Off-topic - how do you add bookmarks in OpenOffice that you can read in PDF format?
It’s actually something I figured out by accident. While copying and pasting from the wiki, OpenOffice was inserting the text already semi-formatted with different styles ("Body Text”, “Heading 1”, “Heading 2”, “Heading 3”, etc.). I went through and just changed these styles to be a little more pleasing to the eye, and when I used OpenOffice to convert them to .pdf, it came out with the heading already happily listed as bookmarks.
Okay, I’m literally just down to the Index and the Title Page, so I need to know from my tireless playtesters and helpers here how you would like to be credited in the final product (real name, handle, etc.). PM me with the information when possible.
I PMed you with the info and preference of real name, but not wanting to be the only real name. I will conform to the majority in this instance. Thanks for letting me (us) be a part of playtesting a new system, especially one which I (we) have seen come together over some time now. I can’t believe it will be for sale soon. I may have to print it out somewhere once I buy it, that way I can show it off to my local groups.
And when you get the rules, feel free to tweak, to mangle, to devour, to do whatever else you like with them. I’m hoping to get a decent little community of interested gamers together, since as a toolbox system, it’ll only really shine when people start digging into it to see what they can build with it.
Should we be expecting more or less of the same as the wiki or is there new stuffums that you put into the pdf?
Also (just giving my update rant); for dying characters it’d be nice to know what is needed to stabilize. Also on the Recovery page on the wiki the note that it’s a con based ability threw me off a bit (I was thinking that it was a skill for a minute there.) Just a couple of notes, hope they’re helpful .
I plan on using this system in my home games (once my stupid group gets done with stupid spring sports *grumble grumble*) at least a couple sessions a month . I also wanna thank you for allowing all of us to tinker, comment, and complain about everything to help make the system better. It’s a really great product!
The pdf is going to have a few more side-notes and explanations (including two full appendices, the first discussing how to create a character, the second featuring a sample session of gameplay), and I feel like it’s been more thoroughly combed-over and should be considerably better-edited.
And it does cover stabilization. Here’s a free preview for you:
Option: Descriptor-Based Damage
The default assumption in d20 Advanced is that characters who fall unconscious in battle are just that: unconscious. It’s somewhat unrealistic, but it’s appropriate for cinematic battles where the heroes survive impossible odds. Different attacks should do different kinds of damage. While a blow from a quarterstaff might only leave a character unconscious, dropping a foe with a slash from a sword could very well kill them. The only time when this matters is when a character is dropped. Check the descriptor of the attack: if the attack is believed to be a definitively lethal one, then the blow leaves the character bleeding and dying.
Lethal Damage, Death, and Dying
Characters who are dropped by a lethal attack are dying, and “bleed” for one point of Constitution drain ever round. When a character’s Constitution dips below -5, then he is dead. It takes a DC 15 Science check for Medicine check to stabilize a dying character. Each round, the character may attempt a Recovery check (DC 15) to stabilize as a free action (even if unconscious). A player may also spend a Hero Die to stabilize automatically (with no roll needed).
Maiming, or “I’m Not Dead Yet!”
Rather than killing a character off, you may want to keep them around. A character whose condition becomes dead may instead, at the player’s option (if this variant is available), become maimed instead, suffering a lasting injury in the form of a drawback (often variants of the Disability drawback). Depending on how bad the injury was, or the attack that did the lethal damage, the injury may be worth anywhere from 1 to 5 character points. It’s up to the GM whether or not the character actually receives these bonus character points (as denying the points could represent a sort of “penalty” for the character almost dying).
And thanks for the kind words, folks. Hopefully other gamers out there will think the same thing.
So in my little bit of free time, I’ve been plunking away at my first attempt at applying d20 Advanced to a new setting with a little Star Wars (Knights of the Old Republic-era, 4,000+ BBY). Specifically, a Jedi-centric little game I might try to run for some friends over the summer. I’m actually very pleased with how simple most of the conversion is going. At this point, for me, it’s mostly a matter of checking Wikipedia and gamefaqs for details that I’ve forgotten about Star Wars and KotOR. The Force has been pretty straight-forward, though I’ve mucked around with it to allow more choice between Light and Dark Side (or more temptation, perhaps). Lightsaber combat is going to be relatively straight-forward, and Hero Dice (Force Dice) are going to be a little more important. The Minion rules are getting a minor update to allow for a “starship class” for weapons, which will essentially allow starfighters and capital ships to treat normally heroic characters like minions without needing to create a power level difference between a ship and a hero on foot. The taint system ports in very well to represent the corruption of the Dark Side,
The only thing I’ve had to create so far has been a modified version of the XPH’s rules for Focus (which really work incredibly well as a governing mechanism for using the Force).
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