SVC. E-mail sent.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 19, 2005 - 11:42 am: Edit

JT sent this....

When a character is stunned they must make a Fortitude saving throw against
a DC 15 to return to a state of consciousness. Characters are stunned if
they fail the fortitude save when struck by a phaser beam when set on Stun.

By Paul Thompson (Pjthomps) on Monday, September 19, 2005 - 12:21 pm: Edit

Hmm would that be every turn? after a set time period?

By Ronald Young (Ryoung) on Monday, September 19, 2005 - 12:44 pm: Edit

Can JT provide a page number in the PHB where this rule can be found? The closest thing I've been able to find is in the PHB glossary (page 314 under "unconscious") and the rules there don't have it working like he said at all. In fact, it gives rules only for unconsciousness induced due to two very specific circumstances: when unconscious due to having received lethal damage that took the character to negative hit points (not applicable here) or from sustaining non-lethal damage in excess of the character's current hit points (again not applicable here, especially when you consider that even on a stun setting, phasers are inflicting lethal damage according to the rules as written). In either case, returning to consciousness does not work as JT explained. If phasers work like he explained, that's fine (it sounds good to me as soon as we know the interval on the save to recover), but if he found that somewhere in the PHB, I'm sure not seeing it.

No matter what, I'm happy to see the topic is being addressed.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 19, 2005 - 02:34 pm: Edit

I've been relaying messages to and front JT because some glitch isn't letting him into the BBS. Joe Butler is trying to resolve this issue so JT can we hope be here tomorrow and answer for himself.

By Ronald Young (Ryoung) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 02:11 pm: Edit

I got my copy of Klingons d20 two days ago, and it's really good. Lighter on crunch than the core book, but tons of good fluff. I wish the binding was better (the cover is clued on a good millimeter too far down just like my PD20 core book), but it's a well-written book with far more Klingon goodness than I'd have imagined possible.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 06:26 pm: Edit

We're working on the binding issues and eliminated most of the problems by the time we finished with the romulan books. the printer who did the klingon and romulan covers trimmed them to the wrong size and once we decided that the error was too much to just ignore we spent a couple of hours dialing in the cutting machine 0.01mm at a time until we had the cover the perfect size.

By Troy J. Latta (Saaur) on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - 09:01 pm: Edit

Question on Romulans d20:
handheld plasma weapons target a square, not a person, so AC is irrelevant. In fact, "The only way to avoid taking damage is a Reflex Save (to move into an unaffected square)." [note there's no DC for the save]
However, "Armor is highly effective against plasma weapons. Triple the armor bonus for avoiding such attacks." Armor doesn't affect reflex saves at all (except perhaps to lower your dex bonus), so are we to just triple the 0 and ignore this sentence, or should armor be given a special reflex bonus in this case?

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 01:34 am: Edit

JT is the expert on this, but IIRC where it says "Armor" above, it should say "Damage Reduction" instead.

Plasma IS an area-effect weapon, so the only way to avoid being fried is to be somewhere else. So yes, you have to get out of the target area, and a Reflex roll will do that for you.

But if you can't get out of the target area -- either you blew your Reflex roll or didn't get to make one for some reason -- then when you are calculating damage, any form of Damage Reduction counts triple on reducing the number of hits taken.

In GURPS, Armor reduces damage taken. In D20, Armor only affects "to hit" and does not reduce damage once the attack is ruled a hit. This is a major difference between how the two game systems work, so I suspect this was an "oops".

Good catch, Troy.

By Troy J. Latta (Saaur) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 08:17 am: Edit

So far all three pd20 books have needed a serious combing by a rules-lawyer. There are too many instances where GURPS terms made it into flavor-text and weren't changed. Using ST instead of str to refer to strength isn't that big a deal, and the two systems use almost the same "scale" for attributes, but it's still jarring to read and there could be other situations with worse offenses.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 08:33 am: Edit

Troy. I'll take a look at the plasma thing tonight. I'm pretty sure I know how it's supposed to work (in D20 terms), but I want to compare to the GPD text to confirm "designer's intent."

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 09:06 am: Edit

Troy: We had them combed three times by d20 rules lawyers and still we had some gurpisms slip through. Plus, JT has a design philosophy of " I just do the broad strokes, you have the PHB3.5, you can figure it out" which some find good and some find annoying.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 05:59 pm: Edit

Could someone do me a favor and post or e-mail me the GURPS Romulans rule for Plasma?

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Thursday, September 22, 2005 - 09:26 pm: Edit

For the DC of the reflex save, having that be equal to the modified to-hit roll of the plasma weapon user is consistent with similar D20 effects (so it basically becomes an opposed roll).

I'll have to get with JT on the armor thing; I can't figure out anything that works there.

By Troy J. Latta (Saaur) on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 08:31 am: Edit

I was thinking of it more along the lines of a wand of lightning-bolt. It has a set DC, you point, you shoot, everyone tries to get out of the way.

By Ken Burnside (Ken_Burnside) on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 02:16 pm: Edit

Attention Russ Morrisey: Here are the banner ads for ENWorld. Please email me at support@starfleetgames.com (or post here) that you got these.

By Michael Gonzalez (Nathan_Brazil) on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 - 01:28 pm: Edit

Hi. I am new here and new to PD20. I have questions about money and purchasing since I see the Wealth system is similar to that in D20 Modern (D20M). If these questions have been answered elsewhere, please direct me to the correct place.
Yeah, I am a rules lawyer.

1.For the currency minded, does one increase the wealth Bonus per level in a similar manner as D20M? If not, how does one, or does one reacquire the wealth Bonus only thru roleplaying?

2.PD20 states that the function of the Profession skill changed, but has no description. Does it function like D20M or does it work differently?

3.Purchase DCs: Sure, replicators often do the job, but sometimes you have to buy/barter from the locals when a replicator is not available. For primitive planets so I can buy archaic weapons and such, what is the conversion rate of PHB gold pieces to Dollars or Wealth? There is no wealth chart in PD20. Would it be like the Wealth chart in D20M's? If so, then converting to dollars is sufficient. The D20M Urban Arcana setting addressed this by setting conversion at 1gp = US$20, but hey its the future, it could be different.

4.For the not so serious minded, what is the purchase DC of the Free Trader?

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 - 01:55 pm: Edit

Hi Michael.

1. Yes, your wealth raises with each Level gained. This in inferred on page 121, 3rd paragraph.

2. The change is around the fact the D20 Profession earns $ while PD20 Profession grants a Wealth bonus. I'll work with Jonathan to put together a better descriptive paragraph.

3. PD20 doesn't address this to that level of detail. I would go with the material from D20 Modern and other similar sources. I will meanwhile try to put together some additional guidance beyond the paragraph on pg. 122.

4. 597
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Seriously, I don't believe we have developed a detailed cost structure for things of that scope. I'll suggest that we develop the structure for GURPS and then translate from there (as GURPS used $).

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 10:39 am: Edit

I'm going back through to make sure every question has been at least addressed.

NOTE: These rulings are subject to review.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

How much fluff is in the book? I buy RPGs as much to read as to play.

While the PD20 Core Rulebook has the Races, Classes, Skills, Feats, and Equipment required for a new game setting, at almost 200 pages, it does include a lot of detailed background on the Star Fleet Universe. As such, it should more than meet your “fluff” requirement.

How easy would it be to play a non fed campaign with just the core book?

While the major non-Federation racial templates are in the core book, there is very little data about those empires. So, while you can create characters of any race, your ability to create an accurate setting in the core areas of these other empires is limited. Adventures within the Federation and in remote/border areas can be accomplished with what the core book provides.

How deadly is combat? is it fast or slow?

Same combat speed as standard D20. It's about twice as deadly as D&D, but this is balanced by all of the stun-capable weapons (i.e., GMs have a lot of control over how deadly it is). The key difference is that due to the higher weapon damages (a disruptor pistol hurts considerably more than a crossbow bolt), low level NPCs can't be taken as lightly.

Are there any example NPC's stated out from the various races?

There are some sample Federation characters, representing a few of the races, in the book. In character creation, which "education package" you take matters at least as much as race.

RACIAL TEMPLATES

Is it safe to say that when it's listed as a Vulcan racial trait, it's saying they get the Nerve Pinch feat for free at level 1, ignoring the feat's normal prerequisites?

Correct

The three seperate bulletpoint lists for the Alpha-Centauran racial traits (page 27) seem to be a little messed up.

ERRATA: Replace the Alpha-Centauran data with the following:

Racial Traits (All)
- Medium Size
- Base Land Speed 30'
- 1 extra feat at 1st level
- Automatic Languages: A-C. Bonus: Fed standard, one other

Racial Traits (Male)
- +1 STR, +1 DEX, -2 WIS
- 2 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level

Racial Traits (Female)
- +2 DEX, +2 CHA

Regarding the Slirdarian Berserk trait, what circumstances would trigger a need to make the Will check associated with this (ex. whenever he enters combat? When damaged in combat?)? Or is it actually intended as something the Slirdarian actively attempts to invoke, requiring him to SUCCEED at a Will check to invoke (rather than fail as the rule is written)?

ERRATA: Replace first line of Berserk description with the following:

When he needs to, a Sliridian can fly into a frenzied rage.

How do automatic and bonus languages work in PD20?

Automatic Languages work just like bonus languages with the exception that a character gains them regardless of intelligence score. So if a race has 3 automatic languages and the character has a Int of 9, he still can speak those languages. However those languages are applied against any bonus languages the character can gain. Characters are free to learn any language, as advances in Education have made language training in all languages available in Academies and Universities.

The Galactic Intelligence Agent class (pg. 51) is missing the flavor text paragraph that the others classes have.

Pending.

Promotion/Grade Table" on page 77 does not include data for the GIA ranks (GS1-GS10). Could one safely say that the GS1 through GS10 should use the same values as O1 through O10 since GIA agents are always officers? And what the heck does "GS" mean? Galactic Something?

Pending.

SKILLS

Characters with the Nerve Pinch feat and the Combat Martial Arts feat (which is a prerequisite for Nerve Pinch) no longer provoke attacks of opportunity when they Nerve Pinch, correct? I assume so, but I wanted to double-check.

The Nerve Pinch always counts as an unarmed attack, regardless of what other Feats that you may have. The Combat Martial Arts pre-requisite is more about the training required for non-Vulcans to learn this ability than about game effects.

The "Renown [General]" feat (pg. 109) seems to be missing its descriptive text, by the way. I would have also added a "Special:" line to Renown's text to address how it stacks with the Fame and Infamy feats, but so long is it is intended to stack with them, I guess it isn't really necessary.

Pending

WEALTH AND EQUIPMENT

I am confused how the stun setting of Phasers works

ERRATA. Replace line under TABLE 7/4: Phaser Weapon Damage with the following:

Characters hit by a phaser weapon on Stun take the numerical damage as SUBDUAL damage plus have to make a Fortitude save. If the Fortification save is failed, the character falls unconscious for a number of minutes equal to the amount they failed their save. The victim cannot be revived before that "time elapses", but then the victim awakens and recovers from having been unconscious normally.

The transporter rules read "But under less than normal circumstances, a failed transporter roll will inflict from 1d points of fatigue to 4d points of damage to the transportee depending on how badly the skill roll was missed (GM ruling)"

ERRATA. Replace this line with the following:

But under less than normal circumstances, a failed transporter roll will inflict d6 points of subdual damage for every 3 points (or fraction thereof) that the roll was missed.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 11:35 am: Edit

Exchange Rates
Although Prime Directive uses the Wealth system for characters to purchase things, other settings might be more detailed in how they handle money and the purchasing process. The Wealth Conversions table lists how a Purchase DC translates from modern currency (in dollars) and from OGL fantasy games currency (in gold pieces, silver pieces and copper pieces). This chart allows characters to purchase items on foreign planets without having to do much conversion or consider an exchange rate from the standard system to the Wealth system.

Wealth Conversions

Purchase DC	Modern ($)	Fantasy (gp. sp, cp)
2	$5	2 sp, 5 cp
3	$12	6 sp
4	$20	1 sp
5	$30	1 gp, 5 sp
6	S40	2 gp
7	$55	2 gp, 7sp.5cp
8	$70	3 gp, 5 sp
9	$90	4 gp, 5 sp
10	$120	6 gp
11	$150	7 gp, 5 sp
12	$200	10 gp
13	$275	13 gp, 7 sp 5 cp
14	$350	17 gp, 5 sp
15	$500	25 gp.
16	$650	32 gp, 5 sp
17 .	$900	45 gp
18	$1,200	60 gp
19	$1,500	75 gp
20	$2,000	100 gp
21	$2,750	137 gp, 5 sp
22	$3,500	175 gp
23	$5,000	250 gp
24	$6,500	325 gp
25	$9,000	450 gp
26	$12,000	600 gp
27	$15,000	750 gp
28	$20,000	1,000 gp
29	$27,500	1375 gp
30	$35,000	1,750 gp
31	$50,000	2,500 gp
32	$65,000	3,250 gp
33	$90,000	4,500 gp
34	$120,000	6,000 gp
35	$150,000	7,500 gp
36	$200,000	10,000 gp
37	$275,000	13,750 gp
38	$350,000	17,500 gp
39	$500,000	25.000 gp
40	$650,000	32,500 gp
41	$900,000	45,000 gp
42	$1,200,000	60,000 gp
43	$1,500,000	75,000 gp
44	$2,000,000	100,000 gp
45	$2,750,000	137,500 gp
46	$3,500,000	175,000 gp
47	$5,000,000	250;000 gp
48	$6,500,000	325,000 gp
49	$9,000,000	450,000 gp
50	$12,000,000	600,000 gp
+8	X10	X10

By Michael Gonzalez (Nathan_Brazil) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 01:17 pm: Edit

Thanks for the time and clarification. I tinker with the character generation/GM tools like eTools and PC-Gen programs. I needed this get the "archaic" weapons from PHB converted to PD20.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 01:28 pm: Edit

Andy, you need to fix the $20.00 line.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 01:34 pm: Edit

CORRECTION:

Purchase DC	Modern ($)	Fantasy (gp. sp, cp)
2	$5	2 sp, 5 cp
3	$12	6 sp
4	$20	1 gp

Thanks for the catch, Loren

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 02:25 pm: Edit

You could probably get SVC of Joe to fix the original table too. But your welcome. That's one place a minor typo says a lot of the wrong thing! I don't know how many times I've typed "Can" instead of "Can't".

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Wednesday, September 28, 2005 - 02:57 pm: Edit

We'll fix it when it's posted in the PD20 FAQ/Errata section of the Webpage - I don't plan on having players have to hunt this topic for Q&A