Tonester: Ultimately, you’re describing a problem with any system with Levels, but there definitely will be some advice for transitioning between tiers, just as there are similar discussions for 4e.

It would start with basic areas: Engage Melee, Engage Ranged, Full Evasion, things like that. With training/feats, these tactics would expand or offer new options.

Obviously I’m helping Dave some with at least the brainstorming for this project, and I imagine I’ll be playtesting it too, so it’s great to read everyone’s comments here and thank you all for the input!

One of the things that I think will be most challenging is going to having some sort of gradual introduction to upper tiers of play. I understand the motivation in separating them this way, but it might be very difficult to make it so cut and dry to where players, seemingly overnight, go from ordinary to extraordinary and get introduced to a handful of new mechanics.

I know nothing about d20 Modern but I’m a bit bored of the fantasy setting. Josh and I have been talking about wanting to play a sci-fi or modern setting for quite some time.
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On the issue of Healing Surges I certainly agree with the idea that they need to be changed somehow, but limiting them or HP might prove to be problematic. In Modern games there is always the impulse to make it realistic so that taking a single bullet is incapacitating or lethal, but don’t for get that taking a single sword blow or arrow is just as deadly. Realism for realism’s sake has been a trend in Video Games, particularly First Person Shooters, for a while and it doesn’t necessarily translate into more fun, look at how prevalent the mechanic of regenerating health is in the most popular FPSs on consoles and PCs. Healing Surges serve the same function, and changing or eliminating them could drastically change not only how lethal combat is, but how dynamic and fun combat is.

One thing that I’d suggest be lifted almost wholesale from 4e is the recently released Skill based Utility Powers, on top of a selection of Powers based on Class, Skill based power could add a lot to the level of customization and specialization.

I can’t wait see what you come up with!

Carey: A lot of systems do combine them, but healing surges tend to be used more as a measure of fatigue whereas action points are used to do cool things. Combining them may still be the answer, but I’d have to think about it.

zaha: Amateur, Professional, and Legendary sound great to me! Officially adopted for now.

Aenar: Yeah, the more I think about it, the more I like using temporary hit points as “vitality” and HP as actual “wounds” (roughly.)

Brian: Our approaches aren’t too far off… next Friday I plan to post the classes and would love your feedback on them, and I’ll follow up with you.

Hawke: I see what you’re saying, but the per scene/per session end up having a few different effects in game play. Per Scene especially, if there’s a Per Scene healing power it can’t just be used over and over to heal the party, like a Per Encounter power can. It also eliminates some of those tempo issues of having to wait 5 minutes between encounters/scenes. Playtesting may well prove your point and have everyone calling them Dailies and such anyway, but I’d like to try it.

Looking forward to what you come up with!

When you create your character, you choose your hero type, using the same basic types presented with the d20 Modern classes. This initial choice would provide bonuses that you would get above and beyond what a normal character would get. For example, let’s say all characters get X hit points at 1st level and Y hit points per level, 3 trained skills, 1/2 level attack bonus/defenses bonus, and the same spread of powers that a D&D character would get in terms of at-will, per scene, and per session. If you choose to be a Strong Hero, you’d get a bonus to Strength, training in Athletics, a few bonus hit points/hit points per level, and some sort of strength-oriented per scene power. Tough would get more hit points than anyone else, a high Fortitude, training in Endurance, and maybe some sort of temporary hit point-granting power. And so on. In effect, these types would function a little more like races than like classes.

As far as power acquisition goes, the various powers would be divided into a number of power trees, each with two or three powers at each power-granting level. As you said, these would be mixtures of attack and utility at various levels, making no particular distinction between the two. Your choice of hero type determines which power trees you have access to, but you can spend a feat to gain access to additional trees, allowing a multiclassing system more similar to that of d20 Modern than D&D. Perhaps there would be additional “multiclassing” feats that would grant some of the starting benefits of a different hero type; a Fast Hero could, for example, take a feat that grants him the per scene power of a Tough Hero, though maybe as a per session power.

At any rate, this is something I’d really like to see come to fruition. If you like my ideas, and you’d like my help on this project, send me an email. If, for some reason, you can’t access my email from this post, go to my website (www.gamecrafters.net). You’ll find it there.

Brian
.-= Brian´s last blog ..Solos, pilfering content, and a session report =-.

And I love the names proposed by Zaha, Amateur, Professional and Legend tiers sound really nice!

What about naming the Tiers Amateur Tier (1-10), Professional Tier (11-20) and Legend Tier (21-30).

If you have 4 hp, a healing surge is only 1 hp.

For having it make sense in the low tier, just remember, at that level hp is less damage, and more weariness and fatigue. No matter how unfantastic and lethal you want the game to be, resting still should let you become less tired.
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I definitely want to rename the Tiers… my working title for 1-10 was “Ordinary” tier, but something like “Skilled” sounds more inspiring for sure.

I would also consider renaming the tiers… Skilled? or Gifted? Tier(1-10), Heroic Tier(11-20), Paragon Tier(21-30). The idea being that by the time a person reaches the Heroic Tier in 4th Power, they are closer to the power level of a D&D 4e Heroic Tier. As well, it is unlikely that a modern setting will reach the equivalent of Epic Tier especially given that you are devoting the first tier to a lower power level.