[WW] D20, House Rules, Wild Card

[LiveDaD@aol.com]

Hey all,

I am a D20 fan, pure and simple.

Sure it has a clunky system when it comes to large fights, but I look at how many large scale fights I run in a campaign and I find it to be dreadfully low. Not because of the system but because of the adventures and storylines. 

I really like the idea of having a system that will simplify large scale battles, and I would definitely incorporate it as a supplement, but I won't replace my D20.

Why? Because it is a universal language. I can go just about anywhere and run a game without explaining a single thing. Sure it is not perfect, and I distribute a page with my own house rules when newbies are about, but it is a solid foundation that we can all work from.

I have run the gambit of eras in D20 and found it to work in each without a hitch. All of the skills are broad enough to have secondary usage's (Although I must say Scry has never been used in any game that I have run =).

Ok here are some gripes I have had with D20 and how I fixed it...

Weapon Damage - I don't care who you are, or how tough you are, a knife can kill you. At my table, all damage rolled that is the max on the die gets rerolled. (4 on a 4, 6 on a 6). Multiple dice all have to hit to be rerolled. I did the curve to this and found it to be rather decent. Lower dice got more rerolls but overall damage was still less then the big weapons. Couple this with my handy dandy little critical sheet and combat is quite deadly (Just like I like it =).

No Rewards for Nonviolent action - I give experience points for successful skill rolls, imaginative solutions to problems, and good roleplaying.

Experience Points - This mechanic is still clunky. I see experience as something you learn, memory of what works and what doesn't. I cannot understand how an energy drain or making an item would take memory away. I modify attacks to attribute damage, and crafting to time spent making an item. Experience points are a one way road that only stops when the character dies (and sometime that doesn't stop them =).

Skill points - The way the system runs there is not much difference between someone who is skilled and someone with good stats. I have a VERY controversial rule that is that if you do not have a skill rank you take a -5 penalty on the roll. This way those who spend time ranking skills are better then those who have massive stats.

Sooooooo... I really look forward to the new rules. I will play Wild Card and I will buy the advanced rules but I will only incorporate them into D20 (Especially the parts where I don't have to fill in those stat boxes =). 

As for WW... I have a real big itch to have a vehicle chase/battle... There was an interesting mechanic in a Dungeon or Dragon Mag that broke it down to a couple simple rolls based on the obstacles in the terrain and max speed. I was thinking of throwing it in with WW rules for a stress filled romp through some battlefield.

Has anyone had vehicle chases in WW?

Until Later..................... K