'have a say' as well. A set of armor should give a defense bonus to represent the amount of cover they give to the wearer: a full suit should protect more than a half-suit, and a half-suit better than a shirt, and a shirt better than a vest, etc. The armor's DR depends on the armor's construction material and reduces damage from attacks that strike it.
Mechanically, a character would track four values: their Defense scoure (equal to normal AC), their Touch score (equal to touch AC), their armor's DR, and also CMD.
There would be three possible results for any attack rather than simply doing the binary wargame-like "hit-or-miss" method.
Miss: If the attack roll doesn't make your Touch score, it's a complete miss altogether--no damage is dealt.
Hit: If the attack roll defeats your Touch score but NOT your Defense score, your armor's DR applies, absorbing some or all of the damage. Some armors might have the special quality of converting lethal damage to nonlethal (for example kevlar vs. weapons dealing ballistic damage) while force-field armor could do something similar against energy damage.
Wound: If the attack roll defeats your Touch AND Defense scores, your armor's DR doesn't apply, and you take the attack's full damage.
Of course, a natural 20 will always hit, though it may not auto-Wound if the attack roll does not defeat the Defense.
In other words--
The Defense bonus might be +1 to +4 for minor cover or combinations of the following (helmets, bracers, pauldrons, greaves, etc.), while moderate cover would range from +5 to +8 for moderate cover (vests, shirts, aprons, etc.), while suits that cover most or all of the body would have Defense bonuses of +9 or better with no limit (technically +infinity, but 100% coverage could be designated as de jure +20 with the same results).
For example, a full suit of leather with a Dex of 18 would give a Defense of 34 (10+20+4) and Touch of 14 (not including any level-based Defense bonus). That may seem like a huge Defense score, but the effect is merely that the damage from any hits taken would be subject to DR in the vast majority of situations, but the 2 DR of leather would not help very much against significant damage. Conversely a breastplate made of futuristic carbon nanotubes might have a huge DR but low Defense. You will take full damage a lot wearing it, but when the armor does come into play, your DR will soak it all.
Your ideal set of armor, then, would be a high-Defense, high-DR armor. i.e. your classic "space marine" powered armor.
As an aside I also house-ruled grenade-like area attacks to account for armor-- A grenade attack required the attack roll vs. AC 10 to also hit each victim's AC in the AOE to do "the other half" of the damage. So if you made your Reflex save AND your AC was better than the attacker's d20 roll, you took no damage; if your AC didn't make it XOR if your Reflex save failed, you took half. If you failed in both, you took the full damage. Also, the Evasion talent for Fast Heroes would apply as appropriate, making the AC check superfluous on a successful Reflex save.
Lastly, I suppose AOE energy attacks (such as flamethrowers) ought to grant an equipment-based attack bonus because of their tendency to engulf their targets, which would be balanced by having their damage reduced because of its being distributed over so much of an area.
What's important for me, is that we don't create a whole new game for Modern and Future RPG, I'd much rather it be a part of the Pathfinder RPG as a supplementary rules addition rather than redoing how hit and miss and damage is assigned. Armor Class is a statistical treatment reflecting the toughness of the armor, but instead of absorbing damage directly, it makes you hit less often, this is the way Pathfinder does it, and I would like to make any future rules supplment compatible with Pathfinder so that it is part of the Pathfinder rules, not a seperate RPG. I'll even throw in the Dexterity bonuses to the Bal and En scores.
Agreed wholeheartedly.
The problems I have had with modern & scifi armors was an author describing them as so awesome & able to take on heavy weapons. Then you have a guy in powered assault armor taken down by a handgun, which in the fluff shouldn't even scratch the armor. I just started adding DR to modern/future armors, where appropriate. Not changing the AC bonus, just adding to. That way a powered armor suit could still be AC9, like full plate, but have a DR 10 or DR 20. Harsh DR, but in the setting AP rounds would penetrate DR.
In my group, we treat powered armors as Animated Objects, which have hardness rather than DR, so it is effective even against most spell damage as well as weapons. So, if we imported guns into our (steampunk-ish fantasy) setting, AP rounds would be made of Adamantine, and just bypass the first 20 points of hardness, like normal. We also allow enchanting a powered armor as if it were regular armor, which boosts hardness and hit points as normal for an enchanted armor.
I agree keep the core mechanics as close to pathfinder as possible, but if you have advance rules for modern armor, weapons, etc. you may find fanatasy players buy the modern/sci-fi rule book as an extension of pre-existing rules. You can even have an advanced DR system per my previous post.
In regards to adding in helmets, bracers, chest pieces, etc. as additional armor, you should take a look at 1st edition oriental adventures, as different pieces added a little more to AC, but it wasn't abusive.
With a modern book along with the current core book, or advanced player guide, you can have fantasy, sci-fi, etc. intermingled.
In regards to timeline, just take a look at GURPS 3rd or 4th edition, in regards to how they break out technology levels. The key is not to develop a whole line of books to cover modern, post apocalyptic, space opera, etc. like the old D20 modern.
I agree keep the core mechanics as close to pathfinder as possible, but if you have advance rules for modern armor, weapons, etc. you may find fanatasy players buy the modern/sci-fi rule book as an extension of pre-existing rules. You can even have an advanced DR system per my previous post.
In regards to adding in helmets, bracers, chest pieces, etc. as additional armor, you should take a look at 1st edition oriental adventures, as different pieces added a little more to AC, but it wasn't abusive.
With a modern book along with the current core book, or advanced player guide, you can have fantasy, sci-fi, etc. intermingled.
In regards to timeline, just take a look at GURPS 3rd or 4th edition, in regards to how they break out technology levels. The key is not to develop a whole line of books to cover modern, post apocalyptic, space opera, etc. like the old D20 modern.
I like that idea. Instead of just making it an updated version of d20 Modern, make it an extention of Pathfinder to cover alternate time periods. You could even stretch that backwards to cover bronze age or stone age settings, as well as modern. (Who's up for hunting some dinosaurs with flint spears?)
However, I liked the approach of using DR for armor protectiveness, though I think armor class should 'have a say' as well. A set of armor should give a defense bonus to represent the amount of cover they give to the wearer: a full suit should protect more than a half-suit, and a half-suit better than a shirt, and a shirt better than a vest, etc. The armor's DR depends on the armor's construction material and reduces damage from attacks that strike it.Mechanically, a character would track four values: their Defense scoure (equal to normal AC), their Touch score (equal to touch AC), their armor's DR, and also CMD.
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I like the core of your idea, but how about this:
For defense you have your AC, and Touch AC. Armor always gives its Armor Bonus, and can grant DR or Hardness.
Melee, Ranged, or simple Ballistic weapons strike AC.
Armor Penetrating Ballistic or Energy weapons strike Touch AC.
DR protects from all physical attacks, but not Energy weapon attacks. Hardness protects you from Energy weapons as well. (Same rules as apply with magic.)
A modern basic kevlar vest would have a low to moderate Armor bonus, and grant DR x/piercing or bludgeoning. A Bullet Proof vest with armor plates might grant DR x/-. A blast suit might have a 0 or even negative Armor bonus (to reflect that you really can't move well in it), but would grant hardness, protecting you from almost anything (reflects protection from heat and concussion of an explosion - ie. Fire and Sonic damage).
I think this thread is getting a little off track. Though I am certain we all have lots of ideas of what we would like in a PF modern game, that is probably best expressed in the forums that will be created in association with the patronage project. After all the best part of a patronage project is how much we the patrons will be able to provide input.
But here in this thread I think we are best not going into specifics. General inquiries such as 'will you be using the stat based classes' is fine, because thats a general selling point that would positively or negatively influence your desire to be patron, but specifics on Armor, DR, weaponry or timeline are probably outside the scope of this thread, which is really just looking for general interest in such a project.
And alot of back and forth on what people want in terms of rules may squeeze out (read: cause to go unnoticed) the additional voices of support that are still creeping in from people who are just noticing the thread (which is the purpose in the first place).
You have a point.
So, it's February now. What's the state of the union for this month, Super Geniuses? :D
Fair enough, my interest in such a product, would be any new rules would be an extension of existing rules for pathfinder core, including a timeline to differentiate technologies. If there are new rules, they should be backwards compatable, in regards to using them in a fantasy environment.
So instead of having advanced power weapons/armor/materials, you could substiture the appropriate magical element.
You have a point.
So, it's February now. What's the state of the union for this month, Super Geniuses? :D
We finalized the "official" announcement and Owen should be posting it soon.
H.
You have a point.
So, it's February now. What's the state of the union for this month, Super Geniuses? :D
We finalized the "official" announcement and Owen should be posting it soon.
H.
I'll keep an eye open for it. Thanks! :D
I think this thread is getting a little off track. Though I am certain we all have lots of ideas of what we would like in a PF modern game, that is probably best expressed in the forums that will be created in association with the patronage project. After all the best part of a patronage project is how much we the patrons will be able to provide input.
But here in this thread I think we are best not going into specifics. General inquiries such as 'will you be using the stat based classes' is fine, because thats a general selling point that would positively or negatively influence your desire to be patron, but specifics on Armor, DR, weaponry or timeline are probably outside the scope of this thread, which is really just looking for general interest in such a project.
And alot of back and forth on what people want in terms of rules may squeeze out (read: cause to go unnoticed) the additional voices of support that are still creeping in from people who are just noticing the thread (which is the purpose in the first place).
*nods*
Ok, aiming for generalities here.
- Monsters and characters should be interchangeable across systems with no more than 5 minutes time spent converting over genre-specific stats--not including genre-specific weapons, equipment, and vehicles. (one may assume that innate racial and class abilities are not world-specific and should be able to exist freely in either setting without any need for conversion). I exclude weapons, equipment, and vehicles because there are often specialized rules that cover their usage which may have unforeseen incompatibilities or balance issues in the "alternate universe". Of course, sorcerers in a magic-less modern-day world can present balance issues of their own, but that's for the DM to cope with. :-)
- Inasmuch as PF D&D does not hobble characters who multiclass, PF Modern should make it even less disadvantageous if it is posisble, since people in the developed world must be able to readily master multiple unrelated disciplines in order to be successful in the 21st century. From the POV of a DM I might require every PC to multiclass and have every NPC in my game multiclass as well. PF Modern should take it as a given that the vast majority of characters in the developed world are multiclassed to some extent (even if their secondary class is no higher than 1st or 2nd level and more than 10 levels behind the primary). Of course, characters from developing or undeveloped or "fourth world" nations might not fit this model, if they grew up under a political system or culture that did not offer them a well-rounded education or a broad range of practical experience outside of manual unskilled labor. For example, a subsistence farmer and a person born a slave will not likely have had the opportunity to multiclass prior to becoming an adventurer/hero.
- I really liked how d20 Modern organized its Craft and Knowledge sub-skills. Not so much the Speak Language sub-skills; I feel each Linguistics sub-skill should cover an entire "language group." It's not as realistic, but it is more practical.
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There are two things we have needed
"official" wording for before we could start taking pledges for this project: a list of what the various patronage levels would be (and what you'd get for each level), and a declaration of our design goals.
Here are the Patronage Levels:
$5, $10, $15: Donation. We add you to the list of patrons, but you do NOT receive access to the design boards, or any copy of the final book. This is provided purely for individual who wish to make a small donation to the project, but aren't interested in being part of the process or buying a book in advance, and we include only due to fan requests that such an option exist.
$50 Full Patron. You have access to the exclusive design forums, where the game designers will post thoughts and progress, and ask for feedback. You will receive one .pdf copy of the finale book, one full-color hardback copy of the final book, access to the playtest versions of the game, and be credited as a full patron in the credits at the back of the book.
$100 Benefactor. As lower ranks, plus all the head game designers sign your print copy of the book and you receive a personalized sketch from RPG designer and artist Stan!.
$250 Companion. As lower ranks, but you also get an NPC based on you (or created with your input if you prefer). The first six patrons to commit to this level or higher may choose to have their NPC be an iconic - a major character used throughout the book and likely in future publications.
$5000 Champion Patron. You get your signed copy of the final hardback hand-delivered by one of the designers, who also runs an introductory game at your house for you and up to five or your closest friends. (continental US only)
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Here are our official design goals, the blueprint we plan to use to form all decisions.
The P20 Modern Project (name subject to change) is dedicated to creating a revised and improved version of core d20 rpg rules, designed to update the Modern SRD rules, and bring many of the innovations pioneered by the Pathfinder RPG into the genre of modern gaming. The head design team intends to take the time to consider every aspect of the game rules prior to beginning the process of writing, and the project allows time and resources to ensure any new rule is thoroughly researched, developed and playtested before becoming part of the final project.
Obviously such an undertaking requires flexibility regarding the path of design, but patrons also have a right to know what the end-goal of the project is. This the following core design principles are presented, to outline what we plan to achieve.
Using the Modern SRD as our baseline, and the Pathfinder SRD as a blueprint for updates and improvements, create a streamlined, updated, complete core d20 ruleset able to support campaigns set in a wide range of post-industrial settings. Backwards compatibility with both the Pathfinder RPG and Modern SRD is a design goal, though it is secondary to creating the best rpg possible drawing from those two sources.
The game will be anchored by a set of flexible, balanced, useful core classes that can be used to represent a slew of modern and futuristic character archetypes easily even at 1st level, but remain versatile enough to be used in games with civilian or military focus, high magic and psionics or limited to real-world technology.
Characters from the finished RPG should be interchangeable, from a balance and rules perspective if not one of storyline, with characters from the RPG Pathfinder Core Rulebook. If you want to have paramedics and SWAT members taking on dragons and labyrinths, this product will be designed to assist you.
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$250 Companion. As lower ranks, but you also get an NPC based on you (or created with your input if you prefer). The first six patrons to commit to this level or higher may choose to have their NPC be an iconic - a major character used throughout the book and likely in future publications.
DO WANT! :)
( eagerly awaiting official notice .. )
Owen,
Can one pay in installments to upgrade to a higher patronage class or does it have to be all at once? Let's say I throw in $50 off the back, but work towards $250?
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We are finalizing our budget, and once we have that we can set up to take pledges. This is likely to be a two-step process, because taking people's money isn't free and we will give back everyone's money if the project doesn't meet the required funding level. We want to make sure people are really interested enough to do this before any money changes hands, since it'll cost us to receive it and then send it back if we don't get the support needed.
The current plan is to set up a dedicated email address and related web page. We will asks those interested to send us an email pledging a specific amount of money, for this project, as outlined by our design guidelines. The web page will tell people what our final funding level needs to be, and how close to it we are. If pledges hit that goal in 30 days, we'll set about actually allowing people to send us the money they have pledged.
We have a 30 day time frame from the time of the first pledges to hit our required pledge level to ensure no one is left in limbo. Budgets are tight, and there's a lot of cool game stuff out there. (And even other cool patron projects.) We don't want anyone to have money they are saving for our project to be stuck sitting on it too long. If we make our pledge level, we can actually take everyone's money and get started. If we don't, we want everyone to be free to spend their money elsewhere in a timely manner.
We hope to have the final budget, email address for pledges and web page to track how close we are soon. We'll post those details here once we do.