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Modern Talents

by Stan!
Editing: Tammie Webb Ryan
Art: Clarence Harrison
Layout and Typesetting: Marc Schmalz

Modern Classes is a free publication offered in promotion of the Modern Player's Companion, Volume Two. It details a new advanced class and a new prestige class.

The basic classes in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game are designed so that from the very beginning players can tailor the details to suit their individual characters. A group could have three Strong heroes, yet each one might have a completely different set of abilities--even at 1st level. This is thanks to the innovation of talent trees.

Fantasy d20 character classes already contained the seeds of this innovation--bonus feats and class special abilities--but for the most part, the progression of abilities within a class was mapped out from the start. This was fitting since the classes represented not only a character's basic skills, but also the niche he or she filled in the game world's society. A fighter is expected to have particular abilities and a monk must undertake her training in a specific order.

The modern world, on the other hand, is much more difficult to categorize into classes based on a character's role in society: There are too many variables and opportunities. It would take several volumes to even begin to present all the potential jobs and vocations a player might desire for his character. The solution is to organize classes by the ability that the character relied upon most heavily and to allow the player to tailor the specific development of that ability based on the character's needs. In other words, talent trees.

The talents presented in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game provide the tools necessary to model just about any type of character imaginable. However, more options create broader opportunities. The Modern Player's Companion, Volume Two contains new talents for all the modern d20 System basic classes. The talents below provide just a sample of what can be found in the pages of the full document.

Strong Hero

The Strong hero has two basic applications of his abilities--raw strength and fighting capability. Greater extreme effort allows the Strong hero to eliminate the chance of a catastrophic roll while applying his raw strength. This talent belongs to the Extreme Effort Talent Tree.

Greater Extreme Effort: The effort requires a full-round action and allows the Strong hero to take 10 on the check. The +6 bonus gained from advanced extreme effort is also applied.

Prerequisites: Extreme effort, improved extreme effort, advanced extreme effort.

Fast Hero

The d20 Modern Roleplaying Game provides only two talent trees for the Fast hero--fewer than those given for most other classes. In the Modern Player's Companion, Volume Two we present a third talent tree that compliments the other two.

The talents in the Instinctive Response Talent Tree allow the Fast hero to improve on other feats, talents, and skills she may already possess. Below is one of the three talents in the tree.

Full Alert: The Fast hero gets a +4 circumstance bonus on initiative checks. This bonus stacks with the one provided by the Improved Initiative feat (providing a +8 bonus if the Fast hero has both).

Tough Hero

Stay in the game belongs to the Unbreakable Talent Tree, and allows the Tough hero a second chance in the rare occasion when he fails a massive damage check.

Stay in the Game: If the Tough hero fails a Fortitude saving throw to resist the effects of massive damage (see Massive Damage Threshold in Chapter 8 of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game) he may spend 1 action point to attempt the save again. He must accept the results of this second attempt.

Prerequisites: Remain conscious, robust, stamina.

Smart Hero

The Smart hero is another basic class that receives only two talent trees in the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game. On top of that, Smart heroes have only five distinct talents to choose from (although the savant talent may be taken multiple times).

To broaden the choices available to Smart heroes the Modern Player's Companion, Volume Two presents two new talents plus an entirely new talent tree. Below is the introductory talent in the Deduction Talent Tree--logical.

Logical: The Smart hero can use the theoretical information at his command to help solve real tangentially related problems.

Choose one of the Knowledge skills listed below. The Smart hero gains a synergy bonus equal to half his class level (round up) to the listed skill.

The Smart hero may take this talent multiple times, but each time it must apply to a different Knowledge category.

Prerequisite: Knowledge (any) 4 ranks.

Dedicated Hero

The Dedicated hero can be a master of reading both personalities and situations. The new Observant talent belongs to the Empathic Talent Tree.

Observant: The Dedicated hero is intuitively able to sense a person's body language, vocal tone, and other nonverbal communications. She adds her base Will saving throw bonus to all Sense Motive and Gather Information checks.

Charismatic Hero

The Charismatic hero gains advantageous position through application of his winning personality. There are times, though, when he might use that ability to convince people he is of no threat or concern. Misdirect belongs to the Charm Talent Tree.

Misdirect: The Charismatic hero can encourage opponents to ignore him by making himself appear to be harmless and unthreatening. The target must have an Intelligence score of 3 or higher to be susceptible to a misdirect attempt, must be within 30 feet of the Charismatic hero, and must be able to see, hear, and understand the hero.

To misdirect a target, the hero must use an attack action to make a Charisma check (DC 15), adding his Charismatic level as a bonus. If the Charisma check succeeds, the target can try to resist.

The target resists the misdirection attempt by making a Will saving throw (DC = 10 + Charismatic hero's class level + Charismatic hero's Cha bonus). If the saving throw fails, the target pays no attention to the hero, deciding that he is harmless, worthless, or otherwise not worthy of regard. The target completely ignores the hero until the end of the Charismatic hero's next turn. This allows the Charismatic hero to take actions of which the misdirected target is unaware. The effect ends immediately if the Charismatic hero performs any attack action.

The Charismatic hero can concentrate to keep a target misdirected for additional rounds. The Charismatic hero must spend an attack action on the task, and the target gets to make a new Will save each round. The effect ends when the hero stops concentrating, or when the target succeeds on the save.

Prerequisites: Charm, favor.

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Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Bill Slavicsek, Jeff Grubb, Rich Redman, Charles Ryan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, Peter Adkison, Bruce R. Cordell, John Tynes, Andy Collins, and JD Wiker.

 

Ultramodern Firearms d20, Copyright 2002, Charles McManus Ryan.

 

Modern Player's Companion, Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: Stan!

 

Modern Talents, Copyright 2003, The Game Mechanics, Inc.; Author: Stan!