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d20 Past takes the style and settings of d20 Modern back in time, covering the period from the 16th Century to the mid 20th Century. In addition to rules and historic equipment, d20 Past offers three settings: Age of Adventure (1667), Shadow Stalkers (1872), and Pulp Heroes (193. If our present is Progress Level 5, the Information Age, in the d20 Modern continuum, then d20 Past covers PL 3, the Age of Reason, and PL 4, the Industrial Age.
The book itself is a soft cover, printed on slick paper. It is richly illustrated in the WotC style. The pages have a scrollwork border at the binding and a background watermark that appears to be handwritten pages from a journal with a map at the bottom.
Chapter One gets off to a strong start with a discussion of approaches to history and approaches to campaigns, offering advice on historical and semi-historical campaigns and on how to deal with campaigns that diverge from history. The next section deals with gaming in the past, discussing issues such as communication, gender roles, life expectancy, literacy, nationalism, and religion, and the gaming implications of each. All of this is done in about a page. This is a pretty cursory overview, but then it would take several hundred pages to cover these topics in detail. Additional rules cover overland movement and travel.
Chapter Two provides new rules for use in historical campaigns. New occupations are provided for aristocrats, cosmopolitan world travelers, impoverished tramps, fugitives, servants, slaves, and cloistered residents of temples and secret societies. Guidelines are also given for using each of the occupations from d20 Modern in historical campaigns and for using certain skills, including when some skills should be brought into play such as Craft (electronic) (1840s) and Investigate (1880s).
New feats include Minions, Obscure Knowledge, Secret Identity, and Sidekick. Minions provides guards, thugs, or other subordinates. How many minions a character can attract is dependent on a leader’s level, Reputation, and distinctive features such as being known for megalomania or known as fair and generous and having a secret base and providing uniforms. This is perfect for replicating The Wild, Wild West and similar programs. The Sidekick feat works similarly, typically providing an individual follower one level lower than the character. Obscure Knowledge is essentially Bardic Knowledge. Special rules are provided for existing feats such as Advanced Firearms, Aircraft Operation, Quick Reload, and Vehicle Dodge.
The equipment section starts with an overview of firearms and cannons, including a nice, concise presentation of the differences and progress from matchlocks to wheellocks to snaplocks to flintlocks. A year is provided for when each style of firearm becomes available from 1425 onward to 1825. 19th and 20th Century firearms are included with the stats for some weapons also serving for similar weapons such as the Springfield M1903 rifle stats also working for the Mauser Karabiner 98K and later German rifles. There are some notable omissions, however, such as the Webley revolver, Colt .38 Detective Special, and Schmeisser MP40. Period melee weapons and armor are also included. Although, I have to say, I do not agree with the rationale that spears and bayonets require Archaic Weapons Proficiency.
Stats are also included for sailing ships (but not steamships), 9 aircraft, and 17 cars, including one motorcycle. There is only one WWII era aircraft, the Spitfire. I’m not sure what you are supposed to fly it against, unless it is the dragon pictured in the Introduction. There are no WWII era ground vehicles.
Rules are provided for piloting sailing ships and for ship-to-ship combat. These rules are far simpler than those found in Skull & Bones. This will make them easy to use, but a GM will have to generate the drama and atmosphere on their own.
Chapter Two closes with the Explorer advanced class which can be used during any of the historical eras covered.
The first campaign setting is the Age of Adventure, set during the mid-17th Century. Characters can take the roles of swashbucklers, musketeers, pirates, and explorers. Powerful groups in this campaign include the ruling monarchs of Europe and other lands as well as merchant trading companies such as the Dutch East India Company. The trading companies are described as wealthy and powerful entities with their own fleets and armies, similar to cyberpunk megacorps.
Magic is real in this campaign with sorcerors gaining their powers from the mysterious, ocean-dwelling drakes and shamans gain their powers from the world of spirits. Although subordinate to the secular powers in Europe, sorcerors founded the Dutch colony of Curacao in the Caribbean, making it a haven for sorcery. The drakes are huge, powerful creatures (CR 20) with spells and powerful special abilities. Although, I would have also have given them the ability to generate fog banks. Other “new” creatures added for this setting include the Ghoul, Nighthag, Sea Devil (Sahuagin), Siren, and Zombie Master. The Nighthag is the most interesting, being a variant on the Succubus.
New classes include the Musketeer prestige class and the Sorceror and Shaman advanced classes. The Shaman is a divine spellcaster with class abilities akin to a Druid, such as Animal Companion and Woodland Stride. In addition to arcane spells, the Sorceror also has supernatural abilities such as Drakeskin, Drakebreath, and Drakeflight.
The chapter concludes with three adventures: one for pirates, one for musketeers, and one for explorers. The adventures range from basic to incomplete. As a plus, several alternative locations are suggested for each adventure. The Affair of the Necklace hinges on the unexplained actions of the Captain of the Musketeers, and although two novels are mentioned as inspiration, the recent movie is omitted. Unlike the others, the third adventure, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble, offers no suggestion on how to get the PCs involved.
The Shadow Stalkers campaign setting is an 1872 version of the Shadow Chasers campaign featured in d20 Modern. All manner of monsters are attempting to push through into our world. Most people are unaware of the threat, denying hints of its existence. Organizations in this setting include Department 7, the Fellowship, and the Order of the Crimson Dawn, a magical cabal.
The setting includes the Frontier Marshall prestige class and the Mesmerist, and the Spiritualist advanced classes. The Frontier Marshall is a western lawman with Favored Enemy as a class ability. The only problem here is that the sample character doesn’t have the required +6 BAB (unless, of course, that is a typo). What’s worse is that the class does not receive a +1 BAB at first level. The sample character has seven levels in five classes only one of which provided a +1 BAB at first level. I do not understand how classes that are premised on assertiveness and action, like the Frontier Marshall, Soldier, and Gunslinger, do not provide a +1 BAB at first level.
The Mesmerist is a limited version of the Telepath, gaining their first two 0-level powers at 2d level. It doesn’t provide a list of powers or say from which list powers a selected. I am assuming it is the Telepath’s list. This version of a mesmerist takes a different approach than the hypnotism-based Thrilling Tales Mesmerist that I developed.
The Spiritualist casts divine spells from scrolls beginning at 2d level. Spells are chosen from the Acolyte spell list. At later levels, a Spiritualist can Turn & Rebuke Undead, contact spirits through a seance, and project her spirit from her body for a short period of time.
The chapter concludes with two scenarios. The first involves the exploration of a desert tomb. The second is set against a high stakes poker tournament in Fallen Birch, California.
The biggest problem with the Shadow Stalkers setting is how familiar it is. Victorian horror has already received thorough treatments from Call of Cthulhu and Vampire. I would have much preferred to see this as a Napoleonic setting.
The final setting is a Pulp Heroes campaign set in 1936. Pulp science is the defining aspect of this setting where scientists test their own rocket packs because “until I’m sure it works, it’s too dangerous to put into the hands of a pilot.” A handy table allows a GM to randomly generate names for pulp inventions like the Gaussian multi-emitter.
You can’t have a pulp setting with Flying Aces, a prestige class, or Gangsters and Scientists, advanced classes. Flying Aces are veterans of the Great War and are skilled pilots. One of their best abilities is Jump Free which allows them a Reflex save to avoid damage from a crash landing. Otherwise, though, it is kind of an ordinary class. It lacks the flair of signature aircraft and coaxing more performance out of planes found with the Thrilling Tales Air Ace.
The Gangster could be either a neighborhood’s last defense against corrupt cops and business leaders or a flamboyant bank robber that stays one step in front of the law. The Gangster has a Sneak Attack ability.
The Scientist is able to create pulp inventions. A Scientist makes a number of discoveries each level that duplicates the effects of a Mage or Acolyte spell. Discoveries, however, exist only on paper and must be incorporated into an invention. To do this, a Scientist must expend XP. Inventions work for 50 uses before breaking. Several feats are available that improve the effectiveness of inventions. A Scientist can also spend an action point to rapidly improvise equipment as needed. This is a great class for PCs that desire to outdo Dr. Zarkov and for gadgeteers.
Nazis are presented as the main villains, with stats provided for pilots, scientists, soldiers, officers, spies, athletes, and mentalists. Two scenarios round out the setting. One deals with medical experiments in Hong Kong. The other deals with the exploration of a lost jungle temple.
The material in d20 Past is generally pretty good. I just wish that there was more of it. The big missings are steampunk and WWII settings. It would have been great to have a full-blown steampunk setting. Also, despite the sergeant featured on the front and back covers, there is very little support for a WWII campaign. A Sergeant Rock or Unknown Soldier type setting would have been a worthy addition.
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