d20 Modern

Overall score:

We don't really need to rehash all the d20 issues, do we? I mean, we all know what the issues are and where we stand on them, so let's not start something that will inevitably just get ugly. Let's just look at the project as objectively as possible in the context of the issues that have already been argued ad infinitum. (And yes, I know that's not really possible.) d20 Modern is Wizards of the Coast's new stand-alone RPG in the d20 idiom, and it tells you up front what it is for. It purports to bring action-adventure movies to life in a cinematic RPG that is not grounded in gritty realism but modern heroism. Sounds pretty good, huh? I thought of a dozen applications for d20 Modern off the top of my head: spy thrillers, street vigilante adventures, modern paramilitary campaigns, etc. As it turns out, d20 Modern is not too concerned with any of those kinds of stories, contrary to what the cover and introduction say. This RPG is, in a lot of ways, tailored specifically for cinematic-style "modern fantasy" roleplaying. If that's what you want, d20 Modern provides it in the context of the ubiquitous d20 system. If you wanted something more or something different, though, d20 Modern is going to be a partial or total let-down.

Let's start by looking at the system's strengths. Right off the bat, the presentation is a big plus—the cover and illustrations are quite good, the organization is neat and tidy, and the layout is just fine. [editor's note: I think the pictures are kinda stupid, but that's just me.] It's very shiny and colorful and impressive at first glance. So that's a good start. But let's look at the more substantive issues.

The system's other big strength is the character generation system, where d20 Modern appears to be trying its hardest to actually be flexible and modular. Classes are kept for the sake of structure (and, probably, just for old time's sake) but they are general, relating to a character's focal attribute: Strong Hero, Fast Hero, Tough Hero, Smart Hero, Dedicated Hero, and Charismatic Hero. Each class gets a push in a general direction and a few universally applicable special bonuses that could apply to just about any PC a character could want to make. The attributes, skills, feats, and hit points are all produced in standard form, so those will only be new to people who have spent the last four years under a rock (well, a rock that didn't have any d20 products under it). Some minor changes are necessary but don't add much, like new abstract values for wealth and reputation.

Two new additions add to the "modern" flavor, though. The first is action points—PCs start out with a few, and they can spend them at any given time to get an arbitrary bonus for an action. It's not really a "new" idea, but it's nice to see WoTC implementing it. The only drawback is that PCs get a handful every time they level, and that's the only way to earn them. It would have been nice to see the earning of action points as a substantive performance incentive—instead, they are just part of the leveling-up package. The other nice addition is the profession system; a set of very general jobs is provided (academic, law enforcement, blue collar, rural) and a PC can choose one during character generation to represent his/her job history. The profession choice gives the PC bonuses to some skills, wealth, and possibly a new feat. A PC can choose a profession regardless of class, so you can be a military fast hero (sniper), military tough hero (drill sergeant), or military charismatic hero (recruiting officer). This added flexibility gives PCs more leeway in which advanced classes they can choose to aim for.

The advanced classes (otherwise known as prestige classes) are good in that they are much more specific than the basic classes, providing more specific bonuses and defining the PC more clearly. For this reason, advanced classes become available much earlier than in some d20 games—around level 4 or 5. Two advanced classes are provided for each basic class (although it's possible to get to any advanced class from any basic class—professions help with this) and they cover most of the action hero archetypes: soldier, daredevil, infiltrator, investigator, martial artist, etc. Absent, though, are guidelines for creating new advanced classes; these would have been helpful, especially considering that d20 Modern is geared toward new RPG gamers.

The mechanics are standard d20, with all the advantages and drawbacks inherent to the system. The basic rules don't seem to specifically work for or against the modern setting, with gun and vehicle rules fitting in adequately but not spectacularly. The combat rules are not particularly easy to navigate, but d20 players will be familiar with this. The experience system is also the same, although it is explained in great detail for new gamemasters. In giving examples of Encounter Levels, the writers give only one non-combat example, showing that it produces no experience. This unintentionally makes it all too clear that the system only rewards combat.

d20 Modern provides a fairly large section on equipment and vehicles, although I would have liked more. Modern life and modern roleplaying are all about the equipment, and more is better until you reach the point of redundancy. There were plenty of weapons and vehicles I wanted stats on that simply weren't included. In contrast, the monster section ("Creature Factory") was too extensive, relying heavily on reprinting stats on monsters straight out of D&D and not spending enough pages on human NPCs. This is where the heavy modern-fantasy bias of d20 Modern first becomes evident. Page after page of D&D monsters are provided with cute illustrations to show how they work in the modern idiom: a bugbear policeman, a kobold green beret, a gnoll pimp, etc. Seeing this, I wondered if I was the only one that didn't plan on using d20 Modern to pit a SWAT team against a green dragon. The game had claimed that it was designed for roleplaying in a modern setting, and the first half of the book bore out this premise. It never mentioned that there were going to be D&D monsters and such, whether I liked it or not.

The chapter on settings only confirmed this suspicion that d20 Modern secretly wanted me to play "Urban D&D." The writers recommend the use of a catchall PC-employing organization called Department-7 regardless of the specifics of the campaign. They actually do a good job of describing Dept-7 in very general terms so they can have a shorthand for PC sponsorship throughout the book, especially so novice gaming groups don't have to worry about the hurdle of bringing the PCs together. The settings chapter lays out three campaign frameworks in very general terms, with a background description and a few adventure ideas for each. Each campaign setting is also furnished with a few additional advanced classes that work specifically for that setting. The settings themselves, though, are disappointing. The first, "Shadow-Chasers", is a Buffy look-alike, with dark forces encroaching on modern society and a group of fresh-faced young heroes fighting back with Gen-X attitude and a little mysticism. Nothing thrilling. The second setting, "Agents of PSI," is arguably the most interesting one, focusing on X-Files-style paranoia and shadowy Illuminati types with some psychic phenomena mixed in. The third setting is—surprise!—the modernized D&D amalgam without any fun TV show trappings; it's predictably called "Urban Arcana." This chapter is a letdown, revealing two things about the game's writers. First, they don't have much faith in the adaptability and versatility of their own product. Second, they think that gaming without supernatural elements is not fun. It seems a little deceptive, considering that the game is being marketed as a versatile system for recreating action-movie adventures.

The last chapter is called "FX Abilities," which is a lame attempt to draw attention from the fact that these "abilities" are just spells, psionics, and magic items straight out of D&D. The gestures toward originality are feeble—a magic missile is still a magic missile, and magic armor is still magic armor (even if you call it a "leather jacket of toughness." Ugh). It's probably pretty obvious that I think that the second half of d20 Modern betrays the potential hinted at in the first half. And it seems that the preference for modern-fantasy style is simply a way to accommodate the writers' laziness—it allows them to pad the rules with spells and monsters stolen straight from D&D.

Overall, though, d20 Modern still has solid potential for people who like the combat-oriented, rules-heavy d20 playing style. The character generation system is more flexible and fun than any of the other variations released by WoTC under the rubric of the d20 system. The good news is that most players know the d20 system well enough to take what they want from d20 Modern and leave the rest, helping the game live up to the potential that is largely squandered by the pro-D&D agenda lurking behind the scenes.

[editor's note: In other words, d20 Modern claims to support all genres of modern adventure, but only goes into detail on one of them. If you want to use the game for anything other than urban fantasy you can certainly do so, but you've got to come up with most of it on your own.]

Written by Kid_Kilowatt on January 29th, 2003