Palladium
Fantasy (setting) |
| System Conversion: Since
Palladium's game system is seriously broken, we've toyed with different
game systems for running our game in the Palladium Fantasy game world.
Since Palladium Books has a bad habit of threating legal action against
those who post system conversions on the web, we won't post those here.
However, I will state that converting Palladium's system to D&D is
fairly easy if you try and convert the concept moreso than the mechanics.
Why D&D: In a word: sheer volume of compatable material. It's no secret that almost everything in Palladium Fantasy is based on something in D&D. As a result, most of the monsters and magic can just be swapped out directly with no work for the GM. There are enough D&D monsters, classes, spells, and races, in just WoTC products alone, to emulate absolutely everything in Palladium FRP and then some without making one single direct rule or mechanic conversion. In short, D&D is the easiest system to convert Palladium's game world over to. The problem was that there are some things about d20 in general, and D&D in specific, that bug me: ungodly amounts of hit points that allow a character to be struck again and again without effect and then suddenly just drop; A fixed armor class score that prevents active defense; a die mechanic with a flat probability curve, ect. The Solution: I knew d20 could be better than D&D from my experiences with the Star Wars d20 game. I just had to find a way to alter d20 in D&D to fit the feel of the game I was aiming for in the Palladium Fantasy game world. Enter Unearthed Arcana. For those of you who are not familiar with Unearthed Arcana (aka UA herein, not to be confused with Arcana Unearthed, another suppliment altogether), this book is a collection of rules variants for virtually every aspect of D&D. More variants than you could possibly use. Some good, some bad, some ridiculous, and some really exciting. Using UA, I've decided to institute these House Rules to emulate the Gritty-yet-Pulpy feel our particular Palladium game has. The following rule adjustments address the bulk of my issues with d20.: Palladium Fantasy "d20" House Rules Core Mechanic: d20 rolls are replaced by 3d6.
Critical Threat Ranges are calculated as per UA 132. Active Defense: Armor Class is eliminated for
PCs. All AC bonuses are added (without the 10 point base AC score) to a
roll of 3d6 for defense score. Enemies make an opposed attack roll. The
higher roll wins, tie going to the defender. Monsters and NPCs keep the AC
score for defense, which must be overcome by a PC’s attack score to land
a hit. Armor: Armor no longer adds AC bonuses to
defense. Now armor’s AC bonus is converted directly to Damage Resistance
on a one-for-one basis. Shields and Natural Armor work as on pages 111-112
of UA. Character Level Defense: Characters get a
defense bonus based on Character level and class as per UA 110. This bonus
is based on the character level. Which column is used on table 4-1 is
determined by the character’s highest level Basic Class, NOT by the class
with the higher defense bonus. Vitality and Wound: Vitality and Wound rules
are in effect, as per UA 116 Action Points: A character starts with Action
Points equal to his highest attribute bonus. A character receives a number
of Action Points each level equal to his highest attribute bonus.
Additional action points can be earned for exceptional actions and role
playing. Maximum Spell Levels: Ability Bonuses no
longer determine if higher level spells can be learned. If a spell caster
is deficient in one or more Intelligence Bonuses for a spell level, then
the spells cost two times the normal spell cost. Further, the Caster Level
is considered to be one lower for every ability bonus below the minimum
required. Higher bonuses make more powerful and more frequent castings
available, but do not prohibit spell selection. Only a PC’s level in
their spell-using class counts for determining spell points and caster
level. Weapon Group Feats: Weapon Group Feats (UA
94-95) are in effect. Feats that target a single weapon now effect the
entire group. Crafting: The Craft Point rules from UA 97 are
in effect. Brew Potion is the feat used by spellcasters to enable
making alchemical items, including but not limited to magical potions,
while the Craft Alchemical Item feat is used by non-spellcasters to create
mundane Alchemical items (acids, tanglefoot bags, ect). A spellcaster does
not require both, as Brew Potion can be assumed to include basic
alchemical techniques. The Craft: Alchemy skill is still required for the
actual item creation, however. Contacts and Reputation: Contact and Reputation rules (UA 180-184) are in effect. Reputation Feats are available. Darker Stuff: Taint and Sanity rules are in effect and may be used sparingly. (UA 189 I'll let you know how these work for us when we have tested them out. I
may also tweak these rules on this page from time to time.
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