The d20 system, developed alongside D&D 3e, forms the mechanical backbone for a variety of RPG's entirely departed from the D&D system.
22
votes
5answers
3k views
What are the ramifications of replacing a square based combat grid with a hex based one?
I have a personal preference for hexes over squares - the latter present some problems in terms of diagonal movement, and aliasing for certain area effects, that are just handled better with hexes.
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21
votes
6answers
2k views
How do you tell if a D&D book is 3.0 or 3.5?
I'm new to d20. I recently acquired a bunch of D&D books and I'm sure they are all either 3.0 or 3.5, but it doesn't say in the book which version it is. How can I tell which version the book is?
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16
votes
5answers
3k views
Any good steampunk material for d20?
The DM of my current Friday night game is running a steampunk-setting, using the Pathfinder rules system. We have two artificers in the party, but my feeling is that all of our material is fantasy and ...
14
votes
9answers
366 views
How to remember all the rules?
Do you have tricks or techniques to remember all the rules to the games you're playing? I would like to run my first game as a gamemaster, but I'm struggling with remembering all the feats and ...
14
votes
5answers
260 views
How do I quicken / sum up larger (but not army-scale) d20/DnD3.x combat?
I'll be rather specific:
Imagine you have five lv7 characters (in DnD3.5), a bunch of their followers (skeletons raised by their priestess and whatnot), and they're facing about the same number of ...
13
votes
7answers
386 views
How should a GM handle novice players?
In our game, we have 5 players - two are completely new to roleplaying, and one is new to the system we're playing (Pathfinder).
At the moment, the GM grants the new players no leeway - if the player ...
13
votes
7answers
1k views
What are some quality low-magic d20 (3.5e/PF) systems?
The title pretty much says it all. I'm getting ready to run a very low-magic (but high martial combat/adventure) Pathfinder campaign, and am looking for any systems to draw mechanics and inspiration ...
13
votes
1answer
232 views
How can I balance an encounter with reinforcements?
I've been planning encounters that come in two parts or have reinforcements recently, and it occurs to me that reinforcements don't have the same effect on an encounter as if they were there from the ...
12
votes
5answers
285 views
A campaign based on a novel: Let the plot deviate or make the PCs' thread unrelated?
I want to start a Game of Thrones (d20) campaign. My idea is based on the first book of seven (which comprises the whole story).
I don't want to change the course of the novel, but if my PCs are ...
11
votes
1answer
291 views
What differences are there between Prime Directive d20 and Prime Directive d20 Modern?
There are 2 versions of Prime Directive d20, one based on the D&D 3.5 PHB and the other based on D20 Modern. Are there any noteworthy differences between the two versions, or did they just make a ...
8
votes
1answer
255 views
Which version of d20 is World of Warcraft RPG compatible with?
I picked up the WoW RPG a few years back before I knew anything about D&D/d20 and am just now getting around to checking out D&D and am wondering where this book fits into the d20 versions?
8
votes
2answers
444 views
How do I implement Social Combat into a D&D/D20/Pathfinder game?
One of the coolest parts of White-Wolf games, in my opinion, is that they usually offer the ability for Social Combat to be just as exciting as physical or mental combat.
How can I run Social Combat ...
6
votes
3answers
324 views
Does a natural 20 initiative roll have any special rules?
I rolled a 20 for initiative in a pickup game today and I realized that I didn't know if that was supposed to be treated specially, like some other rolls treat a natural 20.
Does rolling a natural 20 ...
6
votes
1answer
215 views
What are the key mechanical gotchas when moving from d20 SRD to Legend?
As everybody knows, once you've learned to do something one way it is very hard to unlearn. This is easier when it comes to the big things like character creation but harder in the heat of combat.
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5
votes
3answers
889 views
How to roll perception checks for characters who aren't actively looking?
This applies to all d20 systems, but with an example from the from the Pathfinder PRD (emphasis mine):
Stonecunning: Dwarves receive a +2 bonus on Perception checks to potentially notice unusual ...
5
votes
1answer
148 views
Which games have been based off/derived from the Anime d20 SRD?
The Anime d20 SRD brought some interesting changes to the original 3e d20 SRD. Aside from BESM d20, which obviously isn't a derivative of itself, which games have made use of the Anime d20 SRD - in ...
5
votes
1answer
152 views
What are the rules of natural healing?
I've read a few times the core rules of Microlite20, and the Expert Rules, but didn't find a place where it explained how PCs healed naturally. What rules should I use for that? The ones in the ...
4
votes
1answer
120 views
In XCrawl, does grandstanding have any short term effects?
In XCrawl, you can grandstand to the crowd or mug for the camera during a dungeon crawl. There are a lot of rules around that - Perform skills, etc - but it seems like the only effect I can find is a ...
3
votes
1answer
348 views
Does anyone know of a D20 system that uses the Harry Potter Universe?
Does anyone know of a D20 system that uses the Harry Potter Universe?
I want to try something new with a few of my friends. We really want to try and get away from the usual D&D for a bit and try ...
2
votes
2answers
255 views
Cthulhu in D&D 3.5
I am planning a campaign arc where the antagonists are followers of the entity known as Cthulhu from H.P Lovecraft's strange tales. In the end of the campaign I'd like to have the adventurers fight ...
2
votes
1answer
37 views
Where can I find a lot of d20 Modern mods?
There's a huge number of games that use the d20 System, including d20 Modern. I've been looking for mods that adapt d20 Modern, or just the d20 System in general. I feel there must be a list somewhere ...
1
vote
1answer
347 views
Game of Thrones d20 Cooperative?
Devir presents a d20 setting of Game of Thrones, prestigious river novel of George RR Martin, with low magic and a lot of Treason and Plot (but without the gunpowder, lol).
Anyway.. One of the game ...
1
vote
1answer
128 views
d20 source books for modern/futuristic settings [closed]
I'm planning a game where different characters come from different time periods and cultures, and I'm using different source books to provide different rules for each character. The general idea is we ...
0
votes
3answers
128 views
Total or partial removal of skill cap in d20
What effect would removing or partially removing the skill cap in the d20 system (with a focus on DnD3.5 and Cthulhu d20)?
By partial removal I mean - for example - (handing out all the skill points ...
0
votes
1answer
220 views
Running a game with intentionally “over-powered” PCs
I've been playing for a few years now (I know I'm green) but I've been planning on running a game with intentionally "Over-Powered" PCs. This is the style of play I would like to try:
My idea is to ...
-2
votes
0answers
57 views
looking for skype gm over play per post [closed]
basically I am never able to go to a game stpre and want to learn the d20/modern/future/modern arcana stuff so that i can start writing my own stuff. just about to sign that contract that will allow ...
