Part I: Characters
From D20advanced
The fundamental unit of any story is the character, and roleplaying games are no different. This section of the book details everything you need to know to create your character, from the basic abilities to more advanced special FX to the gear used. Part I of d20A details everything you need to design a character for almost any genre of gameplay.
Contents |
For the Player
Part I is important for games where you design your own character from the ground up. If your GM’s game has character archetypes already created, you only need to familiarize yourself with Chapter I to be ready to game. More experienced players might want to dive in and create a character from the ground up, which requires details from the rest of Part I.
For the GM
If you’ve chosen to run d20A, Part I details information more necessary for the players, but it does include rules for resolving many tasks. Be familiar with Chapter I, and understand the resolution systems for certain abilities in Chapter II and for skills in Chapter III. The rest of the information in this section is important for reviewing potential characters and designing NPCs, but isn’t as important for actually running the game.
What's in This Part
Part I of d20A covers all the essential information to create a character and the basic rules for playing the game. All players and GMs should be familiar with the information in these sections.
Chapter I: The Basics
In Chapter I, the very basics of the d20 Advanced system are laid out, explaining the roles of the players and the GM, the basic task resolution system, and explaining the important terms that are used throughout the book. Chapter I also covers the fundamentals of character creation by explaining how abilities are limited by Power Level and how characters are created using Character Points. This chapter is a must-read for all players and GMs.
Chapter II: Abilities
The second chapter covers the basic ability scores a character has, as well as the other attributes characters have which are derived from these abilities. They include Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. The chapter also details how characters purchase these abilities. This chapter is essential for designing characters.
Chapter III: Skills
Chapter III lays out the basic system governing mundane character skills in a wide variety of tasks. It includes several methods for resolving tasks which require skill on the part of the characters, and a number of skills characters can choose from. It also details with different ways to purchase skills. This chapter is essential for designing characters.
Chapter IV: Feats
Beyond simple abilities and skills, feats are slightly more powerful but situational abilities that players can choose for their characters. The feats are organized in such a way that a GM can quickly and easily select which ones are a good fit for a specific game. This chapter is essential for designing characters.
Chapter V: FX
Far above the mundane abilities of ordinary people, FX are a set of powers which can be purchased to represent certain superhuman or supernatural capabilities characters might have. These are not for every game, and for many genres are restricted by the GM. This chapter is important for designing character with supernatural powers.
Chapter VI: Gear
Characters often rely on different types of gear to perform up to their full capabilities. Chapter VI details how equipment and devices are purchased with character points, as well as showing sample pieces of equipment (ranging from weapons to vehicles to structures) and outlining an optional Wealth system for buying gear. This chapter is important in many games with characters who lack FX.
