Dresden Files D20 Homebrew

[The Darkness Within]

Okay so me and my brother are Working on making a D20 version to hold us off till the big one is done and ready. However we need some help. We've got a few things done:

Races:
Black Court Vampires

Classes:
None (Mage is a WIP)

We've also decided to use Vitality and Wound points to make combat more Realistic.

Spellcasting System:
A skill based system based off of a simple format. If you've ever heard of Advanced D20 Magic I based it off that.

Skills:
we were thinking of Using the D20 Urban Arcana versions.

Item Creation:
Okay here is where we go Duh.

Allies and Others:
Need to work on this too.
--

This is the early stages of the prodject and any help would be loved. once we have a bit more, I will post a link to the file.


Edit: Okay I took a look a previous D20 thread that as a discussion and I wanted to say that I am playing on a new re-vamped spellcasting system, with the spells that are pre-made called "Baselines" these base line might be the effect you want (aka Evocation) or just the begginning, for other kinds of magic, there are ritual rules, and I am planning on making it pretty open ended. meaning you only need to ask your DM the overall spell DC, and there you go. Spells are based on a few skills. or maybe one skill. I am still in the process of mix it up.

As for the 'smaller' Iconic characters, I mean Level is a determination of combat skill and knowledge of your field. So while Harry may be more power (due to his magic), Murphy would still take him in a straight fight. So levels of the Iconic will be base off the books with statistics to match. I will also to make a grip of new feats.

I do however need some help with certain things, if you are interested send me a Pm, or post here.

[Tush Hog]

Have you looked any at Monte Cook's World of Darkness? Keep me updated, I would like to see what you come up with.

[TheMouse]

Have you looked any at Monte Cook's World of Darkness?

I've heard very good things about the magic system used in MCWoD. I'm not sure how well it fits Dresden, but a number of d20 folk have called it the best magic system they've ever seen, period.

[finarvyn]

Well, McWOD does use a spell point system where you can customize and build spells and their effects. Monte has also put together point values for some common spells so that you don't have to totally reinvent the wheel.

It's really pretty good.

[The Darkness Within]

Okay. I am back. I am sorry I disappeared for so long but shit happened. my laptop got destroyed ala falling from the fifth story window. (MY BABY!~) and now I have a new one. I am officially restarting this project now. I am sad because I lost all my data but the spirit is still here. however this time I need some more help. I am without the ability to do it on my own for quite some time. so I ask you my fellow board goers for some small help.

Classes:
What Classes would you like to see

Races:
What Races you'd like to see

Items of Power:
What Items would you like stated

Magic system:
Skill based
DnD styled
Something else?

Major Characters you want stated.

I want to get this done at about mid-summer (Doubt it but I can try)

[finarvyn]

I'm not really a d20 guy becasue I think those rules are a lot more complex than you need (or I want) to run a fun game. Using d20 to create a Dresden style game may take a while since you need to come up with skills, feats, and a number of similar game-mechanic pieces to fit into the campaign. I'd be tempted to go for an older edition of the game. A simple approach would be to take the OD&D game system (or AD&D or OSRIC or other similar RPG mechanic) and use it to run Dresden Files. It's certainly a fast and easy way to go.

* Classes - Start with fighter and magic-user. Others could be added as desired. For example, the Knights of the Sword function a lot like the Paladin. I can also imagine non-canon classes like Druid, Cleric, or Monk entering a game after you get the campaign underway.

* Races - Start with human and probably vampire. You can customize vampire by Court if you like, or start out with them being somewhat generic.

* Magic - A "vancian" fire-forget system is not very Dresden-like in philosophy but probably is a close enough fit and is certainly easy to run. You might want to use new spell names or maybe add a few to be more Dresden in style.

* Special Items - not much here as the DF universe doesn't seem to have "random magic" type items. I'd make each magic item unique and create it as needed instead of having a standard list, but if you want a generic list focus on rings and cloaks of protection, magic potions, maybe an occasional magic dagger or other weapon. Try to stick to things that seem in keeping with the style of Harry's world.

* Monsters - some of the monsters seem very different than their D&D counterparts. For example, the DF ghoul is really nasty whereas the D&D ghoul is nothing really terrifying. Probably some re-statting would be needed here.

I'm thinking that with an OD&D style system you could sit down for a few hours and create enough material to play almost right away. If you try to build a system from scratch, it would take a lot longer.

[The Darkness Within]

I'm not really a d20 guy becasue I think those rules are a lot more complex than you need (or I want) to run a fun game. Using d20 to create a Dresden style game may take a while since you need to come up with skills, feats, and a number of similar game-mechanic pieces to fit into the campaign. I'd be tempted to go for an older edition of the game. A simple approach would be to take the OD&D game system (or AD&D or OSRIC or other similar RPG mechanic) and use it to run Dresden Files. It's certainly a fast and easy way to go.

* Classes - Start with fighter and magic-user. Others could be added as desired. For example, the Knights of the Sword function a lot like the Paladin. I can also imagine non-canon classes like Druid, Cleric, or Monk entering a game after you get the campaign underway.

* Races - Start with human and probably vampire. You can customize vampire by Court if you like, or start out with them being somewhat generic.

* Magic - A "vancian" fire-forget system is not very Dresden-like in philosophy but probably is a close enough fit and is certainly easy to run. You might want to use new spell names or maybe add a few to be more Dresden in style.

* Special Items - not much here as the DF universe doesn't seem to have "random magic" type items. I'd make each magic item unique and create it as needed instead of having a standard list, but if you want a generic list focus on rings and cloaks of protection, magic potions, maybe an occasional magic dagger or other weapon. Try to stick to things that seem in keeping with the style of Harry's world.

* Monsters - some of the monsters seem very different than their D&D counterparts. For example, the DF ghoul is really nasty whereas the D&D ghoul is nothing really terrifying. Probably some re-statting would be needed here.

I'm thinking that with an OD&D style system you could sit down for a few hours and create enough material to play almost right away. If you try to build a system from scratch, it would take a lot longer.

I agree with a lot of this. however I am very poor with the older systems (I learned on the newer editions) I am fully prepared to write a 100 pages of a write up if I have to make this the fun game it can be based in the D20 system. I would like to mention that its less of me not know 'How' to put it together but what to put in.

I still really don't want to do the classic DnD system for magic. I am looking for an opinion and list of nessicary things that the people would like to see. (Thank you for some of those btw). I am still thinking on making a skill system for the magic. however if I do that...I need a list of the seperate magic for Harry Dresden Universe (Mainly because it's more varied in skill than base DND, some might be a combat magic specialist with little skill in...Thaumergy (Sp?) and the like.)

So. with that said. the Items section is more to detail the unique items. or give a creation example.

[s.baldrick]

You could use Mutants and Masterminds pretty easily for a Dresden Files game, particularly if you use The Book of Magic supplement.  In my opinion, The Book of Magic book has a HEAVY Dresden influence to it as it is.  I am currently running a Mutants and Masterminds right now and it has a HEAVY Dresden influence to it although that was not intended by me.  Four of the five players in the game are big Dresden Files fans (I am the one that introduced them to the books) and three of the characters that have been played were definitely at least partially inspired by the Dresden Files.  We have had a a werewolf, a faerie warrior and a full fledged wizard for characters so far.   

[Stephen]

I am still thinking on making a skill system for the magic. however if I do that...I need a list of the seperate magic for Harry Dresden Universe (Mainly because it's more varied in skill than base DND, some might be a combat magic specialist with little skill in...Thaumergy (Sp?) and the like.)

The books give a messy picture on magic e.g. Harry says evocation is flash bang line of sight magic but Molly's neuromacy, psychomancy and veils and Mort's ectomancy seem more evocation like to me (mental effort only) than thaumaturgy (lots of materials).
Book named specific forms of magic:
Ectomancy - spirits
Kinetomancy - motion/force
Pyromancy - fire/temperature
Vulcanomancy - earthheat
Ferromancy - magnetics/electrics
Necromancy - death/zombies+spectres, etc
Anthropomancy - future Intellectus by reading human entrails
Neuromancy - mind reading/wrting
Psychomancy - Person/Object Limited Intellectus
Beeromancer - beer

Alchemy (Potions, Ointment, etc) is probably a form of Thaumaturgy as is Enchantment  (Foci, Amulets, Runes?, etc).

There have been other spells but the class of magic hasn't been named e.g. NN portals, gravity focusing, sell's shadowman, veils, Sight, Soulgaze, etc.

Hope this little bit helps
Stephen

[finarvyn]

You could use Mutants and Masterminds pretty easily for a Dresden Files game, particularly if you use The Book of Magic supplement.

And there is a thread on using Mutants & Masterminds for DF gaming right here if you are interested.

[aprugaria]

My friends and i have been using Gurps to play a dresdenverse style rpg. It's not perfect but it works well enough.

[vultur]

* Special Items - not much here as the DF universe doesn't seem to have "random magic" type items. I'd make each magic item unique and create it as needed instead of having a standard list, but if you want a generic list focus on rings and cloaks of protection, magic potions, maybe an occasional magic dagger or other weapon. Try to stick to things that seem in keeping with the style of Harry's world.

Or at least we haven't seen them yet. In Fool Moon, Bob refers to a "Shadowcape" and "greater Ring of Invisibility" as though they're fairly standardized things, and Harry knows what he's talking about.

[jtaylor]

My friends and i have been using Gurps to play a dresdenverse style rpg. It's not perfect but it works well enough.

I think a combination of the Ritual Magic rules in Vodoo or spirits For Thamaturgery combined with Classic Magery/Spells for evocation would be very close for a Hombrew Gurps campaign. Do you play 3rd or 4th edition?

[vultur]

If one wanted to use d20, d20 Modern would probably be the best base. Pure Mortals could use the base classes without any modification: Minor Talents and the weaker Changelings/Scions, as well as any other supernaturals who are 'one-trick ponies', would still use the base classes, but simply with a template applied (with their weak powers balanced by minor weaknesses: for example, Changelings weak enough to use this setup would have one minor ability, either a very weak magical one, a weak bonus feat, or simply a bonus to an ability score, and would be vulnerable to iron; they might also suffer a penalty to certain social skills as they have less free will.)

For example:
Changeling (Minor) - Troll Born
*Bonus Feat: Toughness
*+2 racial bonus to Intimidate checks.
*Fae Vulnerabilities: A minor changeling without Damage Reduction suffers +25% damage (round up) from iron weapons. The troll-born also suffers a -4 penalty to one skill from the following list: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Sense Motive.

Or:
Minor Talent - Precognitive
* Future Sight: A precognitive gains a +1 competence bonus on Armor Class against attacks by mortal opponents.
*+2 competence bonus to Bluff and Sense Motive checks
* Bound by Time: A precognitive suffers a -2 penalty to all Charisma-based skill checks except Bluff.
* Council's Ward: A precognitive can be detected by Wardens and other members of the White Council who are within X feet. Any breaking of the Laws is detectable from a much greater radius.

Things like a Red Court Infected would be a template too, with greater bonuses and much greater penalties. The key would be: are the abilities greatly improvable by practice? Things that are (Wizard, Sorcerer) are classes; things that aren't (Red Court Infected), or are profoundly limited in how they can be improved (Minor Talent) are templates. I'm tempted to say that White Court Vampire is a class, since there seem to be greatly varying degrees of skill/power in the use of the vampire abilities, but it might be both (a template for the base abilities, and a class for refining the abilities.)

EDIT TO ADD:
Of the types we've seen so far:
Classes:
Wizard (Basic Class)
Sorcerer (Basic Class) - may be the same class as wizard with different options chosen
White Court Vampire (Basic Class)
Werewolf (Advanced Class - but with low prerequisites)
Faithful (Basic Class)
Faerie Court Knight (Advanced Class)
as well as the basic classes from D20 Modern, for plain mortals and minor talents...

Template:
Changeling (actually several templates depending on Fae parent)
Lycanthrope
Minor Talent (actually several templates depending on specific power)
Red-Court Infected
White-Court Born

[vultur]

But how would magic work in a D20 version?

Evocation would be fairly simple, but Thaumaturgy would be difficult to set up in a more detail-oriented system like d20...