The Modern Dispatch 070 - Genre Templates, Podreczniki RPG, The Modern Dispatch
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The
Modern
Dispatch
Genre Templates
By Barak Blackburn
Introduction
There are times when a Game Master (and
hopefully, her players) will want to emulate
a specific genre of fiction or media and
the Modern D20 rules do not support this
particular genre exactly to the fit required.
brawl without embarrassing himself. Forget
trying to model a party of characters on
The
Magnificent Seven
, each of whom was not
only skilled with a gun but also had another
qualifying specialty.
#
70
Content Manager:
Charles Rice, Chris Davis
Layout:
Chris Davis
It isnʼt fun being incompetent. Genre
Templates enable competence within the
tropes of a particular genre.
One option is to purchase one of the many
Modern D20 support products produced by
third-party publishers, all of which devote
a good amount of detail to emulating a
particular genre. But what if you donʼt
want to go into that much detail, or you
want a genre that isnʼt covered by any
supplements?
Using the above example, at 1
st
level,
If Ani (the GM) is running a Western game
for Mark and Grant at third level, they
would most likely want Point Blank Shot,
Precise Shot and Quick Draw to make their
gunfighters, thus, using up all their available
feats.
Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying
Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the
United States and other countries and are used
with permission. ‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20
System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the
Coast, Inc. and are used according to the terms
of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy
of this License can be found at www.wizards.
com/d20.
At sixth level they could each choose
Improved Initiative, or maybe Grant saw his
character Diego “El Diablo” Gutierrez as a
bit of a pugilist, so he picks up Brawl. He is
finally now (at 6
th
level) able to get into a bar
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Mark has decided his character Black
Seth is lightning fast and selects Improved
Initiative. Grant wants Diego to kick some
ass in melee and selects Power Attack.
the same. Within a particular genre,
adding a Genre Template to all significant
characters will not change them in regards
to one another, however, when dealing
with insignificant characters, significant
characters will be at an advantage.
significant character has a particular feat or
ability does not ensure or require that they
have all the pre-requisites. When they want
to pick up a feat or ability that requires pre-
requisites that they do not have, they will
have to acquire them.
But, what about Point Blank Shot, Precise
Shot and Quick Draw?
• Genre Templates are not over-powered:
significant characters are not harder to hit,
they not have additional hit points... They
are simply able to do the cool stuff that
characters in that genre do with regularity.
For instance: a character in a Modern d20
campaign might get Point Blank Shot
from their particular Genre Template, but
unless he has a Dexterity of 13 he cannot
get Double Tap (even though a 13 Dex is
required for Point Blank Shot).
See the appropriate Genre Template for the
answer!
What are Genre Templates?
• Genre Templates are designed to be
“plug and play.”
Tweaks:
These are simple rules add-ons that
are designed to be seamlessly integrated into
a campaign.
• Genre Templates are add-ons that
give each player access to the skills and
abilities typically possessed by significant
characters within in a given genre.
How do they work?
Optional:
Some Templates have optional
rules provided, which allow for more drastic
changes in the rules to emulate a particular
genre. These are a bit more radical than the
Tweaks, and so are presented as options,
usable at the discretion of the Game Master.
• Genre Templates unlock the coolest
bits of the d20 system for each character
allowing players to customize their
characters while ensuring that each
character has a bare minimum degree of
competency within the given genre.
When a campaign starts, add the Genre
Template to each player and other significant
characters.
Genre Templates are comprised of the
following sections:
Beginning on the next page, we present five
different Genre Templates for use with the
Modern D20 rules set.
• Genre Templates are not complicated
rules additions. There is no need to
add layers of difficulty to the already
comprehensive d20 system.
Skills:
These are the skills that all significant
characters always have access to as class
skills.
Feats and abilities:
These are the feats and
special abilities that all significant characters
automatically have. However, just because a
• Genre Templates are not “balanced.”
Not every Genre Template is designed
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rank to Balance, Jump, and Tumble skills.
Not one point for each, but one point total.
Thus, all three skills will increase at the
same rate requiring only one skill point. In
addition, Significant Characters have a max
rank of their character level +13 on these
skills.
Tweaks:
• Significant Characters s do not provoke
Attacks of Opportunity when using a
firearm.
• Intimidation can be used with either
Strength or Charisma.
Wire Fu 2:
Double the unadjusted base
speed for all Significant Characters if they
are wearing nothing heavier than light
armor.
Optional:
Showdowns:
The typical scene--a dusty
street, with a gunfighter at each end. They
stare at eachother for what seems like an
eternity, and then draw and fire!
For a Few Dice More:
The Spaghetti Western
For a showdown, all parties involved
make an Initiative check and roll damage
as normal. When a character is hit, they
not only take damage, but must make a
Fortitude save with the DC set as 10+ 1⁄2
the character level of the attacking character.
If this check is failed, they drop to 0 hit
points.
Crouching Dragon, Hidden
Dice: The Wuxia Genre
Skills:
Intimidate, Ride
(If you canʼt ride a horse, you ainʼt much of
a cowboy...and although some folks might
want to start without being intimidatinʼ,
eventually they might want to work on their
stare.)
Skills:
Balance, Jump, Move Silently and Tumble.
Feats:
Acrobatic, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack.
The Staredown:
When a man is mean
enough, folks take notice and few can
draw their guns fast enough to react. The
character makes an opposed Intimidate
check against any enemies within 30ʼ. Any
character failing the intimidate check suffers
a penalty on his initiative checks equal to
the difference. Any character with a final
initiative check below zero loses their action
for the first round and remains flat footed for
the second round of combat until they act.
Tweaks:
• Significant Characters get a +10 Genre
Bonus to all Balance, Jump, and Tumble
checks.
Feats:
Combat Martial Arts (Brawl might seem
more appropriate namewise, but really,
cowboys are good at their fisticuffs and
Combat Martial Arts represents this.),
Personal Firearms Proficiency, Point Blank
Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw.
• Significant Characters have no maximum
distance on their jump checks.
Optional:
Wire Fu:
One skill point spent adds one
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Jade Bullet Die:
Hong Kong Style Gunplay
New Feat
: Characters using this genre
template have the opportunity to get this
Feat, if they meet the prerequisites.
initiate the Mexican Standoff by foregoing
his action for the round and being in visual
range of any other character he wishes to
engage.
Skills:
Intimidate, Jump, Tumble.
Rain of Bullets, Rain of Blood
The initiating character makes an Intimidate
check. Each opposed character makes a Will
save. Failure means they may act normally.
If they make the save, they are engaged in
the Mexican Standoff.
Prerequisites:
15 ranks in Intimidate,
Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Double Tap,
Combat Reflexes, Quick Draw, Improved
Initiative.
Feats:
Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced
Firearms Proficiency, Burst Fire, Point
Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Shot on the Run,
Skip Shot, Two–Weapon Fighting, Quick
Draw.
Engaged characters leave initiative (but
if there are unengaged characters, the
engaged characters are still targets, although
they get an initial +2 Too-Cool Bonus to
Defense which increases +2 each round they
are engaged in the Standoff.) During the
Standoff, characters may communicate, load
their weapons, and prepare for the end of the
Standoff, but they may not do anything that
gives them an advantage over their foes.
Benefit:
Characters with this feat are able
to clear a room before anyone has a chance
to do anything. When a character with
this feat drops a foe (below 0 Hit Points)
with a ranged weapon, they may make an
immediate additional ranged attack against
any other foe within 30ʼ of the downed foe.
This extra attack is made with the same
bonus as the attack that downed the foe. A
character may make an additional number of
attacks equal to his Dexterity modifier +1.
Tweaks:
• Infinite Bullets: Significant Characters
never run out of ammo unless they roll a
natural 1 on an attack roll.
• Significant Characters do not provoke
Attacks of Opportunity when using a
firearm.
Once engaged, characters make Will saves
every round with the DC starting at 10 and
increasing by 2 each round. Every round
that a character makes their save they add
a +2 Cool Bonus to their Cool Pool. Any
character may willingly leave the Standoff
at any time. Once one character voluntarily
leaves the Standoff, any character still
engaged may either remain engaged,
continuing to add to their Cool Poll, but is
unable to do anything else other than move,
or they may disengage as well, gaining an
Optional:
Threatening:
As noted above, firearms do
not provoke AoO while using the Template.
With this option, firearms do threaten
adjacent squares and SCs can make use
of the following feats (if they have them):
Whirlwind Attack, Improved Feint, and
Combat Expertise.
Mexican Standoff:
One character chooses to
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additional +2 Cool Bonus for not flinching
first!
Feat:
Characters using this genre template
have the opportunity to get this Feat, if they
meet the prerequisites.
any type of gun and using it to cause
massive destruction!), Strafe, Point Blank
Shot, Precise Shot, Combat Martial Arts,
Improved Damage Threshold. Evasion (if a
character already possesses Evasion or if he
later acquires it, he gains Improved Evasion-
this ability works like evasion, except that
while the character still takes no damage
on a successful Reflex saving throw against
attacks and he takes only half damage on
a failed save--Ever notice how, even with
explosions happening all around them, 80ʼs
stars rarely get a scratch on them?)
The character who initiated the disengage
gets an additional +6 Getting the Drop
Bonus to initiative.
Ranged Cleave
Prerequisites:
Point Blank Shot, Precise
Shot, Quick Draw, Strafe, Burst Fire, Wis
15+, Dex 17+, Combat Reflexes, BAB+9
A character who fails their Will save leaves
the Standoff and opens fire and they add
their Cool Bonus to initiative.
Benefit:
If you deal a creature enough
damage to make it drop (typically by
dropping it to below 0 hit points or killing it)
with a ranged attack, you get an immediate,
extra melee attack against another creature
within 30ʼ of you. The extra attack is with
the same bonus as the attack that dropped
the previous creature. You can use this
ability once per round.
If a character makes a successful Will save,
they then have the option of disengaging
voluntarily if any other character also
disengaged, and they gain their Cool Bonus
to all attack and damage rolls for the first
round.
Tweaks:
• Significant Characters do not provoke
Attacks of Opportunity when using a
firearm.
Slow-Mo:
At any time in a combat (once per
session), a Significant Character may decide
to slow things down. He announces he is
entering Slo-Mo. He forsakes his action
for one round, and his initiative is reset
the next round. When it is his turn in the
new round, he enters Slow-Mo. Slow-Mo
doubles the characterʼs speed for that one
round and gives him one extra attack at his
full attack bonus. Once Slo-Mo is activated,
any Significant Character may decide to
take advantage of it, gaining all the benefits
above without having to reset his initiative
and without having to lose an action!
• Intimidation can be used with either
Strength or Charisma.
Die, Commie, Die!:
Eighties Action Movies
Skills
:
Climb, Jump.
Feats:
Personal Firearms Proficiency, Advanced
Firearms Proficiency, Burst Fire, Exotic
Firearms Proficiency (action stars of
the 80ʼs have no trouble picking up
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